Showing posts with label The Luxembourg Signal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Luxembourg Signal. Show all posts

The Luxembourg Signal - Rosie Carney - Terra Lightfoot

The Luxembourg Signal are back with two new singles 'Mourning Moon' and 'The Morning After' ahead of their new album 'The Long Now' due out this coming Friday. Mixing dream pop and indie rock these two tracks suggest the album as a whole will pack plenty of creative and varied material. ===== Rosie Carney is one of the most (deservedly) featured artists we have on Beehive Candy and her new version of Radiohead's song 'Bones' is taken from her lockdown rendition of Radiohead’s seminal mental health album 'The Bends' due in December. ===== Terra Lightfoot makes her seventh appearance here with the new song and video for 'Consider the Speed' and it's yet another hook filled and melodic rocker.

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The Luxembourg Signal - Mourning Moon / The Morning After.

Dreampop and shoegaze indie super group The Luxembourg Signal dropping two new singles this afternoon with "Morning After" at Joy of Violent Movement and "Mourning Moon" at the Week in Pop. Their new album 'The Long Now' is out on Shelflife Records and Spinout Nuggets on October 23rd.

With the release of their self-titled debut album on Shelflife Records in 2014, The Luxembourg Signal quickly attracted a loyal following among fans of dream pop/indie pop music, and received enthusiastic reviews for their pop sensibilities, angelic vocals and lush soundscapes.

Their follow-up LP, Blue Field (Shelflife) released in 2017, garnered even more praise and revealed a bolder, darker and more developed sound with its expanded seven-member lineup of Beth Arzy & Betsy Moyer (vocals), Johnny Joyner (guitars), Brian Espinosa (drums), Ginny Pitchford (keyboards), Daniel Kumiega (bass) and Kelly Davis (guitars).

Now, for their third LP, the transatlantic group based in London, Los Angeles and San Diego, once again returned to the studio with engineer Mark Rains and have produced the highly anticipated The Long Now (Shelflife/Spinout Nuggets), a 10 song album that imagines a blurred horizon that lies between light and dark, and the fleeting nature of all that we hold.

"The Long Now" (phrase coined by Brian Eno) refers to a long-term way of perceiving time. As an alternative to the accelerated way that we experience our lives, it allows us to make sense of our brief but tumultuous time here, by understanding our place in a much larger timeline as history plays out.

The LP echoes these concepts in tracks like the jangly and upbeat ‘The Morning After’ which evokes the optimism of sunrise at dawn while the dynamic and gritty '2:22' conveys the paralysis of being confined in a digital world. 'Lost Hearts' and 'Mourning Moon' reveal vague and simple lyrics that bring up memories that are anything but vague and simple -- From fundamental disagreements with a mate over a history that cannot be rewritten, to the very moment of the loss of a loved one. 


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Rosie Carney - Bones.

Rosie Carney announces her lockdown rendition of Radiohead’s seminal mental health album The Bends. It is due on December 11th via Color Study (Lav, Charli Adams, Haux) and today she also shares her recording of “Bones”.

Tackling a ground-breaking stretch of pop history requires tact and dedication to make it your own. Rosie Carney’s personal connection to the music brings to bear her stunning take of The Bends, highlighted in her arrangement of “Bones”.

“I recorded “Bones” the day before I flew home to spend the rest of lockdown with my family in Ireland” Carney explains. “I listened to it nonstop as I travelled from my flat in London into the middle of nowhere. Every single line resonated with me on such a deep level and after this one I became far more confident in how I wanted the songs to sound if they were mine.”

Like so many others this year, Carney’s original career plans and mental health were derailed by the pandemic. Having to abandon her recording plans, she relapsed into depression and decamped from London to her bedroom in her parent’s house in Ireland. While receiving treatment there she decided to cover ‘Fake Plastic Trees’ but when she saw how many people had already done it, she changed tack and went for the LP in full as a bigger challenge.

Sketching out most of the album on Garageband she drafted in co-producer JMAC (Haux, Luz) who added violin, viola, cello, drums, horns, woodwinds and vocoder remotely.

It’s not the first time Carney’s battles have dovetailed with her love of Radiohead. She recalls going to see them as a teenager and having an anxiety attack in the arena. She blacked out and woke up in the first aid room. Now, covering the band as therapy, it’s a poetic example of things coming full circle.

