Friday, 11 September 2020

Stephen Becker - Juanita Stein - Deadletter

Stephen Becker has shared 'Clean' along with an imaginative video, the song itself is a smooth flowing and gently melodic piece. === We have shared two songs by Juanita Stein so far this year and now we make it three with 'L.O.T.F' as the alt rock artist continues to create standout songs. === Now based in South London Deadletter have just released the powerful rocker 'Fit For Work' where the band kick up a storm, inter-spaced with some hypnotic vocal moments.
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Stephen Becker - Clean.

Stephen Becker has announced the release of a new EP the first under his own name out October 30 on NNA Tapes. Nothing Sun Under the New expresses exactly the kind of poetic sleights-of-hand we encounter throughout this short, brilliant offering. This compact record is filled with aphorisms flipped on their heads, reversals of logic and intuition, dislocations of causality and expectation. Alongside the announcement, Becker shared an entrancing music video for the album’s lead single “Clean,” which was directed by Johnny Frohman & Gerard Marcus, and stars a charming Marley McDonald. On the song Becker explains: “‘Clean’ is about escaping technology, cell phones, social media - the way we clean ourselves with water, and how doing the same with technology would destroy it (i.e. submerging your phone in a bathtub). So cleaning is also destruction, and maybe it takes a little destruction to really get clean.”

For Stephen Becker, music is a stream of consciousness. Originally working as the Trees Take Ease moniker, the Brooklyn based artist is stepping out from under the branches and releasing music under his own name for the first time. It marks a shift, a new beginning, that initially started out as a casual bedroom project but quickly blossomed into something significant. This new chapter starts with EP Nothing Sun Under the New.

Equal parts weird and sublime, Becker resides in a sonic universe that bends into a state of oblivion and relishes the fleeting moments. This uninhibited approach creates a kaleidoscope of textures where songs about frozen drinks and old teachers exist against a backdrop of propulsive synths, screwy percussion and lo-fi guitar hooks. “I think there’s a lot of power in the right melody and the right chord progression and the right sonic environment and that to me has as much emotional weight as anything that I’m saying,” he says.

Attending concerts as a teen with his Dad and playing in jazz band throughout high school led Becker to experiment with different improvised arts, rubbing shoulders with different genres and practises. This curiosity, along with his talents, secured him a place at Oberlin college in Ohio, studying guitar performance. There, Becker witnessed performances from the likes of Deerhoof, Frankie Cosmos, Yo Yo Ma and Fred Frith that inspired him to merge his skills as a jazz musician and guitar expert and dive into songwriting.

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Juanita Stein - L.O.T.F.

Juanita Stein has released a new song, ‘L.O.T.F’, from her upcoming third album, ‘Snapshot', which is set for release via Nude Records on 23rd October in all formats.

‘L.O.T.F’ follows the recent release of the LP’s title track and a second song, ‘The Mavericks’, which picked up early support from the likes of Mojo, Clash and 6 Music for Brighton-based, Australian songwriter, who first became known for her work as singer and guitarist in Howling Bells.

The song taps into the theme that runs throughout the album, which was recorded following the sudden loss of Stein’s father in 2019. As Juanita explains, it is “an ode to growing up in Australia, tinged with a sad bitterness.” It is a devilish intersection of a song, with introspective lyrics swimming through snarling guitars.

About the album: It feels fundamental to understanding the devastation and eerie silence thrust upon us after his sudden death,” begins the Brighton-based, Australian songwriter Juanita Stein, discussing the moment of great sadness that inspired her new record. “It was a daunting task to sum up the life of one man such as my father. He was endlessly inspiring, charming, deeply talented and passionately spiritual. He admirably, and at times frustratingly, carried the torch for his own musical career until the very end.”

It’s within this processing of a life well-lived and attempting to wrestle with the tides of her own grief, that what would become the album began to ebb and flow out of Stein, who first became known for her work as singer and guitarist in Howling Bells.

“After I felt I had enough songs,” Juanita explains, “I was moved to reach out to producer Ben Hillier, who I’d been a fan of since hearing records he made with Clinic, Elbow ad Doves to see if he might be interested in making this album with me.”

