Hajk are polished, melodic and with some R&B vibes rather catchy on their new song. It's been some time since we featured Marble Mammoth and the alt rockers return with a stunning couple of tracks. Henry Jamison's beautifully crafted songs continue to impress, whilst Porteau offer us an exquisite piece that exudes both feeling and quality. Living Hour's vocals are gorgeous and the musical backdrop is a perfect complement on this wonderfully lush song.
Hajk - Breathe.
Hajk have released a brand new single entitled 'Breathe', the third and final single from the upcoming album 'Drama' that is out on February 15th on Jansen Records. The track is a soaring, emotional R&B-tinged song with an instantly infectious melody guided by Sigrid Aase’s powerful vocals that enthrall throughout.
Behind the sheen though, the band's Preben Sælid Andersen has explained that 'Breathe' is actually, "about the ability to believe in yourself and the ones close to you. It’s about trying to hold on to something, but deep down you know it's already too late. Breathing is also something we have talked about a lot during the making of this album, and it now serves as a theme throughout the record, in the lyrics and with actual breathing sounds hidden all over. Being able to take a step back and take a deep breath can be the only right thing to do sometimes."
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Marble Mammoth - The Light.
Marble Mamoth have just released a new single The Light.
It’s a track in two parts with a fuzzed out bass, a didgeridoo and sampled seagulls from The Beatles.
It is the second single release after the debut EP, and the band are planning on releasing two more tracks this spring.
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Henry Jamison - American Babes.
Henry Jamison’s upcoming album ‘Gloria Duplex’ is out February 8th on Akira Records, and is shaping up to be not only a formidable follow-up to his stellar debut album ‘The Wilds’ (which has over 90 million streams on Spotify alone), but also an insightful deconstruction of what it means to “be a man” in 2018. And this week Henry has unfolded another chapter in his exploration of masculinity by releasing the fourth single from the upcoming set, “American Babes”.
If album cuts like the previously released “Boys” and “Gloria” acknowledge the ways young boys are enlisted into a “toxic fraternity” by society, “American Babes” is a mini tableau of that society as a whole. As Henry describes it, “The verses are about a group of students that I saw on the train from New York to Vermont years ago and about a homeless man who I talked to once in Baltimore. The juxtaposition isn't totally worked-out, but it's loosely about young people who still feel some trust in institutions and an old man who felt utterly failed by them. When the structures of our lives crash down, what can we lean on?”
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Porteau - River Song.
Do we really have a choice? Does instinct guide us home? These are the questions posed in “River Song,” the first single from Water’s Gate, our forthcoming debut album. At the time, the lyrics were simply poetry I wrote in a journal during summer evenings spent in a remote Alaskan village. We were independently writing ideas/songs that neither of us necessarily intended to combine together; we weren’t trying to write a record. This poetry was a catalyst, and “River Song” as a whole naturally revealed itself.
I found myself inspired to write “River Song” while watching salmon swim in the streams. Their journey back to spawn is magnificent – one that brings life, but ultimately ends in death. Using the earth’s magnetic field, like a compass, the salmon return to their final resting place. I was struggling to wrap my head around accepting the natural cycle of life. Seeing the salmon’s instinctual guidance drawing them back to their place of birth helped me discover where I needed to be “River Song” is not a story with a concrete ending. Ask yourself – do we really have a choice? Does instinct guide us home?
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Living Hour - Water.
Winnipeg’s Living Hour shares "Water," the second single from their upcoming album, Softer Faces. The band teamed up with filmmaker Ryan Steel for a short film to accompany the song.
Steel says: "'Water' is a video about winter in Winnipeg. The video was shot covertly on the streets and in the homes of friends and grandmothers. Liminal spaces such as buses, shopping malls, and arcades all percolate together. Periods of rest and the textures of winter were captured on the outdated medium of 16mm film."
Everything about Winnipeg’s Living Hour has been expanding since their humble basement beginnings in 2015. What started with dreamy love songs inspired by the cinematic sky of their hometown has transformed into even more sprawling and expansive expressions on their latest effort, Softer Faces due March 1, 2019.
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Showing posts with label Living Hour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Living Hour. Show all posts
Crooked Ghost - Living Hour - Love Canon - Pastis
Crooked Ghost - Sleepwalker.
