Showing posts with label CocoRosie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CocoRosie. Show all posts

Lee Rogers - Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard - Fellow Hollow - CocoRosie feat: Irina Anufrieva

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. 

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Lee Rogers - Haunted.

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.”


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Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard - 30,000 Megabucks.

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!”

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Fellow Hollow - Dog fence weeds.

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.”

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CocoRosie - Go Away feat: Irina Anufrieva.

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.

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Hundreds - Melby - CocoRosie - Rosie Carney - Ross Palmer

We shared 'Body Of Water' by Hundreds in January and they are back with their third single 'Calling' and it's another splendid electro pop song. === It's a year to the day since we last featured Melby who have just released 'Things I Do When I'm Alone' a melodic indie folk track that is warm and so engaging. === Yesterday CocoRosie released their seventh album entitled 'Put The Shine On' from which we have already shared some tracks, now we have the whole collection and it is everything they promised and more. === Time flies by, it's been over a year since we last featured Rosie Carney whose back with the new single 'When I Look At You'. So this is appearance twelve on Beehive Candy, maybe that's enough of a recommendation in it's own right. === Today Ross Palmer releases 'You Wont Need To Cry' a smooth, melodic alt folk kind of a song and it's beautiful.
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Hundreds - Calling.

After "Ready Shaking Silent" and "Body of Water", Hundreds now share their third single "Calling" from the upcoming album The Current, which will be released on March 27th on Embassy of Music.

On their fourth album, the siblings Philipp and Eva Milner know how to weave the organic with the electronic like few in the German pop landscape. They underlay great melodies and emotions with a steady pulse of electronic beats and synths that quickly gets under your skin. In this respect, The Current has even more facets than the previous albums, the timbre is brighter, the attitude more combative.

Soundwise, the courage to try out new things is most evident on the single "Calling". It starts with little more than the Hundreds DNA: Philipp's synth flickering, a beat that still has to decide whether it wants to appear euphoric or threatening, and Eva's longing, strong, yet cool and dramatic voice. And then suddenly, after 90 seconds, right after a break in which you can only hear Eva, a wind section suddenly burst open the song, a stadium-pop moment, which at this point doesn't seem cheesy at all but rather like a kind of positive battle cry. Which is partly because of Eva's words: "I’ll raise another banner I’m raising my own banner.“ That this point is so momentous is also due to the contrast to the theme of the song and lines like this: "I see you falling / falling apart / falling for yourself / and the stories you’ve made up I hear you howling in the dark and I won’t take part.“ What Eva describes here is nothing less than the moment of the struggle to break free from an emotionally unhealthy friendship to a person who turned out to be a chronic narcissist.

In the official video that was shot at the Baltic Sea, in the Wendland area of Germany, Eva takes the meaning of ‘Calling’ to a deeper level. Effortlessly striding across the beautiful landscape, she waves a red flag warning foes to keep their distance: "Raise your voice, discover your own strength, leave people behind you who are slowly poisoning you and 'raise your banner’!

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Melby - Things I Do When I'm Alone.

Stockholm four-piece Melby have constantly been growing since their debut with catchy single 'Human' in 2016. Last year, the band took their biggest step yet with the acclaimed debut record 'None of this makes me worry' which was followed by tour dates all over Europe. Now, the band are set to return with new single 'Things I Do When I'm Alone' which is out now before the band head off on yet another tour that will see them play dates in Denmark and Germany.

The band often gets comparison to fellow Swedes Dungen and Amason but Melby’s dynamic sound, with influences from folk, psych, indie and pop, stand out. The quartets light, semi-psychedelic folk pop is led by Matilda Wiezell’s enchanting voice which fits perfectly with Melby’s unique musical landscape - a sound that's been called "otherworldly, and wholly brilliant" by The Line of Best Fit. The band consists of Wiezell, Are Engen Steinsholm (back-up vocals, guitar), David Jehrlander (bass) and Teo Jernkvist (drums) and formed while living together in a Stockholm shared housing.

Things I Do When I'm Alone is a development of the sound of Melby's debut, building on the more melancholy folk inspired sides that were showcased on None of this makes me worry without losing the playfulness and sense of melody that always have been a vital part of the band's sound.

Melby on the track: "Most of this song was recorded in kind of strange places: the staircase leading to our rehearsal space, and a friend's living room. This made us much less picky than we usually are. And it was easier to feel happy with what we did at once when we weren’t in a regular studio. I don’t think we did more than two takes on any track, and we decided on the sound of each instrument instantly. It feels like this gives the track more of a playful quality than our earlier songs have had. I think this mixes well with the themes of the song. You could say it is about longing for a sense of community, and to live with other people." Things I Do When I'm Alone is out on Rama Lama Records (ROW) and Sinnbus (GSA) now. The track was recorded with and produced by Alexander Eldefors.

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CocoRosie - Put The Shine On (Album).

