Kristiane shares 'Wish I Could Be Your Girl' and it's a very catchy indie pop song where the vocals exude fragility and emotion. ===== Earlier this week we featured 'Earthworm' by TANDM and I am pleased to be able to share the full E.P 'Reflections Remastered' with another four gorgeous songs. ===== Karen Bishko video for 'My Name Is Karen' adds a little more to this lyrically brilliant song, there is nothing wrong if your real name is Karen (simply nothing). ===== From Amaunet we have the new song 'All About Us' which is a vibrant and flowing indie rocker, the vocals and rich musical backdrop beautifully spar with each other.
Kristiane is an LA-based singer/songwriter who has spent the last few years developing an eccentric, jarring approach to pop/rock. Her new single “Wish I Could Be Your Girl” is out now independently.
“Wish I Could Be Your Girl” is an intimate tale written by Kristiane on the floor of her apartment late one night over our quarantined summer.
“I couldn’t sleep and wanted to call somebody, but convinced myself it would be burdensome. So, I wrote “Should I call / Don’t wanna bother / Am I the deadbeat father never on the way”, and then I picked up my guitar and the track wrote itself”
This song to me isn’t about literally wanting to be somebody’s “girl”, but rather wanting to fit the archetype of the kind of partner that’s easy to be with, uncomplicated. I think as someone who struggles with mental health it’s easy to demonize your emotions, instead of embracing that it’s okay to be someone with a complicated history/emotions” - Kristiane
Kristiane tapped producer Jesse Munsat to bring the track to life the way she dreamed it would sound, pairing fuzzy guitars and dreamy synth pads with Kristiane’s melancholic vocals.
With her quarantine-written debut EP on the way, Kristiane promises more songs a la "Wish I Could Be Your Girl" for early 2021, filled with nostalgia and self-awareness.
Lead vocalist and guitarist Maxine Beck-Sinderby and drummer Thomas Franklin met serendipitously at a music studio in high school. The duo have since released two back-to-back EPs, titled “Reflections, Vol. 1” and “Reflections, Vol. 2”; achieving them features on CBC Radio, and City TV’s Breakfast Television Toronto.
The duo has developed a signature sound marked by Maxine’s silky vocals and catchy reverb-filled guitar riffs, driven by the energy of Thomas’s drum flourishes. From personal pleasures and conflicts to the flaws in society encountered in young adulthood, TANDM's upbeat sounds, vivid narratives and captivating melodies create a bittersweet and memorable experience.
Having recently signed with Popguru Sound & Vision for Worldwide SYNC representation, the band has remastered their five favourite tracks from their two EPs for potential use in film, television, advertisements, and video-games.
Karen was working as a portrait artist when Gary Kemp and Jess Bailey from Spandau Ballet, heard some songs she had written.
“Jess Bailey and Gary Kemp heard two songs and liked them. They produced them and encouraged me to write more and I became more confident. I got a band together and started gigging. Paul Burger, (ex-President of Sony Music Europe) became my manager. He was the person who encouraged me to write for musical theatre.”
Karen worked in the studio with Yoad Nevo (Sia, Goldfrapp) and Stephen Lironi (Jon Bon Jovi, Hanson).
In 2007 she opened for British band Take That at Britain’s largest arena, the London O2.
Seeking a novel way to present her heartfelt songs, in 2009 Karen left for New York to develop her musical, Therapy Rocks. The musical was staged at NYMF 2010 (The New York Musical Theatre Festival) with a cast of five and its performance run not only sold out but was extended.
Karens musical Single was set for a production at The New Wolsey Theatre in the UK in September 2020. It has been postponed until 2021 due to Covid-19. For more information see projects.
Karen was hired to write an 80’s version of the much loved existing show Menopause The Musical which is set for launch in 2021 in the US. For more information see projects.
Amaunet are back with their upbeat, dance-worthy single "All About Us"; out everywhere now and taken from their upcoming debut EP, to be released by Lövely Records in November. The single is the perfect upbeat, 90s inspired indie-rock tune with catchy hooks and fast drums.
"All about us" is the last single from Amaunet's upcoming, debut EP. A hopeful, happy track with an energetic beat and 'indie-rock band goes pop' feel. It features catchy choruses, fast drums and roaring guitars - creating a track that makes you want to dance around the kitchen or long for the dim lit dancefloor of your nearest alternative nightclub. The single's released alongside a music video; a homemade video filmed by the band during the pandemic.
The band effortlessly blends melodies and hooks inspired by ‘60s hits with the Britpop swagger & guitar roar of the ‘90s. Amaunet are heavily inspired by bands such as Oasis, The Beatles, The Stone Roses and Kings of Leon, creating their own unique nostalgic sound. Their debut EP "Amaunet" involves a mix of chill indie-rock and faster indie-pop, filled with everything from vocals that are equal parts rough, sweet, and soaring to smooth guitar riffs. The EP is perfect for fans of Kings of Leon, The Vaccines, Oasis and Coldplay.
"All About Us" is out everywhere now. Taken from the band's upcoming EP "Amaunet", released digitally by Lövely Records on November 20.
Knife in the Water have just released a new single entitled 'Tears Won't Make the Cotton Grow' and it's an enchanting soulful slice of moody country rock. ===== We featured Caitlin Quisenberry last month with 'Imogene' and she returns now with the energised 'Get Loud With Me' where country pop resonates powerfully. ===== Lavender Diamond make their third appearance on Beehive Candy this year with 'In The Garden' a beautiful song with exquisite vocals and a gorgeous musical arrangement. ===== From Manchester, England Jack Conman shares his brand new single 'Before You Love Me' and it really is something to immerse yourself in, with the singer songwriters vocals exuding intense emotion. ===== Secret Sun have shared a live session video for 'Little Pieces' taken from their new album 'Winter Love' released today, the song gives a good feel for what is a refined collection of indie genre spanning material ===== Jess Locke first appeared here back in July and returns this week with 'Destroy Everything' which is a more powerful indie rocker with deep atmospheric hooks.
Knife in the Water - Tears Won't Make the Cotton Grow.
