Luciana Valentina new single 'The Murder Of Margaret' is described as a theatrical pop piece and it's all of that, her vocals are resplendent, the arrangement dramatic, put simply, it's a fabulous affair. === Juanita Stein has been featured here a good few times including last month when we shared the title track from the forthcoming album 'Snapshot'. She has followed that up with 'The Mavericks' and it's another gorgeous, atmospheric alt rock song.
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Luciana Valentina - The Murder Of Margaret.
Luciana Valentina is thrilled to announce the release of her latest single and music video, ‘The Murder of Margaret’, available everywhere now.
‘The Murder of Margaret’ is a theatrical-pop piece with a touch of Amy Winehouse-like jazz and reflective yet blunt lyricism which wittily comments on the dark sides of society. Double standards; insecurity; trust issues and dealing with consequences are among some of the themes found in this track.
Ironically, this story is also reflecting the current global crisis – Margaret represents society (doesn’t know whom to trust or listen to) and its theft of choice. Eventually, she is choked by hypocrisy. There's always a price to pay: The Murder of Margaret.
Luciana Valentina is a 23-year-old singer-songwriter, composer, actress and model who founded her band in 2019. After the successful release of her debut single ‘Wind Up Dolls’, Luciana was on continuous roadshows across renown venues in Sydney after which she was discovered and invited by Grammy-award-winning band ‘Los Amigos Invisibles’ to join their Australian tour.
Now Luciana Valentina is releasing her latest single in preparation to her new album ‘Black or White’ aiming to release November 2020.
Juanita Stein has released a new song, ‘The Mavericks’, from her upcoming third album, ‘Snapshot', which is set for release via Nude Records on 2nd October in all formats.
‘The Mavericks’ follows the recent release of the LP’s title track, 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 carries on the theme that runs throughout the album, which was recorded following the sudden loss of Stein’s father in 2019.
As Juanita explains: ’’The Mavericks’ is a song that came together over a few years. The first half I’d already had written, the lyrics came in one blessed burst of lyrical expression, then I stashed it away, not knowing quite what to do with it. I was later able to complete it, whilst writing the songs for ‘Snapshot’. With the razor-edged perspective loss can bring, finding the right words became a lot easier for me. Sonically and lyrically, I wanted the song to rise and fall, swell and intensify, mirroring the cyclical nature of life.”
Vexillary shares a video for 'Annihilation' taken from his new E.P 'SurViolence'. The musical styling is consistent on each of the four tracks however they are all distinctly differing in their characteristics as Rezi Seirafi demonstrates his flair for creative music. === The Native Sibling have just shared 'Growth' where the duo deliver a beautiful indie folk song with mesmerizing dual vocals and a fresh musical backdrop.
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New York-based electronic act VEXILLARY has unleashed an innovative new video for their track, "Annihilation." The song appears on VEXILLARY's new EP, SurViolence. Visuals and editing were done by Svitlana Zhytnia and production was done by Reza Seirafi.
About the SurViolence EP: SurViolence adopts the theme of unease in an overly politicized society; using surveillance culture as a metaphor on how technology that was created to serve and protect can serve to exploit. Hence the title, SurViolence. The sub-plot of tension and lack of trust in the decisions that are being made for us fueled the eerie sounds and direction of the record.
Voyeurism has been weaponized to give rise to surveillance. Violence has been digitized to replace intelligence. This is where evolution has led us. It’s time to take back control. If only we could have our eyes back to see. VEXILLARY is the brainchild of the New York-based producer Reza Seirafi. His diverse work is seeded with a singular undercurrent of gloom and shaped by his unique scientific approach to production.
As a chemist and perfumer, Reza was fascinated by the secret bonds between unrelated chemical ingredients that create well-balanced, other-worldly scents. Reza’s music making process follows the same philosophy, as he magically blends unrelated musical parts to create his own brand of decadent Industrial and techno music.
On his production style, Reza has noted “key changes and odd chords are all over my stuff, connecting seamlessly where they shouldn't. There's some magic to it that can’t be explained.”
