Posts Tagged ‘New Music’

Today’s Top 5: New Music Monday

Posted: February 5, 2018 in 2010s, 2018, Anna Burch, H.C. McEntire, Middle Kids, Neil Young, New Music, Top 5, Whitney Rose
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It’s Sunday afternoon as I write, though I plan to post this Monday night. So I’m prognosticating here when I say the Delaware Valley is awash in beer and tears of gratitude. And what better way to celebrate than to dive deep into the digital tubes that connect the Internet and discover great new music?

Here’s a collection of recent videos from new-to-me artists – and one longtime favorite.

1) H.C. McEntire – “Quartz in the Valley.” Mojo – or was it Uncut? – had a good review of McEntire’s solo debut, Lionheart. And after hearing this song, and listening to the album on my morning commute, I have to say – I’m a fan. She’s amazing.

2) Whitney Rose – “Can’t Stop Shakin’.” According to the fine folks over at Uproxx, Whitney – who’s a country singer by way of Canada – penned this infectious tune on Inauguration Day. It’s about seeking escape from the drumbeat of insanity that is the news. The song is from her album Rule 62, which was released last year.

3) Middle Kids – “Mistake.” I stumbled across this Sydney-based trio yesterday, while killing time. Very catchy. Very cool. Their debut album, Lost Friends, is out May 4th.

4) Anna Burch – “Tea-Soaked Letter.” And yet another artist I know nothing about beyond the addictive songs I sampled yesterday. This video was released in December ’17, and the song can be found on her album Quit the Curse, which was released on Friday

5) Neil Young – “Almost Always.” The latest single from Neil’s recent The Visitor recycles the melody – at least in part – from Harvest Moon’s “Unknown Legend.” But it’s Neil. And even recycled Neil is great.

Today’s Top 5: Retro Sounds (aka New Music, Vol. XXII)

Posted: July 1, 2017 in 2010s, 2017, Hannah's Yard, Lia Pamina, Lucy Rose, New Music, Sundowners, The Parcels, The Primitives, Top 5
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The lazy, hazy days of summer are upon us, and while my intent today was to delve deep into the Natalie Merchant Collection – well, I’m feeling lazy and, thanks to the Delaware Valley’s patented humidity, my thought process is as hazy as the sky looks from my window. Even with the a.c. running, the thick air has seeped into my skull and clouded the synapses, making analysis more of a chore than it should be.

So, instead, I’m tripping into the past with new songs that sound like they could’ve been released in the late 1960s in preparation for another sojourn into the sunny sounds of the Summer of Love, which I plan to post on July 4th (if not sooner).

1) Lucy Rose – “No Good at All.” I suppose I should have heard of Lucy Rose before March of this year, given that she’s been turning ears since 2012. But it wasn’t until she released “Floral Dresses,” which features backing vocals by the Staves, that she appeared on my radar. This, the second single from her forthcoming Something’s Changing album, possesses a wondrous retro vibe.

2) Lia Pamina – “Sycamore Tree.” Elefant Records is one of my favorite labels – just about everything it releases sounds like a lost treasure from yesteryear. This sweet song was written and produced by Joe Moore (the Yearning).

3) The Primitives – “I’ll Trust the Wind.” The Coventry-based indie-pop band, another Elefant Records act, is probably best known for their 1988 hit “Crash.”

4) Sundowners – “Ritual.” I don’t know much about this Liverpool-based group beyond the inclusion of this track on Mojo’s June Children of Pepper CD compilation. I like them.

5) Hannah’s Yard – “Better Together.” Hannah & Co. cover the Jack Johnson song from the singer-songwriter’s 2005 In Between Dreams album. I’m cheating a bit by including it, I know, as  it’s not exactly retro – but Hannah’s voice is timeless.

And one bonus:

6) The Parcels – “Overnight.” They’re an Aussie band that’s now located in Berlin, and they blend ‘70s-era disco and pop. This song conjures Blondie and Chic.