Sister duo CocoRosie (Sierra and Bianca Casady) release their seventh album Put The Shine On via Marathon Artists. With stand out tracks such as “Smash My Head” including a Bianca Casady-directed video, “Aloha Friday” and “Restless” which includes a rollerskating fun video (directed by CocoRosie), the band have paved a new way for their follow-up to their 2015 album Heartache City.

Dear Ones. Let us celebrate together the release of our 7th Record! (Can you imagine we have been a band for 17 years?!) “Put The Shine One” means a lot to us and contains much of our heart & soul. Cheers to new light! And new love! Love, CocoRosie

Summer 2019 saw CocoRosie return first via a collaboration with Chance The Rapper, “Roo” (co-written, produced and performed by CocoRosie)on his album, The Big Day. CocoRosie’s music has influenced a wide variety of artists over the years - besides Chance The Rapper, from Melanie Martinez stating the sisters are a major inspiration, as well as Jay Rock on “Knock It Off” and Macklemore/Ryan Lewis on “Stay at Home Dad” sampling their music, to respected artists like Yoko Ono and Jim Jarmusch praising the sisters.

CocoRosie is the music-based project of American cross-disciplinary performance artists Sierra and Bianca Casady. Their songs blend a myriad of styles and references, from hip-hop to folk and opera, shaping the most painful of experiences into memorable and evocative pop songs. Taken as a whole, CocoRosie’s music is an ongoing psychologically intimate dialogue between the siblings. Each sister has multiple personae and vocal styles; Bianca delivers troubadours-style rap while Sierra often responds with ethereal tones while accompanying their voices on harp, piano, or guitar. A quintessential part of their sound is a percussive landscape made using children's toys and other found objects which adds a particular nostalgia to their songs.

Finding expression for their ideas in other disciplines beyond the traditional musical parameters is paramount to the sisters - and often a source of inspiration for their songwriting. In addition to their album tours and festival performances worldwide, Bianca has held solo exhibitions of her artwork in NYC at Deitch Gallery and Cheim and Read. Bianca has created  “Nightshift,” a dance-theater production and Sierra wrote and performed “Soul Life,” an experimental opera, both staged at the Donau Festival in Krems which they curated in 2012. Continuing on her path to become a theater director, Bianca directed two theater plays with the National Theater Academy in Norway and is currently developing new works, exploring new forms of opera and dance where Sierra will play a lead role, to be premiered at the Manchester Festival in 2022.

Sierra has arranged and performed music in collaboration with the likes of the Symphony Orchestra of Amsterdam, The ICA in London and The Sydney Opera House. Most recently, CocoRosie has composed original scores for four full-length theatrical works by Robert Wilson: Peter Pan, Pushkin's Fairy Tales, Edda and Jungle Book. Last year they presented the second series of songs written for a collaboration with the Kronos Quartet at their hometown Kronos Festival in San Francisco.

In their seventeen years as CocoRosie, the sisters Sierra and Bianca Casady have released seven albums: Put The Shine On (2020), Heartache City (2015), Tales of A Grass Widow (2013), Grey Oceans (2010), The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn (2007), Noah's Ark (2005), and their debut album, La Maison de Mon Reve (2004) -- each one inspiring controversy and debate in equal amounts to praise; such is their fearlessness and willingness to take risks with their art. This strong creative vision runs through every aspect of their work - from videos to live performance utilizing theatrical costumes and make-up - which they create alongside each new body of songs.

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Rosie Carney - When I Look At You.

Following her critically acclaimed debut album Bare, Rosie Carney returns with new single “when i look at you.”, the first single of upcoming EP i dreamed i was the night. With more than 2 million monthly listeners and over 70 million streams on Spotify, Carney’s debut album ‘Bare’ received praise from The Line of Best Fit (9/10), Mojo, The Sunday Times, PASTE, NPR and Uncut. Written after the release of Bare, Rosie created a collection of dark folk songs which she recorded in New York with Thomas Bartlett (Doveman), known for his work with Sufjan Stevens, Vagabon, Florence + the Machine and more.

The first single ‘when i look at you’ is being released with an accompanying video. It’s another intimate moment from Carney in a first choreographed visual pursuing the song’s themes: “heartbreak, betrayal and destruction. All of which I have inflicted on myself for as long as I can remember.” She explains; “I never felt comfortable being in front of the camera, it’s like I wrapped myself in chains, and I knew in order to really tell this story I had to break myself free from them.”

It’s a further exploration into the effects of her past which she so devastatingly conveys on Bare. The album received a critical acclaim from the press with NPR writing “her songs feel lived-in and worn, conveying a bruised ache well beyond her years… the weary grace of a survivor who’s located the source of her strength.” This was echoed by the outpouring of messages from her fiercely expanding fan base as it resonated globally.

Throughout the period from her being discovered and signed the age of 16 to Bare’s release, the only constant was the catharsis that came with song writing: “I see my songs in images as I write them, so I knew as I wrote this song that I would be in the video, something I’ve never done before. I knew I wanted to move my body (again something I’ve never done before) but I knew I had to do it in a way that would tell the story of the pain and fear I've been through both physically and mentally over the past 10 years.” Alongside dance partner Tylor Deyn, she uses subtle and minimal movement in order to portray the discomfort she has lived with for some time, “just before the shoot, I was diagnosed with PTSD, and honestly since the video, I have been so hooked on creatively moving my body. It’s the therapy I didn’t know I needed.”

