Saturday, 12 September 2020

Jillette Johnson - Bee Bee Sea - Sandtimer - Deepfake Moneybomb

Jillette Johnson releases 'Annie' and announces her new album due in a few months time, the new song is a gorgeous slice of modern folk pop with hints of timeless country. === We have featured the first two singles from their upcoming new album 'Day Ripper' and now we have the title track from Bee Bee Sea namely (of course) 'Day Ripper' where the bands nod towards The Beatles is notable. === Sandtimer are another band who have appeared here a couple of times already in 2020 and are back with 'You Never Had Control' a stripped back track that exudes plenty of personal feeling. === Deepfake Moneybomb has released his self titled album and it's streaming in full below. Always on the lookout for different, creative yet accessible music we are delighted that all those boxes have been ticked with this talented and crafted release.
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Jillette Johnson - Annie.

Jillette Johnson has announced the February 12 release of It’s a Beautiful Day and I Love You, her first new album in four years. Returning with a newfound creative confidence, the Nashville-based singer/songwriter delivers a fully-realized collection of ten new songs featuring candid lyricism and a bolder, bigger sound. Along with the announcement, Johnson shares the rollicking new single “Annie” with a self-directed, DIY video shot during quarantine. An ode to her other half’s ex-girlfriend, “Annie” offers a different take on songs about “the other woman” as Johnson expresses genuine appreciation for the positive impact her role played in his life.

“Annie is a thank-you letter, and a tribute to all the past relationships that make us who we are,” explains Johnson. “The ones that prepare us to find fulfilling partnerships. My partner has shared his heart with some badass women and I'm super grateful for it. May we be in an era finally, where women can see each other as allies, and not threats.”

Jillette Johnson has established a reputation for her ruminative pop/folk, piano-driven songs and powerful vocals, releasing her 2013 debut Water in a Whale and 2017 Dave Cobb-produced follow-up All I Ever See In You Is Me to widespread acclaim ranging from Billboard and Paste to Marie Claire and ELLE. She began writing songs at the age of eight, becoming fully immersed in music by high school and quickly learning first-hand about the prevalence of predators in this volatile, ever-changing industry. Now on the other side of a journey through pain and struggle to gratitude, forgiveness, and, ultimately, acceptance, It’s a Beautiful Day and I Love You sees Johnson taking full control of her career for the first time. She recently spoke about the process with American Songwriter and shared her debut single “I Shouldn’t Go Anywhere,” which Rolling Stone describes as “a spaced-out trip that recalls Harry Nilsson or Elton John at his most decadent.”

“The lessons I learned from those early industry experiences are why I’ve held so tightly to making this album on my own with people I trust,” Johnson explains. “It would have been easy to lean into the melancholy. It was an act of rebellion to not indulge in the pain, to look beyond it and not wallow.”

Produced by Joe Pisapia, It’s a Beautiful Day and I Love You injects Johnson’s intimate, piano-written songs with buoyant pop melodies and a shot of guitar-driven, alt-rock muscle. From the lilting, self-destructiveness of “I Shouldn’t Go Anywhere” and the somber reflection on “Angelo” to the irreverent humor in “What Would Jesus Do?” and the impulsively romantic title track, It’s a Beautiful Day and I Love You showcases Johnson’s hard-won optimism.

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Bee Bee Sea - Day Ripper.

Following the release of first two singles 'Daily Jobs' and 'Gonna Get Me', Bee Bee Sea have now released the title track for their upcoming new album 'Day Ripper', out on 9th October on Wild Honey Records.

One of the few heavy psych-garage songs on the record, the track is based on a riff progression alternated with Beatlesque choruses. Similarly to previous single 'Daily Jobs', the song further elaborates on the idea of living a suffocating and claustrophobic existence. Aside from the title, another nod to the Fab Four is on the artwork, designed by Yuri Pierini at Slack Studio: an illustration of legendary footballer George Best, occasionally known as The Fifth Beatle.

Bee Bee Sea – Wilson Wilson on guitar and vocals, Giacomo Parisio on bass, and Andrea Onofrio on drums – met fresh out of high school and immediately bonded over music. “When there’s no good shit around you better form a band” runs their motto – and so they did. Sixties classics like the Beatles, The Who, and The Stones formed the bulk of their repertoire as a covers band, and they played in any bar that would have them. “We were into bands,” explains Wilson, “and over time we became more rock, and started to get into punk.”

And now they stand ready to unleash 'Day Ripper' on the world, ten incendiary tracks full of edge, tension, and fuelled by frustration – “ripper” is very much the right word. From the catchy, effervescent chug of single ‘Be Bop Palooza’, to the filthy garage punk of ‘Drags Me Down’ and ‘Telephone’, it’s a record that throws you around the room before pinning you up against the wall and screaming in your face. Songs barrel along like a whirling dervish, all galloping drums and frantic power chords, occasionally teetering on the brink of collapse. Yet such chaos is precisely what makes 'Day Ripper 'so compelling, and so fun.


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Sandtimer - You Never Had Control.

‘You Never Had Control’ is the latest single from Sandtimer’s upcoming second album, ‘Running In Sunlight’. The song charts the feeling of waking up, seeing terrible things happening in the world and feeling partly responsible, no matter how irrational this feeling might be.

‘You Never Had Control’ is an expression of coming to terms with one’s own powerlessness when faced with huge, unpredictable events, and an encouragement to carry on the struggle for progress regardless.

The album Running in Sunlight, which will be released this October, sees the band take a loose and immediate approach to the creative process, with the songs being written and recorded over a short time frame, with sparser instrumentation than their previous music.

“This album isn’t about anthems,” says Simon Thomas, vocalist and guitarist. “It’s our attempt at exploring the raw edges of the climate we live in- the uncomfortable parts as well as the beauty. We wanted to give ourselves space to do this intimately and honestly.”

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Deepfake Moneybomb - Deepfake Moneybomb (Album).

This is not your typical singer-songwriter music - it's accessible but off-kilter and veers off into surprising directions. The "folk" feel of these songs is anchored by acoustic guitar and dulcimer, while embracing instrument combinations that include clarinet, vibraphone as well as some electronic sound. The songs on this record are strange little works of art that are drawn from the search for something of substance and meaning amid all the chaos we see everywhere.

First, why put out an album at all during a pandemic, when there are limited opportunities to perform the songs? "The World Won't Let Me Believe" is why - it's an unabashedly sincere, perhaps even corny, anthem for our times.

You might think the song "Existential Dread" would be a depressing slog in neurotic self-indulgence, but instead it's a sparking, sprightly, dulcimer-driven waltz. And when was the last time you heard a song about quantum mechanics? Look no further than "Super Colliders" which gives a shout-out to physicist Erik Verlinde while tossing in some William Blake for good measure.

Deepfake Moneybomb is singer-songwriter from New York (USA). He could be considered a “bedroom” artist because of his creative process, though he does perform live as well.


