Genre Wander: Hilary Woods - Slow Down Molasses - Ablebody - The Wolfhounds

Hilary Woods - Sabbath.

Background bio - Hilary Woods is a music and visual artist from Dublin, Ireland. As a teenager she recorded two double platinum selling albums on Columbia Records as bass player in Irish indie trio JJ72, touring extensively in Europe, the US and Japan. At twenty two she hung up her bass for a paint brush, left the band and welcomed the arrival of a baby girl that same year. She enrolled in fine art college just as her friends were all graduating and dropped out midst her first group critique, opting to study English Lit and Film instead. Throughout college she became increasingly restless, suffered long bouts of insomnia and was slowly drawn back to what had stuck; basic piano chords her father had taught her as a child. She started piecing together ideas for piano thru headphones as her flatmates slept and after drifting in and out of various bands around the city, she made a decision to concentrate on her own material, tentatively crafting songs and exploring a sound world which culminated in the making of her debut solo EP “Night”.

“Night” was curated and launched alongside her experimental film of the same title as part of a performance art piece in 2014‘s Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival to critical acclaim. Since then she’s played a handful of underground gigs in Dublin, London, Paris and Berlin, and spent the entirety of 2015 quietly writing and recording tracks at home and in the studio. On June 10th 2016, Hilary released her follow-up EP “Heartbox” on the UK independent label Blood Orange. Her new record has been described as a sonic nordic noir. Far more electronic in sound than her last outpouring, it is a mood-driven lyrical three-track trilogy; part ethereal apocalyptic synth-gaze, layered over bass laden beats.

Over on BeeVids we have the new video for 'Sabbath', on this page we have the audio. Having been into JJ72 since the first song I heard by them, I am always keen to hear Hilary Woods solo work. 'Sabbath' is quite stunning, it has other-worldly vibes, and slowly builds into something quite dramatic, whilst always refined. From a personal perspective the EP Heartbox, is a must have.

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Slow Down Molasses - Moon Queen.

Background - Formed in 2006 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Slow Down Molasses rank among Western Canada’s finest musical exports. Their third album, 100% Sunshine, will be released on September 2, 2016 on Noyes Records, and forges new sonic territory for the band while retaining their unique hybrid of ’90s Anglophilia and contemporary Canadian rock. 

2015’s Burnt Black Cars was hailed as “drug-drenched psych-pop” by Q magazine and “immediately memorable and timeless” by The Line of Best Fit, with the band going on to share the stage with the New Pornographers, Swervedriver, Built to Spill, Preoccupations (fka Viet Cong) and the Besnard Lakes. Veterans of festivals across North America (SXSW, CMJ, NXNE, Sled Island) as well as European (Incubate, End of the Road, Liverpool Sound City, Great Escape, Reeperbahn, Nouvelle Prague), the band are renowned as a euphoric live experience, with Exclaim praising their “huge, stadium-ready sound and colourful presence”. Slow Down Molasses are singer/guitarist Tyson McShane, drummer Jordan Kurtz, bassist Chris Morin, guitarist/keyboardist Aaron Scholz, guitarist Levi Soulodre and keyboardist/singer Jeanette Stewart. Moon Queen is the first single from the bands third studio album 100% Sunshine.

31 August @ Sebright Arms, London, UK
1 Sept @ the Cellar, Oxford, UK
2-4 Sept @ End of the Road Festival, Wiltshire, UK
8-11 Sept @ Incubate Festival, Tilburg, NL
16 September @ Amigos, Saskatoon - record release show

'Moon Queen' is a sonic wall of psychedelic rock'n'roll  mixed with shoegaze and a few other ingredients. With live dates and a new album on the way, they are definately worth keeping an eye on.

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Ablebody - Backseat Heart.

Background - Ablebody is an LA-based duo comprised of identical twins Christoph and Anton Hochheim (members of Pains Of Being Pure At Heart / Depreciation Guild). They've been quietly releasing music under this moniker since 2013, self-releasing an EP and 7" single, crafting remixes and demoing original material as well as a myriad of covers.

Drawing from the raw grandeur of the 60's, the melodicism of soft 70s pop and the sophisticated side of romantic 80s synth pop, Ablebody stand suspended between decades; students of the past but far from retro fetishists. Their musical prowess is evident but the songwriting remains tastefully direct at all times, with arrangements that bend and move in surprising ways but tastefully blanket the overarching sentiment of the songs in a way that we rarely hear in this decade.

The duo have recently taken their sound from the bedroom to the studio, working with Cole M. Grief-Neill (Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Nite Jewel, Julia Holter, The Samps) and Kenny Gilmore (Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti) to craft songs with a more visceral edge than they've explored in the past. Daniel Rosenbaum (Pomar) and Jordan Sabolick (Mt. Ossa) have joined the duo to help bring the songs to life and add new dimension to the live dynamic. Their debut full length record Adult Contemporaries will be released by Lolipop Records on October 14, 2016.

'Backseat Heart' is fresh sounding and a very catchy song. Overall I would describe their sound as indie pop, with a nod to the past, however with their production firmly in the present. This is a bright summers day type song, that brings it's own lift with it.

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The Wolfhounds - Now I'm A Killer.

Background - Thirty years on from the influential C86 compilation, indie-pop pioneers The Wolfhounds are back with their sixth full-length Untied Kingdom (…or how to come to terms with your culture) and are sharing the first single ‘Now I’m A Killer’. The single is a riotous blast of guitar music, maintaining the same expert delivery and charm that has seen them continue to churn out some of the best in indie-rock for three decades. It’s an engrossing mix of the 80s indie they themselves coined, carefree post-punk and anthemic pop propelled by biting, jangly guitars and snarling vocals.

The C86 compilation to this day is seen as a pinnacle point in the history of indie-pop, a cassette compilation put together by NME with the idea of collectively recognising and championing the best in underground music at the time. One of those bands was The Wolfhounds, whilst some of the C86 alumni (Primal Scream, The Pastels, The Wedding Present and more) went on to acquire worldwide success and a cult following, The Wolfhounds maintained their prominence in the DIY community and are an acknowledged influence on the ongoing history of underground guitar music including Nirvana and Manic Street Preachers as well as numerous modern indie-pop and post-punk bands.

Originally formed as teenagers in 1984, The Wolfhounds appeared on the legendary and influential C86 cassette, and released four critically acclaimed LPs and many singles before disbanding in 1990, after touring the UK and Continent extensively, on their own and with The Wedding Present, House of Love, My Bloody Valentine and McCarthy, among others. The band reformed in 2006 at the invitation of St Etienne’s Bob Stanley to celebrate 20 years since their debut release and C86 at the ICA in London, and since 2012 they have been recording and releasing new material.

After last year's recent singles compilation Middle Aged Freaks and the almost simultaneous reissue of their 1986 debut Unseen Ripples From A Pebble,  the band will be releasing their first standalone LP since 1990's Attitude.

'Now I'm A Killer' has something a little frantic and unsettling about it, created in part by the constant beat and surging guitar work. The lyrics demand your attention, in what is a raw and uncompromising piece of genuine rock music. I would not expect anything less, from a band of this calibre.

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Quality Not Quantity: Matt Sellors - Izzy Flynn - Ian Hunter

Matt Sellors - Blinded By You.

Background promo - Well-known for previously fronting Bristol-based band Yes Sir Boss, and sharing stages with multiple award winning artists Joss Stone, Cee Lo Green, Madness and Paloma Faith to name but a few. Matt Sellors has now launched a solo career and tipped heavily as one to watch from many industry insiders, including BBC Introducing. His debut single comes ahead of his much anticipated Secret Garden Party Performance.

