Son Little - More Than Ruins - Ned Roberts - Moderate Rebels

Son Little has a new album due out at the end of January and has just released 'Mahalia'. It's getting on for two years since we last featured him, this song reminds me of just how good his mixture of classic soul and timeless R&B is. === More Than Ruins have today released 'Black Lines' the trio came together earlier this year, resulting in this gorgeous indie pop song, with more tracks in the pipeline. === London based Ned Roberts has a new single and a video for 'Wrong Side Of You' a melodic, flowing and refined modern folk song. === A band who we have featured a number of times Moderate Rebels have shared 'Every Cheat You Meet Sings Love Songs' today and it's only around on line until the end of the month, but will return as part of a triple album next year.
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Son Little - Mahalia.

Son Little, the musical nom de plume of LA’s Aaron Earl Livingston, will release his new album, aloha, on January 31st via ANTI- Records. aloha blends classic soul and old-school R&B into a timeless swirl fueled by gritty instrumental virtuosity and raw, raspy vocals.

Recorded at Paris’s iconic Studios Ferber with producer Renaud Letang (Feist, Manu Chao), aloha is Little’s first album to be recorded with an outside producer. The result is his boldest, most self-assured statement yet. It’s an ambitious work of vision and reflection, and an ecstatic testament to the freedom that comes from trusting the currents of life to carry you where you belong.

In order to create aloha, Little began writing and assembling album demos in Petaluma, California. However, after his hard drive fried and he lost nearly a dozen detailed demos, he was forced to begin with a blank slate, leading him to write aloha in only eight days at a tiny house and its adjacent barn. While Little plays nearly every instrument on the album himself, he put his songs in the hands of an outside producer for the first time here. The entire project was an exercise in letting go, in ceding control, in surrendering to fate.

Recognizing the power of our own self-destructive tendencies is a recurring theme on aloha. Little mourns the suicide of a beloved uncle on “suffer,” using addiction and mental illness as a lens to explore forgiveness and empathy, laments the rapidly deteriorating world his two children are set to inherit on “o clever one,” and meditates on the dangers of succumbing to passion at the expense of reason on “belladonna.”

It would be easy to feel helpless in the face of such inexorable forces, to feel as if we are prisoners of fate rather than masters of our own destiny, but Little instead finds peace in perseverance on the album. “Hallelujah,” he sings on the gorgeous “never give up,” “though I’m battered and blue / feel like I’m born to lose…Never will I give up.”

It is a potent reminder that letting go doesn’t mean giving in; in fact, quite the opposite. Letting go can be an act of defiance, of growth, of empowerment. Letting go requires a leap of faith, and, in Son Little’s case, that faith has been richly rewarded. Whether that means this album represents the end of one chapter or the beginning of the next is impossible to know just yet, but in either case, there’s really only one thing to say: aloha.

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More Than Ruins - Black Lines.

More Than Ruins, is a Berlin based band formed in 2019 by songwriter/guitarist Charlie Grant, vocalist Jule Escherhaus, and producer/songwriter Ainsley Adams. Charlie and Jule met at a songwriting session and immediately clicked, writing what will be the group’s first release on the same day of meeting.

Charlie played the song to Ainsley, who instantly loved it and decided to have some fun producing it. Together, the three transformed a sparse acoustic demo into something more cinematic and atmospheric.

Great chemistry and a shared love for dreamy, wide screen pop music was discovered. The trio are currently writing more material.

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Ned Roberts - Wrong Side Of You.

London-based Folk musician Ned Roberts is excited to announce the release of his new single Wrong Side Of You on December 6th 2019. This upbeat track is the first track to be released from his eagerly awaited new album DREAM SWEETHEART due for release next year on Independent record label Aveline Records.

Ned’s music, which has drawn comparisons to the likes of Tim Hardin, Nick Drake and Leonard Cohen, has a timeless quality and a poetic turn of phrase. His songs sit comfortably amongst the classics of the Laurel Canyon era.

The genesis of single Wrong Side Of You began on the road in Germany. “It’s about travelling to escape - yet your mind is still inexorably drawn back home” says Ned. "The song sat around for quite a while, and it was only after a breakup that its meaning began to crystallise. It’s strange how your relation to your own songs can change significantly and mould to a new set of circumstances and feelings. There’s a yearning for the West Coast in there too. It’s where I always record, the sun always shines, and I feel creatively alive”.

