Genre Wander: The Tigerlilies - Topanga - Sinners & Saints - Bokito
The Tigerlilies - Shipwrecked.Background - The style set forth by the Buzzcocks, Cheap Trick and The Ramones is alive and well in the hands of The Tigerlilies - Cincinnati’s sole practitioners of post punk power pop. Brothers Pat (vocals, guitar) and Steve (vocals, drums) Hennessy spearhead the band which includes Brian Driscoll (bass) and Brendan Bogosian (lead guitar). Together they have played countless shows around Ohio, serving as support for Violent Femmes, Joan Jett, Paul Weller, Guided By Voices and Superchunk, and attaining a sizable and appreciative following along the way. The past decade has seen the release of many singles and albums on independent Midwestern labels such as Atavistic, Violently Hip and Mono-cat 7, chalking up a total of four full lengths which showcase The Tigerlilies economic blend of punk, 60’s soul and garage rock.
The band is following up their 2016 critically acclaimed 123456 EP with an old fashioned 7-inch single release, “Lovers Du” / “Shipwrecked”, tracked at the historic Herzog Studio Space in Cincinnati. The single will drop digitally and on vinyl early 2017 and will be released on Sir Gregory Records out of Ashville, NC. The label, run by Greg Mills, is known for its deep catalog of US and UK-based psych & garage rock.
Both sides of the 7” deal with the ephemeral nature of love and life, often capturing such weighty subjects through the lens of pop culture. “These things are important to us because they represent a shared human experience” asserts Pat. “Hearing them reflected in song can bring people together, make them feel uplifted, reflective and just better.” This is a sentiment which has been echoed by their fan base who have expressed how The Tigerlilies music has helped them through depressing and even suicidal times. It’s seems the band’s retro, revved up rock, which often comes with a care free veneer, has a deep effect on people’s lives. Website here, Facebook here.
'Shipwrecked' is a powerful guitar rocker where the vocals are loud and ideally matched for what is unpretentious blast of rock'n'roll.
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Background - Los Angeles indie pop group Topanga is thrilled to have released their debut EP Midnight Jungle. Titled after the nickname the group bestowed upon LA after dark, the EP was written throughout late 2015 and early 2016, and is inspired by two lifetimes of experience in the strange city. They then brought the EP to their friend Mike Malchicoff (who helped engineer Kanye’s The Life of Pablo) and experimented with the right mix of sounds and synths in order to create the perfect concoction. The final result is a dreamy six-part album that both meditates on fantasies of the past, and navigates the strange realities of the present.
Topanga was started by Derek Brambles and Eric Johnson, former members of the now-defunct group The King’s English. Both these men draw inspiration from a wide variety of musical figures, ranging from Miike Snow and Tame Impala, to Kendrick Lamar and David Bryne; however, they both reserve a special place in their hearts for Paul McCartney’s RAM and David Bowie’s Hunky Dory, going so far as to have “1971” tattooed on them to commemorate their year of release. Website here, Facebook here.
With rhythmic beats at the fore 'Life's A Coma' is a powerful track with the vocals also playing a key part in driving the song along. The 360 video is an additional treat, giving even more potency to a feisty song.
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Sinners & Saints - Promise Land.Background - Americana duo Sinners & Saints share their new single "Promise Land," an upbeat track featuring dulcet harmonies, a swinging bass line and bright harmonica. The track comes to us from the duo's forthcoming second full-length album On The Other Side, available March 10th via Silent Uproar.
Sometimes you need a friend to laugh with and sometimes you need a friend to cry with. The two-man band Sinners & Saints, from Charlotte, NC, fits the bill for both. Whether they’re crooning about heartbreak or tearing it up with joyful abandon, you’ll feel happier for having listened. Perry Fowler and Mark Baran infuse their acoustic, country-tinged tunes with compelling harmonies and foot-powered percussion on repurposed drums from an abandoned kit.
Since the band’s formation in 2011, the band has shared the stage up and down the east coast with the likes of Flogging Molly, Shovels and Rope, Robert Earl Keen, Daniel Romano, St Paul & the Broken Bones, SUSTO, Sun Kil Moon, Bombadil, and many others. On The Other Side will be available on March 10th, 2017. Upcoming tour dates on Beehive Candy tour page. Website here, Facebook here.
Americana with a hint of more traditional country vibes, is notable on the featured song 'Promise Land'. The album takes the listener into a varied collection of Americana ideas and tunes, with the duo keeping it interesting and enjoyable with differing styles and plenty of catchy tracks.
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Bokito - Better At Getting Worse.Background - Peddling an uproarious blend of rock, soca, funk and roots, London-based five-piece Bokito have coined a phrase for their unique genre mashup: tropical indie. Anyone fortunate enough to have witnessed the group’s jaw-dropping live sets, where edgy grooves and unforgettable hooks are delivered as if every show is a sun-baked carnival, would relate to this label. Though much of the attention naturally falls on singer Moses – a man whose extraordinary voice is married to eye-popping stage-front shape-throwing that proves a catalyst for the audience to follow suit – the vice-like tightness and melodious flourishes of the band, comprising Jody (bass), Joe (guitar), Tom (drums) and Sam (keys/percussion), are equally essential. Bokito take inspiration from such diverse sources as J Dilla, Jeff Buckley, Fela Kuti, Justin Timberlake and Queens of the Stone Age to bring a little of the rousing celtic spirit of Moses’ Irish homeland to London’s global soundscape. The thrilling results proved irresistible to Lost In The Manor Records, which added Bokito to its roster as a signing sure to put a rocket under 2017.
Though an unequivocal dancehall classic, a booming amalgam of Afro-funk and indie, ‘Better At Getting Worse’ is something of a cautionary insight to the male psyche. Frontman Moses explains: “The song is primarily aimed at men and their own handling of their emotions... and how useless most of them are at it. But we men are talented at one thing, which is suppressing everything and moulding it into a smile.” Indeed, one listen to ‘Better At Getting Worse’ and it’s hard not to crack a grin the size of an alpine crevasse, right from the song’s swirling organ-and-guitar refrain soaring across an angular calypso rhythm, to its absolutely astral chorus, a spine-tingler of a hook that finds Moses proclaiming “Everyone thinks I’m better but really I’m just getting better… better at getting worse”. Produced by Bradley Spencer and Alex Beitzke in London’s Fish Tank studios, and mastered by legendary Grammy-nominated engineer Greg Calbi, ‘Better At Getting Worse’ is a characteristically compelling first salvo from a band who have a rich seam of ready singles in waiting. Facebook here.
There is a funky upbeat groove right from the very start and singer Moses just rides above the band, delivering delicious vocals throughout 'Better At Getting Worse'.
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