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Genre Wander: Exploded View - Kate Brown - Rosie Carney - Future Haunts

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Exploded View – No More Parties in the Attic. Background promo - At SXSW, Mexico City/Berlin-based, Exploded View will be unveiled by US Label, Sacred Bones, fronted by German/Bristol political- journalist-turned-musician/singer Anika who released her self-titled debut album in collaboration with Geoff Barrow’s Invada imprint and Stones Throw to critical acclaim in 2010. LA Times said “Anika phrases syllables with precise Teutonic reserve, as severe and numbing as a Bavarian winter." This new project was created during the rehearsal sessions for Anika's Mexican live debut back in March 2014.  An unexpected partnership formed between Annika and local producers, Martin Thulin (Crocodiles producer) synth-head Hugo Quezada (Robota) and Riotboy sweetheart Hector Melgarejo (Jessy Bulbo / Nos llamamos) to form Exploded View. The four musicians discovered a new sound, several steps removed from the krautrock-isms of Henderson’s previous work  during their rehearsals and live perfo

Power & Punk: Mad Anthony - Hound.

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Mad Anthony - Haunt Me feat. Tom Pappas of Superdrag. Background promo - The ferocious three-piece, Mad Anthony are about to live up to their name, as long as you subscribe to the commonwealth definition of "mad". Expelling the antiquated and tired traditional album cycle, these three lunatics decided, after being excited by all their work and collaborations, that they will release a brand new song every week... for 52 weeks. The Mad Anthology is a culmination of everything that the band has ever accomplished and envisioned. The project involves dozens of friends, producers, colleagues, peers, and collaborators from all over the continent. The daunting undertaking, although created out of an avalanche of excitement and content, is an interesting business move that screams "2016"; an era in the music business where the public are less and less interested in the traditional cycle of releasing a long player and then waiting potentially years to hear another. That

Heidemann - I’m So In Love (From The Forthcoming Detectives EP)

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Heidemann - I’m So In Love (feat. Nancy Whang). Background promo -  Heidemann is the solo project of NY-based singer and multi-instrumentalist Monika Heidemann. When not performing and touring as Heidemann, she plays synthesizers in The Juan MacLean and was formerly the lead singer of NYC’s electronic-pop band, Xylos. Heidemann performs minimalist pop songs with electric bass, synthesizers and pulsing analog drum machines supporting her fearlessly intimate vocals. After releasing her acclaimed solo debut Orphan EP in September 2014, Heidemann is now gearing up to release her new Detectives EP - (out April 8th through Vienna's Fabrique Records), which includes the lead single “I’m So In Love,“ featuring lead vocals from Nancy Whang (LCD Soundsystem and The Juan MacLean). The forthcoming EP 'Detectives' has five tracks including one remix of the opening song. This really is minimalist pop, however it's also pretty powerful. Enticing vocals are supported by some very

Tuesday's Two: Great News - Jess And The Bandits

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Great News - Secrets. Background promo - Hailing from the same hometown as pop prodigy Aurora, with the psychedelic swagger of Sweden’s YAST, Great News spread waves of hazy pop/rock with innate Nordic nous. Acid-drenched ‘Secrets’ follows back-to-back singles 'Love Her’ and ‘Diamonds’; preceded by nonchalant debut cut ‘The Blind’ – an effort applauded in native Norway, resulting in a legendary sold out debut concert in one of Bergen's most popular music venues and landing the band in multiple “Ones To Watch 2016” lists. “Secrets is about the feeling you get when you can’t get what you want, and being unable to tell anyone about it,” explains vocalist and guitarist Even Kjelby. “Sometimes it’s just really unfair. It builds up inside, and it becomes a part of you. A young, naive mind being coloured by different events, good or bad,” he says. Great News – also consisting Ole Einarsen (bass) and Lars Platou (drums) – formed on a kindred whim of playing as many gigs as pos

Leap Year Delights: Kit - Reverieme

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Kit - How Hard. Background promo - Kit returns with her second single, “How Hard”, following the success of her last. “Goodbye”, released in June 2015, was spun on triple j Good Nights, 2015 with Richard Kingsmill and Home & Hosed with Dom Alessio. It featured for 2 weeks in the AMRAP charts, reaching number 3 overall, and held the number 1 spot on triple j unearthed for 3 weeks.  “How Hard” being released this February via Marshmallow Pavement Records is a R&B-infused, pulsing track, characterised by the undeniable strength of Kate Watt’s vocals. Finding inspiration to create the song through retelling the experiences of those closest to her, Kate found catharsis of her own.  “The track originated from a drunken night with a best mate, and her experiences of never-ending heartbreak with an on- again-off-again partner. I wanted so badly to tell her to walk away, but I could see how much she loved this person. I used the words of a poem she shared with me to fuel the song

