Djustin - Lusid - Kate Nash - Twilight Fields

Djustin - New Preset.

Background - Djustin "New Preset" - new single. Just two weeks after the release of Te Legends' Nightshift album, Sweden’s Johan Angergård returns alongside longtime American confidant, Rose Suau, to release Djustin's debut album, Voyagers on May 5.

Voyagers is a glittering, sensual exploration into an unchartered and fully-electrified universe. It is a tale of "Future Love", where a newly-conscious, idealized romanticism is propelled by contagious dance beats, synth-driven melodies, and sweetly seductive vocals. The soundscape is sophisticated and visionary, yet the stories are intimate and relatable. "Voyagers" is a journey through a spectrum of emotional highs and lows: from the apex of adult infatuation and desire, to the darkest abyss  of disconnection and existentialism. Every detail from beat, hook, and lyrical lexicon is unveiled deftly. Clearly, Rose and Johan wouldn't surrender anything less.  

Djustin's existence seemed to crystallize due to the forces of quantum entanglement, a pull of energies which was always inevitable. At many points in their personal lives, Johan and Rose had walked separate but parallel paths. The Swedish-American pair were both born as middle children in the same year, exactly 13 days and an ocean apart. Both spent their musical formative years finding footing in remarkably different settings; Johan grew up in pastoral Ǻhus, Sweden, while Rose grew up in suburbs outside the birthplace of techno, Detroit, Michigan. Website here, Facebook here. 

Dazzling synths and a driving beat provide a rich backdrop for the atmospheric vocals on 'New Preset' a song that suggests the album Voyagers will appeal to many, many electronic music lovers.

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Lusid - Plotting A Murder.

Background - Lusid release sublime debut single "Plotting A Murder." Warm, melancholic and dynamic. 10 seconds into ”Plotting a Murder”, the debut single from Stockholm, Sweden, based five piece Lusid, it’s impossible not to get drawn into their dreamy soundscape - a lonely piano, then airy vocals, and so the drums kick in.

With a sound that is reminiscent of what we love most about 60’s and 70’s analogue music, Lusid presents themselves with high quality song writing and sublime vocal arrangements. A new band for a new thing.

A full EP called "Legend" will be released in June 2017. Facebook here.

Whilst 'Plotting A Murder' is not on my one thousand things to do list, it makes for a beautiful song. Musically this is an elegant, fabulously crafted track, that matches the intimate beauty of the vocals. Together they provide a memorable and exquisite modern pop song.

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Kate Nash - Call Me.

Background - Zone 5’s favourite Kate Nash announces a brand new EP ‘Agenda’ and that it will be available digitally on the 21st April and as an exclusive vinyl at this year’s Record Store Day (22nd April) for which she is an ambassador. ‘Agenda’ will be Kate’s first official release since 2013 and features live favourites such as ‘My Little Alien’ as well as new single ‘Call Me’.

Kate says about her new single: “‘Call me’ is about going through a lot of stuff and surviving it, hitting your lowest point and coming back from that. Once you have you can help other people get through it too, it's about pain being useful as it can be used as advice and support and wisdom when other friends/loved ones go through rough patches. Call on me when you go through it.”

Kate has also recently announced the 10-year anniversary of her platinum selling, Brit-Award winning debut album 'Made Of Bricks'. Kate will be touring the album over the summer including a show at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire. A limited run of original pink 'Made In Bricks' vinyl will be available on the tour. A lot has happened to Kate, since the release of ‘Made Of Bricks’ back in 2007 - failed relationships, record label fall-outs, punk record releases, a relocation to the other side of the world...  Despite all this the singer-songwriter-come-activist retains her heroic spirit, possessed of an impervious rebellion and a lightness of being that makes her ‘give-a-f[]k?’ honesty even more contagious. Everything seems to be coming full circle.

In other news, Kate Nash has been confirmed to play Rhonda is the upcoming Netflix Original series “G.L.O.W.” Produced by award winning Jenji Kohan (Weeds, Orange is the new Black), “G.L.O.W” (aka Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) was created by Liz Flahive (Homeland) and Carly Mensch (Orange Is The New Black) and is a 10-episode comedy inspired by the real story of the 1980s female wrestling league. Tour details on Beehive Candy's tour page, Facebook here, website here.

'Call Me' has passion, energy and plenty of that Kate Nash style, which typifies her continued ability to provide top class music whether it be indie pop like this or something a whole lot deeper.

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Twilight Fields - Lost.

Background - Twilight Fields is from Northern Canada and makes a mixture of atmospheric and psychedelic rock and influences from progressive rock, ambient, dream-pop, psych-folk and shoegaze. This music asks big questions about life and loss; it's serious music for serious-minded people.