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Friday, 11 September 2020

Stephen Becker - Juanita Stein - Deadletter

Stephen Becker has shared 'Clean' along with an imaginative video, the song itself is a smooth flowing and gently melodic piece. === We have shared two songs by Juanita Stein so far this year and now we make it three with 'L.O.T.F' as the alt rock artist continues to create standout songs. === Now based in South London Deadletter have just released the powerful rocker 'Fit For Work' where the band kick up a storm, inter-spaced with some hypnotic vocal moments.
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Stephen Becker - Clean.

Stephen Becker has announced the release of a new EP the first under his own name out October 30 on NNA Tapes. Nothing Sun Under the New expresses exactly the kind of poetic sleights-of-hand we encounter throughout this short, brilliant offering. This compact record is filled with aphorisms flipped on their heads, reversals of logic and intuition, dislocations of causality and expectation. Alongside the announcement, Becker shared an entrancing music video for the album’s lead single “Clean,” which was directed by Johnny Frohman & Gerard Marcus, and stars a charming Marley McDonald. On the song Becker explains: “‘Clean’ is about escaping technology, cell phones, social media - the way we clean ourselves with water, and how doing the same with technology would destroy it (i.e. submerging your phone in a bathtub). So cleaning is also destruction, and maybe it takes a little destruction to really get clean.”

For Stephen Becker, music is a stream of consciousness. Originally working as the Trees Take Ease moniker, the Brooklyn based artist is stepping out from under the branches and releasing music under his own name for the first time. It marks a shift, a new beginning, that initially started out as a casual bedroom project but quickly blossomed into something significant. This new chapter starts with EP Nothing Sun Under the New.

Equal parts weird and sublime, Becker resides in a sonic universe that bends into a state of oblivion and relishes the fleeting moments. This uninhibited approach creates a kaleidoscope of textures where songs about frozen drinks and old teachers exist against a backdrop of propulsive synths, screwy percussion and lo-fi guitar hooks. “I think there’s a lot of power in the right melody and the right chord progression and the right sonic environment and that to me has as much emotional weight as anything that I’m saying,” he says.

Attending concerts as a teen with his Dad and playing in jazz band throughout high school led Becker to experiment with different improvised arts, rubbing shoulders with different genres and practises. This curiosity, along with his talents, secured him a place at Oberlin college in Ohio, studying guitar performance. There, Becker witnessed performances from the likes of Deerhoof, Frankie Cosmos, Yo Yo Ma and Fred Frith that inspired him to merge his skills as a jazz musician and guitar expert and dive into songwriting.

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Juanita Stein - L.O.T.F.

Juanita Stein has released a new song, ‘L.O.T.F’, from her upcoming third album, ‘Snapshot', which is set for release via Nude Records on 23rd October in all formats.

‘L.O.T.F’ follows the recent release of the LP’s title track and a second song, ‘The Mavericks’, which picked up early support from the likes of Mojo, Clash and 6 Music for Brighton-based, Australian songwriter, who first became known for her work as singer and guitarist in Howling Bells.

The song taps into the theme that runs throughout the album, which was recorded following the sudden loss of Stein’s father in 2019. As Juanita explains, it is “an ode to growing up in Australia, tinged with a sad bitterness.” It is a devilish intersection of a song, with introspective lyrics swimming through snarling guitars.

About the album: It feels fundamental to understanding the devastation and eerie silence thrust upon us after his sudden death,” begins the Brighton-based, Australian songwriter Juanita Stein, discussing the moment of great sadness that inspired her new record. “It was a daunting task to sum up the life of one man such as my father. He was endlessly inspiring, charming, deeply talented and passionately spiritual. He admirably, and at times frustratingly, carried the torch for his own musical career until the very end.”

It’s within this processing of a life well-lived and attempting to wrestle with the tides of her own grief, that what would become the album began to ebb and flow out of Stein, who first became known for her work as singer and guitarist in Howling Bells.

“After I felt I had enough songs,” Juanita explains, “I was moved to reach out to producer Ben Hillier, who I’d been a fan of since hearing records he made with Clinic, Elbow ad Doves to see if he might be interested in making this album with me.”

Unlike her first two solo albums, “America” (2017) and “Until The Lights Fade” (2018), which were made in just a few weeks and both at studios in the US, ‘Snapshot’ was recorded over the course of eight months at Agricultural Audio, not far from Juanita’s home.

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Deadletter - Fit For Work.

Hailing from Yorkshire though now South London rooted, DEADLETTER channel the droll fury of The Fall and the lopsided rhythm of Gang of Four into a strain of vehement post-punk, exploring the darker side of existence through a lens of narrative-driven levity. Now the band release their potent second single "Fit For Work", following the release of debut single "Good Old Days" in May this year.

The last year has seen DEADLETTER emerge as a genuinely thrilling live prospect, showcasing their brand of chaotic hedonism across the country supporting the likes of Squid, Viagra Boys and Avalanche Party. Debut single "Good Old Days" was a clear stylistic marker of the band’s vision and received both regional BBC and 6Music play.

New single "Fit For Work" follows in that vein, offering an acute, angered study into bureaucracy, and loss of personal identity. DEADLETTER are experts in the field of intensity; seamlessly switching from conversational verses into unadulterated post-punk fury - "Fit For Work" is a huge statement of intent from the band.

Of new single "Fit For Work", frontman Zac Woolley writes: "Fit For Work was a concept a long time before it was a song. As a band, and as a writer, we [I] have always regarded the call and response strategy as biblical. The idea of having a conversation during the delivery of art leads to this absurd metaphysical tangent of acknowledging your art is art whilst performing it; similar to when artists use the line “I wrote this song for you because…” what they are doing, when you think about it, is taking away the idea that what they’re creating exists in itself, and is in fact an entity that exists in a wholly real world.

As a song, "Fit For Work" is about more than just the Department for Work and Pensions. It provides a mirror to the world, and specifically the Britain of today.  The ideas explored within the track are seemingly exaggerated accounts of reality but, upon close examination, have worrying roots in true experience, with the track aiming to parallel the savagery of the narrator in the song with the actual brutality of our government.

The declaration of someone as ‘Fit For Work’ is symptomatic of the apathy and bureaucratic cruelty prevalent in society, where being unable to meet a certain ticked number of boxes (either literally or metaphorically), equates to the surrender of personal autonomy, and by extension, individual identity.


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Wednesday, 9 September 2020

Blue Stragglers - Caitlin Quisenberry - Nadia Vaeh

Blue Stragglers share a video for 'Forever and A Day' taken from their new self titled E.P 'Blue Stragglers' both of which are all present and correct below. The bands raw power is easily matched by some more thought out structured and even anthem filled moments, as they deliver hook laden and impressive natural rock music. === From Caitlin Quisenberry we have a video for her new single 'Imogene'. Beautifully arranged the song showcases her classic country vocals whilst allowing space for a more modern and contemporary feel. === Nadia Vaeh today has shared 'Anxiety' a very personal song that tackles one aspect of mental health without being self pitiful or morbid, in fact it's more an energized encouragement to seek help and supports MusiCares, an organization focused on providing critical assistance to people in the music industry, and resources that affect the music community’s health and welfare..
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Blue Stragglers - Forever and A Day / Blue Stragglers (E.P).

