A Couple Of Good Ones: Joseph Giant - East Love

Joseph Giant - On The Run.

The story so far and we quote - Joseph Giant is a Rock & Roll band from Seattle Wa. Formed in 2010 by Joe Syverson, the band quickly shared stages with some of the best bands in town and from around the country. Joseph Giant has played shows with War On Drugs, AA Bondy, Fruit Bats, The Moondoggies , Quiet Life, The Maldives, Jessica Hernandez and The Deltas & many more... Jangly backwoods indie rock with an introspective yet upbeat feeling straight out of Seattle, and layered with lots of warm tones and wandering electric guitars and slides. 

Break It Together is the 2nd album from the Seattle band Joseph Giant. Recorded by Kevin Suggs (Cat Power, Eddie Vedder) in his South Seattle Studio the Imperial Room & Mixed by Chris Woodhouse (Ty Segall, Thee Oh Sees, Meatbodies, Wild Flag) at The Dock in Sacramento, Ca and Mastered by Ed Brooks at RFI in Seattle, Wa in July of 2015. 

The album is a personal scrapbook of events that Joe Syverson experienced over the past 5 years. During the recording of the album Syverson and his family became homeless and had to find temporary place to live causing him to come up with the title Break It Together. Putting everything he had in the making of the album pushed the process into a surge of creativity and urgency. With scrappier songs, like debut single “On The Run”  & flushed out acoustic songs like “Blink Of An Eye”. Break It Together will draw you in!

You kind of know what your in for from the opening bars, then you get something extra. Full on rock with the vocals beautifully immersed in the mix, so that everything stands out, as it just grows and grows.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

East Love - Unbroken.

And their promo says - NY based acoustic pop-rock band East Love released their new single “Unbroken” today. The perfect combination of pop, rock, and acoustic with a country twang, East Love is not a group to be overlooked.  The song is the newest single off the band’s upcoming debut EP due out later this year.

It's time for music lovers around the world to get some "East Love". Originally broadcasting their musical talents with YouTube covers like Ed Sheeran’s “Don’t” and Blackstreet’s “No Diggity”, the band expertly showcases their diverse musical influences. With over 19K followers on Twitter and 32K on Instagram, East Love has already garnered a huge following on social media.

The band has had their nose to the grindstone playing shows at famed NY venues, The Gramercy Theatre, Rockwood Music Hall, and selling out the Marlin Room at Webster Hall.  The band is part of SOWE Music Festival in Mamaroneck, NY alongside Internet cover sensations Thirdstory, Anderson East and Felix Cavaliere's Rascals.

The multi-talented 6-some is composed of Robbie Fink, Lukas Effman, Alex Goldstein, Alex Utay, Andy Koehler and David Berliner.  The band has been honing in on their sound since Fink and Effman started playing together in 7th grade. Their experiences living along the East Coast has been the foundation and inspiration for their music. In fact, the guys consider the East Village in lower Manhattan to be the birthplace of the band. The East Village is where they share memories of jamming out with their close friend Jonny who passed away in 2013 and it is where they live now.  “‘East’ comes from a few things,” says lead singer Lukas Effman. “…We live in the East Village. Then you think of the general vibe of our music and I like to think it’s pretty warm, honest and authentic. We focus a lot on harmonies, and acoustic instruments are the bedrock of our sound. So that is where the “Love” component plays a part for me. Nothing too sappy — but more warm, positive, and real.”

So I can be a bit of a softy at times. That said something really has to stand out in a song to appeal to those feelings. I guess for this, it's the mix of great acoustic playing and undeniably fine vocals, and without any awful slushy 'poor me' lyrics.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quality Not Quantity: TIO - Babes are Wolves - The Sunday Reeds

TIO - Through The Heavy Clouds.

There website tells us - TIO toil together and co-create in a honeycombed metal silo, hovering over an upturned and chard treasure chest of chords, lights and memories. Flittering stills of futures to come, love's decay and rebirth. The club becomes a mirror for everyone, and it shakes, sometimes slowly. They met outside of the city somewhere. A few years ago, wind whips the sand, glass, wires and light. TIO are from Toronto, Canada.