The second Twilight Fields album "Consolamentum" is a post-rock singer-songwriter album that deals with a number of difficult subjects such as depression, betrayal, loss, and disconnection in an increasingly fractured society but also offers the power of unconditional hope, determination, and love as the solution to these ills. 

The album's musical influences stem from a variety of sources, including post-rock, dream pop, ambient, post-punk, psychedelic rock, acid-folk and progressive rock. Bandcamp here.

'Lost' is one of eleven tracks on the new 'Consolamentum' album. I was very impressed by the previous offering by Twilight Field, and although this sees the music shift towards a more post rock feel overall, the ideas, creativity and variety are there in abundance. 


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Midweek Muse: Twilight Fields - Lucina Luchii

Twilight Fields - All the Love I Can.

Background - Twilight Fields is from Northern Canada and makes a mixture of atmospheric and psychedelic rock and influences from progressive rock, ambient, dream-pop, psych-folk and shoegaze.

"All the Love I Can" was originally conceived as part of a Beach Boys cover ep of the song "All I Wanna Do" from the "Sunflower" album. When I dropped that idea half finished, I decided I still really liked one of the original compositions I had intended to include, "All the Love I Can", which emphasizes the theme of unconditional love of the original song.

The production pays homage to the wall of sound production style practised by Brian Wilson and Phil Spector. "False Friend" is an old song redone in an ambient pop style and deals with the subject of betrayal. Facebook here.

We are told by Twilight Fields regarding the new song  'All the Love I Can' - "I thought it would be a good way to start the year... it actually has a positive feeling! And I have a feeling that this year we will need those".  'All the Love I Can' may be an expression of positive feelings, I would add it's one very beautiful track (as is it's companion False Friend) and in terms of paying homage, I think it's a case of job done, and very well at that.

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Lucina Luchii - Fly High.

Background - Lucina Luchii pairs up with the high-flying D/A Music Group this winter for the release of ‘Fly High’ – a silky smooth, vocal and keys combo that merges the stunning vocalist’s beautiful aural tones with a clean and reflective instrumental. Rolling along at a steady 74BPM – the production starts out stripped back with just mellow piano chords and Lucina’s voice holding the centre stage. As ‘Fly High’ grows we’re treated to a full course of half-time rhythms, soulful brass glides and subtle low end bass notes which come together to create a reflective backbeat to Lucina’s memorable vocal performance.

Released via the reliable talent stable of D/A Music Group, the collective once again introduce us to a talent that’s capable of garnering international plaudits. High end, modern crossover Pop/Soul/R&B is hard to find outside of the household names which makes D/A’s A&R efforts all the more impressive. If this is a sign of things to come, we can no doubt be looking forward to an exciting year ahead for both the group and Lucina alike. Facebook here.

'Fly High' is a rich and gently building song where the vocals and music are so well matched. Production is sensitive allowing Lucina's vocals to hold centre stage, with the soundtrack adding just enough to ensure the hooks dig in.

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Twilight Fields - Further Up, Further In (Album)

Twilight Fields - Our Anthem (99).

Background promo - Allister Thompson has led a varied musical life, having been a solo folkie but also a member of cult 70s-style glam band Crash Kelly. He has recorded Krautrock under the project name The Gateless Gate and a psych album as Khan Tengri, as well as several solo folk albums. His 2009 progressive rock album Shadowlands was well-received by progressive rock reviewers. Teri-Lynn Janveau is a classically trained pianist who also has composed and played as a member of The Gateless Gate. Tim Timleck is a veteran Canadian drummer with such playing and recording credits as Carole Pope, Emm Gryner and Universal Honey, amongst many others.

“Further Up, Further In!” is the debut full-length art-rock album by Twilight Fields, of North Bay, Canada. The expansive sound and reflective, philosophical tone of this recording stem from many influences, from psychedelic and progressive rock to eighties neo-psych and alternative, psych-folk, and even ambient and shoegaze.

My way of musical thinking has been strongly affected by early spacy progressive rock acts like Pink Floyd and The Moody Blues, the cosmic psych of Hawkwind or Jefferson Airplane, but also the intelligence, passion and depth of eighties bands like The Waterboys, Midnight Oil, New Model Army, and The Church, the wistful sounds of seventies British folk songwriters and the vocal arrangements of The Beach Boys.

One of eleven tracks on the new full length album 'Our Anthem (99)' is representative of the high quality songs, that can be found on 'Further Up, Further In'. The bands mentioned above, are probably strong influences of many an artist or band, however with this album those influences have helped in the creativity, rather than dominate the end work. This album has so many unique attributes, along with mature lyrics, and beautifully constructed songs and music. For anyone who loves progressive, ambient and even modern folk music (and a fair number of other genres), I cannot recommend this album enough.

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