Tallie Gabriel's new E.P 'Little Death' is a really fine collection of truly beautiful songs with captivating vocals and a consistently refined musical backdrop. === It's been sometime since we last featured The Arthur Brothers however they return with the magnificent nine and a half minute Neo-psych song 'Sun Gun' . === Austin band Sun June share their latest track 'Singing' which is described as their Groundhog song, it's also melodic and hook filled. === Kristen Beckwith shares 'Magic Years' and it's a good example of what to anticipate on her forthcoming album 'A True Story' where the Salt Lake City based artist delivers some gorgeous singer songwriter material.
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Tallie Gabriel - Little Death (E.P).
Ethereal singer/songwriter and cellist Tallie Gabriel has unveiled her debut solo E.P. Little Death, a collection of tender hopeful and heartbroken stories written in the aftermath of and reflection on a breakup, featuring singles “Story,” “Hummingbird,” “Laundry,” and cover of “Who Knows Where the Time Goes.”
The 5 song EP explores Tallie Gabriel’s incredible poetry, musicianship, and vulnerability as it goes through the stages of allowing yourself to fall for someone, the disappointment of that relationship not quite working as you'd hoped, the loss of self that comes with betrayal, the confusing heartbreak of a one-time-fling that doesn't last, and finally, a giving over to the understanding that nothing is permanent and all things in life, especially love, ebb and flow like the tides.
“The name ‘Little Death’ comes from an idea my mother told me when I called her once, wildly heartbroken: a breakup the closest thing to the death of a loved one that humans experience. Someone is in your world, and then they're not, or at the very least, a new version of them is. The relationship you shared has died, so it's no wonder that we mourn lost loves so deeply,” says Gabriel. “It's also a cheeky play on the French phrase petit mort... I'll let you look up what that means."
“Little Death” was written by Tallie Gabriel, produced, mixed, and masted by Julian Giaimo and features Tallie Gabriel on cello, Halsey Harkins and Julian Giamo on keys, and Catherine Hardy and Halsey Harkins on background vocals.
Tallie Gabriel’s work is born out of moments of tender vulnerability. Her music is steeped in warmth and affectionate intimacy—exactly how she likes her heart best. Her poetic lyrics and thoughtful storytelling combined with her lilting voice have drawn comparisons to the likes of Regina Spektor, Ingrid Michaelson, and Sufjan Stevens. She draws inspiration from a variety of indie singer-songwriter and folk predecessors, as well as incorporating the influence of the trad Irish, Bal-musette, and classical motifs that attracted her to the cello and music composition when she was younger. Gabriel is 1/4 of the folk group Cardboard Rocketship.
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The Arthur Brothers - Sun Gun.
The Arthur Brothers; is a London based artistic alliance centered around brothers Matt and Danny Arthur and the producer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist J. C. Wright.
With an eclectic batch of singles over the last two years, The Arthur Brothers have demonstrated that there are no boundaries in terms of what to expect from their musical creations. With accolades from radio and press globally, throw in two award winning animated videos, and it’s clear to see that The Arthur Brothers are showing a unique ingenuity and imaginative ambition that doesn’t come around often.
‘Sun Gun’, The Arthur Brothers latest single from their upcoming debut album Nine, is the final phase of a journey that began 9 orbits ago, when the talented brothers Arthur met producer J. C. Wright and they collectively embarked upon a mission, an expedition, an exploration, a compulsion even…. an undertaking that can only be described as...’art for art’s sake’. Recorded in a dilapidated old warehouse in North London - now known as the ClearLight SoundCave - with broken windows, cracked concrete, parquet flooring and a cavernous sounding art-deco stairwell which features heavily in the tonality and ambience of the album. A DIY approach that ultimately flourished into a majestic sonic proclamation.
‘Sun Gun’ is a song about the future. But also a song about the past… from the future’s perspective. A dys/utopian narrative. A rescue mission. An uplifting space romp. A portent of potentiality and a premonition of probability for the ever expanding, avaricious human race. ‘Sun Gun’ is a song of hope, a song of love… a light to lift the darkness.
A 9mins30 sweeping epic journey – ‘Sun Gun’ is a timeless neo-psych, shimmering, summer’s day intergalactic cruise, surfing on waves of vocal harmonies and cascading guitars. From ‘Sun Machine’ to ‘Sun King’, sun salutations to sun salvation. A fitting last song for the creative enterprise that is The Arthur Brothers Nine, ‘Sun Gun’ acts as a statement of intent. A song to launch The Arthur Brothers into space and back again. ‘Destination we've arrived’.
The accompanying ‘Sun Gun’ video, playfully edited by Greg Vegas, offers a captivating version of the song’s journey by incorporating archival film footage of 1974 USSR films Teenagers in the Universe and Moscow-Cassiopeia by Maxim Gorky studios, interspersed with textures by UK visual artist Anastasia Beltyukova aka Tribambuka.
