Showing posts with label Therese Lithner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Therese Lithner. Show all posts

Sunday, 6 May 2018

DIET - Therese Lithner

DIET - Danny Boy.

Background - Melbourne five piece DIET are set to launch their third single “Danny Boy”, a live show favourite, that recites a passionate “…how are you?” from one brother to another over an interstate phone call. Following on from their 2017 single releases that included the ode to the classic Aussie tradition of streaking in “Clothes Off”, and the heartfelt love letter that was “Take Me”.

“Danny Boy” features all the classic DIET hallmarks of nostalgic synthesizers and playful guitar lines influenced by classic UK underground sounds of yesteryear.

DIET have officially joined the artist roster of leading Australian Talent agency New World Artists. It follows on from supporting Australian band Polish Club across a sold out National Tour and playing a number of sold out shows up the east coast that included their now legendary PIZZA Party at Melbourne’s infamous “GASO”. 


The band are continuing to roll out the calorie crunching fun with billing on Melbourne’s Cherry Rock Festival, a headline National tour for Rare Finds and a ten city support run for indie-rock stalwarts British India through ’til July. DIET are: Ben O Loughlin, Carlos Tinsey,  Ted Mitchell, Andrew Taylor, William Clancy. FACEBOOK.

Our first exposure to Melbourne's DIET is 'Danny Boy' (not the classic "pipes are calling" song), a vibrant indie rocker of sorts, where the synths and guitars playfully swirl around each other as the vocals add just a hint of stadium rock vibes. It's no wonder this is a live show favourite, that said the band keep it natural and cool on the studio version.


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Therese Lithner - Eye.

Background - The new single 'Eye' has just been released. "The lyrics for 'Eye' was written separately and then I made the guitar track and song melody. It was written (except lyrics) in what felt like an instant. I wanted to keep the shape exactly the way it was when I played the song for the first time, and instead build on it with more instruments. The song is about a lack of communication, the pain of unsuccessfully trying to reach another person."  - Therese Lithner

With a past in bands like Vaken and My Sound Of Silence, Therese Lithner was an active part of Umeå's flourishing music scene in the early 2010's. To begin writing songs for a solo project wasn't an obvious choice or any direct plan but fell more like a coincidence. It was during a session in the rehearsal room, when it suddenly was as the 90s shined through and old childhood idols got free play. With reverb on vocals and guitar, Therese began improvising material, wrote three songs on pure inspiration and recorded them on her mobile phone. Somehow they felt different and the idea of ​​a solo project began to take shape.

After Therese moved down to Stockholm, she found a rehearsal space south of the city and started working on the material that now has resulted in an EP, set for release on June 19 via Lazy Octopus Records on 12" vinyl and digitally. FACEBOOK.


Following on from our feature for the track 'Drown' back in early April we now have 'Eye' ahead of next months EP release. We described the previous song as "an atmospheric rocker with a rhythmic and addictive feel to it," whereas 'Eye' is all about the passionate and enticing vocals. Not that the musical backdrop is lacking in substance, there's plenty of energy around, however the pace is slower, and Therese Lithner takes centre stage doing so with grace and commitment.

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Sunday, 8 April 2018

Rue Snider - Therese Lithner - Ellevator

Rue Snider - Vamonos.

Background - Brooklyn-based singer songwriter Rue Snider releases the official music video for "Vamonos" - the debut single off of his upcoming album City Living. Combining 80s alt sounds with a lyrical style reminiscent of 60s rock revolutionaries, "Vamonos" sets the scene for his album release later this summer.

Of the "Vamonos" video, Rue explains: "The song lyric is incredibly earnest. I wanted to create something visual that represented the emotion of the song but went in an extreme direction to lighten it up and make the viewer laugh rather than cry. We went super DIY and tried to make everything in the video obviously move in that direction. My thought was what if we play up the ridiculousness and overwhelming nature of a breakup by making the story of the video a bit silly. Everybody has a friend who felt like they were dying while breaking up with someone who was never the right fit to begin with. What if we repositioned that terrible fit to be a fun-loving, pink stuffed bear? It's the inability to let go of something that is obviously not right for you."

Heavily influenced by the sounds of the 80s, from Cyndi Lauper to R.E.M, Rue's new album City Living presents an aural experience of the downtown Manhattan scene in the mid-2000s brought to living color in 2018. The record, produced by Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Langhorne Slim, Hurry For The Riff Raff), was influenced by a formative time in Rue's life when he moved to New York in 2005, and found himself in an environment, surrounded by the sensory overload of Manhattan's Lower East Side. City Living captures this period -- a musical snapshot in time.