Matt’s instantly infectious and catchy Debut single, Blinded By You, is a deeply personal and emotive song married to a feel good vibe and upbeat tempo that makes it an easy world to dive into. Often vocally compared to Paulo Nutini, Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam)and Kings Of Leon, his distinct deep and rich voice is disarming and soulful and totally not what you would expect. Blinded By You has all the hallmarks of a hit including a hook line that you will find yourself whistling everywhere you go.
   
Catch Matt Performing Live:
23 Jul - Secret Garden Party
29 Jul - Pebbles Tavern - Watchet
6 Aug - Redfest - Bristol
11 Aug - Below Decks - Torquay, United Kingdom
14 Aug - Coach House - Paignton, United Kingdom
16 Aug - The Off Shore - Torquay, United Kingdom
25 Aug - Apple And Parrot - Torquay, United Kingdom
26 Aug - Below Decks - Torquay, United Kingdom
27 Aug - Coombe Cellars Fest - Stokeinteignhead, United Kingdom
30 Aug - The Off Shore - Torquay, United Kingdom 

Matt Sellors hugely likable and distinct vocals, are going to carry even an average song, however 'Blinded By You' is far more than that. Melodic, totally catchy and an absolute foot tapper, pretty much sums it up for me.

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Izzy Flynn - Gracious.

Background promo - Inspired by Joni Mitchell, Leonardo Da Vinci, Frank Ocean, Frederic Chopin, Esperanza Spalding, Nina Simone, Lauryn Hill and Keith Jarrett, it is fair to say that London born singer/songwriter Izzy Flynn is not an artist who can easily be boxed. Having trained in jazz at Leeds College of Music, Izzy’s own style is a fusion of the freeform musicality of her learning and the structural accuracy of Da Vinci’s body series.

Alongside the Abstract Orchestra - an all-star Hip-Hop Big Band made of the finest musicians in the UK that have recorded and toured with the top acts in the world (Amy Winehouse, Jamiroquai, Submotion Orchestra) – Izzy Flynn has performed around the world. Most recently they supported Mos Def, De La Soul and Afrika Bambaataa.

Primarily influenced by Electronic, Jazz and R&B styles, with rich harmonies and memorable melodies, Izzy Flynn’s dark, alluring, current sound has been likened to that of James Blake, Banks and FKA Twigs. Akin to the aforementioned, Izzy Flynn curates every aspect of her creative output. Not just a singer/songwriter, she takes inspiration from her icon Joni Mitchell, and realises that an artist is someone who is aware of a project complete. While she writes both the music and lyrics, she also performs all keyboard, synth, lead vocal and backing vocals herself. She is heavily involved in the music production and her own artistic styling.

‘Gracious’, draws heavily upon Izzy’s love of electronica.. A slightly more produced sound than her debut ‘Medicine’, this is an exercise in technical ability as much as artistic merit. Led by an intricate, analogue style arpeggio; the track dips and builds with emotive breakdowns and soothing vocal harmonies. 

There is a whirling synth that launches 'Gracious' and then Izzy Flynn lowers the pace with her atmospheric and sultry vocals. The mixture of fine vocals and a cleverly layered soundtrack makes for good mix and a fine song.

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Ian Hunter - Dandy.

Background - Ian Hunter’s latest studio album, 'Fingers Crossed' unveils ten new, self-penned songs including his much-anticipated homage to David Bowie ‘Dandy’. Recorded at HOBO Studios in New Jersey, and co-produced by Hunter and Andy York, the record features his magnificent Rant Band and is the follow-up to 2012’s acclaimed 'When I’m President'.

As leader of ‘70s British rock legends Mott the Hoople and as a hugely influential solo artist, Ian Hunter is widely revered as one of rock’n’roll’s most compelling performers and one of its most articulate songwriters. As author of such immortal anthems as, 'All The Way From Memphis', 'Once Bitten, Twice Shy' and 'Cleveland Rocks' and the voice of such landmark albums as, 'All The Young Dudes', 'Mott', 'Ian Hunter' and 'You’re Never Alone With A Schizophrenic', he remains a hero to fellow musicians and fans around the world.

The compositions on 'Fingers Crossed' see Hunter covering typically wide-ranging subject matter.  'Dandy', his fond tribute to David Bowie reflects on a relationship cemented in 1972 when Bowie produced Mott’s album All the Young Dudes and provided its hit title track. “I think ‘Dandy’ might be my favourite track on the album,” Ian admits “I like the line – ‘and then we took the last bus home’. David was an incredible artist with an insatiable curiosity for everything.”

November tour dates: 
04 Leamington The Assembly
05 Glasgow Garage
07 Gateshead The Sage
08 Cardiff Tramshed
09 Manchester RNCM
11 London 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
12 Buckley The Tivoli
13 Holmfirth The Picturedome 

Yes that Ian Hunter! Ive been a Mott The Hoople fan since my early teens and 'Dandy' is a wonderful song that demonstrates Mr Hunter can still deliver the goods. I can't wait to hear the new album, in the meantime it's time to hit memory lane and an extremely good back catalogue of music.

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Double Delights: Art d'Ecco - Darling Cora

Art d'Ecco - She So Hot.

Background - After a period of dark, personal turmoil, d’Ecco escaped the city life and relocated to the Gulf Islands of British Columbia to embark on a journey of much needed soul searching and personal rediscovery. He spent three years in relative seclusion on the island retooling, writing, and overcoming the obstacles of isolation and regret.

“I’d fled a bad scene in Vancouver – my life was spinning out of control and I needed a refresh. I was burnt out and over playing music. The scene. The debauchery...” - Art d'Ecco

With Day Fevers, d’Ecco peers through a lens of nostalgia with nods to glam rock, classic rock n roll, krautrock, spaghetti westerns, and new wave psychedelia. He sought to deliver an album that flowed like a playlist, spanning different genres with himself as the sonic rug that ties it all together. Starting with “Sunrise” and closing with “Sunset,” Day Fevers travels through themes of desire, isolation, nostalgia, and personal discovery, taking listeners through the lows and the highs.

The new debut album 'Day Fevers' is set for release this September 9, 2016. There is a brand new video for the featured track, that I will be adding to BeeVids asap. There are nine songs on the forthcoming album and wow! has Art d'Ecco come up with something very special. If you read the final paragraph from the abridged biography above, you might just see it as "over the top promoter speak", however cutting to the chase, in my opinion it's actually something of an under statement.

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Darling Cora - Yearn.

And Darlene Cuevas (aka Darling Cora) has this to say - Yearn' is one of the simplest tunes on the album, and is also the most heartfelt and optimistic.  It is about being in love with someone who you so strongly believe is your destiny and future, to the point where you have such faith that they will return to you when the time is right.  Is this a song about true love?  Maybe, maybe not.  But it certainly is about as honest and sincere a longing for it (true love) as there can be, whether grounded in reality or not.

With my project Darling Cora I've looked to blend and bend genres to create evocative, well-crafted songs that please both head and heart. 

My forthcoming album is a time capsule into my years as a young woman figuring out matters of the heart, especially to do with love -- the good, the bad, the sweet, and the ugly.  I wrote about different facets of loving, and how its lack or excess can wear upon the heart and psyche. 

Having described 'Yearn' as one of the simplest tunes on the awaited album, I am intrigued to hear more. Musically the crisp and fresh mix of instruments provide a wonderfully light background, whilst Darlene's vocals are exquisite, and blend perfectly creating the melody, in what is as much art, as it is music. 