“I knew when my mum couldn’t talk to me after watching the video that we had succeeded,” she explains. ‘when i look at you’ is another incredibly personal cut from Rosie, as she fully welcomes the listener into her self-described “weird little world”. ‘when i look at you’ is available on all online platforms from March 13th. ‘i dreamed i was the night’ EP is out April 10th via Color Study, a self-described “personal pop” indie label founded in 2019 by her manager Spencer Kelley.

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Ross Palmer - You Wont Need To Cry.

Ross Palmer is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and audio engineer based in south London. He has played guitar, bass and drums in a variety of bands, from traditional English folk to lo-fi rock 'n' roll.

Currently he plays in an acoustic/folk duo with fellow singer-songwriter Melanie Crew, and also plays guitar with Americana artist James McKean and alternative folk/pop songwriter Yo Zushi.

About You Won't Need to Cry - Needing a break from his acoustic guitar and open tunings, Ross wrote You Won't Need to Cry and Hard to Begin to satisfy his urge to play guitar solos and rock drums, and sing lots of harmonies. The songs sound a little like Elliott Smith, or Joe Pernice, or the Posies when they turn their amps down a bit. He recorded and mixed the songs himself at home, playing all the instruments, and invited Melanie Crew to sing extra harmonies on You Won't Need to Cry.

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Snake - Dawn Coulshed - HEBE - CocoRosie - Cherokee Death Cats - EllaHarp

Snake released 'Falling' earlier this week and it's one feisty and fabulous rocker with hooks galore. === Scottish artist Dawn Coulshed has just released 'Same Side' a beautiful singer songwriter piece with a richly refined musical arrangement. === We featured HEBE last November and she returns with a new song and video for 'Out Of Sight' a smooth and soulful electro pop song. === CocoRosie share a fourth song and video from their next album, this time we have 'Restless' and it is simply wonderful. === Although this song was released back in November Cherokee Death Cats have just appeared on our radar and 'Sick' is to good a rocker to pass up on. === EllaHarp releases 'Screaming Into The Void' a stunning song where the harp and her melodic vocals fuse beautifully together on this refreshing folk pop song .
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Snake - Falling.

Four years after their debut album ”Cradle of Snake” was released Snake is now back with the new single ”Falling”. The single consists of four brilliant and explosive minutes characterized by what happens when Tess De La Cour, Madeleine Frankie and Mia Maria Johansson play together in a room.

With strong vocals, screaming guitar and and a steady beat this single is the first glimpse of the new album  recorded with Stefan Brändström in the Dustward Studio, which will be released in the fall of 2020.

"We’ve worked really hard on the songs for this album. We’ve experimented with the dynamics of the songs and have found out what we are really good at.

The last record we did, we did really fast and there was not much time for reflection. It turned out well, it’s not that, it’s just that this time we’ve really taken our time. There is a more elaborate feeling."

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Dawn Coulshed - Same Side.

The way that the vocals have been laid over melancholic piano and trumpet on Scottish artist Dawn Coulshed's brilliant new single Same Side creates a haunting sound that has already led to comparisons with Elder Island, Maggie Rogers and Daughter.

Since relocating to London, Dawn has toured with the Roundhouse Choir, performing with Jamie Cullum at the Proms and collaborated with folk singer Sam Lee. She has played everywhere from Lovebox Festival to the Royal Albert Hall, and as far afield as Live at Heart in Sweden.

Inspired partly by the music of Laura Marling and Thom Yorke, Dawn explains that Same Side shines a light on tragic human conflicts:

"Same Side came about after personally witnessing how people can lie and clash with each other, without realising that often they're fighting for the same thing. That's what we do as humans. We argue and fight, but ultimately, we all want the same things in life. With what's been going on at the moment, especially in politics, this song feels more relevant than ever.”

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HEBE - Out Of Sight.

Amsterdam riser HEBE shows her vulnerabilities with ‘Out of Sight’, a new slice of organic soul-influenced electronic-pop, out now as an independent release via Kartel.

Lifted from her forthcoming debut album, ‘Cards On The Table’, planned for release in late 2020, ‘Out of Sight’ is “an open question about love and if it can survive long distances”, HEBE says about the song. Inspired by the long-distance relationship with her boyfriend, the lyrics perfectly capture the fear of uncertainty that comes with physical separation.

“I regularly travel between The Netherlands and Uganda to visit my boyfriend who lives in Kampala. Before we started this adventure, all these questions and insecurities came over me. I was afraid to express my thoughts, fears and expectations, so I wrote down all I wanted to say and that became ‘Out of Sight'”.

