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Joe Harvey-Whyte on Flatland / Spaceland
Flatland / Spaceland by Joe Harvey-Whyte Joe is a producer, pedal steel player, composer, and visual artist whose work we came to love via his work with the Hanging Stars and on the 15th of October he’ll release his solo debut Flatland / Spaceland, an pair of sister soundscapes inspired by Edwin A. Abbott’s 1884 novel Flatland. Although Joe’s the latest pedal steel player to launch his pedal steel prowess from traditional to futurism, it’s unique and otherworldly and ultimately all his own. And oh my god what an undertaking – imagine trying to put 300 separate tracks together, like…
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Spencer Cullum – Seaside
In anticipation of the vinyl release of Spencer Cullum’s Coin Collection, today the British-born, Nashville-living musician releases the previously unreleased “Seaside,” a breezy, carefree cancion featuring gorgeous backing vocals and effervescent flute-playing. The album Spencer Cullum’s Coin Collection is out 9/24 and is Spencer’s effort to create a trad British folk album, weaving in elements of krautrock and prog-rock, with excellent Nashville players. Born in London but currently based out of Nashville, Spencer Cullum’s work pays homage to the ’60s and ‘70s psych-pop, folk and proto prog heroes of his homeland such as Kevin Ayers, Robert Wyatt, Sandy Denny, and Robert Fripp…
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David John Morris
David John Morris found himself taking Red River Road to Gambo Abbey in Nova Scotia, Canada and smiled to himself. It was one fortuitous signal among many along the way that led him to this place. Inside the Abbey, the Cornish songwriter became a temporarily ordained Buddhist monk and spent several months inside sans musical means of expression. After several months, he made a compelling argument to the elders and was permitted to acquire a guitar. From there, the songs fled from him and the idea to make an album, Monastic Love Songs, was conceived. Monastic Love Songs is a…
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Sunstack Jones – Last Room at the Petal Motel : Playlist
Golden Repair by Sunstack Jones Liverpool’s Sunstack Jones released an amazing record on Mai 68 Records in 2020 called Golden Repair that I missed when I compiled my Albums of the Year. Had I listened to it in time, it would have surely topped the list. Upon hearing the opening notes of “Where You Gonna Go,” I was already floored. By the end of “Nowhere Near an Ocean”, I was exclaiming out loud to myself. “Distill” is a dreamy tune, lighter fare as a reprieve between the heavier, intense jams of the title track and “Seams.” Graceful riffs, torrid solos…
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Bobby Lee – Origin Myths EP
British primitive cosmic rocker Bobby Lee has announced a forthcoming EP, out March 5th on Natural Histories. Among a plethora of incredible British cosmic cowfolk musicians, Bobby stands out with his shimmering guitar tones, standing at that interstellar crossroads between Americana, American primitive, psychedelic and shoegaze. Hot on the heels of his excellent 2020 release, Shakedown in Slabtown, the songs on Origin Myths songs positively vibrate, lifting the listener to another plane with “Broken Prayer Stick” and “Enchanted Mesa,” odes to nature and the spiritual world. Have a listen to my favorite, “Fire Medicine Man,” and “Impregnated By Drops of…
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The Hanging Stars – I Woke Up in July [EP] : Review
Simultaneously retro and innovative, the Hanging Stars are the best Americana band in the UK since Matthews’ Southern Comfort with their perfect blend of British dream pop and Californian country-rock, like the Stone Roses met Buffalo Springfield. The three-track EP gets its name from the opener “I Woke Up in July,” one of the strongest, most beautiful songs from their early 2020 release A New Kind of Sky. Lush production, the otherworldly quality of Richard Olson’s vocals, sweetness without twee- it’s the kind of song that has such quiet yet big, breathtaking presence that it could cause every person in…
