Saturday Seven: Mr. Elevator - Klô Pelgag - Salt Petal - Ephixa & Laura Brehm - Cajsa Siik - Woodes - Our Man In Berlin
Mr. Elevator - Ending.Background - Mr. Elevator – formed in Southern California in 2012 by Thomas Dolas and Justin Martinez (and their mutual love of Donovan) – eschews guitars for vintage synthesizers, organs, and electric pianos, distinguishing themselves within the fuzzy, distorted contemporary Psych-Pop scene. Mr. Elevator shares the second track "Ending" from their upcoming album. 'When the Morning Greets You,' is scheduled for release in February 10, 2017, on Rad Cat Records.
Under the original name Mr. Elevator and the Brain Hotel, the band began playing shows as a three-piece with bassist Wyatt Blair, and a short-while later, in 2013, relocated to Los Angeles where they released their first album, 'Nico & her Psychedelic Subconscious,' with Burger Records.
After a few years of live shows, perfecting their sound alongside acts like Thee Oh Sees, The Fresh & Onlys, The Black Lips, Allah-Las, and more, Mr. Elevator recently completed their second album, 'When the Morning Greets You'.
On 'When the Morning Greets You,' the bands’ love for vintage keyboard sounds, concept albums, and 70s pop remains intact, furnishing an album that entrances listeners and evolves over the course of its run-time into an array of bright, complex patterns and shapes. The upbeat, colorful pop feel of Side A, for example, is slowly engulfed in the lush, synth-heavy soundscape of Side B (pointing in at least two distinct directions in regards to the sound of the next album).
With the addition of a fourth member to the performing band, Mr. Elevator will be supporting the release of 'When the Morning Greets You' with national and international live dates. Facebook here. Mp3 from 10 February here.
'Ending' has a sweeping powerful feel, right from the opening moments. Vocals are dreamy and immersed well into the mix, in what might be described as a psychedelic dream song, that doesn't wanna subscribe to any specific genre.
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Background - Klô Pelgag welcomes 2017 with a new video for Les ferrofluides-fleurs. It is the second single from L’étoile thoracique, her sophomore album to be released in Europe on February 3rd. The record is already available in Canada.
The video, directed by her long time collaborator BAZ, reveals an otherwordly and childish trailer park where we follow the meandering of a girl with a wan face as she smokes cigarettes, plays with plush toys and dogs, dances on fries and hamburgers.
Partially shot on VHS, the video shows us once again Klô’s uniqueness as she displays her boundless creativity.
Live dates on our tour page. Website here, Facebook here.
OK so the video is a story within itself that adds some intrigue, to say the least. 'Les ferrofluides-fleurs' is just so melodic, upbeat, catchy, delightful... hopefully you get the picture.
Perhaps anyone fluent in French could let me know what the lyrics mean, and if they relate to the videos storyline.
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Salt Petal - Telephone.Background - Los Angeles-based collective Salt Petal is invigorating audiences and critics alike with a tropical surf-dance sound in a category all its own. A cross-border combination of Argentinian folk, Brazilian tropicalia, cumbia and up tempo surf rock blurs ethnic and musical boundaries, bringing to mind Blondie, Os Mutantes, Gal Costa, and 60′s rock and roll. The band’s sound is one of the freshest to come out of Los Angeles, showcasing deep South American rhythms with vibrant indie pop harmonies and textures.
Founding members, Autumn Harrison and Rodrigo Gonzalez started the band after a trip to Buenos Aires, where their late night singalong sessions turned into the beginning of their first record. After performing in small cafes and receiving positive responses from musician friends, they began to play bigger stages and soon became one of the most sought after festival bands in Los Angeles.
Salt Petal’s latest release, Rare Hearts was recorded at the famed London Bridge Studios in Seattle with producer Eric Lilavois (Saint Motel, Atlas Genius) and mixed and mastered by Raymond Richards (Local Natives, Avid Dancer). The album aims to be a constant reminder for humanity to have faith and love in ourselves, in order to continue to get through difficult moments. The central theme is “exploring the fight everyday against yourself to be able to see what you have around you” reveals Harrison. Website here, Facebook here.
To describe Salt Petal's sound as tropical surf-dance makes eminent sense having listened to 'Telephone', a fabulous tune. Vocals are bright and pleasing, the music dynamic, if this song doesn't lift the spirit, I'm not sure what will.
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Ephixa & Laura Brehm - Losing You.Background - Featuring two renowned names in the Monstercat community, it’s no surprise that a collaboration between Ephixa and Laura Brehm emerges with a fair amount of anticipation amongst their collective fans. Coming together for the track, “Losing You”, the pair have honed in on an emotion that everyone can relate to, creating the melancholy and heartbreaking feeling of a relationship starting to fall apart. The track’s calming and ambient atmosphere takes listeners to a headspace of going through a bad breakup; providing an emotionally-charged lyrical base (like below) that listeners can feel just as much as they hear.
Breathe in, What is happening?
Walls are in the way
How do I escape losing you?
Fading out of view now
Losing you feels like the earth is falling through..