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Midweek Muse: Beautiful Machines - Kinsky - Radio On - Sian Cross

Beautiful Machines - Free.

Background promo - Winner of the 2014 Independent Music Award for Album of the Year, Beautiful Machines released their much-anticipated second album, Bridges last month.

Bridges takes the band in a new direction, deepening their exploration of live analog/electronic music. The album is purposefully arranged to take the listener on a journey, like cycling through a Tron-grid landscape to launching into a euphoric stratosphere. Thoughtful, dynamic and full of rich powerful choruses, wide lush verses and tangential bridges, this album strikes a chord and "bridges" technology and emotion.

The 2nd of a trilogy and thematically bridging Disconnect : : Reconnect (2014) with its following concept album Singularity (2017), think of Bridges as an inter-dimensional gateway connecting a circuit or a thought. “Bridge symbolizes transformation and change,” describes frontman, Conrad Schuman.  “Before me was a bridge: transparent, beam of light guiding and accepting; stretching from the dead ashes of an unforgiving nightmare to the jeweled vision of a life to start anew.”

Developing Bridges, Beautiful Machines cocooned in the frigid winter of 2015 in Europe, particularly Berlin, a city that inspires re-invention of such artists as Depeche Mode, U2 and David Bowie. Sampling sounds from CERN in Geneva, reverberating the famous halls of Hansa Studios in Berlin while our Black Star Bowie departed, breathing in the diverse art and electronic music culture all bled into and cultivated connections of curios creations.

Based in San Francisco’s Techa, Beautiful Machines takes on a modern futurist aesthetic, fused with their admiration for sci-fi elements, technology, philosophy and the individual creative mind. From Burning Man to San Francisco’s historical Great American Music Hall, each show is thoughtful and unique, featuring progressive visuals, costumes, interactive elements and audience engagement.

'Free' is one of a number of really powerful electronic rock songs on the latest album Bridges. The band mix lighter moments with seemingly unstoppable, walls of sound. The album is creative, adventurous and at times quite epic.

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Kinsky - Bad For Business.

Background - "Hey hey, they've run down the heroes. Who's gonna save us from the danger as we sail over the edge of the wine-dark sea."

After their critically acclaimed 2013 debut album Sunset On The Good Fight, Sydney soul roots reggae band Kinsky offer up a new 6 track EP. Since mid 2015 songwriter/vocalist Ernie Garland and the band have been putting together the new tracks for what would become The Edge Of The Wine-Dark Sea. With the tracking done, Ernie teamed up once again with legendary Catalan studio engineer Doct’R’n’Ric (pronounced Dr. Enrique) in Tokyo to mix down the new tracks at the esteemed Volta Studios. The result being their biggest, warmest, jumping-out-of-the-speakers- sounding record to date.

During the writing process Ernie was working nights driving a truck on the Tarmac at Sydney airport. Due to the cruisey nature of the job and with a lot of downtime he was able to work on the new tracks whilst at work. "I used to park up in this yard right near the end of the runway. At that time of night it was very quiet with not a lot of plane activity. It was so peaceful there I used to work on the lyrics for the song I was working on that day at home. It was all on my phone. I got a lot done. If it was a keeper I'd lay it on the demo the next morning,” says Ernie.

With heavyweights Terapai Richmond (drums) and Winston Stephenson (bass), Garland wanted to capture the groove from the comfort and warmth of his own home. With his good mate and gun sound engineer Dan Rossides at the controls, they set about capturing some nice pockets that went on to be the bed tracks for the new EP The Edge Of The Wine-Dark Sea.

Kinsky has shared the stage with international acts such as The Skatalites, Groundation and Balkan Beat Box as well as top Australian acts such as Dubmarine and Kingfisha to name a few, quickly becoming prominent faces in the Australian roots music scene, commanding legions of fans along the way. “The Edge of the Wine-Dark Sea” EP by Kinsky will be released 29th of July 2016.

'Bad For Business' is the second song we have featured by Kinsky this year, down to the fact that they have a new EP release next week, and I just love their music, simple as that really. Absolutely recommend all roots reggae fans to give them a good listen.

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Radio On - Coast.

Background - London quartet Radio On are back with a brand new video for their latest single ‘Coast’. Radio On are Sam Hayward (Vocals), Adam Hartley (Guitar), Alex Deery (Synths) and James Johnston (Percussion). Having met whilst studying in London, they took their name from the seminal 1979 film by Chris Petit, one of a number of European art-house road movies that heavily influences the band.

These films became a major touchstone for the group, with their emotional depth, artistic merit and accessibility providing an ideal combination for the band to aspire to in their work. Their interplay between kinetic familiarity and atmospheric contemplation struck a chord and provided a neat musical philosophy for Radio On to build on.

The lead track to Radio On’s debut single released in May 2015, ‘You’re Always Right’, furthered the online support already gained by the band’s previous offering, receiving premieres from The Line Of Best Fit and Clash. The release also saw Radio On perform an oversold single launch show at The Islington in London, followed by shows at The Barfly (supporting Citizens!), The Great Escape Festival 2015 and Club NME at Koko. The single was subsequently hailed as BBC Introducing’s Single Of The Week, whereby frontman Sam was interviewed by the Lancashire station as well as the track being played every day for a week in September 2015.

‘Lost In The Crowd’ is the first single to be taken from Radio On’s debut EP, entitled Coast. With the rest of the EP to follow in 2016, this first offering represents a discernible step up in the song-writing and production prowess harnessed by the band through their 2015 activity – a prolific slice of electro-tinged indie-pop that has already proved a live favourite with the band’s growing fanbase.

The new video for the latest single 'Coast' is a good one, and is featured now on our BeeVids page. That said the song is as pleasing when just listening, so being the wonderful music site we are, you have a choice.

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Sian Cross - Tell Anybody (Radio Version).

Background promo - Stunning new single from Sian Cross ahead ff UK tour with Sons Of Pitches. In an era where Disclosure and Rudimental bring the heart of drum and bass back to life, Sian Cross arrives with her own take on it.

Forming a sonic synergy similar to that of Dems and Dua Lipa, with the personal style of her song writing, it’s the evocative lyrics, based on true stories that create an additional connection to the listener with Anne-Marie esque vocals. Inspired by a man's struggle with his sexuality, Tell Anybody is a powerful offering with Sian’s unconstrained passion spilling into her words. Sian will be heading out on tour with the incredible Sons Of Pitches, so be sure to check out her tour dates below...

Tour Dates
11th Nov - Basingstoke Anvil, Basingstoke
12th Nov - Falmouth Pavilion, Falmouth
14th Nov - St Albans Arena, St Albans
21st Nov - Cadogan Hall, London

'Tell Anybody' is an emotional and atmospheric song. Soft and gentle moments, compete with explosions of angst and passion, in what is a pretty unique, and quite addictive electro pop song.

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Genre Wander: Benny Mayhem - Limestone Chorus - Cowtown - Justin Llamas

Benny Mayhem - Song For Absent Friends.

Background promo -  Benny Mayhem has covered a lot of ground, literally and figuratively. Written in a hotel room in the Austrian Alps, his latest single 'Song For Absent Friends' is both a tribute to and a product of, the songwriter's considerable world travels. From being a guitar-strumming teenager in his bedroom at the turn of the millennium, to a decade as the shirtless-and-writhing frontman of Perth rock monsters Project Mayhem, to performing 450+ shows in nine countries worldwide... the musical journey of Benny Mayhem has its own overfilled passport.

