Saturday, 5 September 2020

Loaver - Dolls - Zooni

Loaver returns here just four weeks after we featured 'Bloom With Me' with another gorgeous song 'Forget All About' upping the anticipation for her debut album 'Fern' due at the end of October. === We have already shared two songs from Dolls E.P 'Eggshells' and today we have another video, this time for 'Secret Ugly Baby' along with the full E.P. === It's been over a year since Zooni last graced our pages, so welcome back with the new song 'Cascara' which is a stylish and intimate art pop song.
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Loaver - Forget All About.

Malmö, Sweden, based singer-songwriter Linnea Hall started her solo project Loaver with a desire to be able to showcase all sides of her experiences and inspirations. On October 30th, debut album 'Fern' is released via Rama Lama Records. 'Forget All About' is the third single to come from the album and is out now.

In 2019, she put out her self-titled debut EP on Birds Records. The music – experimental, smooth and dark pop at its finest – was written and recorded in Italy during 2017, in close collaboration with artists such as Giovanni Ferrario (PJ Harvey, John Parish etc.), who produced the tracks, and Emanuele Maniscalco. Through the six tracks we were drawn between the uttermost boundaries of emotions – love, hate, dreams, doubt, chaos and naivety. The new record is once again recorded in Italy but this time in collaboration with Emanuele Maniscalco and Carlo Poddighe.

Loaver on Forget All About: "I wrote Forget All About with Emanuele Maniscalco in Italy last spring. It was a time when nothing seemed to be right. I guess it’s a song about the abrupt changes that arose in the gap between what was gone but at home and the present absence, or perhaps it was the other way around. The horses ran astray in the city. "

Early 2020, Loaver returned with new single 'Drömmeri (om döden)' on Rama Lama Records (Melby, Chez Ali, Julia Rakel, Steve Buscemi's Dreamy Eyes). The single, a pendant to Debussy's Reverie, is a memoriam to Linnea's grandmother that was released on her death day. This was the first taste of the upcoming album that's packed with highly unique and instantly memorable tracks, like the slow burner 'Bloom With Me', the shapeshifting 'Forget All About' and captivating 'Apart'.

The debut LP 'Fern' sees Loaver develop her creative pop and experiments with trip hop, singer-songwriter, dream pop, jazz and bedroom pop elements that together with Hall's splendid vocals and personal lyrics create a hauntingly beautiful soundscape.

Besides Loaver, Linnea Hall is the singer of Swedish experimental indie rock group Kluster B. The band have put out two records since 2018 that besides positive reviews in some of Sweden's biggest music magazines, have received international attention from Line of Best Fit, BBC Radio 6, NBHAP and more, with The Revue calling them one of the most innovative bands in the world as well as opened for Frankie Cosmos, Omni and more.

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Dolls - Secret Ugly Baby (Video) / Eggshells (E.P).

Two piece power-pop makers Jade and Bel, aka Dolls, release new single/video 'Secret Ugly Baby' and make their 'Eggshells' EP available to stream.

At the end of June Dolls physically released their long-awaited second EP ‘Eggshells’ exclusively as part of the Love Record Stores.  It was once again released with iconic soundtrack labels Mondo/Death Waltz on a beautiful limited edition multi-coloured and etched vinyl LP and digital.

This week they have released that EP digitally, plus reveal a video for latest single ’Secret Ugly Baby’.  Talking about the song, Jade explains "Secret Ugly Baby is your own anxiety, it’s born one day and evolves as you grow up. It’s not pretty and it’s not something that you always want to show to the world”.

She goes on to talk about the video, explaining "The stop-motion video by Michael Foxwell is a fun play on the lyrics. Highlighting the pressures we have from social media and our constant desire to appear like we are ‘living our best lives’... whilst simultaneously falling over!"

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Zooni - Cascara.

A powerful yet fragile mix of poetic lyrics and transcendent textures ... Brighton art-pop makers Zooni today release their latest single ‘Cascara’. Produced
with Mercury and Brit award winning producer Charlie Andrew (Alt J, London Grammar, Marika Hackman), and released via Square Leg Records, it is taken from their forthcoming ‘Familiar Ground' EP is (out October 2nd).

Talking about the song, singer Peter Martin explains that “Cascara is a bit of a downer to be honest. Its about feeling overworked and powerless to change anything. Living alone I realised I would come up with all sorts of wacky theories for happiness that bore no relation to reality and the song kind of makes fun of that.’

