http://cache.vevo.com/assets/html/embed.html?video=GBCEL1500766&autoplay=0 With the release of their first three full-length albums, Vancouver, BC-based trio White Lung — comprised of Mish Barber-Way (vocals), Kenneth William (guitar) and Anne-Marie Vassilou (drums) — have seen a growing profile across the blogosphere for a […]
Category: New Single
Singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sofia Härdig is part of a growing list of Swedish artists, who have received both regional and international attention; in fact, in her native Sweden, Härdig is considered “the rocktronica queen of experimental music.” And as a result, Härdig has collaborated with the likes of Grammy Award-winning acts The Hellacopters and Bob Hund, Boredoms and Free Kitten‘s Yoshimi P-We — and she has shared stages with Lydia Lunch and Belle and Sebastian‘s Stevie Jackson.
Härdig’s forthcoming two-part EP The Street Light Leads to the Sea was recorded in three days with handpicked musicians, specifically known for their improvisational skills and although the musicians had a rough sketch of songs, each musician was encouraged to improvise as they felt fit. As the Swedish singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist explains in press notes “I find beauty in flaws and that which is not perfect is what excites me, I love the unusual, the unexpected, untrained and unplanned . . . ” Interestingly, the EP’s first single “Streets” possesses an urgent and raw grittiness as slashing guitar chords, squalls of feedback, a throbbing bass line and propulsive drumming are paired with anthemic hooks and Härdig’s sultry vocals to craft a song that sounds as thought it draws from Sonic Youth and Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea-era PJ Harvey — in particular, the song reminds me of a grittier, swaggering version of “Good Fortune.”
Washington, DC-born and Brooklyn-based emcee and producer Amir Mohamed el Khalifa, best known to hip-hop heads as Oddisee has developed a reputation for being extremely prolific as a solo artist, as a former member of The Low Budget Crew and as a member of Diamond District, for bouncing back and forth between full-length hip-hop albums and instrumental efforts and for being uncompromisingly difficult to pigeonhole as his sound effortlessly meshes jazz, soul and hip-hop.
The Brooklyn-based producer and emcee’s forthcoming instrumental album, The Odd Tape is slated for a May 13 release through Mello Music Group, and the album’s first single “No Sugar No Cream” much like the rest of the album is informed and influenced by the rhythms and patterns of every day life — in particular, the artist’s own life while subtly drawing from Roy Ayers, Bob James, Shuggie Otis, Fela and others. Sonically, Oddisee pairs squiggling and soulful keyboard chords, boom bap beats, tons of hi-hat, staccato chopped up beats with brief bursts of congo before morphing into a jazz-lenaing coda comprised of gorgeously intricate piano chords and shimmering organ chords paired with boom bap beats to craft a song that sounds equally indebted to J. Dilla, bop-era jazz and old school soul in a way that feels warmly familiar while revealing a unique artistic vision. Personally, listening to the track evoked eating breakfast, drinking loads of coffee and bullshitting with friends while trying to preparing to tackle the day’s plans.
2016 looks to be a rather busy year for the Washington, DC-born and Brooklyn-based producer and emcee as he’ll be embarking on a lengthy summer tour of the US and UK backed by Good Company — and he’ll be releasing a new solo effort slated for release in the fall. As for the tour, it includes an NYC area date at Northside Festival in June. Check out tour dates below.