Unlike her first two solo albums, “America” (2017) and “Until The Lights Fade” (2018), which were made in just a few weeks and both at studios in the US, ‘Snapshot’ was recorded over the course of eight months at Agricultural Audio, not far from Juanita’s home.

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Deadletter - Fit For Work.

Hailing from Yorkshire though now South London rooted, DEADLETTER channel the droll fury of The Fall and the lopsided rhythm of Gang of Four into a strain of vehement post-punk, exploring the darker side of existence through a lens of narrative-driven levity. Now the band release their potent second single "Fit For Work", following the release of debut single "Good Old Days" in May this year.

The last year has seen DEADLETTER emerge as a genuinely thrilling live prospect, showcasing their brand of chaotic hedonism across the country supporting the likes of Squid, Viagra Boys and Avalanche Party. Debut single "Good Old Days" was a clear stylistic marker of the band’s vision and received both regional BBC and 6Music play.

New single "Fit For Work" follows in that vein, offering an acute, angered study into bureaucracy, and loss of personal identity. DEADLETTER are experts in the field of intensity; seamlessly switching from conversational verses into unadulterated post-punk fury - "Fit For Work" is a huge statement of intent from the band.

Of new single "Fit For Work", frontman Zac Woolley writes: "Fit For Work was a concept a long time before it was a song. As a band, and as a writer, we [I] have always regarded the call and response strategy as biblical. The idea of having a conversation during the delivery of art leads to this absurd metaphysical tangent of acknowledging your art is art whilst performing it; similar to when artists use the line “I wrote this song for you because…” what they are doing, when you think about it, is taking away the idea that what they’re creating exists in itself, and is in fact an entity that exists in a wholly real world.

As a song, "Fit For Work" is about more than just the Department for Work and Pensions. It provides a mirror to the world, and specifically the Britain of today.  The ideas explored within the track are seemingly exaggerated accounts of reality but, upon close examination, have worrying roots in true experience, with the track aiming to parallel the savagery of the narrator in the song with the actual brutality of our government.

The declaration of someone as ‘Fit For Work’ is symptomatic of the apathy and bureaucratic cruelty prevalent in society, where being unable to meet a certain ticked number of boxes (either literally or metaphorically), equates to the surrender of personal autonomy, and by extension, individual identity.


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Wednesday, 9 September 2020

Blue Stragglers - Caitlin Quisenberry - Nadia Vaeh

Blue Stragglers share a video for 'Forever and A Day' taken from their new self titled E.P 'Blue Stragglers' both of which are all present and correct below. The bands raw power is easily matched by some more thought out structured and even anthem filled moments, as they deliver hook laden and impressive natural rock music. === From Caitlin Quisenberry we have a video for her new single 'Imogene'. Beautifully arranged the song showcases her classic country vocals whilst allowing space for a more modern and contemporary feel. === Nadia Vaeh today has shared 'Anxiety' a very personal song that tackles one aspect of mental health without being self pitiful or morbid, in fact it's more an energized encouragement to seek help and supports MusiCares, an organization focused on providing critical assistance to people in the music industry, and resources that affect the music community’s health and welfare..
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Blue Stragglers - Forever and A Day / Blue Stragglers (E.P).

“A tip of the hat to some of our favourite crossover anthems,” according to Stragglers’ frontman Lee Martin, ‘Forever & A Day’ is a song of epic intent, one that emerges from waves of feedback to deliver, via an enormous harmonised chorus, a yearning for simpler days – a sentiment we can all relate to during this disorienting corona-summer of 2020. A meld of robust garage rock and Nineties baggy euphoria, the song addresses the need to “accept the beauty of being aware that some things are bigger than me or you”, says Lee. The video, all wide-open seascapes and big skies, adds to the song’s expansive atmosphere as the band heed the lyrical call: “Meet me on the Way to the Sea”.

About ‘Last Call’ - Running the gamut of rock’s dynamic range, ‘Last Call’ journeys thrillingly from the industrialism of its opening bars via a satisfyingly slow-burn crescendo to its intense uber-grunge coda. The ‘Last Call’ in question is in many ways a cry for unity and justice – in this case expressed by making sure you do the honours when it’s your turn at the bar! Only Blue Stragglers could convey such a message with the intensity of ‘Last Call’.