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Terra Lightfoot - Consider the Speed.

Nearly three years since the release of her critically acclaimed album New Mistakes, soulful rocker Terra Lightfoot shares the new single and video for "Consider the Speed", the title track off new album Consider the Speed, released today on Sonic Unyon Records.

Recorded in Memphis, Tennessee at legendary Royal Studios, the new single sees Lightfoot supported by drummer Steve Potts, bassist Eli Abrams, and keyboardist Lester Snell — and was produced by Jay Newland and engineered by Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell.

Celebrating the release of her new studio album, Lightfoot will perform an exclusive album release on Saturday October 17 starting at 7pm EDT. This full-band concert will deliver the powerhouse performances that fans have come to expect from the acclaimed songwriter-guitarist-vocalist. The ticketed livestream will feature Lightfoot and band (bassist Eli Abrams and drummer Glenn Milchem); tickets are now available via Terralightfoot.com and sidedooraccess.com.

Alongside the single, Lightfoot releases a new video for the song, directed by Mat Dunlap, videographer and graphic designer for The Sheepdogs, Andy Shauf, and Rose Cousins. For the freewheeling video, Dunlap transplanted some of the song's Southern energy into Hamilton, Ontario's historic Gage Park.

“This video shoot was so much fun,” Lightfoot recalls. “We borrowed some bikes from my manager's mom, and Mat made a mask to look exactly like my drummer Frankie (who is American and couldn't cross the border to be with us). The video shoot was mostly me yelling "AWWW" at every dog that walked by. Gage Park is a local dog-walking mecca, so this probably happened every five seconds. Mat was shooting from a rickety old bike trailer I borrowed from a friend, so the other half of the video shoot was me asking “Dude... are you okay?" While we were shooting the bandshell performance, a French immersion pre-school class was watching us from the field. It was probably a half hour of the same song, but they loved it and danced the entire time. That's definitely the vibe you see on camera.”

“We came up with the idea after Terra was texting me photos from a sunrise bike ride and the light looked amazing,” says Dunlap. “I knew Terra was going for a lot of bike rides during the pandemic and thought it could be a fun thing to lean into. It’s such an unabashed love song that it seemed like the video needed to have Terra front-and-centre with her heart on her sleeve. It’s also a rocker, so we added a little glam flavouring with the stars and the band as silhouettes just to keep it fun and weird. In the end, it was one of the most enjoyable video shoots ever because we basically just biked around Gage Park while Terra waved and sang to every dog in sight.”

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Hailey Whitters - The Luxembourg Signal - Malin Pettersen

Hailey Whitters appeared here in July with her stunning song 'Janice At The Hotel Bar' and returns now with 'Happy People' which is another catchy and impressive piece. === We featured The Luxembourg Signal a couple of times back in 2017 and then lost track of them, however they are back with '2.22' as a taster for their next album 'The Long Now' and it's good to note that their mixture of Dreampop and Shoegaze is sounding real good. === Malin Pettersen shares 'Wildhorse Dream' ahead of the album 'Wildhorse' set for release on October 16th. The song itself is a melodic slice of modern Americana with bags of charm.
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Photo: Harper Smith
Hailey Whitters - Happy People.

Hailey Whitters releases a sunny animated video for “Happy People” (co-directed by Harper Smith and Drew Wittler) from her critically-acclaimed new album, The Dream, out now via Pigasus Records / Big Loud Records / Songs & Daughters. The song was co-written with Lori McKenna and originally recorded by Little Big Town in 2017.

“This song has always felt like a step-by-step guide to happiness,” explains Whitters. “I wanted the visual to be bright and colorful to match the character of the record, as well as accessible to both children and adults. My friend Drew Wittler did the animation and he sprinkled Easter eggs throughout of my musical imprint and Iowa upbringing. My aim is to take viewers on a walk through my ‘happy place’ and hopefully remind them of their own along the way.”

The video follows the release of Whitters’ Live In Studio Session series which delivered five live performances throughout the month of August. Watch videos including a reimagined piano version of “Dream, Girl,” “Heartland,” “Janice at the Hotel Bar,” “The Devil Always Made Me Think Twice,” and “The Faker.”

