HMS Morris return here for a third time this year with today's single release 'Myfyrwyr Rhyngwladol'. It's a richly layered electronic song with gorgeous vocal reprises between a solid rhythmic soundtrack. === As this is Rue Snider's eight appearance on Beehive Candy, I thinks it's only fair to say we like his music and today's new release 'David Bowie's Clothes' helps explain our fascination with Rue's ever evolving and refined material. === Spunsugar are another band who are making their third appearance here this year with their new single 'Belladonna' where they give Shoegaze some pop sensibilities with striking results.
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HMS Morris - Myfyrwyr Rhyngwladol.
Following the release of two pre-covid singles ‘Babanod’ and ‘Poetry’, HMS Morris are back with the third in the series, ‘Myfyrwyr Rhyngwladol', which translates as ‘International Students’. The single is released today September 16th.
HMS Morris HQ is nestled on the edge of one of the most multicultural streets in Cardiff, City Road. It’s a noisy, colourful cosmopolitan crush of restaurants, shisha bars and barbers, which have recently been invaded by posh student accommodation projects. But while this may have been the initial impetus behind ‘Myfyrwyr Rhyngwladol’, by the time it had solidified into a definite sound and feel it was no longer a rant about fancy student halls.
Rather it had become an assertion that the world be a better place if we were all International Students. In the context of this summer’s global race-relations reckoning, there is a general moral imperative for us all to become students of the international: to watch the news as if it’s our own story, to actually take it in, to learn and adapt our behaviour. We should be prepared to immerse ourselves in other cultures, just like the international students of City Rd do.
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Rue Snider - David Bowie's Clothes.
David Bowie’s Clothes is the first single from Rue Snider’s fourth full length album Puzzle Pieces, releasing winter 2020/21. It’s a song about the beginning of healing. Rather than pine for a lost love the lyric reflects on the disappointment of being unable to share in another person’s joy. The touring David Bowie exhibit that ended its run at the Brooklyn Museum in 2018 was a powerful, overwhelming, transformative exhibition that serves not only as the impetus for this track but as a metaphor for obstacles to detachment.
“I’ve written a lot about being sad and I’ve used songs to catalogue many of my emotions through the characters I sing about. This song is about a real person and a real situation. When this relationship ended I started going to therapy after a period of deep depression and I was able to address a lot of my unhealthy behavior. It took a while to realize how much my actions contributed to the dissolution of that coupling and this song is one of the many attempts to write about that and take responsibility.”
Before the pandemic Rue toured America extensively playing bars and coffee shops in thirty-seven states, and built a loyal fan base one show at a time. Almost all of those shows were solo and performed on an acoustic guitar played through a Fender Blues Jr.
Rue’s first three records as well as his five EPs, and multiple singles are primarily full band affairs capturing different permutations of indie rock. The forthcoming Puzzle Pieces is a piano based album influenced by artists like Joni Mitchell, Father John Misty and Lana Del Rey. Puzzle Pieces was made in Nashville with Jon Estes engineering and producing. It was mixed by Phil Joly and mastered by Philip Shaw Bova.
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Spunsugar - Belladonna.
Spunsugar, a gothgaze trio from Malmo, Sweden, have just dropped this new single ‘Belladonna’. Following on from the release of their breakthrough debut EP ‘Mouth Full Of You’ last year, a collection that cemented them as one of the finest emerging shoegaze outfits of the moment as well as garnering support from Steve Lamacq at BBC 6Music, Swedish trio Spunsugar now return to announce their highly-anticipated debut album ‘Drive-Through Chapel’, out on the 2nd October via Adrian Recordings.
Two out of three members of the trio Spunsugar, Cordelia Moreau and Elin Ramstedt, befriended one another in a small town outsider clique at age thirteen. Their individual music tastes, Cordelia’s twee-pop, jangle and grunge and Elin’s metal, hardcore and post-rock blended into a mutual love for shoegaze, noise rock and dream pop. At age fifteen they started a four piece band, Elin on lead vocals and rhythm guitar and Cordelia on drums. They discovered that they thrived when writing music together. But even when the band split up, they continued to write songs.
Fast forward to post upper secondary school. After months of hardly speaking to each other, they both ended up in Malmö. After not writing music together for five years they recorded two lo-fi songs in Cordelia’s student apartment and it was as if no time had passed. They looked for a rehearsal space and within weeks they recorded a demo. But they wanted a real live bass player. Cordelia had recently bonded with a university classmate over guitars and they decided to send him a copy of the demo and asked if he would like to come play with them. Felix Sjöström became an intrinsic part of the project immediately. With his influence, their sound became more distinguished, all of them bringing different inspirations to the songs. Now they all have prominent roles within the band but they are also, fundamentally, friends.
Spunsugar are works at a faster paced than a lot of their shoegaze peers and accompanied by electronic drums. They are more often compared to Curve, Swervedriver or Ringo Deathstarr rather than the likes of Cocteau Twins or Slowdive. Although heavy on effects, nothing is hidden within the music, including the lyrics. The lyrics are heavy with pop cultural references, stemming from Cordelia’s love for obscure genre films. Often driven by riffs rather than soundscapes, they focus equally on having a prominent bass as well as prominent guitars.
