Posts

Small Forward - Lydian Collective

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Small Forward - Tearjerker. While attending college in Los Angeles, songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Michael Stevenson and Rounak Maiti converged on a desire to collaborate and meld their love of Americana and pop music. Informal bedroom jam sessions resulted in hours of demos, constructed from the duo’s rudimentary yet textured take on songwriting. After condensing their work down to four downtempo, home-recorded songs, they self-released an eponymous debut EP in 2014. From hazy, forlorn atmospheres to more heart-on-sleeve folk, Stevenson and Maiti worked with Campbell Scott (bass) and Nick Waldram (drums)  to craft rich, full band arrangements. From 2015-16, Small Forward began developing their live act, playing with a full band across the Los Angeles area. During this time, they began recording The Moon You Stand On, the band’s debut full-length album. Here, Maiti and Stevenson’s lush, folk-inspired ideas were rounded out by a prominent rhythm section, Scott’s dulcet bass

Rose Ette - Lily & Madeleine - The Prescriptions

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Rose Ette - Ignore the Feeling. What good is rock and roll without a love story? Even in 2018, among the uneven power struggles and problematic dudes, someone is going to look across the room at someone else and wish they could stand over there, instead of standing here alone. Pretty basic aspect of the human experience, yeah? But somehow, though we can define our political stances in unambiguous terms, our affection remains a mercurial subject for words. On some days, it’s easier to argue with a GOP granddad over the existence of global warming than to face that someone across the room and tell them just what magnetic force draws you near. “Oh, boo hoo,” say the stable, the pairs coupled in high school, the loveless bachelors in IT. But in the realm of Rose Ette – ostensibly modern-day Houston, spiritually Olympia or London from two or three decades back (respectively) – the mental hurdles that block both parties from honest and true bonds are real struggles worth fighting for. W

Calista Kazuko - Lene Lovich

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Calista Kazuko - Press Stop & Rewind / Sweet Jailbird. ‘Press Stop & Rewind’ and ‘Sweet Jailbird’ were written by Calista and long-term collaborator Elliott James Frisby. The songs were recorded at London’s Smokehouse Studios. Nuno Fernandes (Bryan Adams, Jeff Lynne) and Dennis Weinreich (Queen, Supertramp) feature as producers. The beautifully shot videos – dark, sensuous vignettes with deadly narratives, were made with filmmaker Philip Reinking and depict Calista’s sordid fantasies, murderous moments, subsequent incarceration and dreams of escape. “I could not be more delighted to be releasing these two songs,” says Calista. “Their fun, OTT extravagance perfectly punctuate this creative chapter before the campaign for my new album, ‘Empress’, starts in January. It was an honour working with such a musical dream-team as producers Nuno Fernandes and Dennis Weinreich – and creating visuals with filmmaker Philip Reinking was the icing on the cake.” Calista Kazuko is a singer

Maria Matveeva & Deep Forest - French For Rabbits - Post Lovers - Slum Summer

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Maria Matveeva & Deep Forest - Kalinushka. Soprano opera singer Maria Matveeva together with well-known French Grammy-award-winning composer and producer Eric Mouquet aka Deep Forest shared their latest single “Kalinushka” this week, to be taken from their upcoming collaborative three-track EP titled "Siberian Trilogy Project" set for release on the 21st December. In addition to her career as a lyric soprano in the Opera, Matveeva has experimented various musical genres. She is always on top of her game - and in the past she has collaborated with notable musicians such as David Bowie’s pianist, Mike Garson, notable for working with the likes of Nine Inch Nails, The Smashing Pumpkins, Alessandro Alessandroni Jr and Alex Elena, just to name a few. Matveeva’s latest delivery, "Siberian Trilogy Project" is an experiment with an innovative musical idea, which fused different styles: lyric voice, electronic sounds and the ethnic elements. Since 1992, Deep Forest has

Wild Child - Sands

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Wild Child - 1996 (E.P). Yesterday Austin, TX's Wild Child released a surprise EP titled 1996 that includes three brand new songs. The EP arrives as the band kicks off their headline tour that will make stops in Boston, Philadelphia, New York and many more. "We probably had 20 songs in consideration for our fourth LP Expectations and these songs didn’t seem to fit in the final sequencing but we still really liked them," said co-frontman Alexander Beggins. "'1996' was one of the first tracks we recorded for Expectations with Scott McMicken up at Mt. Slippery back in the summer of 2017. We recorded a full version of the song one day, woke up and scrapped it the next day and started working on a new version messing around with drum machines and midi toys. We now play a hybrid version live. "Best Lay" and "Hold On, Hold You" were recorded in our hometown in Austin, TX with the ever talented Adrian Quesada. We work really well and quick to

Lusterlit - Erin K - The Fame - Kazyak

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Lusterlit - Meat Cake. Meat Cake is the new double-A-sided single of Lusterlit songs inspired by comic book artist and author Dame Darcy's series of the same name, and written for her Bushwick Book Club event with Brooklyn Book Festival. Lusterlit were so inspired by her renaissance-mermaid royalty that they immediately started planning a Lusterlit record. The relentless indie drive of "Wax Wolf" and the chamber/hip-hop epic "Cutting" are now available at Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music and on blue vinyl, courtesy of Brooklynphono! These helpings of deep hooks and vivid storytelling feature the duos dark cinematic blend of spiraling vocals over acoustic/electric landscapes of vintage beatboxes, swirling guitars, keyboards and brutal drums. Lusterlit produces Bushwick Book Club (founded in 2009), the international performance series featuring songwriters and performers of all kinds, putting on regular shows featuring new music, art and snacks inspired by a ch