Long-time Austin noir-rock band Knife in the Water has a new single out today. It's a take on a song Aaron Blount of the band first heard on a 45 by Marvin Rainwater (released in 1973):
"Marvin Rainwater has long been a hero of ours. He cut 'Boo Hoo' with Vernon and Link Wray and “Hot and Cold” for MGM, which is an instant party if there ever was one. 'Tears' was a serious departure for him. I heard a ghost copy of the Wesco 45 a few years back and we started doing our arrangement at shows, because it felt like it was written for Knife in the Water. It’s the kind of terminal country number that you can’t turn away from, where mother nature rewards hard work and devotion with the punchline we’re all waiting for."
Knife in the Water has been quiet of late, and even quieter before that. We released their fourth album Reproduction in 2017, which was their first since 2003's Cut the Cord. The band began in the summer of 1997 in Austin. From the early stages their dark, quiet, avant-country was welcomed alongside Austin’s louder punk bands, despite the fact that their cinematic sensibilities, desolate sense of space, and woozy tension set them apart.
The Austin scene in the late 90s and early 00s was a hotbed of talent and they established themselves alongside Glorium and American Analog Set, toured with Calexico and ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, and released three records and an EP: Plays One Sound and Others (1998), Red River (1999), Crosspross Bells EP (2001), and Cut the Cord (2003).
There's no dramatic story about the long hiatus. People break up, band members quit or move away, record labels fold, but songwriter Aaron Blount kept writing. In 2015 they began recording again at Jim Eno (of Spoon)'s studio Public Hi-Fi, before building their own home studio. "It slowly dawned on us that if we were gonna keep doing records on our own eccentric schedule, we needed to build our own studio. The first song on Reproduction, "Call It A Shame," is the first song we did at our new place."
Their music is at times woefully bleak and resigned, while shot through with moments of graceful, uplifting release. Pitchfork compared their debut to the Coen Brothers’ film Blood Simple and Rolling Stone writer David Fricke wrote, "This record gets you nowhere fast, which is hardly a problem. You'll be in no hurry to leave."
This is music best heard on long drives or late nights listening alone. Whether it’s the rarity of their live shows, (two in 2019) or the 14-year gap in recorded output, this is a band that rewards patience with songs that hold up over time. Now entering their third decade of making and releasing dark, sparse music that pulses with grace and beauty, the wait is shown to be worth it.
Nashville’s newest darling, Caitlin Quisenberry, continues to release riveting songs, followed by inventive music videos. CMT premiered her debut music video for her lead single, “Blue”. This was followed by “Imogene”, which was depicted in a whimsical music video cartoon, created by acclaimed Hollywood cartoonist, Tom Schneiders. Up next, is the music video for her most invigorating new single, “Get Loud With Me”.
Caitlin gives a stellar performance, as she lures her audience into the enticing world of living life in the fast lane - full of danger, romance and adventure. This is exemplified in the lyrics, “...Get on the ride, ‘cuz it’s passin’ by, let the energy take you up so high, once you feel the rush, you can never, never get enough...”. “Daniel Catton, a Los Angeles director who wrote the script for this one, is a savant in his field and he is anything but typical. His unique style personifies his ability to shock or do the unexpected. He works mostly in commercial film and also has several award winning independent films under his belt. Daniel brought in the very accomplished producer/cinematographer, Moises Barba, to film, as he directed.
I became familiar with their work when I was a student at Pepperdine University. I remember their films were very intriguing and avant-garde, so I was elated when they agreed to come to Nashville to shoot my music video!” ~Caitlin Quisenberry
It was one year ago, last October, when Caitlin’s life took a huge turn. She was planning to attend law school to become an entertainment attorney, but a video of her singing on Instagram caught the attention of a producer in Nashville. She took a chance and flew out to record 4 songs. They soon promoted her as their “Off the Row, Breakout Artist 2020”. Her first single got put on CMT and her second single grabbed spots on two Spotify editorial playlists.
As she began spending more time in Nashville, she decided that law school would always be there, but the chance to pursue her lifelong dream of being a country artist was too good to pass up; so she moved to Music City and hasn’t looked back. “Pursing music is truly a natural culmination of everything I’ve done – From my years as an actress (most known for my role in the ABC sitcom, “Blackish”), to singing and preforming my entire life. These experiences have given me the training and confidence to make my mark in county music.” ~Caitlin Quisenberry Caitlin’s musical background got serious when she landed the opportunity to record with Multi Grammy-winning prod
Lavender Diamond have released a new song "In The Garden," featuring Bright Eyes' Nathaniel Walcott on trumpet. The song is the third track to be taken from Now Is The Time, their first studio album in more than eight years. Now Is The Time will be released on December 4, 2020 via Petaluma Records. "This song is a battle cry for heaven on earth!" explains Becky Stark. "It’s a song for dancing! In these days of grave transformations it helps me to experience the true heaven of the beauty of earth in the garden and to remember that we can choose to create heaven on earth if we dare."
The band captured the core of the album in just two days, relying on gut instinct to guide their every move, and while the material was written well before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the result is a particularly timely, vital collection, one that couldn’t have come along at a more necessary moment.
"I came to this realization that there’s medicine in the music itself," says Stark. "It can lift people up and heal them and point them toward transformation, and that led me to this tremendously powerful need to start writing and recording again."
Back in the studio for the first time in years, Stark and her Lavender Diamond bandmates Steve Gregoropoulos and Ron Regé, Jr. tapped into their old chemistry almost immediately. Though much had changed for each on a personal level (Stark, for instance, often found herself holding her three-year-old daughter in her arms while recording vocals), the group’s creative bonds proved as durable and potent as ever. Regé, a gifted illustrator and graphic novelist who has contributed artwork throughout the band’s history, laid a subtle yet solid foundation for the record, adding weight and body to Stark’s airy performances, while Gregoropoulos put together the album’s ornate chamber-folk arrangements, coordinating the remote recording of each orchestral part during quarantine and assembling them all into a cohesive whole.
The new single Before You Love Me from Manchester based vegan singer-songwriter Jack Conman has been released this week.
Before You Love Me is a highly intimate song with a tender vocal performance that describes that moment when we feel most vulnerable, as we take those first steps in a romantic relationship. In terms of the record's sound, think Thom Yorke meets Jeff Buckley over at Bon Iver’s house. The single precedes the release of Jack's debut album Seventh Sense Libido, out early next year.