Hailing from Amsterdam, the talented artist has been collaborating with some of the Netherlands’ finest musicians, including award-winning producer/mixer Huub Reijnders, drummer Martijn Bosman, pianist and vocalist Ruben Hein, who all contributed to the harmonious contrast of warm, catchy vocals set to pulsating electro-pop drums and synths of her upcoming album.

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CocoRosie - Restless.

After announcing their first North American tour dates last month, CocoRosie (Sierra and Bianca Casady) are sharing a fourth new track “Restless” along with a music video (directors CocoRosie, editor Amy von Harrington) which is filled with rollerblading fun.

CocoRosie’s music has influenced a wide variety of artists - from Chance the Rapper collaborating with them on his last album, to Melanie Martinez stating the sisters are a major inspiration, as well as Jay Rock on “Knock It Off” and Macklemore/Ryan Lewis on “Stay at Home Dad” sampling their music and respected artists like Yoko Ono and Jim Jarmusch praising the sisters.

In April, they will play their new music and old favorites in one-of-a-kind live shows in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago in honor of their upcoming album Put The Shine On  from their 7th studio album Put The Shine On to be released March 13th 2020 via Marathon Artists.

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Cherokee Death Cats - Sick.

Cherokee Death Cats mix garage, rock and dirty pop with electronic and live beats.

The Anglo / Swedish duo of Bea Persson and Rat Westlake have earlier played together in post-punk, alternative and garage bands and started CDC together in December 2017 to take the sound further. They work out of Gothenburg, Sweden, in their studio in town and their work space in the woods.

After a flurry of dynamic studio sessions and performances at underground clubs, CDC released their debut EP "No No No" in April 2019, and signed with US publishers and media company Position Music shortly after. Hot on the heels of that release, the follow up EP "Sick" was released in November.

Both EPs were recorded at Gothenburg’s Nacksving studios; mixed and produced by Swedish producer Anders Lagerfors. The band are currently working on new material for a third release later this year.


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EllaHarp - Screaming Into The Void.

We're very pleased to introduce a compelling young San Francisco Bay based folk/pop artist whose songs and lyrics loom large. EllaHarp, solo moniker of singer songwriter Ella Dawn Jenkins, writes powerful, universal stories that prove the harp may just be mightier than the sword. Everything about EllaHarp speaks to a strong sense of self-reliance, from her original writing to her self-production to even designing her own harp, clothing and jewelry.

'Screaming Into The Void' is the first single (and title track) to be released off EllaHarp's upcoming sophomore album, 'Screaming Into The Void' to be released later this year.

From the artist: 'Screaming Into The Void' was written in a moment of frustration about releasing music in the digital age. In many ways it's easier than ever to make a splash, but amidst the overwhelming quantity of music coming out on any given day it can feel a lot like you're making literally no difference whatsoever.

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CocoRosie - Bullion - Ben Seretan - Color TV - Nessa - Smoke Fairies - Alex Winters

CocoRosie have just shared 'Aloha Friday' ahead of their seventh studio album due in March, the contrast with 'Smash My Head' is notable and suggests the sisters have plenty of new ideas for us to enjoy. === Bullion has released 'Hula' ahead of a new E.P, and it's a remarkable mixture of musical sounds that are beautifully arranged, his vocals adding another layer on this addictive track. === New York City based Ben Seretan latest song is 'Power Zone' a sumptuous bluesy ballad where emotion and personal vibes flourish. === We have a taste of Emotional Response Records 5th volume of 'Typical Girls' compilation series through Color TV and 'Anybody's Girl' a feisty pop punk song and hopefully we can share more from the sixteen track selection ahead of it's release. === Described as mixing Celtic and World music inspired styles Nessa have just released 'A Stitch In Time' and it's a creative and gorgeous song, where attaching any specific genre is pointless, file under fabulous, for it is all of that. === We featured Smoke Fairies a couple of times at the end of last year and now we have the brand new single 'Chew Your Bones' and once again it's original and creative, and the vocals and harmonies really stand out as special. === Finally today we have Alex Winters with 'Hearts On Fire' a smooth flowing song, where the singer songwriter has added a rockier edge to her music and one that works very well.
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CocoRosie - Aloha Friday.

CocoRosie (Sierra and Bianca Casady) announce their first North American tour dates in honor of their upcoming album Put The Shine On. In April, they will play their new music and old favorites in one-of-a-kind live shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and New York.

Along with the tour announcement, they share a third track “Aloha Friday”  of their 7th studio album Put The Shine On to be released March 13th 2020 via Marathon Music Group.

Bianca Casady introduces the new song: “Dear ones, we are excited to announce the release of another song from our upcoming album. Aloha Friday was written in my birthplace, the Big Island of Hawaii. It's a melancholic special something for you all to enjoy.”

The follow-up to their 2015 album Heartache City also includes the single “Smash My Head” which was released in late 2019 with the Bianca Casady-directed videe. CocoRosie about “Smash My Head”: "For us, our song "Smash My Head" is a running-on-fire cry from the teenage heart, an inner scream we never dared to let out. The song climaxes in an exaltation, an expression of ecstatic death. It journeys from a hard-knock desert childhood scene to a transcendent cosmic passing to another realm.”

