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Saturday, July 31, 2021

EREZ and the sonic pain killer and easy to swallow "Dance It Away"

 










"LAY DOWN YOUR HEAD / LADY DOWN YOUR HEAD / AND I’LL PICK UP INSTEAD..."

I noticed something. When I listen to queer artist and producer EREZ, shortly after pushing play (in this case on her latest musical offering) "Dance It Away", I close my eyes. For me it is an involuntary response to her sound, to her artful aesthetic, the pulsations of sound, the deep groove, the cyclical keys that have a sense of mystery and sadness, the pushed stabs of electronica, the scattered ambient tones that give the whole affair a truly filmic sense, her vocal melodies that at once feel lavish and deeply emotional but most of all, maybe what makes my eyes shut is her vocal aesthetic. 

The NYC born, Israeli-raised, L.A. based creator has a unique voice that has a smoky grit, a natural vibrato that punctuates moments, an easy self aware comfortableness and a tender power. EREZ has a fluid tone to her singing and maybe those who can move to sounds because they must and because it feels good and cathartic and life affirming are, in the end, the most expressive singers.  

About "Dance It Away" EREZ shares:

"I’m so deep into dance and the journey it takes you on. I love the sexiness of it, I love the passion behind it, I love the energy it creates between people, I love the speed, I love the intention in every movement I make when I dance, I love the improvised choreography and the freedom of the moment. The only way to truly enjoy the dance floor is by letting it be your boss. Once you do that, you’re rewarded with a clear mind and open heart and connection to yourself, the music, the people around you, the world. People are happy when they dance. They’re not judgmental. They’re in tune with their bodies and chemicals. They want to fuck. They want to scream. They want to reach out and in. Dancing is therapy. Mind-body connection. Somatic healing."

[The self-produced track floats in a realm where late-night dance parties and heady self-reflection intertwine. "Dancing is one of the only moments where I’m truly able to clear my mind," shares EREZ. Thematically, the song is dedicated to those sitting in their pain. With its trance-like-effect, "Dance It Away" pulls you into a space where you can choose to escape or feel it all.]

-Robb Donker Curtius





THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:


https://www.instagram.com/erezmusic/

https://erez.bandcamp.com/

https://soundcloud.com/erez-music-now

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0UKrJ4XldrkShYFCjRPhVa?si=bVgXqN0ORvOFPZb7_942ZA&nd=1

https://music.apple.com/il/artist/erez/1102577201

https://www.facebook.com/EREZismusic



EREZ's unique upbringing—NYC born, Israeli-raised, and now L.A. based— afforded her the opportunity to embrace a worldly sound. Her passion for music extended into the nightlife scene where she found herself dancing late into the night on a weekly basis and even trying her own hand at DJ-ing - something that influenced her desire to self-produce and engineer and has greatly influenced the music she now makes.

"As a woman, I didn't want to feel like I had to rely on anyone to get my records done. I feel like producing my own music has given me complete sonic freedom to execute my vision to the max of my ability in the moment I'm creating," she explains. "The musical landscapes I carve out are unique and feel like me. I've been lucky enough to never have a voice in my head of 'will they like it' while creating. I only create what I love and enjoy listening to."

EREZ, singer songwriter, queer artist, producer, NYC born, Israeli-raised, L.A. based, DIY aesthetic,    "Dance It Away", Somatic healing.", Dancing is therapy,

Friday, July 30, 2021

MUNNYCAT and the time / mind bending "so fresh" (Official Video)

