Showing posts with label indie pop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label indie pop. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
PINEY GIR SUPPORTING GAZ COOMBES (FORMER SUPERGRASS FRONTMAN) US TOUR STARTING MARCH 21
Piney Gir – the indie rock artist who was not allowed to listen to pop
music until the age of 14 – will tour with former Supergrass frontman
Gaz Coombes as support act. Brooklyn Vegan has already previewed the
tour.
Piney Gir’s new album ‘Mr. Hyde’s Wild Ride’ (Greyday Records / February 19) has already been spotlighted by Impose, Pop Matters, Huffington Post, and Paste Magazine. ‘Mr. Hyde’s Wild Ride’ features her signature wild Brian Wilson-esque harmonies along with some of her most incisive lyrics to date, and addresses her hyper-religious upbringing.
“Mouse of a Ghost” music video.
Gaz Coombes/Piney Gir North American Tour Dates:
March 21 - Philadelphia, PA - The Underground Arts
March 22 - Vienna, VA - Jammin' Java
March 24 - New York, NY - Rockwood Music Hall, Stage 2
March 25 - New York, NY - Rockwood Music Hall, Stage 2
March 26 - Boston, MA - David Friend Recital Hall, Berklee College of Music
March 28 - Toronto, ON - The Drake Hotel
March 30 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
April 1 - San Francisco, CA - Slim's
April 2 - Los Angeles, CA - Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever
Piney's pulled together a stellar band on ‘Mr. Hyde’s Wild Ride,’ with members of Coombes’ and Emiliana Torrini's touring band jumping in on guitar, bass and drums alongside The Smith Brothers & regular collaborator Garo Nahoulakian takes a seat in the producer’s chair. Andy Ramsay of Stereolab makes an appearance on drums; the bulk of the album was recorded in his South London studio. The rest was whipped-up in Piney’s little Hackney Studio, small and perfectly formed like a musical toy box, chock-full of space echo, marimba, omnichord and pocket piano, which combine to create a euphoric indie-starshine. Think Yoshimi-era Flaming Lips alongside sparkling tableaux of Mercury Rev., the tunefulness of Grandaddy and riff-led counter-melodies like The Pixies.
Piney Gir’s new album ‘Mr. Hyde’s Wild Ride’ (Greyday Records / February 19) has already been spotlighted by Impose, Pop Matters, Huffington Post, and Paste Magazine. ‘Mr. Hyde’s Wild Ride’ features her signature wild Brian Wilson-esque harmonies along with some of her most incisive lyrics to date, and addresses her hyper-religious upbringing.
“Mouse of a Ghost” music video.
Gaz Coombes/Piney Gir North American Tour Dates:
March 21 - Philadelphia, PA - The Underground Arts
March 22 - Vienna, VA - Jammin' Java
March 24 - New York, NY - Rockwood Music Hall, Stage 2
March 25 - New York, NY - Rockwood Music Hall, Stage 2
March 26 - Boston, MA - David Friend Recital Hall, Berklee College of Music
March 28 - Toronto, ON - The Drake Hotel
March 30 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
April 1 - San Francisco, CA - Slim's
April 2 - Los Angeles, CA - Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever
Piney's pulled together a stellar band on ‘Mr. Hyde’s Wild Ride,’ with members of Coombes’ and Emiliana Torrini's touring band jumping in on guitar, bass and drums alongside The Smith Brothers & regular collaborator Garo Nahoulakian takes a seat in the producer’s chair. Andy Ramsay of Stereolab makes an appearance on drums; the bulk of the album was recorded in his South London studio. The rest was whipped-up in Piney’s little Hackney Studio, small and perfectly formed like a musical toy box, chock-full of space echo, marimba, omnichord and pocket piano, which combine to create a euphoric indie-starshine. Think Yoshimi-era Flaming Lips alongside sparkling tableaux of Mercury Rev., the tunefulness of Grandaddy and riff-led counter-melodies like The Pixies.
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
PINEY GIR CROWDSOURCES COVER ART FOR 'MR. HYDE'S WILD RIDE,' OUT FEB 19 ON GREYDAY
IMPOSE MAG RUNS Q&A AS INDIE POP AUTEUR TALKS ABOUT HER OWN ROLLER COASTER
Kansas-born UK-based indie pop artist Piney Gir crowdsourced the cover of ‘Mr. Hyde’s Wild Ride’ (Greyday Records / February 19) asking friends and fans alike to take a mug shot of themselves, giving life to the title ‘Mr. Hyde’s Wild Ride.’ Written during a hard year that saw her displaced by gentrification, loss of a job, and the death of a friend but with things looking upon its recording, she meditated on drastic changes of the past years. “The mug shots symbolized the way I felt 'jailed' by this set of circumstances and the photo on the inside shows me wearing black and white like an old-fashioned prisoner, escaped and running through a tunnel with a light at the end of it. That photo symbolizes my freedom.”