Just featured as an “Emerging Artist” by People, Whitters is spotted among the all-genre roundup with the outlet raving, “With her chill, guitar-driven sound and powerful vocals, Hailey Whitters stands out as an up-and-coming country star.” Garnering more high-profile media looks, The Dream was named one of “The Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)” by American Songwriter and Paste Magazine. SPIN also marked “All The Cool Girls” on their list of “The 50 Best Songs of 2020 (So Far).”

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The Luxembourg Signal - 2.22.

Dreampop and shoegaze indie super group The Luxembourg Signal brighten up today with the debut of their new single '2:22" a blast of dreampop perfection that comes in makes a statement then stops quickly leaving you wanting even more. The kind folks at Austin Town Hall debuted the track this morning.

With the release of their self-titled debut album on Shelflife Records in 2014, The Luxembourg Signal quickly attracted a loyal following among fans of dream pop/indie pop music, and received enthusiastic reviews for their pop sensibilities, angelic vocals and lush soundscapes.

Their follow-up LP, Blue Field (Shelflife/Kleine Utergrund Schallplatten) released in 2017, garnered even more praise and revealed a bolder, darker and more developed sound with its expanded seven-member lineup of Beth Arzy & Betsy Moyer (vocals), Johnny Joyner (guitars), Brian Espinosa (drums), Ginny Pitchford (keyboards), Daniel Kumiega (bass) and Kelly Davis (guitars).

Now, for their third LP, the transatlantic group based in London, Los Angeles and San Diego, once again returned to the studio with engineer Mark Rains and have produced the highly anticipated The Long Now (Shelflife/Spinout Nuggets), a 10 song album that imagines a blurred horizon that lies between light and dark, and the fleeting nature of all that we hold.

"The Long Now" (phrase coined by Brian Eno) refers to a long-term way of perceiving time. As an alternative to the accelerated way that we experience our lives, it allows us to make sense of our brief but tumultuous time here, by understanding our place in a much larger timeline as history plays out.


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Malin Pettersen - Wildhorse Dream.

Malin Pettersen's album 'Wildhorse' is set for release on October 16th. Stories seem to follow Malin Pettersen wherever she goes, whether it's in the streets of Oslo, Norway, or in the quaint neighborhoods of Nashville, Tennessee.

Raised by a country musician father and a mother who deeply loved jazz, Pettersen grew up surrounded by music. Those early influences and the stories behind them drew her to American culture and arts, including folk and bluegrass. In 2009, she formed the popular country band Lucky Lips, supplying engaging lead vocals to their debut 2010 EP Third Door to the Right. They quickly found success with their engaging blend of traditional folk elements with a modern edge. They continued to release a trove of music over the next few years, including two well-received albums and even participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2013. A slight sonic shift on their third record, 2016’s Coming Home, brought the group to a new level of acclaim, eventually earning them a slot at Nashville’s AmericanaFest in 2018.

Propelled by the success of Lucky Lips, Pettersen went onto release her first solo album References Pt. 1 in 2018. It won widespread critical praise and even earned her a Spellemann Award (Norwegian Grammy). Later that year, Lucky Lips teamed up with Norwegian blues legend Amund Maarud for their collaborative record Indian Butterfly.

The tightly-knit creative community that Nashville harbors kept calling to Pettersen. Those pilgrimages back to the U.S. resulted in the creation of Alonesome, her powerful 2019 mini-album. That release earned her praise from Rolling Stone Country, Paste, Billboard and more. With just her voice and her guitar, the project showcased both Pettersen’s emotive vocals and her expert songwriting, capturing the beautiful complexities of human emotion.

After an Ameripolitan Awards nomination led her back to Tennessee, she returned to Nashville to begin recording her most important project to date. Pettersen tapped into her experiences of exploring America and the creative relationships she developed along the way to create something brand new.

“Even though most of the groundwork was all done live together in one room on both previous albums, there are more layers on this one and it stretches towards more of a cinematic soundscape,” Pettersen says. "There is more California, Bobbie Gentry and cosmic-ness on this one."


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We Used to Make Things - The Luxembourg Signal - Frida Sundemo - Trupa Trupa - Sophia Marshall - Pale Honey - KLARA

We Used to Make Things - Yes Man (no no no).

