Samana - Matt Costa - Accolades

Samana - All One Breath.

Samana return with the lo-fi psychedelic pop of new single ‘All One Breath’.  Named by Elbow frontman Guy Garvey as his ‘Artist Of The Year’ on his BBC 6Music show, the sumptuous combination of Rebecca Rose Harris’s dulcet vocals and Franklin Mockett’s gently haunting piano can be streamed below -

Self-produced, self-recorded and self-mixed whilst holed-up in a remote part of France, ‘All One Breath’ is "a rumination of our interrelations with nature, and the impressions we carve on the world which surrounds us. Wisdom has been exchanged for naivety, which took the guise of intelligence, but the solution is buried within the ancestral part of each and every one of us".

Following the release of the 'The Spirit Moving’ EP in 2020, ‘All In One Breath’ will join recent single ‘Live For The Road’ on the forthcoming 'Melancholy Heat EP' set for release on 17th February.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matt Costa - Sky Full Of Tears.

Five Videos and A Yellow Coat by Matt Costa and Minh Pham. This all started because I asked Minh (visual artist Minh Pham) if she had a coat I could borrow. Turned out to be the cover of my record. Then, when the world shut down, I started working on something else.

I turned my apartment into a sound stage, bought green screens to stage stop frame photography, and made music videos for a number of the songs on my new record with Minh. A return to my adolescence of sorts, the process was evocative of making and editing skate videos myself on VHS, syncing the right trick to the sound that would elevate it to the next level.

Music has always been visual to me. Minh was able to take the record and translate the score to images - making miniature models, domestic objects, otherworldly dancers - commingling them all to find new meaning. It all came to life before our eyes, it was an uninhibited discovery.

The "Avenal" video was molded out of restrictions in a way that built the foundation for the rest of the videos. It was our first attempt at collaborating together. We both found common ground with using analog and digital techniques in our own practices so it made sense to continue and experiment with both mediums. We tried to embrace the digital era by using the computer to enhance a collage aesthetic, but not be reliant on it. An altered reality in two dimensional form that breathes life into inanimate - sometimes overlooked, commonplace - objects and in doing so brings dreams to life. Yellow Coat explores how when faced with challenges the formerly unnoticed becomes symbolic, evoking joy and wonder.

The five videos together address the concept of being sold an idea of what love is. In these videos we tried to tap into a Rorschach of ideas to address that association with two dimensional objects then broken up and displaced. Within that we tried to evoke the sense of joy and wonder; love has limitless possibilities and means something completely different to everyone. Love can conjure a sense of loss and simultaneously a sense of hope. We tried to capture pure emotion by displacing these things like fragments of a feeling. And the memories of love like a collage arranged into shapes or grids as one tries to make sense of it all. - Matt Costa

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Accolades - American Dollars.

Looking to lift your spirits naturally? Experience the music of Accolades, a young 8-piece band from Toronto with an eclectic mix of progressive rock, funk, R + B, and Jazz with lots of wind power. Their sound is best served live so you can be fully immersed in their energetic vibe.

Accolades have been making a name for themselves since their recent tour through Ontario and Eastern Canada, playing festivals and engaging their audience in ways no other band can. It’s as if you are part of the show, not just a spectator. There are no walls with this band... everyone’s together, everyone's performing!

Since being signed to the independent label, Akashic Rekords in early 2018 - operated by multi-award winning producer Igor Vrabac- Accolades have been hard at work in the studio on their second EP slated for Early 2021, a follow-up to their debut self-titled and self-released EP in 2016.

two singles have been released to date featuring notable talent including Alexis Baro, and Yannick Allwood. Their music is the perfect elixir to a bad day and the feel-good vibes will last long after their last song has ended.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rob Kovacs - Pearly Drops - Samana

Rob Kovacs is an indie rock pianist and singer-songwriter whose latest song 'Here in the Future' has just been shared. Unsurprisingly the music is centered around a piano arrangement that in itself is impressive, add in the other instruments, the melody and Rob's dreamy vocals and we have an outstanding song. ===== Helsinki, Finland pair Pearly Drops have just released their debut album along with a video for the title track 'Call For Help'. A smooth flowing and rhythmic track with beautifully embedded vocals, this is a highly addictive song. ===== Samana were featured a couple of times in September and it's great to have them back with a song and video entitled 'Live For The Road'. Once again we can indulge in some heartfelt and beautiful music, the vocals and harmonies just pour out, and are backed with a gorgeous musical soundtrack.

===================================================

Rob Kovacs - Here in the Future.

Indie rock pianist and singer-songwriter, Rob Kovacs, has released his debut solo single, “Here In The Future.” “A song of frustration, pain and anger, loss and rejection,” “Here in the Future” is about the end of a relationship, and wondering how you’ll feel years from now, Kovacs explains. “Everything we had was discarded. All that could have been, has been erased. Will I always feel the same? Will the love ever dissipate? Will I have regretted this? Will she regret her choices?”