“A tip of the hat to some of our favourite crossover anthems,” according to Stragglers’ frontman Lee Martin, ‘Forever & A Day’ is a song of epic intent, one that emerges from waves of feedback to deliver, via an enormous harmonised chorus, a yearning for simpler days – a sentiment we can all relate to during this disorienting corona-summer of 2020. A meld of robust garage rock and Nineties baggy euphoria, the song addresses the need to “accept the beauty of being aware that some things are bigger than me or you”, says Lee. The video, all wide-open seascapes and big skies, adds to the song’s expansive atmosphere as the band heed the lyrical call: “Meet me on the Way to the Sea”.

About ‘Last Call’ - Running the gamut of rock’s dynamic range, ‘Last Call’ journeys thrillingly from the industrialism of its opening bars via a satisfyingly slow-burn crescendo to its intense uber-grunge coda. The ‘Last Call’ in question is in many ways a cry for unity and justice – in this case expressed by making sure you do the honours when it’s your turn at the bar! Only Blue Stragglers could convey such a message with the intensity of ‘Last Call’.

About the ‘Blue Stragglers’ EP - Comprising five heavyweight alt-rock gems that lay equal claim for A-side status, Blue Stragglers’ debut EP captures the Sussex trio at their muscular, melodic finest. Recorded and mixed by engineer and producer David Holmes in the belly of Lightship 95 at Soup Studios – a houseboat turned recording studio docked on the Thames in East London – the EP sessions were almost over before they had even begun. Recording took place during a ferocious winter storm, which turned the loading of equipment across the Lightship’s ice-covered bridge into a precarious ordeal. Thankfully, the dreaded cry of “man overboard” was never heard and Blue Stragglers laid down five songs to serve as rallying calls of rock’n’roll defiance during a summer that’s been thin on such life-affirming delights. The mastering of the EP was shared between Bill Skibbe of Jack White’s Third Man Mastering in Detroit and Oli Morgan of Fluid in London.

Not many bands can claim to have built and then run their own non-profit rehearsal studio but then Blue Stragglers are not like many bands. Having grown up in the town of Horsham – nestled between London and Brighton – Lee Martin (vocals, guitar), Ali Waite (bass) and Andy Head (drums) bonded via a love of bands such as The Raconteurs, PJ Harvey, Supergrass, Demob Happy, Beck, Grandaddy and Jane's Addiction. Skilled players themselves, the trio originally formed the backbone of the much-loved Sussex act Tied to the Mast. But when they struck out on their own to form Blue Stragglers, they were lacking somewhere to hone their craft. And so began the tough but ultimately fruitful challenge of converting an empty space next to a South Downs chalk pit into somewhere they – and other Sussex bands – could practice 24/7.

This DIY dedication to their art is evidenced by the intuition that each member has for the others’ playing, as seen and heard in the supremely powerful live showcases that have secured Blue Stragglers a cult following across England’s southeast, from Brighton via Tunbridge Wells to Horsham and Hastings, alongside some intimate London gigs that first drew the attention of Lost In The Manor records.

Exuding that impenetrable, gang-like identity that’s the preserve of only the best trios, Blue Stragglers been picked up by BBC radio, stolen the show at a number of grassroots festivals and now, thanks to their debut EP release on Lost In The Manor, will be spreading that buzz much, much further afield. A programme of showcase gigs will be announced after the lockdown but in the meantime, you won’t find a better means of banishing the lockdown blues than a healthy blast of Blue Stragglers.



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Caitlin Quisenberry - Imogene.

Nashville’s newest darling, Caitlin Quisenberry just released her the music video to her latest single “Imogene” after massive support on the single from Spotify Editorial with “New Music Nashville” and “Nashville Stripped.” The production and vocals of “Imogene” are as unique as the name. It blends two world together as the innocence of the mandolin sets the stage for Caitlin’s euphonious vocals, only then to be paired with the entrancing tribal drum beats found in the chorus, further pulling its listeners into the whimsical storyline.

“’Imogene’ is a journey into our subconscious, taking us to a place we have all been – being in awe or infatuated with what someone else has. It runs in the same vein as ‘Girl Crush’ by Little Big Town, where the elements of fantasizing, crushing jealously and desire, are all present. Another example is the classic, ‘Jolene’ by Dolly Parton portraying envy of another woman’s attributes that are so amazing she begs the beauty not to take her man. What I appreciate most about ‘Imogene’ is that it cleverly delivers those feelings in an upbeat, feel-good way, while sparking emotions of an old crush or the excitement of the uncharted territory of a new relationship.” - Caitlin Quisenberry

The daydream-like narrative of “Imogene” is being perfectly paired with an animated music video created by one of Hollywood’s most talented cartoonists, Tom Schneiders. To find out more about Tom, visit his website: burdstv.com and follow @burds.tv on Instagram. Caitlin sought out his style to give “Imogene” the idiosyncratic nature it deserves. The video was purposely planned to follow the release of the song to give its listeners time to reflect and imagine, before viewing the artist’s interpretations.

Caitlin may be new to Nashville’s scene, but she is no stranger to the public eye. Her time spent in Hollywood landed her leading roles in national commercials along with her most notable role in the ABC TV sitcom, “Blackish”. Although she loved acting, singing was always her true passion. So after recording with Grammy-winning producer Robert Cutarella at age 14, nabbing a Golden Ticket on American Idol at 15, winning Miss Colorado’s Outstanding Teen after singing to a sold-out audience at Denver’s Ellie Caulkins Opera House, she decided to dive even deeper into music and studied classical vocal performance at Pepperdine University.

Beyond this, Caitlin also studied abroad in Lausanne, Switzerland with renowned opera singer Karine Mkrtchyan. Caitlin believes her classical background is what has given her an advantage in the sea of incredibly talented singers. This, paired with the performance opportunities, is what led her into country music. Her Pepperdine vocal coach choose her to sing lead vocals in the Harbor Unplugged bluegrass concert because of the natural country twang she had in her voice. As Caitlin sang with a Nashville band, she knew that country was the direction she wanted to take her music!

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Nadia Vaeh - Anxiety.

Nadia Vaeh's powerful new track "Anxiety," is a reflection on her personal mental health struggles and how she copes with the highs and lows of anxiety.  She is donating a portion of the proceeds to MusiCares, an organization focused on providing critical assistance to people in the music industry, and resources that affect the music community’s health and welfare.

Nadia Vaeh brings thought-provoking and inspiring storytelling in her dark and raw new single. Vaeh’s sincere lyrics of her own experiences, combined with the moody and dark undertone of the single, brings a realistic and relatable perspective on mental health. As an advocate, she hopes her music can inspire people to embrace the conversation of mental health and be a reminder that they are not alone.

Atlanta native and IMA "Vox Pop" winner, Nadia Vaeh, found her way into artistry through modeling and an unexpected stint with a local Atlanta circus. She started singing in their productions, but this was not the beginning of her artistic roots.