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Wednesday, 16 September 2020
Monday, 14 September 2020
Lauren Hulbert - Cindy Lee Berryhill - Owen Meany’s Batting Stance
Lauren Hulbert has released 'Gone In One' today and it's a striking song with thought provoking lyrics, determined vocals and a distinctive musical arrangement. === Anti folk artist Cindy Lee Berryhill shares 'Woke Up From A Dream' a song that has an intriguing back story and is engaging and melodic. === Owen Meany’s Batting Stance released 'Breakfast Again' a few days back and it's a must hear and simply gorgeous song from alt folk artist Daniel Walker.
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Lauren Hulbert - Gone In One.
Lauren Hulbert announces the release of “Gone in One” today September 14. The single exudes strength, resilience and vulnerability found both in the midst and aftermath of an unhealthy relationship. Gritty determination permeates while a seamless instrumental tug of war introduces the reflexive moving forward and feeling pulled back. The single is off her upcoming EP, Superbloom, due out October 30.
“Gone in One” explores a feminine/masculine yin and yang as harmonies serve as a beautiful fragility to the high energy, grungy guitar. Flamenco style clapping subtly undertones the song with equal parts passion and pain connoting an incredible strength. Driving guitars swell and yearn while pulling into an inner exploration of Hulbert asking, “How fast can you run?” in one breath and “Will you remember me?” in another. Hulbert says, “This song is a vulnerable, personal account of unknowingly losing oneself in someone else, which is lonely, confusing, and scary.
It was like being stuck in a fog not knowing how to get out, looking to others to show me the way but just becoming more lost. I was constantly running internally, but getting nowhere, until I was exhausted into total indifference and I felt like the real me had been erased. Eventually, I realized I was the only one that could really save myself, so I dug really deep and found the strength to get out, which was incredibly hard. I didn’t know when or how I’d heal, but I knew I was on the right path.”
Superbloom was inspired not only by the sound of the EP itself but also by Hulbert blooming back to life; following a dangerous foot injury while on a surf trip in Indonesia, she was practically immobile for six months and it was unclear if she’d ever be able to walk again. While the music for this EP didn’t come from the injury, it was a very dark time for her – life, as she knew it, had ended, and her artistic momentum was devastatingly quelled. Fortunately, over a year later, she has healed and credits the experience as terrifying but ultimately beneficial – one that allowed her to reassess her life, align with what’s important and has made her all the more grateful for health and opportunity – and to be performing and sharing her music again.
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Cindy Lee Berryhill - Woke Up From A Dream
Cindy Lee Berryhill, New York Anti-folk founder and singer-songwriter, reveals a longstanding family secret in new song that touches on the zeitgeist of white entitled culture and reveals how some white families are not all they appear to be and that some are more akin to a David Duke nightmare. When Berryhill was in her 20s, during time spent between NYC and her longtime home of San Diego, writing songs for what would be her debut album Who's Gonna Save the World (Rhino 1987), she had an extraordinarily memorable dream.
She tells it best: In this dream, I was a retail clerk at Macy's hoping for a promotion. I mentioned my intention to my friends and coworkers looking for some support. Much to my surprise they told me they didn't think a promotion was likely to happen.
Why? Because of the color of my skin. - But I was white with light hair like them, what was the problem? - They led me to a mirror and I saw that I was now a black girl. - I burst into tears, knowing my chances at jobs and promotions had just drastically diminished. - And then I woke up.
A few years ago, as I was recording my 7th album The Adventurist (Omnivore 2017), I took a popular DNA test that informs you of your likely ancestry and some medical proclivities. A surprise was revealed when I received the results. I was part sub-Saharan African. Not that 6% sub-Saharan African next to my 94% European ancestry meant very much on the pie chart, but what it did do was expose a hidden history of my grandmother Fay and where she’d come from. If I was 6%, then my father was approximately 12% and my grandma was roughly 24%.
Through the U.S. census I found out that Grandma Fay Grant (Berryhill by marriage) and her brother, mother and father had all identified as black on the 1900 census. Some time before 1910 the family of four left their home and large extended black family in Charleston, S.C., and moved to Los Angeles, Calif. Then on the 1910 census the family now identified as white. This passing as white,and my grandma’s to-the-death-secret, are her story. My story is one of being a white girl who writes songs in a white man’s world.
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Owen Meany’s Batting Stance - Breakfast Again.
Owen Meany’s Batting Stance announces new alt-folk single and sophomore album via LHM Records. With his music distinguished as ‘impassioned literary folk’, Owen Meany’s Batting Stance is the pseudonym of singer-songwriter Daniel Walker.
Following the release of his self-titled EP, Daniel has spent the last few years exploring the thrills of the live circuit, whilst constantly perfecting his craft. Now, the Canadian native returns with the announcement of his new full-length ‘Feather Weights’, teasing listeners with new single ‘Breakfast Again’ with LHM Records.