The result is like a Sgt. Pepper cover for the digital age. She says, “I did an appeal to friends, family and fans to send in their mug shots for the cover and I am so pleased with the results - it looks like a big army of loved ones to me - like an extended family portrait! From my mom, grandparents, cousins and their kids, to Ian Damaged and his wife Alison Wonderland [he runs Damaged Goods, she's a rock photographer]. There is also Mark Radcliffe [a BBC radio DJ and music personality], Tom White from the band Electric Soft Parade, of course the Piney band are all on there, and a few dogs. Friends, kids and fans too.” MC Lars and the Real Tuesday Weld round out the members of the musical community who participated. (Oh and a certain publicist as well!) An album that began with a rollercoaster, Jekyll-and-Hyde cycle ended with the whole world of Piney Gir joining her, each featured in mug shots, on the cover. Piney reflects, “"if an album is the sum of its parts, this part is fan-generated and that is a beautiful, creative interaction to have with people." Here’s the list of participants and their “crimes”: http://www.pineygir.com/mr- hydes-wild-ride-crimes/
Kansas-born UK-based indie pop artist Piney Gir crowdsourced the cover of ‘Mr. Hyde’s Wild Ride’ (Greyday Records / February 19) asking friends and fans alike to take a mug shot of themselves, giving life to the title ‘Mr. Hyde’s Wild Ride.’ Written during a hard year that saw her displaced by gentrification, loss of a job, and the death of a friend but with things looking upon its recording, she meditated on drastic changes of the past years. “The mug shots symbolized the way I felt 'jailed' by this set of circumstances and the photo on the inside shows me wearing black and white like an old-fashioned prisoner, escaped and running through a tunnel with a light at the end of it. That photo symbolizes my freedom.”
The result is like a Sgt. Pepper cover for the digital age. She says, “I did an appeal to friends, family and fans to send in their mug shots for the cover and I am so pleased with the results - it looks like a big army of loved ones to me - like an extended family portrait! From my mom, grandparents, cousins and their kids, to Ian Damaged and his wife Alison Wonderland [he runs Damaged Goods, she's a rock photographer]. There is also Mark Radcliffe [a BBC radio DJ and music personality], Tom White from the band Electric Soft Parade, of course the Piney band are all on there, and a few dogs. Friends, kids and fans too.” MC Lars and the Real Tuesday Weld round out the members of the musical community who participated. (Oh and a certain publicist as well!) An album that began with a rollercoaster, Jekyll-and-Hyde cycle ended with the whole world of Piney Gir joining her, each featured in mug shots, on the cover. Piney reflects, “"if an album is the sum of its parts, this part is fan-generated and that is a beautiful, creative interaction to have with people." Here’s the list of participants and their “crimes”: http://www.pineygir.com/mr-
Friday, January 15, 2016
Winterpills artwork
Credit: Joanna Chattman, click for high res
Credit: Joanna Chattman, click for high res
Credit: Joanna Chattman, click for high res
Album cover: Love Songs (Signature Sounds)
L-R: Dennis Crommett, Dave Hower, Flora Reed, Philip Price, Max Germer
Credit: Joanna Chattman, click for high res
Credit: Joanna Chattman, click for high res
Album cover: Love Songs (Signature Sounds)
Winterpills - 'Love Songs'
Over
a decade ago, singer-songwriter Philip Price scrawled the name
“Winterpills” on the wall of The Bay State Hotel, a now-dead but fabled
Northampton, Massachusetts watering hole and music venue. Initially, it
was going to be the name for a dreamt-of electronica project, but,
somewhere along the line, it blossomed into a critically acclaimed indie
band with a deep catalog of elegant, dark chamber pop.
Now, the quintet gives us its seventh album, a provocative entry in its catalog, Love Songs (Signature Sounds), out March 18th.
Recorded and co-produced with Justin Pizzoferrato (Dinosaur Jr., The
Pixies, Lou Barlow, Speedy Ortiz), the album showcases an invigorated
and raw Winterpills. This new release marks ten years as a band. To
commemorate this career milestone, Winterpills will also reissue its
self-titled debut on vinyl. Together, these releases bookend a
freewheeling psych-folk-rock continuum.
“Without
even trying, over time the canvas has just gotten bigger,” says
Winterpills’ principle songwriter Philip Price. "Time stretched us.”
The
Northampton, Massachusetts quintet are consummate masters of the slow
burn; they’ve nurtured a singular aesthetic with lush and sometimes
gritty instrumentation, emotive and literate lyrics, sublime vocal
harmonies, and cinematically structured songs that stealthily pull you
in and then destroy you. Winterpills has prompted favorable comparisons
to Elliott Smith, Low, The Go-Betweens, Fairport Convention, Pernice
Brothers and Big Star, among others. The five-piece group is
singer/songwriter/guitarist Philip Price, singer/keyboardist Flora Reed,
guitarist Dennis Crommett, bassist Max Germer, and drummer Dave Hower.
Winterpills
formed as friends, musically comforting each other during one
particularly miserable winter after a year of breakups and deaths. Price
began performing as a solo artist in the vein of Elliott Smith and
Leonard Cohen after his power pop band, The Maggies, disbanded after
nine years. Initially, Winterpills was an outlet to combine his quieter,
heartfelt songwriting with a richer array of synthetic textures.
Winterpills took something of a left turn by becoming a full band that
conjured the vigor and sophistication of power-pop and folk-rock with
subtle electronica flourishes. As time has worn on, Winterpills has
peeled away that ambience in favor of a powerful and graceful live band
aesthetic.