 








photo by Anna Azarov


In well under three minutes, on their latest and maybe best time / mind bender, "so fresh", Los Angeles noise pop duo MUNNYCAT take you back and forward at the same time. The track informed by the pandemic and living in a state of the union that might of had the most strenuous restrictions on it's businesses and thus it's citizens is so exquisitely rendered, and yes, oh so fresh. From the very onset, MUNNYCAT infuses every cell in your body with a jolt of nostalgia and an undefinable sense of sonic joy / cool that hearkens back to East Coast proto hip hop and art pop circa early 80's. Within the sort of urban ambient retro opening that gives way to Khaled Tabbara's (aka Khaledzou) amazing guitar lick and Katianne Timko's (aka K808) vocal cajole you feel unburdened and free from the current wash of cookie cutter pop you hear too often. What follows is a dishy and delicious soundscape of sounds, smashed drumbeats that feel like they are 2 mic'd old style 60's style to rabid fire shotgun synth blasts and old school DJ rips. Listen multiple times and you feel the highly crafted production going on, sounds that only happen once or twice but build scintillating layers of sound. The musical break with the build up of distorted bass, shifting drum beats (and is that a harmonica jag in the background?) is utterly sublime. The retro sound that somehow has me thinking of iconic artists like Fab 5 Freddy, Salt-N-Pepa, Tom Tom Club and (tangentially) the Beastie Boys has me smiling so broadly that my face hurts. 


MUNNYCAT share: "We pluck a lot of people's cards on this mixtape, but 'so fresh' ended up being a track where we called ourselves out. We'd have a ton of big plans for doing all these ambitious and amazing things during the 'down time' we had last year, but we severely underestimated how hard it'd be to accomplish them during the chaos of a global pandemic. We'd have a to-do list a mile long and then we'd be like, 'Wait a minute. Have either of us even showered in 5 days? When's the last time we ate a healthy meal?' We were playin' ourselves. But addressing that irony and producing a really fun, upbeat song helped us crawl out of that headspace, for sure."

MUNNYCAT continually blow me away, not only as songwriters but as producers. Their depth of sound on this and past projects is phenomenal. When you listen to their stuff you are not listening to the pop or indie tropes of the day but sounds steeped in some sort of far reaching library of tones and sonic ideas. Being able to grasp things out of the air in what might feel improvisational but is really a Zen kind of 'knowing' is the earmark of a good producer.  


"so fresh" by MUNNYCAT off their upcoming EP called "the MUNNYCAT mixtape" (available Aug 25th) is accompanied by such a stellar Official Video. Check it out NOW.

-Robb Donker Curtius





THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:


https://www.munnycat.com/

https://www.instagram.com/munnycat/

https://www.facebook.com/munnycatmusic

https://twitter.com/munnycat

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3mib3ZXDjjjGpWxnoZu0XF?si=m12NqLSLS_-1tw35APB0JQ&nd=1

https://soundcloud.com/munnycat


MUNNYCAT is the LA-based indie noise pop band made up of producers K808 & Khaledzou. They’ve joined forces to blur the lines between dance, electropop and golden age hip hop. The result is confident, creative, and completely infectious. 2 total collaborators - they love each other, they live together, they write and produce together, they even shoot and edit their own music videos together. They’re passionately DIY and their music has been proudly licensed over 200 times. MUNNYCAT makes energetic and empowering neon-colored west-coast bops, with car-rattling kick drums and grimy percussive layers.


MUNNYCAT, songwriters, producers, duo, Los Angeles based, K808 & Khaledzou, DIY aesthetic, collaborators, "so fresh", Official Video, upcoming, "the MUNNYCAT mixtape",  

Thursday, July 29, 2021

I saw Les Monte and the beautiful slow motion reflections of "x-rayed Eden" (Official Video)

 













"if there's an Eden, I'd like to think so, I'd like to think so..."

Stepping into the pulsating "x-rayed Eden" by Amsterdam based divergent dream pop (or broken pop) outfit 'I saw Les Monte' is like merging into a black and white foreign film. One of those films that exist in secretive theaters at midnight. I adore this track and it is so unique and evocative that it is not easy to describe in terms of other artists but I am thinking that their sound conjures up an amalgam of Interpol, She Wants Revenge, David Lynch and The Jazz Butchers with a hint of Leonard Cohen. You may disagree or agree but rather than describe the song and it's almost hallucinogenic illusionary pull I will simply tell you that things happen that surprises me not once but each time I listen. In today's cookie cutter world that, in and of itself, is magical. 