About the ‘Blue Stragglers’ EP - Comprising five heavyweight alt-rock gems that lay equal claim for A-side status, Blue Stragglers’ debut EP captures the Sussex trio at their muscular, melodic finest. Recorded and mixed by engineer and producer David Holmes in the belly of Lightship 95 at Soup Studios – a houseboat turned recording studio docked on the Thames in East London – the EP sessions were almost over before they had even begun. Recording took place during a ferocious winter storm, which turned the loading of equipment across the Lightship’s ice-covered bridge into a precarious ordeal. Thankfully, the dreaded cry of “man overboard” was never heard and Blue Stragglers laid down five songs to serve as rallying calls of rock’n’roll defiance during a summer that’s been thin on such life-affirming delights. The mastering of the EP was shared between Bill Skibbe of Jack White’s Third Man Mastering in Detroit and Oli Morgan of Fluid in London.

Not many bands can claim to have built and then run their own non-profit rehearsal studio but then Blue Stragglers are not like many bands. Having grown up in the town of Horsham – nestled between London and Brighton – Lee Martin (vocals, guitar), Ali Waite (bass) and Andy Head (drums) bonded via a love of bands such as The Raconteurs, PJ Harvey, Supergrass, Demob Happy, Beck, Grandaddy and Jane's Addiction. Skilled players themselves, the trio originally formed the backbone of the much-loved Sussex act Tied to the Mast. But when they struck out on their own to form Blue Stragglers, they were lacking somewhere to hone their craft. And so began the tough but ultimately fruitful challenge of converting an empty space next to a South Downs chalk pit into somewhere they – and other Sussex bands – could practice 24/7.

This DIY dedication to their art is evidenced by the intuition that each member has for the others’ playing, as seen and heard in the supremely powerful live showcases that have secured Blue Stragglers a cult following across England’s southeast, from Brighton via Tunbridge Wells to Horsham and Hastings, alongside some intimate London gigs that first drew the attention of Lost In The Manor records.

Exuding that impenetrable, gang-like identity that’s the preserve of only the best trios, Blue Stragglers been picked up by BBC radio, stolen the show at a number of grassroots festivals and now, thanks to their debut EP release on Lost In The Manor, will be spreading that buzz much, much further afield. A programme of showcase gigs will be announced after the lockdown but in the meantime, you won’t find a better means of banishing the lockdown blues than a healthy blast of Blue Stragglers.



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Caitlin Quisenberry - Imogene.

Nashville’s newest darling, Caitlin Quisenberry just released her the music video to her latest single “Imogene” after massive support on the single from Spotify Editorial with “New Music Nashville” and “Nashville Stripped.” The production and vocals of “Imogene” are as unique as the name. It blends two world together as the innocence of the mandolin sets the stage for Caitlin’s euphonious vocals, only then to be paired with the entrancing tribal drum beats found in the chorus, further pulling its listeners into the whimsical storyline.

“’Imogene’ is a journey into our subconscious, taking us to a place we have all been – being in awe or infatuated with what someone else has. It runs in the same vein as ‘Girl Crush’ by Little Big Town, where the elements of fantasizing, crushing jealously and desire, are all present. Another example is the classic, ‘Jolene’ by Dolly Parton portraying envy of another woman’s attributes that are so amazing she begs the beauty not to take her man. What I appreciate most about ‘Imogene’ is that it cleverly delivers those feelings in an upbeat, feel-good way, while sparking emotions of an old crush or the excitement of the uncharted territory of a new relationship.” - Caitlin Quisenberry

The daydream-like narrative of “Imogene” is being perfectly paired with an animated music video created by one of Hollywood’s most talented cartoonists, Tom Schneiders. To find out more about Tom, visit his website: burdstv.com and follow @burds.tv on Instagram. Caitlin sought out his style to give “Imogene” the idiosyncratic nature it deserves. The video was purposely planned to follow the release of the song to give its listeners time to reflect and imagine, before viewing the artist’s interpretations.