With well over a million Spotify streams for previous single Oxytocin, Jack has enjoyed airplay on BBC Radio 1 & 6Music, performed at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend festival, featured in Clash's coveted Next Wave & gained a loyal following after showcasing on youtube channel COLORS. His music is now getting much attention, particularly in America, Germany & the UK with strong & encouraging streaming figures.
The Montreal duo Secret Sun is back with Winter Love, a new record to be released today October 30 via Costume Records. Winter Love is a more luminous, elegant and suave recording than its predecessor Cold Coast (2014), and speaks of love that endures through life’s challenges.
Anne-Marie Campbell, the lyricist behind the songs and the singer, was inspired by the contemplative, cold, white days of winter. “Winter Love is a record about resilience, born in resilience. It’s about the strength we find within ourselves to take care of our loved ones but also the drive to make music within an industry that cares less and less about musicians’ well-being”, she says.
Dropping the needle on a Secret Sun record is the beginning of a captivating journey – like a potent daydream. Between Cold Coast’s release, shows across Canada and the birth of their two children,Simon Landry and Anne-Marie Campbell took the time to reconnect in the studio with their collaborators producer Sébastien Blais-Montpetit and François Lafontaine on the keys to record Winter Love.
“Instead of having folk demos as our starting point for the songwriting process, which was the case for our first album, we wanted to be on track with Secret Sun’s unique sound, which is both modern and outside of current trends. We laid down the basics of this record live at studio Mixart and it became the heart of our songs”, explains Simon Landry, who composed the music and played the guitars on this recording. Guillaume Ethier on the drums and Jean-François Lemieux on the bass bring a groovy and soul touch to Winter Love’s ten songs. “We moved away from bedroom music to create a more ambitious record music-wise, with a strong character”, Simon concludes.
Dot Dash Recordings is thrilled to announce that Jess Locke's forthcoming album Don't Ask Yourself Why will be released on Friday 26 March 2021. The Melbourne-based singer-songwriter is known for penning indie guitar-pop tracks that are at times subtle and full of melancholy, at times delivered with an acerbic tongue, but always steeped heavily in narrative.
Locke shared the first taste of the record earlier this year with ‘Fool’ - a simple and raw track, seeking to partner dirty grunge guitars, a fuzzy lead, gritty vocals and a punchy rhythm section. It received airplay across Australia and beyond with radio additions at Double J, FBi Radio, RTR, & SYN, plus spins on triple j, KEXP & more.
Today, to celebrate the album announcement, Jess Locke shares a contrasting track from the album called 'Destroy Everything'. As Locke explains - "The song 'Destroy Everything' is about destruction as both a positive and negative force. Destruction of the old can be necessary in order to make way for new and better things. It can be strategic, revolutionary, inspired by a vision of what is to come next. But destruction can also be reactionary and misdirected, born out of chaos and fear and not really conducive to real change. The song is a kind of meditation on whether destruction is useful or futile or part of a natural and unavoidable cycle."
Don't Ask Yourself Why was recorded by Jess Locke and her bandmates James Morris and Chris Rawsthorne, along with producer Rob Muinos (Saskwatch, Julia Jacklin). On Don’t Ask Yourself Why, Locke invites contemplation. "I mean the phrase ironically, because really, I do want you to ask why" explains Locke. "The whole album is about human behaviour, our egos, and our ability or lack-there-of to reflect on why we act and think the way we do."
"My band and I recorded the album with Rob Muinos in a tiny studio in the back of a guitar shop in Collingwood called Clingan Guitar Tone. It was our first time working with Rob and it was the best. Chris had gotten to know Rob from working in the cafe next door and chatting in passing about music. It turned out we had a lot of common influences and it also turned out that we got along extremely well. We made the last album between a pub and a friend's house and I think Rob’s studio had the perfect cosy homely feeling to follow on from that. Rob was very invested in the process and he challenged a lot of my ideas, leading to something better than I could have imagined by myself. Mostly this was in terms of instrumentation, whether to double vocals or not, but we also worked a lot on the structure of some songs, pulling them to bits and putting them back together again and changing the key sometimes. I admit I had a fair amount of anxiety leading up to recording this record that I think stemmed from knowing I had some great songs and wanting the record to be the best it could be."
Lee Rogers is a Belfast based singer songwriter and his brand new song 'Haunted' really is a standout track. Lee's vocals immediately resonate with plenty of emotion and raw power, on this powerful folk rocker. ===== Welsh band Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard just released '30,000 Megabucks' whilst announcing a live stream event in December and this feisty alt rock suggests that's going to be a show to watch. ===== Fellow Hollow have created an exquisite new song entitled 'Dog fence weeds' where wonderful vocals and harmonies are matched by a melodic and lovable musical backdrop. ===== CocoRosie have released 'Go Away' featuring Irina Anufrieva today along with a video. Music favorites of ours CocoRosie continue to create and share original and irresistible material and with Irina Anufrieva's contribution this is no exception.
Belfast songwriter Lee Rogers returns with new single ‘Haunted’, taken from upcoming album Gameblood. Combining gravel-lined vocals, Springsteen-esque storytelling and a penchant for melancholy, the result is reminiscent of the likes of The War On Drugs, and The National.
This release marks something of a phoenix rising from the ashes, having been burnt badly along with his record label by corrupt forces beyond their control.
This will be Zenith Cafe’s first project since their triumphant comeback – taking down the banking entities that forced them to shut down 10 years ago (the story has been bought by Sony and is currently being made into a feature film.
When this happened, Lee took some time to pursue his other life as a tattoo artist. Now that the label have finally got some justice, it’s time for Lee to pick up his guitar where he left off.
A fitting soundtrack to long, dark nights and frosty weather, ‘Haunted’ is a take on the classic Wuthering Heights tale of Cathy and Heathcliff, from the latters perspective.
Lee tells us “The idea of telling the other side of Kate Bush’s beautiful take on Cathys story was something I’d never heard before. My wife Nikita educated me on the book and together we wrote ‘Haunted’. I wanted the music, production and lyrics in this song to echo the darker, twisted love from Heathcliffs point of view.”
Welsh four-piece Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard have today shared their cosmic new single ‘30,000 Megabucks’ - the first new music from the hotly-tipped band since the The Non-Stop EP, their debut release on Missing Piece Records / Communion.