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Sun June - Singing.
Austin band Sun June have released a new single & video today for "Singing" and announced they've signed to Run For Cover Records.
Laura Colwell says: " 'Singing' is our groundhog day song. It's about being stuck in an old argument with your partner, wishing you both saw the world the same way. The video expands on that idea by cycling through various mundane ruts we can get caught in.
We also explore around our Austin neighborhood, where they're tearing stuff down and building stuff up."
Sun June's new album is due early 2021 via Run For Cover and Keeled Scales.
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Kristen Beckwith - Magic Years.
Kristen is a singer-songwriter based out of Salt Lake City, Utah. Inspired by artists of all genres, music became Kristen’s passion at a young age.
In 2018 she made the choice to pursue music full time and by early 2019 released her first single, “Free”. Driven by authentic lyrics and melodies, Kristen’s music is emotional and thought-provoking. She is an advocate in the topic of mental health.
After two and a half years working day in and day out, Kristen is beyond thrilled to be releasing her debut album, “A True Story” October 2nd, 2020. In an interview with KSL Kristen said, “I want to touch hearts and move people the way music moves me”.
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Friday, 4 September 2020
Thursday, 3 September 2020
The Nude Party - Samana
The Nude Party give us a taste of their next album 'Midnight Manor' through 'Lonely Heather' and the accompanying video, see and listen for yourself as the band serve up some feisty, indeed full on two minute plus rock. === And then we have the gorgeous new song from Samana who share the pristine and breathtaking track 'Passing Me By'.
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The Nude Party - Lonely Heather.
The Nude Party are set to return with their sophomore album, Midnight Manor, on October 2nd via New West Records. The 12-song set was recorded live-to-tape over six days at the Outlier Inn in upstate New York and mixed by John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr., Kurt Vile). Midnight Manor is the follow up to their critically acclaimed self-titled debut which Rolling Stone heralded as “equal parts ‘I’m Waiting for the Man’ Velvet Underground and Exile on Main Street Stones.”
Their debut found the band hitting stages across the globe, appearing at massive festivals like Lollapalooza, All Points East, Splendour In The Grass, Great Escape, Newport Folk Festival, and Bonnaroo where many publications named them one of the best of the festival. They also supported major artists like Jack White and the Arctic Monkeys—both of whom became full-blown fans and vocal supporters of the band.
Today, The Nude Party have shared the video for the song “Lonely Heather” via DIY Magazine. Frontman Patton Magee said, “The video is inspired by Ralph Bakshi’s New York street animation style, in movies like American Pop, Streetfight, and Heavy Traffic. During the peak of the pandemic, our photographer friends Bryan Derballa and George Etheredge took a series of incredible photographs around New York City.
We used those deserted street corners and venue shots as the backdrop for the rotoscope animation. Then filmed all the action on a green screen in our barn during quarantine in April. Brooklyn-based director and animator Parker Worthington painstakingly put together all the footage and photographs into this weird dream version of New York.” Of the song, Magee said “Heather is the constant object of unwanted affection, the solitary queen of rejection. She follows the scent of her whims and can’t be bothered by the desires of anyone."
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Samana - Passing Me By.
'Passing Me By' is Samana's first release since their BBC 6Music, BBC Introducing and Radio X championed single 'Harvest'.
The Wales-based duo self-produced, recorded and mixed Passing Me By whilst holed-up in a remote part of France while the world was locked down earlier in the year.
Accompanied by a stunning video, also captured from the time spent in France, they explained that "Passing Me By was the product of a one off, improvised vocal and acoustic guitar take, laid to 1/4 inch tape. It is a response to the immediate present, guided by the subconscious; to the velocity of time passing in fragments of visions and feeling."
The new track is out this week and signals the first of a series of new releases from the band who have just received support from the Arts Council Of Wales.
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The Nude Party - Lonely Heather.
The Nude Party are set to return with their sophomore album, Midnight Manor, on October 2nd via New West Records. The 12-song set was recorded live-to-tape over six days at the Outlier Inn in upstate New York and mixed by John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr., Kurt Vile). Midnight Manor is the follow up to their critically acclaimed self-titled debut which Rolling Stone heralded as “equal parts ‘I’m Waiting for the Man’ Velvet Underground and Exile on Main Street Stones.”
Their debut found the band hitting stages across the globe, appearing at massive festivals like Lollapalooza, All Points East, Splendour In The Grass, Great Escape, Newport Folk Festival, and Bonnaroo where many publications named them one of the best of the festival. They also supported major artists like Jack White and the Arctic Monkeys—both of whom became full-blown fans and vocal supporters of the band.
Today, The Nude Party have shared the video for the song “Lonely Heather” via DIY Magazine. Frontman Patton Magee said, “The video is inspired by Ralph Bakshi’s New York street animation style, in movies like American Pop, Streetfight, and Heavy Traffic. During the peak of the pandemic, our photographer friends Bryan Derballa and George Etheredge took a series of incredible photographs around New York City.