Caitlin may be new to Nashville’s scene, but she is no stranger to the public eye. Her time spent in Hollywood landed her leading roles in national commercials along with her most notable role in the ABC TV sitcom, “Blackish”. Although she loved acting, singing was always her true passion. So after recording with Grammy-winning producer Robert Cutarella at age 14, nabbing a Golden Ticket on American Idol at 15, winning Miss Colorado’s Outstanding Teen after singing to a sold-out audience at Denver’s Ellie Caulkins Opera House, she decided to dive even deeper into music and studied classical vocal performance at Pepperdine University.

Beyond this, Caitlin also studied abroad in Lausanne, Switzerland with renowned opera singer Karine Mkrtchyan. Caitlin believes her classical background is what has given her an advantage in the sea of incredibly talented singers. This, paired with the performance opportunities, is what led her into country music. Her Pepperdine vocal coach choose her to sing lead vocals in the Harbor Unplugged bluegrass concert because of the natural country twang she had in her voice. As Caitlin sang with a Nashville band, she knew that country was the direction she wanted to take her music!

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Nadia Vaeh - Anxiety.

Nadia Vaeh's powerful new track "Anxiety," is a reflection on her personal mental health struggles and how she copes with the highs and lows of anxiety.  She is donating a portion of the proceeds to MusiCares, an organization focused on providing critical assistance to people in the music industry, and resources that affect the music community’s health and welfare.

Nadia Vaeh brings thought-provoking and inspiring storytelling in her dark and raw new single. Vaeh’s sincere lyrics of her own experiences, combined with the moody and dark undertone of the single, brings a realistic and relatable perspective on mental health. As an advocate, she hopes her music can inspire people to embrace the conversation of mental health and be a reminder that they are not alone.

Atlanta native and IMA "Vox Pop" winner, Nadia Vaeh, found her way into artistry through modeling and an unexpected stint with a local Atlanta circus. She started singing in their productions, but this was not the beginning of her artistic roots.

Nadia’s love of music and singing began at the age of two and was nurtured by her parents who placed her into a traveling youth choir when she was in middle school. She created small productions with the neighborhood kids and her sisters while growing up. Her mother was a poet who passed on her love of words, which later fueled Nadia’s talent as a lyricist. Nadia’s life took an unexpected turn at the age of 17 when she lost her mother to suicide.

She dismantled her high-school band and strayed from songwriting and singing for years, other than the occasional karaoke. After this tragic loss, she went down a path of self-sabotage and destruction and used relationships and partying to ignore her pain. When she finally decided to begin again with artistry, she was a shell of a person and looking to anyone and anything for answers to deal with her heartbreak. “I made a lot of missteps when I first began my career and had to learn a lot of things the hard way.”

With her endless resilience, she has grown into a performer, has had her music recently played on international radio, and is looking forward to sharing more of her music here in the U.S. and around the world.


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Tuesday, 8 September 2020

Julia Logan - Lore City

Julia Logan has shared a live session video for the rather splendid song 'Everly, Foreverly' a fabulously arranged piece with notably melodic vocals, it exudes sincerity and feeling. === We have two of the six tracks that make up Lore City's forthcoming album 'Alchemical Task', namely 'Into Your Blue' and 'It's All Happening'. Genre wise the duo cover a lot of ground, these two tracks provide some idea of what to expect, however expect more from this creative pair.
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Julia Logan - Everly, Foreverly (Live Session).

"Everly, Foreverly" is Stockholm, Sweden, based Julia Logan’s second single. Like artists Karen Dalton and Jim Ford, she is also searching for solace, sincerity, and quiet human understanding in chaotic and loud times.

“It’s about family and the ties that connect us, even when one of us feels there is darkness and no clear path,” says Julia.

“In the end the unity of the family is a circle that lasts.” Featuring drummer Kyle Crane (Neko Case, Daniel Lanois, M. Ward, Bon Iver) and Peter Morén (Peter, Bjorn and John).

Warm and intriguing Americana with California vibes, carefully arranged and masterfully executed - here's "Everly, Foreverly"!

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Lore City - Into Your Blue / It's All Happening.

