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Fruit Bats – The Balcony : Listen
Eric D. Johnson, aka Fruit Bats, has shared the second single and the absolutely delightful accompanying video from upcoming album The Pet Parade. Johnson says the video, co-directed by wife Annie Beedy, was “inspired by Cabaret (the film version) mixed with the Star Wars cantina scene and a dash of The Mighty Boosh, with a storyline inspired by Dirty Dancing and Steve McQueen’s ‘Lovers Rock.’” “The Balcony” follows the album’s debut single, “Holy Rose“, and proves that Johnson’s albums consecutive albums continue to top one another. The lyrics give hope to those of us waiting out grey, sequestered, winter days. Fruit Bats consistently delivers the kind of feel-good…
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Nashville Ambient Ensemble – Conversion : Listen
This is not your mama’s Nashville sound. The elements are there – unmistakably hypnotic vocals, haunting pedal steel, and the spirit of collaboration and community. But this talented collective has arranged the parts in an experimental, genre-defying manner, and the results are glorious. Cerulean by Nashville Ambient Ensemble Organized and led by electronic composer Michael Hix who plays synth, the group also includes Luke Schneider on pedal steel guitar, Kim Rueger (Belly Full of Stars) on piano, Jack Silverman on baritone electric guitar, Deli Paloma-Sisk (Diatom Deli) on voice, Cynthia Cárdenas on guitar synth, and Timon Kaple on electric guitar.…
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Nico Hedley & Field Guides – Worldly & The City is a Painting : Listen
Brooklyn friends Nico Hedley and Field Guides have announced the release of a split 7″ out February 14th on Whatever’s Clever, featuring Hedley’s song, “Worldly,” and Field Guides’s “The City is a Painting.” Check out the video for the songs here. Hedley and Kupstas have both perfected a wistfulness and a subtle melancholy. The songs complement each other and flow together seamlessly. Like fellow NYC-based musicians Yo La Tengo and labelmate Adeline Hotel, their musicianship is thoughtful, to-the-point, and balanced, with lyric-driven gems of songs that resonant basslines and pedal steel and piano, respectively, serve to emphasize. After nearly a…
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Tyler Rigdon & the Second Arrangement – Everything Changed : Listen
New York’s Tyler Rigdon & The Second Arrangement has announced a new album, My Bakersfield, about a time-traveling cowboy. I “met” Tyler in a Gram Parsons facebook group, and was instantly drawn to his steel-laden, mysto-conceptual work. Everything Changed (Single) by Tyler Rigdon & The Second Arrangement Tyler Rigdon is a songwriter based in New York City by way of Flint, Michigan. His latest recording efforts, including the upcoming “My Bakersfield,” are self-described as art-pop-Americana contraptions. While littered with classic country music motifs, his sound owes so much in concept and approach to 70s album-oriented rock and the production methods of…
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Sounds from the Bardo, Volume II : Experience!
Psychedelic Sangha, the NYC-based collective of ‘misfit seekers,’ is back with their second immersive, packable psychedelic experience. This time, Scott Metzger, Jeff Hill, and Tony Leone provide aural accompaniment to Jessica Angima’s guided meditation and Bubba Ayoub’s visuals. “We approached the music knowing that people would be meditating, so we wanted the music to be conducive to that,” Leone says. “We also hoped to lead the meditators on a sonic journey. The same way a dance band inspires its listener to dance, we wanted to invite our meditators to a “mind dance.” The three musicians’ goal was:• Keep the music…
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Juliet Quick – Circles : Listen
“Circles” is about filtering out the feedback of others and just living inside yourself, even if that isn’t always the easiest place to be. I have trouble doing that—I have had this lifelong compulsion to be perceived as ‘good,’ even to people who I don’t think are ‘good!’ The particular kind of depression I was in when I wrote this song, though, gave me some relief from that at times. It was much more difficult to care about pleasing people. There are a handful of external voices that appear in the song—advice-givers, pedantic men, crust punks—who are kind of gently…
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Bill MacKay & Nathan Bowles – Joy Ride : Listen
Guitar and banjo virtuosos, respectively, Bill MacKay and Nathan Bowles have announced an album of duets, entitled Keys, out on Drag City on April 9th. Listen to the first single, “Joy Ride,” below. MacKay has been one of my favorite guitarists for the past few years, recording a slew of artful, interesting albums alone, and with an assortment of various instrumentalists, including fellow guitarist Ryley Walker, cellist Katinka Klejn, and now banjoist Nathan Bowles. Bowles has several solo albums under his belt and with bands including the Black Twig Pickers, Pelt, and Hiss Golden Messenger. The debut single from their…
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Ailsa Tully – Parasite : Listen
Let Ailsa Tully’s latest single, “Parasite,” be a warning. The biting song faces power dynamics and imbalances within the music industry head-on, and Ailsa’s voice makes it clear she isn’t one to be crossed. Ailsa unites the world of her Welsh choral music heritage with field recordings and folk. Her work echoes the experimentation of Julianna Barwick but carries the huge heart of songwriters like Rozi Plain. Writing her first songs on the cello, Tully soon graduated to the bass guitar, that early classical technique ensuring she developed a bass playing style unlike anyone else. Add her tender, elegant vocals to…
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Jeff Frantom – Très rythmé
Jeff Frantom is one of my favorite guitarists, a true rising star in the LA scene. Somewhat of a child prodigy, his musical journey has traced quite an interesting arc – from slaying post-metal guitar solos as a tiny third grader, he grew up, went to USC and graduated with a Master’s degree in jazz guitar, started playing shows with more than a few local bands nearly every night up until the pandemic hit. And now here he is, gorgeously arranging and reimagining classical pieces. Jeff is a wonderful, patient player, a thoughtful collaborator, a true servant of the song.…
