A Potent Pair: Band Aparte - Locos Por Juana

Band Aparte - Cherry Chapstick.

Background promo - Band Aparte announces debut album. From down the end of Los Angeles, the bare bones gravepunk duo Band Aparte strips down and combines elements of gothic rock, synthpunk, and beachy lo-fi as macabre appreciation simmers in the gut of the city. 

Vocalist Brian Mendoza effortlessly channels Joy Division and Nick Cave, crooning into a death bouquet with his shirt unbuttoned. But he's not doing it to imitate Morrissey's aesthetic --  Band Aparte's shows are fast and fierce, and the crowd works up a sweat at every venue they play.

It's a dangerous mixture that has crushed nights alongside such bands as Cruelty Code, Roses, Ghost Noise, and Terminal A. Memory On Trial [Manifesto] LP, CD, Digital, CS Release Date: August 19, 2016.

Live: September 23-24 - Pioneertown, CA - Desert Stars Festival.

With a funky deep riff 'Cherry Chapstick' calmly and determinedly builds into a uncluttered straight piece of post-punk rock. Vocals standout distinctively above the tight soundtrack, in this no nonsense song.

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Locos Por Juana - The Cure (ft.Collie Buddz).

Fresh off their triumphant Colombian promotional visit, their first in over three years, Locos por Juana are gearing up to co-headline for The Manifestivus Music Festival on Saturday, July 30 in the woods of Cabot, Vermont. A "local festival with global vibe," The Manifestivus kicked-off in 2002 on 93 acres of breathtaking land and celebrates its 13th anniversary with the aim of promoting personal evolution through music, art and culture.

Set on a gently rolling hillside meadow surrounded by forest, the timber stage creates an unforgettable experience. The lineup, with Locos por Juana's set starting at midnight, includes an array of world music and beloved international and local acts, the likes of Bermuda reggae star, Collie Buddz who paired up with Locos por Juana for their current single "The Cure" recorded between Miami and Bermuda and released in May, 2016 to critical acclaim. Talib Kweli, who has also collaborated with Locos por Juana on their upcoming Caribe release with "For The Ladies," tops the list of guest performers. Past performers include Common, Barrington Levy, John Brown's Body, Sierra Leone's Refugee All-Stars, Oumou Sangaré, Midnite and Black Sheep.

David Pransky, the band's bass player, who partnered with Carlo Rovetto of Positive Pie, founded "Festivus," as it's been dubbed, in 2002 making it an all-ages gathering that provides on-site camping, medical facilities, vendors of authentic African and Ital food, with Yoga and West African dancing and drumming workshops that round out the cultural experience.

'The Cure' is an extremely powerful reggae song, that mixes classic vibes alongside more modern styles. Laden with hooks and massively danceable, those who are going to hear this live, are in for a real treat.

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Genre Wander: Velvet Kills - Politburo - Mercury Girls

Velvet Kills - Red Shoes.

Background promo - Paris/Berlin based unsigned electro/punk/dark wave act Velvet Kills is an electropunk/rock duo with Susana Santos on vocals/bass & Harris Iveson on guitar/synths.

Velvet Kills is a thoroughly modern and urban endeavour, speaking directly to today’s society - with all its anxieties, addictions, destructiveness as well as  exhilaration.  You'll find in their driving beats raw emotion, and a terrific darkness. The sound is complex, almost abstract - a combination of cinematic textures, gritty guitars, and potent vocals.

The group's music and attitude, both have  been shaped by the influences of bands and artists like Joy Division, Alan Vega, Malaria!, Kas Product, Iggy Pop, The Clash, and Lou Reed. The group came to life in 2015, beginning with a chance encounter on a trance dance floor where Susana and Harris discovered their mutual love for rock, synths and beige Steinberger guitars. Velvet Kills has since gained a steady following, leading to their debut EP, Memory released in March 2016. 

The EP may have been around for a few months however as the song 'Red Shoes' demonstrates, the duo create some superb if dark music. So apologies for being a little behind the curve with Velvet Kills, you can keep informed and up to date, on their Facebook page here.

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Politburo - Barrington Way.

Background - Long-running, Manchester psychedelic rock/folk band Politburo are releasing “Barrington Way”, the lead single from sophomore album of the same name, which releases in mid-August via Leonard Skully Records.