Background - We Used To Make Things are an East London based band, the product of a fusion of influences as diverse as ELO and The Beatles, taking in Indie Rock, Punk and Horns along the way to create an explosion of sound, perfectly exemplified by new single 'Yes Man'.

The song is a about embracing the powerlessness inherent in our modern lives before a chaotic and angry eruption of sound rallies us with a battle cry against apathy, a catchy earworm of dissatisfaction.

The band chose a name to hint at their disillusionment with post-industrial Britain but also more personally about a danger that accompanies adulthood, that of losing the ability to play, make mistakes, be creative and ultimately, make things.

The songs on their album are shaped by warm, witty lyrics about dissatisfaction, personal politics, open plan offices and the kind of characters Mike Leigh and Pinter would be proud of. It is in turn funny, poignant and angry, but also very good to dance to. Website here, Facebook here.

'Yes Man (no no no)' is a song with a message & a point to be made. It's also fabulously catchy with determined vocals and a rich musical arrangement, and the video adds just a little more focus on the message at hand.


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The Luxembourg Signal - Blue Field.

Background - Luxembourg Signal debut new single and title track from their new album. Shelflife presents the new album Blue Field from The Luxembourg Signal available October 13th on limited edition LP vinyl, CD and digital formats on Shelflife and Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten (for Europe).

With the release of their first single and debut album on Shelflife in 2014, The Luxembourg Signal quickly found a loyal following among fans of dream pop/indie pop music, and received enthusiastic reviews for their pop sensibilities, angelic vocals and lush soundscapes. Since the debut release, the band's lineup of Beth Arzy & Betsy Moyer (vocals), Johnny Joyner (guitars), Brian Espinosa (drums) and Ginny Pitchford (keyboards) has been expanded with the addition of Kelly Davis (guitars) and Daniel Kumiega (bass).

The seven-piece played a handful of shows in the UK and Europe in the summer of 2015 to promote their debut album, including a Sunday evening performance at Indietracks that many cited as one of the highlights of the weekend. 2015 also saw the release of a split 7" single with Soft Science (Test Pattern Records), which featured a remix of Dying Star by Robert Hampson (Loop/Main).

For their follow-up LP, Blue Field, The Luxembourg Signal returned to the studio with engineer Mark Rains and produced an album that reveals a bolder, more developed sound with a darker undertone. The album's first single "Laura Palmer," released on 7" in June, earned immediate admiration from fans across the globe. The new LP also features special guest vocals from Bobby Wratten (Field Mice, Trembling Blue Stars) on the reflective track "Fall Feeling."Website here, Facebook here.

We featured Luxembourg Signal back in May & are pleased to be able to share the new single (& album title track) 'Blue Field'. Smooth, melodic and pretty dreamy, this is a fabulous indie song, leaving me eager to hear the album.

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Frida Sundemo - Gold.

Background - Swedish songstress Frida Sundemo has released her brand new single ‘Gold’ ahead of her highly anticipated international debut album Flashbacks & Futures, due on October 6th through leading Scandinavian record label Cosmos Music. 

‘Gold’ features glorious dewy production and evocative orchestration delivering a stunning soundscape surrounding Frida’s enchanting vocals.

Regarding the single Frida says, ‘”Gold’ is about being brave and embracing the beauty of life. It’s about having the courage to risk something that’s ”alright” for the chances of getting something you really dream about.”

‘Gold’ follows the release of previous highly acclaimed singles ‘We Are Dreamers’, ‘It’s OK’ and ‘Keep An Eye On Me’, all taken from Flashbacks & Futures. Frida Sundemo has created a debut of otherworldly beauty and one that is set to meet the expectations for one of the most highly anticipated albums to be coming out of Scandinavia this year. Website here, Facebook here.

The soundtrack is beautiful enough to be released on it's own, however without doubt it is Frida Sundemo's vocals that make this such a wonderful track. Indeed this is one beguiling song!

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Trupa Trupa - To Me.