DREAM SWEETHEART is Ned Roberts third album, and his third with producer Luther Russell (Richmond Fontaine, Fabiano do Nascimento, Sarabeth Tucek), recorded in Los Angeles in Electrosound Studios. His eponymous debut was predominantly a solo affair and garnered significant national press, including rave reviews in UNCUT and The Guardian.

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Moderate Rebels - Every Cheat You Meet Sings Love Songs.

Staying true to being anti-everything in their music, the band has decided to drop a political number just before the UK general election.

This is also a taster from their triple album that is coming next year. You heard that correct... triple album, 30 songs.

This taster cut will only be available via SoundCloud for the whole of December and then it's coming down.

"Beware. Beware of the cheats. Singing you love songs, Sing you to SLEEP.

People who have... they want you to just RELAX. People with the cream, want you to know “Life is but... a DREAM”

How come there’s always money, For bombs? But never any money... For the old, Or the young, Or anyone... who isn’t strong?

Beware. Beware of the cheats. Singing you love songs, Sing you to SLEEP".

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Candace - Tempesst - Ned Roberts

Candace - Greys.

Background - Candace (formerly known as Is/Is) can be traced back to the summer of 2009 when Sarah Rose (guitar/bass/vocals), Sarah Nienaber (guitar/bass/vocals), and Mara Appel DesLauriers (drums/vocals) came up with the great idea to make music together. 

The band released the This Happening EP (2010), the “Vowel Movements/Blackest Beat” 7” (2011), their full-length debut, III, in 2012, Is/Is (2014), and a number of single before announcing their name change to Candace in 2016. New Future, the band’s first official release under the new name, was produced, recorded, and mixed by Neil Weir and Candace at Jackpot! Recording Studio in Portland, Oregon, where the band all lives.

Writing momentum stayed steady following the release of New Future so the band took a trip to Iowa just a few days after Trump was elected to work on some new material. Working with long-time collaborator Neil Weir, at Flat Black Studios, built in an old barn in the middle of nowhere outside of Iowa City, surrounded by corn fields and nothing else, they ate frozen pizza, track for 12-hours a day, and then pass out in a loft sleeping area above the studio. Once the songs were done, the band handed the finished material off to Larry Crane at Jackpot! for mixing.

On November 24, 2017 Candace will release a new 7″ called “Horizons b/w Greys” followed by their highly awaited full-length, New Ruins, in early 2018. Both collections of new material will highlight a sound that is introspective, dreamy, and expansive. Reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine, Warpaint, and Beach House, Candace adds an element all their own that can only be described as “hopefully crisp.” Listening to these new songs is akin to waking up on a sweltering day and plunging your face into a bowl of ice water. Wakes you up, gets the blood moving, and adds a little thrill to your day. Facebook here.

Rich and expansive dream pop with a musical arrangement that hints towards shoegaze 'Greys' is a beautiful song where the distant melodic vocals draw the listener in. As a foretaste of the 2018 album that's scheduled, it suggests something pretty special is on it's way.


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Tempesst - Waiheke.

Background - London based 4-piece Tempesst are announcing the release of their much-anticipated debut EP Adult Wonderland, by sharing new single ‘Waiheke’. Speaking on the lyrical inspiration behind the track, Toma Banjanin of the band said: "My girlfriend Summer and I were travelling around New Zealand in a van last summer and ended up staying at her Auntie's 'Bach' (beach cabin) in Waiheke, an island off Auckland. Summer's Dad stayed with us too and gave me my first Tarot reading and I wrote this song about that conversation”.

A new chapter in the Tempesst story, the Adult Wonderland EP marks a confident stride forward for the band, with ‘Waiheke’ standing tall as an apt first taster. Guitars lilt delicately amidst the swaying rhythm section, as Toma sings of the… “first light in the morning” and “sugar coated later days". The push and pull of the expansive vocal harmonies and soothing instrumentals give the track an extremely pleasing dreamy, psychedelic quality; clearly a songwriting process carefully prepared and planned by the quartet.