There’s a circularity to the group’s newly reissued self-titled debut album from 2005, and its latest, Love Songs.
Both albums have the feeling of euphoric artistic self-discovery. “We
hadn’t recorded together in awhile, and we felt refreshed when we went
in the studio this time.” Philip admits. Whereas 2005’s Winterpills is a raw rock album with delicate moments, 2016’s Love Songs is a much bigger sounding rock record played with swaggering musicality.
Love Songs is tightly thematic. "At first the thought of calling it Love Songs was
intended as a whimsical nod to the other million albums of the same
title," Price says, "but then casting that light on the existing songs
made them jump into stark relief: they were all love songs after
all, though arriving at that place through strange portals and unused
back roads." The tracks are definitely not your standard missives of
affection: within the 11-song album, Winterpills explores love of the
idea of love, love of unrealized love, love of the dead, love of family
secrets, love of the concept of eternal return, love of ideas, and love
of celebrity.
Standouts
in this prismatic survey include the single “Celia Johnson,” “Freeze
Your Light,” and “He Grew A Wall.” The track “Celia Johnson” bursts
forth with a scruffy Jeff Magnum-like elegance conjured from the
contrast of skyward Byrds-like harmonies laid over propulsive drums and
garage rock guitars. The track was inspired by Philip's fascination with
the late English actress, Celia Johnson, (best known for the 1945
British romantic drama Brief Encounter).
Lone
celestial harmony vocals open “Freeze Your Light,” reminding longtime
fans of the power of Philip’s vocal interplay with co-writer,
keyboardist, harmony soulmate, and wife, Flora Reed. The song
majestically unfolds from a fragile intimacy as it gathers burly power
with lumbering drums and dirty guitars. The chorus has a gospel
purposefulness that feels cathartic and spiritual; the embedded and
quixotic desire to freeze all our loves in photographs, pixels and
'cardboard boxes with broken handles' saturates the song.
“He
Grew A Wall” is about a suicide that shook the local music scene. “I
watched that loss confound us all,” Philip reveals of the song’s
subject, “I woke up one day with most of the words in my head laid out
for me.” The track features some of Philip’s most poetically poignant
lyrics against a mournful descending guitar line: “So the wind told a
lie/You were deceived by the sky/The sun refused your call/The moon
denied it all/You grew a wall”.
The
album’s emotional resonance and fresh energy comes from the environment
it was created in. Philip produced and engineered three albums in a row
for Winterpills in their home project studio; but Love Songs was
recorded in a professional studio buzzing with music gear curiosities,
setting the stage for intrepid sonic exploration, including a slightly
out-of-tune vintage Vose & Sons upright piano used liberally on many
of the albums tracks: Love Songs bids farewell with the early
Elton John-esque “It Will All Come Back To You.” The song’s arrangement
is richly emotive—it sweeps upward from plaintive piano and voice to
vigorous full-band accompaniment with stacked vocal harmonies, noise
guitar, and trumpet. Co-producer Justin Pizzoferrato forged a telepathic
connection with the group where he could intuit their aspirations,
while providing fresh perspectives from the many different genres he’s
worked in.
It’s
been an unexpected journey for Philip, chasing the ghost within that
moniker he scribbled on a bar wall twelve years ago. But what stands out
to him as the most meaningful part of the journey is the deep ties
within the band. “We feel lucky we’re still good friends after all this
time. And I’m in awe of what everyone in the band brings to this weird
table we built,” he says. His most profound connection, though, is with
Flora Reed, his wife, and creative ally. “We totally have all our eggs
in one basket, and it’s been great. I highly recommend it.” he pauses,
laughs, and concludes saying: “We do save a little money on hotel
rooms.”
Monday, January 4, 2016
Piney Gir: From Pentecostal upbringing to questioning God
It undoubtedly influenced Kansas-via-London UK artist Piney Gir’s
fascinating music that she was raised in a strict Pentecostal household
and not allowed to listen to pop music until the age of 14.
But where did the Pentecostal upbringing leave her in terms of her current beliefs. She addresses it in the new song “Oh God You Devil,” which asks God some questions directly. In contrast to the upbeat, kinetic nature of most of ‘Mr. Hyde’s Wild Ride,’ “Oh God You Devil” kicks off with hums in some kind of Dorian mode, typically used in India for mediation. Lyrics like, "Why can't I see you? ... I don't believe you... When you hide can you still see me?" She answers her own questions in the final verse, singing, "Isn't life as luck would have it?" Piney says, “Sealing the deal that perhaps this girl doesn't have much belief in God, at least not the God that is pitched to us in Western culture with the big white beard, sitting on a cloud punishing everyone.”
Early praise has already come from Pop Matters, Paste, and Glide for ‘Mr. Hyde’s Wild Ride,’ coming out February 19 on Greyday Records. It’s a new artistic high water mark, as she’s left behind her influences and found her own style and voice. Piney is planning select US tour dates.
But where did the Pentecostal upbringing leave her in terms of her current beliefs. She addresses it in the new song “Oh God You Devil,” which asks God some questions directly. In contrast to the upbeat, kinetic nature of most of ‘Mr. Hyde’s Wild Ride,’ “Oh God You Devil” kicks off with hums in some kind of Dorian mode, typically used in India for mediation. Lyrics like, "Why can't I see you? ... I don't believe you... When you hide can you still see me?" She answers her own questions in the final verse, singing, "Isn't life as luck would have it?" Piney says, “Sealing the deal that perhaps this girl doesn't have much belief in God, at least not the God that is pitched to us in Western culture with the big white beard, sitting on a cloud punishing everyone.”