Indie Folk duo, The Native Sibling, have a new singletitled "Growth." The duo shares of the track: "Kaylee initially brought this idea to the table, which evolved in the process between her and Ryan to be a bit more uptempo and playful. Listening to a lot of Feist and springtime bursting were the first influences. The cheap wind chimes on my porch came to life in the imagery of them dancing with the wind in a beautiful and untethered dance (Kaylee). We wanted a song that brought light and noticed the small beautiful - which is something that we hope will resonate with people more than ever in our current world."
"The driving force of the change in seasons is always a reminder of renewal and the small bits of growth each day that accumulate into something beautiful. However, sometimes this growth can seem daunting or unnoticed in the daily. Perhaps the changes are happening whether we feel ready or not. Maybe its more of an unraveling without clear direction? There is faith required from us to believe that the changes which are out of our hands have a purpose to shape us into who we are intended to be."
The Native Sibling is characterized by the strength in both Ryan and Kaylee’s voices. They support one another and lend sensitivity in a way that embodies their sibling connection. Their melodies and lyrics meet at the intersection of hope and sorrow – describing relationships, faith, doubts, and circumstances that we all can relate to.
Melic Moon released their album 'Natural Thing' a little while back however it's to good to ignore, as the featured title track I feel confirms. The bands multi genre music is both stylish and in a word - wonderful. === Mt Doubt have just released 'Dark Slopes Away' one of eleven songs on their upcoming album 'Doubtlands' and a fine indicator of what to expect with their creative and darker shade of indie rock. === Anya Hinkle shares her beautiful new Americana track 'Hills of Swannanoa' where Bluegrass and folk come together in a gorgeous way. === As it's our fourth feature for Carmanah this year I reckon that speaks volumes in itself, so check out 'Mountain Woman'. === Alex Little and Suspicious Minds brand of Garage Pop & Rock is on top form with the rather frisky and addictive 'Broken Bones'.
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Melic Moon - Natural Thing.
From the band - We’ve taken timeless, sultry jazz standards and have combined that sweet sound with R&B/Soul, and a twist of pop/rock. We released our debut album Natural Thing late May and the response has been incredible! We have just been nominated for Best New Artist and Female Vocalist of the Year for the 2020 Limelight Music Awards, and we have hit 25K monthly listeners on our Spotify!
We wrote and played every song on the album of course, but we are especially proud because before we did that we built our very own recording studio from the ground up, Underground Recording Co. located in Sagamore Beach. We recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered the entire album ourselves and are just over the moon from everyone’s response so far.
We are in the midst of making a music video with New England Emmy Award winner Darby Lyons expected to release next month, and in October we are releasing the next single off our second album.
We were going to start a East Coast tour back in March starting at Rockwood Music Hall in NYC. That came to a quick halt for obvious reasons. We plan on touring once everyone is safe and healthy. Until then we are going to keep recording, releasing, and be as creative as we can.
Dark moody indie rock outfit Mt. Doubt debuts new first single "Dark Slopes Away" off their upcoming LP 'Doubtlands' on Last Night From Glasgow.
Built up around the songwriting and vision of band-leader Leo Bargery, Mt. Doubt has been a shifting mass of musical output since the band’s genesis, which saw the release of their debut album ‘My Past is a Quiet Beast’ in 2015.
Ever-active, Bargery quickly went on to release sophomore record ‘In Awe of Nothing’ in 2016 (on Scottish Fiction Records) before releasing three EPs, ‘The Loneliness of the TV Watchers’, ‘Moon Landings’ and ‘This Must Mean Something Awful’, throughout 2017 and 2018. Taking cues from Bargery’s musical and literary influences, Mt. Doubt deal in the darker side of things, often dipping a limb in the atmospheric while remaining lyrically-driven and unflinchingly personal.