It’s been a big 12 months or so for Tempesst – led by brothers Toma (vocals, guitars) and Andy Banjanin (drums), and joined  by Eric Weber (guitars) and Kane Reynolds (keys) – the band’s back-to-back showcases (The Great Escape, NME Awards, Live At Leeds), festivals (Bushstock, Southsea Fest, Hackney Wonderland) and live dates alongside Mystery Jets, The Veils, Albert Hammond Jr and GUM (Jay Watson, Tame Impala) have propelled them into the spotlight. Fresh from their biggest London headline to date at The Moth Club, Tempesst saw out 2016 with a UK Tour in support of The Temper Trap.

Now the band are preparing to release their much-anticipated debut EP ‘Adult Wonderland’, set for self-release on October 27th, along with a string of UK dates in December. Facebook here.

London alt rockers Tempesst have given us a splendid new single with 'Waiheke'. Atmospheric vocals & harmonies glide above a wonderfully constructed rock soundtrack where all elements intertwine with melodic combinations. The song sets expectations high for the EP!

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Ned Roberts - Angel Station.

Background - Following the release of album Outside My Mind earlier in the year on Aveline Records, hotly tipped, London-based musician Ned Roberts has announced new single Angel Station for release on October 20th with a single launch to be held at London’s Green Note on Tuesday 19th September.

Having drawn comparisons with the likes of James Taylor and Bob Dylan (Mojo); Ned has a timeless quality to his sound, a poetic turn of phrase, excellent musicianship and a perfectly judged vocal sensibility. His songs sit comfortably amongst the classics of the Laurel Canyon era.

First single Lights On The River video premiered with the Independent, whilst Gideon Coe championed the album on his BBC 6 Music show. New single Angel Station had its first spin on BBC Radio Scotland’s Roddy Hart show, who subsequently invited Ned in for a session. "A wry song about standing in the rain waiting for a girl. She arrives and tells the singer to pull himself together.” Ned Roberts on Angel Station. Bandcamp here, Facebook here.

With the above James Taylor and Bob Dylan comparisons noted 'Angel Station' rises to the occasion and Ned Roberts deserves full credit in his own right. Many years back London's Angel Station was a daily part of my travels so the video resonates personally, it's the song however that really stands out.


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Weekend Wonders: Mt. Wolf - Emerald Portal - Among Criminals - Ned Roberts - Joseph Eid - Fujiya & Miyagi - Young Astronaut

Mt. Wolf - The Electric.

Background - London’s Mt. Wolf ended last year teasing the world with the smart-pop stylings of “Golden”, which saw significant pick-up internationally from the likes of The Independent, Indie Shuffle and others but was moreover a distraction of sorts, to maintain momentum whilst the band continued working away in the studio on a debut album and the huge sound they have always threatened. With the 6 minute + “The Electric”, the first material from their as yet untitled debut LP, this sound is very much realised. This year marks a fresh start for a band whose promise is set to be fulfilled.

The road up to now has been nothing if not eventful – including a line-up change, sell-out shows across Europe and the US, a brief hiatus last year that only invigorated the band and significant, ongoing critical support. Getting to this point hasn’t been easy but the feeling is that the real rewards, for the band and for us the listeners, are now just around the corner.

Punctuated by apocalyptic visions, the accompanying lyric video ebbs and flows as the song swells, and shows the strength – and importance – of lyrics in the band’s ever-growing sonic palette.

Since last year’s comeback EP and single the band have kept busy writing and recording with Ken Thomas (Sigur Ros, M83, Daughter). Early listens confirm this as their boldest, most ambitious output yet; expect the full album to land, and awe, shortly before the summer. Facebook here.

The brand new track 'The Electric' has distinct emotive vocals that are accompanied by a powerful and expansive soundtrack where even the drums add to the atmosphere, rather than just driving the momentum. The video is serious and fascinating adding even more to a dramatic, fabulous song.

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Emerald Portal - All The Running.

Background - Emerald Portal is the brainchild of Thomas Ouziel and Brad Rundblade, two musicians, who at a young age immersed themselves into all aspects of art. As a sound designer and screenwriter, respectively, their music is heavily influenced by their cinematic backgrounds. Emerald Portal seeks to make engaging music that not only tells stories, but transports listeners.