We used those deserted street corners and venue shots as the backdrop for the rotoscope animation. Then filmed all the action on a green screen in our barn during quarantine in April. Brooklyn-based director and animator Parker Worthington painstakingly put together all the footage and photographs into this weird dream version of New York.” Of the song, Magee said “Heather is the constant object of unwanted affection, the solitary queen of rejection. She follows the scent of her whims and can’t be bothered by the desires of anyone."
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Samana - Passing Me By.
'Passing Me By' is Samana's first release since their BBC 6Music, BBC Introducing and Radio X championed single 'Harvest'.
The Wales-based duo self-produced, recorded and mixed Passing Me By whilst holed-up in a remote part of France while the world was locked down earlier in the year.
Accompanied by a stunning video, also captured from the time spent in France, they explained that "Passing Me By was the product of a one off, improvised vocal and acoustic guitar take, laid to 1/4 inch tape. It is a response to the immediate present, guided by the subconscious; to the velocity of time passing in fragments of visions and feeling."
The new track is out this week and signals the first of a series of new releases from the band who have just received support from the Arts Council Of Wales.
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Wednesday, 2 September 2020
Jenny Banai - Anna Erhard - The William Brothers Shipping Company
Jenny Banai makes her fourth appearance here this year with 'Paper Plain' and it's another strikingly impressive modern pop piece. === Anna Erhard just released 'Short Cut' along with a video, it's a catchy, quirky and satisfying song. === The William Brothers Shipping Company new E.P is 'The Cedarhouse Sessions' where acoustic music and splendidly natural vocals come together from this notable indie folk rock band.
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Jenny Banai - Paper Plain.
“Paper Plain,” the newest single from the forthcoming full-length, is a lo-fi conglomeration of bits and pieces. Its simple groove is carried by mostly two chords – not Jenny’s regular style – and has a freeform melody that borders on melodic rap.
Jenny Banai blends jazz, folk, and rock into sophisticated pop music that both celebrates and laments the dynamic of human relationships and the relationship with one’s self. Following the 2015 self-release of her debut album, Flowering Head, Jenny independently undertook several Canadian tours, collaborated on the documentary Where We Come Home, and early in 2017, her song “Boars” was featured on TV and web series The Drive. In 2018, Jenny received Fraser Valley Music Awards, Folk Artist Of The Year.
Jenny Banai is an old soul and a child of the nineties, and as such, has inherited both the contemplative wonder and the wardrobe of her parents. She is a fresh and authentic voice who pairs powerhouse vocal abilities with unique and clever pop arrangements. “She is able to ebb her voice in dynamic with masterful control, rocking you gently into a dream, yet gripping your ears to keep you awake: lucid and loose”.
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Anna Erhard - Short Cut.
Anna Erhard, 30-year-old, who lives in Berlin, writes songs about states of movement: they deal with leaving, escape and transformation.
And that although letting go is often difficult at first. After years as head of the Basel-based band Serafyn, she has left the band and the city behind and has given in to the desire to change her place of residence and expand her musical comfort zone.
Definitely too clichéd and typical for her fast-moving generation, flooded with possibilities and stimuli, this step seemed to her at first. However, the new start was urgently needed, provided space and time for musical expeditions and offered an unknown freedom.
A freedom that can also be felt in the new single "Short Cut". There the Swiss musician criticizes the superficiality of our society. Every small talk begins with "How's it going?" followed by "All is well", we have all the possibilities, can achieve everything, live the dream. So the illusion. Anna explains:
"We are told every day that it is possible to enjoy only the good aspects of things. This is bullsh."
Life holds many challenges, not everything is always easy, but it is these moments that make life what it is. Anna illustrates this in an abstracted way in the loving music video for "Short Cut", which was shot on an alpine pasture in Furna (in the Swiss canton of Graubünden), in the village where Anna's grandmother grew up. Growing up there in the countryside is a special challenge, to which Anna bows and states: "Mountain children are the most blatant children, nobody has as much stamina as they do".
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The William Brothers Shipping Company - The Cedarhouse Sessions (E.P).
From the band - I wanted to introduce myself and tell you about The William Brothers Shipping Company. The Shipping Co. is an indie folk-rock band from Los Angeles CA. Our mission is to make honest music for people to enjoy. It's that simple.
With the release of our new EP The Cedarhouse Sessions, The Shipping Company is excited for people to join the party.
Sparking Music puts it "Everything in The Cedarhouse Sessions comes together in a stream of consciousness style. It is an unforgettable journey into an acoustic world."
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“Paper Plain,” the newest single from the forthcoming full-length, is a lo-fi conglomeration of bits and pieces. Its simple groove is carried by mostly two chords – not Jenny’s regular style – and has a freeform melody that borders on melodic rap.
