Weekly Playlist: 29 April 2016
Monthly Archive: April 2016
First Listen: The Phantom Sound – Crushing
Fronting The Phantom Sound, London, England’s leather-clad Marisa Schlussel exudes bravado and brashness on “Crushing.” The second single from the band’s late 2015 eponymous debut LP, Schlussel’s lyrical sparring match is soundtracked with power-punk hooks provided by American musical stalwarts…
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First Listen: Big Thief – Humans
“Humans,” the third single from Brooklyn quartet Big Thief‘s forthcoming debut LP, Masterpiece, is a sprawling slice of garage rock with a tender heart. Beating for affection from a distance, singer Adrianne Lenker ponders the emotional toll of submitting to…
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First Listen: Anna Tivel – Look Away
There is a strain of hopefulness that rises from the folkish melancholy of “Look Away,” the new single from Portland, Oregon singer/songwriter Anna Tivel. The opening track to Tivel’s forthcoming third album, Heroes Waking Up, the plainspoken “Look Away” — with…
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Video: Patsy’s Rats – Rock & Roll Friend
A paean to a fallen musical comrade, the fractured power pop of “Rock & Roll Friend” marks the debut single from Portland, Oregon’s Patsy’s Rats. The polycephalic duo with an open-door policy features Patsy Gelb (Scavenger Cunt, Giant Sand), Christian…
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Weekly Playlist: 22 April 2016
Video: The Late Great – Seven Bright Seas
All hail Tor Thomassen. As ringleader of Norway’s The Late Great, Thomassen heartily embraces Kinkian nostalgia and Beatlemania melodies with the machismo of Tom Jones. On the rollicking pop perfection of “Seven Bright Seas,” the second single from The Late…
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First Listen: Ultrviolence – Radiation
With fit-for-purpose gravitas, Calgary, Alberta trio Ultrviolence question human connections on latest single “Radiation.” The final song from the band’s forthcoming five-song EP, Black Sea, “Radiation” is churning post-punk for the outliers of tomorrow. To be released on 13 May…
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First Listen: Ben de la Cour – Down to the Water’s Edge
A Bucket Full of Nails staple following the release of his 2013 LP Ghost Light, Nashville’s Ben de la Cour has readied his follow up, Midnight in Havana. Having demoed the title track in 2013, de la Cour has issued…
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Review: Pauline Andrès – The Heart Breaks
Steeped in heartache and Mexi-Cali dust, The Heart Breaks is the album Pauline Andrès was born to write. Bearing the brunt of pain on songs such as “No Tienes Corazón” and the Bakersfield-inflected “If It’s Over”, Andrès exacts lyrical revenge…
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Weekly Playlist: 15 April 2016
First Listen: Little Lapin – California Sun
A dust-dappled slice of Americana, “California Sun” from UK singer/songwriter Little Lapin lays waste to the hazy promise of the Golden State. Set to follow up her award-winning 2015 debut LP, Remember the Highs, Little Lapin will release sophomore album,…
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