Baskerville Jones - So Right (From The Forthcoming EP Mile 1)

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Baskerville Jones - So Right. Background bio - Born in Nashville, Tennessee, soul-singing Baskerville Jones left her hometown and moved to Los Angeles to pursue her musical aspirations.  She began gaining attention doing background vocals for prominent artists and touring and performing with seven-member ensemble The Rebirth, all the while forming musical partnerships that landed her on stage and screen nationally and internationally. In 2012 she was featured on the single "Born to Flow" from Morehouse Records recording artist Groove Junkies, which made the Top 20 on Soulful House Music Charts. As a lead vocalist of the soul, jazz & funk fusion band The Rebirth, Baskerville's vocal contributions are interwoven in the band's sophomore album "Being Thru the Eyes of a Child." Their single "This is Coming To?" landed in the top 5 of UK Soul Charts, which kicked off the success overseas of the album. Over time, she has acquired a slew of cred

Quality Not Quantity: Jessica Rotter - Em George - Hannah Lou Clark

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Jessica Rotter - Pray For Rain. Background words - Jessica Rotter is able to transcend creative boundaries and defy what's expected of a modern female musician. The songstress' voice has been heard across multiple genres, from movies, TV shows and commercials to backing vocals and collaborations with other artists—all in addition to her original songs. The list of artists she has worked with reads like a who's who of the music industry today: Daft Punk, Carole King, Alicia Keys, Sam Smith, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and others. Rotter's family roots are steeped in music, with her grandfather writing songs for Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. With this background, Rotter describes herself as a "musical storyteller" with classical training from Pepperdine University in opera, musical theatre, and directing for theatre and film. She is just as comfortable using her voice in a major feature film (credits include Pitch Perfect 1 & 2 and Frozen) as she is p

Alternative Take: Kauf - Juke Jaxon

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Kauf - Through The Yard. Background promo - If you've ever needed a soundtrack to your existential crisis, Kauf has made exactly that.  Who hasn't pondered the existence of God or the meaning of life while going full throttle on the dance floor at Berghain? Kauf has achieved the nearly impossible feat of making music rooted in a dance aesthetic but that is also lyrically deep.  There just aren't that many records out there that could work in a club and also touch on emotional conflicts with your family and society at large. The project of Ronald Kaufman, Kauf took shape after moving back to his birthplace of Los Angeles.  He self-released his first single in 2011 - "Relocate" b/w "When You're Out," which quickly found its way into the hands of Dan Whitford of Cut Copy who released the "As Much Again" EP on his own Cutters Records. After the dissolution of his early experimental rock bands spurned the dive into electronic production an

Gentle Friday: Sorority Noise - Those Pretty Wrongs

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Sorority Noise - Either Way. Background promo - Ahead of the band’s first ever UK dates, headlining and in support of Modern Baseball, Sorority Noise announce a new EP for Topshelf Records, “It Kindly Stopped For Me”, the follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2015 album “Joy, Departed”. The EP was recorded and produced by the band with exclusive artwork from Mitch Wojcik. The intimate first song from the EP, “Either Way”, is available to stream now. Frontman Cam Boucher said the following of the track: “I wrote this song in our van outside of chain reaction in Anaheim, ca. I had found out I lost another friend a few days previous and was having a difficult time thinking about how I had made positive strides in dealing with my mental health but hadn't been able to help friends around me that I didn't know we're suffering from the same thing.” 'Either Way' is a soft acoustic number with calm vocals and harmonies. Keyboards add to the lilting melody, in what i