Early praise has already come from Pop Matters, Paste, and Glide for ‘Mr. Hyde’s Wild Ride,’ coming out February 19 on Greyday Records. It’s a new artistic high water mark, as she’s left behind her influences and found her own style and voice. Piney is planning select US tour dates.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Thursday, November 5, 2015
PINEY GIR RELEASES BRIGHT, BOLD POP ALBUM 'MR. HYDE'S WILD RIDE' IN AMERICA FEBRUARY 19 ON GREYDAY RECORDS
Indie-pop musician Piney Gir is gearing up for the American release of
'mR. hYDE'S wILD rIDE,' an album that finds the UK-based singer
exploring everything from psychedelic pop to British folk to '90s
grunge. The songs are bright and bold, glued together by the melodies
Piney has been writing since her days in the American Midwest. Already
released in the U.K., where Piney has lived for more than a decade, the
"undeniably charming" album (The Sun) will bring its "sweet, 60s pop"
(Uncut) to American stores on February 19th, courtesy of Greyday Records.
Piney was raised in a religious household, where her fundamentalist parents didn't allow their daughter to listen to popular music until the age of 14. Growing up in rural Kansas certainly left a mark on her earlier albums, with outlets like NPR noting the similarities to country artists like Tammy Wynette and Patsy Cline. On 'mR. hYDE'S wILD rIDE,' though, she steers her ship into more pop-influenced waters. Piney gets a little help from her friends, too, with Stereolab drummer Andy Ramsey lending both his percussion and his studio to the recording process. Band members of Gaz Coombes and Emiliana Torrini also chipped in, adding shimmering keyboards, distorted guitars, chirping harmonies and even marimba to Piney's songs. The result is a record that sounds both retro and futuristic, taking the listeners on -- ahem -- a wild ride over the course of 12 songs.
The fuzzy, buzzing "Gold Rules" — one of the album's kickoff singles — nods to the harmonized alt-pop of the Breeders. In the song's music video, Piney whips up a batch of miniature desserts before jumping onstage to perform with a band full of stringed marionettes. It's a sugar-sweet and utterly unique clip, two descriptors that also apply to mR. hYDE'S wILD rIDE as a whole.
Already released in the U.K., where Piney has lived for more than a decade, Mr. Hyde's Wild Ride is the sound of a songwriter making multiple genres her own.
Piney was raised in a religious household, where her fundamentalist parents didn't allow their daughter to listen to popular music until the age of 14. Growing up in rural Kansas certainly left a mark on her earlier albums, with outlets like NPR noting the similarities to country artists like Tammy Wynette and Patsy Cline. On 'mR. hYDE'S wILD rIDE,' though, she steers her ship into more pop-influenced waters. Piney gets a little help from her friends, too, with Stereolab drummer Andy Ramsey lending both his percussion and his studio to the recording process. Band members of Gaz Coombes and Emiliana Torrini also chipped in, adding shimmering keyboards, distorted guitars, chirping harmonies and even marimba to Piney's songs. The result is a record that sounds both retro and futuristic, taking the listeners on -- ahem -- a wild ride over the course of 12 songs.
The fuzzy, buzzing "Gold Rules" — one of the album's kickoff singles — nods to the harmonized alt-pop of the Breeders. In the song's music video, Piney whips up a batch of miniature desserts before jumping onstage to perform with a band full of stringed marionettes. It's a sugar-sweet and utterly unique clip, two descriptors that also apply to mR. hYDE'S wILD rIDE as a whole.
Already released in the U.K., where Piney has lived for more than a decade, Mr. Hyde's Wild Ride is the sound of a songwriter making multiple genres her own.
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Piney Gir - Mr Hyde’s Wild Ride
"Sweet 60's pop from Kansas Chameleon"
- UNCUT ****
"Undeniably charming"
- THE SUN ***
"Varying emotions and mutations are part of her unexpected strength"
- MOJO ***
"Exuberant, bursts with joy, divine and sometimes mournful"
Q Magazine Top Pick
Piney Gir - Mr Hyde’s Wild Ride
We present “Mr Hyde’s Wild Ride” – twelve top pop stories about a young woman coming to terms
with the hope and regret that accompanies love and loss. Piney's easy way with melody belies an
album of new and different shades to albums past. Change is in the air, and the characters that
populate these songs seem ready to tell it like it is, like Dorothy Parker’s snappy comebacks, as
surprising to them as to us.
Being Piney Gir, she can't resist the perkiness of a finely-honed, heavenly tune on opener Gold
Rules, even as the song celebrates unreachable riches and glibly states the fact, “you can’t take it
with you anyway.” First single, Keep It Together deftly channels 60s beat pop and Stereolab all at
the same time, a lover's lament laced with urgency and optimism, piped-in directly from her spaceage,
bachelorette pad.
Other stand-out earworms include Tilt A Whirl, a piece of fairground philosophy that dates back to
childhood years when Piney would accompany her grandmother on something akin to the Waltzer.