Projecting hints of The Mountain Goats, Jenny Lewis, and Conor Oberst to inspire his sound, he tells us: “Their deliberate approach to lyricism coupled with the fact that they emoted a similar high-pitched, nasal vocal delivery proved to me I didn’t need to have a raspy baritone or angelic falsetto to be a singer, let alone songwriter.”
Teamed with delicate lo-fi guitar strings and Daniel’s harmonious, yet flavourful vocals; new offering “Breakfast Again” lyrically explores the implications of a lost love. Discussing the inspiration behind the track, he says: ‘Breakfast Again is about the emotions: the worries and resolution that come with no longer sharing a life with someone important to you’
Accompanying the track is a hazy visual, in which proves to be simple but effective in telling its narrative. Featuring the frontman himself, the new minimalistic music video blends cloudy and clear shots of the lonesome artist dwelling in his thoughts over a cup of coffee. Later on, in the video, we see Daniel laying in the river; a metaphorical representation of drowning in his emotions.
Recorded above a fishmonger’s shop in the Halifax Regional Municipality, his highly anticipated debut album ‘Feather Weights’ consists of eight singularly voiced short stories that explore everyday theming with deep insight, and thoughtful perspective. Boasting the Owen Meany live band with bassist Cailen Alcorn Pygott, and keyboardist Siobhan Martin, together they showcase soft chords of folk pushed into the angles of indie rock.
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Lauren Hulbert - Gone In One.
Lauren Hulbert announces the release of “Gone in One” today September 14. The single exudes strength, resilience and vulnerability found both in the midst and aftermath of an unhealthy relationship. Gritty determination permeates while a seamless instrumental tug of war introduces the reflexive moving forward and feeling pulled back. The single is off her upcoming EP, Superbloom, due out October 30.
“Gone in One” explores a feminine/masculine yin and yang as harmonies serve as a beautiful fragility to the high energy, grungy guitar. Flamenco style clapping subtly undertones the song with equal parts passion and pain connoting an incredible strength. Driving guitars swell and yearn while pulling into an inner exploration of Hulbert asking, “How fast can you run?” in one breath and “Will you remember me?” in another. Hulbert says, “This song is a vulnerable, personal account of unknowingly losing oneself in someone else, which is lonely, confusing, and scary.
It was like being stuck in a fog not knowing how to get out, looking to others to show me the way but just becoming more lost. I was constantly running internally, but getting nowhere, until I was exhausted into total indifference and I felt like the real me had been erased. Eventually, I realized I was the only one that could really save myself, so I dug really deep and found the strength to get out, which was incredibly hard. I didn’t know when or how I’d heal, but I knew I was on the right path.”
Superbloom was inspired not only by the sound of the EP itself but also by Hulbert blooming back to life; following a dangerous foot injury while on a surf trip in Indonesia, she was practically immobile for six months and it was unclear if she’d ever be able to walk again. While the music for this EP didn’t come from the injury, it was a very dark time for her – life, as she knew it, had ended, and her artistic momentum was devastatingly quelled. Fortunately, over a year later, she has healed and credits the experience as terrifying but ultimately beneficial – one that allowed her to reassess her life, align with what’s important and has made her all the more grateful for health and opportunity – and to be performing and sharing her music again.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cindy Lee Berryhill - Woke Up From A Dream
Cindy Lee Berryhill, New York Anti-folk founder and singer-songwriter, reveals a longstanding family secret in new song that touches on the zeitgeist of white entitled culture and reveals how some white families are not all they appear to be and that some are more akin to a David Duke nightmare. When Berryhill was in her 20s, during time spent between NYC and her longtime home of San Diego, writing songs for what would be her debut album Who's Gonna Save the World (Rhino 1987), she had an extraordinarily memorable dream.
She tells it best: In this dream, I was a retail clerk at Macy's hoping for a promotion. I mentioned my intention to my friends and coworkers looking for some support. Much to my surprise they told me they didn't think a promotion was likely to happen.
Why? Because of the color of my skin. - But I was white with light hair like them, what was the problem? - They led me to a mirror and I saw that I was now a black girl. - I burst into tears, knowing my chances at jobs and promotions had just drastically diminished. - And then I woke up.
A few years ago, as I was recording my 7th album The Adventurist (Omnivore 2017), I took a popular DNA test that informs you of your likely ancestry and some medical proclivities. A surprise was revealed when I received the results. I was part sub-Saharan African. Not that 6% sub-Saharan African next to my 94% European ancestry meant very much on the pie chart, but what it did do was expose a hidden history of my grandmother Fay and where she’d come from. If I was 6%, then my father was approximately 12% and my grandma was roughly 24%.
Through the U.S. census I found out that Grandma Fay Grant (Berryhill by marriage) and her brother, mother and father had all identified as black on the 1900 census. Some time before 1910 the family of four left their home and large extended black family in Charleston, S.C., and moved to Los Angeles, Calif. Then on the 1910 census the family now identified as white. This passing as white,and my grandma’s to-the-death-secret, are her story. My story is one of being a white girl who writes songs in a white man’s world.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Owen Meany’s Batting Stance - Breakfast Again.
Owen Meany’s Batting Stance announces new alt-folk single and sophomore album via LHM Records. With his music distinguished as ‘impassioned literary folk’, Owen Meany’s Batting Stance is the pseudonym of singer-songwriter Daniel Walker.
