I Hate You Just Kidding - Christopher Pellnat - Janileigh Cohen - Line & Circle - Vern Matz

I Hate You Just Kidding - Smokestacks.

Background - Jeremy and Jessi Brock are the husband & wife songwriting duo known as I Hate You Just Kidding. They started making music together shortly after meeting and formally formed the project in 2009.

Their music has been featured in film/television and commercials, and they have gone on several national tours, leaving two EPs and one full-length album in their wake.

Upon releasing their debut "Days Grow Longer" in 2011, I Hate You Just Kidding began writing a follow up. However, the touring life sometimes takes a few detours. After a 5 year hiatus, the sophomore album “Constellations” will be released on Groundhog Day, February 2nd, 2018. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

Live: Nov 15th 2017 - The Satellite, Los Angeles, CA.

'Smokestacks' is a tuneful catchy indie song. It's starts out as uncomplicated pop that occasionally builds into a more of a rock track, either way it addictive & gorgeous.

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Christopher Pellnat - Honey Venom Wings.

Background - Christopher Pellnat is a singer-songwriter from Hudson, NY, USA. Chris also collaborates with other musicians - for example, Mercy Weiss. He also play electric guitar in the Poughkeepsie, NY-based band, The Warp/The Weft.

His brand new album is called “Honey Venom Wings”, and is available now through Bandcamp. Talking about the new collection of material Christopher states "this album is not your typical singer-songwriter fare - it veers off into many directions that I hope you will find interesting".

You can find and hear some of Christopher Pellnat's collaborations with Mercy Weiss on her Bandcamp page (here). The Warp/The Weft's website is (here). More from Chris Pellnat on FACEBOOK, BANDCAMP.

We have featured Christopher Pellnat with Mercy Weiss and also The Warp/The Weft in fact this is our fourth feature for Chris including those combinations. I have chose to feature the title track from 'Honey Venom Wings' simply because it sits somewhere in the middle of the differing directions the album takes. Some tracks are more personal or intimate sounding and overall it is definitely up there with his other collaborations.

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Janileigh Cohen - Same Old Road.

Background - Bolton folk singer-songwriter Janileigh Cohen has released her new single Same Old Road this week through Funnel Music, which follows recent single Sister.

Same Old Road is captivatingly unique, yet almost sounds like a song you’ve heard before, with a warming vocal that pulls you in tightly like an old friend that you don’t want to leave. Backed simply by piano and violin, Janiliegh’s raw and intimate voice does all of the talking in this delicate and emotive track. Janileigh says;

"During the time I composed this song, I was not putting my music online or playing live so it was a song for myself to let out how I was feeling. I had a musical dream and this song helped cement the fact I wanted a career in music. I’d never really composed a song on piano until Same Old Road and it felt like it really came from the heart.”

Same Old Road follows recent single release Sister, previously self-released EP As a Child and cover of Blues Run The Game, which featured on the US TV drama This Is Us and has over 150,00 plays on Spotify.

Vocally and lyrically miles ahead of her young years, Janileigh writes on both piano and guitar, with a sound influenced by the likes of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. Her lyrics tell a personal story; exposing the joy, disillusionment, confusion and romance of life. Janileigh has honed her craft busking in her Northern hometown and around Europe, along with performing at open-mic nights, and is a must-see live. FACEBOOK.

We featured the song 'Sister' a few weeks back and the new single 'Same Old Road' is another absolutely beautiful release, last time I stated " I try to avoid writing this to often however Janileigh Cohen is definitely one to watch out for in the months to come." I am even more convinced that is the case now!

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Line & Circle - Vicious Folly.

Background - Ohio-born, Los Angeles-based Line & Circle will follow up their acclaimed singles and debut LP with their new EP Vicious Folly, due December 1st via Grand Gallop. This week they share the title track. At a moment when societal divisions seem increasingly tense and tribalistic, Vicious Folly explores a belief the Romans held centuries ago: homo homini lupus — man is a wolf to man. Whether the conflicts here are romantic ("Man Uncouth"), ideological ("Vicious Folly"), or familial ("Who Runs Wild"), the songs contemplate the disquieting idea that man himself is his own greatest threat.

Vicious Folly brings the resulting emotional complexity to life by expanding on the band's characteristically moody but vibrant color palette. Interweaving bass clarinet pulses and distorted tape loops move underneath minimalist patterns of chiming guitar and bass melody counterpoint. Singer/guitarist Brian J. Cohen's dramatic tenor pulls across the songs' brisk rhythmic foundations, which are more unhinged here than in previous releases.

The bulk of the record was tracked live to tape in one day at Los Angeles' Vox Studios with Michael Harris (Angel Olsen's My Woman), with additional sessions in various warehouses, bedrooms, and backhouse studios around the band's Echo Park neighborhood. The project was mixed with frequent collaborator Jonathan Low (The National, The War On Drugs) at Aaron Dessner of The National's Long Pond studio in Hudson Valley, New York.