TIO make music from a self feeding wellspring of churning, purple and black waves which says; "you could sit there, or stand, but we are invoking THE invitation, and it is open, swaying and dropping. Movement and memory are the goal, together, lips like wine "

They also add - The noise of time is not sad. Time lingers and repeats through the camera. Captured and re-captured, played and re-played, we see each other through the lens of time. Two worlds, two cameras: Through the Heavy Clouds captures two lovers separated by space, but connected through images and fragments of the personal. Alone, yet together, we relive our lives through the eye of the camera. Fragments of time captured and relived, re-experienced, and re-imagined in the heart.

This. The latest single from TIO before October's release of the debut EP.

An atmospheric song with guitar and vocals drifting above the smooth backing track. Imaginative and very pleasing.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Babes are Wolves - Wait.

What we are told - Adelaide band Babes are Wolves are about to hit the airwaves with their debut single ‘Wait’, from the EP ‘You Only Live Twice’. They’ll be kicking off the release with a 90’s prom inspired launch at The Jade on the 16th of October. 

Babes Are Wolves blend rock, grunge and dark pop styles into tunes that could sweep Sean Connery off his feet. They’ve shared stages with the likes of interstate acts Axe Girl, Captives, Hey, Lady! and Adelaide favourites Tony Font Show. Their debut EP is a wall of sound full of distortion and angsty vocal hooks.

Their debut demo release landed them at #22 on the ThreeD Radio Top 101 for 2014, and, they have been listed as a "Band To Watch for 2015" (Spoz's Rant). Members are Anna Bouras (vocals), Zoe Behan (drums/harmonies), Casey Cumming (bass), and Emily Smith (guitar). 

The single ‘Wait’ comes from the debut EP, recorded at Capital Sound Studios and mixed, mastered and co- produced by Jimmy Balderston (Grenadiers, High Tension). The song is an atmospheric hook-driven track, with layers of guitar and rhythmic drum beats.

Drums drive this along, as guitars soar and moody vocals blend, to become a concise, no nonsense grungy rock song, that just pulls you in.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Sunday Reeds - Pretty People.

Background - Melbourne based band The Sunday Reeds are Romana Ashton (vocals, bass) and Drew Jones (guitars).

Their debut LP ‘Drowning in History, released through UK indie label Squirrel Records in 2009, led to an extensive European tour in 2010 which won the band a huge following but came at a cost. Then a couple, Romana and Drew split up in Paris, the City of Love, an experience that became the inspiration for their critically acclaimed EP ‘Amour Tragique’, a collection of five songs about love and loss.

Latest single ‘Pretty People’ written by Romana Ashton, produced by the band and mixed by James Aparicio (Spiritualized and Mute Records) offers an insight into the direction of the album that the duo are currently writing. On one level ‘Pretty People’ is about cliques and their sense of self-importance, and on another, is a caustic social commentary about our culture’s fascination with ‘the trivial’, celebrity, gossip and fame by proxy.

A video for the single will be released on the 12th of October to coincide with the official release of the track to the public. The Sunday Reeds will plan to tour Europe in 2016.

Doom pop it may be, with Siouxsie springing to mind, enough to engage my interest. As the song develops The Sunday Reeds clearly put their own stamp on the music, a fine song with a timeless feel to it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cowboy Junkies - Vancouver, Canada, 1996 (IA).

From the Internet Archive (IA), this is Cowboy Junkies live at the Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada, back on May 6th, 1996. 

As many of you no doubt know Cowboy Junkies are a Canadian alternative country/blues/folk rock band. The group was formed in Toronto in 1985 by Margo Timmins (vocalist), Michael Timmins (songwriter, guitarist), Peter Timmins (drummer) and Alan Anton (bassist).