From a home base on the west coast of Australia, Benny Mayhem has toured the world in a way that few other artists have considered... as a wandering troubadour. And through this lifestyle choice, Benny has toured continental Europe twice and the UK thrice; working his way up from busking outside tube stations to the UK's festival circuit within two years. But, more importantly, he has met people and seen places that have changed and forever enriched his life.

Both a hook-laden sing-along and a song from the heart, 'Song For Absent Friends' is an ode to the people that have helped shape Benny's journey and, indeed, the person he is today. Equipping himself with a new live band, 'Song For Absent Friends' finds Benny embellishing upon his trademark folk-punk sound with some Sunnyboys-style Australian power pop and a touch of Californian punk. And why not indeed...

From here on, Benny has two touring formats: solo and full-band; both of which will visit Australia and Europe over 2016/17. And as he already prepares to get back on the road, Benny will be studio-bound, adding the finishing touches to his most interesting and personal album to date. Nostalgic, yet ushering in a new era, 'Song For Absent Friends' headlines this fresh chapter in the tale of Benny Mayhem while recapping the story that came before it. It is the perfect introduction of the shape of things to come.

Vocally it's a little bit folk, and musically it's fairly power pop as mentioned above, however combining both elements 'Song For Absent Friends' can't help but have that folk punk feel to it, mostly in this case due to Benny Mayhem's vocal delivery. What matters though, is that it's a fine old song.

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Limestone Chorus - Woods & Water.

Background - Woods & Water was written while experiencing an unfamiliar juncture in life and it's the first you'll hear of the new album 'Deer Friends'. Lacking understanding and a sense of personal direction, the tune describes the search for familiarity. The rediscovery of people and places who make us feel whole, safe and grounded. The song is driven through memory and nostalgia, pulling on emotional connections that shape a person.

Our debut album, 'Deer Friends', is heavily rooted in the merging of two themes, our love for Mother Nature and a love for human connection. These themes are what flows from one song to the next and what we hope you begin to get a sense of with this first song. In this song we celebrate the interweaving of nature, love, friendship, moments, and memory. The album 'Deer Friends' is due out July 29th via our friends at IndoorShoes.

'Woods & Water' typifies the overall high quality of Limestone Chorus's debut album. This is a band who clearly love their music and deliver a mixture of alt rock through to Americana type songs. It's easy on  the ears, however some of the songs get quickly through to the heart.

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Cowtown - Tweak.

Background - Cowtown are to release their 4th studio LP Paranormal Romance this August 19th with Athens, Georgia label HHBTM Records in the USA on ghostly white vinyl. The Sheffield DIY label Audacious Art Experiment and new Folkestone label and record store Hot Salvation will release in the UK on limited pink vinyl.

Formed in Leeds 12 years ago, but like Gang Of Four, born in a variety of other places, Cowtown are made up by David Michael Shields (drums), Hilary Knott (keybass/vocals) and Jonathan Nash (guitar/vocals) and play econo, dynamic, over-stimulated rock music that embraces a heavily abridged history of rock n’ roll. Serious about fun, the band are a firm favourite of BBC 6 DJ Mark Riley, performing music with an emphasis on positive expression and confronting collective anxieties, creating live shows that focus on what they enjoy and discarding the rest.

Picking up from 2013’s Dudes Vs. Bad Dudes (released by TAAE and the band’s own label City Hands) their latest offering is wildly economic, clocking in at 23 mins across 12 tracks. Drawing influences from bands like The Coneheads, Devo and The Breeders, as well as films such as Teen Wolf and Ghostbusters, songs are later distilled into their absolute fundamentals. It’s not about what they want but what they need, with the delivery being as urgent and tightly wound as possible.

Paranormal Romance was recorded amidst the floods that swept through the city last winter by Matthew Johnson (Hookworms/Suburban Home) at the band’s practice space, Tranquility Base and later mastered by Tom Woodhead (Forward Russia) with artwork by fellow Hookworms pal Jonathan Wilkinson a.k.a Idiots Pasture. The album encompasses the centralised DIY affair that Cowtown have come to epitomise as one of the longest running bands to come from the LS6 area. Jamming econo, recording econo and propelling themselves econo.

Friday 22nd July -  Festival 23, secret location
Saturday 23rd July - Bluedot Festival, Jodrell Park, Cheshire
Sunday 24th July - The Harley, Tramlines, Sheffield
Friday 26th August - Album Launch at The Brudenell Social Club w/ Crumbs and Milk Crimes
Saturday 27th August - The Audacious Art Experiment Summer Weekender, The Picture House, Sheffield
Saturday 17th September - Freakender, Old Hairdressers, Glasgow
Friday 23rd September - Liverpool Pyschfest, Camp and Furnace, Liverpool

'Tweak' is a blast of punk rock'n'roll with hooky vocals, and harmonies that fits really well, even if they remind me immediately of a classic Bangles song. Mind you with the whole song, coming in at around one and a half minutes in total, you hardly have time to notice!

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Justin Llamas - Got It Out For Me.

Background - “I’ve always been an artist...and art can be expressed in so many differ-ent ways.”
Originating from the Bay Area, Justin Llamas is an emerging Pop artist who describes his style as “edgy and aggressive with a dark undertone.” He first emerged online in 2010 when he started uploading covers to YouTube. In only a few years he gained over 2 million video views and a loyal fan following. His most popular video to date, a cover of Sia’s “Chandelier,” gained so much attention that it was even shared by the original artist on most of her social sites, gaining over 700,000 views.

Justin’s voice has been described as a “melting pot” of Pop, R&B, and Alternative Soul--which he considers to be the result of his mixed up-bringing and widespread interests growing up. From music to dance, and comic books to animation, he believes all of his interests have shaped him into the eclectic artist he is today. His electrifying talent caught the eye of Vena Brewer, previous man-ager of Grammy-nominated artist Keyshia Cole. With a storytelling voice and an unstoppable drive, Brewer believes Justin to be the next big artist to ambush the music scene.

Now, Justin is releasing his first original project with his debut EP Gold. The EP’s title song features vocals from multi-platinum artist Amina Harris, while the EP’s title itself was inspired by the California Gold Rush and the “journey” those make to follow their dreams--something he considers a necessary step in his own life.

'Got It Out For Me' is the first song on Justin's five song debut EP. It's honest pop music and does not pretend to be anything else. What really works for me is the mixture of mature understated production, and the overall focus on Justin Llamas vocals. With so much #### in the Top 40 charts these days, surely there's room for a song like this, to raise the standards.

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Magnificent Monday: Don DiLego - ChrisP ft Mercy - Babaganouj

Don DiLego - Drive Like Pirates (single edit).

Background - Magnificent Ram A, the new album from musical troubadour Don DiLego, out last week via Velvet Elk / One Little Indian Records. Seeing  it’s roots form in Portland, OR with producer/engineer Gregg Williams (Blitzen Trapper, Dandy Warhols, The Decemberists), and wind it’s way back East to the wooded Pennsylvania retreat that is Velvet Elk Studios, DiLego has released a stunning collection of songs, laced with gorgeous melodies and haunting vocals.

Many of the original sessions found their way onto his last album, 2012’s Western & Atlantic, which won an Independent Music Award for “Best Roots/Alt Country Album.” The remnants of those original sessions form the foundation of a project he’s long thought about…a collection of click-track free analog recordings that embrace their imperfections and happy accidents.

On the heels of producing the recent releases from Jesse Malin (New York Before the War, Outsiders) and Hollis Brown (Loaded, 3 Shots), Don set aim at finishing the album that’s never been far from his mind. An album that would be, perhaps, less meticulous in process than his critically acclaimed Photographs of 1971.