Dreamy post-punk rockers Crooked Ghost have announced that their new album 'Skeleton House' will be released on CD on November 23, followed by a limited edition 12" vinyl release in February 2019. Ahead of this, the Asheville, NC outfit presents their 'Sleepwalker' single, accompanied by a video, directed by Rome Widenhouse.
"Skeleton House' is the band's sophomore long-play - a dark and hazy dreamscape of lush and angular melody, with a stark lyrical rawness touching upon such subjects as addiction, trauma, loss, superstition, and everything that gets left behind after a catastrophic event. The album consists of eight tracks, ranging from dreamy and playful to anguished and harrowing. Billowing vocal patterns weave intricate stories between shimmering guitar crescendos, cascading synths and mathematical percussion.
This album follows up their debut LP 'Strange Burial Rituals', released in March 2017. This new offering has two distinct halves: the first is lighter, the second darker. The whole thing plays out like a story, or rather, two opposite stories that are intertwined.
"The song 'Sleepwalker' was one of the first written for the new album, and everything about it just worked. The song itself is in reference to addiction and a dissolution of ones sense of self; self-medicating and numbness. I wanted to bring light to something dark, yet still tell an honest story. Something about this song has always stood out for us, says frontman Ray Clark. FACEBOOK.
If your new to Crooked Ghost then 'Sleepwalker' gives a good indication of the bands overall sound, albeit they can and are sometimes a little more moody and atmospheric and on occasion lyrically quite dark. That they are creative and often intriguing in the direction they take, adds a level of expectation for each track in this collection.
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Living Hour - Bottom Step.
Winnipeg’s Living Hour recently announced its sophomore LP, Softer Faces, due out March 1 via Kanine Records. A follow-up to their highly-praised 2016 S/T debut, it features the haunting, ethereal vocals of lead singer Sam Sarty accompanied by lush, expansive instrumentation.
The band shared a first taste of their new record with hazy, hypnotic leading single “Bottom Step”, and now they’ve released a lyric video for the track. NPR says "Bottom Step" “softly but assertively navigates the feeling of rejection, accented by delicate synth and brass. The song's accompanying visuals expand upon the protagonist's yearning for solitude, as Sarty enjoys a solo swim.”
The band has announce tour dates for early 2019, including performances in Saskatoon, Calgary, Rossland, and Edmonton before heading to Austin for SXSW. Full tour dates can be found below.
Living Hour has been expanding since their humble basement beginnings in 2015. Now a quintet, rounded out by Gil Carroll (guitar), Adam Soloway (guitar, vocals), Alex Chochinov (drums, trumpet, orangelle), and Brett Ticzon (bass, vocals), Living Hour’s emotive vocals, intricate harmonies, with dreamy washes of guitar, bass, keys, and horns sees the band pulling from many genres to create their own diverse vibe that's intimate, honest, and vulnerable. WEBSITE.
Beautifully dreamy and melodic 'Bottom Step' is awash with emotion and feeling. The layers of sound slowly develop, with a feeling of calmness that comes from the refined arrangement and soothing vocals.
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Love Canon - Graceland (Live with Lauren Balthrop).
Continuing to feature selected songs from their Cover Story album, Love Canon releases a live video of "Graceland." Filmed live at Eugenia Hall with the Bluegrass Situation in Nashville, Tennessee, the song features the band along with Lauren Balthrop's accompaniment vocals.
Known for their sophisticated and energetic Grass-infused covers of iconic 80’s-era pop and rock songs, the band backs the smoky vocals of Jesse Harper and Balthrop with the positive bounce of the original song but with the athletic instrumental breaks Love Canon is known for.
Lead singer and guitarist Jesse Harper says, “I have always been a fan of Paul Simon. Graceland is one of those records I have played over and over again. It’s been in heavy rotation on my stereo for at least 20 years. I love the songwriting and the musicianship. I think this tune fits with bluegrass instrumentation particularly well, and it was beyond fun getting to jam with Mike Barnett (fiddle) and Lauren Balthrop (vocals) on this tune.”
Nothing is hidden in this live take of the Paul Simon classic, which allows the nimble dynamics of Love Canon’s playing and singing to shine as it does on the album, released from from Organic Records in July of this year. SPOTIFY, Lauren Balthrop WEBSITE.