From Wikipedia - The Cowboy Junkies first performed publicly at the Beverley Tavern and other clubs in Toronto's Queen Street West, including The Rivoli. Their 1986 debut album, produced by Canadian producer Peter Moore, was the blues-inspired Whites Off Earth Now!!, recorded using an ambisonic microphone in the family garage.

The group's fame spread with their second album, The Trinity Session, recorded in 1987 at Toronto's Church of the Holy Trinity. Their sound, again using the ambisonic microphone, and their mix of blues, country, folk, rock and jazz earned them both critical attention and a cult following. The Los Angeles Times named the recording as one of the ten best albums of 1988.

The band was nominated for Group of the Year at the Juno Awards in 1990 and 1991. In the early 1990s Margo Timmins was named "one of the fifty most beautiful people in the world" by People Magazine. The group has continued to tour North America, Europe, Japan and Australia with extensive North American and European tours following album releases in 2002 and 2004. In 2008, they released Trinity Revisited in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the original recording of The Trinity Session.

A new 4CD release can be pre-ordered from the bands website (see website details below), this is what Cowboy Junkies have to say regarding this - In the 2000’s we released three studio albums, Open, One Soul Now and At The End Of Paths Taken. It was a turbulent decade in the geo-political sphere, a turbulent decade in the music biz and a turbulent decade in the lives of the four of us. We were all raising children and we all crossed the threshold in to middle age. Throughout it all we continued to make music and these pressures inexorably found their way in to that music. The box set Notes Falling Slow contains newly re-mastered versions of all three albums (Open, One Soul Now, At The End Of Paths Taken) as well as a fourth disc that contains newly recorded songs that were written during the making of the three albums.

The featured live recording from 1996 is highly rated for the audio quality, although as you can see below it's technical source remains debated.

1996 Concert Recording Technical Details: Nakamichi Mics + Soundboard (possibly) > cass master > DAT @ 48k. Lineage da-20mkII (DAT clone) > audiophile 24/96 > wavelab 5.01b > cd wave > flac level 6.

Sound Quality: Very Good - audience matrix whilst some say soundboard or both.

Set List:

1. Come Calling (His Song)

2. Lonely Sinking Feeling

3. Lay It Down

4. Misguided Angel

5. Angel Mine

6. Bea's Song (River Song Trilogy, part II)

7. Just Want To See

8. Hold On To Me

9. State Trooper

10. Margo Story

11. A Common Disaster

12. Banter

13. Anniversary Song

14. Murder, Tonight, In The Trailer Park

15. Sweet Jane

16. Band Intro

17. Blue Moon Revisited (A Song for Elvis)

encore:

18. Cheap Intro 

19. Cause Cheap Is How I Feel

20. Working On A Building

Website: Official Here.

Comments: There are FLAC, Ogg Vorbis and mp3 files along with the streaming material over at the Internet Archive (here).

Stream Below: 

Sundays Alternative Take - Less Is More & More Is More

Starr Blazerz - Found That Soul.

Background - Starr Blazerz began in 2013 as a songwriting collaboration between Virginia producer Justin Marlowe and Dallas songwriting veteran Glen Reynolds. By late 2014, both artists were intrigued by the potential of a full release of their work together. At that point Starr Blazerz was born. Inspired by the early 80's anime TV series, the band's name credits their blend of hip hop ("Starr" a salute to rap pioneers Gang Starr), R&B, House, and Synth Pop with the trippy nature of said mixture ("Blazerz").

'Found That Soul' is the first of three singles from Starr Blazerz' forthcoming album "Reconstruction", out in early 2016.

The first single (due out on the 9th October) is a really nice surprise. For me there are shades of OMD in the lead vocals (that's a plus point) and a striking soundtrack. The album is quite stunning and has even stronger tracks, so if you like the single make a note to grab the album in due course.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Autograf - Dream (Deepend Remix).