From the thunderous drone of the opening track “Karma King,” to the more intimate and personal one-take vision of “Idiot Heart,” it’s his most ambitious set of recordings to date.

From the new album Magnificent Ram A, we feature the single edit of 'Drive Like Pirates' which is one of ten good quality songs on the album. It's a varied collection of music that leans towards Alt Country & Americana, but is happy to stray beyond those confines, leaving the listener wondering, quite whats coming next. Anyhow if those sort of genres grab you, then grabbing this album seems a reasonable action.

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ChrisP ft Mercy - Dress Up.

Background from Chris and Mercy - “Dress Up” is a new collaboration by Brooklyn songstress Mercy Weiss and Christopher Pellnat (us).

We would like to suggest a song that we believe is interesting, not because it breaks any new ground harmonically, musically, or in terms of genre-jumping or genre-erasing,  No, this song is interesting simply because it makes you smile.

And it's not a smile of derision or condescension (we hope).  "Dress Up"  is a fun boy-girl duet with impish charm - no "irony" and no apologies. We are unsigned and DIY.

'Dress Up' is pretty well summed up by Mercy and Chris above. It's also pleasing to see that a good number of folk have already had a listen. Just to add my penny worth, it's a sweet, fabulous duet, and the understated production, exposes the real talent of this fine duet.

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Babaganouj - Sorry.

Background promo - Drenched in Brisbane pride, power pop-rock outfit Babaganouj have grown a legion of fans since their 2011 inception. While keeping with their distinctly Australian style, The Nouj’s sound is reminiscent of Teenage Fanclub, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and Yuck, taking inspiration from Creation Records and Flying Nun classics.

In 2014, the band gained national radio attention with their releases ‘Too Late For Love’ and ‘Bluff’. This success took them on headlining tours, as well as prominent billing on The Blurst of Times Festival tour. Driven by Charles Sale’s signature on-stage power lunges, the Triple J Unearthed favourites have supported the likes of The Preatures, Smudge, Veruca Salt, The Lemonheads, Northeast Party House and The Creases.?

Continuing their powerhouse rise, 2015 saw Babaganouj play at the inaugural Mates festival in Sydney, Brisbane’s Bigsound conference, and come in as finalists for Qmusic’s Billy Thorpe scholarship. They also released their singles ‘Can’t Stop’ and ‘Hit Song’ to a head-boppingly enthusiastic reception.?

With their EP “Pillar of Light” released earlier this year the trio have undertaken the ambitious project of recording another two EPs in 2016. By undertaking three releases in 2016 the band will expand the scope of their craft, showcasing each members vocal and songwriting talents. This has allowed the band to focus their power-pop racket while exploring new styles and themes. In everything ‘Nouj produces are infectious lyrics, intense riffs and unreal magnetism.

The new single “Sorry” is taken from the second of three EPs due for release this year. 'Sorry' showcases rhythm guitarist Ruby McGregors undeniable song writing ability and sugar sweet vocal skills. Their 2nd EP for 2016, “Hard to Be” is due for release in early August.

Friday 19th August 2016 - Sydney, Oxford Art Factory - NSW
Saturday 20th August 2016 - Melbourne, Croxton Front Bar - VIC

We featured Babaganouj a while ago, and 'Sorry' well deserves a feature. It's a feisty song, mixing power pop and plenty of rock, beneath the perfect fit vocals and harmonies. Another play again song.

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Quality Not Quantity: Curse Of Lono - Black Surf - Alphabetic

Curse Of Lono - Five Miles.

Background - Curse Of Lono was formed in London in 2015 by singer Felix Bechtolsheimer following the breakup of British roots pioneers Hey Negrita.  The five-piece have been busy recording their debut album with producer and Boxed In front-man, Oli Bayston. What started as a casual jam with a few friends quickly yielded a stunningly cinematic record, with the dubut EP due for release this October.

The band have also created 'The Doghouse Sessions' and will be releasing one each month, Felix explains:

On April 10th we invited our friends form Ont’ Sofa into ‘The Doghouse’, our rehearsal room in London, to record and film us for an afternoon. We wanted to capture what our songs sound like when we’re playing them live in the room where we get together every week and where many of them were conceived, with no overdubs or studio trickery. We managed to get ten tracks down and we will be releasing one of these a month for the next ten months as ‘The Doghouse Sessions’.

Live -  Wednesday 20th July @ The Old Queen's Head - Angel.

'Five Miles' is pretty representative of the quality, craftmanship and hook laden, alt rock music Curse Of Lono create. The Doghouse sessions are going to be a real treat by the look of things and we will dip in and out of them on BeeVids, starting with the song 'London Rain'.

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Black Surf - Sink.

Background - Black Surf return with blistering new surf-grunge track "Sink" from upcoming EP "Let's Pretend It's Summer", Out August 26th on Cowboy Records.

Black Surf have an unusual backstory having formed in 2014 through the wonders of FaceTime and Dropbox. The fruits of their exchanges between Leeds, UK and Sydney, Australia have come to form their debut EP Let’s Pretend It’s Summer, recorded at Greenmount Studios (The Cribs, Pulled Apart By Horses, The Vaccines).

Black Surf specialise in the kind of fuzzed-up, adrenaline-shot indie-rock that’s straight to the point and doesn’t outstay its welcome. The reckless pace of new track Sink’s synth-flecked bubblegum buzz is matched only by its enthusiasm and wild abandon. Talking of the track, vocalist Ali Epstone says;

"Sink is essentially a song about the conflict and battle of harnessing the stillness within us, in this fast-paced whirlwind of life. We have become Human-Doings and lost sight of the Human-Being. Most people are experiencing either attraction or aversion in any given moment, either wanting to be somewhere else for pleasure or relief in the future or stuck dwelling in the past. Being present, finding peace in the space between the constant need for sensations in this day and age can be a rarity, so I wanted to document that in some way and spread the love maaan."

As the song winds up to start, you are right to expect an explosion of musical pleasure and 'Sink' delivers. Surf Grunge is an apt description, however the energy and emotion really carries the song.

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Alphabetic - French Boyfriend.

Background - For such an ostensibly uncomplicated song, Alphabetic’s smooth new single ‘French Boyfriend calls to mind a veritable trove of melodies and feelings, some contemporary, some classic. The lead single to their debut album Touch (released July 15) features velvety riffs and chords that hint at a musical affinity with the luxurious side of pop music, perhaps a nod to The Cure. But lyrically the song is creepy and voyeuristic - a kind of modern retelling of the Talking Heads hit ‘Psycho Killer’ without the murder. Guitarist and co-vocalist Walter Heale’s verses project him into a car outside an ex-beau’s house in Paris wondering ‘what’s so great about french boys anyway?’ as he sees her going to bed with another man. Rebecca Lever's charming voice (lyrically in character as the object of his affection), rebukes him as she thinks ‘about calling the police again’. Fun and totally flippant, it’s also a love song to Paris - a city which the band hold dear in their hearts, and listening to the buoyancy of the music, it’s also an influence which seems to have seeped into the cracks of their songwriting.