We don't often feature cover versions on Beehive Candy however this version of 'Graceland' just has to be shared. An outstanding song is given a refreshing makeover where bluegrass and dual vocals give the piece a pleasing feel, so now I have two splendid versions of a timeless song.
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Pastis - Valour Valour.
'Valour Valour' is the second single of the Finnish rock n roll band 'Pastis' upcoming debut LP 'Circles' (release 8th February 2019).
It was recorded and co-produced by the award-winning producer Lauri Eloranta, and it also features trumpet virtuoso Antero Priha who has performed with the likes of Ray Charles, Carla Bley and Freddie Hubbard.
The band created great excitement with their first single 'Amazon' (released 13th June 2018) and have established themselves as one the most promising Finnish rock n roll bands to attract an international audience. FACEBOOK.
'Valour Valour' has all the quality and subtly modern musical production techniques allow for, and yet it has sixties pop and rock vibes coursing right through it. Add to that just how very catchy indeed compelling this song is and Pastis new album cannot come soon enough!
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Dreamy post-punk rockers Crooked Ghost have announced that their new album 'Skeleton House' will be released on CD on November 23, followed by a limited edition 12" vinyl release in February 2019. Ahead of this, the Asheville, NC outfit presents their 'Sleepwalker' single, accompanied by a video, directed by Rome Widenhouse.
"Skeleton House' is the band's sophomore long-play - a dark and hazy dreamscape of lush and angular melody, with a stark lyrical rawness touching upon such subjects as addiction, trauma, loss, superstition, and everything that gets left behind after a catastrophic event. The album consists of eight tracks, ranging from dreamy and playful to anguished and harrowing. Billowing vocal patterns weave intricate stories between shimmering guitar crescendos, cascading synths and mathematical percussion.
This album follows up their debut LP 'Strange Burial Rituals', released in March 2017. This new offering has two distinct halves: the first is lighter, the second darker. The whole thing plays out like a story, or rather, two opposite stories that are intertwined.
"The song 'Sleepwalker' was one of the first written for the new album, and everything about it just worked. The song itself is in reference to addiction and a dissolution of ones sense of self; self-medicating and numbness. I wanted to bring light to something dark, yet still tell an honest story. Something about this song has always stood out for us, says frontman Ray Clark. FACEBOOK.
If your new to Crooked Ghost then 'Sleepwalker' gives a good indication of the bands overall sound, albeit they can and are sometimes a little more moody and atmospheric and on occasion lyrically quite dark. That they are creative and often intriguing in the direction they take, adds a level of expectation for each track in this collection.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Living Hour - Bottom Step.
Winnipeg’s Living Hour recently announced its sophomore LP, Softer Faces, due out March 1 via Kanine Records. A follow-up to their highly-praised 2016 S/T debut, it features the haunting, ethereal vocals of lead singer Sam Sarty accompanied by lush, expansive instrumentation.
The band shared a first taste of their new record with hazy, hypnotic leading single “Bottom Step”, and now they’ve released a lyric video for the track. NPR says "Bottom Step" “softly but assertively navigates the feeling of rejection, accented by delicate synth and brass. The song's accompanying visuals expand upon the protagonist's yearning for solitude, as Sarty enjoys a solo swim.”
The band has announce tour dates for early 2019, including performances in Saskatoon, Calgary, Rossland, and Edmonton before heading to Austin for SXSW. Full tour dates can be found below.
Living Hour has been expanding since their humble basement beginnings in 2015. Now a quintet, rounded out by Gil Carroll (guitar), Adam Soloway (guitar, vocals), Alex Chochinov (drums, trumpet, orangelle), and Brett Ticzon (bass, vocals), Living Hour’s emotive vocals, intricate harmonies, with dreamy washes of guitar, bass, keys, and horns sees the band pulling from many genres to create their own diverse vibe that's intimate, honest, and vulnerable. WEBSITE.
Beautifully dreamy and melodic 'Bottom Step' is awash with emotion and feeling. The layers of sound slowly develop, with a feeling of calmness that comes from the refined arrangement and soothing vocals.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Love Canon - Graceland (Live with Lauren Balthrop).
Continuing to feature selected songs from their Cover Story album, Love Canon releases a live video of "Graceland." Filmed live at Eugenia Hall with the Bluegrass Situation in Nashville, Tennessee, the song features the band along with Lauren Balthrop's accompaniment vocals.