Politburo started out as a four-piece, but the line-up has changed over the years. Today the band consists of founding members Nick Alexander (vocals, guitar, tambourine) and Dominic 'Dom' James (drums, percussion, keyboards), as well as John Loveguns (guitar), Phil Meredith (guitar, keyboards), Steven Joseph (bass), and invited guest Chloé Sancho (vocals).

The band began in 1999 when they were teenage dreamers. Inspired by Mancunian legends of yore and a contempt for the dying grandees of Brit Pop. “I was out to try and create great music, but sometimes I guess it was art terrorism,” says Nick Alexander.

“We knew we'd have to create our own different world to inhabit. The idea was that the right people would come to us... we wouldn't have to go to them and force something down their collective throat,” explains Dom James.

As of August 19, the ‘Barrington Way’ LP will be released on 12” vinyl and digital download via Leonard Skully Records. It is already available for pre-order (vinyl) and will be also a free download on Politburo’s Bandcamp site. The band has also announced a U.K. tour, including the following dates:

Live Dates:
August 4 - Bristol, Stag and Hounds
August 7 - Blackpool, Stanley Park
August 12 - Nottingham, Jam Cafe
August 17 - Manchester, Night & Day
August 19 - York, The Basement (with George Boomsma)
August 20 - London, The Betsey Trotwood
August 25 - Glasgow, Nice ‘N’ Sleazy

Title song 'Barrington Way' gives the listener a pretty clear idea of what to expect on the ten song album. It's a wonderful collection of psychedelic songs that transport those of us old enough back to the swinging sixties. The band retain enough modernity to make the songs both relevant and quite timeless. With unashamed nods towards early Pink Floyd and Hippy era Beatles music, this is a "fab, groovy and hip collection of far out" songs (OK so the expressions are well dated). Put simply, I love this album.

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Mercury Girls - Holly.

Background - Four great bands, two great labels and two continents meet on this stellar mini-LP. Frequent collaborators Slumberland Records and Fortuna POP! team up to bring you 'Continental Drift,' a smashing eight song sampler of some of the finest pop out there in 2016.

Philadelphia's Mercury Girls are one of the most talked-about new bands in ages. Featuring members of Literature, Little Big League and Pet Milk, Mercury Girls have a gorgeous, layered sound that combines post-punk dynamics with soaring/jangling guitars, fantastic melodies and expertly-arranged tunes. Their recent single "Ariana" turned a lot of heads, and their two contributions contained herein should make us all quite excited for their in-progress debut album. Be sure to catch them on tour in October/November with Balance & Composure and Foxing, full list of tour dates below.

Mercury Girls Tour Dates: (All dates w/ Balance & Composure and Foxing)
Thu-Oct-13 - Richmond, VA - - Broadberry
Fri-Oct-14 - Chapel Hill, NC - Cat's Cradle
Sat-Oct-15 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade - Hell
Sun-Oct-16 - Jacksonville, FL - 1904 Music Hall
Tue-Oct-18 - Lake Park, FL - Kelsey Theatre
Wed-Oct-19 - Orlando, FL - The Social
Fri-Oct-21 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall
Sat-Oct-22 - Austin, TX - Mohawk
Sun-Oct-23 - Dallas, TX - Club Dada (So What?! Music Festival)
Tue-Oct-25 - Phoenix, AZ - The Nile
Thu-Oct-27 - San Diego, CA - Observatory North Park
Fri-Oct-28 - Los Angeles, CA - Regent
Sat-Oct-29 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst Atrium
Sun-Oct-30 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
Tue-Nov-01 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
Wed-Nov-02 - Seattle, WA - Crocodile
Fri-Nov-04 - Salt Lake City, UT - Complex
Sat-Nov-05 - Denver, CO - Marquis
Sun-Nov-06 - Lawrence, KS - Granada
Thu-Nov-10 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
Fri-Nov-11 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrews
Sat-Nov-12 - Toronto, ON - Opera House
Mon-Nov-14 - Boston, MA - Royale
Tue-Nov-15 - Portland, ME - Port City Music Hall
Wed-Nov-16 - New Haven, CT - College Street Music Hall
Thu-Nov-17 - Brooklyn, NY - Warsaw
Fri-Nov-18 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
Sat-Nov-19 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage

We have already featured Baltimore's Wildhoney and their contribution to the forthcoming eight song sampler and now it's the turn of The Mercury Girls. 'Holly' is typical of the bands feisty and melodic music. Vocals and harmonies add the melody above wonderfully jangly guitars, whilst the energetic rhythm section positively drives the song!