Summer 2019 saw CocoRosie return via a collaboration with Chance The Rapper, “Roo” (co-written, produced and performed by CocoRosie) on his album, The Big Day. In August, CocoRosie released their first new song in 2 years called “Lamb & the Wolf”. The single featured artwork by legendary theater director, visual artist and their frequent collaborator, Robert Wilson and came after the January 2017 single "Smoke 'em Out" (feat. ANOHNI).

CocoRosie is the music-based project of American cross-disciplinary performance artists Sierra and Bianca Casady. Their songs blend a myriad of styles and references, from hip-hop to folk and opera, shaping the most painful of experiences into memorable and evocative pop songs. Taken as a whole, CocoRosie’s music is an ongoing psychologically intimate dialogue between the siblings. Each sister has multiple personae and vocal styles; Bianca delivers troubadourian-style rap while Sierra often responds with ethereal tones while accompanying their voices on harp, piano, or guitar. A quintessential part of their sound is a percussive landscape made using children's toys and other found objects which adds a particular nostalgia to their songs.

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Bullion - Hula.

Bullion shares new song “Hula” and announces EP We Had A Good Time, out 28th of February on his own label, DEEK Recordings.

In early 2018, Nathan Jenkins (Bullion) returned from the coast of Arrábida to his new home studio, in a cottage tucked behind the grand hotel setting of Wim Wenders’ Lisbon Story. Breaking for lunches under a Datura tree in the garden and a far cry from the Finsbury Park basement flat he rented the previous year, a set of recordings followed that galvanised into an E.P. - We Had A Good Time, music informed by out-of-town trips in a 1987 Renault 9 Super, impromptu car park hulas and solo cinema bliss.

The new E.P. manufactures a modern chamber music from pitch-shifted keys, bent, tremolo`d notes and twisted toms. Sets rueful reflections to disco pops and claps. Pizzicato patterns. Harmonies honed from a microtone maze.

We Had A Good Time follows Nathan’s 2016 album, Loop The Loop and other solo efforts gracing labels, R&S, Young Turks, Whities and The Trilogy Tapes. Blue Pedro, on the latter, making it into Crack Mag`s Top 100 Tracks Of The Decade.

DEEK Recordings, which Nathan started in 2012, carries the tag-line and aesthetic, Pop, not slop! - illustrated by an ongoing play-list of the same name and is further explored in a series of compilations where Nathan and friends cover and reinterpret unsung “unclassics”. From alt. country to obscure `80s European art-house scores. The latest compilation in the series, 4 Down came out in October last year.

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Ben Seretan - Power Zone.

Ben Seretan--acclaimed New York City based guitarist and singer-songwriter--has announced the follow-up to 2016's Bowl of Plums with a new single, "Power Zone," out everywhere now. The album, Youth Pastoral, explores the mythic California Seretan experienced as a Christian teenager, as well as his departure from God's shadow and the path of fire he later walked down in the midst of a tumultuous codependent relationship. It is a deeply personal record, one in which he explicitly sets the simple triumph of living through it to music.

Youth Pastoral features an eclectic cast of collaborators: Nico Hedley on bass; Dan Knishkowy (Adeline Hotel) on drums; Alex Lewis (The Early & Flat Mary Road) on lap steel and guitar cacophony; and Dave Lackner (Blue Jazz TV) on flute and saxophone. It was mixed by Will Stratton.

The lead single, "Power Zone" (and much of Youth Pastoral), also features vocal harmonies from Seretan's close friend, the late sculptor Devra Freelander, who tragically lost her life in a bike accident in Williamsburg last July. Seretan (and Knishkowy, mentioned above) penned an open letter to Medium last week addressing Freelander's contributions to the record, as well as the heavy feelings around releasing her work posthumously, sharing, "When I wrote the lyrics to this song I was thinking about my complicated relationship with gods and saviors. Now when I sing the line, “pray to the breeze / with asphalt in his knees” all I can think about is that street corner." The track is surprisingly serene for someone known for ripping the guitar. It feels like a two-armed embrace, with blue hearted lyrics and a weeping lap steel. "Who is this song sung to?" Seretan writes, rhetorically, before answering, "A higher power that has evaporated, a lover that has left, or maybe something that's somehow both."

In 2016, Various Small Flames wrote, "Seretan’s music is all about making the most of life, grasping the good and shedding the bad to allow your time to be as light and bright as possible." And while Seretan describes his new album as "A less starry-eyed outing," his ecstatic joy remains.

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Color TV - Anybody's Girl.

Emotional Response Records releases the 5th volume of 'Typical Girls' compilation series of up and coming female punk, post-punk, hardcore, synthpop, and garage bands from around the globe.

"Who invented the Typical Girl?" The Slits gleefully proclaimed as they attacked sexual stereotypes way back in 1979. There are no typical girls. Just remarkable women making remarkable music, as this compilation highlights.