As the song spins, with Farfisas swirling round life's ups and downs "like a shooting star or a hope
combustible..." become metaphors among the lights and sounds. Mouse Of A Ghost fuzzes up like
Pineys-in-Toyland channelling her inner riot grrl, with boxy guitar blasts that remind us all that you
can rock just as hard, if not harder, in a gingham dress.
As ever Piney's pulled together a stellar band, with members of Gaz Coombes and Emiliana Torrini's
touring band jumping in on guitar, bass and drums alongside The Smith Brothers & regular
collaborator Garo Nahoulakian takes a seat in the producer’s chair. Andy Ramsay of Stereolab
makes an appearance on drums; the bulk of the album was recorded in his South London studio.
The rest was whipped-up in Piney’s little Hackney Studio, small and perfectly formed like a musical
toy box, chock-full of space echo, marimba, omnichord and pocket piano, which combine to create
a euphoric indie-starshine. Think Yoshimi-era Flaming Lips alongside sparkling tableaux of Mercury
Rev., the tunefulness of Grandaddy and riff-led counter-melodies like The Pixies.
After a decade spent in the UK it feels like Piney's finally made England hers by rediscovering
America, re-imagined from London's rainy streets, channelling her inner Jekyll and Mister Hyde,
“because there’s two sides to everything, right?” These tunes beautifully stitch together English
folk, American pop, mariachi moments, trail songs and baroque beats. Sometimes it's like an alternative
musical history of a storybook amusement park ride. And need we mention, it's a wild ride
you're gonna love...
- UNCUT ****
"Undeniably charming"
- THE SUN ***
"Varying emotions and mutations are part of her unexpected strength"
- MOJO ***
"Exuberant, bursts with joy, divine and sometimes mournful"
Q Magazine Top Pick
Piney Gir - Mr Hyde’s Wild Ride
We present “Mr Hyde’s Wild Ride” – twelve top pop stories about a young woman coming to terms
with the hope and regret that accompanies love and loss. Piney's easy way with melody belies an
album of new and different shades to albums past. Change is in the air, and the characters that
populate these songs seem ready to tell it like it is, like Dorothy Parker’s snappy comebacks, as
surprising to them as to us.
Being Piney Gir, she can't resist the perkiness of a finely-honed, heavenly tune on opener Gold
Rules, even as the song celebrates unreachable riches and glibly states the fact, “you can’t take it
with you anyway.” First single, Keep It Together deftly channels 60s beat pop and Stereolab all at
the same time, a lover's lament laced with urgency and optimism, piped-in directly from her spaceage,
bachelorette pad.
Other stand-out earworms include Tilt A Whirl, a piece of fairground philosophy that dates back to
childhood years when Piney would accompany her grandmother on something akin to the Waltzer.
As the song spins, with Farfisas swirling round life's ups and downs "like a shooting star or a hope
combustible..." become metaphors among the lights and sounds. Mouse Of A Ghost fuzzes up like
Pineys-in-Toyland channelling her inner riot grrl, with boxy guitar blasts that remind us all that you
can rock just as hard, if not harder, in a gingham dress.
As ever Piney's pulled together a stellar band, with members of Gaz Coombes and Emiliana Torrini's
touring band jumping in on guitar, bass and drums alongside The Smith Brothers & regular
collaborator Garo Nahoulakian takes a seat in the producer’s chair. Andy Ramsay of Stereolab
makes an appearance on drums; the bulk of the album was recorded in his South London studio.
The rest was whipped-up in Piney’s little Hackney Studio, small and perfectly formed like a musical
toy box, chock-full of space echo, marimba, omnichord and pocket piano, which combine to create
a euphoric indie-starshine. Think Yoshimi-era Flaming Lips alongside sparkling tableaux of Mercury
Rev., the tunefulness of Grandaddy and riff-led counter-melodies like The Pixies.
After a decade spent in the UK it feels like Piney's finally made England hers by rediscovering
America, re-imagined from London's rainy streets, channelling her inner Jekyll and Mister Hyde,
“because there’s two sides to everything, right?” These tunes beautifully stitch together English
folk, American pop, mariachi moments, trail songs and baroque beats. Sometimes it's like an alternative
musical history of a storybook amusement park ride. And need we mention, it's a wild ride
you're gonna love...
Monday, May 19, 2014
THE ICYPOLES AT FOREFRONT OF AUSTRALIAN INDIE INVASION
RAVES IN BLACK BOOK, PASTE, AV CLUB, ETC. FOR NEW ALBUM ‘MY WORLD WAS MADE FOR YOU’
Alongside Courtney Barnett, Scott & Charlene's Wedding, Twerps, Lost Animal, and The Stevens, the Icypoles are an Australian indie invasion. The new album ‘My World Was Made For You,’ featuring covers of David Lynch’s “Just You” (from Twin Peaks) and Martika’s “Love, Thy Will Be Done,” co-written by Prince, is out now on Highline Records. Black Book is streaming the entire album.
Here’s what we’ve been reading about the Icypoles:
“7.7… a little dreamy… understated intimacy.”
- Eric Danton, Paste Magazine, May 15, 2014
“Sounds a bit like the XX merged together with some old doo-wop style girl groups.”