Vicious Folly's cover features Peter Flötner's 16th century hand-painted playing cards from post-Reformation Germany. Flötner used his cards to depict and denounce the perceived greed, gluttony, and folly of his time. That the imagery strikes a chord today — as it surely did then — is either deeply comforting, or incredibly disconcerting, depending on your information filter. FACEBOOK, BANDCAMP.

Less than a month since we shared 'Man Uncouth' along comes 'Vicious Folly' from Line & Circle. The vocals slowly emerge from within the mix, as the band play some dynamic guitar lead rhythmic music that carries the power.

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Vern Matz - Trampolines.

Background - Indie rock trio Vern Matz share the lead track off their forthcoming self titled debut LP, due out January 2018. Vern Matz is comprised of guitarist and singer Danny Belgrad, pianist Michael Lituchy, and drummer Noah Silvestry. 

Not only are they bandmates, they are also all students together at Yale University. Speaking on "Trampolines," the band states, "At its core, Trampolines is a nostalgic piece that yearns for something that never really existed. It's like driving through a suburban town and feeling a longing for a time and place that you never experienced. You know you can't have it, you never did -- it's just this feeling of reaching out."

The EP was born out of several road trips between New Haven and Philadelphia. In a lot of ways, the EP is about Vern Matz coming of age - as individuals and as a band. Faced with finding a place in the world, the EP is about fleeing from those decisions and trying to ground themselves. Vern Matz says of the record, "Much of the EP is an expression of a feeling of displacement and an attempt to restore a sense of wholeness.

There's a lot of confusion and nervousness in the fact that you don't know what needs to be restored. We looked backwards a lot to resolve that uneasiness and got very swept up in nostalgia." The Vern Matz EP was recorded at Miner Street Recordings, produced and mixed by Matt Poirier, and mastered by Greg Calbi and Ryan Schwabe. FACEBOOK.

The distinct and engaging vocals are notable from the beginning on 'Trampolines'. The musical arrangement is refined and quite beautiful. This one is set to get quite a few personal plays, if the album is half this good, it will still be a must have.

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Aurganic - Broken Stems - The Patient - Janileigh Cohen - Verandan

Aurganic - Meander.

Background - We had 20 songs written for this release but only 9 made the cut. The making and production of this album took over 2 years to complete. A lot of parts were re-recorded, songs' structures changed, and ideas scrapped. The lack of deadlines helped us find new sounds and experiment with production. This album was completely self-produced. It also marks the first time we handled our own mastering. 

Aurganic is a window into a collaborative thought and emotion of two individuals who dedicate most of their time to the craft of music and sound creation. Separated by distance and connected by technology Aurganic was one of the original online collaboration projects to appear last decade. Rooted in friendship, the project proved its longevity with four independent releases to date.

Aurganic is an experimental electronic/alternative studio project of two long-time friends Michael Kossov and Leo Pisaq. Originally high school classmates, they were members in a number of local punk rock bands until life and distanceseparated them for a number of years. They reconnected musically in 2010 finding a lot of common ground. This time it was electronica, art rock and jazz that dominated the ideas. The reunited duo recorded instrumental sessions in New York and worked on their completion via internet resulting in a self-titled EP. They soon discovered how well they complimented each other with Leo's strong production skills and Mike's compositional ideas.

In September 2017 Aurganic came back with the third full length release "Distant Echoes & Close Encounters". Joey Aguirre was recruited to handle drums and Michael laid all the vocals on the record. The album was completely self-produced giving unlimited creative and production freedom. While overall songwriting is similar to Deviations, post rock and synth rock influences permeate this record from its beginning to an end. Website here, Facebook here.

Of the nine songs that make up 'Distant Echoes & Close Encounters' I chose 'Meander' to feature as I think it is pretty representative of the quality and feel of the album. Both vocals and music are fresh and imaginative, something that remains constant across the collection.

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Broken Stems - Rest Assured.

Background - Broken Stems, a San Diego band formed in 2011 was on the verge of collapse just 7 months ago. Their bass player had just quit, their drummer had to move back to Vermont for the spring and summer and their lead singer was about to have a baby, which historically doesn’t blend well with a touring rock band. This was a crucial point that many bands face and ultimately why life can get the better of those childhood rockstar dreams.

The three remaining members decided to get together just for fun to jam out in their old practice space and see what happened. They expected very little to come of it, more of a “let’s have some beers” kind of a practice. But something magical happened on that night. Brad Sweet (keyboards) set up his bass amp to really crank the bass notes on the keys and Jesse Gawlik (guitar/singer) turned up his octave peddle to fill in the low end from his guitar. They didn’t really know how things would sound without a bass player.

They started playing and magic happened, within the night they wrote the song “Rest Assured”. More of a reassurance to themselves that things would work out in the end; have faith in what you’re doing because we’re heading for blues skies. 

