Tag: psych soul

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Sunnan Shares Wistful and Cinematic “Echoes in Time”

Swedish outfit Sunnan can trace their origins through a series of unlikely encounters, including pandemic-era change, a barn with panoramic windows in Sunnanhed and a meeting with a Stockholm rave legend. In many ways the band embodies creative serendipity — and unsurprisingly, their origin story, which feels both inevitable and improbable, echoes through their work.

The band quickly built a reputation with the release of a series of standout singles including “My Love For You,” “Wild Horses,” and “The Sound (Make It Come Back),” their collaboration with Titiyo. 2024’s debut studio album Cinema was released to widespread praise across the Nordics and earned two Swedish Grammy nominations.

Last year’s Cinema Sound System helped propel the Swedish outfit onto the global stage with its three singles receiving heavy radio rotation on Nordic radio stations, received strong DSP support and organic crossover into North American and European markets. The band supported their debut and EP with 20 sold-out dates across the Nordics and the European Union. 

Building upon a growing profile, the Swedish outfit released their highly anticipated sophomore album, Spaghetti Soul last week. The album sees the band further cementing their critically applauded cinematic sound but while blending Italian Spaghetti Western soundtrack-styled grandeur with classic soul –filtered through a decidedly modern lens.

The album includes the previously released “Sail (Lady In Waiting)” and the album’s latest single “Echoes in Time” a widescreen, twangy bit of Morricone soundtrack-tinged soul anchored in a wistful, nostalgic ache while nodding at old timey ballads and Bossa Nova. Much like their previously released material, “Echoes in Time” showcases deft, incredibly gorgeous musicianship and songwriting.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Two from JOVM Mainstays Ghost Funk Orchestra

Led by composer, multi-instrumentalist and creative mastermind Seth Applebaum, the New York-based psych soul outfit and JOVM mainstay act Ghost Funk Orchestra will be releasing their fifth album, Yours in The Ranks of Death through Karma Chief Records on December 4, 2026.

Reflective and ethereal, the JOVM mainstays’ fifth album reportedly finds Applebuam pairing down the sounds and conceptual underpinnings, providing his signature trippy grooves and cinematic arrangements a much cleaner pocket.

Yours is The Ranks of Death’s first single, last month’s “Yours” is the first studio track to feature Camellia Hartman on lead vocals on a bluesy shuffle of a track that balances old-timey high drama with kitsch. Inspired by the organ stylings of Ed Lincoln and Dick Hyman, “Yours” is a homage to the mid-century bachelor pad music that’s often overlooked in the dollar bin. But it also showcases Hartman’s yearning delivery.

The accompanying video is fittingly sho ton film and draws from 60s French Nouveau Vague and classic spy movies.

“Leave Me Alone,” the album’s second and latest single is built around fuzz and distortion pedaled guitars, some harmonic space-age Wurlitzer and a propulsive backbeat beneath Hartman’s defiant, take-no-shit/I’ve had enough of your shit delivery telling off someone who’s fucked her over.

“We’ve spent a lot of time experimenting with headier jazz, lounge, and soul sounds on our recent albums. ‘Leave Me Alone’ is sort of a back-to-the-garage track for us, leaning into the garage rock and fuzz rock sounds that were more present in early GFO releases,” Applebaum explains. “Whereas a lot of our recordings have used horns and keyboards as the centerpiece, this one is stripped back to the guitar-driven vibe that defined older tunes like “Walk Like A Motherfu*ker” and “Blood Moon.” Now in her second official GFO appearance following the single ‘Yours,’ Camellia Hartman leads the charge on vocals.”

The accompanying video features Hartman on a Dating Game-styled game show, titled “Leave Me Alone” in which Hartman, who alternates between being disgusted or bored to tears by her potential suitors, taunts them before telling them to — well, leave her alone.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Skinshape Returns with Summery “Take It As It Is”

Will Dorey is a London-based producer, singer/songwriter, producer and creative mastermind behind the solo recording project, Skinshape. And with Skinshape, the London-based artist has established himself as a master of understated soundscapes, blending rich textures with an array of eclectic influences from around the world. Dorey’s work is known for being imbued with warmth, depth and a timeless character.

Every Skinshape effort reflects the London-based artist’s meticulous approach to composition and production, rooted in the distinct sonic identity made possible by the vintage analog recording equipment he uses. 

The London-based artist’s 11th Skinshape album, Chapman’s Pool is slated for an October 30, 2026 release through Lewis Recordings. Deriving its title from a secluded bay on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast, near Dorey’s childhood home, the album draws from the landscapes that have remained a constant source of inspiration throughout his career.

Written, self-produced and self-recorded at Dorey’s Finsubry Park-based studio with minimal Chapman’s Pool covers a variety of styles and sounds and sees Dorey revisiting his first two Skinshape albums to some degree while featuring more Mellotron and glockenspiel. Most of the album’s instrumentation — guitar, bass, piano, keys, synths, drum machines and the like — was played by Dorey, with the exception of drums, which were played by Tom Blind and Dan Hale. Various field recordings were captured outside the studio. including the sound of waves lapping the shore close to Chapman’s Pool and a car driving past.