- Marah Eakin, AV Club, April 16, 2014
“A sweet treat [with] a sinister vibe… Led by Isobel Knowles, formerly of Architecture In Helsinki, the Melbourne quartet serves up retro-flavored tunes in the vein of the Brunettes, Soko, and the Boy Least Likely To.”
- Katie Chow, Black Book, May 1, 2014
“Delicious… Severely cool… The magic is in their surprising sense of melodic timing and coy delivery that plays out in our heads like a Mona Lisa smirk set to some kind of sarcastic retro choreography.”
- Charity Painter, The Wild Honey Pie, April 18, 2014
“Reminiscent of The Blow, with handclaps, singsong vocals and a slightly jagged, funky bassline.”
- Lizzie Plaugic, CMJ, May 6, 2014
Alongside Courtney Barnett, Scott & Charlene's Wedding, Twerps, Lost Animal, and The Stevens, the Icypoles are an Australian indie invasion. The new album ‘My World Was Made For You,’ featuring covers of David Lynch’s “Just You” (from Twin Peaks) and Martika’s “Love, Thy Will Be Done,” co-written by Prince, is out now on Highline Records. Black Book is streaming the entire album.
Here’s what we’ve been reading about the Icypoles:
“7.7… a little dreamy… understated intimacy.”
- Eric Danton, Paste Magazine, May 15, 2014
“Sounds a bit like the XX merged together with some old doo-wop style girl groups.”
- Marah Eakin, AV Club, April 16, 2014
“A sweet treat [with] a sinister vibe… Led by Isobel Knowles, formerly of Architecture In Helsinki, the Melbourne quartet serves up retro-flavored tunes in the vein of the Brunettes, Soko, and the Boy Least Likely To.”
- Katie Chow, Black Book, May 1, 2014
“Delicious… Severely cool… The magic is in their surprising sense of melodic timing and coy delivery that plays out in our heads like a Mona Lisa smirk set to some kind of sarcastic retro choreography.”
- Charity Painter, The Wild Honey Pie, April 18, 2014
“Reminiscent of The Blow, with handclaps, singsong vocals and a slightly jagged, funky bassline.”
- Lizzie Plaugic, CMJ, May 6, 2014
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Monday, December 2, 2013
OUT LAST WEEK, SPIN, USA, RELIX HAIL 'FESTIVUS 2,' HEARTWARMING INDIE POP CHRISTMAS MUSIC COMP
Out last week, Highline Records' indie pop Christmas music compilation
'Festivus 2' saw track debuts this week at SPIN and USA Today and a full
album stream at Relix. SPIN debuted LIlys' psychedelic verstion of
"Good King Wenceslas."
Western Lows' dream pop rendition of "Silent Night" premiered at USA Today.
Relix is streaming the entire release.
Here's a music video for "The Coldest Night" by Left With Pictures, assembled from mid-century footage, also brand new last week.
1. Silent Night - Western Lows
2. I Wish You A Merry Christmas - Ulysses
3. In The Bleak Midwinter - Trevor Moss & Hannah-Lou
4. Ho Ho Hos Before Hos - Red Pony Clock
5. One Christmas Wish - The Priscillas
6. It's Christmas - Piney Gir
7. Don't Freat Out On Me - Mi Mye
8. Good King Winceslas - Lilys
9. The Coldest Night - Left With Pictures
10. Baby Jesus Was The First Glam Rocker - Glam Chops
11. Silver Bells Sing Their Chime - Francis Macdonald and Anna Sheard
12. Christmas at the Foodbank - Dodgy
13. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlmen - Dennis Hopper Choppers
14. Thank God It's Christmas - Darling BOY
15. My Heart Is As Pure As The Snow - Antony Elvin
16. Three Kings - Alexander's Festival Hall
Western Lows' dream pop rendition of "Silent Night" premiered at USA Today.
Relix is streaming the entire release.
Here's a music video for "The Coldest Night" by Left With Pictures, assembled from mid-century footage, also brand new last week.
1. Silent Night - Western Lows
2. I Wish You A Merry Christmas - Ulysses
3. In The Bleak Midwinter - Trevor Moss & Hannah-Lou
4. Ho Ho Hos Before Hos - Red Pony Clock
5. One Christmas Wish - The Priscillas
6. It's Christmas - Piney Gir
7. Don't Freat Out On Me - Mi Mye
8. Good King Winceslas - Lilys
9. The Coldest Night - Left With Pictures
10. Baby Jesus Was The First Glam Rocker - Glam Chops
11. Silver Bells Sing Their Chime - Francis Macdonald and Anna Sheard
12. Christmas at the Foodbank - Dodgy
13. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlmen - Dennis Hopper Choppers
14. Thank God It's Christmas - Darling BOY
15. My Heart Is As Pure As The Snow - Antony Elvin
16. Three Kings - Alexander's Festival Hall
Monday, November 25, 2013
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Friday, April 12, 2013
NYC INDIE ROCKERS SWEET SOUBRETTE KICK OFF LITTLE BROOKLYN BRIDGE FESTIVAL ON MAY 11, BRINGING BROOKLYN PARLOR ROCK TO LOS ANGELES FOR MULTI-VENUE CONCERT SERIES
Sweet Soubrette, a "sensational" (Phildaelphia Inquirer), "enchanting"
(Metro NY) ukulele-powered indie rock band based in NYC, make their West
Coast debut on May 11, performing a set of their signature dark love
songs at The Roxy. Sweet Soubrette's cabaret-influenced indie rock has
been described as “one part circus…one part poet…third part rockstar”
(CultureMob). Time Out New York says "Sweet Soubrette's style comes
with a pinch of Regina Spektor quirk and a spoonful of old-timey
burlesque.” The Deli Magazine praises front woman Ellia Bisker’s “rock
star command and intelligently crafted music."