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The Low Countries - Corbu - Four Star Riot

The Low Countries - The Invisible Ray.

Background promo - The Low Countries, until 2013 an indie-folk duo, are now resurrected as a five piece band. They've just released the brilliant ‘An Extended Play EP’ following up the Libera Awards nominated 'Sun Street (2015)'. It’s a kind of comeback for Nigel and his songs, Six Of The Best from the Low Countries – songs re-imagined and given the full band experience recorded in a pro studio assisted by a band of great musicians, people and friends.

The band came together to help Nigel and Els perform at the launch of their final album 'The Invisible Ray' (2013). This proved to be so enjoyable they found they couldn't stop. Nigel, feeling 'songed out' and a bit mental at the time, was then persuaded by the rest of the band to enter the studio and record six of the best. A last hurrah that sounds amazing...

Nigel and Els formed the Low Countries in 2007 and they've released 8 or so albums and other sundry songs, often to immense (is that the right word?) critical acclaim. The Low Countries - An Extended Play EP, Nub Music, 24th July 2016.

The second of the six excellent indie folk songs on the 'An Extended Play' EP, 'The Invisible Ray' highlights the overall quality of this fine collection of songs. For me the often vibrant indie folk genre, does at times see the media focus in on a current "flavour of the month", in turn creating a wave of copycat acts. The Low Countries have always been far more than a short term focal point, creating blissfully wonderful music, along with a few influences for others to aspire to. As "last hurrah's" go, this EP is quite special.

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Corbu - Better Better Off.

Background - Ahead of the release of their soaring debut album Crayon Soul, New York’s Corbu are streaming the new single ‘Better Better Off’. A swirling anthem, ‘Better Better Off’ perfectly balances trippy desert rock with glacial stargazing. Corbu’s Crayon Soul is released August 5th via 3Beat (EU) & Big Picnic (US).

The band recently gave an insight into their vivid and fully realised world with the animated video to the track ‘Battles’. The video hints at the narrative that began to unfold as front man Jonathan Graves was writing the record. Each track tells a different part of the story, taking the listener on a true journey through Corbu’s vibrant imagination. Despite taking inspiration from science fiction and psychedelia, the album also pulls from the band’s real life experiences to create a body of work that is both otherworldly and deeply personal.

Crayon Soul is produced by Corbu and mixed by Dave Fridmann (Tame Impala, MGMT, The Flaming Lips). It follows two acclaimed EPs, We Are Sound and Everything You Imagine Is Real, which garnered praise from the likes of Nylon, Stereogum, The Guardian, NME and more, as well as capturing the attention of Jessie Ware, who personally requested the band to remix her song ‘You & I (Forever)’.

Tour Dates:
Aug 1st Philadelphia: Black Box
Aug 2nd Washington DC: DC9
Aug 3rd Pittsburgh: Brillobox
Aug 5th New York: Mercury Lounge - Album release show.
Sept 30th Austin: Austin City Limits Festival.

Second time around on Beehive Candy for Corbu, this time with the new song 'Better Better Off'. The rhythmic, semi psychedelic sounds, swirl along with the vocals, before taking centre stage and becoming delightfully hypnotic. All bodes well for the new album in August.

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Four Star Riot - Torn & Tattered.

Background bio - Over the course of multiple releases, Tampa Bay's Four Star Riot has consistently delivered stick-in-your-head pop/rock choruses. Now the band is preparing to release its strongest effort to date, a full-length offering Waves due out at the end of Summer 2016. The first single "Waves" has gained steam with a soft release in January including a DIY video in time for spring break.

Four Star Riot has opened for national acts such as Bon Jovi, Maroon 5, Train, Lit, Living Colour, Eve6, Jimmy Eat World, among many others. The band’s songs have been featured in television and film, including ESPN, MTV, and the record-breaking film Deadpool in 2016!