The band have also announced a live stream event THE BEAUTIFUL SHOW, which will combine a live performance from Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard with appearances from some very special guests, all from the opulent surroundings of Cardiff Bay’s Portland House - the building where the first ever £1,000,000 check was cashed. THE BEAUTIFUL SHOW will be broadcast live at 7PM GMT / 2PM ET / 11AM PT on December 9th, and available to watch on demand for 24 hours for viewers around the globe. Tickets can be purchased HERE.
‘30,000 Megabucks’ combines the idea of nuclear devastation with stickin’ it to the man, all while bursting with typical Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard rock’n’roll swagger. Frontman Tom Rees explains: “‘30,000 Megabucks’ was inspired by a seemingly ridiculous but very real request from an old publishing agency that I was with, who wanted £30,000 to release me from the deal. It all turned out fine in the end, but back then I was so furious that I decided to put pen to paper to ‘take down the man’ as it were.
The ‘Mega’ element comes from the total amount of nuclear bombing power required to completely devastate all human life on planet Earth, which is 30,000 megatons. I had been watching a lot of Chernobyl documentaries and also a film called Threads, so a small part of me was quite excited when they asked for £30k because the narrative locked in quite well. For that reason it was sure to be a hit - take that, man! We used to play the riff in sound check just because it sounded like AC/DC and we even played it as one of the walk-on songs on Soccer AM when we were on there. When we play it live it goes on for like fifteen minutes!”
The new Fellow Hollow single "Dog fence weeds" is out now. The second single from their upcoming album, Violet Paper Wings - due out December 4th, is a bit of a departure from their previous sound by making use of arpeggiated piano and synth, live drums, and singer Andrew Gavin Williams pushing up into the higher range of his voice.
Luke Elliot Fleeman and Andrew Gavin Williams came together in Columbus, OH in the winter of 2015 to make alternative folk music. After both being members of a punchy six-piece pop-folk band, Luke approached Andrew with a batch of instrumental guitar songs.
Andrew explains that “They were un/finished, gorgeous, melancholy odysseys that had been in his personal canon for years, written in the throes of seasonal sadness.” Luke enlisted Andrew to help complete them -- record, produce, pen lyrics, and sing. This lead to the two working meticulously every Wednesday for over a year to shape all of this work into an EP.
'When You Love the Same People, You Love Each Other' is the result of the first batch of material they finished. Even then, they left songs unfinished still, and have written more new songs in the intervening year since that release.
Andrew explains that “The songs and words we write are of a world, surreal and real, hanging somewhere in space, somewhere between fiction and autobiography. They're the blanket, and the cold room begging for blankets. They're somewhere soft, deep in the quiet eye of a violent storm. A dry canopy, a wet floor. Seasonal depression and self-doubt, sleepiness and wasted time, geographical places I've never seen, fake mantras, the wisdom of older people, and mourning for what was taken from us in childhood.”
Following PUT THE SHINE ON, released last Spring, and the collaborative anthem “End of the Freak Show” HERE feat. ANOHNI, Brooke Candy, Big Freedia and Cakes da killa, released on October 7, 2020, CocoRosie now release their new single,"GO AWAY!". In response to the rise of fascist dictators around the world, and especially, the current atrocities in Belarus, CocoRosie teamed up with Belarusian artist Irina Anufrieva and producer, friend, and long time collaborator Dave Sitek to create the outraged protest song "GO AWAY!".
After the Belarusian election was stolen by the current dictator, the vast majority of Belarusian people took to the streets to protest peacefully for their livelihood and democracy. In response they have endured being mercilessly beaten, jailed, tortured and even murdered. Many have disappeared without a trace.
The solidarity, strength and integrity of the Belarusian people has moved CocoRosie deeply and opened their eyes to what is possible in the face of violent, tyrannical adversity. The list of countries being terrorized by their own corrupt governments is too long to cite here.
The parallels between Belarus and the United States are evident and highlight the abuse of power and a pervasive unethical system, as well as, the all too familiar image of a single man spitting in the face of his "own" people, threatening to never GO AWAY!
This song also speaks directly to the hateful man currently in the seat of "terror" in the United States and its history of systemic racism resulting in the perpetuation of police brutality against Black People.
"GO AWAY!" is meant to induce an electric feeling of empowerment and at the same time incite rage. This rage is to be harnessed and danced. We can transform our reality. We can transform our sorrow, grief and rage into art, into power, into action.
TANDM have shared 'Earthworm' (2020 Remastered) and it's a refreshingly upbeat indie pop song with melodic hooks and vibrant vocals. ===== Elliott Waits For No One have shared a superb video for 'You Can't See Through Me' along with the release of their self titled debut album. The song is one of thirteen tracks on the new album and gives a good feel for this beautifully crafted collection, where attention to detail is matched by some notable creativity and clear passion for their resulting musical output.
Lead vocalist and guitarist Maxine Beck-Sinderby and drummer Thomas Franklin met serendipitously at a music studio in high school. The duo have since released two back-to-back EPs, titled Reflections, Vol. 1 and Reflections, Vol. 2; achieving them features on CBC Radio, and City TV’s Breakfast Television Toronto. Maxine’s undeniable musical talent runs in her family: her uncles are Grammy-winning Canadian musician Jason Beck known to the world as Chilly Gonzales and prolific Hollywood film composer Christophe Beck, known for his Emmy-award winning work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and blockbuster films Frozen, Frozen 2, Ant-Man and The Hangover.
Franklin honed his craft first with international touring jazz drummer Bill Ransom in the US, and then with renowned Toronto musician Anthony Michelli. Both jazz and classically trained in multiple instruments, Franklin and Beck-Sinderby started writing and performing their music in Canada and Sweden; and both graduated in June 2020 from Toronto’s York University, with Bachelors of Fine Arts Honours in Music.
In early live performances their instrumentation was minimal, and they soon developed a signature sound marked by Maxine’s silky vocals and catchy reverb-filled guitar riffs, driven forward by the energy of Thomas’s drum flourishes. Drawing inspiration from the likes of ALVVAYS, The Black Keys, Foals, Of Monsters and Men, and Daughter, TANDM’s music weaves stories around the complexities of life. From personal pleasures and conflicts to the flaws in society encountered in young adulthood, TANDM’s upbeat sounds, vivid narratives and captivating melodies create a bittersweet and memorable experience for the audience that echoes long after a first listen.