Jenny Banai blends jazz, folk, and rock into sophisticated pop music that both celebrates and laments the dynamic of human relationships and the relationship with one’s self. Following the 2015 self-release of her debut album, Flowering Head, Jenny independently undertook several Canadian tours, collaborated on the documentary Where We Come Home, and early in 2017, her song “Boars” was featured on TV and web series The Drive. In 2018, Jenny received Fraser Valley Music Awards, Folk Artist Of The Year.
Jenny Banai is an old soul and a child of the nineties, and as such, has inherited both the contemplative wonder and the wardrobe of her parents. She is a fresh and authentic voice who pairs powerhouse vocal abilities with unique and clever pop arrangements. “She is able to ebb her voice in dynamic with masterful control, rocking you gently into a dream, yet gripping your ears to keep you awake: lucid and loose”.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anna Erhard - Short Cut.
Anna Erhard, 30-year-old, who lives in Berlin, writes songs about states of movement: they deal with leaving, escape and transformation.
And that although letting go is often difficult at first. After years as head of the Basel-based band Serafyn, she has left the band and the city behind and has given in to the desire to change her place of residence and expand her musical comfort zone.
Definitely too clichéd and typical for her fast-moving generation, flooded with possibilities and stimuli, this step seemed to her at first. However, the new start was urgently needed, provided space and time for musical expeditions and offered an unknown freedom.
A freedom that can also be felt in the new single "Short Cut". There the Swiss musician criticizes the superficiality of our society. Every small talk begins with "How's it going?" followed by "All is well", we have all the possibilities, can achieve everything, live the dream. So the illusion. Anna explains:
"We are told every day that it is possible to enjoy only the good aspects of things. This is bullsh."
Life holds many challenges, not everything is always easy, but it is these moments that make life what it is. Anna illustrates this in an abstracted way in the loving music video for "Short Cut", which was shot on an alpine pasture in Furna (in the Swiss canton of Graubünden), in the village where Anna's grandmother grew up. Growing up there in the countryside is a special challenge, to which Anna bows and states: "Mountain children are the most blatant children, nobody has as much stamina as they do".
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The William Brothers Shipping Company - The Cedarhouse Sessions (E.P).
From the band - I wanted to introduce myself and tell you about The William Brothers Shipping Company. The Shipping Co. is an indie folk-rock band from Los Angeles CA. Our mission is to make honest music for people to enjoy. It's that simple.
With the release of our new EP The Cedarhouse Sessions, The Shipping Company is excited for people to join the party.
Sparking Music puts it "Everything in The Cedarhouse Sessions comes together in a stream of consciousness style. It is an unforgettable journey into an acoustic world."
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Monday, 31 August 2020
Faultress - Kindsight - The Gina Furtado Project
Faultress returns with her new E.P 'Creatures'. We featured her a few times last year and are delighted to share this creative and imaginative new collection of songs. === Kindsight are a new band from Copenhagen and have just released the gorgeous and melodic indie pop track 'Who Are You'. === The Gina Furtado Project return a month after we first featured them with 'Alley Cat' a vibrant and extremely catchy bluegrass song.
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Faultress - Creatures (E.P).
“I know we’ve all felt this, but the aching dullness of being locked away for months has gnawed away at me, unable to see so many people I love, unable to create. I sat alone for weeks in a fairly broken bout of depression when one day went to the park, and as I watched the birds and the insects around me, these 4 songs poured out of me.
The creatures I saw around me put a shape and words to my thoughts and feelings around loneliness, pain and the feeling of alienation, not only from loved ones, but from myself.”
About Creatures EP - Written entirely during lockdown, Creatures lyrically examines loneliness and fractured mental health and are delivered through Faultress’ voice alone, manipulated with electronics. All songs are designed specifically for headphones and are produced by award winning sound designer and producer Gonçalo Abrantes (aka Agon Branza).It is a poised and assertive performance from a musician with a masterly handle on the themes of her art.
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Kindsight - Who Are You.
Kindsight is a new Copenhagen based band and the first act outside of Sweden to sign with Rama Lama Records (Melby, Chez Ali, Steve Buscemi's Dreamy Eyes etc.). The young quartet today release their debut single Who Are You - a warm, nostalgic and atmospheric indie pop song.
The Danish quartet makes retro-tinged indie pop that is instantly appealing and addictive. Nina's vocals crowns the atmospheric soundscape perfectly and makes Kindsight something that's been missing in Scandinavia for a long time. Debut single Who Are You is the first taste of their melancholic beauty which we will hear a lot more of the upcoming year as the band are ready to finally share their music.
Kindsight about Who Are You: - "Who Are You is a summer song written in January - lush, light and forward-driven. Originally dismissed by the band as a stupid disco song when brought to rehearsal by guitarist Søren Svensson, adjustments were made and the song was granted life as Kindsight’s debut single."
