Ida Mae - Soë Blue - The Silverbeets - Will Powers

Ida Mae released 'Raining For You' this week and the Americana duo really do serve up something special, the vocals are creative in themselves and glide over a wonderful acoustic backdrop. ===== Soë Blue appeared on Beehive Candy back in April with her debut single 'Karma' and we are pleased to share today's release 'Totally Confused' which is a funky, soulful and beautiful song. ===== For The Silverbeets we only have to go back three weeks for their last feature and now we have the brand new track 'Girlfriend' which takes their indie art rock into a rhythmic and slightly psychedelic direction. ===== Will Powers (the brainchild of songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/producer Oli Palkovits) today shares 'Woven and Shattered' and it's a fabulously layered rocker with notable vocals and bags of hooks.

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Ida Mae - Raining For You.

The Americana duo Ida Mae have released "Raining For You," the title track from their upcoming EP. Raining For You will be released on November 20th via Thirty Tigers.

"This was one of the first tracks we recorded as Lockdown measures began here in Nashville TN," writes Ida Mae. "It's a simple love song written from the perspective of a friend of ours, someone I knew that was losing themselves in the darker memories of a past romantic relationship. Through social media and memory I think many people today can find themselves feeling like a helpless voyeur, watching the self-destructive behaviour of someone brilliant they love but feel powerless to help.”

Describing the story behind the Raining For You EP Ida Mae writes, "Our last show was in San Antonio Texas when we were flown home from our tour schedule and into quarantine. The years before had been the biggest adventures of our lives, two Brits on our own travelling and playing non stop shows across the length and breadth of the USA and Europe. We played a rollercoaster of shows from Entertainment Centre’s in Wisconsin to Stadiums in New York. In all that time we’d been collecting scraps of conversation, words and sounds from our experiences on the road.  We’d been piecing together the bones of our next album in hotel rooms and the backs of taxis every spare moment we had. Collecting fragments of what felt like a strange, ragged, dream-state journey. All the plans we’d made for recording the next album had gone out the window, so we wired the house into our lockdown studio and began to self produce"

There’s a genuine 'Bonnie & Clyde’ perspective to Ida Mae’s songwriting, reflecting the wild expanse of America as viewed through the eyes of two restless lovers. The husband-and-wife duo have toured roughly 120,000 miles of the USA and Canada to date, earning rave reviews and performing at festivals like Bonnaroo and Philly Folk Festival, and alongside artists like Willie Nelson, Greta Van Fleet, Allison Krauss and Marcus King. All the while Ida Mae was at work writing new material inspired by their experiences on the road as well as their favorite American authors (Kerouac, James Baldwin, Ferlinghetti, Raymond Carver).

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Soë Blue - Totally Confused.

Here comes bright music for dark times: 'Totally Confused', the new single by young Zurich-based Soë Blue, gives a nod to the good old days of northern soul with its joie de vivre. Mixed with a some bits of funk and pop - these tunes are exactly what we need now!

Specially as there's a lot to be worried about in these times. And be it the question how to combine music, work, love, friends and family. 

That's what 'Totally Confused' is about: So many things to do, so little time. Or, to say it with the words of Soë Blue: «This can make your head spin. But one day we'll be dancing in the sun again».

Soë Blue brings back sunshine. And when she sings, she brings back memories of Adele, Amy Winehouse, Simply Red, Alicia Keys, Joss Stone and Aretha Franklin as well. Don't you think?

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The Silverbeets - Girlfriend.

Australian indie art rockers The Silverbeets present their 'Girlfriend' single, the second taste of their new 'Halcyon Days' album, which is the band's third multi-track release. This long-play will be released on November 13.

Formed in 2014, The Silverbeets are Farnz Cordeaux (rhythm guitar, vocals), Jamie Scott (lead guitar, vocals), Nigel Hope (bass) and Bill O’Brien (drums). Their sound is also heavily influenced by their “5th member”, producer and multi-instrumentalist Ernie Oppenheimer.