Four years in, and Mt. Doubt have performed across the country: from Inverness to Brighton, from the Isle of Skye to Cardiff, and a whole lot of places in between. Including appearances alongside the likes of Idlewild, White Lies + We Were Promised Jetpacks. In late 2019, the band signed to Last Night From Glasgow in advance of releasing their third album – slotted for September 2020
Those who have spent time in the mountains of southern Appalachia know of their mystical qualities, and if there is an artist who can capture their spirit and embody it in a song, it’s Anya Hinkle. Seasoned by her years in the Bluegrass/folk outfits of Deliah Low and Tellico, her songs reflect the authentic and soulful musical tradition of her western North Carolina home — so much so that one earned her 1st place in the prestigious 2019 Chris Austin Songwriting Contest. For her second single for Organic Records, Hinkle has chosen the darkly powerful “Hills of Swannanoa.” Co-written with noted musician and ceramics artist Akira Satake, it’s based on a true story of an early 20th century flood that took place in the heart of the region.
“‘Hills of Swannanoa’ is the story of the Great Flood of 1916,” the singer-songwriter says. “The unusually heavy mid-summer rains that year, coming in addition to heavy logging in the Carolina mountains, caused severe flooding of the Swannanoa and French Broad Rivers and heavy damage in the Asheville area. My friend, Akira, had written an instrumental tune called ‘Swannanoa’ after moving to nearby Black Mountain almost 20 years ago to start a ceramics studio, and he asked me if I might want to write some lyrics. I let my mind wander to the beautiful Swannanoa Valley, where I spent a lot of time with my daughter when she was very small. There is a mystical feeling there: vibrations from the ancient Cherokee, heavy mists that shroud the hills, generous green that carpets the valleys. It feels sacred, sad and beautiful.”
Inspired by the tune and her own feel for the area, Hinkle wrote a chilling story that weaves tragic vignettes from the flood’s history into a compelling saga built around a father and daughter.
“The modal scale of the tune, somewhere in between a major and minor key, naturally gives the listener a feeling of both beauty and tragedy,” she explains. “I began to read about the flood and let the story develop from there, creating my own song that knits together seamlessly with Akira’s instrumental melody. The story is fictional but based on true events: prisoners really did drown in their cells, all of Asheville’s bridges were washed away, hundreds of houses were destroyed, dozens of people were killed.”
Like the rain forests from which their name derives, the steady beat of the west coast can be found within the sound of Carmanah. From muddy blues-funk to light soaring melodies, Carmanah creates music that curves and tumbles through valleys and over peaks guiding the listener on a celebratory sonic journey.
Recognizing Carmanah’s passion for their home and the ways it influences their music, renown producer Gus Van Go (The Arkells, Sam Roberts, Wintersleep) coined the term “West Coast Soul” to describe their unique sound. The band’s first album, Speak in Rhythms produced two #1 CBC Music tracks, the effervescent ‘Roots’ and shimmering, brooding ‘Nightmare’, setting the tone for this new west coast sound.
With one album behind them and one ahead, Carmanah is crafting a musical niche of their very own, a vintage blend of the intuitive and the technical; a blend that lies somewhere among roots, rock and blues — all seamlessly woven together by Laura Mina Mitic’s soulfully luminous vocals.
Iris, their forthcoming album is a natural evolution and a moody counterpoint to their debut. Recorded between the wild forests of B.C. and the concrete high rises of Brooklyn, Iris is a heartfelt offering, a tapestry of thoughtful stories for our time. Undulating rhythms and bountiful instrumentation create a rich sonic backdrop for driving melodies and potent lyricism. The first track ‘Mountain Woman’ shows rousing vocals layered atop of propulsive rhythms, a joyful assertion of feminine energy and natural power. Lead single ‘As I See You’ is one of the gentler songs on the album, a sultry composition that speaks of friendship and holding up the people you love while valuing what they love in you. It’s a track that carries a compassionate message; “By embracing those who love us, within ourselves we can find a sense of home and belonging in our own skin”, says Mitic, “By caring for the environment around us, we also care for ourselves.”