Background - Gdansk, Poland post-punk-psych band Trupa Trupa announce their third LP Jolly New Songs. Today, they release the first single "To Me" via The Quietus, who writes, "Entitled Jolly New Songs, the album sees the band gunning for an overtly more triumphant tone than previous offerings. "To Me" was inspired by the poetry and legacy of poet Walt Whitman. BBC Radio is currently spinning the track as well. "To Me" gives a good taste of what to expect off the full record.

Nothing hurts harder than a surprise ending, and the title track of this album has a real face-slap of one. One minute you’re in bliss, carried away in a crescendo of spine-tingling post-rock guitars and soft, wordless oohs, the next you’re through - the song’s out the door, down the street, pulling away from the curb and into a new life. The overall tone of Jolly New Song is so anthemic and - for this band - uncharacteristically triumphant, only makes having the rug pulled out from under you like this seem so much more cruel, so much more funny. Perhaps the harder the fall is, the more you have to laugh.

Trupa Trupa are sodden in a particularly cryptic kind of gallows humour. This isn’t just down to some glitch in translation - it could be in part due to the band’s art-rock origins and because their singer and guitarist, Grzegorz Kwiatkowski is an award-winning poet in Poland (incidentally, Trupa Trupa themselves have been shortlisted for the Polish equivalent of the Mercury Music Prize). The band’s name in English roughly translates to Corpse Corpse, which sounds like the punchline to some inscrutable gothic joke. You can dance to this album - check out the to-die-for funk groove that propels the Can-like "Falling." You can trip out to it - check out the psychedelic meltdown that mutates the Wurlitzer fairground music of "Only Good Weather" into something dark and psyche-scarring.

Jolly New Songs comes heavily anticipated after their 2015 full length Headache that was released to raves from The Quietus, KEXP, and LA Times. The record will be released via Ici d'ailleurs (Yann Tiersen, Matt Elliott/The Third Eye Foundation, Stefan Wesołowski), and Blue Tapes and X-Ray Records (Jute Gyte, Tashi Dorji, Mats Gustafsson, Katie Gately) with american distribution via Forced Exposure. Jolly New Songs was recorded at Dickie Dreams studio in Gdansk, Poland, and produced by Michał Kupicz (recording, mixing and mastering). It is scheduled to release October 27, 2017. Bandcamp here, Facebook here.

Described as a post punk psych band, Trupa Trupa are certainly living up to that description with 'To Me' perhaps with the psych element most notable around the vocals. Powerful & engaging this is my introduction to the band & it's an impressive one.


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Sophia Marshall - Bye Bye.

Background - Sophia Marshall announces debut album 'Bye Bye' out October 6th. Sophia Marshall burst onto the UK Americana scene as one-half of highly acclaimed band The HaveNots (Cooking Vinyl Records), earning praise alongside as an accomplished singer-songwriter within the alt-country music scene.

Having played hundreds of gigs across three continents from the tiniest dives to the grandest theatres, she’s delighted audiences at prestigious festivals like Summer Sundae in the UK and South by South West (SXSW) in the USA with her spellbinding voice and songs.

Highlights include performing Emmylou’s parts at a Gram Parson’s tribute alongside Evan Dando, (and earning the praise of Gram’s daughter Polly) and touring the land sharing stages with some of Americana finest, such as the Be Good Tanya’s, The Sadies and Tift Merrit.  More recently, Sophia joined Frazey Ford on her UK tour, as both the opening act and providing backing vocals for Frazey.

She conjures a sultry sound on her debut album ‘Bye Bye’ that keeps its roots in Americana yet harks back to elements of 90s trip hop. The album closes with an acapella sea shanty that draws a line of influence around the world from British folk to African choirs to the spirituals of the Deep South.

The clever and subtle arrangements, make full use of her intuitive harmony but also incorporate fractured electronics and loops. Her songs take unexpected twists and turns, throwing up unusual chords and timings and marking her out with an originality and quirkiness often missing in UK Americana. With 'Bye Bye' Sophia Marshall sets out her stall as a British songwriter to be reckoned with. Website here, Facebook here.

Distinctly pleasing vocals that are just naturally disposed to Americana are surrounded by a vibrant modern country musical arrangement on 'Bye Bye'. Full of hooks, top notch musicianship and plenty of passion Sophie Marshall will be pleasing a whole lot of people with her October album release.

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Pale Honey - Get These Things Out Of My Head.