Known for their sophisticated and energetic Grass-infused covers of iconic 80’s-era pop and rock songs, the band backs the smoky vocals of Jesse Harper and Balthrop with the positive bounce of the original song but with the athletic instrumental breaks Love Canon is known for.
Lead singer and guitarist Jesse Harper says, “I have always been a fan of Paul Simon. Graceland is one of those records I have played over and over again. It’s been in heavy rotation on my stereo for at least 20 years. I love the songwriting and the musicianship. I think this tune fits with bluegrass instrumentation particularly well, and it was beyond fun getting to jam with Mike Barnett (fiddle) and Lauren Balthrop (vocals) on this tune.”
Nothing is hidden in this live take of the Paul Simon classic, which allows the nimble dynamics of Love Canon’s playing and singing to shine as it does on the album, released from from Organic Records in July of this year. SPOTIFY, Lauren Balthrop WEBSITE.
We don't often feature cover versions on Beehive Candy however this version of 'Graceland' just has to be shared. An outstanding song is given a refreshing makeover where bluegrass and dual vocals give the piece a pleasing feel, so now I have two splendid versions of a timeless song.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pastis - Valour Valour.
'Valour Valour' is the second single of the Finnish rock n roll band 'Pastis' upcoming debut LP 'Circles' (release 8th February 2019).
It was recorded and co-produced by the award-winning producer Lauri Eloranta, and it also features trumpet virtuoso Antero Priha who has performed with the likes of Ray Charles, Carla Bley and Freddie Hubbard.
The band created great excitement with their first single 'Amazon' (released 13th June 2018) and have established themselves as one the most promising Finnish rock n roll bands to attract an international audience. FACEBOOK.
'Valour Valour' has all the quality and subtly modern musical production techniques allow for, and yet it has sixties pop and rock vibes coursing right through it. Add to that just how very catchy indeed compelling this song is and Pastis new album cannot come soon enough!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Holly Miranda - Juliet Quick - Living Hour - Marville - Porshyne
Holly Miranda - To Be Loved.
Background - Holly Miranda's new single is "To Be Loved". It follows her prior singles "Golden Spiral" and "Exquisite" the latter of which features T.V. On The Radio's Kyp Malone. "Exquisite" also had a video which was directed by Kyp. All three tracks will be available on Holly's new LP 'Mutual Horse', out 2/23 on Dangerbird Records. You can pre-order the LP here. Holly will also be playing a handful of NYC & L.A. shows including a show at Park Church Co-op in Brooklyn.
The Dangerbird studio in LA also inspired the album’s title - “Mutual Horse comes from this image we hung in the studio. It was a photo of the singer-songwriter Cris Williamson - “We printed out photos of her from the 1970s and taped them up around the studio; that was our vibe.” One of those photos was of Williamson and another woman holding the reins of a horse; the two women are staring at each other, but the horse is staring at the camera. Eventually someone scrawled the phrase “Mutual Horse” beneath the picture. “It doesn’t feel like just mine,” Miranda says of the album, which took its name from the graffiti. “It feels like it belongs to everybody who worked on it. I opened myself to collaborating this time around, which made me really vulnerable.”
Miranda grew up between Detroit and Nashville, two music towns that would influence her own journey in a very profound way. She began playing piano at the age of six, taught her self-guitar at 14 and moved to New York at 16 to start her professional career. For nearly 20 years, she’s been performing, writing and producing with some of the best talent in the business. She has performed with the likes of Karen O, Lou Reed, The XX, and Lesley Gore. She released two records with her band The Jealous Girlfriends and has co-written and produced a mass of other projects. FACEBOOK.
Tour Dates:
2/22 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Hotel Cafe
3/8 - Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon
3/22 - Brooklyn, NY @ Park Church Co-op.
We featured the song 'Exquisite' back in November and 'To Be Loved' is another fine single and is included on the 'Mutual Horse' album due next week. Once again the vocals are distinct and very appealing, the music allowing them to shine right through, whilst giving the song further momentum.
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Juliet Quick - Changeling Part I.
Background - Brooklyn-based, alt-folk artist Juliet Quick shares her new track, "Changeling Part I," from her forthcoming EP, a 3-part song series, Changeling EP. The Changeling EP is due out April 6th on all DSPs.