And we are told - Our remix is part of a remix package released by Ultra Music on September 4th.  Dream has now officially been remixed by Dutch deep house DJ/Producer duo Deepend. Deepend is known their distinctive and groovy deep house sound with which they are currently having a big summer hit for their remix of American pop singer Matt Simons 'Catch & Release'. The track stormed the Hypem Charts (overall) resulting in two #1 positions! With fast growing support throughout the blogosphere and radio support in Europe and the USA, Deepend is ready to establish their name within the international dance scene!

There is just something about this remix that sets it apart. Perhaps it's by not overwhelming the original but rather just enhancing and uplifting the song.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gelegenheit macht Liebe - Toys.

Minimalist background - With the second release on Sweet Stuff Records the German based producer Gelegenheit macht Liebe brought us an outstanding EP with 3 techno tracks, concentrated on sweet melodies and thrilling beats.

Another case in point that sometimes, 'less is more'. Or is there something in the collective German DNA, that allows them to make tunes like 'Toys', that sound so effortless and yet thoroughly pleasing?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Susanne Sundfør - Kamikaze (Steve Angello & AN21 Remix).

Even smaller minimalist background - Former Swedish House Mafia founder Steve Angello drops his new remix for Norwegian singer Susanne Sundfør's "Kamikaze." 

This is gaining some attention and not surprisingly, it's a melting pot of remix ideas that collectively work. Conversely it leaves me with the conundrum that sometimes 'more is more'.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Our Horizon: Shakedown At The Majestic - Across Silent Hearts

Shakedown At The Majestic - In Control (from the forthcoming EP).

Background - Shakedown At The Majestic was formed in New York City by guitarist Chris Vermillion and drummer Taylor Nimtz. They have become well known in the power pop underground and for bringing fun, energetic, superbly played performances to the music scene. Jonathan Vermillion (Chris’s brother) also plays guitar in the band, and after they moved out to Seattle, they added Rob Moura on bass. 
Their debut, self-titled EP was produced by legendary recording innovator and Stranger genius Steve Fisk (Nirvana,The Posies, Screaming Trees) for release Friday, November 6, 2015.

Shakedown At The Majestic’s name evokes the bamalama and bomp of British Invasion bands, as well as fuelled-up garage groups from a few years out and beyond. The signature style of singles like “Run For Your Life” and “In Control” feature tightly woven harmonies and interweaving vocal melodies, drawing from rock and pop's early years but delivering something altogether unique. 
At once nostalgic and freshly energetic, in their short time as a band SATM has played shows in some of the best venues in NYC and Seattle, developing a fervent fan-base of followers. They played the finals of the NYC Emergenza Music Festival at Webster Hall and were a mainstay of the monthly "Hipster Demolition Night" held at Public Assembly in Williamsburg, a showcase for NYC's best up-and-coming power pop bands. They also headlined Liahonaroo, a music festival in Nashville, Tennessee in 2012. 

More recently, since moving to the West Coast, SATM has headlined at the Lo-Fi and rocked the legendary Sunset as well as played the International Pop Overthrow here in Seattle; performed at the Vancouver International Pop Overthrow on Labor Day weekend; and The Viper Room in West Hollywood.

A modern twist on sixties guitar pop? Well listen to the whole EP and you realise it's a whole lot more than that. The featured track does however have a little sixties feel to it, no criticism, it's a great song from an EP, to look forward to, in November.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Across Silent Hearts - Like A Brother (from the album 'Anyway').

Background - 'Across Silent Hearts' formed in 2012 is a rock band from Minsk, Belarus. Starting out a Metalcore band, they transcended to their new college rock style by 2015.

The band was formed by drummer Igor Kononchuk and guitarist Anton Chernik. With the addition of Pavel Smolin, “ASH” recorded and released their first full length recording "On your side" 2013. It was a good opportunity to gain experience in the Studio, as well expand into some serious musical and artistic territories. The first track of the album "Above the sky" shows how rock guitar solos can actually sound. 
The band continued to grow in 2014, performing at concerts in Minsk and other cities in Belarus. In 2015 the new album is about to show what the band really sounds like.