Chapman’s Pool will include the previously released “The Blade of a Knife” and its latest single, “Take It As It Is.” Built around a swaggering and strutting groove that seemingly channels Bobby Oroza, the Daptone Records crew and Moscow‘s The Diasonics, “Take It As It Is” is a summery and escapist tune rooted in a blend of old-fashioned British stoicism and Zen calm that feels — well, remarkably necessary as our world burn down and descends into chaos. The song’s narrator implores the listener to do as the old British saying “keep calm and carry on.” “It’s about how we should accept life as it is, with its ups and downs,” Dorey explains. “It focuses on the mental troubles we all face and some reflections on how we may deal with this.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 83rd Birthday, Isaac Hayes!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 83rd anniversary of the birth of Isaac Hayes.

Throwback by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 73rd Birthday, Marvin Isley!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 73rd anniversary of the birth of The Isley Brothers’ bassist Marvin Isley.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Skinshape Shares Shimmering and Introspective “The Blade of a Knife”

Will Dorey is a London-based producer, singer/songwriter, producer and creative mastermind behind the solo recording project, Skinshape. And with Skinshape, the London-based artist has established himself as a master of understated soundscapes, blending rich textures with an array of eclectic influences from around the world. Dorey’s work is known for being imbued with warmth, depth and a timeless character.

Every Skinshape effort reflects the London-based artist’s meticulous approach to composition and production, rooted in the distinct sonic identity made possible by the vintage analog recording equipment he uses.

The London-based artist’s 11th Skinshape album, Chapman’s Pool derives its name from a a secluded bay on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast, near Dorey’s childhood home. The album draws inspiration from the landscapes that have remained a constant source of influence throughout his career.

Chapman’s Pool’s first single “The Blade of a Knife” is a shimmering tune that sounds as though it draws from psych soul, Northern soul and troubadour pop — and in a way that reminds me a bit of The Beach Boys, Bobby Oroza, Common Saints, and others. Rooted in an deeply introspective lyricism, the song is poignant, seemingly lived-in ode to the vicious cycles and loops that can wrap us up in down times, but while keeping a sliver of light — just in view. “This song was written about the mental struggles one faces in life. How we are a slave to our mind and the habits we form go round and round day after day. We wish to be free of our confusion as it stabs us like the ‘Blade of a Knife.'”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Ghost Funk Orchestra Shares Sultry and Cinematic “Ocotillo”

JOVM mainstay outfit Ghost Funk Orchestra originally started as a one-man recording project, helmed by its creative mastermind, composer and multi-instrumentalist Seth Applebaum. Since then, the project has evolved into a full-fledged 10 member, powerhouse band that fleshes out Applebaum’s vision — a sonic kaleidoscope that defies genre specifications, but draws deeply from soul, psych rock, psych soul and more.

“Ocotillo” is Ghost Funk Orchestra’s first bit of new, original since the release of 2024’s A Trip to the Moon. Opening with shimmering and strutting Rhodes, “Ocotillo” continues an incredible run of mind-bending yet cinematic soul with the song evoking sultry and stifling heat, dusty blacktop in front of you and in the rearview, rest stops, highway signs, trees and small towns flash by in a blur of dizzying sameness before finally getting a reprieve — through rain or higher altitude or the like.

“The ocotillo is an imposing figure, tall and reminiscent of a torch. I dedicated this song to the desert dwelling plant after a particularly challenging tour that took our band through the southwest,” Ghost Funk Orchestra’s Seth Applebaum explains. “After days of unbearable heat and humidity, reaching New Mexico surprisingly gave us some reprieve. After landing at the venue in Silver City, I took a walk to clear my head and observe the scenery as the mountain climate provided a more manageable atmosphere to exist and reflect in.” 

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 84th Birthday, Curtis Mayfield!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 84th anniversary of the birth of Curtis Mayfield.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 83rd Birthday, Sly Stone!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 83rd anniversary of Sly Stone’s birth.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Sunnan Shares Mind-Bending and Hypnotic “Sail (Lady in Waiting)”

Swedish outfit Sunnan can trace their origins through a series of unlikely encounters, including pandemic-era change, a barn with panoramic windows in Sunnanhed and a meeting with a Stockholm rave legend. In many ways the band embodies creative serendipity — and unsurprisingly, their origin story, which feels both inevitable and improbable, echoes through their work.

The band quickly built a reputation with the release of a series of standout singles including “My Love For You,” “Wild Horses,” and “The Sound (Make It Come Back),” their collaboration with Titiyo. 2024’s debut studio album Cinema was released to widespread praise across the Nordics and earned two Swedish Grammy nominations.