Kindsight are Nina, Søren, Anders and Johannes and formed out of Nina and Sørens shared love for The Sugarcubes. According to the band, the two of them then recruited drummer Johannes to "drag him out of an unsettling obsession with jazz-music" and bass player Anders was chosen "only because of his looks and his ability to fit into small bags.".
Shortly after forming the band played their first gig in a parking lot to a crowd of children. The band tells us that the children "were overwhelmed by the sudden influx of melancholic beauty to the otherwise rather dull parking space. As one 7 year old kid said moments before being squashed under an unstable wheel of fortune, “Wow, they are so cool, I also prefer The Sugarcubes to Björk’s later work!”". Since then, the band have played frequently on the Copenhagen indie scene for a bit older and growing crowd.
Who Are You is out now. Kindsight consists of Nina Hyldgaard Rasmussen (vocals, guitar), Anders Prip (bass), Søren Svensson (guitar), Johannes Jacobsen (drums) and are available for interviews.
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The Gina Furtado Project - Alley Cat.
Drawing on the distinctive sound and fresh musical ideas that recently earned its namesake her third consecutive International Bluegrass Music Association Banjo Player of the Year nomination, The Gina Furtado Project shows a more playful side of Furtado’s musical personality on “Alley Cat,” the group’s latest single for Mountain Home Music Company.
The song tips its hat to Furtado’s Celtic influences with an irresistible, Irish-flavored melody that works both as a framework for sprightly unison playing by Gina and her violinist sister, Malia Furtado, and as a fitting vehicle for the lyric’s deftly prolonged metaphor:
“He doesn’t care to compromise
The alley cat with laughing eyes
And when he laid his eyes on me
The other girls were history...
A pat and scratch behind the ear
Really you’ve no business here
A little milk is all you’ll get
‘Cause I don’t want an alley cat”
As the bandleader slyly notes, "’Alley Cat’ is for anyone who has been charmed completely and unexpectedly — whether it be by a stray kitty, or any other free spirit."
With harmonies from Malia Furtado, and a gracefully grooving rhythm section of Drew Matulich (guitar) and bassist Max Johnson, “Alley Cat” is a sunny, light-hearted frolic that packs an abundance of good-humored energy into its two minutes, proving once again that, even in music, brevity is the soul of wit.
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Faultress - Creatures (E.P).
“I know we’ve all felt this, but the aching dullness of being locked away for months has gnawed away at me, unable to see so many people I love, unable to create. I sat alone for weeks in a fairly broken bout of depression when one day went to the park, and as I watched the birds and the insects around me, these 4 songs poured out of me.
The creatures I saw around me put a shape and words to my thoughts and feelings around loneliness, pain and the feeling of alienation, not only from loved ones, but from myself.”
About Creatures EP - Written entirely during lockdown, Creatures lyrically examines loneliness and fractured mental health and are delivered through Faultress’ voice alone, manipulated with electronics. All songs are designed specifically for headphones and are produced by award winning sound designer and producer Gonçalo Abrantes (aka Agon Branza).It is a poised and assertive performance from a musician with a masterly handle on the themes of her art.
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Kindsight - Who Are You.
Kindsight is a new Copenhagen based band and the first act outside of Sweden to sign with Rama Lama Records (Melby, Chez Ali, Steve Buscemi's Dreamy Eyes etc.). The young quartet today release their debut single Who Are You - a warm, nostalgic and atmospheric indie pop song.
The Danish quartet makes retro-tinged indie pop that is instantly appealing and addictive. Nina's vocals crowns the atmospheric soundscape perfectly and makes Kindsight something that's been missing in Scandinavia for a long time. Debut single Who Are You is the first taste of their melancholic beauty which we will hear a lot more of the upcoming year as the band are ready to finally share their music.
Kindsight about Who Are You: - "Who Are You is a summer song written in January - lush, light and forward-driven. Originally dismissed by the band as a stupid disco song when brought to rehearsal by guitarist Søren Svensson, adjustments were made and the song was granted life as Kindsight’s debut single."
Kindsight are Nina, Søren, Anders and Johannes and formed out of Nina and Sørens shared love for The Sugarcubes. According to the band, the two of them then recruited drummer Johannes to "drag him out of an unsettling obsession with jazz-music" and bass player Anders was chosen "only because of his looks and his ability to fit into small bags.".
Shortly after forming the band played their first gig in a parking lot to a crowd of children. The band tells us that the children "were overwhelmed by the sudden influx of melancholic beauty to the otherwise rather dull parking space. As one 7 year old kid said moments before being squashed under an unstable wheel of fortune, “Wow, they are so cool, I also prefer The Sugarcubes to Björk’s later work!”". Since then, the band have played frequently on the Copenhagen indie scene for a bit older and growing crowd.