Nadia’s love of music and singing began at the age of two and was nurtured by her parents who placed her into a traveling youth choir when she was in middle school. She created small productions with the neighborhood kids and her sisters while growing up. Her mother was a poet who passed on her love of words, which later fueled Nadia’s talent as a lyricist. Nadia’s life took an unexpected turn at the age of 17 when she lost her mother to suicide.

She dismantled her high-school band and strayed from songwriting and singing for years, other than the occasional karaoke. After this tragic loss, she went down a path of self-sabotage and destruction and used relationships and partying to ignore her pain. When she finally decided to begin again with artistry, she was a shell of a person and looking to anyone and anything for answers to deal with her heartbreak. “I made a lot of missteps when I first began my career and had to learn a lot of things the hard way.”

With her endless resilience, she has grown into a performer, has had her music recently played on international radio, and is looking forward to sharing more of her music here in the U.S. and around the world.


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Tuesday, 8 September 2020

Julia Logan - Lore City

Julia Logan has shared a live session video for the rather splendid song 'Everly, Foreverly' a fabulously arranged piece with notably melodic vocals, it exudes sincerity and feeling. === We have two of the six tracks that make up Lore City's forthcoming album 'Alchemical Task', namely 'Into Your Blue' and 'It's All Happening'. Genre wise the duo cover a lot of ground, these two tracks provide some idea of what to expect, however expect more from this creative pair.
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Julia Logan - Everly, Foreverly (Live Session).

"Everly, Foreverly" is Stockholm, Sweden, based Julia Logan’s second single. Like artists Karen Dalton and Jim Ford, she is also searching for solace, sincerity, and quiet human understanding in chaotic and loud times.

“It’s about family and the ties that connect us, even when one of us feels there is darkness and no clear path,” says Julia.

“In the end the unity of the family is a circle that lasts.” Featuring drummer Kyle Crane (Neko Case, Daniel Lanois, M. Ward, Bon Iver) and Peter Morén (Peter, Bjorn and John).

Warm and intriguing Americana with California vibes, carefully arranged and masterfully executed - here's "Everly, Foreverly"!

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Lore City - Into Your Blue / It's All Happening.

Alchemical Task (2020) is the third studio album from Art Rock duo, Lore City. It’s been six years since their last release, Kill Your Dreams (2014), and subsequent move to Portland, Oregon. The band’s sound combines elements of Psych Rock, Post Rock, and Dream Pop. Tome to the Weather Machine writes, “fans of Chelsea Wolfe, Low and Big Brave should take note.”

Lore City is an American art rock duo formed in 2011 and currently based in Portland, Oregon. Band members include Laura Mariposa Williams (vocals, keyboard, guitar) and Eric Angelo Bessel (percussion, keyboard, guitar). They met in 2003 as peers in the College of Visual & Performing Arts at Syracuse University. Reconnecting years later, Laura and Eric formed Lore City in 2011 and married shortly after that.

Lore City’s music is born from the transformational power of sound. We hand over words, instruments, and rhythms; trading back and forth until everything belongs to both of us. Until we are indistinguishable. We create from the belief that we are all one, and that we’ve been here before. Song fragments are shimmering all around us, ready to transport. We tune in and transcribe. Deep knowing, alongside the unfathomable unknown, is where we reside. Sonic soundscapes give way to archetypal figures and voices materialize. Sometimes we are just singing along with the ghosts that emerge from our chorus of effect pedals.

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Sunday, 6 September 2020

Terra Lightfoot - Samantha Tieger

Terra Lightfoot shared 'Paper Thin Walls' just a month ago and has returned with another really fine song 'It's Over Now', her refined and distinctive rock again impresses. === We featured 'Close My Eyes' a few weeks back and Samantha Tieger is back with 'You Light Me Up' which is a gently melodic and enticing track.
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Terra Lightfoot - It's Over Now.

On the heels of her recent announcement of a new studio album, nearly three years since the release of her critically acclaimed album New Mistakes, soulful rocker Terra Lightfoot shares the new single and video for "It's Over Now" off the upcoming studio album Consider the Speed.

"'It's Over Now' first emerged as a slower, more sombre song — about letting go of a failed relationship, one that seemed viable but that ultimately just didn’t work out," says Lightfoot. "In-studio, it took on a new life as a straight-ahead rock song, and I can definitely take comfort in that. The drive of the band behind me puts me in a comfortable space to sing that intense chorus vocal."

Strong, sure-footed and soulful, Terra Lightfoot's new album Consider the Speed sees the artist finding new roots on the road, and at home in her own skin more than ever before. On this Memphis-recorded session, the acclaimed singer-songwriter-guitarist is in top form, backed by seasoned session ringers and captured by Grammy-winning producer Newland and Grammy-winning engineer Mitchell.

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Samantha Tieger - You Light Me Up

Nashville based singer/songwriter Samantha Tieger (pronounced “Teeger”) is celebrating the release now of her eponymously named debut EP which will include one of her strongest tracks yet, the gorgeous ballad “You Light Me Up.”

Tieger’s six-song EP reflects the artist’s intent to shine a light on the joys, heartaches and dramas of interpersonal relationships that both thrive and falter in uncertain times.  On “You Light Me Up,” Tieger finds a sublime solace in the embrace of a healthy relationship and has never sounded as self-assured as on this carefully crafted ballad. “You Light Me Up” was co-produced by multiple Emmy Award-winning producer Ed O’Donnell (Friends, Beverly Hills 90210) and Armon Jay, with Tieger and O’Donnell collaborating as co-writers.

Says Tieger: “In “You Light Me Up” I wanted to focus on the joy, comfort, and liberation that a great relationship can bring. What I love about it is that sonically it represents the peace and calm at the heart of it all.”

On her debut EP, Tieger continues, “These songs were inspired by some of my most significant and emotional experiences over the last couple of years, including the lingering sadness from a sudden breakup, a whirlwind romance, and being physically distanced from friends and family.

I was lucky to work with an amazing group of co-writers and producers to bring this EP to life. I love how the production elements reflect the feelings of comfort, heartache, and confusion addressed in the lyrics. I’m so proud of how the EP turned out, and I’m thrilled to share it with the world.”

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Saturday, 5 September 2020

Loaver - Dolls - Zooni

Loaver returns here just four weeks after we featured 'Bloom With Me' with another gorgeous song 'Forget All About' upping the anticipation for her debut album 'Fern' due at the end of October. === We have already shared two songs from Dolls E.P 'Eggshells' and today we have another video, this time for 'Secret Ugly Baby' along with the full E.P. === It's been over a year since Zooni last graced our pages, so welcome back with the new song 'Cascara' which is a stylish and intimate art pop song.
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Loaver - Forget All About.

Malmö, Sweden, based singer-songwriter Linnea Hall started her solo project Loaver with a desire to be able to showcase all sides of her experiences and inspirations. On October 30th, debut album 'Fern' is released via Rama Lama Records. 'Forget All About' is the third single to come from the album and is out now.