VOLUME FIVE of the ever popular series, featuring 16 of the worlds greatest current female fronted punk and indie bands from around the globe.

Featuring:
EMPAT LIMA (Australia)
COLOR TV (USA)
THE INSERTS (Germany)
VITAL IDLES (Scotland)
SNOB (England)
TABLE SUGAR (USA)
WHIP (USA)
HELENE BARBIER (Canada)
CHILDS POSE (England)
PATSYS RATS (USA)
SLAG QUEENS (AUSTRALIA)
MR WRONG (USA)
KAMALA AND THE KARNIVORES (USA)
LATITUDE (USA)
DRAMA (USA)
LINDA GUILALA (Spain)

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Nessa - A Stitch In Time.

Michigan-based band, Nessa, led by flutist and vocalist Kelly McDermott is fresh out of the studio and will be releasing their third full length album "Otherworld" on March 6, 2020. This is McDermott’s finest work yet!

The first single, “A Stitch in Time” was released this passed Friday, January 17. Nessa has been compared to Loreena McKennitt, Brian Eno, and Enya. Kelly and her band bring charm and delight to listeners of all ages.

Nessa is classified as World Music/Celtic Inspired, and the music is fusion in the truest sense. It is what you get when you put highly trained classical, jazz, folk, Emmy winners, Grammy winners and world musicians in the same ensemble.

The album supports social justice and the environment. Book ended by a successful crowdfunding campaign at the beginning of recording and a near fatal car accident at the end, “Otherworld” guides listeners into a safe harbor of sound.

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Smoke Fairies - Chew Your Bones.

Smoke Fairies have released their new single ‘Chew Your Bones’.  It is taken from their upcoming 6th album ‘Darkness Brings The Wonder Home’ which will be released on January 31st.

Talking about the single, Katherine Blamire explains "I needed to write about the growing feeling that the world is on the verge of real change, there is the sense that there is this scary, unknown future lurking just beyond us. We'd just adopted a cat and were told to keep him inside because the Croydon Cat Killer had just struck in the area. This sanctioned belief of a mythical killer lurking the streets was terrifying and intriguing. At the same time I was reading Sarah Perry's gothic, Victorian novel ‘The Essex Serpent’ about a fabled beast that stalks the Essex backwaters. Both these tales came together to help me finish the song.”

New album 'Darkness Brings The Wonders Home' with producer Phil Ek (The Black Angels, Fleet Foxes, The Shins) over the course of a rigorous month-long session in Seattle, drawing inspiration from mysteries both real and imagined: sea monsters, flocks of crows taking flight in extravagant formation, and strange creatures dwelling in the mud near their new South London abode.

“Times of darkness are when people are often the most imaginative,” says Jessica in reflecting on the album’s title. “It helps you to see all the wonders of the world you hadn’t noticed before - the things you’ve been blind to because you’ve been on autopilot for so long.”

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Alex Winters - Hearts On Fire.

Alex Winters is currently sharing her video and single for "Hearts on Fire."

Alex continues to develop her unique solo repertoire, reveling in a vision that is still introspective and sensitive, yet equally strong, enigmatic and haunting. With her latest EP Black Roses, Alex has added an electric edge to her acoustic singer/songwriter persona, resulting in a more blunt sound akin to Evanescence and Grace Potter, with a touch of Heart.

The new record has a distinctly rock feel that brings a new dimension to her heartfelt songs without alienating longtime fans of her introspective compositions. Her stories of heartbreak, inner turmoil, and life's complications are now told from the perspective of a woman with more edge, a dreamer who has walked a few more miles down her own road.

Whether performing solo, duo, or with a full band, Alex brings a fun yet sophisticated ambiance to her live performances. Her connection to her audience is very real and her stage presence natural and comfortable. You can expect that everyone in the room will feel like they are a close and personal friend by the end of the evening.

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Amy Milner - Kar - Natalie Bouloudis - Jackie Charles - Ruthie - CocoRosie

Amy Milner first release this year is the haunting 'Shine Off' where her fabulous vocals and imaginative electronica come together beautifully. === They may have only been going for a few months however Kar and their new song 'On Our Own' is a refined indie pop song. === It's getting on for two and a half years since we last featured Natalie Bouloudis still her brand new song 'Outlaster', demonstrates that her creative and distinct music remains as good as ever. === Jackie Charles music is described as existentialist dream pop and their song 'Baby' really does fits that description, with the video adding even more. === Our third feature for Ruthie this year is 'No One On This Earth' featuring Drenge, is a rich melodic alt rocker where the dual vocals are just perfect. === CocoRosie have released a brand new song and video today entitled 'Smash My Head'. The sister duo are once again creative and imaginative, the video imagery challenges, whilst the music is as good as anything previously released and with a seventh studio album due next March, they have set the anticipation off splendidly.
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Amy Milner - Shine Off.

‘A Little More’, is the stunning new collaboration between singer-songwriter Amy Milner and producer Tim Larcombe (Lana Del Rey/Halsey). The second track from a stunning forthcoming project, it’s a breathtaking piece of electronica that’s right at home among the likes of James Blake or Bon Iver. The track is accompanied by a visual, created from clips of Amy & Tim’s process recording the album, showcasing the depth and creative flair involved in their artistic process.