Last year’s Cinema Sound System helped propel the Swedish outfit onto the global stage with its three singles receiving heavy radio rotation on Nordic radio stations, received strong DSP support and organic crossover into North American and European markets. The band supported their debut and EP with 20 sold-out dates across the Nordics and the European Union.

Building upon a growing profile, the Swedish outfit’s highly-anticipated sophomore album Spaghetti Soul is slated for release this year. Spaghetti Soul reportedly will see the band further cementing their critically applauded cinematic sound while further expanding their sonic palette with the album’s material being bold fusion of Italian Spaghetti Western grandeur and classic soul, filtered through a modern lens.

Spaghetti Soul‘s latest single, “Sail (Lady In Waiting)” is a mind-bending blend of 60s-styled psych rock, Morricone-inspired soundscapes and blue-eyed/Northern soul that showcases a band that effortlessly pairs old fashion craftsmanship with vibey atmospherics, deft musicianship and incredibly catchy hooks. “Sail (Lady In Waiting)” captures what the band describes as “the manifestation of a new genre.”

“‘Sail’ is the bridge from Cinema Sound System to our sophomore album Spaghetti Soul,” the band explains. “Leaning into our cinematic roots and timeless soundtracks like ‘Hurricane’ and ‘All Along the Watchtower’, the song portrays the legend of a life well lived — beauty preserved in memory, and hope for one last ride.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 72nd Birthday, Shuggie Otis!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Shuggie Otis’ 72nd birthday.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: JOVM Mainstay SHOLTO Returns with Dreamy “Tied to the Mast”

Initially known as being one-half of indie outfit Sunglasses for Jaws, the rising London-based producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Oscar “Sholto” Robertson grew up with with a deep and abiding love of jazz, soul, krautrock and soundtracks from the 60s and 70s. As a producer, Robertson honed his production skills under the guidance and tutelage of Allah-Las‘ Nick Waterhouse and Inflo.

A handful of years ago, Roberston stepped out into the spotlight as a solo artist with his recording project, SHOLTO. And with SHOLTO, the rising London-based multi-instrumentalist has firmly cemented a cinematic take on instrumental, psychedelic soul.

Robertson’s highly-anticipated sophomore SHOLTO album, The Sirens is slated for a November 21, 2025 release through DeepMatter Records. Recorded at the London-based composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist’s Hackney-based SJF Studio, the 12-song album sees Robertson continuing an ongoing collaboration with a familiar cast of musicians, who have helped flesh out the gorgeous, string section accentuated, groove-driven soundscapes he’s developed, including Syd Kemp (bass), Clementine Brown (strings) and Rachel Horton Kitchlew (harp).

The album will see Roberson and his collaborators crafting an album of material that’s emotionally unflinching and explores themes of duality, temptation and emotional dislocation, in Robertson’s words “blurring grief wit groove, seduction and surrender.” Sonically, the album’s material sees Robertson building upon the groove-driven, strings-soaked soundscapes and ethereal textures that has won him attention in the UK and elsewhere but inverting that beauty into a haunting fever dream.

Using the world of myth and the carnivalesque as a vehicle for exploring the intricacies of the human condition, The Sirens emerged from a period of uncertainty and spiritual fatigue. Drawing from ancient allegory to navigate through the inner turbulence he experienced, the album’s material is rooted in quiet defiance and tension that sometimes never quite resolves. While being deeply cinematic, the album’s material is anchored by Robertson’s rhythmic sensibility and dramatic vocal cues that drift in and out, evoking the ancient tale of the Sirens calling out to sailors while evoking dream sequences seemingly caught mid-thought. “The Sirens trades the ethereal shimmer of my earlier records with something a little more nuanced and emotionally unflinching, slightly darker. It doesn’t really resolve, just resonates – a love letter to the parts of ourselves we usually avoid.”

The Sirens‘ third and last pre-release single “Tied to the Mast” opens with a bursts of glitchy vocals being swallowed by breathtakingly gorgeous, twinkling strings before morphing into a swaggering, Motown/Daptone/Big Crown-like soul groove with an ethereal cacophony of vocals calling out from the swelling storm of sound. The song evokes a small boat out at sea that gets caught and pulled into — and then under — a swelling storm, before breaking apart and tossing its sailors into the sea.

“’Tied to the Mast’ is a stormy, myth-soaked odyssey. It opens with distant, glitchy siren-esque vocals – spectral and seductive, like ancient voices cutting through static,” Robertson says. “Then comes the drop – Odysseus lashed to the mast, as the storm climaxes the track unravels into a slow more haunting coda, melodies scattered like the wreckage. You’re left drifting and floating in the aftermath, unsure if you have survived or where always meant to crash.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: R.I.P. Sly Stone!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the live and music of Sylvester Stewart, a.k. Sly Stone.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 82nd Birthday, Sly Stone!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the legendary Sly Stone’s 82nd birthday.