BeeVids: Spiral Stairs - Dutch Uncles - Grog - Cavegreen

Spiral Stairs - Dance (Cry Wolf).

Background - Spiral Stairs (Pavement's Scott Kannberg) will release his second album under that name, Doris and the Daggers, on March 24 on the Nine Mile label in the US, on Domino in Europe and on Coolin' By Sound in Australia / New Zealand. This week he has shared the first single and video from the album, "Dance (Cry Wolf)". The video stars Jason Lytle of Grandaddy who plays the part of Spiral Stairs in the video.

The album features guest appearances from Matt Berninger of The National, Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew and Justin Peroff, Kelley Stoltz and Shudder To Think's Adam Wade. Spiral Stairs has also launched a Pledge Music campaign where fans will have the option of buying archival Pavement and Preston School of Industry merch and memorabilia (or a DJ set, private show, trip to IKEA or a round of golf with Scott) along with their pre-order of Doris and the Daggers.

The Real Feel – the Pavement guitarist and Preston School Of Industry leader’s 3rd album (and first as Spiral Stairs) – arrived in 2009, just as Pavement were announcing a hugely successful burst of reunion shows through 2010. “Then, after the Pavement shows, I moved with my wife to go live in a house in the country near Brisbane, in Australia,” the amiable Scott remembers, of those years of seeming inactivity. “Then we had a kid, and that sort of got in the way. I tried to do music, but all of a sudden it was two years later and I’m mowing my lawn and tending my garden.”

A little while after that, Scott and family got bored of life in Australia and moved to Los Angeles. “I had the perfect set-up there, so I started work. The way I write songs is, I put on my electric guitar and walk around the house and play it and look at myself in the mirror,” he laughs, “and just make up stuff. But because the kid was off at school for three hours a day, I only really had an hour or so to do that. So it took a little time. It was my intention to have done at least a couple more records by now, things just got in the way.”

You can’t hurry genius – not even the genial, unforced and unpretentious genius that has long been Scott’s forte. What’s for sure is his second album as Spiral Stairs, Doris And The Daggers, is worth the wait. It’s some of the best music Scott’s been involved with, and also some of the most personal and emotional music he’s ever written, reflecting the life changes that occurred over those eight years. During that stretch, Scott weathered the loss of friends, treasured the joys of fatherhood, lived life as an Australian and even ate haggis meat – experiences that inform these warm, sweetly melodic and soundly honest songs. Website here.

There is a cool alt rock feel to 'Dance (Cry Wolf)'. The melody and rhythm develop hand in hand with just a little menace in the vocals to add some edge. Looking forward to the album in March.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dutch Uncles - Big Balloon.

Background - Manchester’s idiosyncratic art-popologists Dutch Uncles return with Big Balloon, their new studio album, on February 17 on Memphis Industries. Taking musical inspiration from Kate Bush's The Red Shoes, Low-era David Bowie, some slightly-less fashionable records belonging to their Dads and East European techno, Big Balloon is the fifth Dutch Uncles studio album and the follow-up to 2015's acclaimed O Shudder.

Big Balloon is the latest chapter in Dutch Uncles’ brilliantly witty, hip-swiveling, left-field adventures and was recorded in Manchester’s old Granada TV Studios where Sex Pistols and Joy Division made their televisual debuts. Big Balloon then is Dutch Uncles’ finest album to date, taking listeners on an exhilarating cerebral journey that marks them out a one of the UK’s most consistently forward thinking bands.

Dutch Uncles are Duncan Wallis, Robin Richards, Peter Broadhead and Andrew Proudfoot. Big Balloon is available to pre-order on limited edition clear 180gm vinyl and CD from the band’s website here and iTunes

Tour Dates:
18 February – Manchester, Piccadilly Record Out Store @ Low Four Studios
20 February – Nottingham, Rough Trade In Store
21 February – London Rough Trade East Instore
01 March - Edinburgh, Electric Circus
02 March - Newcastle, The Cluny
03 March - Leeds, The Wardrobe
04 March - Nottingham, Bodega
06 March - Birmingham, Hare and Hounds
07 March - Sheffield, The Plug
08 March - Oxford, O2 Academy2
09 March - Bristol, Fleece
11 March - Brighton, The Haunt
12 March - Southampton, Talking Heads
13 March - London, Village Underground
15 March - Manchester, Dancehouse Theatre.