First stepping up to the piano at a young age, Amy was soon composing for her school productions at just 10 years old. Growing up, her inspiration came from her parents spinning The Pretenders, Debbie Harry, Elton John and Dire Straits. Fast forward a few years and after a string of releases on South London label Aesop, Amy’s releases went on to receive support on the airwaves from BBC Introducing, Zane Lowe, Elton John and BBC 6Music. Her music also garnered key support from Spotify’s playlist team, resulting in over 1 million streams since her first release in 2016.

Her first release in 2019 was the haunting and affecting ‘Shine Off’, it’s a track that showcased the depth of Amy’s writing ability and the undeniable production skills of Tim Larcombe. The new single ‘A Little More’, is a stunning composition that builds around Amy’s vocal. Making exquisite use of modern vocal effects, it’s a track that’s rich in emotion and conveys a frailty in its lyrics building to an epic piece of emotional electronica.

No matter how adept we might be at putting on a brave face, at showing our mettle and soldiering on when the going gets tough, when the going just keeps getting tougher, when we’re blindsided, with setbacks and obstacles already piled high, that robust exterior can crumble a little to expose the inner struggle we were endeavouring to conceal. “A Little More” describes that inadvertent moment of fragility and honesty. In the song, the subject confesses they are overwhelmed, seeking solace and fortification from someone closest to them.

The scrambled vocal effect echoes the torment of the individual, while the calm and gentle piano part soothes. Stability is offered with the introduction of a sub bass, while guitar lifts the music to meet the vocal line for the initial chorus. The song evolves until its climactic second chorus, with the addition of developing beats and soaring ambient guitar.

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Kar - On Our Own.

Only formed a few short months ago, indie-pop three piece Kar are a young band hoping to make a big impact, and with their second single due for release this month, they’re set to do just that.

Finding a shared passion in similar musical styles, Kar formed after the trio met while studying music at Bath College, going on to perform gigs in the local area, creating a small buzz in local venues.

Kar went on to be accepted onto the MAS Records development scheme, which aims to give young, aspiring musicians free rehearsal and recording time, in the hopes that they can provide emerging artists with a bridge into the wider industry. With patrons such as Robert Plant, Ricky Wilson and Kevyn Gammond, MAS Records has proved invaluable to Kar.

Their debut single ‘Anything At All’ was released in June of this year and was championed for it’s emotive lyricism and catchy melodies, focusing on new love that can grow from the broken remains of an old love.

Recorded, mixed and mastered with Josh Gallop at Stage 2 Studios, their follow up single explores similar themes. ‘On Our Own’, due for release October 30th, is a tender track about how relationships influence life, for better or worse. Their haunting vocals, atmospheric guitars and melancholic lyrics rounds off a charming second single for the group.


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Natalie Bouloudis - Outlaster.

There’s a giant tidal wave incoming; the world is in chaos but there is assurance in the cool and defiant vocals of Natalie Bouloudis in Outlaster, the first single to be released in two years by the London-based and Sussex-bred singer-songwriter.

Outlaster is a song for our time, inspired by Bouloudis’ life-long fascination of the dystopian genre, be it Margaret Atwood’s bleak myths of an unreachable paradise or the sound of dripping oil against one of Ridley Scott’s burnt orange skies. Outlaster combines storytelling with a tenacious spirit, painting visions of a not-too-distant apocalyptic future which is nevertheless overcome with strength of character. An ode to hope and reconciliation and a much needed beacon to lead us out of the gloom of 2019.

Outlaster speaks of endurance, Bouloudis sings of ‘savage beauty’, hard lessons and redemption, with directness and lyricism. The song bursts into action with pulsating drums and an urgent glissando bass that conjures up a sense of suspense. The tension continues to rise like a cool mist, with plucked violin dancing across the droning guitar riff before an explosive release into the hook-laden chorus. It is an exhilarating and transformative listening experience, driven by a melody that rises and falls hypnotically like the waves on an energetic sea, and with vocals that soar on each undulating crest, effortlessly evoking reminders of Patti Smith. The song culminates in a spectacular outro, both melodic and imaginative, completing the track’s triumphal arch.

This is an anthem for survival at a time when we are haunted with the idea of extinction. ‘Here comes disaster’ and ‘I’m the outlaster’ Bouloudis sings, in her unmistakably smoky tones, with both a power and a level of control that can only derive from performing regularly. Outlaster offers an atmospheric soundscape, a revelation to anybody who wishes they could hear David Bowie’s Rock & Roll Suicide for the first time again, only this time with a female vocal reminiscent of the lurching tones of PJ Harvey and the soulfulness of Cat Power.

