Dose - Ana Egge - Sofia Härdig - Flora Cash - London Plane
Background - Debut single Furniture by Newcastle, UK experimental noise-rock band Dose is due for release on 27th April via cult indie label A Turntable Friend. Their cinematic amalgamation of discordant melodies, intricate guitars and a strong rhythm- all blended together with an array of obscure effects and samples- has already earned them rave reviews on magazines such as DIY Magazine and The Line Of Best Fit.
Inspired by the experience of playing in their squalid, decaying practice space, Furniture was written by Sean Turland and Ewan Barr and recorded at Suburban Home Studio with MJ from Hookworms. The full band includes bassist Matthew Collerton, guitar/synth/samples from Sam Campbell and drummer Joe Donkin. The group have been together under many iterations since 2015, discovering their unique sound which blends art rock, krautrock and slowcore into one coherent sonic landscape.
The song Furniture is led by a consistent guitar line remaining present throughout the track like clockwork, dipping in and out of view as other parts take precedence. Extreme dynamic alterations ace the song, from the abrasive chorus to the intertwining, mellow middle 8. For the climax, melodic guitar feedback and an Ebow are used side by side; alongside Ewan’s spoken word overlapping Sean’s distant vocals, this invokes a sense of multiple inner voices and opinions, mirroring the lyrics’s theme of abandonment. WEBSITE.
A rhythmic and chunky opening evolves into a smoother flowing song on 'Furniture' where the vocals add intrigue, the band power up and we are off into a sonic blast of dynamic rock and roll.
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Background - On June 8, 2018, Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Ana Egge will release her new album White Tiger via Story Sound Records. This week, Egge shares the lead single "Dance Around The Room With Me", which features Anais Mitchell on background vocals and Big Thief's Buck Meek on guitar.
White Tiger features nine originals and one John Hartford cover, and so amply displays Egge’s singularly articulate and affecting honesty and sensitivity as to once again deserve USA Today’s accolade, "[Ana] can write and sing rings around" her contemporaries.
Ana got bit by the music bug as a teenager, and having grown up with parents who were, as she describes, "motorcycle-riding hippie farmers" raising four children on a farm in North Dakota, Ana took matters into her own hands, building her own guitar and moving to Austin, TX to soak in the vibrant music scene. The striking depth and unusual maturity of her singing, playing, and songwriting got her noticed, and she recorded her debut album River Under the Road (1997) with the legendary western swing band Asleep At The Wheel. The following year, at only 19-years old, The Austin Music Awards named Ana “Best Singer/Songwriter” and “Best Folk Artist”.
Egge soon began hitting the road, opening for the likes of Iris DeMent, Shawn Colvin, and Ron Sexsmith. Later on she got to share the stage with John Prine, Sinead O'Connor, and Lucinda Williams who once said “Ana's an exceptional songwriter, listen to the lyrics…[she’s] the folk Nina Simone!”
Over the ensuing years and eight subsequent albums, Ana has made good on her promising debut, going on to record full albums with The Stray Birds and The Sentimentals, and work with highly acclaimed producers such as Martin Terefe, Jason Mercer, Joel Plaskett, Stewart Lerman, and Steve Earle who’s said “Ana Egge's songs are low and lonesome, big square-state noir ballads which she plays on a guitar she built with her own two hands and sings like she's telling us her deepest, darkest secrets.” WEBSITE, TWITTER.
'Dance Around The Room With Me' opens with an understated acoustic backdrop and is soon accompanied by Ana Egge's melodic and gorgeous vocals. The song picks up pace and depth as the hooks begin to dig in deep.
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Background - Sofia Härdig’s new single ‘My Week’, from the upcoming album ‘Changing The Order’ is crafted from new wave, electronica-influenced synths, amongst other live instruments and powerful vocals. Championed by Belle and Sebastian’s Stevie Jackson, Sofia has worked with major Swedish artists including Grammy Award winners The Hellacopters and bob hund. Furthermore, she has collaborated with Yoshimi from Japanese noise-rockers Boredoms and the alternative indie band Free Kitten. Sofia’s experimental nature shines through with her new material that blends new wave and electronic influences.
‘My Week’, the third single of the album, takes the post-punk sound expertly exercised by The Cure or Joy Division and Sofia makes something of her own. Thick-layered instrumentation features offbeat semi-quavered synth that bounces on top of syncopated distorted guitar; characteristic of early 80’s new wave. Low, pedaled bass sits under Sofia’s commanding vocals, which are tinged with despair and the desperation of escape, as she sings ‘Saturday, Saturday, Saturday, Saturday, I’m still insane.’