Elliott Waits For No One - You Can't See Through Me.
Elliott Waits For No One (EWFNO) have released their self-titled debut album on Dark Star Records/Sony/Universal.
VP of Entertainment Owen Cotter of McGill Media & SciFiction.com says Elliott Waits For No One's new single and music video is a must to checkout! With a mix of Asimov sci-fi style robots dancing in a nature dreamscape combined with alternative rock tunes what’s not more to want. This new single rocks and I highly recommend it!
Tim Roth, director of the video adds, "The first time I heard "You Can't See Through Me" by Elliott Waits For No One, I was immediately struck with images of a slow-motion ballet dancer, dancing among ruins. The haunting, evocative cello, the dark vocals, and the beautiful melody, made this a video that I felt could be quite compelling and poignant, and I was eager to take on the project. Unfortunately (or serendipitously), no models were willing to work in-person due to the pandemic.
I then turned to resources that I knew I had ready access to...Computer Graphics. Actors were replaced with 3D models and landscapes were only limited by what I could find online. All four seasons were now at my disposal. Once the smoke finally cleared from the Northern California fires, I was also able to venture out and capture some of the beautiful landscapes that I needed for the "hero" shots. It also didn't hurt that my brother Nick Roth is an ace graphic artist and was always available to answer technical questions...and there were many."
Violent Vickie returns with a new video for 'Under the Gun' and once again our favorite Dark Synth-Riot artist is on fabulous form as the song reminds us of just how good her recent album release really is! ===== It's been over a year since Jasmine Rodgers last graced our pages and 'Flies' makes for a welcome return from this talented and creative modern folk artist. ===== Van Plating just released 'Bird on a Wire' and it's a fabulous singer-songwriter piece where her vocals are wonderful and the musical arrangement adds so much more as the layers build.
Los Angeles-based Dark Synth-Riot artist Violent Vickie released the Music Video for "Under The Gun" on October 23.
The video was directed and edited by Nick Pagonakis of Underboss Films and shot in a parking lot in Long Beach, CA by Jennifer Miller. The song is a seductively cold reaction to the pressure to conform and produce in a capitalist society.
Violent Vickie is a Los Angeles based Dark Synth-Riot artist consisting of Vickie and co-producer/recording guitarist E. Vickie has toured with Hanin Elias of Atari Teenage Riot and shared the stage with Jessie Evans (The Vanishing), Trans X, Them Are Us Too, Aimon & The Missing Persons.
She has toured the US & Europe and played Insted Fest, Solidarity Fest, Shoutback Fest & Gay Prides and Ladyfests. Vickie’s tracks have been released by Crunch Pod, Emerald & Doreen Recordings (Berlin), Riot Grrrl Berlin, & LoveCraft Bar (PDX). Her track "The Wolf“ was featured in a National Organization for Women film and she was interviewed for the documentary “GRRRL”, part of the museum exhibit “Alien She”. Her LP "Monster Alley” was voted best album by KALX and her tracks have been remixed by 25+ artists. Vickie's "Division" LP was released on Crunch Pod on September 4.
Four years on from the release of her critically acclaimed album Blood Red Sun, Jasmine is back with “Flies”, the first release from her forthcoming EP. The track is set for release on 23rd October.
For anyone that doesn’t already know, Jasmine Rodgers has a rapidly-growing reputation for fusing influences from rock, blues, soul, folk and country into lush musical textures layered with poetic lyrics. Her stripped-back solo shows feature her complex guitar picking styles and intricate vocals, as she shifts effortlessly across her varied musical landscape, from folk to rock.
“Flies” is a lyrical study of survival and mortality and the minutiae of life that signpost hopes and frustrations. Building slowly from its guitar- and vocal-led core, Rodgers gradually and subtly elevates the track through the introduction of piano and layered-reverbs. The latter are used to create the constant ‘buzz’ in the track’s background, with it eventually dying out so that the song’s escalating tension neatly mirrors the message of its lyrical content. In conversation with Jasmine she says:
“People can take life too seriously, but life is so short in the grand scheme of things. But it’s a bit of a double-edged sword, as that is probably why people take it so seriously and make certain choices about the way they want to live”
This track showcases the ethereal beauty of Jasmine’s vocals and is driven by her finger-picked folk guitar technique, unusually deployed in the use of an electric guitar. “Flies” will be released independently on all major digital download and streaming platforms 23rd October 2020.
Van Plating wasn’t sure how her self-titled album would be received in 2019 after a nine-year hiatus from music.
After attending Florida Southern College and majoring in violin and voice, Plating spent her 20s immersed in the indie rock scene, playing violin and singing with her band Pemberly (named after the country estate in Pride & Prejudice). The band was poised for success, receiving warm receptions while on tour with the likes of Copeland, The Postmarks, Matt Pond PA, and Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s. Things were going great — until they weren’t. The band broke up and she decided to take some time off. A year turned into three, which turned into six, and before she knew it nearly a decade had passed.
Plating woke up one day and wasn’t sure where she fit in musically anymore. The music business isn’t known for being kind to women after they reach a certain age — and she no longer had a band to blend in with. She knew if she took another shot at it, she would be front and center, and would rise or fall alone. Either way, she knew she wanted to try again, and cast any fears aside.
Plating recently confessed about 2019’s Van Plating, “A year and a half ago, I thought I was going to write a little acoustic record to give to my friends, but that’s not what it turned out to be at all.” Instead, the album took on a life of its own, blossoming into a collection of songs indebted to the confessional folk tradition whilst embracing forward-thinking pop song structures, harkening to celebrated offerings from Lilith Fair icons like Paula Cole, Aimee Mann, Natalie Merchant, and Shawn Colvin. Plating also dipped her toes into the Americana world with songs like “Standing Still” and “Mountain” — both of which received praise from Americana-focused media outlets.
“I was literally in the studio experimenting and trying things,” she recalls. “Where I landed, which has been really cool, is in that Americana world, which I love a lot. And that just sort of happened organically after the record was released. I had a lot of momentum coming into the spring with a festival booked, and a lot of shows were coming in before they all got canceled, and they were good opportunities.”