Oddisee & Good Company (Full Band) Live Tour Dates
5/3/2016 Middle East Downstairs – Boston, MA
5/6/16 Mainstage – Morgantown, WV
5/7/16 Strange Matter – Richmond, VA
5/8/16 Kings Barcade – Raleigh, NC
5/11/16 Jack Rabbits – Jacksonville, FL
5/13/16 Orpheum – Tampa, FL
5/14/16 Backbooth – Orlando, FL
5/15/16 Side Bar – Tallahassee, FL
5/16/16 Parish @ HOB – New Orleans, LA
5/20/16 Foundry at SLS – Las Vegas, NV
5/21/16 El Rey Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
5/22/16 Constellation Room – Santa Ana, CA
5/24/16 Soda Bar – San Diego, CA
5/26/16 The Independent – San Francisco, CA
5/30/16 Sasquatch Festival – Seattle, WA
6/4/16 Bunbury Festival – Cincinnatti, OH
6/12/16 Northside Festival – Brooklyn, NY
6/25/16 Glastonbury Festival – Pilton, UK
6/27/16 O2 Academy – Oxford, UK
7/7/16 Les Ardentes Festival – Leige, Belgium
7/8/16 North Sea Jazz Festival – Rotterdam, Netherlands
7/9/16 Open Source Festival – Dusseldorf, Germany
7/10/16 Cactus Festival – Bruges, Belgium
7/16/16 Melt! Festival – Gräfenhainichen, Germany
7/19/16 Valkhof Festival – Nijmegen, Netherlands
7/23/16 Hip Hop Open Festival – Vienna, Austria
7/27/16 Blue Balls Festival – Lucerne, Switzerland
7/29/16 Appletree Gardens Festival – Diepholz, DE
7/30/16 Stuttgart Festival – Stuttgart, DE
As I’ve frequently mentioned on this site in the past, I’m often multitasking while going through tracks and videos and as a result, I’ve serendipitously stumbled onto things I should have known — if I had the time. Now, I recently stumbled upon “Around and Away” off Berlin, Germany-based shoegaze/post-punk/noise rock trio Life As Art 1927‘s 2015 release, Around and Away EP. And from this single, the trio comprised of Almar David, Marc Bijl and Ariana Zustra specialize in a contemporary take on shoegaze as the band pair layers of shimmering guitars fed through delay and reverb pedals, ethereal vocals, a propulsive motorik-like groove with a subtle amount of electronic bleeps and bloops; in some way the song naturally sound as though it draws from 4AD Records‘ heyday while also placing them firmly within the contemporary shoegaze wave that includes bands like BLACKSTONE RNGERS, Lightfoils and the rest of the Saint Marie Records roster.
In the decade since their formation, Atlanta, GA-based trio and JOVM mainstay The Coathangers have released four full-length albums and have gone on a number of North American and European tours, all of which have cemented their reputation for writing incredibly catchy songs — and for unruly live shows. During the recording sessions for Suck My Shirt, the band went through a lineup change as Candice Jones left the band, making the band a trio comprised of Julia Kugel (vocals and guitar), Meredith Franco (bass), and Stephanie Luke (drums). Naturally, as a result of the lineup change, the newly-constituted trio’s fourth full-length effort, Suck My Shirt revealed a refined songwriting approach in which the album’s material still retained the raw, seemingly spontaneously simplicity and fury that has won them national and international attention — but with streamlined, more direct arrangements that made the material feel more urgent.
“Make It Right,” the first single off the band’s soon-to-be released fifth full-length album Nosebleed Weekend continued in the same lines of their previous effort as it possessed a similar primal simplicity — in other words although it nodded at garage rock and surfer rock, there was an underlying sneering, “we don’t give a fuck” attitude. The following single, album title track “Nosebleed Weekend” paired their signature sneering “zero fucks given” attitude with an anthemic hook that you can imagine a room full of sweaty concertgoers lustily yelling along with upraised fist and in a way that’s reminiscent of 90s alt rock.
Released just before their sold-out show at Baby’s All Right tonight, the band’s latest single “Squeeki Tiki” pairs punchy and bratty vocals and a catchy hook, a throbbing bass line, propulsive four-on-the-floor-like drumming and industrial-like squeaking and squawking in a sneering “in your face” “zero fucks given” song that draws from garage punk and surfer rock — as though the song drew from The Ramones, The Beach Boys and Nirvana.
New Audio: Yeasayer’s Ethereal and Psychedelic New Single
Yeasayer, the New York-based experimental/psych/electro pop trio comprised of Chris Keating (vocals, songwriting and production), Ira Wolf Tuton (vocals, songwriting and production) and Anand Wilder have been blogosphere darlings for the better part of a decade […]
Since their formation back in the 2007, the Atlanta, GA-based quartet The Pinx, currently comprised of Adam McIntyre (vocals, rhythm guitar), Chance McColl (lead guitar), Jonathan Lee (bass) and Dwayne Jones (drums), have developed a reputation across the Southeast for a relentless touring schedule that had the band opening for the likes of Ben Harper and Relentless7 among others, for songs that have appeared during highlights broadcast on ESPN and Fox Sports, and for a sound that draws heavily from The MC5, Cheap Trick, Led Zeppelin, Motorhead and others — or in other words 70s-leaning arena friendly power chord rock.