As someone who has spent many a happy time watching stock cars, bangers and hot rod racing, the video for 'Big Baloon' had me so engrossed first time around, I hardly heard the song. Good news is listening with my eyes shut sorted that one, and this is one really fine and bright, upbeat delight!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grog - Prodigal Daughter.

Background - “The story of the prodigal son fascinated me as a kid. It’s not as straightforward as it seems. One son went away, made mistakes, squandered his inheritance and finally returned repentant and destitute. His father welcomed him back, forgave him and, indeed, celebrated his return; much to the annoyance of the elder son who had stayed home and sensibly worked in his father’s fields.

It compares the attitudes of law and merit with those of love and graciousness. The story resonates with my belief that we need to get lost to get found, to experience life to learn. I’ve never been a big fan of ‘playing it safe’. Seeking your true self and destiny can take you on a wild and sometimes lonesome journey, but we carry our friends and everyone we’ve ever loved in our hearts at all times.

’Prodigal Daughter’ is a fun one for the girls, for everyone who loves the girls and for the warrior spirit of the individual carving out his or her path, attempting to stay grounded and brave while negotiating technological advancement and the realities of ultra global ‘connectedness’! So dance while the music’s playing and turn it up.— Grog, Jan 2017. Website here, Facebook here.

'Prodigal Daughter' is one very catchy and determined song. Full of hooks and oh so lively this is a real mood lifter.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cavegreen - Sun.

Background - Cavegreen is the artistic collaboration of Eleanor Murray and Gianluca Bucci that blends electronic and acoustic music, poetry, and images. 

Cavegreen is getting ready to release their first full-length album Vita Lucida, a positive electro-pop experience that combines earthly drum and dance beats with light, dreamy melodies, a soundscape that is both grounded and ethereal.  The songs sing about the profound human connectivity to the elements of nature, inspired by ancient philosophical traditions. Vita Lucida is one to dance with, dream beside, and ponder with.

Eleanor has been a musician, songwriter, and performer for the past eleven years, releasing five studio albums and touring the US extensively. Gianluca comes from a background of environmental work, photography, and an ongoing interest in the ancient and modern philosophical traditions of the earth. In 2015, Cavegreen released their debut EP, Journey of Return and began performing shows and around the Pacific Northwest. Their newest album, Vita Lucida, is to be released February 3rd, 2017. Website here and Facebook here.

With a slowly building and atmospheric start 'Sun' builds into a finely crafted song. The drum beats are wonderful and the layers of sound work so well.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Weekend Wonders: Grog - Rue Snider - Henry Jamison - Red Rosamond - Robbie Miller

Grog - Guiding Light.

Background from Grog - “The video for Guiding Light has an extra resonance due to the timing, circumstances and location of its creation. It was shot against blackened and ash covered landscapes in the aftermath of the Sand Fire, named after the Sand Canyon area where I live, east of LA’s Santa Clarita Valley. It consumed thousands of acres and came within two miles of my house, directly after the day I received news of Al’s passing. You could say my whole world had turned to ash.

Previously, I’d spent a week in London visiting Al in intensive care. My mind was filled with dark visions of the destructive nature of sepsis and the harsh, cruel way in which nature often devastates and yet continues to give birth to new life, new beginnings. When the Sand Fire was finally under control I had an overwhelming urge to shoot something; maybe it was about the effort to create something, to try to let something out, or just to feel the ash and dirt on my skin.

It wasn’t until I returned from my second trip to the UK for Al’s funeral that I shot the rest of the scenic footage and the areas I explored still resonated strongly with my emotional state. No matter how massive your loss, how heavy your heart, every challenge is an opportunity to rise to your light, to take the unique familiar goodness that you miss so much and recognise it in others, and in yourself. It’s still there in your heart.

Change is the very nature of all things, and though I detest what has happened, I will be changed by Al’s death, and I must guide that change towards positivity and growth.” Guiding Light - Release: 14 October 2016. Website here.

'Guiding Light' is the second song we have featured by Grog and she continues to impress, even with a more sombre and deeper piece like this. It's a reflective and serious track, which considers the sudden passing of her close friend and Die So Fluid drummer Al Fletcher.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rue Snider - Stories.