It was the reception to her new sound that gave her the confidence to lean into a more singer-songwriter vibe on the songs she’s recorded during quarantine.
“The album I put out last year really helped me find my way,” she affirms. “Now I feel like I don't need anybody else to tell me or help me kind of uncover who I am anymore; I know that I'm a strong singer and a strong songwriter. That record taught me who I am.”
Les Flâneur brand new album 'A Long Season' is simply breathtaking. Comprising of eight rich and creative songs featuring a variety of guest vocalists this really is impressive, touching and engaging music that will appeal to a wide range of music lovers, as it takes us from dream pop moments, through to more dramatic pieces ===== The Sonder Bombs return just a month since we shared 'What Are Friends For?' with another new single entitled 'Crying Is Cool' where the melodic hooks are again everywhere on this refined alt rocker. ===== London-based singer-songwriter Imogen Mahdavi has just released 'Some Things Are Best Over Said' a song that showcases her distinctive falsetto vocals wonderfully, this is one highly addictive track.
Five years of working, three languages, artists from many different countries, and even Continents. So this album was born, not out of ambitions, but out of a true Flâneur attitude, which led the producer Alex Marchetti to involve friends and singers from Italy, Sweden, Brasil into his project.
Friends and artists who added their talent and voices to the tracks he'd been writing aside his main project, the band Il Disordine delle cose. Some, as Alice Greco, were found by lucky chance, during an evening out with friends at a local gig. Others, as Hanna Turi, played at the house concerts he used to organise in his country house. There are many reasons why this is a relevant album to listen to, right now.
The fluid electronic texture, the sincerity of lyrics, the catchy songwriting. But most of all, this album comes out of people joining souls in music, out of human exhanges, out of travels. In a time when we're all stuck, due to circumstances, it's important to remember how much beauty travels, and encounters, can bring.
Le Flâneur is a dynamic figure: he can sit in a bistro observing the world that flows in front of him, but he is also a tireless walker, covering great distances, travelling random routes. A condition that allows him to observe everything that happens around him, without haste. A kind of involuntary hero, who fights against the approval of costumes and reaffirms his personality. He just wants to save himself.
The project: Les Flâneurs is an idea of producer Alessandro Marchetti, who's also a member of the indie band Il Disordine delle Cose. They released 3 albums (Quite Please, Warner Chapell). The full-lenght "La Giostra" was recorded in Iceland with the sound engineer of Sigur Ros and "In the Right Place" in Scotland in the studio of Mogwai and Belle and Sebastian.
Over those years Alessandro recorded some songs with a different soul, now collected under the name Les Flâneurs, involving collaborations with several artists he met in these years. The sound ranges between indie, electronic and folk, with a significant use of synths, drum machines and orchestral sections. He liked the idea of working with different singers, especially girls. It's a sort of collective project, with Alessandro working as "director" as well as producer, in which everyone has brought their talents helping to improve the songs. The songs feature artists from different countries: from Italian Carlot-ta, to Swedish Hanna Turi, to Brazilian Priscila Ribas. There is also a featuring (clearly unauthorized) by Edith Piaf.
Midwesterner upstarts The Sonder Bombs have today announced their new album Clothbound, out January 29th on Big Scary Monsters (UK/EU) and Take This To Heart (US), and share new track / video ‘Crying is Cool’. Produced in Philadelphia during quarantine with Joe Reinhart (Hop Along, Beach Bunny), their new record captures a band burning at both ends.
“Crying is Cool” could be considered a spirited highlight reel of Willow Hawks’ voice—the melody dips into doo-wop cool before it reaches for the rafters. The single is also The Sonder Bombs at their most earnest and educational, teaching listeners of all ages that it’s okay to hole up with your feelings as long as you give them room to grow and bloom. The band operates on a singular syllabus, where feeling is fine, as long as you’re letting yourself feel at all.
“Crying is cool” is all about validation and vulnerability” says lead singer Willow Hawks. “Being there for friends when they need it as well as being cared for. That solidarity is such a beautiful thing and we really wanted to capture the goodness in that with the video! Our director Ben Lieber had the brilliant idea of a weekend cabin getaway with friends which fit so perfectly with the message of the song and then our genius stylists Chlo & Mick just brought the full vision to life! We’re so excited to share “Crying is cool” and this next chapter of The Sonder Bombs with the world!”
For The Sonder Bombs, self-confidence starts when it crosses paths with self-analysis. Their debut defined a new era of socially conscious, unapologetic pop punk. The alt-folk quartet began as a duo in 2016, with Hawks and her writing partner Jimmy Wilkens trading off abrasive and melodic punches against a DIY universe which places gender politics at the bottom of a list of priorities.
Now, the Cleveland quartet have doubled down on their second record. 2018’s debut MODERN FEMALE ROCKSTAR was their first bet: an all-caps attack against a male-dominated scene brandishing a ukulele and dry wit as chosen weapons. A year and some change passed, where their relentless touring ethic and tough love caused a homegrown fan base to explode worldwide. Clothbound, like the title suggests, weaves a different narrative—one of loss, letting go, and losing patience with losers. If the first record introduced unapologetic sensitivity, Clothbound searches for the root causes of other key elements.
London-based singer-songwriter Imogen Mahdavi releases her new single, “Some Things Are Best Oversaid.” Featuring Imogen's distinct, falsetto vocals dance elegantly atop floaty melodies and twangy, country style guitars, creating a hypnotic release. Reminiscent of Lana Del Rey, Imogen’s simple and minimalist arrangements, combined with echoing harmonies give you an uplift feel to cleanse the soul.
Imogen Mahdavi is known for her unique and rich vocals, which tell a thousand stories. With a slew of wistful indie-pop releases under her belt, the musician has forged her own path, carving her name with her beautifully introspective creations. Radiating with sincerity and grace, Imogen is unlike anything you’ve heard before.
Following the success of “Crowd of Thoughts”, a hauntingly epic track produced by Grammy Winner Eddie Serafica (Hamzaa, James Bay, Buddy Guy), Imogen is unveiling the incandescent “Some Things Are Best Oversaid”. Her distinct, falsetto vocals dance elegantly atop floaty melodies and twangy, country style guitars, creating a hypnotic release. Reminiscent of Lana Del Rey, Imogen’s simple and minimalist arrangements, combined with echoing harmonies give you an uplift feel to cleanse the soul.