The seeds of Alphabetic were first sown when Raph - bassist and producer for upcoming debut album Touch - took a break in the Caribbean after a long stint on the road. Upon deciding to get together his teenage jam buddies they set about revisiting some of their old songs as adults. Though they reside in London, Alphabetic have always been rootless. The first time they made music together was in the mountains in Italy - in a rented house almost getting snowed in. But three weeks later they emerged with the seeds of an album and a live set. Their first rehearsals took place in a converted barn out in the countryside before they relocated to studios around London. Alphabetic’s music resists categorisation - as at home on the dance floor as they are in headphones, they evoke the art-school eccentricity of timeless groups like Talking Heads and Roxy Music, but they also belong firmly in the present. Their playful lyricism and musicality calls to mind LCD Soundsystem while their smooth and bright sensibilities achieve a similar end to the critically overlooked Talk Talk. In a nutshell, Alphabetic are experimenters, and they aren’t beholden to space and time. With tunes as colourful as theirs, today’s often monochrome indie scene gleams that much brighter.

'French Boyfriend' is melodic and rather catchy. Musically it's bright and breezy and the vocal interplay works a treat. It's a good taste of the album, in as much that, this is the quality of music to look forward to.

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Globe Trotting: Woodes - Velvet Bow - Elijah Ford - Aloric

Woodes - The Thaw. 

Background promo - Acclaimed Melbourne based artist/producer Woodes releases her new single 'The Thaw', following on from her debut solo single 'Daggers & Knives’ which was added to radio rotations and praised online in Australia and beyond. With the new single 'The Thaw’; Woodes creates another powerfully beautiful track, combining her poetic lyrics with a textured production to construct a song set in a wintery realm.

Woodes will be hitting the road this August as she joins Dustin Tebutt as the support act for his 'First Light' Australian national tour. Her previous single 'Daggers & Knives' has ticked over 250,000 total plays and was been added to rotation on; triple j unearthed, FBi Radio, SYN, profiled on Spotify Australia and various US college radio stations.

Woodes has previously been in the spotlight for her collaborative EP with producer Elkkle, garnering instantaneous praise across the radio and blog-o-sphere in Australia as well as internationally. More recently her track 'Flash Mob' was revealed as one of the top 25 songs played in 2015 across triple j unearthed radio. Woodes is currently collaborating with local and international artists including Kilter, Milwaukee Banks, Set Mo, Kintaro, FØRD and Golden Vessel. Woodes is set to release her debut EP in September 2016.

You can catch Woodes supporting Dustin Tebbutt around the country:

Thursday 4 August - Bryon Theatre, Bryon Bay NSW
Friday 5 August - Foundry, Brisbane QLD
Saturday 6 August - Sol Bar, Maroochydore QLD
Thursday 11 August - Northcote Social Club, Melbourne VIC 
Friday 12 August - Northcote Social Club, Melbourne VIC
Saturday 13 August - Workers Club, Geelong VIC
Thursday 18 August - Newtown Social Club, Sydney NSW
Friday 19 August - Newtown Social Club, Sydney NSW (Sold Out)
Saturday 20 August - Transit Bar, Canberra ACT
Friday 26 August - Jack Rabbit Slims, Perth WA
Saturday 27 August - Jive, Adelaide SA.

Already getting considerable attention after just couple of days, 'The Thaw' is a fascinating and quite addictive song, that is produced to a very high standard. I reckon Woodes is one to watch out for, to say the least.

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Velvet Bow - Lily Fuzz.

Background promo - Back with their second offering for 2016, Victorian coastal outfit Velvet Bow present ‘Lily Fuzz’ - A layered and complex piece that highlights the progression of the young five-piece band now based out of Melbourne.

Although the playful and familiar Velvet Bow sound is present in the track, there is a moodier undertone that weaves its way throughout ‘Lily Fuzz’. With a heavier focus on lyrics and technique, this track presents a slightly more guarded feel in comparison to other offerings from the band in recent times; a nudge at the idea that these kids from the coast might just be growing up.

Front man Ben Wade describes the track as a look into the, “ever-present, but not always so apparent optimism of adolescence.” With humble beginnings and hours of bedroom recordings stemming back to early 2013, the band appear to be working towards truly finessing their sound. Until then, each track will continue to fluctuate and reflect the fast moving, ever-changing landscape around them.

After receiving an overwhelming response to their heavily surf-inspired last track ‘Bombora’, Velvet Bow have worked to produce something that shines more of a spotlight on their musical developments and are set to release their debut EP by the end of 2016. With recording by Zac Barter (Canary, Life Is Better Blonde) and flawless production by the highly regarded Steve Schram (Eagle and the Worm, San Cisco, Paul Kelly), ‘Lily Fuzz’ is a transitional piece that takes a band most well known for its carefree surf sound to a competitive player in the Melbourne music scene.

Although ‘Lily Fuzz’ presents a slightly more melancholic approach, that addictive surf-rock sound triumphantly marks its place, with this track swelling to an amalgamation of guitar heavy, chaotic fuzz and layered vocals towards the close of the track. As they work towards the release of their EP, Velvet Bow have been playing regular slots regionally and in Melbourne, as well as hitting the studio to focus on fine-tuning their sound in 2016. July will see them take on a 13 date national tour to launch ‘Lily Fuzz’. “Lily Fuzz” will be released 29th of July 2016.

Sun 17th July - Alex Surf Club (Sunshine Coast)
Mon 18th July - Rics Bar (Brisbane)
Tue 19th July - New Tattersall Hotel (Lismore)
Fri 12th August – Mynt Lounge (Werribee)
Sat 27th August – Barwon Club (Geelong)
2nd September – Torquay Board Riders (Torquay)
3rd September – The Catfish (Fitzroy, Melbourne)

'Lily Fuzz' is one good song, that in part sounds a little like, a pacier, darker, San Cisco song (maybe not as dark as 'Wild Things'...). Anyhow it's my first listen to Velvet Bow and I am massively impressed and keen to hear more.

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Elijah Ford - Try As You Might.

Background bio - Elijah Ford is a California native turned Austin-based musician, songwriter and producer, who began his solo career after breaking from touring with Oscar and Grammy award winning musician Ryan Bingham. Ford put out his first solo record Upon Waking in 2011, and an EP called Ashes in October of 2012. After spending the last two years touring Europe & the U.S., Elijah and his band, The Bloom, are releasing a new full length album called As You Were on September 16th, 2016.

Elijah is no stranger to industry, as both of his parents have been life-long musicians. Elijah Ford is the son of former Black Crowes' guitar heavyweight Marc Ford, and toured as part of Ford Sr's Fuzz Machine at the age of 17, before getting the gig with Bingham, where he stayed until 2012. The younger Ford has surely taken some valuable rock n' roll notes from his father, but has also put together a sound that's completely his own.

The new album, entitled As You Were, was recorded at Austin's legendary Arlyn Studios. Produced by Stew Jackson (Massive Attack, Phantom Limb) and engineered by Jacob Sciba (Gary Clark Jr., Willie Nelson), it pushes the pop-rock sound of the Ashes EP into groovier, more hook-filled heights. Joined on bass by Jesse Ebaugh (Heartless Bastards) & guitar by Ricky Ray Jackson (Phosphorescent, The Happen-Ins), The Bloom has crafted a concise, powerful slab of rock n' roll with honest and direct songwriting.

Ford was also recently chosen to be a part of the elite ATX6, an innovative music export project that selects six of Austin’s emerging musicians each year, and sends them to international music festivals where they represent the Austin music community. The chosen six represent a variety of genres, and will be traveling and performing together at several festivals around the world from September 2016 through January 2017.

The first of ten fine tracks on the September 2016 release 'Try As You Might' sets the pace for a feast of rock'n'roll songs, indeed your well over half way through the collection before anything gentler is presented. Simple equation, like featured song = explore the album!

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Aloric - When Doves Cry.

Put Simply - The new track 'When Doves Cry' has been released from London-based Aloric. It is a tribute to Prince with elements of Sigur Rós & PJ Harvey thrown in.