In the end, "x-rayed Eden" by I saw Les Monte is painfully beautiful. Their debut album, "Machine & Men" will be released after the summer and will be part of a trilogy. The filmic Official Video as shot by Paul Cupido and featuring Johanna Tengan only enhances this wonderful song.

-Robb Donker Curtius






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I saw Les Monte is a three-piece-planet, based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.


It’s hard to describe the music. Cinematic dreampop maybe. But not always.

Little journeys that consists out of acoustic elements, synths, snippets of field recordings,

sci-fi effects. Always slowly, but never fully revealing beautiful melodies.


Since all songs are little journeys you should experience from start to end, we realise that it’s hard to be judged in 30 seconds. But we truly hope you would give it a chance!


There’s a lot more coming up. Our first album ‘Machine & Men’ will be released soon after the summer and will be part of a trilogy. All ready to put out.


I saw Les Monte, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, three piece, divergent, artful, dream pop, broken dream pop, indie rock, avant garde, indie rock, alternative music, "x-rayed Eden", midnight movie,

Daniel Loumpouridis and the dark electronic mirage of "U Really Don't Give A Fuck" (Remix by holymountain)

 










"you don't give a fuck about me... what about us?"


There is a lot of reasons that we all listen to music. There is the escapist element, the need to wake up your soul, to inspire or to have a stranger's head to cry on, to gain affirmation or to explore new worlds. You get all those reasons and more on L.A. producer, songwriter, artist and mixing engineer Daniel Loumpouridis' "U Really Don't Give A Fuck" as remixed by holymountain. The track from his 3 track EP "UDGAF" blends a dense sort of dark club sound merging electronica, hip hop, and human drama building an atmosphere that pulls you into what can feel like an other wordly fray. With improvised lyrics and synthetic flesh and bones, the percussive sounds alone drive you to unknown places, floating in elements of relationship danger, truth and consequences.  


[The EP is part of Loumpouridis’ forthcoming two-part project U, Us, a double album that explores the duality of healing - first through self, then through others.]


-Robb Donker Curtius




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DATELINE: July 16th, 2021 (LOS ANGELES, CA) -- Today, certified gold record selling producer, songwriter, artist and mixing engineer Daniel Loumpouridis releases his eclectic 3-track EP UDGAF. The first track of the EP is the lyrically improvised, hip-hop/electronic “U Don’t Give A Fuck,” entirely self-recorded, performed and produced by Loumpouridis himself. Following is “U Really Don’t Give A Fuck” (Holymountain remix), transporting listeners to a euphoric Brooklyn warehouse party, and “udgaf” (Hunjiya version), a soul-infused offering highlighted by Hunjiya’s delicate vocals and indie-electro production elements. The EP is part of Loumpouridis’ forthcoming two-part project U, Us, a double album that explores the duality of healing - first through self, then through others.


Loumpouridis, who at 17 was the co-writer and co-producer of Louis The Child’s gold record “It’s Strange (ft. K.Flay),” believes music is meant to be a collaborative process - as is healing. The first half of the project, U, is the product of a three year relationship that was utterly shattered, the reflection of his healing process as he experienced the emotions in real time. When Loumpouridis finished U, he realized that something was missing - that in order to heal, he had to first help himself, and then allow others to help him. The way the two-part album came together coincidentally mirrored that process, and as a result, Us, the reconceptualized version of the entire U album, was born. Each original track sees a new light through the sonic lense of his closest confidantes and fellow musicians, one unable to exist without the other.


“Having someone else speak those thoughts and emotions back at me and reinterpret them, I can't explain how emotional that was. It’s like gazing into a funhouse mirror - you see yourself, but it's distorted and warped, because somebody else made that mirror with the intention of doing that. I learned to love my songs because of everyone else, just as the healing process is complete once you allow others in to help build you back up,” says Loumpouridis.


"Me," the lead single from Loumpouridis’ U, caught the attention of media tastemakers, landing a spot on Apple Music's New Alternative playlist. The accompanying remix was recreated by synth-pop artist Reed Gaines. Stay tuned as the full project U, Us is set to release late Summer 2021.