Bouloudis says, ‘what makes the dystopian genre so captivating is how it provides a thrilling and escapist ride full of awe but even more importantly, it holds up a mirror to human nature’. In Outlaster, we are introduced to the themes to be found throughout the forthcoming EP, Devil is Doubt which she says has ‘moments of reconciliation throughout the record’ but just like Outlaster ‘it holds together with a unifying sense of an unbreakable spirit pushing ahead of existential agonies.’

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Jackie Charles - Baby.

Jackie Charles are three individuals from disparate backgrounds, united by a desire to use art to cope with the dystopian future that is promised to them by the news cycle on a daily basis. They use Berlin as a creative base to formulate this medicinal yet existentialist dream pop.

Fluctuating synths and flickering basslines provide the backdrop to nihilistic lyrics. The result is a gleaming pop anthem that pleads for listeners to have fun while there are still any parts of the world left to enjoy at all.

Their work to date has seen them embark on international tours and a performance at Øya Festival, along with Steve Lamacq and Huw Stephens regularly championing them on BBC 6music.

Kaja tells us that the video is about “how it feels to be on this earth when everything is overwhelming. And you want it all to end but you're also terrified of that thought. And the world is so beautiful, and the world is so ugly and people are so amazing and people are so horrible. The video is full of symbolism and only the brave can watch it all the way through.”

Having previously brought their live show to London for Eat Your Own Ears and Parallel Lines, Jackie Charles are heading back for a show at Sebright Arms with Caramel alongside an in-store at Rough Trade East.

The track ‘Baby’ is taken from their latest album Future Fantasies. Dividing their time between the rooftop bars of Berlin and a Norwegian fishing boat, the record was recorded in Hannover and mixed / mastered at Oslo’s Propeller Studios.


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Ruthie - No One On This Earth (feat Drenge).

Timeless yet contemporary, lovelorn but hopeful, Ruthie’s songwriting has enamoured a near A-Z of new music websites; gained radio play at Radio 1, Beats 1, 6 Music and BBC Introducing; and been added to playlists including Spotify’s New Music Friday UK and Amazon’s Fresh Indie together with playlists curated by Dazed, NME and DIY. And she’s achieved all of that in the space of just four tracks.

Now Ruthie shares what looks set to be the biggest moment of her career to date with ‘No One On This Earth’, which features Drenge. The track features on her debut EP, the aptly-titled ‘Universal Heartbreak Now’, which will be released on November 22nd.

As an artist with the ability to hone in on the complexities of love and relationships, Ruthie naturally captures the melancholy of a relationship unexpectedly drifting to an end. Her dreamy, plaintive vocal is perfectly complemented by a duet with Drenge’s Eoin Loveless, who also contributes the song’s fuzz-filled psychedelic guitar solo.

“There are so many songs about being in love, and so many songs about when love goes wrong,” says Ruthie. “This song is about the slow dawning realisation that you are no longer in love, no longer heartbroken, no longer in mourning. It’s a duet between two people who used to speak with one voice, but became strangers.

I didn’t write the second part with anyone particular in mind to sing it, but Eoin’s voice fits the song perfectly. He was a joy to work with and spend time with!”

In addition to ‘No One On This Earth’ and the previous single ‘The Tide’, the ‘Universal Heartbreak Now’ EP will be completed by two new tracks in the shape of ‘Singing Alone’ and ‘Twenty Forty Seven’. All four tracks were mixed by Chris Coady (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Future Island) and co-written with Ruthie’s creative collaborator Ben Lewis.

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CocoRosie - Smash My Head.

Today, CocoRosie, the sister duo Sierra and Bianca Casady, announce their 7th studio album Put The Shine On, which will be released March 6th 2020 via Marathon Artists. The follow-up to their 2015 album Heartache City will be accompanied by their one-of-a-kind live shows in March/April 2020, EU dates below. The single “Smash My Head", including a Bianca Casady-directed video is being released today as a taste of what’s to come.

CocoRosie about “Smash My Head”: "For us, our song "Smash My Head" is a running-on-fire cry from the teenage heart, an inner scream we never dared to let out. The song climaxes in an exaltation, an expression of ecstatic death. It journeys from a hard-knock desert childhood scene to a transcendent cosmic passing to another realm.”

CocoRosie is the music-based project of American cross-disciplinary performance artists Sierra and Bianca Casady. Their songs blend a myriad of styles and references, from hip-hop to folk and opera, shaping the most painful of experiences into memorable and evocative pop songs. Taken as a whole, CocoRosie’s music is an ongoing psychologically intimate dialogue between the siblings. Each sister has multiple personae and vocal styles; Bianca delivers troubadourian-style rap while Sierra often responds with ethereal tones while accompanying their voices on harp, piano, or guitar. A quintessential part of their sound is a percussive landscape made using children's toys and other found objects which adds a particular nostalgia to their songs.


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Bumper Catch Up featuring: Rubblebucket - Mollie Elizabeth - Lilly Hiatt - The Kearns Family - WILDES and St Francis Hotel - Lucette - Caroline Strickland - Mon Rayon - Lala Salama

Keeping the comments a little shorter so we can cram a few more songs in than usual, this is our first bumper catch up of some really fine r...