Current band members: 
Pavel Smolin - vocals 
Anton Chernik - guitar 
Vitovt Kashkurevich - bass 
Nikita Gatovko - samples 
Igor Kononchuk - drums

I have only heard a couple of tracks from the album, both impressed me, they are far more original than their earlier 'metal' numbers, and for me, much more likeable.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Musical Influences: Saint Cole - Electric Parlor - Moana

Saint Cole - Within This Skin.

About Saint Cole - Nic (vocals/producer/DJ) and Curt (guitar/keys) are from a small town called Dewsbury in West Yorkshire just two miles from Morley, home of the legendary nineties techno night The Orbit. Heavily influenced by this scene and the now legendary stories surrounding the club, Nic started producing and mixing hard dance/techno. 

Saint Cole represents Nic's passion for dance music fused with his love of indie/rock. He cites influences as diverse as The Beatles, The Stone Roses, The La's, Chemical Brothers, Massive Attack and Leftfield. Saint Cole was born when he started working with his life long friend Curt. The duo were soon joined by third band member Martin Kolcak who is based in Slovakia and contributes artwork, visuals and animation. Neither Nic nor Curt have met Martin yet, though this is set to change when Saint Cole embark on a tour in summer 2016, complete with live visuals.

Their debut E.P to be released Friday the 13th of November 2015.

The first thing that came to mind with the eclectic range of influences cited above was, 'that's a pretty impressive line up, I hope you are not overstating your abilities'. Well in fairness they are only influences, not comparisons, however I have to say this is a pretty impressive debut EP. Plenty of energy and diversity and yes on the featured track, I did think of The Stone Roses at one point, that said, I think it fair to say they really do have enough of their own talent shining through. Well worth checking them out.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Electric Parlor - Reckless.

Background - Los Angeles quartet Electric Parlor deal in a pure form of visceral, groove-based rock n’ roll; integrating the blues and soul of yesteryear but with a modern feel.

Members Josh Fell, Kris Far and Zachary Huling all moved to LA around the same time and found LA native Monique Alvarez to round out the group in 2012. Following their passion for music, they all came in search of each other with a goal of ending up in a one of a kind rock ‘n’ roll band. By 2013 the dream was realised and Electric Parlor found itself trail-blazing through the underground music scene in Los Angeles.

“We feel like one of Electric Parlor’s missions is to re-open people’s eyes to the blues, the way bands did in the 60’s and 70’s” guitarist Kris Far explains. “And not in a subjective way... we’re a working class band and have taken a lot of risks to make this a reality. We believe that this reckless abandon - to fight for what we feel is ours - translates into our music”.

 In 2013 the band worked up enough capital to record their self-titled debut in true ‘analogue to tape’ fashion at Big Scary Tree Studios in Sunland, CA. The resulting LP captures the bands unique live energy and spotlights lead vocalist Monique Alvarez’s compelling howl; a combo referred to by the band as the lovechild of Black Sabbath and Janis Joplin. “We want to be part of the ongoing evolution of rock n’ roll” reflects drummer Zachary Huling. “Being a part of this lineage is what drives us forward”.

The featured track is pretty representative of Electric Parlor's album. It's a solid unpretentious piece of work, with genuine passion and flare. In my opinion the Black Sabbath and Janis Joplin references are reasonable to a point, but not really that necessary as the band 'cut it', in their own right. Vinyl lovers may want to check out a limited offer (here).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Moana - Elephant Bones.

What Their Promo Says - There’s something wonderfully ominous brewing in the bowels of an unlikely place. At home between the likes of St Vincent and The Church on Xpress Magazine’s Reviewers Picks for Top 10 Albums of 2014 and Tone Deaf’s 15 Incredible Unsigned Aussie Bands You Need To Hear Right Now, Perth band Moana are delivering us a psychedelic acid-art, jungle rock single ‘Elephant Bones’. 