In 2019, she put out her self-titled debut EP on Birds Records. The music – experimental, smooth and dark pop at its finest – was written and recorded in Italy during 2017, in close collaboration with artists such as Giovanni Ferrario (PJ Harvey, John Parish etc.), who produced the tracks, and Emanuele Maniscalco. Through the six tracks we were drawn between the uttermost boundaries of emotions – love, hate, dreams, doubt, chaos and naivety. The new record is once again recorded in Italy but this time in collaboration with Emanuele Maniscalco and Carlo Poddighe.

Loaver on Forget All About: "I wrote Forget All About with Emanuele Maniscalco in Italy last spring. It was a time when nothing seemed to be right. I guess it’s a song about the abrupt changes that arose in the gap between what was gone but at home and the present absence, or perhaps it was the other way around. The horses ran astray in the city. "

Early 2020, Loaver returned with new single 'Drömmeri (om döden)' on Rama Lama Records (Melby, Chez Ali, Julia Rakel, Steve Buscemi's Dreamy Eyes). The single, a pendant to Debussy's Reverie, is a memoriam to Linnea's grandmother that was released on her death day. This was the first taste of the upcoming album that's packed with highly unique and instantly memorable tracks, like the slow burner 'Bloom With Me', the shapeshifting 'Forget All About' and captivating 'Apart'.

The debut LP 'Fern' sees Loaver develop her creative pop and experiments with trip hop, singer-songwriter, dream pop, jazz and bedroom pop elements that together with Hall's splendid vocals and personal lyrics create a hauntingly beautiful soundscape.

Besides Loaver, Linnea Hall is the singer of Swedish experimental indie rock group Kluster B. The band have put out two records since 2018 that besides positive reviews in some of Sweden's biggest music magazines, have received international attention from Line of Best Fit, BBC Radio 6, NBHAP and more, with The Revue calling them one of the most innovative bands in the world as well as opened for Frankie Cosmos, Omni and more.

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Dolls - Secret Ugly Baby (Video) / Eggshells (E.P).

Two piece power-pop makers Jade and Bel, aka Dolls, release new single/video 'Secret Ugly Baby' and make their 'Eggshells' EP available to stream.

At the end of June Dolls physically released their long-awaited second EP ‘Eggshells’ exclusively as part of the Love Record Stores.  It was once again released with iconic soundtrack labels Mondo/Death Waltz on a beautiful limited edition multi-coloured and etched vinyl LP and digital.

This week they have released that EP digitally, plus reveal a video for latest single ’Secret Ugly Baby’.  Talking about the song, Jade explains "Secret Ugly Baby is your own anxiety, it’s born one day and evolves as you grow up. It’s not pretty and it’s not something that you always want to show to the world”.

She goes on to talk about the video, explaining "The stop-motion video by Michael Foxwell is a fun play on the lyrics. Highlighting the pressures we have from social media and our constant desire to appear like we are ‘living our best lives’... whilst simultaneously falling over!"

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Zooni - Cascara.

A powerful yet fragile mix of poetic lyrics and transcendent textures ... Brighton art-pop makers Zooni today release their latest single ‘Cascara’. Produced
with Mercury and Brit award winning producer Charlie Andrew (Alt J, London Grammar, Marika Hackman), and released via Square Leg Records, it is taken from their forthcoming ‘Familiar Ground' EP is (out October 2nd).

Talking about the song, singer Peter Martin explains that “Cascara is a bit of a downer to be honest. Its about feeling overworked and powerless to change anything. Living alone I realised I would come up with all sorts of wacky theories for happiness that bore no relation to reality and the song kind of makes fun of that.’

The track comes supported by a beautifully monochrome animated video from director Patrick Atkins.  Explaining his inspiration for the video, he explains "There's so much texture and mood layered into this song, it was a pleasure to try to and mirror that on screen and see where it took me. As with the previous video for ‘Dissolve', I knew I wanted to take the viewer on a bit of a journey on this one, and capture what felt to me like real moments of wonder and awe running through a track that's otherwise got a slightly dark mood to it. Something about falling through space seemed to fit, and the rest evolved from there".

The band today announce a special online performance recorded live at Iguana Studio where they recorded both of their EP’s. The set will include the EP and some special surprises. It’ll be broadcast live 8pm October 1st on the bands facebook and instagram pages.

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Friday, 4 September 2020

Tallie Gabriel - The Arthur Brothers - Sun June - Kristen Beckwith

Tallie Gabriel's new E.P 'Little Death' is a really fine collection of truly beautiful songs with captivating vocals and a consistently refined musical backdrop. === It's been sometime since we last featured The Arthur Brothers however they return with the magnificent nine and a half minute Neo-psych song 'Sun Gun' . === Austin band Sun June share their latest track 'Singing' which is described as their Groundhog song, it's also melodic and hook filled. === Kristen Beckwith shares 'Magic Years' and it's a good example of what to anticipate on her forthcoming album 'A True Story' where the Salt Lake City based artist delivers some gorgeous singer songwriter material.
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Tallie Gabriel - Little Death (E.P).

Ethereal singer/songwriter and cellist Tallie Gabriel has unveiled her debut solo E.P. Little Death, a collection of tender hopeful and heartbroken stories written in the aftermath of and reflection on a breakup, featuring singles “Story,” “Hummingbird,” “Laundry,” and cover of “Who Knows Where the Time Goes.”

The 5 song EP explores Tallie Gabriel’s incredible poetry, musicianship, and vulnerability as it goes through the stages of allowing yourself to fall for someone, the disappointment of that relationship not quite working as you'd hoped, the loss of self that comes with betrayal, the confusing heartbreak of a one-time-fling that doesn't last, and finally, a giving over to the understanding that nothing is permanent and all things in life, especially love, ebb and flow like the tides.

“The name ‘Little Death’ comes from an idea my mother told me when I called her once, wildly heartbroken: a breakup the closest thing to the death of a loved one that humans experience. Someone is in your world, and then they're not, or at the very least, a new version of them is. The relationship you shared has died, so it's no wonder that we mourn lost loves so deeply,” says Gabriel. “It's also a cheeky play on the French phrase petit mort... I'll let you look up what that means."

“Little Death” was written by Tallie Gabriel, produced, mixed, and masted by Julian Giaimo and features Tallie Gabriel on cello, Halsey Harkins and Julian Giamo on keys, and Catherine Hardy and Halsey Harkins on background vocals.

Tallie Gabriel’s work is born out of moments of tender vulnerability. Her music is steeped in warmth and affectionate intimacy—exactly how she likes her heart best. Her poetic lyrics and thoughtful storytelling combined with her lilting voice have drawn comparisons to the likes of Regina Spektor, Ingrid Michaelson, and Sufjan Stevens. She draws inspiration from a variety of indie singer-songwriter and folk predecessors, as well as incorporating the influence of the trad Irish, Bal-musette, and classical motifs that attracted her to the cello and music composition when she was younger. Gabriel is 1/4 of the folk group Cardboard Rocketship.