The track comes supported by a beautifully monochrome animated video from director Patrick Atkins.  Explaining his inspiration for the video, he explains "There's so much texture and mood layered into this song, it was a pleasure to try to and mirror that on screen and see where it took me. As with the previous video for ‘Dissolve', I knew I wanted to take the viewer on a bit of a journey on this one, and capture what felt to me like real moments of wonder and awe running through a track that's otherwise got a slightly dark mood to it. Something about falling through space seemed to fit, and the rest evolved from there".

The band today announce a special online performance recorded live at Iguana Studio where they recorded both of their EP’s. The set will include the EP and some special surprises. It’ll be broadcast live 8pm October 1st on the bands facebook and instagram pages.

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Friday, 4 September 2020

Tallie Gabriel - The Arthur Brothers - Sun June - Kristen Beckwith

Tallie Gabriel's new E.P 'Little Death' is a really fine collection of truly beautiful songs with captivating vocals and a consistently refined musical backdrop. === It's been sometime since we last featured The Arthur Brothers however they return with the magnificent nine and a half minute Neo-psych song 'Sun Gun' . === Austin band Sun June share their latest track 'Singing' which is described as their Groundhog song, it's also melodic and hook filled. === Kristen Beckwith shares 'Magic Years' and it's a good example of what to anticipate on her forthcoming album 'A True Story' where the Salt Lake City based artist delivers some gorgeous singer songwriter material.
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Tallie Gabriel - Little Death (E.P).

Ethereal singer/songwriter and cellist Tallie Gabriel has unveiled her debut solo E.P. Little Death, a collection of tender hopeful and heartbroken stories written in the aftermath of and reflection on a breakup, featuring singles “Story,” “Hummingbird,” “Laundry,” and cover of “Who Knows Where the Time Goes.”

The 5 song EP explores Tallie Gabriel’s incredible poetry, musicianship, and vulnerability as it goes through the stages of allowing yourself to fall for someone, the disappointment of that relationship not quite working as you'd hoped, the loss of self that comes with betrayal, the confusing heartbreak of a one-time-fling that doesn't last, and finally, a giving over to the understanding that nothing is permanent and all things in life, especially love, ebb and flow like the tides.

“The name ‘Little Death’ comes from an idea my mother told me when I called her once, wildly heartbroken: a breakup the closest thing to the death of a loved one that humans experience. Someone is in your world, and then they're not, or at the very least, a new version of them is. The relationship you shared has died, so it's no wonder that we mourn lost loves so deeply,” says Gabriel. “It's also a cheeky play on the French phrase petit mort... I'll let you look up what that means."

“Little Death” was written by Tallie Gabriel, produced, mixed, and masted by Julian Giaimo and features Tallie Gabriel on cello, Halsey Harkins and Julian Giamo on keys, and Catherine Hardy and Halsey Harkins on background vocals.

Tallie Gabriel’s work is born out of moments of tender vulnerability. Her music is steeped in warmth and affectionate intimacy—exactly how she likes her heart best. Her poetic lyrics and thoughtful storytelling combined with her lilting voice have drawn comparisons to the likes of Regina Spektor, Ingrid Michaelson, and Sufjan Stevens. She draws inspiration from a variety of indie singer-songwriter and folk predecessors, as well as incorporating the influence of the trad Irish, Bal-musette, and classical motifs that attracted her to the cello and music composition when she was younger. Gabriel is 1/4 of the folk group Cardboard Rocketship.



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The Arthur Brothers - Sun Gun.

The Arthur Brothers; is a London based artistic alliance centered around brothers Matt and Danny Arthur and the producer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist J. C. Wright.

With an eclectic batch of singles over the last two years, The Arthur Brothers have demonstrated that there are no boundaries in terms of what to expect from their musical creations. With accolades from radio and press globally, throw in two award winning animated videos, and it’s clear to see that The Arthur Brothers are showing a unique ingenuity and imaginative ambition that doesn’t come around often.

‘Sun Gun’, The Arthur Brothers latest single from their upcoming debut album Nine, is the final phase of a journey that began 9 orbits ago, when the talented brothers Arthur met producer J. C. Wright and they collectively embarked upon a mission, an expedition, an exploration, a compulsion even…. an undertaking that can only be described as...’art for art’s sake’. Recorded in a dilapidated old warehouse in North London - now known as the ClearLight SoundCave - with broken windows, cracked concrete, parquet flooring and a cavernous sounding art-deco stairwell which features heavily in the tonality and ambience of the album. A DIY approach that ultimately flourished into a majestic sonic proclamation.