Born in Europe, Thomas from Paris, France and Brad from Crete, Greece, both grew up learning how to play piano and guitar. They each spent years playing music before entering the film industry. Upon meeting on the set of a music video in Los Angeles, where the duo currently live, they found they had a mutual interest in creating music and began working on a number of songs. After a period of creative activity they had written enough material for an album. Each song on their first LP, Beyond The Edge of Reason, was a glimpse into different worlds and stories that all culminated into a grander, overall universe. Using their background in film, the duo created music videos for six of the songs from the album.

Emerald Portal works in various artistic fields often collaborating with directors, musicians, and artists to expand their vision and sound. They’ve received numerous awards for their music videos (LAIFFA, Orlando Film Festival, Los Angeles CineFest) and have a new EP, Trouble In Paradise ready for release in 2017. The ambitious band is currently working on three separate concept albums, each another glimpse into the many stories populating the Emerald Portal.Website here, Facebook here.

Emerald Portal come across from this song alone as artists that are comfortable to test boundaries and are not positioned comfortably in any one genre. 'All The Running' has so much going for it, superbly crafted music, melodic hooks galore, and vocals that just melt into the music.

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Among Criminals - Patience And Regret.

Background - Among Criminals, have just launched their new single "Patience and Regret" from their upcoming record Kill The Precedent.

Among Criminals threads together 1990s alt-rock, modern indie rock, punk rock, and Jamaican dub, ska, and reggae. It’s an adventurous aesthetic that conjures the fearless musicality of the Mars Volta and At The Drive In, Nirvana, and Manchester Orchestra.

The band’s recordings are visceral and dynamic, and also subtly layered for a multi-dimensional “headphones experience.” The trio originally formed in 2008, but burned out after a grueling schedule of 250-300 shows a year that tested its sanity, creativity, and commitment. Facebook here.

'Patience And Regret' is a fast flowing rocker where the guitars & drums provide a feisty backdrop for the vocals. It's actually the fine and natural vocals that drive the melody. If you like your rock'n'roll cutting straight to the point, Among Criminals should be on your radar.

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Ned Roberts - Lights on the River.

Background - Ned Roberts is a hotly-tipped, London-based folk musician, who has drawn comparisons with the likes of Tim Hardin, Nick Drake and Leonard Cohen. With a timeless quality to his sound, a poetic turn of phrase, excellent musicianship and a perfectly judged vocal sensibility, his songs sit comfortably amongst the classics of the Laurel Canyon era.

Lights On The River is the first single to be released from his new album, which was recorded in LA and produced by Luther Russell (Sarabeth Tucek, Richmond Fontaine, Noah & The Whale) who discovered Ned some years ago and has championed his music ever since. The highly anticipated new album Outside My Mind is due for release on March 24th on Aveline Records.

Outside My Mind felt a long time coming for Ned, with songs written over a period of three or four years. Largely an album of love-songs, both hopeful, devastated, and all things in between, the album was in a sense cathartic to record, a way to explore a moment and also to move beyond it.

The recording in LA was a much quicker process. They went into the studio with 15 acoustic guitar demos, and within 5 days came out with the finished record. “Recording to tape kept things tight explains Ned, we didn’t have endless reels, so couldn’t indulge in take after take. I enjoyed these practical limitations as they really focused the creative process, and kept everything fresh.” Facebook here.

Ned Roberts has one of those distinctive voices where every word has the feeling of being individually crafted. 'Lights on the River' is an exquisite song and also my introduction to Ned. For me the new album is not only a must listen, based on this track it will be a must own.

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Joseph Eid - Watch it Fall.

Background - Americana-singer/songwriter, Joseph Eid has been writing poetry and dreaming of a career in the arts as long as he can remember. He grew up in the suburbs of New York.  Raised in a strict and traditional home, the arts were only supported as a hobby and never as a career.  During his college years, Eid studied psychology and pre-med.  After his first semester at med school, his dream got too big to hold and Eid made the bold choice of dropping out to move to New York City to pursue music.

While in New York, Joseph Eid picked up a guitar, joined a band, and the songs poured out of him like rain.  His journey then led to Los Angeles where he started playing regularly at open mic nights and showcases.  Shortly after, he began working with world-renowned guitarist/songwriter, David Lamar, honing his songwriting at weekly showcases at the Stone Bar. This lead him to write over 30 new songs as well as record a debut EP, Cardiac Output, followed by a full-length LP, Human.