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The Arthur Brothers - Sun Gun.

The Arthur Brothers; is a London based artistic alliance centered around brothers Matt and Danny Arthur and the producer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist J. C. Wright.

With an eclectic batch of singles over the last two years, The Arthur Brothers have demonstrated that there are no boundaries in terms of what to expect from their musical creations. With accolades from radio and press globally, throw in two award winning animated videos, and it’s clear to see that The Arthur Brothers are showing a unique ingenuity and imaginative ambition that doesn’t come around often.

‘Sun Gun’, The Arthur Brothers latest single from their upcoming debut album Nine, is the final phase of a journey that began 9 orbits ago, when the talented brothers Arthur met producer J. C. Wright and they collectively embarked upon a mission, an expedition, an exploration, a compulsion even…. an undertaking that can only be described as...’art for art’s sake’. Recorded in a dilapidated old warehouse in North London - now known as the ClearLight SoundCave - with broken windows, cracked concrete, parquet flooring and a cavernous sounding art-deco stairwell which features heavily in the tonality and ambience of the album. A DIY approach that ultimately flourished into a majestic sonic proclamation.

‘Sun Gun’ is a song about the future. But also a song about the past… from the future’s perspective. A dys/utopian narrative. A rescue mission. An uplifting space romp. A portent of potentiality and a premonition of probability for the ever expanding, avaricious human race. ‘Sun Gun’ is a song of hope, a song of love… a light to lift the darkness.

A 9mins30 sweeping epic journey – ‘Sun Gun’ is a timeless neo-psych, shimmering, summer’s day intergalactic cruise, surfing on waves of vocal harmonies and cascading guitars. From ‘Sun Machine’ to ‘Sun King’, sun salutations to sun salvation. A fitting last song for the creative enterprise that is The Arthur Brothers Nine, ‘Sun Gun’ acts as a statement of intent. A song to launch The Arthur Brothers into space and back again. ‘Destination we've arrived’.

The accompanying ‘Sun Gun’ video, playfully edited by Greg Vegas, offers a captivating version of the song’s journey by incorporating archival film footage of 1974 USSR films Teenagers in the Universe and Moscow-Cassiopeia by Maxim Gorky studios, interspersed with textures by UK visual artist Anastasia Beltyukova aka Tribambuka.

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Sun June - Singing.

Austin band Sun June have released a new single & video today for "Singing" and announced they've signed to Run For Cover Records.

Laura Colwell says: " 'Singing' is our groundhog day song. It's about being stuck in an old argument with your partner, wishing you both saw the world the same way. The video expands on that idea by cycling through various mundane ruts we can get caught in.

We also explore around our Austin neighborhood, where they're tearing stuff down and building stuff up."

Sun June's new album is due early 2021 via Run For Cover and Keeled Scales.

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Kristen Beckwith - Magic Years.

Kristen is a singer-songwriter based out of Salt Lake City, Utah. Inspired by artists of all genres, music became Kristen’s passion at a young age.

In 2018 she made the choice to pursue music full time and by early 2019 released her first single, “Free”. Driven by authentic lyrics and melodies, Kristen’s music is emotional and thought-provoking. She is an advocate in the topic of mental health.

After two and a half years working day in and day out, Kristen is beyond thrilled to be releasing her debut album, “A True Story” October 2nd, 2020. In an interview with KSL Kristen said, “I want to touch hearts and move people the way music moves me”.


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Thursday, 3 September 2020

The Nude Party - Samana

The Nude Party give us a taste of their next album 'Midnight Manor' through 'Lonely Heather' and the accompanying video, see and listen for yourself as the band serve up some feisty, indeed full on two minute plus rock. === And then we have the gorgeous new song from Samana who share the pristine and breathtaking track 'Passing Me By'.
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The Nude Party - Lonely Heather.

The Nude Party are set to return with their sophomore album, Midnight Manor, on October 2nd via New West Records. The 12-song set was recorded live-to-tape over six days at the Outlier Inn in upstate New York and mixed by John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr., Kurt Vile). Midnight Manor is the follow up to their critically acclaimed self-titled debut which Rolling Stone heralded as “equal parts ‘I’m Waiting for the Man’ Velvet Underground and Exile on Main Street Stones.”

Their debut found the band hitting stages across the globe, appearing at massive festivals like Lollapalooza, All Points East, Splendour In The Grass, Great Escape, Newport Folk Festival, and Bonnaroo where many publications named them one of the best of the festival. They also supported major artists like Jack White and the Arctic Monkeys—both of whom became full-blown fans and vocal supporters of the band.

Today, The Nude Party have shared the video for the song “Lonely Heather” via DIY Magazine. Frontman Patton Magee said, “The video is inspired by Ralph Bakshi’s New York street animation style, in movies like American Pop, Streetfight, and Heavy Traffic. During the peak of the pandemic, our photographer friends Bryan Derballa and George Etheredge took a series of incredible photographs around New York City.

We used those deserted street corners and venue shots as the backdrop for the rotoscope animation. Then filmed all the action on a green screen in our barn during quarantine in April. Brooklyn-based director and animator Parker Worthington painstakingly put together all the footage and photographs into this weird dream version of New York.” Of the song, Magee said “Heather is the constant object of unwanted affection, the solitary queen of rejection. She follows the scent of her whims and can’t be bothered by the desires of anyone."

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Samana - Passing Me By.

'Passing Me By' is Samana's first release since their BBC 6Music, BBC Introducing and Radio X championed single 'Harvest'.

The Wales-based duo self-produced, recorded and mixed Passing Me By whilst holed-up in a remote part of France while the world was locked down earlier in the year.

Accompanied by a stunning video, also captured from the time spent in France, they explained that "Passing Me By was the product of a one off, improvised vocal and acoustic guitar take, laid to 1/4 inch tape. It is a response to the immediate present, guided by the subconscious; to the velocity of time passing in fragments of visions and feeling."

The new track is out this week and signals the first of a series of new releases from the band who have just received support from the Arts Council Of Wales.

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Wednesday, 2 September 2020

Jenny Banai - Anna Erhard - The William Brothers Shipping Company

Jenny Banai makes her fourth appearance here this year with 'Paper Plain' and it's another strikingly impressive modern pop piece. === Anna Erhard just released 'Short Cut' along with a video, it's a catchy, quirky and satisfying song. === The William Brothers Shipping Company new E.P is 'The Cedarhouse Sessions' where acoustic music and splendidly natural vocals come together from this notable indie folk rock band.
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Jenny Banai - Paper Plain.

“Paper Plain,” the newest single from the forthcoming full-length, is a lo-fi conglomeration of bits and pieces. Its simple groove is carried by mostly two chords – not Jenny’s regular style – and has a freeform melody that borders on melodic rap.