Who Are You is out now. Kindsight consists of Nina Hyldgaard Rasmussen (vocals, guitar), Anders Prip (bass), Søren Svensson (guitar), Johannes Jacobsen (drums) and are available for interviews.
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The Gina Furtado Project - Alley Cat.
Drawing on the distinctive sound and fresh musical ideas that recently earned its namesake her third consecutive International Bluegrass Music Association Banjo Player of the Year nomination, The Gina Furtado Project shows a more playful side of Furtado’s musical personality on “Alley Cat,” the group’s latest single for Mountain Home Music Company.
The song tips its hat to Furtado’s Celtic influences with an irresistible, Irish-flavored melody that works both as a framework for sprightly unison playing by Gina and her violinist sister, Malia Furtado, and as a fitting vehicle for the lyric’s deftly prolonged metaphor:
“He doesn’t care to compromise
The alley cat with laughing eyes
And when he laid his eyes on me
The other girls were history...
A pat and scratch behind the ear
Really you’ve no business here
A little milk is all you’ll get
‘Cause I don’t want an alley cat”
As the bandleader slyly notes, "’Alley Cat’ is for anyone who has been charmed completely and unexpectedly — whether it be by a stray kitty, or any other free spirit."
With harmonies from Malia Furtado, and a gracefully grooving rhythm section of Drew Matulich (guitar) and bassist Max Johnson, “Alley Cat” is a sunny, light-hearted frolic that packs an abundance of good-humored energy into its two minutes, proving once again that, even in music, brevity is the soul of wit.
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Saturday, 29 August 2020
Keep Shelly in Athens - Healthy Junkies - Gold Hick
Keep Shelly in Athens return with 'Neon Glare'. It's been quite awhile since they last appeared here however the brand new song is everything I hoped for as their atmospheric beauty once again shines. === From Healthy Junkies we have the blistering alt rocker 'Last Day In L.A' a song that takes our breath away for a frantic two and a half minutes. === From the opening moments of 'Magma' to the closing of 'Tumult' the forthcoming album 'Formed At Depth' from Gold Hick is a rich electronic collection produced and arranged with notable quality, 'Up Arrow' gives us a glimpse of the whole and the non album track 'Trad Ghost' is a bonus.
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Keep Shelly in Athens - Neon Glare
The ethereal and swirling sounds of Greece’s Keep Shelly in Athens capture the transient feelings of city life and the inevitable passing of time. With lush melodic beats and dreamy vocals Keep Shelly’s production is an accessible and lighthearted entry into the world of down-tempo electronica.
With previous releases on labels including Forest Family Records, Transparent Records, Planet Mu, Cascine and Friends of Friends, the duo have already transported their whimsical arrangements and soothing productions across the globe, including performances at Coachella Festival, Parklife Festival, Brighton’s The Great Escape Festival and Austin’s Fun Fun Fun.
In addition to their own releases they have also done official remixes for Tycho (Ghostly International), Blood Diamonds (4AD), Steve Mason (Domino) and many more… Their new EP, Defy Me, is due Nov. 12. Now they have shared the first single / video from it, “Neon Glare.” Keep Shelly in Athens are RPR and Jessica Bell.
RPR notes, about the new EP, “So many things have happened since the beginning of this year which could provide material for several albums! Nevertheless, in the 5 tracks from our upcoming EP we tried to transform our anxiety about the future as well as our anger and outrage at everything that is happening right now, regarding the murder of innocent people and so many other issues, into something positive. I think this came out in a natural and unforced way, and we hope the audience will find some escape within these songs.”
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Healthy Junkies - Last Day In L.A.
Healthy Junkies are everything that epitomizes the indie punk spirit - driven, authentic, and capable of causing a riot at any moment. As they prepare to release a seminal album which mashes up psychedelic rock, punk, grunge and goth, first single ‘Last Day In L.A.’ sets the bar high. As a band that have toured relentlessly since their formation in 2011, until the global lockdown of 2020, they came into this record still firmly locked in the groove.
The album was made during the aforementioned period of quarantine and is titled ‘Forever On The Road’. It has reflections of recent tours and life beyond the road and offers a compelling record more akin to chapters of a thrilling novel rather than bubblegum throwaway rock n pop. Lead singer Nina Courson shines throughout with her Parisian drawl inflecting the Junkies’ brand of rock n roll with tones of 60s femme fatales Nico and Brigitte Bardot.
‘Last Day In L.A.’ harks back to a recent US tour which captures the strange magnetic pull of the city of angels, especially for this group of runaways from Paris and Greater London. They united together to write songs and feed their passion for music as a life-saving exercise after narrowly escaping a youth filled by gangsters, abuse and the like. Phil Honey-Jones is Nina’s writing partner and plays guitars and sings on many tracks too. Their bond was firmly formed almost a decade ago through music as a form of healing self-expression, creating their own world within a world, turning their personal horrors into sonic beauty, and out of the bizarre madness of the global pandemic have conjured a record sure to catapult them to the larger stages of next year’s major festivals. The band also feature bass player Dave Whitmore from Maidenhead, Berks who provides that extra bit of madness and creativity needed to cement their destinies together and jettison them on the journey that brought them to the recording of ‘Forever on the road’. The drums on this album were provided by an anonymous American drummer during lockdown and mixed by Phil at home. This was the only way the album could be created during these restricted times.