After a brief hiatus that saw McIntyre’s stint with fellow Atlanta-based band StoneRider during their European tour and a massive lineup change, the band reformed and with a change of songwriting approach and sonic direction. As McIntyre says of the material he wrote that comprised the band’s forthcoming new album, Freedom: “A lot of the stuff I learned about songwriting during my decade in Nashville came back. Not the formulaic bro-country aspect, but folks like Todd Snider and Dan Baird. Smart, funny guys who write songs that reflect themselves well. I wanted some of that to come through. It all has to mix with the rock & roll and the blues and soul and everything, and I put together a band tailor-made to do just that.” McIntyre also adds ““These songs are all true stories. I tried to write concise, simple little rock and roll songs. This is the set I want to play live.”
Freedom‘s latest single “Baby Won’t Ya” is an Southern double fried, whiskey soaked, The Black Crowes-indebted cover of The MC5 that retains the song’s anthemic, power chord-heavy swagger but with a studio sheen that doesn’t clean up the original’s sleazy dive bar feel.
With the release of their debut full-length effort, Teeth, Brooklyn-based indie rock quartet The Loom — comprised of John Fanning (guitar, vocals), Lis Rubard (French horn, trumpet, keys, vocals), John Mosloskie (bass, vocals) and Mike Rasimas (drums) — saw a rapidly growing national and international profile as the album was critically praised by the likes of The New York Times, who called the band the “Next Big Thing,” Paste, who named the band “Best of What’s Next,” WXPN, who named them a “World Cafe Next” band, as well as breathless praise from Daytrotter and New Yorker. And as a result, the Brooklyn-based quartet toured extensively across North America — in particular across the US and Canada — and they’ve made tour stops as far away as Poland.
Produced by Kevin McMahon, best known for his work with Titus Andronicus and Real Estate and recorded at Marcata Recording, the Brooklyn-based quartet’s long-awaited sophomore release Here In The Deadlights is slated for release next month and thematically speaking revolve around deeply personal experience — Fanning’s world up-ending split from his longtime partner and best friend of 14 years, followed by the difficult period of rebuilding one’s own life. And reportedly, the forthcoming effort is a radical sonic departure as the material has the band taking on a much more krautrock and psych rock-leaning sound, complete with layers of organs, feedback heavy guitars and ethereal horns all run through delay and other effects pedals as you’ll hear on the moody and buzzing “Fire Makes,” a song that sonically reminds me a little bit of My Jerusalem‘s Preachers — but with a tense sense of menace.
The Brooklyn-based quartet will be on tour throughout April, and it starts with a record release show on April 22, 2016 at Union Pool. Check out tour dates below.
Tour Dates
4/22 – Brooklyn, NY – Union Pool
4/23 – Beacon, NY – The Howland Cultural Center
4/24 – Albany, NY – The Low Beat
4/25 – Boston, MA – Out of the Blue Too Gallery
4/26 – Philadelphia, PA – Kung Fu Necktie
4/27 – Washington, DC – Velvet Lounge
4/28 – Louisville, KY – TBD
4/29 – Indianapolis, IN – The Melody Inn
4/30 – Chicago, IL – Schubas (w/ Cross Record)
Over the course of this site’s almost six year history, you’ve likely come across posts on Brooklyn-based emcee Shabaam Sahdeeq and as you may know, Sahdeeq recently celebrated his 20th anniversary in hip-hop as an artist. And considering the state of the contemporary music industry and that hip-hop has long been an extremely fickle genre, such longevity, especially as an underground/indie artist is a rather impressive, almost Herculean task. Interestingly, Sahdeeq has marked his 20th anniversary as an artist by being as prolific as ever — last year, he released the Modern Artillery EP, a collaboration with Swedish-born, The Netherlands-based producer Big Ape, and this year he’s collaborated with DJ Ready Cee and Spit Gemz on the politically charged single “News at 11.” 2016 will also mark the release of Timeless: The Collection and the latest single from the album “Fly Script” is a collaboration with DJ Doom that has Shadeeq rhyming about social media’s influence on hip-hop, artists and fans, the hustle of the hip-hop game, touring around the world as a musician, dealing with deceitful and dishonest people, and of course, gorgeous woman over a production consisting of boom bap beats, twinkling piano keys, scratching and chopped up vocal samples, along with ominously swirling synths. Sonically, the song has a menacing undertone that reminds me a little bit of It’s Dark and Hell is Hot-era DMX.