The Silverbeets hail from Hobart, Tasmania - the small Australian island state at the bottom of the world. This relative isolation has led the band to craft an idiosyncratic sound that borrows from luminary rock acts like Pink Floyd, The Byrds, David Bowie, Radiohead, The Pixies, Queen, Fleet Foxes, Simon & Garfunkel, Nick Cave and Neil Young, among others.

With a rich dark green sound interspersed with multi-coloured stems, their non-formulaic style is distinct. Like their forthcoming 8-track full-length album, this single evoke the spirit of artists such as Can, They Might be Giants and XTC.

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Will Powers - Woven and Shattered.

New single, "Woven and Shattered," is carried by a polyrhythmic riff, with lyrics that reflect the sense of seamlessness/continuity between our inner and outer worlds.

Will Powers is the brainchild of songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/producer Oli Palkovits. Oli won the 2019 NOFMA Outstanding Album award for his 2017 self-release Flowers of Atacama. 

Following the release, he moved to Montreal, where much of the material that would become the Will Powers’ debut EPs was written. 

He has since moved back to Sudbury and is currently working on several albums with members of Murder Murder and Tommy and the Commies.

Will Powers · Woven And Shattered

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The Silverbeets - Kim Bingham - Scenic Route To Alaska - Psymon Spine

The Silverbeets recently shared 'We Mattered Once Upon A Time' along with a video. The song is from their next album 'Halcyon Days' and gives a good feel for the bands desirable and distinctive indie art rock. ==== Kim Bingham hasn't wasted her lock down and along with Jolyon White has produced a fresh and highly entertaining video entitled "Sweet Irene: Escape from Lockdown" which comes from her UP! album. ==== Scenic Route To Alaska have just released 'Polarized' and the Edmonton-based indie pop trio are impressive with this powerful and hook filled song. ==== We featured 'Milk' by Psymon Spine back in July and they are back with 'Modmed' along with a video, the new track is a swirling psychedelic piece with some light disco vibes.

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The Silverbeets - We Mattered Once Upon A Time.

Australian indie art rockers The Silverbeets have announced they will be releasing their 'Halcyon Days' album this autumn. Offering a taste of things to come, the quartet present the lead track 'We Matted Once Upon a Time', along with accompanying video.

With a rich dark green sound interspersed with multi-coloured stems, their non-formulaic style is distinct. Like their forthcoming 8-track full-length album, this single evoke the spirit of artists such as Can, They Might be Giants and XTC.

Formed in 2014, The Silverbeets hail from Hobart, Tasmania - the small Australian island state at the bottom of the world. This relative isolation has led the band to craft an idiosyncratic sound that borrows from luminary rock acts like Pink Floyd, The Byrds, David Bowie, Radiohead, The Pixies, Queen, Fleet Foxes, Simon & Garfunkel, Nick Cave and Neil Young, among others.

The Silverbeets consist of Farnz Cordeaux (rhythm guitar, vocals), Jamie Scott (lead guitar, vocals), Nigel Hope (bass) and Bill O’Brien (drums) but their recorded sound is also heavily influenced by their “5th member”, producer and multi-instrumentalist, Ernie Oppenheimer.

"This is a song about how government, or people in power, once treated people with some common decency, like we mattered. However all semblance of caring seems to have completely gone by the wayside and all we have left is the greed of man, the greed of those in power who know how to use it against the 99% Viva la revolution!" says frontman Farnz Cordeaux.

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Kim Bingham - "Sweet Irene: Escape from Lockdown".

Catchy pop-rock track Sweet Irene first featured in Kim Bingham’s album “UP!”. Kim herself has had a long and diverse music career since she began in 1990, from being a member of third-wave ska group Me Mom and Morgentaler, to composing the soundtrack for TV trilogy Les Invincibles.

During lockdown, Kim and video director Jolyon White worked together in a long-distance digital collaboration to produce the video for Sweet Irene, entitling it “Sweet Irene – Escape from Lockdown”.

Kim says of the video: “The original concept was to produce a music video using only Instagram Filters. The story of the video developed into a science-fiction tale including a battle scene and victory dance.”

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Scenic Route To Alaska - Polarized.