Inspired by the likes of Joan Baez and Anita Carter, Imogen wanted to reignite the old romance of country songs, whilst simultaneously creating something for people to dance to. “Some Things Are Best Oversaid” narrates wearing your heart on your sleeve, not only romantically, but also with your friends, family and creative passions. The songwriter confides, “Life is short and I am not one to be coy about my love for someone. If you make me happy I want to shout it from the rooftops and show my appreciation. I think we get too fixated on being too much for others, not being cool enough, but there is nothing more dope to me than an honest heart and someone who isn't afraid of being judged for showing it.”
Call Me Spinster shared 'Here You Are' this week and it's a refreshing mixture of sixties girl group pop, fabulous vocals and harmonies with a splendid accompanying video. ===== From Ireland we have Lorraine Nash who today releases 'River'. Lorraine's notable vocals exude a classic folk style whilst retaining a fresh contemporary feel and the musical backdrop is just right. ===== She's Got Spies released 'Super Sniffer Dogs' a couple of days back and it's originality and catchy nature is just so addictive. ===== Partner share their feisty indie rocker and fourth single 'Honey' taken from their next album 'Partner's Never Give Up' due next month. ===== We don't know much about Ana Mae beyond the fact that today she has released the beautiful and dreamy 'That I Would Do' it's one of those short, sweet and just plain wonderful "play me again tunes".
Chattanooga trio Call Me Spinster has announced the December 11 release of their self-titled EP via Strolling Bones Records. The debut release from sisters Amelia, Rachel and Rosalie, Call Me Spinster is an extraordinary example of the transcendent musical bond only siblings can share. Along with the announcement, the band has released their dreamy first single “Here You Are” and a quirky, dance-filled music video.
Filtering Debbie Harry energy through a bouncy ‘60s girl group chord progression, the song opens up into walls of unexpected slide guitar and vocal harmonies with catchy lyrics that celebrate the strange and electrifying moment of meeting your child for the first time.
“‘Here You Are’ was our first original song, written shortly after Amelia gave birth to her first child,” the group explains. “It describes the moment of meeting a person that you feel you should know after carrying and nurturing them for nine months, but instead you are met with a completely foreign little face, a ‘weary rambler’ from another dimension that just so happened to pick you for this cosmic go-around. The video celebrates this strange and fleeting beauty of being human. We wanted to capture moments between us that were raw, intimate, and unapologetically joyful, particularly in this moment of pain and disconnectedness.”
The sisters of Call Me Spinster began playing together while working as teachers in various international locales, mostly performing covers when they would get together for low-key events and family weddings. They quickly developed a repertoire of well-loved pop, R&B and ‘90s boy band songs, which morphed into something new when approached through left-of-center arrangements for stand up bass, accordion, banjo, ukulele and a drum set-up they lovingly referred to as “trash percussion.” After all three sisters relocated to their hometown, the trio quickly gained a reputation in the supportive Chattanooga music scene, and within a few years they were applying their distinctive approach to songs of their own.
21-year old multi-instrumentalist, Lorraine Nash, is fast becoming one of the shining lights in Ireland’s folk scene. Lorraine returns with her newest single ‘River’ set for release October 23, 2020. ‘River’ is the third single from her debut EP Wildflower released June, 2020, and is a follow up to singles ‘Wildflower’ and ‘Changing Tides’.
With its rhythmic flow the single ‘River’ is the most directly influenced by trad music from Lorraine’s debut EP Wildflower. The song tackles the feelings of grief and loss experienced with the end of a relationship, either romantic or friendship. We all have our own path to travel but it is the events of our life that determine its course. The message is one of hope however; that you will overcome the obstacles life throws in your path and find where you belong.
Performing since she was a child, Lorraine is a talented pianist, guitar, harp, flute and violin player, skills that she has brought to the recording studio to create her debut EP Wildflower. Equally at home in Irish Trad, Lorraine’s original material brings an eclectic mix of music traditions to the table while ensuring that her own unique voice and élan comes through.
Recorded, mixed and mastered in Clonmoyle East with Herring Ahern ‘River’ is out today October 23, 2020.
She’s Got Spies releases her new album ‘Isle of Dogs’ on the 6th of November. It’s preceded by the single ‘Super Sniffer Dogs’ on the 23rd of October it was debuted last night on Janice Long's BBC Radio Wales show.
With music hall style pianos, bounding percussion, fizzing guitars and a playful vocal, new single ‘Super Sniffer Dogs' is inspired by Laura’s time spent visiting Poplar on the Isle of Dogs, an area of high contrast with the rich, banking area of Canary Wharf and large, destitute council estates. It’s about an imaginary dystopian festival with lots of restrictions in a high walled destitute area. Despite its serious themes, which is juxtaposed by a catchy singalong melody, it’s a joyous tuneful romp.
She’s Got Spies’ second album ‘Isle of Dogs’ refers to an area of London, Laura Nunez’s hometown, as well as the state of turmoil of the island of Britain. The follow up album to her debut Welsh language album ‘Wedi’, ‘Isle of Dogs’ features songs written over the last decade. She’s Got Spies is the project of Laura Nunez and her cast of collaborators. She spends her time between Cardiff and London, she’s multilingual and can sing in Welsh, English and Russian.
Partner share the video for one of their most rock shredding songs "Honey." A live favorite from the past year, Honey is the fourth and final single, from Partner's Never Give Up (November 20th on You've Changed Records) the follow up to their break out debut album, In Search of Lost Time.
"Honey is the origin story of Josée's golden axe. In this track we recall how she first found her way to our house and joined the band. It came with a note (from Josée's dad) 'This guitar sounds just like honey going down.' Get ready for some straight up rock n roll." - Partner
Never Give Up is Partner’s second full-length album, following 2017’s In Search of Lost Time. In the years since their first release, the band has developed their “post classic rock” sound, leaving behind 90s rock comparisons. The new album retains elements that will be familiar to Partner fans, such as guitar solos and humorous subject matter, but with more structurally adventurous songs and abstract lyrics. They have spent the last several years on tour with drummer Simone TB, and this is evident in the looser and more confident performances captured on the album. Never Give Up was recorded by Steve Chaley at Palace Sound in the summer of 2019.