"a breathtaking experience that feels too surreal to be believed. This rendition is arguably the best cover of a Prince song I have heard" ~TheRevue

"just about as fitting a tribute to the purple one that you could imagine...an earnest emotion that is impossible to fake. Wonderful stuff" ~Overblown

"an evocative tribute to the late legend... a wondrous experience and a fitting piece to remember Prince by" ~AnthemReview

Aloric manages to merge the influences of three fundamentaly great music talents into one, with this almost perfect musical tribute to Prince. But don't just take my, or the three above opinions for it, this version of 'When Doves Cry' is so worth listening to.

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Genre Wander: Wildhoney - Birdtalker - Eight Bit Tiger - Georgia Ruth - Katie Burden

Wildhoney - Horror Movie.

Background - Four great bands, two great labels and two continents meet on this stellar mini-LP. Frequent collaborators Slumberland Records and Fortuna POP! team up to bring you 'Continental Drift,' a smashing eight song sampler of some of the finest pop out there in 2016.

Baltimore's Wildhoney have been making music together since 2011, forging a fresh sound from raw materials of shoegaze, punk and good old indiepop. 2015 saw the release of their debut LP and follow-up EP, and now we've snagged two top-quality exclusive tunes for this compilation.

'Continental Drift' is out August 26 [pre-order] featuring tracks from Wildhoney, Mercury Girls, The Spook School & Tigercats.

Wildhoney Tour Dates:
7/15 Boston, MA @ The Democracy Center w/ Literature, Bent Shapes
7/16 Philly, PA @ PhilaMoca w/ Literature, Hurry, Free Cake for Every Creature
8/12 Raleigh, NC @ Ruby Deluxe w/ Jenny Besets and Essex Muro
8/13 Atlanta, GA @ Wrecking Ball Fest w/ L7, Deerhunter, Ceremony, Turnover and more
8/14 Richmond, Va @ Gallery 5 w/ Big Baby and Christi
8/26 Baltimore, MD @ The Crown w/ Soul Cannon, Creepoid, Flasher and Shinji

'Horror Movie' is a nice slice of dreamy indie pop. It's one of two songs on the forthcoming "mini sampler" album, and considering who they are sharing space with, this could well be a pretty special collection of songs.

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Birdtalker - Heavy.

Background - Nashville alternative group Birdtalker has released its debut single, "Heavy," and announced the release of its debut EP, Just This.

Since releasing on June 24, "Heavy" has amassed over 240k streams at Spotify, debuting at #19 on the Global Viral Chart, and #26 on the U.S. Viral Chart. "Heavy is about embracing vulnerability and choosing to act from a place no longer tethered to resent, doubt, or insecurity," reflects Birdtalker's Zack Green. "It’s about choosing to live from a place of acceptance and peace over fear." The group's debut six-song EP, Just This, was recorded in Nashville at Glass Onion Recording Studio with co-producers JD Tiner (Erin Rae) and Dan Fernandez (Great Peacock), and will be independently released on August 19.

Birdtalker began with Zack and Dani Green, a newlywed couple, writing a few songs together in their spare time. Friends in Nashville began to take notice, and the duo quickly grew into a five-piece. In its brief time performing together Birdtalker has had notable appearances opening for The Strumbellas and Escondido. Looking ahead, the band will announce an EP release show in Nashville in support of Just This EP. 

'Heavy' is the single release and the second track out of six on the forthcoming EP. This is a fabulous song, with stand out harmonies and a beautifully delivered soundtrack. Powerful and emotional alt rock, the EP is keenly awaited.

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Eight Bit Tiger - Move Dance Feel

Background bio - “We don’t do things the easy way” is somewhat of an understatement for the intercontinental electronic band Eight Bit Tiger. With their new record Move Dance Feel, the band has shown that making a great album is no longer constrained to physical proximity, but can be accomplished in the cloud.

Inspired by the funk band Chic and pop legend Michael Jackson, Eight Bit Tiger has taken a strong influence from the annals of music history. The band’s sound is a mixture of 70s funk and 80s inspired electropop combining signature bass lines with vintage synth sounds.

Eight Bit Tiger was formed in 2011 in Chicago, USA by the Widman brothers Erik and Kent who were at the time transitioning from their indie rock roots. Following great praise of their debut album, the band changed course when Erik moved to Stockholm, Sweden in 2012. Determined to keep the music alive, the brothers built two recording studios in their respective apartments 6888 kilometers apart (for American readers, that’s 75328 football fields). The music had now left the physical plane and entered the digital cloud. Sonic experiments and song ideas were sent back and forth, like synapses between neurons, ultimately leading to the creation of Move Dance Feel, three years in the making.

The new album harkens to an era of high tops, colorful leg warmers, and dreams where anything was possible. Simultaneously, the human factor is counterbalanced by a glimpse into the sonic future from a 80s perspective, where robots have taken over and created a sound of their own. While the band’s previous release Parallel Synchronized Randomness sounded more like a rock band wading into the shallow end of the electronic music pool, Move Dance Feel, is a synth-heavy swan dive into the deep end.

Well if the song 'Move Dance, Feel' has done anything for me, it's made me feel younger than I am. It's one of seven sonic delights that ooze retro sounds, thanks to the vintage synths in part, but mainly due to the infectious enthusiasm behind each song.

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Georgia Ruth - The Doldrums.

Background - Welsh singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Georgia Ruth has announced a new album Fossil Scale, due for release on October 7, 2016 via Navigator Records. The record is the follow up to 2013’s Welsh Music Prize winning Week Of Pines - a feat Georgia never contemplated she’d achieve for her critically acclaimed, bilingual debut album. The record prompted The  Guardian to tip her as ‘One of the British folk discoveries of the year’, with Georgia going  on to be twice nominated in the 2014 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, alongside radio support across Radio 1 and BBC 6 Music. UK live dates to support the release of Fossil Scale are expected to be announced shortly.

Switching out her previous go-to writing tool - the harp - for a piano in search of a more expansive yet ambient sound, Georgia headed into the familiar setting of Snowdonia’s Bryn Derwen Studio in January 2015, to lay down the foundations of what would become Fossil Scale. When the sale of the studio just 5 days into recording threw plans awry, recording time was then split between studios in London and Cardiff – in the case of the latter, at friends and collaborators Manic Street Preachers’ Faster Studios (Georgia sung on ‘Divine Youth’, a track that featured on the Manics’ Futurology album). The album was finally pieced together in Mwnci Studios, co-produced with Italian producer Marta Salogni (Phil Selway, Eliot Sumner) and long-time collaborator David Wrench (Caribou, Bat For Lashes) some 11 months after those initial sessions began.

'The Doldrums' is a such a wonderful song. The gentle understated musical soundtrack, has glimpses of it's own beauty, and provides the perfect foundations for Georgia Ruth's exquisite vocals. The album Fossil Scale is released on October 7 via Navigator Records, definately one for the must have list.

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Katie Burden - I Can See It Clear.

Background bio - Katie Burden’s stylized atmospheric rock and shamanistic delivery often conjure up the ghost of Jim Morrison but in a modern context, falls somewhere between Bat for Lashes and Joan As Police Woman.

After being raised in a small hippy town in Colorado, Burden spent her formative years bouncing around NYC and later San Francisco. In 2012 she moved to LA and after attending a meditation retreat, synchronistically fell in with a group of blue chip musicians including drummer/producer Norm Block (Mark Lanagan, Sweethead and Jenny Lee of Warpaint) and guitarist Jen Turner of Here We Go Magic and Exclamation Pony.

