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Saturday Specials: The Mantles - Limbo Sanctuary - Clara Lofaro

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The Mantles - Doorframe. Everything you could possibly need to know - Bay Area garage-pop band The Mantles announce their latest musical offering, 'All Odds End.' The new album will be released via Slumberland Records on October 16. What makes the Mantles the Mantles? Maybe it's the idiosyncratic motion and energy of Michael Olivares' vocals, the way they alternately stroll and hop assuredly over the music. Or maybe it's the band's sound itself, familiar and classic yet increasingly distinctive, and growing-with acoustic texture; keyboard hooks and licks; and resonant and representative drumbeats-to its deepest, warmest, fullest, and most colorful on their third album, All Odds End (out October 16th on Slumberland Records), a record that is quintessentially Mantles from the sheer sonic splendour and elation-and biting words-of the album-opening "Island" on through to the final harmony of "Stay." The album exits with "Stay,"...

Fridays Three: Street Chant - Betty Moon - Alpha Rev

Street Chant - Pedestrian Support League. Some words from the band - Emily Littler from Street Chant: "Pedestrian Support League is a song loosely about Auckland life. Coming back from being on tour a lot and moving back into a crummy flat in Grey Lynn I felt an extreme sense of ennui amongst my peers and especially in myself. A few years ago I had felt excitement for the future and now I was paranoid my flatmates were stealing all my margerine. The chorus “enrol to vote and so it goes, everyone dresses like us nowadays..” expresses the amusement and dissatisfaction I felt with my surroundings - amusement because I felt like I was living out some “food for flatties” cookbook cliche, but watching National win another election as well my seemingly endless ability to stagnate bought about an extreme sense of apathy . The new album Hauora will be released in November 2015 on Arch Hill/Flying Nun. Kicks off with a nice funky bass line and then a fine Indie tune ensues. Pleasing,...

Thursdays Australian Double Play

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Dubarray - Serendipity. Background words provided - Fresh off the back of a finalist nomination in the Q-music awards, Sunshine Coast’s Dubarray have revealed their new single 'Serendipity' to keep them on the road this Spring/Summer. Taken from their sophomore album 'Visions Collide’, 'Serendipity' boasts the band’s signature drum and bass sound that combines worldly textures and progressive flow with smooth vocal hooks. Dubarray are a unique story of an Australian act who kicked off their journey in Europe four years ago, building solid foundations within many countries thanks to a hectic live schedule. During that time the band have released two albums, returned to tour Europe four times, have hit the Australian road for three national tours and have been nominated for various Music Oz and Queensland Music awards. Radio buzz so far has come from community and college stations in Australia, UK, Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Bali.  While Dubarray have pl...

Wednesdays Genre Mash

American Pinup - Committed. Background - Fronted by Lauren West, who combines sultry crooning with a raspy rock and roll growl, American Pinup draw from influences from across the spectrum of alternative music. The result is a blend of pop-savvy melody and punk rock attitude. The band is rounded out by Rob Peralta – guitar, Tim Robbins – bass and John Casale – drums. Following two full-length albums and two EPs, multiple national tours, and countless appearances at festivals such as Vans Warped Tour, The Fest, and SXSW, American Pinup have carved out their own niche. A tireless, DIY work ethic has propelled the quartet from obscurity to a coveted spot on the Alternative Press list of “100 Bands You Need To Know” in 2014: They’re about to release a new collection of songs, “The Radio EP”—4 tracks that take the NY based indie rock quartet’s savvy power pop/punk sound to a new level . A little rock swagger as punk meets pop, American Pinup just get on with playing their way, the re...

Tuesdays Double Play - A Little Indie Pleasure

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Literature - The English Softhearts. Philadelphia indie-pop outfit Literature just undertook a short tour with Baltimore's Expert Alterations. The two groups will be releasing a split 7" together on Square Of Opposition Records. And part of their Bio - Philadelphia, PA's Literature features Kevin Attics, Nathaniel Cardaci, Chris Schackerman, and Seth Whaland. Attics, who'd written for numerous music trades as a teen, met Cardaci and Whaland at the house venue they both operated in Austin, TX. Cardaci and Whaland each ran small imprint labels and, a million adventures later, the trio decided to form a band. Upon moving to Philadelphia the group befriended Schackerman who also joined the fold. Autumn of 2013 saw the band begin work on their second album, Chorus, with lauded engineer Gary Olson (whose body of work includes records by Crystal Stilts, Mad Scene and The Beets) at his Marlborough Farms studio in Brooklyn, NY. As a beautiful autumn turned into one of ...