‘Sun Gun’ is a song about the future. But also a song about the past… from the future’s perspective. A dys/utopian narrative. A rescue mission. An uplifting space romp. A portent of potentiality and a premonition of probability for the ever expanding, avaricious human race. ‘Sun Gun’ is a song of hope, a song of love… a light to lift the darkness.

A 9mins30 sweeping epic journey – ‘Sun Gun’ is a timeless neo-psych, shimmering, summer’s day intergalactic cruise, surfing on waves of vocal harmonies and cascading guitars. From ‘Sun Machine’ to ‘Sun King’, sun salutations to sun salvation. A fitting last song for the creative enterprise that is The Arthur Brothers Nine, ‘Sun Gun’ acts as a statement of intent. A song to launch The Arthur Brothers into space and back again. ‘Destination we've arrived’.

The accompanying ‘Sun Gun’ video, playfully edited by Greg Vegas, offers a captivating version of the song’s journey by incorporating archival film footage of 1974 USSR films Teenagers in the Universe and Moscow-Cassiopeia by Maxim Gorky studios, interspersed with textures by UK visual artist Anastasia Beltyukova aka Tribambuka.

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Sun June - Singing.

Austin band Sun June have released a new single & video today for "Singing" and announced they've signed to Run For Cover Records.

Laura Colwell says: " 'Singing' is our groundhog day song. It's about being stuck in an old argument with your partner, wishing you both saw the world the same way. The video expands on that idea by cycling through various mundane ruts we can get caught in.

We also explore around our Austin neighborhood, where they're tearing stuff down and building stuff up."

Sun June's new album is due early 2021 via Run For Cover and Keeled Scales.

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Kristen Beckwith - Magic Years.

Kristen is a singer-songwriter based out of Salt Lake City, Utah. Inspired by artists of all genres, music became Kristen’s passion at a young age.

In 2018 she made the choice to pursue music full time and by early 2019 released her first single, “Free”. Driven by authentic lyrics and melodies, Kristen’s music is emotional and thought-provoking. She is an advocate in the topic of mental health.

After two and a half years working day in and day out, Kristen is beyond thrilled to be releasing her debut album, “A True Story” October 2nd, 2020. In an interview with KSL Kristen said, “I want to touch hearts and move people the way music moves me”.


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Thursday, 3 September 2020

The Nude Party - Samana

The Nude Party give us a taste of their next album 'Midnight Manor' through 'Lonely Heather' and the accompanying video, see and listen for yourself as the band serve up some feisty, indeed full on two minute plus rock. === And then we have the gorgeous new song from Samana who share the pristine and breathtaking track 'Passing Me By'.
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The Nude Party - Lonely Heather.

The Nude Party are set to return with their sophomore album, Midnight Manor, on October 2nd via New West Records. The 12-song set was recorded live-to-tape over six days at the Outlier Inn in upstate New York and mixed by John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr., Kurt Vile). Midnight Manor is the follow up to their critically acclaimed self-titled debut which Rolling Stone heralded as “equal parts ‘I’m Waiting for the Man’ Velvet Underground and Exile on Main Street Stones.”

Their debut found the band hitting stages across the globe, appearing at massive festivals like Lollapalooza, All Points East, Splendour In The Grass, Great Escape, Newport Folk Festival, and Bonnaroo where many publications named them one of the best of the festival. They also supported major artists like Jack White and the Arctic Monkeys—both of whom became full-blown fans and vocal supporters of the band.

Today, The Nude Party have shared the video for the song “Lonely Heather” via DIY Magazine. Frontman Patton Magee said, “The video is inspired by Ralph Bakshi’s New York street animation style, in movies like American Pop, Streetfight, and Heavy Traffic. During the peak of the pandemic, our photographer friends Bryan Derballa and George Etheredge took a series of incredible photographs around New York City.

We used those deserted street corners and venue shots as the backdrop for the rotoscope animation. Then filmed all the action on a green screen in our barn during quarantine in April. Brooklyn-based director and animator Parker Worthington painstakingly put together all the footage and photographs into this weird dream version of New York.” Of the song, Magee said “Heather is the constant object of unwanted affection, the solitary queen of rejection. She follows the scent of her whims and can’t be bothered by the desires of anyone."