Following the release of his self-titled EP, Daniel has spent the last few years exploring the thrills of the live circuit, whilst constantly perfecting his craft. Now, the Canadian native returns with the announcement of his new full-length ‘Feather Weights’, teasing listeners with new single ‘Breakfast Again’ with LHM Records.
Projecting hints of The Mountain Goats, Jenny Lewis, and Conor Oberst to inspire his sound, he tells us: “Their deliberate approach to lyricism coupled with the fact that they emoted a similar high-pitched, nasal vocal delivery proved to me I didn’t need to have a raspy baritone or angelic falsetto to be a singer, let alone songwriter.”
Teamed with delicate lo-fi guitar strings and Daniel’s harmonious, yet flavourful vocals; new offering “Breakfast Again” lyrically explores the implications of a lost love. Discussing the inspiration behind the track, he says: ‘Breakfast Again is about the emotions: the worries and resolution that come with no longer sharing a life with someone important to you’
Accompanying the track is a hazy visual, in which proves to be simple but effective in telling its narrative. Featuring the frontman himself, the new minimalistic music video blends cloudy and clear shots of the lonesome artist dwelling in his thoughts over a cup of coffee. Later on, in the video, we see Daniel laying in the river; a metaphorical representation of drowning in his emotions.
Recorded above a fishmonger’s shop in the Halifax Regional Municipality, his highly anticipated debut album ‘Feather Weights’ consists of eight singularly voiced short stories that explore everyday theming with deep insight, and thoughtful perspective. Boasting the Owen Meany live band with bassist Cailen Alcorn Pygott, and keyboardist Siobhan Martin, together they showcase soft chords of folk pushed into the angles of indie rock.
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Sunday, 13 September 2020
Hailey Whitters - The Luxembourg Signal - Malin Pettersen
Hailey Whitters appeared here in July with her stunning song 'Janice At The Hotel Bar' and returns now with 'Happy People' which is another catchy and impressive piece. === We featured The Luxembourg Signal a couple of times back in 2017 and then lost track of them, however they are back with '2.22' as a taster for their next album 'The Long Now' and it's good to note that their mixture of Dreampop and Shoegaze is sounding real good. === Malin Pettersen shares 'Wildhorse Dream' ahead of the album 'Wildhorse' set for release on October 16th. The song itself is a melodic slice of modern Americana with bags of charm.
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Hailey Whitters - Happy People.
Hailey Whitters releases a sunny animated video for “Happy People” (co-directed by Harper Smith and Drew Wittler) from her critically-acclaimed new album, The Dream, out now via Pigasus Records / Big Loud Records / Songs & Daughters. The song was co-written with Lori McKenna and originally recorded by Little Big Town in 2017.
“This song has always felt like a step-by-step guide to happiness,” explains Whitters. “I wanted the visual to be bright and colorful to match the character of the record, as well as accessible to both children and adults. My friend Drew Wittler did the animation and he sprinkled Easter eggs throughout of my musical imprint and Iowa upbringing. My aim is to take viewers on a walk through my ‘happy place’ and hopefully remind them of their own along the way.”
The video follows the release of Whitters’ Live In Studio Session series which delivered five live performances throughout the month of August. Watch videos including a reimagined piano version of “Dream, Girl,” “Heartland,” “Janice at the Hotel Bar,” “The Devil Always Made Me Think Twice,” and “The Faker.”
Just featured as an “Emerging Artist” by People, Whitters is spotted among the all-genre roundup with the outlet raving, “With her chill, guitar-driven sound and powerful vocals, Hailey Whitters stands out as an up-and-coming country star.” Garnering more high-profile media looks, The Dream was named one of “The Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)” by American Songwriter and Paste Magazine. SPIN also marked “All The Cool Girls” on their list of “The 50 Best Songs of 2020 (So Far).”
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The Luxembourg Signal - 2.22.
Dreampop and shoegaze indie super group The Luxembourg Signal brighten up today with the debut of their new single '2:22" a blast of dreampop perfection that comes in makes a statement then stops quickly leaving you wanting even more. The kind folks at Austin Town Hall debuted the track this morning.
With the release of their self-titled debut album on Shelflife Records in 2014, The Luxembourg Signal quickly attracted a loyal following among fans of dream pop/indie pop music, and received enthusiastic reviews for their pop sensibilities, angelic vocals and lush soundscapes.
Their follow-up LP, Blue Field (Shelflife/Kleine Utergrund Schallplatten) released in 2017, garnered even more praise and revealed a bolder, darker and more developed sound with its expanded seven-member lineup of Beth Arzy & Betsy Moyer (vocals), Johnny Joyner (guitars), Brian Espinosa (drums), Ginny Pitchford (keyboards), Daniel Kumiega (bass) and Kelly Davis (guitars).
Now, for their third LP, the transatlantic group based in London, Los Angeles and San Diego, once again returned to the studio with engineer Mark Rains and have produced the highly anticipated The Long Now (Shelflife/Spinout Nuggets), a 10 song album that imagines a blurred horizon that lies between light and dark, and the fleeting nature of all that we hold.