Daniel Loumpouridis, (Remix by holymountain), singer, songwriter, engineer, composer, producer, universe builder, "U Really Don't Give A Fuck", 3 track EP "UDGAF", holymountain remix,

Karaboudjan and the colliding, dreamy "Falling Forwards"

 








"Could have, should have, who even cares?"


Karaboudjan is the indie rock solo project of songwriter, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist Billy Kim and the dense dreamy "Falling Forwards" is the 4th single from his debut album, "IMAGO". The track has an urgency pushed by heavy bass lines, guitar reflections bouncing in, captivating drum beats constructed with tom tom beats and this wonderful smashed high hat (I assume) sound, percolating dynamics and guitar rhythms and a shoegaze-esque wash of vox. The big sounds battle one another one moment and dance / intertwine with each other the next. There is a furiousness to the mix but a tenderness too in Kim's somber vocal melodies and engaging, moving lead guitar lines that pierce through. 


Kim's lost his father after years of battling Alzheimer's and Karaboudjan is a direct tribute to him. Of the musical moniker, Kim shares:


“The name had always fascinated me - it was the name of a ship in The Adventures of Tin Tin,” Kim recounts. “I remember begging my parents to take me to the library so I could check out the next book in the series with which I was so infatuated. For me, Karaboudjan reminds me of the purity of my youth and it's enormous curiosity of life unlived”


Press notes reveal emotional ties to "IMAGO" as he relocated to Union City, New Jersey in 2016 (from his home base of Fullerton in Orange County, California) as a touring member of Tycho:


[“Our apartment faced the Hudson River and we had the most incredible view of the Empire State Building. It was magical to have that view every time I looked up from my computer. It was the first time I ever lived away from home, and there was something so enchanting about the city for me. Probably because that’s where I fell in love with my wife.


Much like Karaboudjan, IMAGO is also something of a tribute to Kim's youth.

“There are two definitions, and I’m using both, the first definition is quite literal as I've reached adulthood while completing my first solo endeavor. It's like I've finally reached a stage in my life where I am comfortable enough to finally release my own music that relates to personal topics for me. The second definition is an homage to my father, who definitely influences my behavior, especially after his death.”]


-Robb Donker Curtius



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Karaboudjan is the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Billy Kim, who has toured with Tycho since 2016.

Born in Inglewood, California, but raised in Orange County, Billy grew up watching his parents play music together at home. When he was 17, he had already embarked on his first national tour across the U.S.

At the age of 23, Billy was featured in Rolling Stone after getting an opportunity to record an album with Grammy Award-Winning producer, Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Modest Mouse, Tom Waits). It was during the same time Billy lost his father after years of deteriorating from Alzheimer’s disease. Karaboudjan is a tribute to Billy's father.

“The name had always fascinated me - it was the name of a ship in The Adventures of Tin Tin,” shares Billy. “I remember begging my parents to take me to the library so I could check out the next book in the series with which I was so infatuated. For me, Karaboudjan reminds me of the purity of my youth and it's enormous curiosity of life unlived”

In 2016, Billy joined Tycho’s touring band and relocated to Union City, New Jersey where he wrote the majority of his debut EP, IMAGO.

“Our apartment faced the Hudson River and we had the most incredible view of the Empire State Building. It was magical to have that view every time I looked up from my computer. It was the first time I ever lived away from home, and there was something so enchanting about the city for me. Probably because that’s where I fell in love with my wife.

Much like Karaboudjan, IMAGO is also something of a tribute to Billy’s youth.

“There are two definitions, and I’m using both,” explains Billy. The first definition is quite literal as I've reached adulthood while completing my first solo endeavor. It's like I've finally reached a stage in my life where I am comfortable enough to finally release my own music that relates to personal topics for me. The second definition is an homage to my father, who definitely influences my behavior, especially after his death.”

Influenced by artists like Radiohead, Blur, Tame Impala, Jon Hopkins, Department of Eagles, Animal Collective, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and Simon & Garfunkel, Billy describes Karaboujdan as dreamy psych-indie rock.