Rue's lyrics are informed more often that not by his personal life experiences. Broken Window, released in 2016, speaks of his journey to sobriety - a time defined by a hunger for consciousness and by dramatic emotional battles. City Living now serves as the musical prequel to Broken Window. A more upbeat record, City Living is colored by the sometimes blissful ignorance of living life unintentionally before waking up to an awareness of the reckoning and difficult choices that are ahead. WEBSITE.


We have featured Rue Snider just once before back in late September 2016, and I was very impressed by his music back then. Now we have 'Vamonos' a beautiful, gentle and catchy song that simply charms itself into your presence.


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Therese Lithner - Drown.

Background - With a past in bands like Vaken and My Sound Of Silence, Therese Lithner was an active part of Umeå's flourishing music scene in the early 2010's. To begin writing songs for a solo project wasn't an obvious choice or any direct plan but fell more like a coincidence.

It was during a session in the rehearsal room, when it suddenly was as the 90s shined through and old childhood idols got free play. With reverb on vocals and guitar, Therese began improvising material, wrote three songs on pure inspiration and recorded them on her mobile phone. Somehow they felt different and the idea of ​​a solo project began to take shape.

After Therese moved down to Stockholm, she started playing with Andreas Sandberg (Magic Potion) in a rehearsal space south of the city. Together with co-producer Linus Johansson (Folkvang, Earthquake, Nightcraft, Old Amica, etc.), the work started with the material that now has resulted in an EP, set for release this spring via Lazy Octopus Records. First single 'Drown' is out on February 2nd. The song is a journey through a relationship, it's about the feeling of first wanting to hug the breath out of everything thats beautiful and then let it fall apart. FACEBOOK.

'Drown' is an atmospheric rocker with a rhythmic and addictive feel to it. The vocals gently glide above the soundtrack adding a level of emotion and intrigue, collectively they harmonise beautifully, this is hard to resist playing again.


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Ellevator - Voices.

Background - Good music seems instantaneous: a decisive rush of expression and dopamine. Hamilton, Ontario's Ellevator captures that direct hit of immediacy, with a closer listen revealing the meticulous design of their muscular pop songs. Front woman Nabi Sue Bersche delivers raw lyricism with quiet power. Her nimble melodies anchor the electric hooks and cinematic timbres Ellevator has refined on countless stages. Their striking debut EP - recorded in Hamilton with Michael Keire (Arkells, The Dirty Nil, Wildlife).

Brick by brick, Ellevator has built a reputation as a band to watch and is poised to break new ground in 2018. "Voices" is the third track from the band's debut EP, out on Arts & Crafts April 20th.

Nabi Sue Bersche's thoughts on the song: "I always had a pretty firm idea of what the Love Of My Life would be like. I had them mapped out completely, down to the rusty old pickup truck and the 5 o’clock shadow. But then they weren't any of those things. They were late nights on the phone and making out in my parent’s hatchback, they were unexpected and ill-advised and all sorts of tears. But I knew from the start that they were my future. So I guess Voices is a love song." FACEBOOK.


Tour Dates:
04.12  Toronto, ON @ Phoenix
04.13  London, ON @ Rum Runners
04.14  Ottawa, ON @ The 27 Club
04.17  Albany, NY @ The Hollow
04.18  New York, NY @ Pianos (showroom)
04.19  Vienna, VA @ Jammin Java
04.20  Boston, MA @ Cafe 939
04.21  Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount
04.22  Quebec City, QC @ Palais Montcalm
04.24  Waterloo, ON @ Maxwell’s
04.26  Hamilton, ON @ Club Absinthe
05.11 Toronto, ON @ CMW - Lee’s Palace (Paradigm & Indie88 Presents)
06.03 Toronto, ON @ Field Trip Festival
06.22 Ottawa, ON @ Dragon Boat Festival
06.23 Hamilton, ON @ Tim Hortons Field (The Rally presented by Arkells)
08.19 Elora, ON @ River Fest Elora.


Alt rock song 'Voices' has plenty of power and energy alongside the gorgeous vocals that ensure a melodic vibe is present throughout. Add into it, the bus load of hooks, and the EP becomes a tantalising prospect. 

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Tuesday, 6 February 2018

Michelle Mandico - Therese Lithner - Croatia

Michelle Mandico - Ptarmigan.

Background - Nashville singer-songwriter Michelle Mandico has a new single entitled “Ptarmigan” (named for a northern grouse of mountainous and Arctic regions, with feathered legs and feet and plumage that typically changes to white in winter) which was released recently.

