Smoke Rings - Majken - Ian Randall Thornton - The Max Tribe
Smoke Rings - Happiness.Background - Yearning for a slice of 'Happiness' Melbourne five piece Smoke Rings plug-in with a bittersweet new single from their double A side 7" Go To Hell and a string of live dates.
Strengthening their penchant for writing incredibly well constructed melodies, 'Happiness' sees the band once again pay homage to 90s brit-pop in three minutes and thirty three seconds of clever instrumentation and cavalier lyrics. Recorded with producer extraordinaire Malcolm Besley (City Calm Down, The Creases), the band take a sonic leap forward from their debut self titled offering while retaining their signature melancholy.
Pricking ears with 2016 single 'Rose Coloured Glasses' from their debut EP, Smoke Rings achieved spins and praise from triple j's Richard Kingsmill and Dom Alessio. With an add to triple j's sister station Double J and love from key community radio stations nationwide, they've been solidifying a strong national profile and will head out on the road later this month. No strangers to sticky stage floors and eager crowds, Smoke Rings have impressed on bills alongside Northeast Party House, Moses Gunn Collective, Green Buzzard, Jarrow and Good Boy. Smoke Rings will surface 'Happiness' on the live stage when the band support Siamese in Adelaide and formidable electric lady Ali Barter in September/October. Website here, Facebook here.
'Happiness' is an expansive indie rocker, that does as mentioned above, have some 90's Brit-pop vibes running through it. What's more the band have their own distinct sound and an ear for some fine, catchy material.
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Background - LA-based, Nordic indie pop artist Majken will release her debut album, Dancing Mountains, this month on August 25, 2017. Last week, Majken shared her third single and video, "Here and Now."
Majken wrote and recorded Dancing Mountains on a journey between gritty Los Angeles, romantic Paris and the simple, laid back feel of the Nordic Fjord, where she spent her childhood. Influenced by experimental rock legends such as The Velvet Underground and the sensibilities of master songwriters like Leonard Cohen, Majken creates experimental pop with accessible themes and song structure. Her collection of dreamy songs contain raw, emotive lyrics, cushioned by indie beach rock and a vintage Europop vibe. She's inspired by wild nature, breakfast in bed, the various cities she's visited and called home and the people in those places.
Dancing Mountains reflects on vivid dreams, fond memories and restless nights. Majken's sultry vocal melodies, intoxicating layers of sound and surf rock guitar come together to create an ideal soundtrack for a summer daydream. Album track "Everything's Wild" encapsulates this feeling, inspired by floating wild in a bizarre dream state - not alive and not awake. "A Little More Time," produced by Cody Crump, is about a hazy heartbreak while "Fainted Love" reflects on a summer fling, through rose colored glasses and introspection. All songs were written by Majken, with the majority produced in collaboration with Jesse Nolan and Maxime Sokolinski. "You And I" was produced by Fingazz. Website here, Facebook here.
We featured Majken back in June & it's a pleasure to be able to share 'Here And Now.' This is a much gentler piece where atmospheric music and vocals hold down a simmering tension that slowly unleashes as the song develops.
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Ian Randall Thornton - See You Through.Background - “See You Through” is the third and final single from Ian Randall Thornton's gorgeous debut album Lineage, which is coming out August 25th. Thornton wrote the song on a Swiss train a few years back, halfway through an extensive house show tour across Europe. The train went through a mountain, and when it emerged, Thornton was overtaken by one of the most beautiful sights he’d ever seen - vineyards stretching for miles, sloping down to the crystal clear waters of Lake Geneva that stretched out towards the Swiss and Italian Alps in the distance. It was the sort of sight that takes over all of your senses, causing your entire body to vibrate with adrenaline.
At the time, Thornton was in the middle of writing his debut album Lineage, a brilliant conceptual album about family and heritage, while spending much of his travel time meditating on the concept. Each song on his new album flows from one to the next like movements in a symphony, ideas weaving incandescently throughout. Sparks of world influence and folk traditions light up different tracks, such as the African influences heard in the fretless banjo dancing through “Philadelphia,” and distinctly Appalachian influences mixed with sounds of hope and history in “Dance Upon the Tables.” With “See You Through,” an ode written from a father to his daughter, the album comes to a crescendo of three part harmonies and a unique combination of Asian and Appalachian melodic influences.
Ian Randall Thornton’s sound resides in a delicate balance between Americana, timeless folk, and progressive post-rock. His sound provides a unique tension, the balance of remembering the past and hoping unabashedly for the future. One could see Lineage as a soundtrack to the film of Thornton’s life experiences, carrying secrets of friendship, made from family and for family. Its concept carries a definitive story of the golden threads of family history. In this Thornton finds purpose, writing odes to generations past, with songs such as “See You Through” serving as a guidepost for generations to come.
The chance to share another track from the imminent album release is something I am more than pleased to do. 'See You Through' is the third & final single from 'Lineage' this time showcasing the Americana side of this very fine album. Highly recommended.
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Background - The Max Tribe share their new single "Yellow Pages," the track comes off of the band's forthcoming album Retrofit, to be released on August 18th, 2017.
The Tribe was born in 2013 when Nashville native Austin Max (Guitar/Vox) united with Northern Virginia Native Conner Kessler (Drums) at music school in Boston. For a year they developed a psych sound playing around New England. Their Debut Single, “Tape Machine” was featured on Sound of Boston as one of the top 5 releases of 2015.
Max, Kessler linked up with Noah Lubert (Keys/Vox) and Rafael Minerbo (Bass) in 2016. Noah and Rafa contributed to form the intertwined charisma that became the group's signature Psych sound. Over the course of 15 months, the Tribe wrote and Recorded their Debut LP Retrofit at 1867 studios due August 2017. In January of 17, they embarked on a Winter tour covering the North and Southeast. They are currently gearing up for their LP Release and summer tour of the record.
Together, the Tribe creates a unique blend of psych rock with influences stemming from The White Stripes, The Beatles, The Doors, The Black Keys, King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard, and Cage The Elephant. The Tribe have kicked off their East Coast tour, dates available on Beehive Candy's tour news page, website here, Facebook here.
A stylish arrangement slowly unfolds alongside some very natural and engaging rock edged vocals. 'Yellow Pages' is a fabulous psych rocker, which occasionally lets the power organically build, suggesting the band might blast some mighty riffs anytime they choose.
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