Wednesday Double: Jaye Bartell - Mike Hill

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Jaye Bartell - Tuesdays. Background promo - Jaye Bartell's move to Brooklyn, NY in 2013, as well as the work of Spalding Gray and Eileen Myles, heavily influence the content presented on his latest record, Light Enough. In his own words, "Resettlement is an implicit theme in much of the writing, and the process of making the album itself was an act of resettlement, finding out where I lived as a means of coming to live there."  Bartell spent about a year secluded in his Greenpoint bedroom, piecing together the intricate tunes and gentle melodies that furnish his new record. Originally from from Massachusetts, Jaye Bartell laid the groundwork for his music career after relocating to Asheville, NC in the early 2000's. During this time, he began to play music among friends, parallel to his poetry and other writing endeavours, which included a reading/performance series and a small magazine. After relocating, again, to Buffalo, NY in 2006, Jaye joined up with the p

Quality Not Quantity: Lecia Louise - Stratus - Migrant Kids

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Lecia Louise - Shock Me. Background promo - “Shock Me” is the brand new single from Brisbane’s Lecia Louise,  just released ahead of her east-coast launch shows later this month. Since her musical beginnings in 2005 with the release of her debut EP ‘Heaven or Hell’, Lecia Louise has been a force to be reckoned with. Lecia has an impressive touring history that has seen the award-winning guitarist/singer/songwriter travel the four corners of the globe since 2006 performing to audiences throughout The UK, Europe, Abi Dhabi, Dubai, Rome, Singapore, New Zealand and Hong Kong. On February 19th, Lecia released her first new single in two years titled “Shock Me” which continues to showcase her upbeat guitar laden, rock/pop offering. “The song is about a man who ‘trades in’ his long term girlfriend for an 'updated model, a more edgier version',” says Lecia. “But in the end she doesn't actually make him any happier”. The track, produced and mixed by Jeff Lovejoy in Blackb

Death Cab for Cutie - Live at Arvikafestivalen 5th July 2008 (IA)

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From the Internet Archive (IA) this is Death Cab for Cutie live at the Arvikafestivalen back on the 5th July 2008. Arvika Festival was a music festival that took place in Arvika, Sweden every year from 1992-2010 around mid- July. The event ceased when the organisers went bust. From the ever 'reasonably' reliable Wikipedia we are told - Death Cab for Cutie is an American alternative rock band, formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. The band comprises Ben Gibbard (vocals, guitar, piano), Nick Harmer (bass) and Jason McGerr (drums). In 2014, founding guitarist and producer Chris Walla announced that he would be departing from the band after recording their eighth studio album, Kintsugi. The band was originally a solo project by Ben Gibbard, when he released the demo album, You Can Play These Songs with Chords, to positive reception. This led to a record deal with Barsuk Records. Gibbard decided to expand the project into a complete band, releasing their debut album Somethi

Sundays Variety Pack: ManaLion - Partisan - Bart - Lower Spectrum

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ManaLion - Dirty Roots. Background promo - Three Kiwi (New Zealanders) brothers (most likely from different mothers) maybe they met in Australia in 2012 on Sydney's Northern Beaches, maybe they met on Mars, maybe they met by a bin fire floating wayward on a raft between the North and South Islands of Aotearoa as the full moon kept us moving... Either way three brothers met, and they met to make music to make you sway and dance and swing and sweat. Music to make love to the mind, soul and ears of your sister, your wife, your mistress, your Nanna, to your sweet baby mama. They met to sing of love and trouble, of leisure and life. Since their inception ManaLion have shared the stage with the likes of UB40, Sticky Fingers, Fat Freddy’s Drop, The Black Seeds, and Meta & The Cornerstones just to name a few. They’ve played a number of homegrown, hometown gigs around Sydney, building up steam like Peter Gabriel on herbal tea and winning the hearts of Australians everywhere in venu

Genre Wander: Ben Mauro - Vorsen - Sofia Härdig

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Ben Mauro - She's Beautiful. Background promo - Last year singer, guitarist and songwriter Ben Mauro was part of a major European tour with pop/funk icon Lionel Richie.  It was a two month tour of sold out arenas across Europe. Ben’s extraordinary musical skills and dynamic stage presence has been the reason that he has remained a core member of Lionel Richie’s band for over fifteen years.  Ben has also worked with many other artists including Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears, Don Felder from The Eagles, John Fogerty, Christina Aguilera, Toni Braxton and also worked on projects produced by Peter Frampton and Prince. But with Ben it’s not just about the music, it’s also about giving back.  On every trip to Syracuse he goes to his old high school (West Genesee HS) and college (Onondaga Community College where he studied classical guitar) to talk with students.  Ben gives them advice on how to have longevity in the music business and gives clinics to teach them the basics of music