Juliet Quick is currently based in Brooklyn, where in 2016 she began playing with a backing band made up of collaborators Philip Joy on drums, Nathan Kamal on violin, and Oliver Mashburn on guitar. Quick grew up in the Hudson Valley, and her art has always been in conversation with that landscape. In addition to her music, which relies heavily on that setting for its tone and imagery, she has written a chapbook of research-based poems on the Hudson River.
Changeling is a 3-part song series, using the folkloric trope of the changeling, in which a child is stolen by fairies and replaced with an imposter, to explore feelings of alienation from the self and the familiar that characterize early adulthood. They don’t follow a strict narrative, so much as trace different points in the evolution of that psychic experience. The imagery is heavily grounded in the landscape of the Hudson Valley, where the artist was raised. It was recorded in Carmel, NY, where it was engineered and co-produced by Rees Shad in his own studio. The orchestral strings were arranged in a collaboration with Juliet Quick, Rees Shad, and Nathan Kamal. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.
Tour Dates:
03.04 - Sunnyvale - Brooklyn, NY
03.31 - Rockwood Stage 3 - New York, NY.
'Changeling Part I' is a gorgeous and quite unique indie folk song, where Juliet Quick's vocals are quite beguiling and the musical arrangement adds a chamber folk dimension to this sumptuous and almost epic piece.
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Living Hour - Tous les garcons et les filles.
Background - Winnepeg band Living Hour announces a new covers EP, Lovely, Lonely: A Collection Of Covers For Hollow Hearts, which will be released on March 2, 2018. The EP includes covers of Nico, Avi Buffalo, The Ink Spots and Françoise Hardy. The band will also be touring to SXSW, see full list of tour dates below.
Sink into the drowsy guitars and blissful, washed-out textures of Winnipeg’s Living Hour. The band made up of dream-pop revivalists’ atmospheric and pillowy melodies are coloured by psychedelic accents and the enthralling coos of vocalist Sam Sarty. Brushed-Snare Beats, droning reverberations, and wobbly romanticism conjure up a tranquil and exploratory state of mind. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.
Tour Dates:
03/05 Minneapolis, MN @ Memory Lanes
03/06 Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle
03/08 Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop*
03/09 St. Louis, MO @ The Sinkhole*
03/10 Russellville, AR @ The Cavern*
03/11 Houston, TX @ Super Happy Fun Land*
03/12 Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas – Strange Brew 7
03/13 Austin, TX @ Javelina (Force Field PR / Danger Village Official SXSW Showcase)
03/16 Austin, TX @ The Electric Church (Wallflower Records x Fuzzland Presents)
03/19 Hot Springs, AR @ Low Key Arts (Valley Of The Vapors)*
* = w/ Look Vibrant.
Francoise Hardy original version was released way back in 1962 and was an outstanding pop song for that era. Living Hour have slowed the pace with their rendition of 'Tous les garcons et les filles', the dream pop interpretation adds atmosphere and charm, I am fascinated as to how they will interpret one of Nico songs!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marville - Thinking Sense.
Background - Brisbane/Meanjin-based guitar-drums duo Marville have released new single Thinking Sense with lo-fi visuals by songwriter/guitarist Ash Kerley (of Girls Rock!). Marville also announce their impending second LP Terra Alpha, out via Regressive on March 30 with an East Coast launch tour to follow.
Written "in a sitty share house", Kerley's yawning, powerful vocals parse caustic jabs on Thinking Sense that are just as often aimed at herself. Propelled by relentlessly dirty, crunchy guitar and Doug Palmer's furious drumming, Thinking Sense has already made fans at community radio (RRR, PBSFM, 4ZZZ & more) and explores the landscape of how humans relate to each other when dignity is removed from the equation, with self-respect quickly following.
Marville's intensely human bare-bones approach has earned them myriad praise across their local scene, with multiple placings in the 4ZZZ Hot 100 and Sonic Masala calling first LP Vayan Con Dios "an album of unabashed tension, atmosphere and slack-jawed nihilism". Crowned winners of the 2017 Billy Thorpe Scholarship at the Queensland Music Awards last March, Marville's second LP Terra Alpha is a journey through the hot, crushing tension that comes before the quintessential melodramatic Queensland storm.