The Apples In Stereo - 40 Watt Club, 2006 (Internet Archive)

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From the Internet Archive this is  The Apples In Stereo Live at 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA, USA on the 12th August 2006. Legend holds that the legendary 40 Watt Club, was so named because in the early days the venue was lit by precisely one 40-watt light bulb. That’s not quite true, but it’s a good story, and in rock and roll mythology, the truth is always trumped by a good story. Made famous by the booming Athens indie scene of the 1980s, the 40 Watt Club wasn’t initially a commercial enterprise at all. Like so many things in Athens during that era, the venue was a DIY endeavor from the get-go – a small rehearsal space and unofficial party spot operated by local scenester Curtis Crowe. The small studio was, at one point, lit by a single light bulb. But by the time it became a regular venue for Athens bands, the electrical situation had improved. The Apples in Stereo are an American psychedelic pop and indie rock band associated with Elephant Six Collective, a group of bands als...

Sundays Alternative Take - Less Is More

Nick Artic - Melodia. A little of his Bio - After years of exploring the house scene as part of the crowd, the swift transformation from music junkie into a professional player in the game of electronic dance music seemed imminent for Dutch DJ and producer Nick Schoonheim. With the night lights luring, the DJ decks calling and the urge to create his own sounds growing rapidly, he adapted the Nick Artic moniker and set out on a mission. This rookie is more than ready to storm the world and conquer it bit by bit – one beat at a time . If tropical house is intended to transport us to some far away sun drenched Caribbean Island, then the tune 'Melodia' has cracked it. What's more it's available as a free download! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COMMAND Q - Dolphin. Background -  COMMAND Q aren't your typical dance duo and they're definitely not making typical da...

Your Weekend Listening Upgrade

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Winters End - Mayfair. Their Bio informs us of the following - Comprised of siblings Marissa and Christopher Pinto Winters End are a Sydney-based indie, electronic band. Formed in October 2011their follow-up release to their debut EP Staircase (2012) was their single Walls.  Released in July 2014 Walls received plays extensively by community radio stations Australia wide, and also received airplay on FBi radio and Triple M in Sydney. Walls continues to be played internationally in the UK, Netherlands, USA and Canada. Walls' success also saw Winters End invited to perform at two international music festivals in Canada and LA in October and November 2014. Winters End are back and ready for 2015. Their 80s-inspired electronic sounds encompass all tastes and all ages. Make sure you seize your chance to see this dynamic sibling-duo while they're back home in Sydney! They are undertaking a national tour between September and December.  This is a powerful and stirring song. ...

Quality Not Quantity - Five We Like

Buffalo Sunn - Told You So. Background - Five-piece Rock/Alternative band based in Dublin, Ireland,  incorporates sounds from the 60s, right up to the present day, mixing big reverb-laden harmonies with carefully placed guitars to take the listener on an epic journey. "Told You So" was produced by Grammy Award winner Pat McCarthy (U2, Counting Crows, R.E.M.). Their first single, "By Your Side" earned global airplay, which included over 450 spins at KKDO Radio 94.7 Sacramento. Performed at multiple festivals and industry showcases including CMW (Canada), Music Matters Asia (Singapore), Liverpool Sound City (UK), Glasgowbury (UK), Hard Working Class Heroes (IE), CMJ (New York), SXSW (Austin, TX) and the Passport Approved Tour (Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, Phoenix, Sacramento and more) . I am pretty certain Beehive Candy included Buffalo Sunn in a feature a couple of years back, in which case they are consistently very good. This is one of those tunes that gr...