Colorado native Michelle Mandico traded in snowy slopes as a ski instructor for the warm sounds of Nashville to deepen her career as a writer and musician. Encouraged by a musical family, Michelle grew up singing with her sisters before learning to play piano at age five and she began songwriting shortly after. Her music is comparable to contemporary artists like Ingrid Michaelson and true classics such as Joni Mitchell.

Mandico’s onstage charisma blossomed in Denver's live music scene and she has headlined notable venues, including Los Angeles' Hotel Cafe, Denver's Lost Lake and The Basement in Nashville. In 2015 Michelle released Half Captive , a piano-pop EP produced by Jacob Schrodt. The EP’s second track, “Give It Up,” was featured on Nashville Indie Spotlight 2017. In April 2017 her song “Name Game” (an soul pop duet with Drew Southwell of Trove) aired on Bravo's Imposters. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.


The song opens with a gentle acoustic arrangement and Michelle Mandico's sensitive and personal vocals just shine on 'Ptarmigan'. The soundtrack builds a little, however it's the fetching vocals that rightly retain centre stage.

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Therese Lithner - Drown.

Background - With a past in bands like Vaken and My Sound Of Silence, Therese Lithner was an active part of Umeå's flourishing music scene in the early 2010's. To begin writing songs for a solo project wasn't an obvious choice or any direct plan but fell more like a coincidence. 

It was during a session in the rehearsal room, when it suddenly was as the 90s shined through and old childhood idols got free play. With reverb on vocals and guitar, Therese began improvising material, wrote three songs on pure inspiration and recorded them on her mobile phone. Somehow they felt different and the idea of ​​a solo project began to take shape.

After Therese moved down to Stockholm, she started playing with Andreas Sandberg (Magic Potion) in a rehearsal space south of the city. Together with co-producer Linus Johansson (Folkvang, Earthquake, Nightcraft, Old Amica, etc.), the work started with the material that now has resulted in an EP, set for release this spring via Lazy Octopus Records. First single 'Drown' has now been released. The song is a journey through a relationship, it's about the feeling of first wanting to hug the breath out of everything thats beautiful and then let it fall apart. FACEBOOK.


There is a positive and engaging rhythmic musical vibe that underpins 'Drown', an indie rock track that provides plenty of room for Therese Lithner's vocals, to glide and add some melodic and soothing vibes.

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Croatia - Make Circles.

Background from Croatia - We’re Croatia, a synth-pop group from Victoria, British Columbia. Taking heavy influence from the revolutionary sounds of 80’s era pop and electronic groups, we aim to create our own meaningful - and at times darker - alternative to conventional pop music. We’re excited to share with you the video for our new single, “Make Circles”. The first track off of our forthcoming Half Dreams EP set to be released this spring, and the first to be released with our new vocalist.

“Make Circles” is a song celebrating the ridiculous and cliché moments of intimacy that we often end up in despite our best efforts, and the potentially beautiful outcomes that they might offer. We wanted to reflect those themes in the video as simply as possible, while keeping each scene and visual engaging. Rob Willey at Tall Grass Films understood our vision from the very beginning, and really encouraged us to run with the idea.

“The band first approached me with the idea of the opening shot: a cigarette burning in a kind of David Lynch style motel room. The original plan was to simply shoot various hands picking up the cigarette. We'd also shoot a few different images to overlay, including one of the band in the pink/blue light that I had set up. As soon as I saw the band in the light I became really excited about how vibrant it looked. We came up with a variety of ideas for shots on the fly as we were filming. During the editing process I wanted to cut and overlay the images together in a way that would really enhance the moodiness of the song.” - Rob Willey (Tall Grass Film)

The writing and recording process behind “Make Circles” was a quick and natural one for us, along with our decision to release the song alongside it’s visuals. The theme of last minute decision making, and trust in how things will actualize, truly runs throughout the entirety of the song. Whether it’s trusting that a new relationship is worth pursuing, or that 4 hours with a group of strangers, cheap cigarettes, and a small garage in the peak of summer will result in something worth sharing with people. FACEBOOK.


Some potent synths open 'Make Circles' before the beats quickly kick in. The vocals are charismatic and give the song some added edge, and then we have the video that gives a further dimension to the piece, ensuring collectively it's a winner.


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MF Tomlinson - Hippie Flowers - Little Low - Franklin Gothic

MF Tomlinson - Die To Wake Up From A Dream. MF Tomlinson shares the album's centrepiece and 9-minute title track, ‘Die To Wake Up From ...