Check out the music video for the dark and passionate “What’s My Desire?” inspired by the literary love letters of Anaïs Nin and Henry Miller ("a compelling bitter-sweet pop song of the highest order" -The 405).
Photos.
This show kicks off the Little Brooklyn Bridge Festival, which brings together three Brooklyn-based bands and two L.A./Brooklyn hybrid bands for a series of L.A. concerts from May 11-14. Brooklyn's Kotorino, Sweet Soubrette, and Charming Disaster join with L.A./Brooklyn hybrid Peach & Knife to offer Los Angeles a taste of New York City’s best “parlor rock” along with epic instrumental soundscapes courtesy of L.A.'s Whale Fall. Showcasing the best parlor rock that Brooklyn has to offer and the influence of Brooklyn on L.A. bands, each group offers a unique musical experience, united by a common thread: intimate yet theatrical songs with dark, expressive lyrics, intense harmonies, and a hint of gypsy wildness (also, ukuleles)
SWEET SOUBRETTE
Sat 5/11, 10pm, $10 cover
The Roxy, 9009 West Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood
LITTLE BROOKLYN BRIDGE FESTIVAL
Sat 5/11: Sweet Soubrette at The Roxy, West Hollywood (10pm)
Sun 5/12: Charming Disaster (6:30pm), Peach & Knife (7:15pm), Kotorino (8pm), Whale Fall (9pm) at Center for the Arts Eagle Rock
Mon 5/13: Charming Disaster at Skinny’s Lounge, North Hollywood (11pm)
Tue 5/14: Peach & Knife (9pm), Kotorino (10pm) at Villains Tavern, Downtown L.A.
ABOUT THE BANDS
Whale Fall: An L.A.-based instrumental collective whose history dates back to previous incarnations in Brooklyn in the early 2000s, Jared Matt Greenberg (keyboards and trumpet), David Pomeranz (guitar), Ali Vazin (guitar), Erik Tokle (bass), and fresh-off-the-boat Brooklyn transplant Aaron Farinelli (drums) navigate the heights and depths of creating live cinematic musical environments, complete with accompanying visual delights.
Kotorino: Jeff Morris leads Kotorino in darkly elegant, gypsy-flavored chamber pop with carnivalesque touches. Vocal harmonies are haunting and lyrics flirt with adventure, unease and triumph. WNYC says: "Kotorino has one of the most unique and unusual sounds of any band, ever…quite pretty, and downright haunting."
Peach and Knife: Recent Brooklyn transplant and L.A. native Molly White joins Italian-born Elena Degl’Innocenti in this duo project on guitar and ukulele for acoustic living room music that captures two side of life: dark psychological moods and the wholesome goodness of a tree bearing fruit. The music is lucid, unsettling, and always inspiring.
Charming Disaster: Jeff Morris and Ellia Bisker team up in this supergroup, performing duets about murder, auto theft, paranormal romance, carnival performers, con artists, and more, exploring through song the different kinds of trouble a couple of people can get into. New York Music Daily describes Charming Disaster as "dangerously torchy noir cabaret and gypsy rock."
Sweet Soubrette: Indie rock meets cabaret: Time Out New York says "Sweet Soubrette's style comes with a pinch of Regina Spektor quirk and a spoonful of old-timey burlesque.” The Deli Magazine praises front woman Ellia Bisker’s “rock star command and intelligently crafted music."
Check out the music video for the dark and passionate “What’s My Desire?” inspired by the literary love letters of Anaïs Nin and Henry Miller ("a compelling bitter-sweet pop song of the highest order" -The 405).
Photos.
This show kicks off the Little Brooklyn Bridge Festival, which brings together three Brooklyn-based bands and two L.A./Brooklyn hybrid bands for a series of L.A. concerts from May 11-14. Brooklyn's Kotorino, Sweet Soubrette, and Charming Disaster join with L.A./Brooklyn hybrid Peach & Knife to offer Los Angeles a taste of New York City’s best “parlor rock” along with epic instrumental soundscapes courtesy of L.A.'s Whale Fall. Showcasing the best parlor rock that Brooklyn has to offer and the influence of Brooklyn on L.A. bands, each group offers a unique musical experience, united by a common thread: intimate yet theatrical songs with dark, expressive lyrics, intense harmonies, and a hint of gypsy wildness (also, ukuleles)
SWEET SOUBRETTE
Sat 5/11, 10pm, $10 cover
The Roxy, 9009 West Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood
LITTLE BROOKLYN BRIDGE FESTIVAL
Sat 5/11: Sweet Soubrette at The Roxy, West Hollywood (10pm)
Sun 5/12: Charming Disaster (6:30pm), Peach & Knife (7:15pm), Kotorino (8pm), Whale Fall (9pm) at Center for the Arts Eagle Rock
Mon 5/13: Charming Disaster at Skinny’s Lounge, North Hollywood (11pm)
Tue 5/14: Peach & Knife (9pm), Kotorino (10pm) at Villains Tavern, Downtown L.A.