Background - Two years have passed since Gothenburg-based band Pale Honey (Tuva Lodmark and Nelly Daltrey) released their critically acclaimed, self titled debut album. This year the band will release their second full length album Devotion, a record of real honest and maturity. 

It is no doubt that Devotion was named thematically. Written and recorded together with producer Anders Lagerfors at the legendary Nacksving Studios in Gothenburg, the album offers a snapshot into the changing shape of Pale Honey. Though their sound may be maturing and growing more ambitious, for this album they returned to the process that served them so well as songwriters while they penned their debut. They say the number one motivation was to stay curious about music and try new things; “We didn’t record our debut album knowing what we were doing - we were new to our instruments at that time, and so writing for Devotion was a bit like that. We’ve recorded ideas on instruments we don’t usually play.”

The band have also sought to make Devotion more of a curated experience to its predecessor; “Our debut album included songs that we wrote as teenagers and settled for anything that sounded good. For Devotion, we became extremely picky and left out a lot of songs that are good, but just didn’t fit in together or didn’t feel good enough. It has taken it’s time, two years of touring and writing but we’ve also had some time apart to be able to let ideas come in more environments than in the rehearsal room or studio. As we have pushed ourselves, we have become more confident in what we’re doing and what we like and don’t regarding our music.”

What shines through about Devotion, thematically, is its dealing with relationships on their many different levels, all the way down to the relationship with one’s self. In this way they’ve said the album has been quite therapeutic, and nowhere else on the album is this clearer than on the single track Get These Things Out of My Head. Amongst a swath of distorted guitars and menacing synths are lyrics that deal with singer / guitarist Tuva Lodmark’s Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, something she has suffered with since her teenage years; “For me, this is very personal to talk about. I even wanted to change the lyrics for the song to be about something else before we recorded the vocals, I was so afraid of what other people would know about me. But after I gave it some thought, why would I censor myself that way? We make music because it’s true. We write to deal with ourselves and things that happen around us. This condition I’ve been in is a big part of me and I want to be true to myself and shed some light on the disease. It’s more common than people think.” Over ten tracks, Devotion proves itself to be a deeply personal album to really get lost in. Facebook here.

'Get These Things Out Of My Head' is one of those songs that skips around rock genres with ease. Hints of punk meet alt rock, or is it new wave, by the time Iv'e tried to place the genre they have moved on again. It's a lot easier just to say the track is full of hooks, natural passion & vibrant energy.

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KLARA 'These Woods (Human Made).

Background - London-based Swedish singer-songwriter KLARA has announced the release of her new single These Woods. KLARA self-released her debut Playgroundhouse EP earlier this year, garnering support from the likes of Nordic Playlist, Apple Music 'Best Of The Week' and Spotify 'Fresh Finds:Hiptronix' playlists amongst others. 

Since meeting Justin Vernon of Bon Iver at Glastonbury and being invited over to spend time with him and his musical cohorts at Eaux Claires Festival in Wisconsin in 2015 and 2016, KLARA returned inspired and with a clear vision for her own music. With Bon Iver providing a creative influence, KLARA’s own love for the church-like reverb of bands such as Daughter, the powerful female folk harmonies of First Aid Kit and the bold yet sparse power of the likes of London Grammar have shaped her sound.

In June, KLARA entered Peter Gabriel’s legendary Real World Studios to record These Woods, also produced by KLARA. The beautiful and tranquil setting of Real World provided the perfect ambience for creating a track that is an epic soundscape of luscious strings, heart-wrenching French horns and pounding rhythms, underpinning the emotive piano and beautiful vocals. The recording features an impressive set of musicians including the QStrings and session musicians who regularly perform with the likes of George Ezra, Lianne La Havas and Ella Eyre. The track will also feature on the new Volvo advert which will run throughout September and October. KLARA says; “I wanted to write about my love of being amidst nature – some of my best childhood memories are from being surrounded by forests and lakes in Sweden and I think these early memories shape us as people. Recording at Real World Studios so close to nature was fantastic – I could feel myself connecting more with my lyrics when I was looking out on the water from the vocal booth.”