Produced by Joe Hammond (Courtney Barnett, Jen Cloher, Fraser A. Gorman) at his Pots and Pans studio, Terra Alpha's release will be followed by an East Coast launch tour, with a regional tour across Queensland to be announced. Marville's singularly enthralling, high-decibel live show - previously on display at the Brisbane leg of Gizzfest 2017 and as support for peers Cable Ties and Wet Lips - must be experienced to be fully understood. BANDCAMP, FACEBOOK.
Marville - Terra Alpha LP - East Coast Launch Tour
FRI 20 APR - The Bearded Lady, Brisbane
SAT 5 MAY - The Forresters, Sydney
SUN 6 MAY - The Servo, Wollongong
THU 10 MAY - The Old Bar, Melbourne.
'Thinking Sense' is one unpretentious rocker that just cuts to the chase and carves out some robust rock grooves with passion, emotion and determination.
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Porshyne - Miles Away.
Background - Porshyne are an atmospheric rock five-piece hailing from Brighton. Formed in 2014, early releases from the band such as ‘Residue’ and ‘Locked In’ have helped to cement their name within the Brighton music scene, leading to them playing shows alongside the likes of Black Peaks, Valerian Swing, Town Portal and many more. The band then went on to release their highly anticipated debut EP ‘Environmental Music’ in 2017, which received praise from the likes of Dan P Carter’s BBC Radio 1 Rock Show, Upset, Alt Press, New Noise Magazine and Kerrang! Radio, with the latter likening the band to Radiohead, Tool and QOTSA. Now the band are preparing to release their new single ‘Miles Away’.
In the time between ‘Environmental Music’ and ‘Miles Away’, Porshyne have been mindful to use their time well, and to relentlessly dedicate themselves to honing their sound even further. The new single sees a natural evolution in the band’s heavily textured dynamics, shifting the focus onto their cinematic and melodic sensibilities, accentuating any previous comparisons to Radiohead. Amongst this Porshyne still stay true to some of their heavier roots in their instrumentation, by interlacing complex guitar sequences with powerful and intricate rhythms that continue to draw from their prog and math-rock influences.
Thematically, ‘Miles Away’ is similarly introspective. Speaking about the new single, Fergal Lyden (frontman/guitarist) says “The song is about wasted time and regretting the number of wasted days which pass and are then quickly forgotten about. It’s about the guilt and regret of unrealised opportunities, missed because of inaction and procrastination, and of the realisation that certain ambitions are drifting out of reach and becoming less and less attainable with the passage of time.”
Porshyne have retained their unique and atmospheric framework on ‘Miles Away’, continuing to expertly merge their multifarious and technical collective influences, whilst also finding a route into deeper and more diverse melodious concepts, which will appeal to listensers both above and below the surface. Whilst ‘Environmental Music’ was a bold statement of intent for Porshyne, ‘Miles Away’ is testament to the bands dedication to further developing their collective creative ambitions, to build something that will leave many eagerly anticipating what’s yet to come.
It's almost a year to the day that we first featured Porshyne and the new song 'Miles Away' (this is the single edit) is impressive. The bands expansive rock sound is notable, even the refrains on this track have a layer of simmering tension. Last time around the expression atmospheric rock was cited, I think I would add dramatic for this track, and a very fine listen.
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Background - Holly Miranda's new single is "To Be Loved". It follows her prior singles "Golden Spiral" and "Exquisite" the latter of which features T.V. On The Radio's Kyp Malone. "Exquisite" also had a video which was directed by Kyp. All three tracks will be available on Holly's new LP 'Mutual Horse', out 2/23 on Dangerbird Records. You can pre-order the LP here. Holly will also be playing a handful of NYC & L.A. shows including a show at Park Church Co-op in Brooklyn.
The Dangerbird studio in LA also inspired the album’s title - “Mutual Horse comes from this image we hung in the studio. It was a photo of the singer-songwriter Cris Williamson - “We printed out photos of her from the 1970s and taped them up around the studio; that was our vibe.” One of those photos was of Williamson and another woman holding the reins of a horse; the two women are staring at each other, but the horse is staring at the camera. Eventually someone scrawled the phrase “Mutual Horse” beneath the picture. “It doesn’t feel like just mine,” Miranda says of the album, which took its name from the graffiti. “It feels like it belongs to everybody who worked on it. I opened myself to collaborating this time around, which made me really vulnerable.”