"The Long Now" (phrase coined by Brian Eno) refers to a long-term way of perceiving time. As an alternative to the accelerated way that we experience our lives, it allows us to make sense of our brief but tumultuous time here, by understanding our place in a much larger timeline as history plays out.
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Malin Pettersen - Wildhorse Dream.
Malin Pettersen's album 'Wildhorse' is set for release on October 16th. Stories seem to follow Malin Pettersen wherever she goes, whether it's in the streets of Oslo, Norway, or in the quaint neighborhoods of Nashville, Tennessee.
Raised by a country musician father and a mother who deeply loved jazz, Pettersen grew up surrounded by music. Those early influences and the stories behind them drew her to American culture and arts, including folk and bluegrass. In 2009, she formed the popular country band Lucky Lips, supplying engaging lead vocals to their debut 2010 EP Third Door to the Right. They quickly found success with their engaging blend of traditional folk elements with a modern edge. They continued to release a trove of music over the next few years, including two well-received albums and even participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2013. A slight sonic shift on their third record, 2016’s Coming Home, brought the group to a new level of acclaim, eventually earning them a slot at Nashville’s AmericanaFest in 2018.
Propelled by the success of Lucky Lips, Pettersen went onto release her first solo album References Pt. 1 in 2018. It won widespread critical praise and even earned her a Spellemann Award (Norwegian Grammy). Later that year, Lucky Lips teamed up with Norwegian blues legend Amund Maarud for their collaborative record Indian Butterfly.
The tightly-knit creative community that Nashville harbors kept calling to Pettersen. Those pilgrimages back to the U.S. resulted in the creation of Alonesome, her powerful 2019 mini-album. That release earned her praise from Rolling Stone Country, Paste, Billboard and more. With just her voice and her guitar, the project showcased both Pettersen’s emotive vocals and her expert songwriting, capturing the beautiful complexities of human emotion.
After an Ameripolitan Awards nomination led her back to Tennessee, she returned to Nashville to begin recording her most important project to date. Pettersen tapped into her experiences of exploring America and the creative relationships she developed along the way to create something brand new.
“Even though most of the groundwork was all done live together in one room on both previous albums, there are more layers on this one and it stretches towards more of a cinematic soundscape,” Pettersen says. "There is more California, Bobbie Gentry and cosmic-ness on this one."
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![]() |
Photo: Harper Smith |
Hailey Whitters releases a sunny animated video for “Happy People” (co-directed by Harper Smith and Drew Wittler) from her critically-acclaimed new album, The Dream, out now via Pigasus Records / Big Loud Records / Songs & Daughters. The song was co-written with Lori McKenna and originally recorded by Little Big Town in 2017.
“This song has always felt like a step-by-step guide to happiness,” explains Whitters. “I wanted the visual to be bright and colorful to match the character of the record, as well as accessible to both children and adults. My friend Drew Wittler did the animation and he sprinkled Easter eggs throughout of my musical imprint and Iowa upbringing. My aim is to take viewers on a walk through my ‘happy place’ and hopefully remind them of their own along the way.”
The video follows the release of Whitters’ Live In Studio Session series which delivered five live performances throughout the month of August. Watch videos including a reimagined piano version of “Dream, Girl,” “Heartland,” “Janice at the Hotel Bar,” “The Devil Always Made Me Think Twice,” and “The Faker.”
Just featured as an “Emerging Artist” by People, Whitters is spotted among the all-genre roundup with the outlet raving, “With her chill, guitar-driven sound and powerful vocals, Hailey Whitters stands out as an up-and-coming country star.” Garnering more high-profile media looks, The Dream was named one of “The Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)” by American Songwriter and Paste Magazine. SPIN also marked “All The Cool Girls” on their list of “The 50 Best Songs of 2020 (So Far).”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Luxembourg Signal - 2.22.
Dreampop and shoegaze indie super group The Luxembourg Signal brighten up today with the debut of their new single '2:22" a blast of dreampop perfection that comes in makes a statement then stops quickly leaving you wanting even more. The kind folks at Austin Town Hall debuted the track this morning.
With the release of their self-titled debut album on Shelflife Records in 2014, The Luxembourg Signal quickly attracted a loyal following among fans of dream pop/indie pop music, and received enthusiastic reviews for their pop sensibilities, angelic vocals and lush soundscapes.
Their follow-up LP, Blue Field (Shelflife/Kleine Utergrund Schallplatten) released in 2017, garnered even more praise and revealed a bolder, darker and more developed sound with its expanded seven-member lineup of Beth Arzy & Betsy Moyer (vocals), Johnny Joyner (guitars), Brian Espinosa (drums), Ginny Pitchford (keyboards), Daniel Kumiega (bass) and Kelly Davis (guitars).
Now, for their third LP, the transatlantic group based in London, Los Angeles and San Diego, once again returned to the studio with engineer Mark Rains and have produced the highly anticipated The Long Now (Shelflife/Spinout Nuggets), a 10 song album that imagines a blurred horizon that lies between light and dark, and the fleeting nature of all that we hold.