With the release of “Ruins,” up-and-coming Los Angeles, CA-based indie pop artist Ryder received attention across the blogosphere for a slow-burning, atmospheric pop sound with soaring and anthemic hooks, skittering drum programming and Ryder’s expressive and sultry alto — all while comparing favorably to blogosphere darlings Phoebe Ryan, CAPPA, Chelsea Lankes and others.
Ryder’s latest single “Fade Away” will further cement her growing reputation for slow-burning, atmospheric and seductive pop as the song pairs Ryder’s expressive and sultry vocals with industrial clang and clatter, swirling and ambient electronics and a soaring, anthemic hook; however, unlike “Ruins,” “Fade Away,” is arguably the most sensual song she’s released to date, as the song’s narrator is urgently expressing her desire for a love object in a dysfunctional and confusing relationship.
With the release of their 2010 self-titled EP and their 2012 full-length debut Differance, South Korean trio Jambinai, comprised of Bongi Kim (haegum — a Korean fiddle-like instrument), Ilwoo Lee (guitar and piri — a Korean flute, made of bamboo) and Eun Young Sim (geomungo, a Korean zither), the trio have developed a rapidly growing national and international reputation for an intense, adventurous, headbanging worthy take on traditional Korean instrumental music. As the story goes, the trio met while studying traditional music at Korea National University of Arts, and they quickly bonded over a desire to present traditional music in a new way, “to communicate with the ordinary person, who doesn’t listen to Korean traditional music,” as the band’s principle composer and writer Ilwoo explains in press notes. Interestingly, Jambinai’s approach eschews several generations of Korean modernists and post-modernists, who Lee notes have based their sound and approach around Western classical music, jazz, jazz fusion to create a prog rock/experimental rock sound.
And while shocking Korean audiences, the trio have also been critically and commercially successful as their full-length Differance was nominated for Best Crossover Album and Best Jazz and Crossover Performance at the 2013 Korean Music Awards, and won Best Crossover Album — and as a result, the band used the album’s success as a springboard for several international tours as a quintet featuring Jihoon Ok (bass) and Jae Hyuk Choi (drums) that have seen praise from a number of major Western outlets including The Guardian and others.
A Hermitage, the trio’s forthcoming sophomore effort and Bella Union Records debut is slated for a June 17 release, and the album’s latest single “They Keep Silence” is a tense, throbbing and furious song full of angular and stabbing chords paired layers upon layers of feedback and distortion in a composition that consists of downtuned and punishing power chord-heavy sections and brief and quite sections of respite and introspection. Sonically, the song sounds as though it draws from Tool and Ministry — or simply put it kicks ass, takes names and kicks more ass just to ensure that you got the point. In fact, the song seems to tape into a universal feeling of anger and isolation of people, who are growing both impatient and suspicious of the forces that are controlling and influencing their daily lives.
New Audio: Arbor Labor Union’s Moody and Metaphysical-Leaning, New Single
As I mentioned a couple of months ago, if you had been frequenting JOVM over the course of last year, you may have come across a couple of posts on Athens, GA-based quartet Pinecones. And […]
With the release of “If We” and “What You Want,” the first two singles off his forthcoming full-length debut From Out of the Shadows, up-and-coming Brooklyn-based emcee Saga has begun to win the attention of the blogosphere for a thoughtful and sincerely emotional brand of hip-hop rooted in his belief that there’s no real division between commercial and underground hip-hop, only what’s real, and that his music and the ideas that he conveys through his music resonate with the listener, a complex human being; in other words, there’s the implicit recognition that although you might be out there grinding and hustling that you can simultaneously be a conscious, responsible and thoughtful person.