ABOUT THE BANDS
Whale Fall: An L.A.-based instrumental collective whose history dates back to previous incarnations in Brooklyn in the early 2000s, Jared Matt Greenberg (keyboards and trumpet), David Pomeranz (guitar), Ali Vazin (guitar), Erik Tokle (bass), and fresh-off-the-boat Brooklyn transplant Aaron Farinelli (drums) navigate the heights and depths of creating live cinematic musical environments, complete with accompanying visual delights.
Kotorino: Jeff Morris leads Kotorino in darkly elegant, gypsy-flavored chamber pop with carnivalesque touches. Vocal harmonies are haunting and lyrics flirt with adventure, unease and triumph. WNYC says: "Kotorino has one of the most unique and unusual sounds of any band, ever…quite pretty, and downright haunting."
Peach and Knife: Recent Brooklyn transplant and L.A. native Molly White joins Italian-born Elena Degl’Innocenti in this duo project on guitar and ukulele for acoustic living room music that captures two side of life: dark psychological moods and the wholesome goodness of a tree bearing fruit. The music is lucid, unsettling, and always inspiring.
Charming Disaster: Jeff Morris and Ellia Bisker team up in this supergroup, performing duets about murder, auto theft, paranormal romance, carnival performers, con artists, and more, exploring through song the different kinds of trouble a couple of people can get into. New York Music Daily describes Charming Disaster as "dangerously torchy noir cabaret and gypsy rock."
Sweet Soubrette: Indie rock meets cabaret: Time Out New York says "Sweet Soubrette's style comes with a pinch of Regina Spektor quirk and a spoonful of old-timey burlesque.” The Deli Magazine praises front woman Ellia Bisker’s “rock star command and intelligently crafted music."
Monday, April 8, 2013
Monday, March 25, 2013
Thursday, February 7, 2013
ONE OF THE "NEXT BIG THINGS" (SPIN) LA DREAM-POP BAND CORREATOWN PLAYING THE SMELL FEB 17
Correatown – the dream-pop project of Angela Correa, which has been
called one of the "next big things" by SPIN – will perform February 17
at the Smell. The all-ages show comes as the LA band prepares for a
March tour of Germany. LA Weekly said, "We… fell in love with her hooky
balladry… You read it here first: Angela Correa… is going to be a much
loved L.A. artist in about 10 minutes."
"Turn On Turn Up" postable mp3.
"Further" music video of sun-kissed southern California landscapes.
Photos are here.
Her music is carefully assembled via drum machines, thrift store synthesizers, a reverb-soaked semi-hollowbodied guitar, and most of all, utterly gorgeous vocals, Correatown makes an airy, sound caught in late afternoon August moments. Earning comparisons to Beach House, Galaxie 500, and Spiritualized, her sweeping scope and warm sheen belie a dreamy and alluringly hypnotic soundscape.
Correatown's music video for "Play," which is chock full of silly string, crayons, face-paint, balloons, bubbles, and the band playing a DIY house show, was filmed in conjunction with OMG! Cameras Everywhere!, a non-profit organization that hosts arts and filmmaking workshops for kids.
"Valparaiso" postable mp3.
Her songs have appeared on television in Grey's Anatomy, Ugly Betty, Brothers and Sisters, and How I Met Your Mother and in the film "The Lucky One." Her voice was featured in the Sony Pictures' "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" and she wrote and recorded the score for the film "Sassy Pants."
WHO: Correatown on a bill with Christy & Emily
WHAT: Dream-pop concert
WHEN: 7:30pm, Sunday, February 17, 2013
WHERE: The Smell, 247 S. Main Street, Los Angeles, CA
TICKETS: TBA
"Turn On Turn Up" postable mp3.
"Further" music video of sun-kissed southern California landscapes.
Photos are here.
Her music is carefully assembled via drum machines, thrift store synthesizers, a reverb-soaked semi-hollowbodied guitar, and most of all, utterly gorgeous vocals, Correatown makes an airy, sound caught in late afternoon August moments. Earning comparisons to Beach House, Galaxie 500, and Spiritualized, her sweeping scope and warm sheen belie a dreamy and alluringly hypnotic soundscape.
Correatown's music video for "Play," which is chock full of silly string, crayons, face-paint, balloons, bubbles, and the band playing a DIY house show, was filmed in conjunction with OMG! Cameras Everywhere!, a non-profit organization that hosts arts and filmmaking workshops for kids.
"Valparaiso" postable mp3.
Her songs have appeared on television in Grey's Anatomy, Ugly Betty, Brothers and Sisters, and How I Met Your Mother and in the film "The Lucky One." Her voice was featured in the Sony Pictures' "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" and she wrote and recorded the score for the film "Sassy Pants."
WHO: Correatown on a bill with Christy & Emily
WHAT: Dream-pop concert
WHEN: 7:30pm, Sunday, February 17, 2013
WHERE: The Smell, 247 S. Main Street, Los Angeles, CA
TICKETS: TBA
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