KLARA has shared stages with the likes of Lucy Rose, Fenne Lily and Clare Maguire across the UK and in September, she will undertake a special live performance of These Woods at the iconic Festival No. 6 in Portmeirion. KLARA has been hand-picked by the festival’s composer-in-residence, Joe Duddell, to perform a unique set with his No. 6 Ensemble, playing new musical arrangements of her songs, including These Woods, especially written for this performance. KLARA is currently working on her debut album which will be announced soon. Facebook here.

A gentle & understated piano opens 'These Woods (Human Made)' followed quickly by some beautiful vocals & harmonies. As the soundtrack adds additional layers, the power gently rises, adding to the emotional feel of an enchanting song.

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Walrus - The Luxembourg Signal - BUHU - The School Book Depository - ARGRPH - Tomten

Walrus - In Timely Fashion.

Background - Halifax's Walrus announce tour in support of Family Hangover. Walrus will release their debut LP, Family Hangover, on June 9th via Dan Mangan's Madic Records. 

Currently available for pre-order, it features a soulful, fuzzed-out mix of swirling vocals, wailing guitar riffs, and Spacemen 3-style drone, all with a laid-back, '60s-infused vibe. 

"...just because Walrus doesn’t seem to take itself terribly seriously doesn’t mean Walrus shouldn’t be taken seriously. These lads can do pretty much anything." - Toronto Star.

Today, the band has detailed their tour in support of the album. The Halifax-based band offered a first taste of the album with lead single "Regular Face" and followed it up with the psych-tinged "In Timely Fashion". Live dates are over on Beehive Candy's tour page, website here, Facebook here.

'In Timely Fashion' is a whirlpool of psychedelic vibes where melodic vocals and rich sounding guitars, create four minutes of aural delight.


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The Luxembourg Signal - Laura Palmer.

Background - With the release of their first single and debut album on Shelflife in 2014, The Luxembourg Signal quickly found a loyal following among fans of dream pop/indie pop music, and received enthusiastic reviews for their pop sensibilities, angelic vocals and lush soundscapes.

Since the debut release, the band's lineup of Beth Arzy & Betsy Moyer (vocals), Johnny Joyner (guitars), Brian Espinosa (drums) and Ginny Pitchford (keyboards) has been expanded with the addition of Kelly Davis (guitars) and Daniel Kumiega (bass). 

The seven-piece played a handful of shows in the UK and Europe in the summer of 2015 to promote their debut album, including a Sunday evening performance at Indietracks that many cited as one of the highlights of the weekend. 2015 also saw the release of a split 7” single with Soft Science (Test Pattern Records), which featured a remix of Dying Star by Robert Hampson (Loop/Main).

The band returned to the studio in 2016 to complete their second full length Blue Field coming out this fall on Shelflife and Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten. "Laura Palmer" is the first single from the album and one of our favorite tracks of the year. The b-side is a special cover version of "Let's Make Some Plans" by the Close Lobsters. 

For their follow-up LP, Blue Field (Shelflife), The Luxembourg Signal returned to the studio with engineer Mark Rains and produced an album that reveals a bolder, more developed sound with a darker undertone. The new LP also features guest vocals by Bobby Wratten (Field Mice, Trembling Blue Stars) on the reflective track "Fall Feeling."

The Luxembourg Signal will be playing various dates in Germany (TBA) in September 2017 as well as The Paris Pop Fest on Friday September 22, 2017. Website here, Facebook here.

With a pleasing melody and dreamy vocals 'Laura Palmer' is a gorgeous indie pop song, that just builds and builds to a crescendo of musical power.

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BUHU - La Truth.

Background - 'La Truth' is the first single released by BUHU that was solely written, produced, recorded and mixed by frontman Jeremy Rogers. The song is a retrospective of Jeremy's guilt in being dishonest with his wife and the strains that keeping secrets can cause on a loving relationship. 

La Truth was recorded on a 1990's Korg 8 track multi track recorder. Inspired by the lo-fi recording techniques of Sufjan Steven's Michigan album, Jeremy set out to record a whole new set of "Bedroom Pop" songs that reflect the emotional and complicated relationships he shares with his loved ones and the world around him. 'La Truth' released May 15th on FMF Records

BUHU has also announced the summer 2017 'Love and the Wild' tour in partnership with The National Parks Service. The 'Love and the Wild' tour will take BUHU through Canada, the West Coast and nine national parks. BUHU is doing the tour in advocacy for environmentalism, musicians mental health and the conservation of North America's greatest natural treasures. Live dates are over on Beehive Candy's tour page, Facebook here.