"The Long Now" (phrase coined by Brian Eno) refers to a long-term way of perceiving time. As an alternative to the accelerated way that we experience our lives, it allows us to make sense of our brief but tumultuous time here, by understanding our place in a much larger timeline as history plays out.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Malin Pettersen - Wildhorse Dream.
Malin Pettersen's album 'Wildhorse' is set for release on October 16th. Stories seem to follow Malin Pettersen wherever she goes, whether it's in the streets of Oslo, Norway, or in the quaint neighborhoods of Nashville, Tennessee.
Raised by a country musician father and a mother who deeply loved jazz, Pettersen grew up surrounded by music. Those early influences and the stories behind them drew her to American culture and arts, including folk and bluegrass. In 2009, she formed the popular country band Lucky Lips, supplying engaging lead vocals to their debut 2010 EP Third Door to the Right. They quickly found success with their engaging blend of traditional folk elements with a modern edge. They continued to release a trove of music over the next few years, including two well-received albums and even participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2013. A slight sonic shift on their third record, 2016’s Coming Home, brought the group to a new level of acclaim, eventually earning them a slot at Nashville’s AmericanaFest in 2018.
Propelled by the success of Lucky Lips, Pettersen went onto release her first solo album References Pt. 1 in 2018. It won widespread critical praise and even earned her a Spellemann Award (Norwegian Grammy). Later that year, Lucky Lips teamed up with Norwegian blues legend Amund Maarud for their collaborative record Indian Butterfly.
The tightly-knit creative community that Nashville harbors kept calling to Pettersen. Those pilgrimages back to the U.S. resulted in the creation of Alonesome, her powerful 2019 mini-album. That release earned her praise from Rolling Stone Country, Paste, Billboard and more. With just her voice and her guitar, the project showcased both Pettersen’s emotive vocals and her expert songwriting, capturing the beautiful complexities of human emotion.
After an Ameripolitan Awards nomination led her back to Tennessee, she returned to Nashville to begin recording her most important project to date. Pettersen tapped into her experiences of exploring America and the creative relationships she developed along the way to create something brand new.
“Even though most of the groundwork was all done live together in one room on both previous albums, there are more layers on this one and it stretches towards more of a cinematic soundscape,” Pettersen says. "There is more California, Bobbie Gentry and cosmic-ness on this one."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, 12 September 2020
Jillette Johnson - Bee Bee Sea - Sandtimer - Deepfake Moneybomb
Jillette Johnson releases 'Annie' and announces her new album due in a few months time, the new song is a gorgeous slice of modern folk pop with hints of timeless country. === We have featured the first two singles from their upcoming new album 'Day Ripper' and now we have the title track from Bee Bee Sea namely (of course) 'Day Ripper' where the bands nod towards The Beatles is notable. === Sandtimer are another band who have appeared here a couple of times already in 2020 and are back with 'You Never Had Control' a stripped back track that exudes plenty of personal feeling. === Deepfake Moneybomb has released his self titled album and it's streaming in full below. Always on the lookout for different, creative yet accessible music we are delighted that all those boxes have been ticked with this talented and crafted release.
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Jillette Johnson - Annie.
Jillette Johnson has announced the February 12 release of It’s a Beautiful Day and I Love You, her first new album in four years. Returning with a newfound creative confidence, the Nashville-based singer/songwriter delivers a fully-realized collection of ten new songs featuring candid lyricism and a bolder, bigger sound. Along with the announcement, Johnson shares the rollicking new single “Annie” with a self-directed, DIY video shot during quarantine. An ode to her other half’s ex-girlfriend, “Annie” offers a different take on songs about “the other woman” as Johnson expresses genuine appreciation for the positive impact her role played in his life.
“Annie is a thank-you letter, and a tribute to all the past relationships that make us who we are,” explains Johnson. “The ones that prepare us to find fulfilling partnerships. My partner has shared his heart with some badass women and I'm super grateful for it. May we be in an era finally, where women can see each other as allies, and not threats.”
Jillette Johnson has established a reputation for her ruminative pop/folk, piano-driven songs and powerful vocals, releasing her 2013 debut Water in a Whale and 2017 Dave Cobb-produced follow-up All I Ever See In You Is Me to widespread acclaim ranging from Billboard and Paste to Marie Claire and ELLE. She began writing songs at the age of eight, becoming fully immersed in music by high school and quickly learning first-hand about the prevalence of predators in this volatile, ever-changing industry. Now on the other side of a journey through pain and struggle to gratitude, forgiveness, and, ultimately, acceptance, It’s a Beautiful Day and I Love You sees Johnson taking full control of her career for the first time. She recently spoke about the process with American Songwriter and shared her debut single “I Shouldn’t Go Anywhere,” which Rolling Stone describes as “a spaced-out trip that recalls Harry Nilsson or Elton John at his most decadent.”
“The lessons I learned from those early industry experiences are why I’ve held so tightly to making this album on my own with people I trust,” Johnson explains. “It would have been easy to lean into the melancholy. It was an act of rebellion to not indulge in the pain, to look beyond it and not wallow.”