Thursdays Canadian Triple Play

The Boxcar Boys - Hindustan (from the album - Cicada Ball). Background - The Boxcar Boys create their distinct, energetic and at times maudlin sound by weaving together a captivating bevy of folk traditions, Dixieland jazz and Klezmer performed with a good ole time New Orleans spirit. Their presence on the Canadian music scene over the last 5 years, including 2 full length albums Don’t Be Blue (2011) and Rye Whiskey (2012) has earned them a Canadian Folk Music Award nomination as well as a place on EJazzNews list of Best Canadian Jazz Bands. This Toronto based six piece is comprised of clarinetist John Williams, violinist Laura C. Bates, trombonist Karl Silveira, accordionist Kelsey McNulty, sousaphonist Rob Teehan and washboard player Justin Ruppel.   The band’s close-knit dynamic is clear on their third full length album, Cicada Ball which will waltz you across genres with whimsy and humour and dip you back in time. The title track of the album is a sonic interpretation of C...

Wednesday's Selection - Three Fine Contenders

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Luna Sands - Wake Me From Sleep. Background - Luna Sands began as a studio project in late 2012, and after reworking and refining their sound for two years, they have completed recording their debut album "Tales of Night” in 2014. The first half of 2015 has seen Luna Sands demonstrate their style of psych grunge across prominent Brisbane venues such as The Zoo, The Triffid, and The Brightside. Now they are releasing their third single ‘Wake Me From Sleep’ through Sydney based label The A&R Department. The song wake me from sleep was recorded in 2014 at Recording Oasis, Taliebudgera Valley, Gold Coast, as well as Alchemix Studios, South Brisbane. The song was produced, and mixed by Rob Sharpe, and mastered by DOMC Mastering, Margate, QLD. The song takes on the concept of dreaming, and being truly alive in our dreams. Front man of Luna Sands, Allen Ellis explained his inspiration for the song as: “In a place some call the dreaming, between the borderlines of the awake an...

Tom Tom Club - Stella Blue 2001 (Internet Archive)

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From the Internet Archive this is this Tom Tom Club live at Stella Blue, in Asheville, NC, USA. The band undertook a US tour in the fall (autumn for us Brits) of 2001, this concert was on the 25th September. Describing that tour their timeline states - 'The group tooled the East Coast from Maine to Florida, searching out the hip and the compassionate. They were not disappointed'. The tour was partly in support of the group's album, 'The Good, the Bad, and the Funky', which was released in 2000 and featured cover versions of Donna Summer's "Love to Love You Baby" and Lee "Scratch" Perry's "Soul Fire." One of the album's tracks, "Who Feelin' It," was also featured in remixed form in the soundtrack album of the 1999 film American Psycho. Among the musicians on The Good, the Bad, and the Funky are Jamaican singer Mystic Bowie, Charles Pettigrew and Toots Hebbert of Toots and the Maytals. The album's releas...

Sundays Alternative Take - From 'Free Form' To 'Top Form'

Trancescapes - Anima (from the album 'Gaia Sadhana'). Background - The members of ‘new age’ musical group Trancescapes view free and open improvisation as an authentic connection to the holistic nature of music for meditation.  Like great jazz or blues, free improv is best recorded 'live off the floor'.   Capturing the essence and magic that is brought forth spontaneously moment by moment, coloured by the musical influences and the unexpected developments of open-minded musicians, the music is as stimulating for the listener as it was while being performed live by the musicians. Welcome to the world of Trancescapes, whose debut album, ‘Gaia Sadhana,’  (loosely translated from Hindi and Greek words meaning ‘earth’ and ‘instrument’)  - is being released September 4th world-wide via Spring Hill Records. Recorded live off the floor on a magical evening in early 2015, the album is a collaboration with multiple Juno award winning singer - songwriter Bill Bourne leadin...

2015 - Out Of Our Inbox - August - One

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Moke Hill - Doing It Wrong. Background words - With the stark contrast between their home bases in Detroit and LA informing the laid-back melancholy of the music, Moke Hill’s smoothly polished rock reverberates with both the blue-collar work ethic of their Midwestern roots and the sunny optimism of the West Coast.   Their collaboration unfolded organically through the cloud, which sounds oxymoronic, but such are the times in which musicians now connect, both with each other and with fans. There is an undeniable craftsmanship to these melodies, coupled with a probing lyrical earnestness that speaks to the virtues of suiting up, working hard and sticking with it until you touch people with something beautiful. Ben Berry and Drew Phillips first began writing and recording together as Moke Hill in 2013.  Despite a friendship that dates back to their Detroit grade school days, they didn’t get serious about making music together until Berry was in Chicago and Phillips in Mok...