Background from Friendly Rich - My name is Rich but most people like to call me Friendly Rich. I wear various hats in the creative field ranging from composer, to publisher, and even soon to be Dr in Music Education. My journey in the music industry started back in the 90s composing music for 3 seasons of The Tom Green Show on MTV. Flash forward to 2017 and I now have released 10 records, a book, and now soon to be a one-of-a-kind video for my new single! When it came time to make the video for the single, I knew I had to reach out to the folks at Everything Is Terrible, as I’m a big fan. It’s been wonderful working with them, as they perfectly melt my song about a high profile Canadian divorce with North America’s forgotten past! ‘The Melon Sun’ is from my new full length studio recording The Great Blue Heron, out on Sept 14th, featuring Kevin Breit & Hawksley Workman, Facebook here.
'The Melon Sun' is a rowdy and riotous blast of crazy rock'n'roll where the vocals are wonderful, the music explosive, & the video suitably insane.
Background - NØMADS’ new single “Phasmophøbia”, is the August installment of the post-punk duo’s forthcoming/ongoing Phøbiac project. Phasmophobia is the fear of ghosts. The phenomenon of paranormal experiences presupposes a duality of time between the past and the present; a figure existing in both the past and present planes. Phasmophobia is often confused with Spectrophobia, a fear of mirrors or reflection, which is interesting in that a ghost is in essence a reflection of a past reality. We all have our ghosts. "Phasmophøbia" tells the story of an ex-lover, haunting the streets of the paranoid narrator's daily world. After last month's release of “Megalophøbia”, the duo has chosen to release the next two singles in live video form, showcasing the band's progression towards the synth-driven shape of Phøbiac Part 2, to be released in a March of 2018. Featuring swirling, long-form synth improvisation, and man vs machine drums from Brian Wolfe (of David Byrne & St. Vincent and the Dap Kings), the Live from Pittsburgh video series was filmed in the cavernous shadows of an abandoned Catholic school's furnace room, executed in one full take with no edits. The full Live from Pittsburgh video EP will be included with any download of Phøbiac Part 2 next year. Phøbiac Part 1 (comprised of previously released songs) will be released this October. Facebook here, Bandcamp here.
This is our third dip into the year long single by single release that makes up 'Phøbiac' a collection of material that is proving to be a feast of energised inspiration. The latest release is 'Phasmophøbia' a song which is a little less full on post punk & where the synths are more upfront. The passion & increase in melody only serves to add more diversity to what is a very fine the collection of music.
Background - Soft Fangs is the musical project of Brooklyn-based songwriter, John Lutkevich. Since his first EP (soft fangs | 2014) and subsequent full length (The Light | 2016), Lutkevich has been enticing audiences all over with his purposefully crafted dark pop.
Influences like The Beach Boys, Leonard Cohen and Pavement melt together to form a scuzzy tangle - from which emerges a dreamier sound reminiscent of acts like Sparkle Horse - while literary inspiration comes from the magical realism of author Gabriel Garcia Marquez and avant-garde poet Robert Creeley.
On his latest release ‘Fractures,' Lutkevich says: “The LP is a collection of songs that I wrote over the past year in fragments and then recorded in three days during a snowstorm in Maine. I wanted to take these songs that I’d written leisurely over the span of a year and then record them very quickly. It’s the first album where I've enlisted the help of others to engineer, so I let my good friends Bradford Krieger & Chaimes Parker (Big Nice Studio) handle all of the recording aspects, and I just got to run from instrument to instrument.”
Songs like ‘Honey Colony,’ drip around the ears of the listener, melding the story of a bee with that of a workaholic, while other songs like ‘Elephant Girl’ and ‘We Don’t Live Together Anymore’ take on abstract interpretations of loneliness and alienation.
“The album varying in concept is precisely the concept, hence it’s title. They are fractures from my life and other people’s.” Bandcamp here, Facebook here.
'Honey Colony' gently unfolds with a lazy drum rhythm and soft guitar background allowing the subtle vocals to shine & carry the melody.
Background from the band - We recorded You Deserve This last summer. We weren’t supposed to do any music that afternoon, we were really chilled out and in a great mood. We were playing with some rhythms and started having fun with detuned and off-phase synths. We recorded the guitars and the final vocals last month following our initial idea: it’s all about relaxing, wishing good to oneself and others and the nostalgic joy of feeling part of the universe. Founded in 2014, Men I Trust, is an indie-dance band from Montreal (Canada) who produces its own music videos. “We love smooth sounds, calm melodies and simple rhythms that relax, but make your right foot tap and your chin bounce on the beats. We are all in DYI: we record, mix, master and shoot our music videos ourselves, and we’re loving it!” tumblr here, Facebook here.