Miranda grew up between Detroit and Nashville, two music towns that would influence her own journey in a very profound way. She began playing piano at the age of six, taught her self-guitar at 14 and moved to New York at 16 to start her professional career. For nearly 20 years, she’s been performing, writing and producing with some of the best talent in the business. She has performed with the likes of Karen O, Lou Reed, The XX, and Lesley Gore. She released two records with her band The Jealous Girlfriends and has co-written and produced a mass of other projects. FACEBOOK.
Tour Dates:
2/22 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Hotel Cafe
3/8 - Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon
3/22 - Brooklyn, NY @ Park Church Co-op.
We featured the song 'Exquisite' back in November and 'To Be Loved' is another fine single and is included on the 'Mutual Horse' album due next week. Once again the vocals are distinct and very appealing, the music allowing them to shine right through, whilst giving the song further momentum.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Juliet Quick - Changeling Part I.
Background - Brooklyn-based, alt-folk artist Juliet Quick shares her new track, "Changeling Part I," from her forthcoming EP, a 3-part song series, Changeling EP. The Changeling EP is due out April 6th on all DSPs.
Juliet Quick is currently based in Brooklyn, where in 2016 she began playing with a backing band made up of collaborators Philip Joy on drums, Nathan Kamal on violin, and Oliver Mashburn on guitar. Quick grew up in the Hudson Valley, and her art has always been in conversation with that landscape. In addition to her music, which relies heavily on that setting for its tone and imagery, she has written a chapbook of research-based poems on the Hudson River.
Changeling is a 3-part song series, using the folkloric trope of the changeling, in which a child is stolen by fairies and replaced with an imposter, to explore feelings of alienation from the self and the familiar that characterize early adulthood. They don’t follow a strict narrative, so much as trace different points in the evolution of that psychic experience. The imagery is heavily grounded in the landscape of the Hudson Valley, where the artist was raised. It was recorded in Carmel, NY, where it was engineered and co-produced by Rees Shad in his own studio. The orchestral strings were arranged in a collaboration with Juliet Quick, Rees Shad, and Nathan Kamal. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.
Tour Dates:
03.04 - Sunnyvale - Brooklyn, NY
03.31 - Rockwood Stage 3 - New York, NY.
'Changeling Part I' is a gorgeous and quite unique indie folk song, where Juliet Quick's vocals are quite beguiling and the musical arrangement adds a chamber folk dimension to this sumptuous and almost epic piece.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Living Hour - Tous les garcons et les filles.
Background - Winnepeg band Living Hour announces a new covers EP, Lovely, Lonely: A Collection Of Covers For Hollow Hearts, which will be released on March 2, 2018. The EP includes covers of Nico, Avi Buffalo, The Ink Spots and Françoise Hardy. The band will also be touring to SXSW, see full list of tour dates below.
Sink into the drowsy guitars and blissful, washed-out textures of Winnipeg’s Living Hour. The band made up of dream-pop revivalists’ atmospheric and pillowy melodies are coloured by psychedelic accents and the enthralling coos of vocalist Sam Sarty. Brushed-Snare Beats, droning reverberations, and wobbly romanticism conjure up a tranquil and exploratory state of mind. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.
Tour Dates:
03/05 Minneapolis, MN @ Memory Lanes
03/06 Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle
03/08 Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop*
03/09 St. Louis, MO @ The Sinkhole*
03/10 Russellville, AR @ The Cavern*
03/11 Houston, TX @ Super Happy Fun Land*
03/12 Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas – Strange Brew 7
03/13 Austin, TX @ Javelina (Force Field PR / Danger Village Official SXSW Showcase)
03/16 Austin, TX @ The Electric Church (Wallflower Records x Fuzzland Presents)
03/19 Hot Springs, AR @ Low Key Arts (Valley Of The Vapors)*
* = w/ Look Vibrant.
Francoise Hardy original version was released way back in 1962 and was an outstanding pop song for that era. Living Hour have slowed the pace with their rendition of 'Tous les garcons et les filles', the dream pop interpretation adds atmosphere and charm, I am fascinated as to how they will interpret one of Nico songs!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marville - Thinking Sense.
Background - Brisbane/Meanjin-based guitar-drums duo Marville have released new single Thinking Sense with lo-fi visuals by songwriter/guitarist Ash Kerley (of Girls Rock!). Marville also announce their impending second LP Terra Alpha, out via Regressive on March 30 with an East Coast launch tour to follow.