Substance and accessibility. They’re often considered opposing forces when it comes to pop music, making it all the more impressive when a band like Scenic Route to Alaska so effortlessly delivers ample doses of both.

The heralded Edmonton-based indie pop trio – Trevor Mann on lead vocals and guitar, drummer Shea Connor, and bassist Murray Wood – have worked tirelessly scaling the summit of the Canadian and international music scenes. They dropped two acclaimed LPs – 2018’s Tough Luck and 2016’s Long Walk Home – that weave memorable melodies and catchy vocals through compelling, musically-rich arrangements and earned a slew of awards and accolades on their backs. They’ve toured relentlessly across North America, Europe, and Australia and have seen their global fanbase grow exponentially with each amplified chord.

Since taking time to write and workshop new material earlier in 2019, Scenic Route to Alaska have released a pair of singles “Give a Little” in October 2019 and “Daydreaming” in Feb 2020 and played a nearly sold out tour throughout Canada. These singles will soon be featured on a limited edition 7″ vinyl.

Despite the nearly non-stop touring and unwavering determination throughout their time together, the three musicians have enjoyed every step of the journey. That was especially the case with their packed 2019 hometown performance on the main stage of the world-renowned Edmonton Folk Music Festival – a definite career highlight thus far. They’ve also racked up handfuls of awards, including a SOCAN #1 distinction for the single “Love Keeps” and a Western Canadian Music Award for Best Rock Act.

The recordings effortlessly capture the excitement of the band’s live performance, where the energy is palpable and the fun contagious. Always locked in with a syncopation that can only stem from a long collective history, the boys bounce from ballads to bangers with ease, leaving a lasting impression on any kind of audience in front of them. The band is perhaps best defined through dichotomy: young but mature, curious but collected, accessible but substantial. Such balance is all too rare in this scene, but thankfully, Scenic Route to Alaska strikes it with a style all their own.

Scenic Route to Alaska · Polarized

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Psymon Spine - Modmed.

If the story of Psymon Spine in 2020 began with “Milk” featuring Barrie Lindsay (Noah and Sabine’s former bandmate), it only makes sense to follow that with “Modmed,” a song inspired by Noah and Sabine’s decision to split with Barrie and focus their energy on Psymon Spine. The lyrics to Modmed channel the complex mix of frustration, doubt, and relief that surrounded their final days in Barrie.

Featuring production and writing contributions from their friend Andrew VanWyngarden of MGMT, “Modmed” is heavily disco-inspired, fusing those sounds with a left-field pop sensibility. “Psymon Spine invited me into the studio one winter’s day and we had a fun and funky time ripping Juno basslines and dialing in lush tones,” says VanWyngarden. “I like that their dj and record digging knowledge comes through distinctly on this track.” With squishy synth lines nodding to ABBA, drums that call to mind Tom Tom Club’s “Genius of Love,” and a bass line inspired by Larry Levan, the bands’ love for classic disco and house is on full display.

Psymon Spine fuse psychedelic pop and the deep grooves of dance music, the Brooklyn electronic pop outfit's origins date back to core members Noah Prebish and Peter Spears meeting in college and finding common ground in their artistic aims and influences. Eventually, Brother Michael joined Psymon Spine, as the trio hashed out the demos for what would become their 2017 debut and continued on that aesthetic mission by becoming figures in the Brooklyn dance scene through throwing the immersive art and dance parties via their Secret Friend series. Meanwhile, Prebish's work in dream-pop band Barrie—who broke out last year with the excellent debut Happy to Be Here following a string of buzz-making singles—led him to meet singer and multi-instrumentalist Sabine Holler, who also eventually joined Psymon Spine.

Psymon Spine's glimmering melodies bear resemblance to the pop smarts of Barrie—but Psymon Spine are on a whole different journey too, embracing and exploring left-field electronic sounds ranging from disco's high-energy rhythmic breakdowns to the upward build of early techno and motorik's indelibly incessant pulse. Psymon Spine put their own loopy and addictive stamp on the sounds of the past throughout, with surprises at every turn and the type of lush synth work that could only come from such brilliant students of dance music.

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