On this album they have further pushed the boundaries of genre using hip hop beats, piano and string arrangements, horror film style soundtracks and even reggae alongside goth, punk and grunge. The album is the soundtrack to their USA tour of autumn 2018.
Healthy Junkies also bring similar people together and have been running a monthly London night called Punk & Roll Rendezvous for nine years, which includes an annual free three day festival with 25+ bands. The event has always been held at the Unicorn pub in Camden but due to Covid-19 the band are running the festival online this year. The fanbase for this band as well as their Punk & Roll night keep growing as they continue to popularize a community spirit, the sharing of ideas, giving artists an opportunity to perform and somewhere to hang out. This cast of misfits have built a beautiful tribe of punks and rockers and look set to expand their loyal devotees as they continue to hit their stride.
Rodney Bingenheimer (Sirius XM/Kroq) has played the song ‘Last Day In L.A.’ five times already this year on his Sunday show Underground garage and it hasn’t even been released yet, but his enthusiasm after getting hold of a copy has prompted the band to lead the new record out with this single and it’s a fiery number set to have you pogoing wherever you are as Nina, “Waves goodbye to the dead end life” and “the Hollywood nights”.
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Gold Hick - Up Arrow/Trad Ghost.
Humm Recordings is excited to announce the forthcoming release of ‘Formed at Depth’ – the debut LP by Norwich’s Gold Hick.
2020. A year so far spent hunting for silver linings. For James Ferguson (one half of Norfolk electronic pioneers Broads), one such silver lining was the opportunity to develop new songs in isolation, away from the pre-covid hustle and bustle of gigging, collaborating and the daily commute. The result is a suite of eight crisp, circular tracks, gathered together with love and presented to you here as ‘Formed at depth’, the debut album by Gold Hick.
The album is preceded by a two-track digital single – ‘Up Arrow (CSJ edit)’ b/w non-album track ‘Trad Ghost’, out this weekend.
“I guess I started writing as a way to move on from ‘Ollust’, and the disappointment of the Broads shows all getting postponed due to lockdown”, explains Ferguson. “At that point I was definitely thinking that I was starting work on a new Broads record – Mark even played a couple of bits on ‘Tumult’ and ‘Leica’… but it soon became clear that I was racing ahead and pushing things in a new direction. By that stage the writing had become a sort of lockdown therapy so I picked a name (‘Gold Hick’, after the Guided By Voices song) and kept on going”.
“These eight tracks are really a distilled, purified version of what I do with Broads – lots of bright sounds, gradual layering and a loose approach to looping. But it’s also given me a chance to experiment and start to learn some new things – the cut up vocal samples [from Ta-Ra’s ‘VenusFlower’] on ‘Up Arrow’, and playing around with some ideas stolen from rave and house music were really fun processes to go through”.
Taking Gold Hick live is something that may have to wait a few months, but the idea excites Ferguson: “Weirdly given the circumstances, ‘Formed at Depth’ was written with playing live in mind all the way through – I can’t wait to get out there and get people dancing. We all need a dance, right? Broads shows are normally a bit more cerebral, but this is definitely a record to dance to”.
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Keep Shelly in Athens - Neon Glare
The ethereal and swirling sounds of Greece’s Keep Shelly in Athens capture the transient feelings of city life and the inevitable passing of time. With lush melodic beats and dreamy vocals Keep Shelly’s production is an accessible and lighthearted entry into the world of down-tempo electronica.
With previous releases on labels including Forest Family Records, Transparent Records, Planet Mu, Cascine and Friends of Friends, the duo have already transported their whimsical arrangements and soothing productions across the globe, including performances at Coachella Festival, Parklife Festival, Brighton’s The Great Escape Festival and Austin’s Fun Fun Fun.
In addition to their own releases they have also done official remixes for Tycho (Ghostly International), Blood Diamonds (4AD), Steve Mason (Domino) and many more… Their new EP, Defy Me, is due Nov. 12. Now they have shared the first single / video from it, “Neon Glare.” Keep Shelly in Athens are RPR and Jessica Bell.
RPR notes, about the new EP, “So many things have happened since the beginning of this year which could provide material for several albums! Nevertheless, in the 5 tracks from our upcoming EP we tried to transform our anxiety about the future as well as our anger and outrage at everything that is happening right now, regarding the murder of innocent people and so many other issues, into something positive. I think this came out in a natural and unforced way, and we hope the audience will find some escape within these songs.”
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Healthy Junkies - Last Day In L.A.