Silverbacks - Anna Karenina

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Silverbacks - Just In The Band. Irish art punks Silverbacks delve into themes of false idolatry and deeper connection in their latest track ‘Just In The Band’ out now on PK Miami. Produced by Daniel Fox from fellow Dubliners Girl Band, 'Just In The Band' carries the same nagging unease as previous single 'Dunkirk' with taut drums and unrelenting bass underpinning seasick guitar arps and Daniel O’Kelly’s blunt commentary on the ‘problems down the back’. Feedback soaked and frazzled, it sees the band step further away from their indie roots and more into the groove - if the groove covered itself in petrol and dared you to light the match. Silverbacks are a thrilling prospect, delivering their own louche take on NYC-indebted rock: slack enough for the tastemakers while also mining the gems of a pop vein, catching the ears of those with a taste for a good hook. Now a full-fledged five piece after graduating from the bedroom project of songwriting brothers Kilian and Da

Blue Child Collective - Roxy Rawson - Polartropica

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Blue Child Collective - Eye Of The Needle feat. Sol. 4 years on and 4 records down, South West fluid groovers Blue Child Collective are set to take their newest offering, Wake Up To The Sound, around the country as a 5-piece on an 11 date national tour this summer. Out yesterday (November 23), the album's current single Eye Of The Needle (featuring Sol from Band of Frequencies) is the finest example to date of the Collective's feel-good roots with a touch of reggae. The product of positive collaboration between frontman Dan White, Kiwi darling Emjay Angeni, sax man Lindsay Baker and many musicians from the wider Collective, Wake Up To The Sound is an album spanning countries, cultures and communities. Featuring Bobby Alu on drums/percussion, Ken Allars (Caravana Sun) on trumpet/keys, OJ Newcomb (Band Of Frequencies/THUMP) on bass and Angela Iimura on BV’s, plus special features from Sol Carroll (Band Of Frequencies/Afro Dizzi Act) on vocals and Taro Terahara on bansuri, the

Moderate Rebels - Thyla - ElectroBluesSociety feat Boo Boo Davis - Stephen Kellogg

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Moderate Rebels - The Value Of Shares. London-based “anti-music” collective Moderate Rebels’ second album ‘Shared Values’ is like a lot of their music so far – it happened almost by accident. “We went into the studio with a couple of songs to record an EP, and we ended up with an album-length EP. We like to just let things happen and for songs to mostly write themselves. It’s a case of mucking around and seeing what feels right and what doesn’t. We say it all the time, but it’s important to note – we don’t intend anything. We don’t feel like ‘artists’ with grand statements to make. “We view ourselves as just passing on ideas or questions, which we also enjoy expressing in condensed and concise terms. We think we’re all living in an era when lots of people feel they have lots of questions (perhaps that’s every era?) and we seem to touch upon that. Doubt, uncertainty, vague language, conflicting information and opinions – these are all inspirations. To us, being ‘anti-music’ is abou

Van Bellman - Mirny Mine

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Van Bellman - Gold & Blue. The new single from gritty indie pop artist is entitled ‘Gold & Blue’, the single is a story of hope, faith and companionship in a world of turmoil and distractions. Showcasing infectious melodies, soaring gang vocals and driving drums that all build into an anthemic chorus, 'Gold & Blue' fills you with optimism, a fitting yin to the dark first single’s yang. Van Bellman is the brainchild of Brooklyn-based musician Zac Taylor. You may have seen him playing guitar on TV with multi-platinum band American Authors, or perhaps carrying your luggage at the Gansevoort Hotel on Park Avenue a few years back. And maybe you didn’t hear, but he doesn’t shine shoes anymore. Instead, Taylor has been cultivating this new project and is now ready to present it to the world. An eclectic mix of bluesy rock and indie pop, Van Bellman’s music was written with purpose. The second single “Gold & Blue” is a story of hope, faith and companionship in a wo

Rosie Carney - Louise Lemón - The Thin Cherries

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Rosie Carney - Zoey. Irish singer-songwriter Rosie Carney’s brand new single, “Zoey” is now available. The song follows the recent release of “Orchid” and “Thousand" (feat. Lisa Hannigan) which have collectively been streamed over 3 million times on Spotify since September. The tracks will appear on Carney’s highly anticipated, deeply personal debut album, Bare, which comes out January 25 via Akira Records. With her full-length debut still to come, Carney’s music has already been streamed over 18 million times, and she currently has over 1.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Of “Zoey” specifically, Carney says, “Every time we pulled the project up I would just call it the ‘Zoey Deschanel’ song. It was a joke at first, only because the song painted scenes of a rainy-day romance in my head. I kept seeing the final scenes of 500 Days of Summer in a loop, and I just remember feeling so melancholy, which is a feeling I quite enjoy. I wanted to make it feel like a warm blanket fo