Ambient vibes, soothing vocals, and a fine melodic feel ensures 'You Deserve This' is a song that registers. Adding in the gentle and understated musical arrangement, really does complete the circle with this delicious track.
Background - “Dementophøbia” is the June instalment of NØMADS’ ongoing, year-long conceptual album Phøbiac, with each song being a case study based around a different rare or clinical phobia. Dementophobia is the fear of losing one's mind, and its accompanying single is a blistering, fuzzed-out, post-punk explosion that captures the nature of NØMADS as a dynamic post-punk duo. Phøbiac is the follow-up to NØMADS’ critically-acclaimed 2014 full-length, Free My Animal. The more you question if there are voices in your head, the more the question itself becomes a voice. In a time when so many things about our daily world seem insane, Dementophobia is a phobia that is likely more common than it is diagnosed. On the track, frontman Nathan Lithgow sings the paranoid refrain "Find a faster, louder way to give. Something wrong is always happening; just a prayer for a partial lobotomy. Excuse me I'm all out of me.” The duo is the brainchild of Nathan Lithgow (My Brightest Diamond) who handles bass and vocal duties, and Garth Macaleavey (the technical director at National Sawdust) on drums. True to form with all of NØMADS’ output, the duo relies heavily on Lithgow's melodic, yet razor-sharp distorted bass, paired with Macaleavey’s powerful drumming. Together, the band conjure up the sonic power of early Battles' work, as well as the gritty, razor sharp execution of 90's post-rock bands like Death From Above, Trans Am or Tortoise.
We featured 'Achluphobia' back at the beginning of February describing that song as "a powerful full on rocker, where the vocals pour out every last gasp of breath and the guitars and drums take a pounding. Raw and solid, it's also highly addictive." As we dip back into the year long 'Phøbiac' album with the latest track 'Dementophøbia' we are treated to another blast of energised post punk music, and again there is something about the overall sound that is compelling and demanding to be played again.
Background - 20-year-old Electro Pop artist, Anja Kotar, has released the first single off her debut album, “How to Be Cool”. The song has been dubbed a “summer jam”. This single is more than just a catchy tune though; it’s been described as a “musically intricate” track that "pushes all boundaries on what a pop song should sound like"; with a "catchy hook which will inspire you to break out every dance move you know". Anja Kotar had her first taste of the arts while studying piano, dance and acting in the blockbuster movie Gremo mi po svoje and its sequel while in Ljubljana, Slovenia. After moving to San Jose, California in 2012, Anja continued her studies at the Valley Christian Conservatory. It was then that she became heavily involved with theater and jazz. Anja used her time at VC Conservatory to perform in multiple shows and even start writing and directing full length productions such as; “Godspell.” Anja also earned a Voice Certificate from Berklee College of Music after taking online courses while she was in high school. Upon graduation Anja attended the prestigious Broadway Artist Alliance in New York City. At 17 she then completed her widely successful Kickstarter project, which had 156 supports who pledged anywhere from $5 to $1000 in return for background footage, memorabilia and lastly, NOMAD itself. After the release of her EP Anja was invited to perform at the Slovenian Song Festival (DSZG) the longest running festival in the country that features the country’s top talent and is the most viewed show in the country. After performing her original "Cas je zdaj" (The Time Is Now) and "Too Cool” live, Anja was nominated by RTV for Best Performance, Best Song, and Best New Artist, walking away with 2016’s Best New Artist. She then was nominated for Best Pop Song at the 2016 American Songwriting Awards. Currently Anja is working to complete her Bachelor’s degree from Berklee College of Music nearly two years early on top of working with three–time Grammy nominated producer Pascal Guyon on releasing her full length debut album along with an online store that will connect music and fashion. Website here, Facebook here.
It's about time we freshened Beehive Candy up with some funky, modern electro pop, the sort that blows those old cobwebs away. 'How To Be Cool' does all of that, it's fun, young and vibrantly, just right for summer.
Background - "Why We Fight" is the new single from Toronto 6-piece Fast Romantics. "Why We Fight" is taken from the band’s forthcoming album (set for release in Spring, 2017). Both are released via Light Organ Records/Postwar Records.
Anthemic in the truest sense, "Why We Fight" rushes with an energy akin to early music from fellow Canadian indie-rockers Arcade Fire, but with lashings of raw Bruce Springsteen-esque fire. It's perhaps of no surprise, given the Springsteen comparison, that "Why We Fight" was born at a time of political turmoil, written as the US election campaign was underway.
However, "Why We Fight" is not a protest song, in the traditional sense. It is perhaps best described as the reflections of a non-American songwriter living close to the border, hyper-aware of the US and its influence over Canada and the world. It's a song about being hungry for something, and fighting for it through chaos that can be beyond our control.