Background - Folk-punk/Americana singer songwriter Rue Snider will release his second solo album, Broken Window, October 7, 2016. Three singles preceded the album; “Blackout,” “Blue Skies and Telephone Poles,” and “Stories.” “Stories,” a fan favourite, was a featured new release on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter homepage.

Broken Window was written in the midst of Rue’s transition from being a full time drinker to living as a sober person. The album moves from nihilism to hope over the course of its 36 hook-filled minutes. The songs’ instrumentation including jangly electric guitars, fiddle, and organ help to offset some of the darker lyrical content. Light overcoming dark is central to the album’s theme both in subject matter and tone.

"I try to be transparent in songs about a lot of the dark corners and trying moments in my life in an effort to encourage people to move past fear,” says Rue. “This record gets into a lot of the grittiness of alcoholism and becoming sober. The songs take a serious look at death and embracing the fact that life is finite as inspiration to live better."

Rue Snider has toured America extensively for three years in support of his debut full length album Leaving To Returning and single releases, The New New Colossus and Never Met A Girl I Didn’t Love. He has made appearances at SXSW and Folk Alliance International, and shared the stage with Tom Maxwell (Squirrel Nut Zippers), Tropic of Pisces, Superhuman Happiness, Benjamin Scheuer ("The Lion"), Blue Healer, Donna Missal, and Walter Salas-Humara (the Silos). He is currently on the road in support of Broken Window. Website here.

Rue Snider has distinct and engaging vocals as 'Stories' demonstrates. Not surprising the track is something of a story, which has an Americana feel running throughout. It's typical of the overall quality of the three singles released so far, and the forthcoming album. It's definitely worth checking all his material out.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Henry Jamison - Dallas Love Field.

Background - “Dallas Love Field” follows Henry’s previous two singles, the endearing “Real Peach” and its ethereal follow-up, “Through A Glass”, both of which just eclipsed a combined one million streams on Spotify in the past month alone… not bad for a brand-new songwriter!

The stand-out debut called The Rains EP, is coming out on October 14th through the UK label, Akira Records. The songs that comprise the The Rains show a central interest in exploring inner worlds, observing their treasures and holding none in contempt. He was also perhaps predisposed to songwriting, having come from a long line of poets and songwriters… his distant grandfather was the 14th century English poet John Gower (friend to Chaucer and Richard II) and his great-great-great-great grandfather was George Frederick Root, the most popular songwriter of the Civil War era. Facebook here.

Live dates:
10/01 - Portland, ME - Waking Windows Festival
10/04 - Burlington, VT - Signal Kitchen (w/ Vetiver)
11/01 - New York, NY - Rockwood Music Hall (Communion Presents) 

We featured 'Real Peach' from the EP back in mid August and described 'The Rains' EP from which 'Dallas Love Field' also comes as follows. Comprising of five beautiful songs, thoughtful words sung with tenderness are accompanied by an understated and predominately acoustic soundtrack. Melodic through and through, and with delicate harmonies, the EP really is something quite special.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Red Rosamond - Damn.

Background and obviously very private message from Red - Dear Mike , I am driven by love.  I am inspired by the emotionally authentic - the passionate, the bold, the determined - and the flawed. I grew up listening to stars like Aretha Franklin, Dinah Washington, Al Green & Tina Turner. Inspired by their work, every song I write I aim to be true.

'Damn' is about the power play between two people. The magnetism, the seduction… It’s about desire and heartbreak, about someone who has a hold on you.

We all have that one that got away and this is our soundtrack, my love letter to you. x Red.

I mean, how can I resist with a message like that! Actually 'Damn' is one very good song and well worth a feature in it's own right. A powerful pop song with Red's vocals and the potent musical soundtrack both challenging and complementing each other, it is a grand song through and through. Facebook here.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robbie Miller - Road

Background - Off the back of a breakthrough 2016, Robbie Miller's musical evolution continues to grow with his upcoming second EP Closer To Home (out 28 October), to be supported by a tri-state launch tour announced today.