“I wrote this song at a Café in Brussels when I was lost during a tour. The house I was staying at was full of sleeping musicians and I was hungry, so I took a random tram to search the town. The Café I found was alright, their sandwiches filled me up. I spent some time writing and recording on my portable recorder while looking at people around me. Back home I recorded the song in my studio – guitar, voice, synths and drum programming. Then I recorded parts from some musicians I met on the road; a Canadian bass player and an Australian pianist. The song should be listened to loud when the walls in your room start closing in on you…” – Sofia Härdig. WEBSITE, TWITTER.
It's our fifth feature for Sofia Härdig and the new track 'My Week' from the upcoming album ‘Changing The Order’ is another impressive song. Feisty and fierce, the driving beat is accompanied by some passionately delivered vocals,and a feeling of determination that is almost hypnotic!
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Background - Flora Cash is a Scandi-American duo made up of Shpresa Lleshaj and Cole Randall. The couple has taken it upon them to sonically explore the diversity of human relationships through minor keys and brooding vocals, they double down on their palette of inky blues and blacks, standing wholly apart from their R&B-Pop peers. Having “met” via SoundCloud and instantly e-hitting it off musically, their “atmospheric in theme and vibe” material had soon after been supported by the likes of Noisey US, Paste, Wonderland, The Music Ninja, Earmilk, The Line of Best Fit, Clash, Impose Magazine and more.
Following the success of their last album, ‘Nothing Lasts Forever But Its Fine’ – most with lead single ‘You’re Somebody Else’, which has had over 6 million plays on Spotify and has also featured in numerous playlists such as New Music Friday USA. The track also went viral on YouTube with 4.8 million views, which was the breakthrough moment for the couple. Flora Cash also have a substantial year of live performances ahead of them; they’re set to be playing across the world, from Hanoi to Miami, and also making their debut at SXSW this year.
Flora Cash now release their new single ’18 Dollars’ where Randall leads the sincerely sublime R&B ballad with husky, reverberating vocals. Minor-keyed guitar wraps Shpresa’s stony harmonies, as they rest on a spine of solemn brass and bass synths. Lleshaj takes centre-stage during the bridge, and the contrast in vocals is poignant. The duo comes together again in the tragically touching closing chorus.
The pair skilfully blend elements of acoustic music with ethereal production, hinting at Mt Wolf, Poliça, Vogue Dots and Kings Of Convenience. The honesty of their lyricism is constantly tinged with dark moments, moments of doubt, of anger, of pain fully present in the sonic backbone of Flora Cash.
‘18 Dollars is a song that looks back on aspects of a relationship that has ended. There’s a stubbornness and a cockiness about it but that’s really only superficial. Beneath the surface there’s a deep longing to fix something that’s broken but a lack of insight as to how that might be possible. There is confusion about where things stand and how bad (or good) things really were. Ultimately, the track communicates the deeply felt ambiguity that often surrounds the ending of a romantic relationship.’ – Flora Cash. WEBSITE, TWITTER.
Flora Cash appeared once on Beehive Candy in 2016 and once again last year, and here we are once again another year on. '18 Dollars' has some personal and intimate feeling vocals that glide above a gradually developing soundtrack. The duo have a clear and individual sound to their music that continues to explore new ground, doing so with notable accomplishment.
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Background - New York City based six-piece, female-fronted rock band London Plane shares the title track and accompanying video off their forthcoming debut LP New York Howl. In their own words, "'New York Howl' is "a love song to New York. Your relationship with the city – especially if you’re newly arrived – can be fraught with uncertainty and fear until, if you give in to it, the city makes you fit its mold."
London Plane's debut album began when David Mosey and Cici James who were introduced by Joe McGinty (Psychedelic Furs) backstage at a tribute show to Lou Reed following his death. After seeing her perform, David approached Cici about giving a go at vocals for a project that had been developing, at least in concept. Eventually, over many months, the correspondence between the two became a musical project driven by the narrative of a stranger; a long since passed Lower East Side scenester who left her diary for David to discover so many years later (see bio).
David asked long-time collaborator Danny Taylor (Collapsing Scenery, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart) to produce the songs. Along with London Plane keyboardist, co-producer and mixing engineer Julian Tulip, and mixing engineer Ashley Stubbert the album came together into a cohesive if not eccentric whole. Others who contributed to the project include Jennifer Fraser (Raveonettes, The Warlocks, Zaza), McKenzie Stubbert (VE artist Chris Milk), Brian Groux (World Atlas), and Kristofer Widholm (Morex Optimo). New York Howl will be available on all digital streaming platforms on May 18, 2018. WEBSITE, TWITTER.
Tour Dates:
04.15 - Berlin - New York City, NY
05.17 - Berlin - New York City, NY.
There is an expansive and powerful feel to 'New York Howl' right from the beginning. The six piece band provide a tight and cohesive sound behind the soaring and melodic vocals, all done with a sense of drama and anticipation.
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