Jenny Banai blends jazz, folk, and rock into sophisticated pop music that both celebrates and laments the dynamic of human relationships and the relationship with one’s self. Following the 2015 self-release of her debut album, Flowering Head, Jenny independently undertook several Canadian tours, collaborated on the documentary Where We Come Home, and early in 2017, her song “Boars” was featured on TV and web series The Drive. In 2018, Jenny received Fraser Valley Music Awards, Folk Artist Of The Year.

Jenny Banai is an old soul and a child of the nineties, and as such, has inherited both the contemplative wonder and the wardrobe of her parents. She is a fresh and authentic voice who pairs powerhouse vocal abilities with unique and clever pop arrangements. “She is able to ebb her voice in dynamic with masterful control, rocking you gently into a dream, yet gripping your ears to keep you awake: lucid and loose”.


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Anna Erhard - Short Cut.

Anna Erhard, 30-year-old, who lives in Berlin, writes songs about states of movement: they deal with leaving, escape and transformation.

And that although letting go is often difficult at first. After years as head of the Basel-based band Serafyn, she has left the band and the city behind and has given in to the desire to change her place of residence and expand her musical comfort zone.

Definitely too clichéd and typical for her fast-moving generation, flooded with possibilities and stimuli, this step seemed to her at first. However, the new start was urgently needed, provided space and time for musical expeditions and offered an unknown freedom.

A freedom that can also be felt in the new single "Short Cut". There the Swiss musician criticizes the superficiality of our society. Every small talk begins with "How's it going?" followed by "All is well", we have all the possibilities, can achieve everything, live the dream. So the illusion. Anna explains:

"We are told every day that it is possible to enjoy only the good aspects of things. This is bullsh."

Life holds many challenges, not everything is always easy, but it is these moments that make life what it is. Anna illustrates this in an abstracted way in the loving music video for "Short Cut", which was shot on an alpine pasture in Furna (in the Swiss canton of Graubünden), in the village where Anna's grandmother grew up. Growing up there in the countryside is a special challenge, to which Anna bows and states: "Mountain children are the most blatant children, nobody has as much stamina as they do".

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The William Brothers Shipping Company - The Cedarhouse Sessions (E.P).

From the band - I wanted to introduce myself and tell you about The William Brothers Shipping Company. The Shipping Co. is an indie folk-rock band from Los Angeles CA. Our mission is to make honest music for people to enjoy. It's that simple.

With the release of our new EP The Cedarhouse Sessions, The Shipping Company is excited for people to join the party.

Sparking Music puts it "Everything in The Cedarhouse Sessions comes together in a stream of consciousness style. It is an unforgettable journey into an acoustic world."

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Monday, 31 August 2020

Faultress - Kindsight - The Gina Furtado Project

Faultress returns with her new E.P 'Creatures'. We featured her a few times last year and are delighted to share this creative and imaginative new collection of songs. === Kindsight are a new band from Copenhagen and have just released the gorgeous and melodic indie pop track 'Who Are You'. === The Gina Furtado Project return a month after we first featured them with 'Alley Cat' a vibrant and extremely catchy bluegrass song.
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Faultress - Creatures (E.P).

“I know we’ve all felt this, but the aching dullness of being locked away for months has gnawed away at me, unable to see so many people I love, unable to create. I sat alone for weeks in a fairly broken bout of depression when one day went to the park, and as I watched the birds and the insects around me, these 4 songs poured out of me.

The creatures I saw around me put a shape and words to my thoughts and feelings around loneliness, pain and the feeling of alienation, not only from loved ones, but from myself.”

About Creatures EP - Written entirely during lockdown, Creatures lyrically examines loneliness and fractured mental health and are delivered through Faultress’ voice alone, manipulated with electronics. All songs are designed specifically for headphones and are produced by award winning sound designer and producer Gonçalo Abrantes (aka Agon Branza).It is a poised and assertive performance from a musician with a masterly handle on the themes of her art.


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Kindsight - Who Are You.

Kindsight is a new Copenhagen based band and the first act outside of Sweden to sign with Rama Lama Records (Melby, Chez Ali, Steve Buscemi's Dreamy Eyes etc.). The young quartet today release their debut single Who Are You - a warm, nostalgic and atmospheric indie pop song.

The Danish quartet makes retro-tinged indie pop that is instantly appealing and addictive. Nina's vocals crowns the atmospheric soundscape perfectly and makes Kindsight something that's been missing in Scandinavia for a long time. Debut single Who Are You is the first taste of their melancholic beauty which we will hear a lot more of the upcoming year as the band are ready to finally share their music.

Kindsight about Who Are You: - "Who Are You is a summer song written in January - lush, light and forward-driven. Originally dismissed by the band as a stupid disco song when brought to rehearsal by guitarist Søren Svensson, adjustments were made and the song was granted life as Kindsight’s debut single."

Kindsight are Nina, Søren, Anders and Johannes and formed out of Nina and Sørens shared love for The Sugarcubes. According to the band, the two of them then recruited drummer Johannes to "drag him out of an unsettling obsession with jazz-music" and bass player Anders was chosen "only because of his looks and his ability to fit into small bags.".

Shortly after forming the band played their first gig in a parking lot to a crowd of children. The band tells us that the children "were overwhelmed by the sudden influx of melancholic beauty to the otherwise rather dull parking space. As one 7 year old kid said moments before being squashed under an unstable wheel of fortune, “Wow, they are so cool, I also prefer The Sugarcubes to Björk’s later work!”". Since then, the band have played frequently on the Copenhagen indie scene for a bit older and growing crowd.

Who Are You is out now. Kindsight consists of Nina Hyldgaard Rasmussen (vocals, guitar), Anders Prip (bass), Søren Svensson (guitar), Johannes Jacobsen (drums) and are available for interviews.

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The Gina Furtado Project - Alley Cat.

Drawing on the distinctive sound and fresh musical ideas that recently earned its namesake her third consecutive International Bluegrass Music Association Banjo Player of the Year nomination, The Gina Furtado Project shows a more playful side of Furtado’s musical personality on “Alley Cat,” the group’s latest single for Mountain Home Music Company.

The song tips its hat to Furtado’s Celtic influences with an irresistible, Irish-flavored melody that works both as a framework for sprightly unison playing by Gina and her violinist sister, Malia Furtado, and as a fitting vehicle for the lyric’s deftly prolonged metaphor:

“He doesn’t care to compromise
The alley cat with laughing eyes
And when he laid his eyes on me
The other girls were history...
A pat and scratch behind the ear
Really you’ve no business here
A little milk is all you’ll get
‘Cause I don’t want an alley cat”

As the bandleader slyly notes, "’Alley Cat’ is for anyone who has been charmed completely and unexpectedly — whether it be by a stray kitty, or any other free spirit."

With harmonies from Malia Furtado, and a gracefully grooving rhythm section of Drew Matulich (guitar) and bassist Max Johnson, “Alley Cat” is a sunny, light-hearted frolic that packs an abundance of good-humored energy into its two minutes, proving once again that, even in music, brevity is the soul of wit.