Healthy Junkies are everything that epitomizes the indie punk spirit - driven, authentic, and capable of causing a riot at any moment. As they prepare to release a seminal album which mashes up psychedelic rock, punk, grunge and goth, first single ‘Last Day In L.A.’ sets the bar high. As a band that have toured relentlessly since their formation in 2011, until the global lockdown of 2020, they came into this record still firmly locked in the groove.
The album was made during the aforementioned period of quarantine and is titled ‘Forever On The Road’. It has reflections of recent tours and life beyond the road and offers a compelling record more akin to chapters of a thrilling novel rather than bubblegum throwaway rock n pop. Lead singer Nina Courson shines throughout with her Parisian drawl inflecting the Junkies’ brand of rock n roll with tones of 60s femme fatales Nico and Brigitte Bardot.
‘Last Day In L.A.’ harks back to a recent US tour which captures the strange magnetic pull of the city of angels, especially for this group of runaways from Paris and Greater London. They united together to write songs and feed their passion for music as a life-saving exercise after narrowly escaping a youth filled by gangsters, abuse and the like. Phil Honey-Jones is Nina’s writing partner and plays guitars and sings on many tracks too. Their bond was firmly formed almost a decade ago through music as a form of healing self-expression, creating their own world within a world, turning their personal horrors into sonic beauty, and out of the bizarre madness of the global pandemic have conjured a record sure to catapult them to the larger stages of next year’s major festivals. The band also feature bass player Dave Whitmore from Maidenhead, Berks who provides that extra bit of madness and creativity needed to cement their destinies together and jettison them on the journey that brought them to the recording of ‘Forever on the road’. The drums on this album were provided by an anonymous American drummer during lockdown and mixed by Phil at home. This was the only way the album could be created during these restricted times.
On this album they have further pushed the boundaries of genre using hip hop beats, piano and string arrangements, horror film style soundtracks and even reggae alongside goth, punk and grunge. The album is the soundtrack to their USA tour of autumn 2018.
Healthy Junkies also bring similar people together and have been running a monthly London night called Punk & Roll Rendezvous for nine years, which includes an annual free three day festival with 25+ bands. The event has always been held at the Unicorn pub in Camden but due to Covid-19 the band are running the festival online this year. The fanbase for this band as well as their Punk & Roll night keep growing as they continue to popularize a community spirit, the sharing of ideas, giving artists an opportunity to perform and somewhere to hang out. This cast of misfits have built a beautiful tribe of punks and rockers and look set to expand their loyal devotees as they continue to hit their stride.
Rodney Bingenheimer (Sirius XM/Kroq) has played the song ‘Last Day In L.A.’ five times already this year on his Sunday show Underground garage and it hasn’t even been released yet, but his enthusiasm after getting hold of a copy has prompted the band to lead the new record out with this single and it’s a fiery number set to have you pogoing wherever you are as Nina, “Waves goodbye to the dead end life” and “the Hollywood nights”.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gold Hick - Up Arrow/Trad Ghost.
Humm Recordings is excited to announce the forthcoming release of ‘Formed at Depth’ – the debut LP by Norwich’s Gold Hick.
2020. A year so far spent hunting for silver linings. For James Ferguson (one half of Norfolk electronic pioneers Broads), one such silver lining was the opportunity to develop new songs in isolation, away from the pre-covid hustle and bustle of gigging, collaborating and the daily commute. The result is a suite of eight crisp, circular tracks, gathered together with love and presented to you here as ‘Formed at depth’, the debut album by Gold Hick.
The album is preceded by a two-track digital single – ‘Up Arrow (CSJ edit)’ b/w non-album track ‘Trad Ghost’, out this weekend.
“I guess I started writing as a way to move on from ‘Ollust’, and the disappointment of the Broads shows all getting postponed due to lockdown”, explains Ferguson. “At that point I was definitely thinking that I was starting work on a new Broads record – Mark even played a couple of bits on ‘Tumult’ and ‘Leica’… but it soon became clear that I was racing ahead and pushing things in a new direction. By that stage the writing had become a sort of lockdown therapy so I picked a name (‘Gold Hick’, after the Guided By Voices song) and kept on going”.
“These eight tracks are really a distilled, purified version of what I do with Broads – lots of bright sounds, gradual layering and a loose approach to looping. But it’s also given me a chance to experiment and start to learn some new things – the cut up vocal samples [from Ta-Ra’s ‘VenusFlower’] on ‘Up Arrow’, and playing around with some ideas stolen from rave and house music were really fun processes to go through”.
Taking Gold Hick live is something that may have to wait a few months, but the idea excites Ferguson: “Weirdly given the circumstances, ‘Formed at Depth’ was written with playing live in mind all the way through – I can’t wait to get out there and get people dancing. We all need a dance, right? Broads shows are normally a bit more cerebral, but this is definitely a record to dance to”.
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