“My best songs are written when I’m having the worst time,” says Alex Little with a wry laugh. “There’s no songs about feeling good. It’s about connecting to that deep dark part of myself, which is the reason why I make music.”
This blunt emotional honesty is the driving force behind Vancouver’s Alex Little & the Suspicious Minds, whose scorching garage-pop songs unflinchingly tackle drug addiction, mental health and heartbreak. And yet, despite the heavy subject matter, the group’s soaring choruses and loud guitars mean that the mood is cathartic rather than heavy.
Little previously played in bands as a drummer, and when she picked up a guitar, she reached out to her friend Andy Bishop (White Ash Falls, Twin River) to teach her a few tricks. “She already knew the basic chords, so I just showed her a couple of new things,” remembers Andy. “The next time we jammed, she showed up with a great melody she had been working on.”
Songs began pouring out of them, and drummer Cody Hiles (The Zolas) and bassist Mike Rosen got involved. Together, they honed a sound that blends searing distortion with aching pop hooks and a psychedelic wash of reverb. “It’s got that late 1970s, early 1980s New York kind of vibe,” Andy reflects. “Just stripped-down rock and roll.”
These songs come from a place of darkness, but the lasting impression is one of four friends cranking their amps and moving past the pain through a shared love of music. “The world is crippling and hard,” Alex says frankly. “I feel very lucky that I have this band as an outlet for all the emotions and turmoil.”
Oceanator has released the new single 'Heartbeat' which is a refreshingly feisty indie pop track. === The Fiddle Revolt recently released a self titled album from which we have 'Can I Trust You?' a song that exudes quality and style === Godcaster impressed us last month with 'All the Feral Girls In The Universe' and the new track 'Sassy Stick Boy' continues that momentum. === S.K. Wellington just released the beautiful song 'Like A Ghost' with a crisp musical arrangement and some refined, melodic vocals. === Joe Kenneyaccompanied by Joy Ike share 'Another Side' a song designed to offer hope for Mental Health Awareness Month, it's also rather wonderful.
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Oceanator - Heartbeat.
There’s a line on Oceanator’s debut full-length when Elise Okusami belts, “I think I think too much.” It’s a plainspoken yet resounding thesis for an album called Things I Never Said, which sees the NYC multi-instrumentalist hyperbolically equating early adulthood malaise with apocalyptic destruction. The type of anxieties that form when thoughts bottle up and stress gets the best of you. This week she announced signing to UK label Big Scary Monsters, and releases a new single from the record 'Heartbeat'.
Throughout the record, allusions to intrusive thoughts and depression-induced stasis are weaved in between references to falling skies, rolling fires, and the possibility of the world literally falling apart. However, while her emotional and physical solitude makes for a resilient foe, Things I Never Said is ultimately a record about finding comfort in the face of destruction. Whether it be through appreciating the little things, like “hot tea on a cold fall day / and dressing up for Halloween,” or forming a bond with someone you can mutually confide in about mental afflictions (“I told you I could never be enough / you took me by the hand / and told me you understand”).
'Heartbeat' is a racing power-pop cut with a joyously shreddy guitar arpeggio that perfectly translates the chest-thumping rush of being near your loved one into song.
Talking about the track, Elise said: “This song is loosely about having a crush, and both the grounding feeling and the anxiety that feeling brings. We recorded it all together like a live performance, and then I went back and added the lead guitars and the vocals. Guitar and vocals by me, bass Eva Lawitts (they), drums Aaron Silberstein (he).”
There’s no concrete resolution to the album, but rather a vital reminder that love and friendship, both with others and herself, will always reign victorious in our darkest moments.
The Fiddle Revolt was formed in Akron, OH, with the intent of doing something different. The members of the band got tired of the same old "one front man, one genre" format and decided to branch out a bit; swapping lead lines, harmonies everywhere, and the occasional instrument/member rotation. The music spans the full spectrum of rock and doesn't stop there. Funk, soul, blues, R&B, pop, reggae, and more, all play an influencing role.