A multi-faceted talent who embraces his inner nerd, Kovacs’ works have ranged from daring classical feats and compositions to recreations of music from video games to vulnerable originals. He has a storied history of bands, monikers, and awards and recognition, but is now taking a step into original music under his own name. “Every job I’ve taken, every gig I’ve done, every song I’ve written, every project I’ve been a part of, has helped me grow as a musician, composer, songwriter and performer, but now I'm ready to use my own name,” he explains of the decision to step out as a solo artist. “I can't hide behind it and distance myself from it if I decide I don't like it later, I can't change it down the road. In a way, it’s a commitment to myself. The music I write is a reflection of me.”

Growing up, Kovacs was inspired by his older sister to learn the piano. He wrote his first song at the age of 10, recorded his first piano album in 7th grade to give to friends, and has been making music ever since. While studying piano on scholarship at Baldwin-Wallace University, Kovacs became the first pianist to perform both parts of Steve Reich’s Piano Phase, simultaneously using two pianos to accomplish the feat. He moved forward with classical compositions, won awards for film scores, and found some of his first successes with a band in Return of Simple. Since then, Kovacs has found success as a film score composer and sound designer for video games. Under the moniker 88bit, he records and performs note-for-note piano arrangements of Nintendo soundtracks.

With “Here In The Future,” Rob Kovacs establishes himself as a true master of his instrument and a writer who is able to wield the language of music fluently.

Rob Kovacs · Here in the Future

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pearly Drops - Call For Help.

Crafting soul-stirring pop dirges all the way from Helsinki, Pearly Drops is the moniker for Sandra Tervonen and Juuso Malin. The Finnish outfit have just released their debut album Call For Help.

Concocting succinct compositional methods with dynamic synths and percussion; Pearly Drops have honed their musical talent to create a sound in which they hope will keep the internal desires alive and the implausible away.

Its title track is an entrancing, I instantly memorable yet slightly abrasive pop tune that has all the trappings any Grimes fan will love. The band tells us "For us ‘Call For Help’ is the key track to set the boldly sore tone of the full album. For us, it’s as if the narrative and the song itself couldn’t decide whether to be happy or not, to be pop or not, to stay or to vanish - it just needs your final attention. Musically it's an ode to the new wave and post-punk of the late 70s and the 80s”

Recent single ‘Make Water’ weaves through jarring synths within a sombre landscape to create a beautifully serene backdrop for Sandra’s vocals. An impression of a tortuous emotional state, illustrating something that might be ambiguous for the mind but recognizable for the heart.

Although Pearly Drops are a new act to land on the horizon, Sandra and Juuso are experts in the music field, having run the Helsinki-based FEF Corp. label. Their music as Femme En Fourrure has been recognised from the likes of The Fader, Wonderland Magazine and Nylon; as well as being picked for BBC Radio 1’s Essential Mixes.

The pair have also worked with well-respected artists including ALMA, Nightwave and Inga Copeland. Their productional work for other artists has been awarded with golden records and one of the biggest art prizes in the Nordic countries, the Teosto Prize by the Finnish Composers' Copyright Society.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Samana - Live For The Road.

With multiple plays on BBC 6Music from Elbow frontman Guy Garvey, alongside plays on BBC Introducing and Radio X, Wales-based duo Samana follow the October release of their ‘The Spirit Moving’ EP with new single ‘Live For The Road’.

Self-produced, recorded and mixed whilst holed-up in a remote part of France and the world was locked down earlier in the year, ‘Live For The Road’ is a song of celebration. The band explain "It reconciles the power of freedom, the power of instincts, the power of fate and of decision. It speaks of life as a path; a dream, an open road. It recognizes the importance of the present moment and the realisation of the journey. To believe, is to radiate the will of truth and honesty, never to fade”.

The video for ‘Live For The Road’ is a montage of footage taken from the band’s year long voyage through the breadth of Europe. It in fact captures the beginnings of Samana as a band... writing in the wilderness of nature and performing on the streets of every town and village they passed developed into a way of life that they continue to live to this day.

Having recently received support from the Arts Council Of Wales, “Live For The Road” is the first track from the 2nd EP in a new series of releases by the band.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gianna Lauren - Samana

Gianna Lauren is a singer songwriter based in Nova Scotia and she has just released 'Spark' as a foretaste of the E.P 'Vanity Metrics' due in November. 'Spark' is a mellow and melodic piece that gradually builds in power, something of a journey from indie pop to indie rock. === Earlier this month we featured 'Passing Me By' from Samana describing that track as "pristine and breathtaking." They have followed that up with the new single 'The Glory Of Love' where their creativity and unique style is again, something very special.

 

===================================================

Gianna Lauren - Spark.

Nova Scotia songwriter Gianna Lauren has just released the single "Spark" and  announces her 'Vanity Metric's EP on Forward Music Group due on Nov 13th. Gianna Lauren's new EP Vanity Metrics, is a deeply felt and dreamy set of songs recorded live in the studio, taking advantage of the tour-tightness of her band after a two week run to catch lightning in a bottle. Gianna's vocals are deeply felt and beautifully controlled, and the band supports her perfectly, surging and receding at the exact right moment. A lot to love here for fans of Mitski, Big Thief, Lucy Dacus.