Karaboudjan, indie rock, post punk, art rock, divergent rock, dream rock, alternative music,  "Falling Forwards", debut album, "IMAGO", multi-instrumentalist, singer songwriter, 

Warp Trio with Likwuid and Mirah and the cosmic chamber pop, rap, hip hop diatribe of "Welcome to the Pandemic Disco" (Official Video)

 








"making a garden stay with me...."


Warp Trio with the impactful rhymes by Likwuid and scintillating, soulful vox by Mirah on "Welcome to the Pandemic Disco" twist their unique orchestral chamber pop with conscious hip hop affections and politico rap truisms. There is such a heady density of sounds and flavors here that if you blink you might just miss something.  The members of Warp Trio sporting degrees from Julliard, Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music, and New York University are known for pushing boundaries and fusing classical orchestration through rock, jazz and filters as well as coalescing pop, hip hop, funk, neosoul sounds that the end result might be hard to describe. Call them genre agnostic, or cosmic fusion or just call them Warp Trio.


“While writing and singing these words I was thinking about the work, the effort, of fighting for justice, the purifying nature of entering into this struggle, the focus and commitment required, and also that love is at the root of what drives us to do it.” - Mirah

-Robb Donker Curtius   



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“Every chamber music program needs this kind of energy. While the beginning and ending compositions by Haydn and Brahms provided expected pleasures, it was the Warp Trio’s own jazz/tango/classical works that gave the concert a kick in the pants.”

— CAPE COD TIMES

Described as "A talented group that exemplifies the genre-obliterating direction of contemporary classical music” (Columbia Free Times), Warp Trio is an Internationally touring cross-genre chamber music experience. Reflecting the combination of Juilliard trained members juxtaposed with members steeped in rock and jazz styles, the one of a kind trio (that even has a fourth member!) can be seen performing classical works in prestigious halls on the same tour where they headline a standing room only show at a rock venue. In addition to their electrifying public performances, they have gained a reputation for their innovative educational workshops with students from grade school through university level.

Maintaining a busy performance schedule, Warp has performed hundreds of concerts all across the United States, in addition to tours throughout The United Kingdom, Spain, Switzerland, Holland, Germany, West Africa, and the Caribbean. Highlights of recent seasons include, headlining performances at The LEM Festival for Experimental Music in Barcelona, and the Omaha Under the Radar Festival, being featured guests at the 2020 MASA Jazz Festival in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, and the Sold-Out World premiere of their Triple Concerto for Piano Trio and Orchestra with the New York City based Urban Playground Chamber Orchestra. They have been one of the honored recipients of a New York Foundation for the Arts Grant, and in the 2020 season, they were the recipients of the Chamber Music America Ensemble Forward grant. Highlights of the 2021 season will include the release of their second studio album, a brand new original Triple Concerto with the ensemble Palaver Strings, and in the Summer, they will make their first trip to Canada as guest performers at The Vancouver Island Music Festival.

Their education work has led them to numerous Colleges and Universities where they have presented their original workshops and masterclasses in improvisation and creative music making. Recent highlights include, the Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester, U.K.), James Madison University, The North Carolina School of the Arts, Cal State LA, University of the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas), and SUNY Binghamton, among many others.

Individually, the members of Warp Trio hold degrees in performance from the Juilliard School, Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music, and New York University. The beneficiaries of an incredibly diverse range of education, among the ensemble, they have received chamber music training from members of the Guarneri, Juilliard, Emerson, and La Salle Quartets as well as jazz instruction from figures such as Ray Anderson, Tony Moreno, Dave Pietro, and Mike Richmond.


Warp Trio, Likwuid, Mirah, indie rock, psych pop, chamber pop, hip hop, rap, genre agnostic, "Welcome to the Pandemic Disco", orchestral rock, orchestral fusion,

Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Seafoam Walls and the trippy hybrid psych rock, jazz, funk rainbow of "Dependency"

 








"don't you show me how I gotta figure it out..."