Today’s Top 5: New Music, Vol. XIX

Posted: April 30, 2017 in 2010s, 2017, Bully, Courtney Marie Andrews, Fazerdaze, Hannah's Yard, Holly Macve, Jen Gloeckner, Natalie Gelman, New Music, The Courtneys, Top 5
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I’m forever shocked when I read or hear someone about my 50-plus age (give or take a decade) trash the collective talent of today’s younger artists. Here’s the truth: There is much good-to-great music being made by new and relatively new singers and bands, just as there always has been. Courtney Marie Andrews, for instance:

If I’ve listened to Honest Life once, I’ve listened to it 200 times in the past few months. But you’re forgiven (somewhat) if you haven’t heard of her. It’s become easier and easier to miss up-and-coming acts due to our ever-splintering, niche-driven pop culture.

The highways and byways of popular music are littered with artists who failed to breakthrough to the big time, of course. Talent alone has never guaranteed success – luck and circumstance, and drive, play and have always played a major role. That said, below are a handful of new and relatively new-to-me singers and bands, some of whom I’ve featured before – and others that I will again.

1) Hannah’s Yard – “Close Enough.” Hannah’s Yard is an acoustic collective from the English town of Olney, Buckinghamshire, that features a lead singer, Hannah Layton Turner, whose voice is that of an angel. Their songs remind me of Melody Gardot and Norah Jones, among others, and are quite addictive. (Their debut album, Beginnings, is due out May 12th.)

2) Holly Macve – “The Corner of My Mind.” The bayou by way of Brighton? Yep. Macve mixes moodiness, melody and mesmerizing vocals into a tasty elixir.

3) Natalie Gelman – “Photograph.” The singer-songwriter and her band had the good fortune of opening for Bon Jovi recently thanks to Bon Jovi’s opening-act contest. (That’s something more veteran acts should be doing.) Here’s video of the final song of their set:

4) Bully – “Trying.” At last week’s Juliana concert, we met a cool dude who’d flown in from Detroit to attend Juliana concerts in Cambridge, Philly and Virginia. He recommended this band, who he’s seen a dozen times – and, after listening to them a bit, I hear what he hears in them.

5) Fazerdaze – “Lucky Girl.” New Zealand’s Amelia Murray, aka Fazerdaze, is a wonder – I’d say she creates teenage symphonies to God, but given that she’s in her 20s…she creates twenty-something symphonies to God. (Here’s an excellent profile of her.) One listen and you should be hooked.

And two bonuses…

6) The Courtneys – “Silver Velvet.” The Vancouver trio conjure the Bangles with their jangly pop, but, at the end of the day, influences mean nothing if the songs suck. Theirs don’t. If anything, their music sticks in the head like bubblegum on the sidewalk. (Maybe that’s not the best metaphor. But they’re damn good.)

7) Jen Gloeckner – “Row With the Flow.” Gloeckner’s latest release, VINE, is an atmospheric (and very trippy) outing that channels the likes of Mazzy Star and Pink Floyd, among others.

The Staves: If I Was

Posted: May 2, 2015 in 2016, New Music, The Staves
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I often hear (and read) other music fans about my (middle) age say that good music isn’t being made anymore. That’s not the case, of course, and in past posts I’ve spotlighted a few (relatively) new acts that point out the fallacy of such statements. Here’s another example.

The Staves are three sisters from Britain who sound like they stepped out of the late ’60s or early ’70s. I discovered them, as I often do new (and new-to-me) acts, via a review in my favorite music magazine, Mojo. It’s a Brit magazine available in Barnes & Noble bookstores in the U.S. – usually delayed by a month. I skim the reviews, look for anything that may appeal to my sensibilities. In the case of If I Was, the phrases “acoustic folk,” “bold melodic flourishes” and “harmonies and heartbreak” leapt off the page.

The Staves Review

I looked ‘em up on YouTube the same day, liked what I heard and ordered the album; and I’ve been enjoying it since. If I Was is, primarily, a mellow, harmony-laden affair, though “mellow” doesn’t mean the music doesn’t pack a punch. It’s mesmerizing. Here’s a taste:

And another:

And one more:

Emily, Jessica and Camilla blend their voices as if, as I said in my previous post, a distaff Crosby, Stills & Nash. They also trade lead vocals in such a way that the result is an intertwining slice of heaven – “Make It Holy” is aptly named, in that regard.