About the album - “It’s the same old story that I can’t tell,” sings Gianna Lauren over and over on “Closed Chapter,” at the midpoint of Vanity Metrics, abandoning the jaunty melody she began with for a pulsing, dramatic drumbeat and expansive horns. Her own voice joins, then other voices, calling back on a loop, mimicking the patterns of a doomed relationship she’s finally learned to let go of—and you hear that exact moment, because the jaunty melody comes back for the final seconds, a bookend, maybe a kiss-off.

The same old story one can’t tell is also the act of art itself. Perhaps a coincidence, then, that here on her fourth release Lauren is at her art-rockiest, but that also may be in part thanks to the artists she was listening to as she weaved through the fog of Nova Scotia’s south shore to produce this EP: Some of indie-rock’s boldest voices and most insightful perspectives, like the heart-rending Mitski, the dramatics of Weyes Blood, the intimacy of Big Thief.

Lauren and her cohort of Ontarians stepped into the studio immediately after a two-week tour to make Vanity Metrics in four days, and that includes a pair of songs—“Closed Chapter” and the opener “Spark”—written that week. With the artist as bandleader, much of the album was recorded live off the floor, capturing an electricity fuelled by collaboration (and a touch of exhaustion).

forwardmusic · Gianna Lauren - Spark

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Samana - The Glory Of Love.

Call it experimental, call it art rock, call it alt-folk or folk rock; however you personally classify Samana’s music, it is an unequivocally compelling reflection of humanity.

Following the release of earlier singles ‘Harvest’ and August’s ‘Passing Me By’, which saw support from BBC 6Music, BBC Introducing and Radio X, Wales-based duo Samana return with their latest single ’The Glory Of Love’.  It is taken from their forthcoming ’The Spirit Moving’ EP (set for release on October 22nd).

Self-produced, recorded and mixed whilst holed-up in a remote part of France while the world was locked down earlier in the year, the band explain "‘The Glory Of Love’ is a mantra, stripping away the veneer of everything in life that distracts and overwhelms; to realign the soul with the importance of what it is to be rooted. This song marks the value of connection, returning one to the fundamental principle that lies at the heart of all things - the profundity of what it is to truly love, and to be loved."

“The Glory Of Love” is the second of new a new series of releases from the band who have just received support from the Arts Council Of Wales.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Nude Party - Samana

The Nude Party give us a taste of their next album 'Midnight Manor' through 'Lonely Heather' and the accompanying video, see and listen for yourself as the band serve up some feisty, indeed full on two minute plus rock. === And then we have the gorgeous new song from Samana who share the pristine and breathtaking track 'Passing Me By'.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Nude Party - Lonely Heather.

The Nude Party are set to return with their sophomore album, Midnight Manor, on October 2nd via New West Records. The 12-song set was recorded live-to-tape over six days at the Outlier Inn in upstate New York and mixed by John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr., Kurt Vile). Midnight Manor is the follow up to their critically acclaimed self-titled debut which Rolling Stone heralded as “equal parts ‘I’m Waiting for the Man’ Velvet Underground and Exile on Main Street Stones.”

Their debut found the band hitting stages across the globe, appearing at massive festivals like Lollapalooza, All Points East, Splendour In The Grass, Great Escape, Newport Folk Festival, and Bonnaroo where many publications named them one of the best of the festival. They also supported major artists like Jack White and the Arctic Monkeys—both of whom became full-blown fans and vocal supporters of the band.

Today, The Nude Party have shared the video for the song “Lonely Heather” via DIY Magazine. Frontman Patton Magee said, “The video is inspired by Ralph Bakshi’s New York street animation style, in movies like American Pop, Streetfight, and Heavy Traffic. During the peak of the pandemic, our photographer friends Bryan Derballa and George Etheredge took a series of incredible photographs around New York City.

We used those deserted street corners and venue shots as the backdrop for the rotoscope animation. Then filmed all the action on a green screen in our barn during quarantine in April. Brooklyn-based director and animator Parker Worthington painstakingly put together all the footage and photographs into this weird dream version of New York.” Of the song, Magee said “Heather is the constant object of unwanted affection, the solitary queen of rejection. She follows the scent of her whims and can’t be bothered by the desires of anyone."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Samana - Passing Me By.

'Passing Me By' is Samana's first release since their BBC 6Music, BBC Introducing and Radio X championed single 'Harvest'.

The Wales-based duo self-produced, recorded and mixed Passing Me By whilst holed-up in a remote part of France while the world was locked down earlier in the year.

Accompanied by a stunning video, also captured from the time spent in France, they explained that "Passing Me By was the product of a one off, improvised vocal and acoustic guitar take, laid to 1/4 inch tape. It is a response to the immediate present, guided by the subconscious; to the velocity of time passing in fragments of visions and feeling."

The new track is out this week and signals the first of a series of new releases from the band who have just received support from the Arts Council Of Wales.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------