Produced by Joe Pisapia, It’s a Beautiful Day and I Love You injects Johnson’s intimate, piano-written songs with buoyant pop melodies and a shot of guitar-driven, alt-rock muscle. From the lilting, self-destructiveness of “I Shouldn’t Go Anywhere” and the somber reflection on “Angelo” to the irreverent humor in “What Would Jesus Do?” and the impulsively romantic title track, It’s a Beautiful Day and I Love You showcases Johnson’s hard-won optimism.
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Bee Bee Sea - Day Ripper.
Following the release of first two singles 'Daily Jobs' and 'Gonna Get Me', Bee Bee Sea have now released the title track for their upcoming new album 'Day Ripper', out on 9th October on Wild Honey Records.
One of the few heavy psych-garage songs on the record, the track is based on a riff progression alternated with Beatlesque choruses. Similarly to previous single 'Daily Jobs', the song further elaborates on the idea of living a suffocating and claustrophobic existence. Aside from the title, another nod to the Fab Four is on the artwork, designed by Yuri Pierini at Slack Studio: an illustration of legendary footballer George Best, occasionally known as The Fifth Beatle.
Bee Bee Sea – Wilson Wilson on guitar and vocals, Giacomo Parisio on bass, and Andrea Onofrio on drums – met fresh out of high school and immediately bonded over music. “When there’s no good shit around you better form a band” runs their motto – and so they did. Sixties classics like the Beatles, The Who, and The Stones formed the bulk of their repertoire as a covers band, and they played in any bar that would have them. “We were into bands,” explains Wilson, “and over time we became more rock, and started to get into punk.”
And now they stand ready to unleash 'Day Ripper' on the world, ten incendiary tracks full of edge, tension, and fuelled by frustration – “ripper” is very much the right word. From the catchy, effervescent chug of single ‘Be Bop Palooza’, to the filthy garage punk of ‘Drags Me Down’ and ‘Telephone’, it’s a record that throws you around the room before pinning you up against the wall and screaming in your face. Songs barrel along like a whirling dervish, all galloping drums and frantic power chords, occasionally teetering on the brink of collapse. Yet such chaos is precisely what makes 'Day Ripper 'so compelling, and so fun.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sandtimer - You Never Had Control.
‘You Never Had Control’ is the latest single from Sandtimer’s upcoming second album, ‘Running In Sunlight’. The song charts the feeling of waking up, seeing terrible things happening in the world and feeling partly responsible, no matter how irrational this feeling might be.
‘You Never Had Control’ is an expression of coming to terms with one’s own powerlessness when faced with huge, unpredictable events, and an encouragement to carry on the struggle for progress regardless.
The album Running in Sunlight, which will be released this October, sees the band take a loose and immediate approach to the creative process, with the songs being written and recorded over a short time frame, with sparser instrumentation than their previous music.
“This album isn’t about anthems,” says Simon Thomas, vocalist and guitarist. “It’s our attempt at exploring the raw edges of the climate we live in- the uncomfortable parts as well as the beauty. We wanted to give ourselves space to do this intimately and honestly.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deepfake Moneybomb - Deepfake Moneybomb (Album).
This is not your typical singer-songwriter music - it's accessible but off-kilter and veers off into surprising directions. The "folk" feel of these songs is anchored by acoustic guitar and dulcimer, while embracing instrument combinations that include clarinet, vibraphone as well as some electronic sound. The songs on this record are strange little works of art that are drawn from the search for something of substance and meaning amid all the chaos we see everywhere.
First, why put out an album at all during a pandemic, when there are limited opportunities to perform the songs? "The World Won't Let Me Believe" is why - it's an unabashedly sincere, perhaps even corny, anthem for our times.
You might think the song "Existential Dread" would be a depressing slog in neurotic self-indulgence, but instead it's a sparking, sprightly, dulcimer-driven waltz. And when was the last time you heard a song about quantum mechanics? Look no further than "Super Colliders" which gives a shout-out to physicist Erik Verlinde while tossing in some William Blake for good measure.
Deepfake Moneybomb is singer-songwriter from New York (USA). He could be considered a “bedroom” artist because of his creative process, though he does perform live as well.
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Jillette Johnson - Annie.
Jillette Johnson has announced the February 12 release of It’s a Beautiful Day and I Love You, her first new album in four years. Returning with a newfound creative confidence, the Nashville-based singer/songwriter delivers a fully-realized collection of ten new songs featuring candid lyricism and a bolder, bigger sound. Along with the announcement, Johnson shares the rollicking new single “Annie” with a self-directed, DIY video shot during quarantine. An ode to her other half’s ex-girlfriend, “Annie” offers a different take on songs about “the other woman” as Johnson expresses genuine appreciation for the positive impact her role played in his life.
“Annie is a thank-you letter, and a tribute to all the past relationships that make us who we are,” explains Johnson. “The ones that prepare us to find fulfilling partnerships. My partner has shared his heart with some badass women and I'm super grateful for it. May we be in an era finally, where women can see each other as allies, and not threats.”