Katie happened to have hundreds of song sketches recorded as voice memos on her phone and after she played them for her new friends there was no looking back.  Block stepped into the role of producer while Turner helped flesh out the recordings that became Burden's debut EP My Blind Eye. The 5 song set was released on Norm’s Cautionary Tail label and was met with critical kudos from Buzzbands LA, Impose and a video premiere on USA Today who noted the debut had a “mysterious, experimental appeal.” The EP also made a fan of Jenny Lee (Warpaint) who asked Katie to sing backup vocals on her newest LP right on!

Katie toured My Blind Eye up and down the West Coast, being welcomed into major musical hotspots including The Deer Lodge in Ojai, Hotel Utah in San Fran and El Cid back in LA where she opened for Jenny Lee. Upon her return she felt pulled back into the studio where she began tracking her follow up full length, Strange Moon, with her now tightly-knit band of collaborators. The dark and moody undercurrents of the new material called for Burden to dig deeper into her emotional well, something that she struggled with when performing the songs. “I have a hard time feeling emotions sometimes” the songwriter notes. “Art makes me less afraid to feel and also less alone.”

'I Can See It Clear' is from the forthcoming album Strange Moon, that is being released via Cautionary Tail on September 16. The featured song has a very haunting alternative feel to it, making it difficult to catagorize in any one genre. The above bio's decription of the music being akin to "Bat for Lashes and Joan As Police Woman" becomes apparently clear as the song progresses. Whatever... it's a must play again (and again) song for me.


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Globe Trotting: Joe Nisbet Jr - Late Hala - Cameron James Henderson - Georgia Reed

Joe Nisbet Jr - 'Judge Not'

Background promo - Following his critically lauded first album (The Gospel According To Mr Niz), KFM Records is delighted to announce the release of Joe Nisbet Jr's first self-penned song, "Judge Not" on Monday 18th July.

"The positive things people said about the first album gave me the confidence to start writing and recording my own material, which turns out to have a different sound, but doesn't stray far from the usual obsessions - good times, regrets, early r'n'b, drinking, and a bad attitude to authority.

Given the nature of the lyric, I knew the song had to be urgent and honest, so we recorded it very quickly and very live with a group of good friends who just happen to be brilliant musicians - they contributed a level of personality and attitude that you don't often get in the studio - and I think that comes across - although it sounds like a badly behaved gospel meeting in a New Orleans hip-hop club, it's actually a punk record at heart."

“Judge Not just got my bones, makes me happy. I don't why, but I'm crazy in love with this song. I can't remember when something last made me feel so happ!!! Tell your friend,it's such a wonderful song, I haven't danced alone like this in years!!!xxxxx   I got to stop playing it or I'll wear it out...just one more time though....here we go again.....”

As it says above 'Judge Not' is Joe Nisbet Jr's first self penned song, and wow what a superb start! It's got the hooks, melody, upbeat feel good vibes and every other expression I so often use, to describe a song like this. "Follow that" I think to myself, and somehow I reckon Joe may very well do so. 

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Late Hala - Good Thing.

Background  - Late Hala are a Psychedelic/Rock band from London formed in 2015.

Late Hala are cousins Dan and Alexi from London town who started playing guitars together at an early age through a mutual love of the blues scale. Unfortunately life got in the way and a ten year break ensued until 2015 when they both found themselves living in East London.

Using Fuzzy Guitars, Pianos, Delay Pedals, Xylophones, Organs, Samples and accidentally recorded police sirens they created their debut EP 'Dark Clouds'. According to the bands Facebook page, they are now in the process of recording their debut album. 

'Good Thing' is a brand new song from Late Hala, and what a fine song it is. The psychedelic vibes are there from the start, along with something of a sixties American West Coast feel, in part due to the harmonies, and a pretty cool achievement for a band from my old home, London. It's always a grand thing when a song ends leaving you wanting to hear more and Late Hala have done that for me!

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Cameron James Henderson - Lifeboat.

 Background promo - Sydney based blues-folk troubadour Cameron James Henderson is pleased to announce the arrival of his debut album 'Storm Rollin’ In'. No stranger to the stage or studio via his many contributions to the work of others, 'Storm Rollin’ In' follows Henderson’s first venture into solo territory after 2014’s well received 'Distorted Hope Blues'.

Recorded in the Blue Mountains inside a solar powered cabin deep in the bush, the new twelve track collection was produced by much loved folk-artist and good pal Chris Gillespie. Dynamically moving from stomping band tracks to Dylan-esque finger pickers, the record features minimalist arrangements mixed with spontaneous elements of rain, birds and other mountain sounds picked up during the sessions. 'Lifeboat', with its signature pulsing guitar lick, is the first single to be lifted that embodies the raw ‘in the moment’ production and honest feel that reflects Henderson’s piercing songwriting style. Cameron says of the track “Lifeboat is about broken relationships and the frustration of not being able to fully understand someone you love. It looks forward to a time when the brokenness of this world will exist no longer and hopes for the lifeboat to arrive to save us from the rising waterline.”

Boasting a resume that includes forming the psych-surf blues band ‘Dubious Blues Trio’, who released an album in 2014 with the instrumental cut 'Shoemound' airing on triple j, Henderson also composes for film while keeping his chops up with Zombie Cats, Chris Gillespie, Sam Newton, Lyre Byrdland and the Mogadishu Family Band. With a string of launch shows in New South Wales, Canberra and Victoria this week Cameron James Henderson is well and truly set for a busy Spring and Summer. 'Storm Rollin’ In' is out July 15 via all good digital retailers and on CD via Bandcamp.

Thursday July 14 @ Smith's Alternative, Canberra (9pm, $10)
Friday July 15 @ Goulburn Club, Goulburn w/ Joe Conroy (7.30pm, $10)
Saturday July 16 @ Gold Dust Lounge, Bendigo (9pm, Free)
Sunday July 17 @ Golden Vine Hotel - 'Ewes, Brews, Stews & Blues, Bendigo (12.30pm, $15).

The clarity between guitar and vocals makes 'Lifeboat' something quite special. I love the power within the song despite the initially understated soundtrack. Cameron's vocals are just right for a song like this and the developing blues feel as the song progresses, is for me, the icing on the cake.


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Georgia Reed - Helen.

Background - ‘Helen’, the intense, dark and immersive new single from Perth’s Georgia Reed tells the story of a young girl spiralling headlong into hopeless despair.

Written from an outsider’s perspective, the song’s lyrics, “I can’t save you tonight” pave the way for its thundering climax, and further showcase her fierce and brooding signature sound introduced in her previous release ‘Waiting For You To Run’.

“It’s a sad song really, she’s drowning and she can’t see it,” says Georgia.

‘Waiting For You To Run’, Georgia’s debut single, saw her receive fervent support and airplay at triple j and triple j Unearthed Radio. Following a hugely successful launch show to a sold out crowd at The Odd Fellow in Fremantle, Georgia went on to grace the stage as support for the likes of Olympia, triple j’s KLP and Stillwater Giants.

Produced by James Newhouse at Reel2Real Studios and Mastered by Grammy Award Winner William Bowden at King Willy Sound (Gotye, Little May, Empire Of The Sun, Children Collide), ‘Helen’ is a story of lost hope, lost control and a young lost soul.

Second time around on Beehive Candy this year for Georgia Reed, this time with the new song 'Helen', which is due for release on the 5th of August 2016. Georgia has wonderfully distinct vocals and she makes full use of her range with this powerful song. The song may be intense and dark in part, but it builds into a storm of emotion, with anthemic dimensions, love it.

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