BEEHIVE CANDY

Principe Valiente - Running Juveniles. Background - Principe Valiente’s “Running Juveniles” music video is here: a pure celebration of youth and life. The homonymous song is the third single to be released from the band’s most anticipated latest album “Oceans”. Shot around Östermalm in Stockholm, the video was filmed & edited by the Swedish filmmaker Andreas Hillerborg. After an outstanding self-titled debut album in 2011 and the breathtaking „Choirs Of Blessed Youth“ in 2014, the Swedish post punk / shoegaze band lead by Fernando Honorato, true to their vision, continues to carve out its own unique musical path. Drawing inspiration from ambient experimentalists like Cocteau Twins, 80's sci-fi soundtracks as well as exuberant vocalists like Bowie and Kate Bush, Principe Valiente ventured deeper into the sonic landscapes of their minds. The intensity of the athmospheric sound and the interplay of melodic guitar strings, the dark drifting drums, rhythmic bass lines and abo...

The Rhythm Express - Jolene ft Maiko Watson. Background - A few months back I was turned on to a haunting YouTube clip of Dolly Parton singing her most recorded song, “Jolene”. The original 1973 track had been slowed from single format to long playing 33 1/3 speed. That listening experience was both eerie and a revelation. No doubt, Dolly Parton possesses a grand set of pipes. Slowed down it becomes more evident, in that every inflection, bend in a vowel, a word is extraordinary and rocked with emotion.  With that in mind and captivated by the change of tempo, I began hearing other possibilities. What if this was done with a reggae feel - early Bob Marley and Wailer's rhythm section style and backing vocals reminiscent Marley’s backup singers, the I-Threes. Acutely aware Parton and a cappella sing group Pentatonix just won a Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Award with an updated version of ‘Jolene’; the song’s alluring story, sumptuous melody and sweeping beauty was more than...