Just a few days before the Brooklyn-based emcee will be embarking on a European tour opening for Asher Roth, Saga released “Up,” the third and latest single off From Out of the Shadows and the single, which was produced by renowned French producer and turntablist 20syl, a four-time DMC World DJ Champion as a member of C2C. 20syl’s production is a warm, jazzy and soulful J. Dilla/Midnight Marauders-era A Tribe Called Quest channeling song that pairs shimming Rhodes keys, wobbling bass, electronic bleeps and bloops and enormous boom bap beats in a collaboration that features the Brooklyn-based emcee teaming up with Los Angeles-based emcee Blu. Lyrically, the song’s narrators are toasting the hard work and dedication that have put them on the path to enjoy the good life. And of course that means leaving lives of desperation and struggle behind, and leaving haters and others to jealously eat your dust.
It’s a breezily upbeat, feel-good anthem that I would expect to hear at someone’s barbecue or rooftop party — but it has a profound and universal message that will resonate deeply with anyone, who’s out there hustling hard and trying to achieve their dreams.
New York-born and based emcee Homeboy Sandman is arguably one of hip-hop’s most prolific, inventive and uncompromisingly challenging artists, and unsurprisingly over the course of this site’s history, the New York-based emcee has been a JOVM mainstay. Now, since signing with renowned indie hip-hop label Stones Throw Records in 2011, the Boy Sand has recorded and released 3 full-length albums and 6 EPs — with the most recent release being a collaboration with Aesop Rock titled Lice. And with each effort, Homeboy Sandman along with a growing list of collaborators have managed to push the boundaries of what contemporary hip-hop should be, sound like and concern itself with thematically; in fact, few contemporary emcees can tackle sociopolitical issues with such a creative and witty use of wordplay and incredibly complex rhyme schemes.
Simultaneously, Homeboy Sandman has developed a reputation as being a highly sought-after social and cultural critic who has an thought-provoking pieces published in Gawker, Huffington Post and The Guardian among others. And as the New York-based emcee explains in press notes ,”I don’t want to write something to be a conversation piece. It has to help change something.”
Kindness for Weakness, the Boy Sand’s forthcoming full-length effort is slated for a May 6, 2016 release through Stones Throw Records, and the album’s title is informed by the New York-based emcee’s personal saying that “mistaking kindness for a weakness is a weakness I need to have more kindness for.” Reportedly, the album thematically focuses on Homeboy Sandman’s discomfort within his own comfort zone and addresses his personal insecurities, rapper stereotypes and morality among others. “Talking Bleep,” Kindness For Weaknesses‘ first single was produced by Edan and pairs a warm, glitchy and psychedelic-leaning soul sample with some scratching with Homeboy Sandman’s ridiculous flow. Throughout the song, the New York-based emcee discusses a series of ridiculous situations that have recently occurred to him including fans who desperately want to him to continue releasing the same exact songs without considering the fact that as an artist, his sole duty is to evolve and challenge himself, and in turn his fans; Huffington Post asking him to write about his thoughts about a rap beef, after he had written and then published a controversial article linking mass media and private prisons; producers who want him to guest spot for free or very little money; corny emcees who try to give him career advice; and more. It’s arguably Homeboy Sandman’s most incisive and riotously funny song while being pointedly and thoughtfully sociopolitical with playful inner and outer rhymes.
Simply put Homeboy Sandman is one of my favorite contemporary emcees and although he’s not as commercially successful as the likes of Drake, Meek Mill, Fetty Wap or Wocka Flocka Flame, that may be a boon to those who love real hip-hop with dope emcees, who actually have something significant to say, rhyming over insane productions. Real hip-op will thankfully never, ever die; it’s just more difficult to find when listeners are inundated with bullshit.
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Comprised of Aaron Closson (guitar and vocals), best known as a member of The Hourly Radio and multi-instrumentalist Nolan Thies, best known as a member of N?TIONS, Brooklyn-based shoegaze duo The Blessed Isles specialize in a sound that is heavily indebted to 80s Brit Pop, New Wave and of course, shoegaze; in fact, as you’ll hear on “Caroline,” the first single off the duo’s long-awaited full-length effort Straining Hard Against the Strength of Night, the band’s sound seems to draw from New Order, Slowdive and Cocteau Twins as the duo pairs Closson’s plaintive vocals with shimmering delay pedal fed guitar chords, propulsive boom-bap 808s, and ambient-like synths to craft a swooning and introspective song with an urgently anthemic pulse.