As Fast Romantics songwriter, singer and guitarist Matthew Angus explains: "'Why We Fight' started out as a song about myself, about what it is that drives me to even be in a band in the first place. But it quickly evolved into an ode to anyone who finds themselves hungry for something that might seem out of reach.” Website here, Facebook here.
If you enjoy a nice powerful rocker, with feisty vocals and a solid band behind, then 'Why We Fight' should tick all your boxes, and more.
Black Needle Noise with Mimi Page - Swimming Through Dreams.
Background - Legendary producer John Fryer, one of the most innovative sonic architects on the music scene, is releasing new music under his new project Black Needle Noise, dubbed “the spiritual successor to This Mortal Coil” by Cold War Night Life. Best known for his production work, he also branched out as a musician as one of only two constant members of This Mortal Coil (along with Ivo Watts-Russell), providing keyboards, strings and synthesizer sequencing for the band, and its offshoot, The Hope Blister.
In 1979, John Fryer started his career at London’s Blackwing Studios (London) and soon began working with seminal bands on the 4AD, Mute, Rough Trade and Beggars Banquet record labels, including Depeche Mode, The Wolfgang Press and Cocteau Twins. His achievement in helping develop the latter’s pioneering ethereal and ambient sound ultimately led Watts-Russell to recruit Fryer as his partner for This Mortal Coil.
He has produced many other groundbreaking artists, including Yaz (Yazoo), Nine Inch Nails, Clan of Xymox, Nitzer Ebb, Love and Rockets, Xmal Deutschland, Fields of the Nephilim, De/Vision and Stabbing Westward, Swans, HIM, Cradle of Filth, Jesus Jones, Swallow, M|A|R|R|S (A.R.Kane & Colourbox), and many others. More recent projects involve Dead Leaf Echo and The Foreign Resort.
The latest Black Needle Noise single ‘Swimming Through Dreams’ features renowned ethereal vocalist Mimi Page, who recently co-wrote and contributed vocals and programming on four tracks from Delirium’s 15th studio album 'Mythologie, which debuted at #7 on Billboard's Electronic charts. Based in Los Angeles, she is also a singer-songwriter and composer of cinematic dream worlds. Facebook here. Mimi Page Facebook here, website here. Buy mp3 here.
'Swimming Through Dreams' to quote Mary Poppins is "practically perfect". Musically grand with the haunting voice of Mimi Page, this is fabulous.
Background - Upbeat, rowdy Folk from Copenhagen via Northampton, Neil Brophy Band combine lyrics packed full of sentiment, bouncing Folk guitar, iconic banjo and accordion melodies to deliver the infectiously catchy new single “Where The Bears Go Fishing”, out 7th April 2017.
Following the band’s politically charged previous release “Fear of Fear” combining foot-stomping Folk Rock with a serious political message, Neil Brophy Band call upon their humourous side to bring the kind of party atmosphere the group are best known for with the high-energy “Where The Bears Go Fishing”.
Delivering their social banter in a contemporary Folk Rock style with humour, uplifting lyrical kicks and melodies bursting at the seams with energy, the Uke/banjo-driven getaway anthem is jammed full of sentiment reflecting on lead singer and songsmith Neil Brophy’s travels through the majestic Nordic outdoors. The popular festival favourites draw upon their unique storytelling talents to recall warming tales of fishing, campfire harmonies, running from bears and the great Northern lights. Not many bands have nailed Aurora Borealis in a song but Neil Brophy Band own this one.
“Where the Bears Go Fishing is a pure, uplifting hoe-down, feel good track, a lot different from the normal stuff we do, but playing it live gets the crowd up on their feet every time. There’s something about a Ukulele that sets a happy mood and the song just seems to naturally follow.” - Neil Brophy Website here, Facebook here. Fear Of Fear mp3 here. See our tour page for live dates.
Described above as upbeat and rowdy, what can I add for 'Where the Bears Go Fishing'. Maybe just that it's another foot stomper with a chorus that demands you to join in, and dance along if you must.
Background - After releasing 2012's Iron Horse Running and touring the world playing sold-out arenas with Alanis Morissette, an inspired Souleye returned to the studio to begin work on his next full-length album. With a wealth of new material, Souleye released his album Shapeshifting in October 2015 featuring lead singles, "The Victim" and "Labeled". Shapeshifting effortlessly joins old-school hip hop with trip-hop...it's a psychedelic, otherworldly exploration.
"The Victim' touches on some deep issues that I feel many people, myself included, struggle with. The victim-consciousness, or the 'poor me' mentality, is a darker aspect of our shadow-selves that we must first embrace, then work through. We hold onto old patterns and traumas that happened to us in the past, and this song speaks to releasing and freeing ourselves from all things that hold us back and keep us in a victim state."- Souleye
Shapeshifting as well as "Labeled" and "The Victim" received an honorable amount of press and was featured on sites such as Yahoo Music, Thisis50, The Hype Magazine, Triple HQ and more. "Labeled" made it to the top 20 Official European Independent music charts. Muzic Notez touted, "Not only is he a brilliantly gifted lyricist but his music delivers a strong and positive message. Facebook here. Buy mp3 here.