The Fiddle Revolt is an Akron, OH based alternative rock band with a wide range of sounds. The band is comprised of five members: Alex Beck (fiddle/guitar/vocals), Anthony "Twan" Haddad (bass/vocals), Ian Harlow (drums/keys/vocals), Stephen Mason (drums/keys/vocals), and Nigel Pinnell (guitar/vocals). The band's influences span genres and decades; from Led Zeppelin and The Beatles to Daft Punk and Radiohead, David Bowie and Queen to The Black Keys and Muse, Bob Marley and Stevie Wonder to John Mayer and Fitz and the Tantrums. This variety of influences allows TFR to write songs that can be accessible to almost any listener.
The members first started playing together as the backing band for a country artist. The band grew tired of being stuck in one genre with one front man. Unable to convince the lead man to allow for more experimental use of their talents, and with their creativity being stifled, the five members decided to leave and form The Fiddle Revolt. With no front man and no set instrumental roles, the band creates an incredibly exciting live performance. Every member sings lead lines and harmonies, making each song different than the last. Some songs feature the fiddle, while others have swapping lead guitars and no fiddle. To keep things even more enticing, the role of drummer and keyboardist are shared between two members, who switch back and forth, depending on what the song needs.
Spit and jitter in a revelatory stance. Profundicate your masticators and whisper "so longs" into the deepest dearths. Out of the spout, out of the flash, out of the gnash and fleeting cry comes Godcaster with Long Haired Locusts.Rising from the underground river of primordial goo that runs between New York City and Philadelphia and ascending toward some unknown ethereal plane beyond our comprehension, comes to us the revelatory debut of music and mythos from Godcaster, Long Haired Locusts.
The venerated and shining troupe of David McFaul (keys), Von Lee (flute, vox), Lindsay Dobbs (trombone, vox), Bruce Ebersole (bass guitar), Sam Pickard (drums), and Judson Kolk (vox, guitar) transmit a brand of devout, sassy rock and pop that thrashes through stages of blissful, comforting highs and devastating lows, preaching the convergence of the holy and the heretical. This is best displayed on songs like “Apparation of Mother Mary in My Neighborhood,” where the anxious exertion of sharp, jittery guitars and cutting drums follow the increasingly quickening pace of Kolk’s narrative of trepidation before the tension grows too tight and snaps into violent, cathartic outbursts.
Similar nerves are addressed and released throughout Long Haired Locusts—the navigation of celestial beauty and corporeal rot is omnipresent and important. “Serpentine Carcus Crux Birth” and “Christ in Capsule Form” are both bouncing and vibrant, while “Blister Intercom” is lush with rejoicing choruses that accompany the marching guitars and drums, and songs like “All the Feral Girls in the Universe” naturally builds upon an undeniably danceable composition until it reaches, like the album as a whole reaches, a phenomenally euphoric peak.
"Like a Ghost" came to me following the loss of a significant relationship.
It would have made for an epic country song (they took the dog and all!) but I decided to go in a different direction. I was so broken that all of my inhibitions and fears about music, arranging, and producing, went right out the window. I needed to pursue this radically different process and new sound for my own healing and passion.
I've realized that a relationship ending in a tough way doesn't always have to result in anger and resentment. You can allow that powerless feeling, the intense hurt and the grief, to soften you. I found a lot of compassion for both myself and the other, as I fell apart and then started to build my life back up again. There can be a balance while adjusting to a new normal.
Joy Ike teams up with Philly pianist Joe Kenney to offer hope for Mental Health Awareness Month in “Another Side”
'Another Side' is emotive but also spiritually uplifting, as it makes you look at your own life with fresh eyes. The lyrics shine through the musical styles, which are seamlessly stitched together. - Neon Music (United Kingdom): Premiere of "Another Side"
Joe Kenney is a recording artist, songwriter, and pianist from Philadelphia. The music on Kenney's four albums and various collaborations span multiple genres, and are reflective of a cohesive blending of classical music theory, jazz fusion, rock, soul, and hip-hop idioms. Joe has garnered praise for both his original compositions and cover arrangements.