This past year has been quite the journey for Robbie Miller, with his singles ‘The Pain’ and 'Road' both picked up for rotation on triple j, national support tours alongside Josh Pyke and Dustin Tebbutt, a gig with Michael Franti and a stellar Bigsound showcase. Capping off an already impressive year, Miller is packing up to hit the pavement once more in support of his second EP, the weight of his growing accolades behind him and an endlessly promising future ahead.

Miller's follow-up to debut EP The Faster The Blood Slows is an atmospheric and emotionally immersive experience. Closer To Home isn't just headphone music at its finest – it bares all with close, poignant moments, dramatic highs and all that falls in between. So effortlessly does Miller intimately blend all these sonic shades does he bring his uniquely raw voice to the stage, a vocal strength of which has been described “to make your knees weak”.

Miller's sound has undeniably changed since the world first met him. Recorded in various locations from a Kyogle country cabin to a Melbourne studio with Oscar Dawson (Holy Holy, Alex Lahey, Ali Barter), Closer To Home is the dawning of a new era for Miller. His melding of alternative electronic sensibilities with his folk origins is flawless, further proving himself as a talent to watch. Closer To Home (EP) is released on Friday October 28, with a launch tour across three states beginning in Brisbane. Facebook here.

'Road' is the first of five really fine songs on the forthcoming 'Closer To Home' EP. Robbie has an engaging and melodic voice, that works so well with the smooth and sensitively crafted electronic background.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quality Not Quantity: Wyatt Blair - Grog - Glider Pilots - Perpacity

Wyatt Blair - Dancing On A Dream.

Background promo - Record label founder. Recording wizard. Power pop maestro. Wyatt Blair is a man of many disciplines. Blair began Lolipop Records out of his parents’ Laguna Beach garage in 2010 with a simple goal of recording his friends and sharing their music with the world. When Wyatt moved the label to Los Angeles in 2012, he inadvertently started a rock ‘n’ roll revolution — spawning an army of sweet-toothed teens with an insatiable appetite for the sugary garage pop sounds of Lolipop bands — most of them discovered by Blair himself.

However, even as he assumed his role as the hardest working man in LA’s flourishing garage rock scene, Blair continued to write, record and produce his own music at a prolific rate. His debut full-length, “Banana Cream Dream,” immortalised his love of all things sweet and solidified his place as one of LA’s top tune-smiths. An infectious blend of anthemic power pop, tongue-in-cheek storytelling and hilarious interludes, the record has seen multiple re-pressings on Lolipop, Burger Records and Resurrection Records. Blair toured tirelessly behind “Banana Cream Dream,” supporting bands such as Broncho, Froth and Corners, and playing popular local festivals like Burgerama, Beach Goth and Desert Daze.

So, where does one go after assuming the throne of dessert-themed rock ‘n’ roll? For Blair, a musical chameleon and pop music Renaissance man, there was only one option. Hang up the banana suit and bust out the hairspray. Blair’s latest LP, ‘Point of No Return’ (out August 5th on Lolipop and Burger Records), is an unabashed love letter to the arena rock, glam and hair metal heroes that he holds so close to his heart. Channelling the soaring, harmonised guitar solos, lovelorn lyricism and workout-ready rhythms, “Point of No Return” plays like a lost gem from the long player generation.

'Dancing On A Dream' is the first of twelve songs on the new album 'Point of No Return'. It's an unashamed collection of arena, hair and glam rock music, that hurtles at the listener in a wonderful blast, indeed it's not until track six 'Patience' that the tempo really drops, and then not for long. Melodies, smooth vocals and loads of guitar driven songs make for a great album. It's a little retro and and yet also fresh and immediate.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grog - In Plain Sight.

Background - 'In Plain Sight' is the debut solo single from LA-based singer-songwriter Grog Lisee, aka singer/bass player and face of cult rock band Die So Fluid.

Finding herself in an intensely inspired creative space [‘cut me and music spills out’], Grog has recently been writing & producing material that flows beyond the framework of the classic Die So Fluid rock sound.

Her ever-widening perspective and a desire to share more personal and experimental offerings have led her to this solo project. With her mantra 'no rules, no limits', we can expect the release of more Grog songs over the coming months.

 "As a Brit living in the US, you can't help but notice the abundance of religions and cults here. I became interested and started researching them. I soon discovered the more extreme side of cult behaviour and was moved to write about what I consider its evil nature 'hidden in plain sight'.