Known as a dynamic solo performer, Joseph Eid has brought his one-man live show to many of Los Angeles’ premiere music venues, including stints at Room 5 and El Cid and residencies at The Stone Bar, Crane’s Hollywood Tavern, and Bar Lubitsch. He has also toured the West Coast including a handful of house concerts as a part of the Concerts In Your Home series.

Since the release of his Human LP, Joseph Eid has been garnering considerable buzz. He has been featured in American Songwriter Magazine’s “Best New Music” column and was recently named as one of the 100 Hottest Live Unsigned Artists by Music Connection Magazine. His latest EP, Watch It Fall, will be released in Spring 2017. Website here, Facebook here.

There is a crisp and melodic acoustic vibe, right form the opening chords as 'Watch It Fall' develops into a beautiful Americana song where Joseph Eid's vocals are centre stage. There is a timeless feel to the piece, where both the music and vocals are perfectly matched, the melody just right, and with Joseph's vibrant vocals, all in all this is a delightful song.

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Fujiya & Miyagi - Solitaire.

Background - The new 'Self-Titled' LP from Fujiya & Miyagi, will be out 4/7 on Impossible Objects Of Desire. A new single entitled "Solitaire" has now been released.

Many musical projects approaching almost two decades of existence begin to shows signs of stagnation or perhaps start to crook their neck as looking over their shoulder becomes a more common stance than focusing on the horizon. However, for the Brighton-based, genre-hopping, Fujiya & Miyagi the opposite can be said as they see in 2017 by wrapping up a unique year-long musical project that represents one of their most adventurous to date.

Two EPs join a third to make up this album, a carefully staged project that sees the group traverse disco, electro, pop, and the now synonymous 1970s Germany-inspired groove they so seamlessly ooze. Whilst the EPs all contain a distinct personality and fluidity of their own, the new dynamically focused position of the tracks as a full album embodies a long-term plan. “From the beginning I have always thought of this as an album rather than three separate records” Singer David Best says.

The now melded album is a vast one stylistically with influences and references that span from Arthur Russell to JG Ballard, yet the undercurrent that connects it all into one universal groove is one of honesty and joy, a surging sense of euphoria and hope that attempts to cut through the foggy world that welcomes its release. “On this album I have tried lyrically to find the positives and not rely on my factory setting of a general contempt for the world around me.” Best says. Website here, Facebook here.

With a fresh funky beat and smooth vocals 'Solitaire' is a really good electro pop song, that might also be a dance track. The band create a distinct, hypnotic sound, that is extremely addictive.

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Young Astronaut - Chasing El Dorado.

Background - Young Astronaut is an indie 4-piece from New Forest. Having gained fans in both the UK as well as China with their debut LP ‘Fawn’, last year saw them perform at a wide variety of venues, from London’s Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen to numerous bars and bookshops across Beijing, Chengdu and Hong Kong.

They are now back and ready to release their new album called ‘A Gold Frontier’. By teaming up with Grammy-award winning Geoff Swan (White Lies, Ed Sheeran, Bastille), Young Astronaut have decided to take it upon themselves to unite the various meanings of “indie” by intertwining them all together. Through linking the numerous indie sub-genres across 11 beautifully crafted pieces of music, the band takes the listener on an unpredicted sonic journey, beginning with the opening number called “Chasing El Dorado”.​​​​​​​

“Chasing El Dorado” begins softly with a guitar, bass and the vocals by introducing the theme of the song in the vibes of Two Door Cinema Club. Soon after it is followed by Stornoway-like harmonies and Iggy Pop’s “Sunday”-esque groovy drumbeat, only then to pass through an intrumental mid-tempo bridge and later finish in a grand and almost cinematic way.

In short, no matter what kind of indie one falls under; indie pop, indie rock or maybe even pastoral indie folk, Young Astronaut’s single “Chasing El Dorado” has something in there for everyone, and it will be out everywhere 7th April. Website here, Facebook here.

'Chasing El Dorado' gradually builds into a montage of musical ideas where the vocals and harmonies are well up in the mix and rightly so, they are a key feature of the song. That said the musical arrangement both understated and later with full on power is dynamic and distinct. This is one very fine track.

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