In past years, they have performed at SXSW, 97X Next Big Thing, 98Rock Livestock, as well as the Atlantis Music Fest and the Florida Music Festival. The group has also garnered multiple awards and kudos from the hometown press, and national ink in outlets like Music Connection and Relix.

'Torn & Tattered' was I am told, written while the band waited out a record-breaking 22 continuous days of storm last year. It provides a good flavour of what to expect from the forthcoming ten track album. Overall it more rock than pop, but that does not stop the band, putting some serious hooks and choruses in. I would say it's a fine song from an equally good album.

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Quality Not Quantity: Mark Allen-Piccolo - Novaa

          Mark Allen-Piccolo - Moonglow.

Background promo - Bay Area based artist Mark Allen-Piccolo has released his debut album Left From Here via Noble Steed Music. 

Allen-Piccolo's debut single, "Do For You" exclusively premiered with The Deli Magazine San Francisco. Of the single, Mark said, "Life is full of routine, responsibilities, demands from other people. Usually, you're so busy that you don't even have time to think about what it all means or adds up to. The song is a kind of dream about being freed from these responsibilities, and imagining what your life could be like if you could spend all of your time exploring your inner life--even better, exploring it with a companion who truly accepts you for who you are."

Mark Allen-Piccolo just released his second single, "Moonglow" with Elmore Magazine, who raved the track "takes you into the mind of an artist whose head is swirling with centuries of musical infuelnce." Allen-Piccolo's masterful musicianship is displayed in tracks like "Moonglow" and "Do For You" as they are influenced by a variety of genres and executed flawlessly.

Mark Allen-Piccolo's eclectic tastes have certainly shaped his musical style: a satisfying blend of alt-pop and indie rock, peppered with hints of classic American folk. Mark builds on those foundations with a harmonic and timbre complexity and an approach to arrangement that finds freedom and spaciousness in restraint. He began his career as a rhythm player in various bands, arranging instruments for others’ melodies. This experience inspired him to hone his craft and to develop the voice he now brings to his own writing.

July 30 - Amado's - San Francisco, CA
Aug 4 - Octopus Literary Salon - Oakland, CA

'Moonglow' has an upbeat musical vibe that seems to sparkle beneath Mark Allen-Piccolo's equally bright and breezy vocals. It's typical of the overall calibre of the new album 'Left From Here' and as suggested in the promo piece above, his "eclectic tastes" ensure the new eleven song album, freely explores different musical ideas, in a very pleasing manner.

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Novaa - Rose.

Background - Novaa releases new single 'Rose', the first taste of her upcoming 'Stolen Peaches' EP. After her 2015 debut Hari, and recent collaborative Down Under EP with musician and producer Moglii – Novaa announces her sophomore offering, 9-track EP Stolen Peaches.

Summer 2015 saw Novaa gathering the ideas and songs that would make up her planned album Peaches. A whole world of new sounds and stories were created, with an avatar or character associated with every song, showing her very unique, immersive take on her own musical world.

In the midst of completion of the album, her car was broken into, and her laptop, which housed all the ideas and new material which would make up Peaches, was stolen. With these songs lost forever, Novaa decided to reconstruct the remnants of these ideas, and Stolen Peaches was born - along with a new, more mature sound. With her defined sound and unique voice Novaa flows perfectly into her full bodied electronic sound she calls “Organic Electronic”.

Novaa is a singer, songwriter and producer, and at only 19 years old, comparisons have been made to highly significant and creative artists such as Björk and Grimes. Within her unique sound which draws from elements of Electronica, Folk and Pop, Novaa creates an impactful new genre - "Organic Electronic". Belted by her crystal clear vocals, she builds on soundscapes that float above the common ground. Past the depths of everyday things and activity she finds fragile frameworks of sounds and vibrant bass notes, forming her own musical galaxy and creating magical new worlds to explore. Stolen Peaches will be available as a free download from September 2016.

Immediately that 'Rose' begins we discover Novaa's distinct and beautiful vocals. With an understated and carefully created musical background, both music and vocals interact in a highly creative manner. This is a splendid song, and a trip over to Soundcloud demonstrates it's not a one off, which bodes well for the forthcoming EP.

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