The lyrics seem ever more pertinent in the face of escalating global civil unrest, racial disharmony, and terrorist propaganda. This is a time when surely we need to trust our instincts, strive for peace, and refuse to live in fear." – Grog, 2016.

'In Plain Sight' has a rhythmic, synth driven soundtrack, that complement Grog's superbly matched vocals. The song has a message that is delivered powerfully, in a piece that gradually builds into something of an anthem.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Glider Pilots - Simple Things.

Background - Glider Pilots is an indie-rock/folk duo formed by brother and sister Benjamin and Samantha Hope. Born and raised in far north Queensland, Australia, their music revolves around the use of delicate guitar melodies, breathy vocals, synthesisers and drum machines. They write, record, mix and master themselves. They even do all the artwork and music videos.

Glider Pilots first released their debut EP In Another World in February 2015. They went on to play shows throughout Queensland, releasing new singles ‘Shoe Box’ and ‘Brand New Day’ later in 2015. Their follow up EP Some Where out There premiered through hhhhappy.com in April 5 to wide praise throughout Australia. The duo released a music video for EP track ‘Sleeping Vision’, and launched the EP at The Drift in Cairns later that month to an adoring audience.

Their upcoming single ‘Simple Things’ was recorded in their own studio and was recorded, mixed, mastered and produced by band member Benjamin. “‘Simple Things’ tells the story of how you get caught in the push and pull of where and who you are and where and who you want to be,” says the band.

Glider Pilots are planning touring throughout Cairns and Queensland this October, with an accompanying music video for the single later this Winter/Spring. “Simple Things” by Glider Pilots will be released 12th of August 2016.

Delightful, gentle vocals and the equally melodic and sensitive musical soundtrack, make 'Simple Things' something quite special. It's one of those songs that leaves me, desirous to checkout far more of their material.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Perpacity - 9725.

Background - British-Danish synth pop duo Perpacity are releasing '9725', the lead single from their forthcoming second album ‘Arise’, Comprised of 14 tracks, it is scheduled for release in early October, the 14 tracks on this release complement each other well and create a special ambiance. ‘Eternal ft. Nordik Fire’, a track that brings the Celtic element of a violin-charged melody into electronic territory, is being offered as the b-side.

Perpacity is a duo comprised of Ian Harling and Martin Nyrup, who reside in Bristol (UK) and Copenhagen (Denmark) respectively. Their music exhibits a strong command of melody and texture, characterised by unique dark moving electronic soundscapes and vocals to set your heart alight. This is genuine, unconditional love for synthpop or dance-pop.

“When we set out to write the new album we agreed to not try to go for a specific mood, theme or atmosphere - that whether a song or a track made the initial cut depended purely on whether we like it and whether it speaks to us. We purposely allowed other genres to influence what came out of each song,” explains Martin Nyrup. “We get a bit blues-ish here and there, and even go a bit Celtic in one track with an amazing collaboration we had with violinist Bethany Borg of Nordik Fire. We like to think there is something for everybody here.”

“One of the reasons that Martin and I work well together is that we don't have the same tastes in music, often quite the opposite,” says Ian Harling. “The song '9725' was very much like that; it started out as a really gritty instrumental, but every time I listened to it I could hear lyrics and a melody within it. When you work on tracks like that, there’s a feeling that the song is writing itself, and you simply have to help it come out. On the surface it's a standard love song, but there is also a second level of meaning there.”

The ‘Arise’ LP was mastered by Alexander Kretov from renowned dreampop band Ummagma. As of October 7, ‘Arise’ will be released on CD and digital download via the duo’s Bandcamp, Amazon, and elsewhere. It is already available for pre-order on Bandcamp, with immediate download of ‘9725’ and ‘Eternal ft. Nordik Fire’). 

The contrast between the featured song '9725' and ‘Eternal ft. Nordik Fire’ is considerable, and demonstrates that Perpacity can turn their attention to very differing sounds and ideas, making the October album release something to look forward to. '9725' has a timeless electronic feel, with synths and vocals both vying for attention. Comparisons there may be, however I can only think of some very fine ones, so no problems there!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------