That was in the spring of 2017, a lot has happened in just a few months and the world right now more than ever could use some reassurance. The calming words sitting over roaring electric guitar solos that collapse into moody dynamic verses sets a classic tone of rock and roll. 

This is the first single the trio has released together of 5 new songs they recorded in Joshua Tree in a cabin that a friend let them use. The recording was self-produced and recorded by the band and surely lays a foundation of things to come for the San Diego blue-rock band. Website here.

Broken Stems conjure up some potent blues rock with 'Rest Assured'. With passionate vocals and swaggering musicianship from a trio who clearly love playing, the track has a live feel to it, and a very fine one, at that.


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The Patient - Extension 9.

Background - Elephant 6's Robert Schneider & W. Cullen Hart are The Patient. There comes a time in one’s day to day existence where you egg a friend to get something done. Such is the case with The Patient. 

Started as a collaboration between co-founders of the Elephant Six Recording Company, Robert Schneider (Apples in Stereo) and W. Cullen Hart (The Olivia Tremor Control), they’ve recorded for almost 20 years with nothing to show for it. This release changes that. Chunklet’s A&R staff challenged Robert to finish but one song and “Extension Nine” is the finished product. 

Recorded in Athens inside a geodisic dome, “Extension Nine” is more Talking Heads than Syd Barrett, accidental more than deliberate. Hart is on guitar and sound effects, Robert on vocals, Ben Mize on drums and multi-instrumentalist/luthier/wizard Scott Baxendale on guitar, Mellotron and all sorts of whirring noises. All recorded at Scott’s studio in Athens. This is their first release.

When it was suggested that The Patient do a split single with Robert Schneider’s favorite Atlanta band, Breathers, everything came into place quite quickly.

Beautiful swirling psychedelic vibes are there from the opening chords of 'Extension 9'. The songs fabulous drum lead reprise and what follows makes the song something very special.

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Janileigh Cohen - Sister.

Background - Bolton folk singer-songwriter Janileigh Cohen released her new single Sister on 29th September through Funnel Music. “Janileigh is a star in the old fashioned sense of the word. It’s in her blood. She comes straight from the heart and stole mine as soon as I heard her sing” - Beth Orton.

Janileigh is an artist whose voice truly does all of the talking. Vocally and lyrically miles ahead of her young years, she writes on both piano and guitar, with a stunningly emotive voice and a sound influenced by the likes of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. Her lyrics tell a personal story; exposing the joy, disillusionment, confusion and romance of life.

Following her previously self-released EP As a Child and cover of Blues Run The Game, which featured on the US TV drama This Is Us and has over 100,00 plays on Spotify, new single Sister is an ode to family. A stripped back and beautifully raw track with an intimate piano intro, the song delicately builds to a chorus full of honest emotion. As Janileigh says, “it’s a very personal song written for my sister, so she knows that I'm always there for her even if I'm far away from home.”

Janileigh has honed her craft busking in her Northern hometown and around Europe, along with performing at open-mic nights, and is a must-see live. Website here, Facebook here.

Gracious and sensitive 'Sister' is beauty in musical form. Janileigh Cohen's vocals are as Beth Orton put it above "star quality". The song complete with a simple musical arrangement allows the melodic vocals to stand out even further. I try to avoid writing this to often however Janileigh Cohen is definitely one to watch out for in the months to come.

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Verandan - Follow The Money.

Background - Just prior to the release of their debut s/t EP, Verandan share another taste with 'Follow The Money'. Verandan's debut EP is released via Soliti on the 9th October. The EP will be available via Digital services and Ltd. edition cassette.

The themes of the track are set in a possible near future reality; 'Follow The Money' discusses what it means to people and communities when they become entirely redundant as commercial opportunities and monetary institutions move elsewhere. Feeling conned and left behind by the neoliberalist project, while at the same time feeling as if one  should have known better – the implication here being ”there's nothing here, follow the money”.

Verandan is a new project by Ville Hopponen, who has previously played in different bands throughout the years; Cats On Fire, The New Tigers, Pöllöt and Le Futur Pompiste. Aiding and abetting Ville on his new adventure are a magnificent supporting cast; Aleksi Peltonen (Puunhalaaja, Henna Emilia & Houreet), Aki Pohjankyrö (Black Twig, LOVE SPORT), Kaarlo Stauffer (Black Twig) and Sampo Seppänen (Sofa Pets, Kynnet). Verandan were formed in late 2015 around songs written by Hopponen. Facebook here.

We featured 'Short Dream' from the forthcoming EP earlier this month and 'Follow The Money' is another welcome share prior to the release. Last time I stated "each song is as good as the featured track & from a personal perspective sometimes better" I will allow you to decide if I feel this is a better track, it's all a matter of perspective & personal taste, & this piece tastes real good.

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