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Samana - Passing Me By.

'Passing Me By' is Samana's first release since their BBC 6Music, BBC Introducing and Radio X championed single 'Harvest'.

The Wales-based duo self-produced, recorded and mixed Passing Me By whilst holed-up in a remote part of France while the world was locked down earlier in the year.

Accompanied by a stunning video, also captured from the time spent in France, they explained that "Passing Me By was the product of a one off, improvised vocal and acoustic guitar take, laid to 1/4 inch tape. It is a response to the immediate present, guided by the subconscious; to the velocity of time passing in fragments of visions and feeling."

The new track is out this week and signals the first of a series of new releases from the band who have just received support from the Arts Council Of Wales.

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Wednesday, 2 September 2020

Jenny Banai - Anna Erhard - The William Brothers Shipping Company

Jenny Banai makes her fourth appearance here this year with 'Paper Plain' and it's another strikingly impressive modern pop piece. === Anna Erhard just released 'Short Cut' along with a video, it's a catchy, quirky and satisfying song. === The William Brothers Shipping Company new E.P is 'The Cedarhouse Sessions' where acoustic music and splendidly natural vocals come together from this notable indie folk rock band.
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Jenny Banai - Paper Plain.

“Paper Plain,” the newest single from the forthcoming full-length, is a lo-fi conglomeration of bits and pieces. Its simple groove is carried by mostly two chords – not Jenny’s regular style – and has a freeform melody that borders on melodic rap.

Jenny Banai blends jazz, folk, and rock into sophisticated pop music that both celebrates and laments the dynamic of human relationships and the relationship with one’s self. Following the 2015 self-release of her debut album, Flowering Head, Jenny independently undertook several Canadian tours, collaborated on the documentary Where We Come Home, and early in 2017, her song “Boars” was featured on TV and web series The Drive. In 2018, Jenny received Fraser Valley Music Awards, Folk Artist Of The Year.

Jenny Banai is an old soul and a child of the nineties, and as such, has inherited both the contemplative wonder and the wardrobe of her parents. She is a fresh and authentic voice who pairs powerhouse vocal abilities with unique and clever pop arrangements. “She is able to ebb her voice in dynamic with masterful control, rocking you gently into a dream, yet gripping your ears to keep you awake: lucid and loose”.


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Anna Erhard - Short Cut.

Anna Erhard, 30-year-old, who lives in Berlin, writes songs about states of movement: they deal with leaving, escape and transformation.

And that although letting go is often difficult at first. After years as head of the Basel-based band Serafyn, she has left the band and the city behind and has given in to the desire to change her place of residence and expand her musical comfort zone.

Definitely too clichéd and typical for her fast-moving generation, flooded with possibilities and stimuli, this step seemed to her at first. However, the new start was urgently needed, provided space and time for musical expeditions and offered an unknown freedom.

A freedom that can also be felt in the new single "Short Cut". There the Swiss musician criticizes the superficiality of our society. Every small talk begins with "How's it going?" followed by "All is well", we have all the possibilities, can achieve everything, live the dream. So the illusion. Anna explains:

"We are told every day that it is possible to enjoy only the good aspects of things. This is bullsh."

Life holds many challenges, not everything is always easy, but it is these moments that make life what it is. Anna illustrates this in an abstracted way in the loving music video for "Short Cut", which was shot on an alpine pasture in Furna (in the Swiss canton of Graubünden), in the village where Anna's grandmother grew up. Growing up there in the countryside is a special challenge, to which Anna bows and states: "Mountain children are the most blatant children, nobody has as much stamina as they do".

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The William Brothers Shipping Company - The Cedarhouse Sessions (E.P).

From the band - I wanted to introduce myself and tell you about The William Brothers Shipping Company. The Shipping Co. is an indie folk-rock band from Los Angeles CA. Our mission is to make honest music for people to enjoy. It's that simple.

With the release of our new EP The Cedarhouse Sessions, The Shipping Company is excited for people to join the party.

Sparking Music puts it "Everything in The Cedarhouse Sessions comes together in a stream of consciousness style. It is an unforgettable journey into an acoustic world."

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Lisa Crawley - Fake Dad - April March - Domi Hawken

Photo - Will Cook Lisa Crawley - What You Can Do. New Zealand-born, Los Angeles-based indie-pop chanteuse Lisa Crawley has an empowering in...