Jillette Johnson has established a reputation for her ruminative pop/folk, piano-driven songs and powerful vocals, releasing her 2013 debut Water in a Whale and 2017 Dave Cobb-produced follow-up All I Ever See In You Is Me to widespread acclaim ranging from Billboard and Paste to Marie Claire and ELLE. She began writing songs at the age of eight, becoming fully immersed in music by high school and quickly learning first-hand about the prevalence of predators in this volatile, ever-changing industry. Now on the other side of a journey through pain and struggle to gratitude, forgiveness, and, ultimately, acceptance, It’s a Beautiful Day and I Love You sees Johnson taking full control of her career for the first time. She recently spoke about the process with American Songwriter and shared her debut single “I Shouldn’t Go Anywhere,” which Rolling Stone describes as “a spaced-out trip that recalls Harry Nilsson or Elton John at his most decadent.”
“The lessons I learned from those early industry experiences are why I’ve held so tightly to making this album on my own with people I trust,” Johnson explains. “It would have been easy to lean into the melancholy. It was an act of rebellion to not indulge in the pain, to look beyond it and not wallow.”
Produced by Joe Pisapia, It’s a Beautiful Day and I Love You injects Johnson’s intimate, piano-written songs with buoyant pop melodies and a shot of guitar-driven, alt-rock muscle. From the lilting, self-destructiveness of “I Shouldn’t Go Anywhere” and the somber reflection on “Angelo” to the irreverent humor in “What Would Jesus Do?” and the impulsively romantic title track, It’s a Beautiful Day and I Love You showcases Johnson’s hard-won optimism.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bee Bee Sea - Day Ripper.
Following the release of first two singles 'Daily Jobs' and 'Gonna Get Me', Bee Bee Sea have now released the title track for their upcoming new album 'Day Ripper', out on 9th October on Wild Honey Records.
One of the few heavy psych-garage songs on the record, the track is based on a riff progression alternated with Beatlesque choruses. Similarly to previous single 'Daily Jobs', the song further elaborates on the idea of living a suffocating and claustrophobic existence. Aside from the title, another nod to the Fab Four is on the artwork, designed by Yuri Pierini at Slack Studio: an illustration of legendary footballer George Best, occasionally known as The Fifth Beatle.
Bee Bee Sea – Wilson Wilson on guitar and vocals, Giacomo Parisio on bass, and Andrea Onofrio on drums – met fresh out of high school and immediately bonded over music. “When there’s no good shit around you better form a band” runs their motto – and so they did. Sixties classics like the Beatles, The Who, and The Stones formed the bulk of their repertoire as a covers band, and they played in any bar that would have them. “We were into bands,” explains Wilson, “and over time we became more rock, and started to get into punk.”
And now they stand ready to unleash 'Day Ripper' on the world, ten incendiary tracks full of edge, tension, and fuelled by frustration – “ripper” is very much the right word. From the catchy, effervescent chug of single ‘Be Bop Palooza’, to the filthy garage punk of ‘Drags Me Down’ and ‘Telephone’, it’s a record that throws you around the room before pinning you up against the wall and screaming in your face. Songs barrel along like a whirling dervish, all galloping drums and frantic power chords, occasionally teetering on the brink of collapse. Yet such chaos is precisely what makes 'Day Ripper 'so compelling, and so fun.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sandtimer - You Never Had Control.
‘You Never Had Control’ is the latest single from Sandtimer’s upcoming second album, ‘Running In Sunlight’. The song charts the feeling of waking up, seeing terrible things happening in the world and feeling partly responsible, no matter how irrational this feeling might be.
‘You Never Had Control’ is an expression of coming to terms with one’s own powerlessness when faced with huge, unpredictable events, and an encouragement to carry on the struggle for progress regardless.
The album Running in Sunlight, which will be released this October, sees the band take a loose and immediate approach to the creative process, with the songs being written and recorded over a short time frame, with sparser instrumentation than their previous music.
“This album isn’t about anthems,” says Simon Thomas, vocalist and guitarist. “It’s our attempt at exploring the raw edges of the climate we live in- the uncomfortable parts as well as the beauty. We wanted to give ourselves space to do this intimately and honestly.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deepfake Moneybomb - Deepfake Moneybomb (Album).
This is not your typical singer-songwriter music - it's accessible but off-kilter and veers off into surprising directions. The "folk" feel of these songs is anchored by acoustic guitar and dulcimer, while embracing instrument combinations that include clarinet, vibraphone as well as some electronic sound. The songs on this record are strange little works of art that are drawn from the search for something of substance and meaning amid all the chaos we see everywhere.
First, why put out an album at all during a pandemic, when there are limited opportunities to perform the songs? "The World Won't Let Me Believe" is why - it's an unabashedly sincere, perhaps even corny, anthem for our times.
You might think the song "Existential Dread" would be a depressing slog in neurotic self-indulgence, but instead it's a sparking, sprightly, dulcimer-driven waltz. And when was the last time you heard a song about quantum mechanics? Look no further than "Super Colliders" which gives a shout-out to physicist Erik Verlinde while tossing in some William Blake for good measure.
Deepfake Moneybomb is singer-songwriter from New York (USA). He could be considered a “bedroom” artist because of his creative process, though he does perform live as well.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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