Singer/Songwriter and Colorado native, Laura Brehm is revealing more of her true potential with each song. As she continues to work with international producers and artists, Laura is bringing back her solo music allowing her to showcase an increasingly sophisticated style of her own. Combining her experience of different realms of music so far, her new folk/electronic sound will bring the best pieces of her background to the forefront. Laura’s innovative approach to songwriting and way of singing will continue to win over her steadily growing fan base. Ephixa Facebook here, Laura Brehm Facebook here.
The synths slowly emerge and build into layered and vibrant energy. Add in the dreamy and calming vocals and 'Losing You' is alive with feeling, rhythms and addictive hooks.
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Cajsa Siik - Talk To Trees.Background - "Talk To Trees is a song about madness, brawls, truth and illusion. Top to rock bottom and the dance in between".
Umeå, Sweden, native Cajsa Siik released her debut single ”Was I Supposed To” back in 2012 and soon got heavy rotation on national radio in her home country. Since then she’s released two critically acclaimed albums. Her 2014 hit ”Higher” took her to a new audience with a remix by Lakechild, soon reaching #8 on the German college radio charts.
Since then Cajsa’s been working on her third studio album, named Domino, with producer Rolf Klinth in Stockholm. Guesting the album this time is, among others, Thomas Hedlund (Phoenix, Deportees) and Rasmus Kellerman (Tiger Lou) – both appearing on the album’s first single ”Talk To Trees”. With its 8 tracks the album takes Cajsa into a soundscape that’s both bigger, bolder and braver, without leaving out her signature laid back pop sound from previous releases.
"I've stared myself down, letting the words roam free - feeling like a superhero as well as my own worst enemy. I had a feeling of wanting to explode. Bombs and cannons. Riding the high in every way, shape and form. I then realised that even a discouraged whisper is of itself an explosion. The name Domino stems from every story having its own part to play, yet partaking in summing up the whole. I want Domino to shimmer and chafe". Website here, Facebook here. Buy mp3 here.
'Talk To Trees' is a very catchy pop song, with Cajsa's melodic vocals adding some emotion and commitment to the track, above a refined, yet uncomplicated soundtrack.
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Woodes - Bonfire.Background - Taken from the Melbourne artist/producer Woodes acclaimed debut self-titled EP, her new single ‘Bonfire’ released this week combines her love of percussion with a quirky enthralling melody - combined to draw you into the Woodes magic. The track was produced on Woodes recent songwriting trip to the US and is co-produced with Rob Kleiner – a long time Sia collaborator. Woodes also this week announcing her signing a global publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group Australia, as well as being named on the Official SXSW Lineup for 2017.
Woodes said 'Bonfire' was inspired by the tales of growing up, "I grew up as the daughter of a Park Ranger & a Marine Biologist on the coast of the Great Barrier Reef. We lived in a national park when I was in primary school and we used to have giant fires for birthday parties on our property which were pretty well known among my friends. Fire was a great way of celebrating turning 8 years old. During those nights we’d race around feeling fearless. Chasing one another and feeling the heat on our faces.
A little while ago I went back to where our house once stood. This time as a young woman. It’s been quite a while since the house and all the sheds were relocated. My dogs and I walked through the tall grass trying to map out where everything once stood. In the back yard where all the work sheds and the pig pen were there was a giant tree that had branches in a spiral all the way up that were perfect for climbing. As kids we’d climb to the top and feel it sway as we looked out over everything.
On the way back to the car with my old dog in my arms I started to form this song. There’s something so special about that one giant patch of earth, completely hidden to any car driving by. I worked on the track with Rob Kleiner in LA and we had so much fun reconnecting with the idea of being a child and being fearless. Children they have the most beautiful imaginations, worth celebrating and fuelling. This is one of my favourite tracks to play live in that all of those adventures come flooding back." Website here, Facebook here.
Well we featured Woodes three times last year and the new single 'Bonfire' is another delight that is to good not to share. I kind of think if Woodes was to sing a bus timetable or shopping list, she would make it sound incredible.
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Background - Our Man in Berlin new single 'A Lightbulb Mind' out this week. Perth's Our Man in Berlin have been unassumingly doing their thing for the past 4.5 years. Never quite fitting neatly into any one genre their blissful, hypnotic music has always sat on the fringes of the organic and the processed.
After two very well received EP’s, 'Is It Right?” (2014) and 'Spirit Down' (2015), the band took time to regroup in 2016. Singer Haydn became a father, whilst Trevor, Dan, and Cain took time out to travel and explore the world. As life pulled the band members in different directions, rushes of creativity would consistently remind the four-piece that music making is non-negotiable.
'A Lightbulb Mind' is the first of these rushes to reach completion. The track primarily discusses the methamphetamine addiction and related psychosis of somebody whom is a close family member of frontman Haydn Mansell. A much more honest and organic offering than what has come before, 'A Lightbulb Mind' is a driving, swirling, cinematic slice of dream rock.
Thanks to support from national radio and alternative stations in the UK, Canada, Greece, Italy, Germany and USA, along with widespread blog acclaim, the band are humbled to see their Soundcloud spins near the 250,000 mark. With four national tours, shows in Singapore and 2017 launches on the way, Our Man in Berlin are impassioned and ready to continue the next phase of their musical cycle. Facebook here.
There is a bright and dreamy vibe running through 'A Lightbulb Mind' despite the serious subject. The energy is kept up across the song where the vocals and musicianship are refreshingly natural and fine.
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