'Snow Angel' is not typical of the music Beehive Candy usually carries, however I was fascinated to see how Alanis Morissette squared up to this genre, and the fact is, she does so remarkably well. More than that I actually really like the song and Souleye is most definitely now on my radar.
Background - Post Death Soundtrack is a Canadian inter-city music collective consisting of Kenneth Buck, Steve Moore and Jon Ireson. Founded in Calgary in 2007 by Buck and Moore, the band now operates out of Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto using the magic of the internet to collaborate across the country. The group creates thought-provoking music by weaving together electronic, industrial, pop and rock sounds. Side-line.com calls their sound “indefinable" while Reflections of Darkness calls them "by no means music for simple minds”.
Now after a 3 year hiatus, Post Death Soundtrack is back with The Unlearning Curve. The latest 9 track collection is an eclectic narrative about dropping concepts, healing and venturing into the unknown. Equal parts Alice in Wonderland, J. Krishnamurti and dream language, The Unlearning Curve pulls as much from psych era Beatles and David Bowie as it does from modern industrial rock. The record was recorded at a number of studios, primarily in Vancouver. It was mastered at Suite Sound Labs, Vancouver and the album cover is an original painting by Toronto artist Kayla Aileen Brown. The album is available as a free download as well as in limited edition vinyl format. Bandcamp here, Facebook here.
'Transform in White Light', slowly builds into an electro rock song and then explores and morphs here and there, whilst retaining an overall feel to the song.
Background - There is no doubt Anímic’s new move will be mistaken for an attack against the loyal relationship between band and followers… meanwhile, others will take it for what it truly is: a golden chance to renew vowels of fidelity with a formation capable of cutting the deck even after the sprint involving their last two albums, “Hannah” and “Hannibal”. The question is out there: Anímic’s new album, “Skin”, is a change, a break, a transformation, but it is a mutation where we really don’t mind not being able to (almost) not recognise the body, because the soul speaks so loudly, so clearly from inside, that that is all that matters.
The easy thing would be to say they have turned to electronic music and that there is nothing left of the Anímic you could so easily imagine in a luminous space in the forest, surrounded by powerful greens and fresh air… but that would be to simple. The bands last two albums had already invited us into the depths of that forest, to a place where day gave into night, threat could be smelt in the air and the green became a black that would beat to the rhythm of a powerful, urgent heart, a heart with a thousand faces. “Skin” simply continues exploring those same shadows, but this time, with a torch that emits a new and surprising light. The magic is still present, like it always has been, how can we explain if not, that delicious feeling when listening to Anímic even if your mind is telling you something different to what it used to be. Website here, Facebook here. Buy Gem mp3 here.
The first album track 'Gem' gives a flavour of where Animic are headed with the new collection of songs 'Skin'. Personally I think this is a really fine collection of material, a little bit Radiohead, in as much as your just not certain what each song will develop into.
Background - “Achluphobia”, is the blistering new single based on the fear of darkness from NYC’s post-punk duo NØMADS, who are re-emerging after taking 2016 off from recording and touring. The duo is now announcing their new album Phobiac that’ll be released in 2018, which is the follow-up to their acclaimed debut Free My Animal.
Phobiac is a conceptual collection of 12 songs based on different phobias, one of which will be released each month in the coming year. They initially teased the project back in 2015 with the release of "Traumatophobia", aka the fear of pain.
The return of NØMADS at this point in time is no coincidence… fear, as an abstract force, has never held a stronger place in our society than it does today. It colors everything we see outside of ourselves. Each song on Phobiac examines the fear process through the prism of rare clinical phobias, all approached in the abstract. The buried message within this set of material is a cautionary one: when we succumb to fear, chaos reigns. Technically speaking, it is generally accepted that phobias arise from a combination of external events and internal predispositions (i.e. heredity or genetics). Many specific phobias can be traced back to a specific triggering event, usually a traumatic experience at an early age.
NØMADS' partners Nathan Lithgow and Garth Macaleavey paused in 2016 to focus on their respective parallel lives - one a budding sommelier in the NYC fine-dining restaurant world and bassist for My Brightest Diamond, the other the technical director for Williamsburg's most respected new music venue, National Sawdust. With “Achluphobia” and the Phobiac announcement, NØMADS is officially back for 2017… there's no need to be afraid. Facebook here.
No nonsense with 'Achluphobia'. It's a powerful full on rocker, where the vocals pour out every last gasp of breath and the guitars and drums take a pounding. Raw and solid, it's also highly addictive.