Dominant bass sounds, swirling synths and haunting, distant vocals ensure 'La Truth' is a memorable musical piece. Lo-fi electronic music with an under current of potent power.

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The School Book Depository - A Fork In The Road For Behavioural Science.

Background - The School Book Depository - "A Fork In The Road For Behavioural Science" With this year’s possibly most complicated title The School Book Depository is following up it’s last single ”Salvation” with a both strange and inspiring pop-cocktail. This catchy tune is a psychedelic trip to the outskirts of sanity where groovy, Motown-flavored hip hop meets catchy pop melodies in an awkward universe where absurdity clashes with geniality. 

An odd pop gem in a lo-fi outfit that bring both Beck and Eels to mind. When it comes to the lyrics it would probably require a masters degree in both psychoanalysis and behavioural science to figure this one out. The initial line pretty much sets the tone for the lyrical content: “I’m duct taping pork chops under my feet, the comfort it brings, it is stress release for my knees”. If norm criticism is the popular term for this decade, this song sure would be the perfect theme song, bringing the term yet another dimension. Bandcamp here.

'A Fork In The Road For Behavioural Science' deserves to be heard for the song title alone. Our second feature this year for The School Book Depository and it's another superb piece, where the hypnotic rhythm supports a genre defying mixture of vocals and musicianship.

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ARGRPH - Cymorth.

Background - Cymorth (meaning Support/Help) is ARGRPH's follow-up single to the majestic melancholy that was 'Tywod' from late 2016. Spending studio time again with producer Llyr Parry (Y Niwl, Palenco, Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog), songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Emyr Sion was joined by Caradog Davies (drums+vocals) and Gwyn Rosser (guitar+vocals). 

Together they have created a song that musically brings a darker hue to their already distinctive dreamy, surf pop. Emyr is fastly developing to be one of the bravest and singular new creative voices from Wales. 

Cymorth is a song "Dealing with the inadequate and destructive advice given to those suffering from mental health". "Mocking the sentences that I (Emyr) have heard time after time during the darkest points of my life" Cymorth is a poetic and emotionally bruising song. There lies the magic of ARGRPH sound, making the universal personal and the personal universal with music that is always emotionally stirring and beautifully uplifting. Facebook here.

Singing from the language of your heart always seems to add an additional layer of feeling as, I would suggest, is clearly the case with 'Cymorth'. The song is somewhere between surf pop and shoegaze, a strange combination on paper and a beautiful one in reality.

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Tomten - Limbo's Daughter.

Background -  Cremation Songs is the forthcoming album from Seattle baroque dreampop trio Tomten, known for their dreamy organ tones, analogue synths and enchanting three part harmonies. Cremation Songs, a bittersweet collection of 13 sparkling and singed beauties, will be released on CD, vinyl and digital formats on Plume Records on July 7th.

'Limbo's Daughter' is one of the album's more poppy upbeat numbers, and it came together in an unexpected way, cause half the keyboard on the Wurlitzer was out of tune, so I had to play the Wurlitzer and Rhodes set up next to each other -- higher octave on Rhodes. The happy accident moments like this made recording this LP a more exciting experience...One of my favorite things about this song is the little dueling guitar part in the middle that was played by Jake Brady and Jason Quever: Jake's guitar going direct to get that curdled milk tone, and Jason's FDA approved melody line.

"Cremation Songs features just about everyone we've ever worked with and more, which makes me happiest," says Noyes-Watkins. "We have past band members Gregg Belisle-Chi and Lena Simon on it, as well as Jason Quever who recorded The Farewell Party." Andy Meyer engineered and mixed the album at The Unknown in Anacortes, WA, and Carl Saff, based in Chicago, mastered the record. Facebook here.

'Limbo's Daughter' is an engaging and quite timeless sounding song. At the heart of the song are some most agreeable vocals and harmonies, however the musical arrangement and fine musicianship nudge the song up, making the forthcoming album a very interesting prospect.

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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...