The band described the process of making the album. “In October of 2018 we found ourselves in a dark and quiet rehearsal space. We were practicing for a two person show, the first one we had played in many years. We were at a crossroads as a band, and we had no idea what the future held. All we knew was that we were going to be making music together. We weren’t sure what this music would sound like or who would be playing it with us. And then the songs started to arrive. Some of them fully formed, like the first songs we wrote. It was as much a surprise to us as anyone else when we realized we had the beginnings of our second album.”
Not all the songs came so easily. Some took over a year to complete. Some taunted the band with their elusivity. Some forced Partner to rip them apart and build them back together more than once. Never Give Up was written in rehearsal spaces, in the band’s bedrooms, in a condo, in friends’ and strangers’ houses, Air BnBs, in a cafe and on Josee’s couch and in the studio, and in the booth. “We talked. We were honest with each other and honest with ourselves. Sometimes it was a lot. And when it got to be almost too much we would repeat to each other, first as a joke and then not as a joke at all, ‘never give up’.”
Kacy + Clayton and Marlon Williams have shared the beautiful song 'I Wonder Why'. Kacy and Clayton have been featured a few times before on Beehive Candy and this new collaboration with Marlon Williams is gorgeous and a foretaste of their 'Plastic Bouquet' album due in December. ===== Yawn has just released 'Wasting Time' and it's a dreamy, melodic and atmospheric song delivered in a heartfelt and genuine manner. ===== Michael Bernard Fitzgerald is a talented and respected folk and singer songwriter artist and his latest song 'Heart Of It' is wonderfully arranged, with his personable vocals packing real feeling.
Kacy + Clayton and Marlon Williams - I Wonder Why.
Kacy & Clayton and Marlon Williams are set to release their debut collaboration Plastic Bouquet on December 11th, 2020 via New West Records. The 11-song set was produced by Kacy Lee Anderson & Marlon Williams and was recorded in Saskatoon, SK and Nashville, TN.
Between his critically acclaimed, self-titled debut in 2015 and its equally acclaimed follow up, 2018’s Make Way For Love, the New Zealand-based Williams has played many of the world’s major festivals, toured and performed with Bruce Springsteen, Florence + The Machine, Brandi Carlile and Lorde. He has won multiple New Zealand Music Awards and APRA Awards, and was handpicked by actor & director Bradley Cooper to appear in the Academy Award-winning film A Star Is Born. He also appears in the films True History of the Kelly Gang and the upcoming Lone Wolf. Building a discography of five albums since 2011, the Saskatoon-based Kacy & Clayton delivered a pair of critically acclaimed albums, The Siren’s Song in 2017, and Carrying On in 2019, both produced by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco. Beyond praise from Q Magazine, Uncut, and more, they racked up millions of streams and toured with Wilco, The Decemberists, Ray LaMontagne, among others.
As far apart as Christchurch, New Zealand and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan may seem, the three musicians find common ground between a lifelong shared passion for Western Country, Folk, and Troubadour traditions on Plastic Bouquet. “We wanted to see if we could meld hemispheres,” says Williams. “I’m bringing this Pacific style of country music with the harmonies and choral elements. Kacy & Clayton have a super identifiable sound. They embody everything I love about North American folk. There’s a rural weariness where they’re telling tales that have been told a million times in their own way. I feel the strength in it.”
While his Summer was in full swing, Williams hopped a flight to the below 20 degrees of Saskatoon for Christmas 2018. The three wrote and recorded the bulk of what would become Plastic Bouquet over the course of just three weeks, with final sessions to follow in Nashville, TN in September of last year.
In the end, Kacy, Clayton, and Marlon have brought sounds and traditions together and unlocked undeniable chemistry.
Yawn is a project by artist and musician Julia McDougall. Prior to moving west, Julia lived and worked as a musician in Berlin and produced her self-titled EP alongside Polaris prize nominee Andy Shauf.
A long time member of Canada’s folk music scene, Julia aims to extend the intimacy of her work to her audience: her performances are familiar, close, and connected. Yawn’s debut EP listed at number one on CITR radio and was included in the top 100 albums played by CITR in 2019. Yawn was also shortlisted as finalists in CITR’s Shindig competition.
Julia’s songwriting leads Yawn’s dream-pop sound. Simultaneously hopeful and resigned, Yawn captures the stasis of our lives caught between technology and the natural. In 2020, Julia was accepted to an International songwriting residency at Banff’s prestigious Centre for the Arts in March of 2020, cut short by the novel coronavirus.
Michael Bernard Fitzgerald is a Canadian singer/songwriter who has collected an audience of fans across North America drawn to simple honest words and a genuine smile. Having released 4 full-length albums to date, Fitzgerald has spent his career since 2006 creating music, touring, developing as a songwriter, and connecting with audiences. Fitzgerald’s unique and innovative ideas coupled with his inherent warmth allow him to engage with people in a way that always leaves them meaningfully connected.
After over a decade of working with labels, creating songs with top-tier L.A. songwriters and producers including Jone Levine (Drake, Dua Lipa), Brian West (Maroon 5, K’naan), and Dennis Herring (Ra Ra Riot, Modest Mouse) on About You, and spending some time in the charts with “I Wanna Make it With You” (2016) and “One Love” (2016), Fitzgerald has finally found himself and a calm, rooted, unfeigned sound at home. A career of touring across Canada and around the world sharing the stage with artists like Bryan Adams, Ben Harper, Dan Mangan, Sam Roberts, Joel Plaskett, and Kings of Leon has brought Michael back to his hometown, Calgary Alberta, to create his newest record Love Valley.
If it was in a small club or larger theatre like the Vogue in Vancouver, the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto, Jack Singer Concert Hall in Calgary, or on the big stages at a festivals like Calgary Folk Festival, Winnipeg Folk Festival, Firefly Festival or Mountain Jam (to name a few) the spirit of honest connection with people has always existed in Fitzgerald’s performances. Today, he knows the value of time spent living in the moment and continues to go forward fostering the experience of connecting one song, one room, one fan at a time.