Alchemical Task (2020) is the third studio album from Art Rock duo, Lore City. It’s been six years since their last release, Kill Your Dreams (2014), and subsequent move to Portland, Oregon. The band’s sound combines elements of Psych Rock, Post Rock, and Dream Pop. Tome to the Weather Machine writes, “fans of Chelsea Wolfe, Low and Big Brave should take note.”

Lore City is an American art rock duo formed in 2011 and currently based in Portland, Oregon. Band members include Laura Mariposa Williams (vocals, keyboard, guitar) and Eric Angelo Bessel (percussion, keyboard, guitar). They met in 2003 as peers in the College of Visual & Performing Arts at Syracuse University. Reconnecting years later, Laura and Eric formed Lore City in 2011 and married shortly after that.

Lore City’s music is born from the transformational power of sound. We hand over words, instruments, and rhythms; trading back and forth until everything belongs to both of us. Until we are indistinguishable. We create from the belief that we are all one, and that we’ve been here before. Song fragments are shimmering all around us, ready to transport. We tune in and transcribe. Deep knowing, alongside the unfathomable unknown, is where we reside. Sonic soundscapes give way to archetypal figures and voices materialize. Sometimes we are just singing along with the ghosts that emerge from our chorus of effect pedals.

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Sunday, 6 September 2020

Terra Lightfoot - Samantha Tieger

Terra Lightfoot shared 'Paper Thin Walls' just a month ago and has returned with another really fine song 'It's Over Now', her refined and distinctive rock again impresses. === We featured 'Close My Eyes' a few weeks back and Samantha Tieger is back with 'You Light Me Up' which is a gently melodic and enticing track.
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Terra Lightfoot - It's Over Now.

On the heels of her recent announcement of a new studio album, nearly three years since the release of her critically acclaimed album New Mistakes, soulful rocker Terra Lightfoot shares the new single and video for "It's Over Now" off the upcoming studio album Consider the Speed.

"'It's Over Now' first emerged as a slower, more sombre song — about letting go of a failed relationship, one that seemed viable but that ultimately just didn’t work out," says Lightfoot. "In-studio, it took on a new life as a straight-ahead rock song, and I can definitely take comfort in that. The drive of the band behind me puts me in a comfortable space to sing that intense chorus vocal."

Strong, sure-footed and soulful, Terra Lightfoot's new album Consider the Speed sees the artist finding new roots on the road, and at home in her own skin more than ever before. On this Memphis-recorded session, the acclaimed singer-songwriter-guitarist is in top form, backed by seasoned session ringers and captured by Grammy-winning producer Newland and Grammy-winning engineer Mitchell.

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Samantha Tieger - You Light Me Up

Nashville based singer/songwriter Samantha Tieger (pronounced “Teeger”) is celebrating the release now of her eponymously named debut EP which will include one of her strongest tracks yet, the gorgeous ballad “You Light Me Up.”

Tieger’s six-song EP reflects the artist’s intent to shine a light on the joys, heartaches and dramas of interpersonal relationships that both thrive and falter in uncertain times.  On “You Light Me Up,” Tieger finds a sublime solace in the embrace of a healthy relationship and has never sounded as self-assured as on this carefully crafted ballad. “You Light Me Up” was co-produced by multiple Emmy Award-winning producer Ed O’Donnell (Friends, Beverly Hills 90210) and Armon Jay, with Tieger and O’Donnell collaborating as co-writers.

Says Tieger: “In “You Light Me Up” I wanted to focus on the joy, comfort, and liberation that a great relationship can bring. What I love about it is that sonically it represents the peace and calm at the heart of it all.”

On her debut EP, Tieger continues, “These songs were inspired by some of my most significant and emotional experiences over the last couple of years, including the lingering sadness from a sudden breakup, a whirlwind romance, and being physically distanced from friends and family.

I was lucky to work with an amazing group of co-writers and producers to bring this EP to life. I love how the production elements reflect the feelings of comfort, heartache, and confusion addressed in the lyrics. I’m so proud of how the EP turned out, and I’m thrilled to share it with the world.”

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Will Morton - Ruth Lyon - Penny & The Pits - Caravan Palace

Photo - Justin Hammond Will Morton - Good Ol' Boys Don't Cry. Rising country artist Will Morton has released the official music vid...