Not undeserving of the plethora of critical acclaim and audience adoration coming their way, Moana are masterfully testing the boundaries where multiple art forms collide. In an attempt to break the arduous release cycles often expected from emerging bands, Moana Lutton devised splitting their second EP into three parts, with three separate release dates throughout 2015. Each release would comprise of two new tracks recorded at Debaser Studios with Andrew Lawson, a piece of collaborative visual art and music video. 

The freshest slice of this three-part release features a music video for ‘Elephant Bones’ directed by the magical, long-time collaborator Via Luna Pictures, along with a cross- collaborative artwork by Kuba Kujawa of Denmark. Likened to an “iteration of the dark, arty and angry female voice” (Xpress) made famous the likes of PJ Harvey and Kate Bush, Moana Lutton describes ‘Elephant Bones’ as “a song of fear and ecstasy collided; the exhilaration of chaos and transformation in a wild and dark world; celebrating the madness and absurdity of it all." 

After screening ‘Elephant Bones’ to a sold out crowd at The Bird, Perth on August 1st, the final installment and full EP The Trilogy of the Black Monsoon will be launched at The Odd Fellow, Fremantle on the 31st of October. An Australia- wide tour is set to be announced shortly after.

'Elephant Bones' reminds me a little of Jefferson Airplane, however let me qualify that and say 'at their best'. Being a Krautrock fan for those of you with long enough memories, there is also in my opinion, a touch of Amon Duul II. More importantly there is plenty of Moana and they have something going here that spans generations, one for my weekend playlist.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Young Hearts Run Free' - Kirsten Izer - Jennifer Budd

Kirsten Izer - Wave.

Background, promo and plaudits from others - 19 year old indie alternative-pop singer, Kirsten Izer, announces the release of her debut EP, What If This Is It?, which is set to drop on September 25, 2015. Every track on the EP is written, performed and produced by the singer/songwriter, whose “style is wild and free while adding a distinctive note of extravaganza to a familiar pop formula” (Nothing But Hope and Passion).

After graduating high school, the NJ-based singer/songwriter decided to hold off on college so she could continue writing songs and begin a career in music. However, giving into to the pressure of society, she held off on making her own music and began working for other musicians full-time at the young age of 18 years old. After a stressful year of pretending to be an adult, Izer decided to finally quit her job, start being a teenager, and more importantly, start making music for herself. The EP features Izer’s single, “Wave,” with “fuzzed-out guitars [that] mesh impeccably with effervescent melodies” and “a wonderful chorus that you can’t get out of your head” (PopMatters). She recently went wide with her first single, “Burning Out,” which was praised by The Revue, who said she has an “innate ability to channel her deepest emotions and fears not only through her words but the power of her guitar.” The track topped charts on music platforms such as Tradiio and Veromuse as well. 

“It is rare to hear a voice with character that instantly engages you” and Izer’s lo-fi recordings “feel a bit like demos but the raw nature only enhance the listening experience” (American Pancake). Her debut EP, What If This Is It?, is set to be released on September 25, 2015 and she will be touring in support next fall.

So lets just add that Beehive Candy reckons 'Wave' to be full of wonderfully raw, simplistic and indie rock/pop meets 80's new wave beauty. The EP is a must have.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jennifer Budd - Don't Even.

Bio and words from Jennifer - Growing up in Ontario, Canada, I fell in love with music early on. My mother, was a church singer who raised me on musicals and folk legends. I went to countless theatre camps mostly at the world-known Shakespeare Festival Theatre. At age fourteen, I began song writing. Today I release my first single/video called "Don't Even".

The video represents a disconnect within a relationship, an unfolding and refolding of events. The tension is piercing as the couple acts out their frustration. Pieces brake and get put back together just to fall apart again.

My time spent in University, in Nashville and with my new producer Michael Keire made this project possible. It reinforced my groundings in folk music while expanding my interest in neo-soul & R&B. Can't wait to share my debut record entitled "Lip Service" out November 13th. For now, I hope you like the video! 

The video is on our 'BeeVids' page, musically this is a strong debut track, part anthem and part story, the song is not reliant on a video to convey the passion but none the less, this adds to the interest.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------