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Saturday, 29 August 2020

Keep Shelly in Athens - Healthy Junkies - Gold Hick

Keep Shelly in Athens return with 'Neon Glare'. It's been quite awhile since they last appeared here however the brand new song is everything I hoped for as their atmospheric beauty once again shines. === From Healthy Junkies we have the blistering alt rocker 'Last Day In L.A' a song that takes our breath away for a frantic two and a half minutes. === From the opening moments of 'Magma' to the closing of 'Tumult' the forthcoming album 'Formed At Depth' from Gold Hick is a rich electronic collection produced and arranged with notable quality, 'Up Arrow' gives us a glimpse of the whole and the non album track 'Trad Ghost' is a bonus.
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Keep Shelly in Athens - Neon Glare

The ethereal and swirling sounds of Greece’s Keep Shelly in Athens capture the transient feelings of city life and the inevitable passing of time. With lush melodic beats and dreamy vocals Keep Shelly’s production is an accessible and lighthearted entry into the world of down-tempo electronica.

With previous releases on labels including Forest Family Records, Transparent Records, Planet Mu, Cascine and Friends of Friends, the duo have already transported their whimsical arrangements and soothing productions across the globe, including performances at Coachella Festival, Parklife Festival, Brighton’s The Great Escape Festival and Austin’s Fun Fun Fun.

In addition to their own releases they have also done official remixes for Tycho (Ghostly International), Blood Diamonds (4AD), Steve Mason (Domino) and many more… Their new EP, Defy Me, is due Nov. 12. Now they have shared the first single / video from it, “Neon Glare.” Keep Shelly in Athens are RPR and Jessica Bell.

RPR notes, about the new EP, “So many things have happened since the beginning of this year which could provide material for several albums! Nevertheless, in the 5 tracks from our upcoming EP we tried to transform our anxiety about the future as well as our anger and outrage at everything that is happening right now, regarding the murder of innocent people and so many other issues, into something positive. I think this came out in a natural and unforced way, and we hope the audience will find some escape within these songs.”

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Healthy Junkies - Last Day In L.A.

Healthy Junkies are everything that epitomizes the indie punk spirit - driven, authentic, and capable of causing a riot at any moment. As they prepare to release a seminal album which mashes up psychedelic rock, punk, grunge and goth, first single ‘Last Day In L.A.’ sets the bar high. As a band that have toured relentlessly since their formation in 2011, until the global lockdown of 2020, they came into this record still firmly locked in the groove.

The album was made during the aforementioned period of quarantine and is titled ‘Forever On The Road’. It has reflections of recent tours and life beyond the road and offers a compelling record more akin to chapters of a thrilling novel rather than bubblegum throwaway rock n pop. Lead singer Nina Courson shines throughout with her Parisian drawl inflecting the Junkies’ brand of rock n roll with tones of 60s femme fatales Nico and Brigitte Bardot.

‘Last Day In L.A.’ harks back to a recent US tour which captures the strange magnetic pull of the city of angels, especially for this group of runaways from Paris and Greater London. They united together to write songs and feed their passion for music as a life-saving exercise after narrowly escaping a youth filled by gangsters, abuse and the like. Phil Honey-Jones is Nina’s writing partner and plays guitars and sings on many tracks too. Their bond was firmly formed almost a decade ago through music as a form of healing self-expression, creating their own world within a world, turning their personal horrors into sonic beauty, and out of the bizarre madness of the global pandemic have conjured a record sure to catapult them to the larger stages of next year’s major festivals. The band also feature bass player Dave Whitmore from Maidenhead, Berks who provides that extra bit of madness and creativity needed to cement their destinies together and jettison them on the journey that brought them to the recording  of ‘Forever on the road’. The drums on this album were provided by an anonymous American drummer during lockdown and mixed by Phil at home. This was the only way the album could be created during these restricted times.

On this album they have further pushed the boundaries of genre using hip hop beats, piano and string arrangements, horror film style soundtracks and even reggae alongside goth, punk and grunge. The album is the soundtrack to their USA tour of autumn 2018.

Healthy Junkies also bring similar people together and have been running a monthly London night called Punk & Roll Rendezvous for nine years, which includes an annual free three day festival with 25+ bands. The event has always been held at the Unicorn pub in Camden but due to Covid-19 the band are running the festival online this year. The fanbase for this band as well as their Punk & Roll night keep growing as they continue to popularize a community spirit, the sharing of ideas, giving artists an opportunity to perform and somewhere to hang out. This cast of misfits have built a beautiful tribe of punks and rockers and look set to expand their loyal devotees as they continue to hit their stride.

Rodney Bingenheimer (Sirius XM/Kroq) has played the song ‘Last Day In L.A.’ five times already this year on his Sunday show Underground garage and it hasn’t even been released yet, but his enthusiasm after getting hold of a copy has prompted the band to lead the new record out with this single and it’s a fiery number set to have you pogoing wherever you are as Nina, “Waves goodbye to the dead end life” and “the Hollywood nights”.


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Gold Hick - Up Arrow/Trad Ghost.

Humm Recordings is excited to announce the forthcoming release of ‘Formed at Depth’ – the debut LP by Norwich’s Gold Hick.

2020. A year so far spent hunting for silver linings. For James Ferguson (one half of Norfolk electronic pioneers Broads), one such silver lining was the opportunity to develop new songs in isolation, away from the pre-covid hustle and bustle of gigging, collaborating and the daily commute. The result is a suite of eight crisp, circular tracks, gathered together with love and presented to you here as ‘Formed at depth’, the debut album by Gold Hick.

The album is preceded by a two-track digital single – ‘Up Arrow (CSJ edit)’ b/w non-album track ‘Trad Ghost’, out this weekend.

“I guess I started writing as a way to move on from ‘Ollust’, and the disappointment of the Broads shows all getting postponed due to lockdown”, explains Ferguson. “At that point I was definitely thinking that I was starting work on a new Broads record – Mark even played a couple of bits on ‘Tumult’ and ‘Leica’… but it soon became clear that I was racing ahead and pushing things in a new direction. By that stage the writing had become a sort of lockdown therapy so I picked a name (‘Gold Hick’, after the Guided By Voices song) and kept on going”.

“These eight tracks are really a distilled, purified version of what I do with Broads – lots of bright sounds, gradual layering and a loose approach to looping. But it’s also given me a chance to experiment and start to learn some new things – the cut up vocal samples [from Ta-Ra’s ‘VenusFlower’] on ‘Up Arrow’, and playing around with some ideas stolen from rave and house music were really fun processes to go through”.

Taking Gold Hick live is something that may have to wait a few months, but the idea excites Ferguson: “Weirdly given the circumstances, ‘Formed at Depth’ was written with playing live in mind all the way through – I can’t wait to get out there and get people dancing. We all need a dance, right? Broads shows are normally a bit more cerebral, but this is definitely a record to dance to”.

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LeVolume - Clint Wilson - Pam Ross - Chad Price Peace Coalition

LeVolume - LeVolume (Album). LeVolume is a new project for its members Jenny Whiteley, Joey Wright and Julian Brown. "That Was Then, T...