Written "in a sitty share house", Kerley's yawning, powerful vocals parse caustic jabs on Thinking Sense that are just as often aimed at herself. Propelled by relentlessly dirty, crunchy guitar and Doug Palmer's furious drumming, Thinking Sense has already made fans at community radio (RRR, PBSFM, 4ZZZ & more) and explores the landscape of how humans relate to each other when dignity is removed from the equation, with self-respect quickly following.
Marville's intensely human bare-bones approach has earned them myriad praise across their local scene, with multiple placings in the 4ZZZ Hot 100 and Sonic Masala calling first LP Vayan Con Dios "an album of unabashed tension, atmosphere and slack-jawed nihilism". Crowned winners of the 2017 Billy Thorpe Scholarship at the Queensland Music Awards last March, Marville's second LP Terra Alpha is a journey through the hot, crushing tension that comes before the quintessential melodramatic Queensland storm.
Produced by Joe Hammond (Courtney Barnett, Jen Cloher, Fraser A. Gorman) at his Pots and Pans studio, Terra Alpha's release will be followed by an East Coast launch tour, with a regional tour across Queensland to be announced. Marville's singularly enthralling, high-decibel live show - previously on display at the Brisbane leg of Gizzfest 2017 and as support for peers Cable Ties and Wet Lips - must be experienced to be fully understood. BANDCAMP, FACEBOOK.
Marville - Terra Alpha LP - East Coast Launch Tour
FRI 20 APR - The Bearded Lady, Brisbane
SAT 5 MAY - The Forresters, Sydney
SUN 6 MAY - The Servo, Wollongong
THU 10 MAY - The Old Bar, Melbourne.
'Thinking Sense' is one unpretentious rocker that just cuts to the chase and carves out some robust rock grooves with passion, emotion and determination.
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Porshyne - Miles Away.
Background - Porshyne are an atmospheric rock five-piece hailing from Brighton. Formed in 2014, early releases from the band such as ‘Residue’ and ‘Locked In’ have helped to cement their name within the Brighton music scene, leading to them playing shows alongside the likes of Black Peaks, Valerian Swing, Town Portal and many more. The band then went on to release their highly anticipated debut EP ‘Environmental Music’ in 2017, which received praise from the likes of Dan P Carter’s BBC Radio 1 Rock Show, Upset, Alt Press, New Noise Magazine and Kerrang! Radio, with the latter likening the band to Radiohead, Tool and QOTSA. Now the band are preparing to release their new single ‘Miles Away’.
In the time between ‘Environmental Music’ and ‘Miles Away’, Porshyne have been mindful to use their time well, and to relentlessly dedicate themselves to honing their sound even further. The new single sees a natural evolution in the band’s heavily textured dynamics, shifting the focus onto their cinematic and melodic sensibilities, accentuating any previous comparisons to Radiohead. Amongst this Porshyne still stay true to some of their heavier roots in their instrumentation, by interlacing complex guitar sequences with powerful and intricate rhythms that continue to draw from their prog and math-rock influences.
Thematically, ‘Miles Away’ is similarly introspective. Speaking about the new single, Fergal Lyden (frontman/guitarist) says “The song is about wasted time and regretting the number of wasted days which pass and are then quickly forgotten about. It’s about the guilt and regret of unrealised opportunities, missed because of inaction and procrastination, and of the realisation that certain ambitions are drifting out of reach and becoming less and less attainable with the passage of time.”
Porshyne have retained their unique and atmospheric framework on ‘Miles Away’, continuing to expertly merge their multifarious and technical collective influences, whilst also finding a route into deeper and more diverse melodious concepts, which will appeal to listensers both above and below the surface. Whilst ‘Environmental Music’ was a bold statement of intent for Porshyne, ‘Miles Away’ is testament to the bands dedication to further developing their collective creative ambitions, to build something that will leave many eagerly anticipating what’s yet to come.
It's almost a year to the day that we first featured Porshyne and the new song 'Miles Away' (this is the single edit) is impressive. The bands expansive rock sound is notable, even the refrains on this track have a layer of simmering tension. Last time around the expression atmospheric rock was cited, I think I would add dramatic for this track, and a very fine listen.
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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...