Listening to "Dependency" by Seafoam Walls (based out of South Florida) and you feel a temperamental streak of psychedelic indie rock and neo funk jazz tones swimming underwater. Behind the shifting drums and vocal harmonies there is a floating sensation of cosmic permutations in your head or in the sky over your head. Trippy and so chill at the same time. 


Singer-songwriter and guitarist Jayan Bertrand, bassist Josh Ewers, electronic drummer Josue Vargas and guitarist Dion Kerr have coined their sound, their genre as “Caribbean Jazzgaze” to describe their distilled hybridization of jazz, shoegaze, rock, hip-hop, and Afro-Caribbean rhythms.


[Seafoam Walls’ debut album will be released late 2021 by The Daydream Library Series, the house record label of Ecstatic Peace Library operated by Eva Prinz & Thurston Moore. This is a follow-up to the band’s first EP R-E-F-L-E-C-T, released in 2018, as well as the single “ROOT” in 2019 via Bandcamp.] 


-Robb Donker Curtius




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Seafoam Walls caught the attention of cultish music and art communities around South Florida with a soundtrack befitting of their dark tropical paradise, and have remained a Miami secret since 2016. Bandleader Jayan began his journey as a musician listening to metal and classic rock. His first formal lessons after a year of self-taught practice came from family friend and talented jazz guitarist, Bemol Telfort. Although jazz wasn’t his first love, it opened his heart to explorations of free improvisation, which led to an introduction to Dion, Josh, and Josue—all active members on South Florida’s jazz scene.

The band recently attracted international rock ‘n roll consciousness following a secret all-ages matinee in the gardens of North Miami’s Centre for Subtropical Affairs with DC hardcore photographer Susie J (Teen Idles, Minor Threat, et al.) and Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore front and center. The Miami indie band completed an eight-track debut album earlier this year, mastered by Norwegian sound artist Lasse Marhaug. The album will be released on seafoam-green coloured vinyl via Daydream Library Series later this year.


Seafoam Walls, indie rock, hybrid rock, divergent rock, "Dependency", 2021 debut album, Ecstatic Peace Library operated by Eva Prinz & Thurston Moore, South Florida,

The Davenports and the beautiful slice of life story on "I'm Not Gonna Bother You" (Official Video)

 











"scattered, garbled talk behind the door..."


"I'm Not Gonna Bother You" by The Davenports, the musical project of Brooklyn based Scott Klass, feels instantly like a song in a movie. The movie would not have any car chases, or gun fu, or romantic scenes in the rain. It would likely be, though, a character study that we could all relate to full of heartbreak and hope, charming moments and devastating ones. Maybe it would have obtuse tones like a Wes Anderson flick or maybe it would show the futility of life and how love cannot save you but can give your life meaning like an Albert Brooks film. This is to say that "I'm Not Gonna Bother You" soothes you while stirring vague complications in you mind at the same time. 

With his rotating cast of musician including Claudia Chopek (Father John Misty, Springsteen, Moby), Garo Yellin (The Band’s Visit, The Ordinaires, Pere Ubu), Danny Weinkauf, Dan Miller (They Might Be Giants), Erik Philbrook, Rob Draghi, Cheri Leone and others, Klass has built a career on his ability to tell stories. Many of his works you have heard via your tv like the "Five Steps", the theme song to A&E’s Emmy-nominated "Intervention".  

Check out the slowly addictive "I'm Not Gonna Bother You" Official Video starring Rebecca Creskoff (Hung, Claws, Mad Men).


-Robb Donker Curtius 








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“Klass writes melodic confections that seep into your psyche and stay…and does so with wit and intelligence” (PopMatters).

Heard the story of the old aunt whose car keys have to be confiscated because she’s too senile to drive without potentially killing somone? Or the one about the man who stops calling his lover by her pet name because their relationship has soured? Or the one about the executive who plants a mole in his staff to find out who his detractors are?

Moment-in-time stories that drive through some of the rockiest terrain of human nature, with twists and turns of phrase and melody connecting a soundtrack that’s equal parts expansive rock and close melancholy – if you’re there, you’ve ventured into the songcraft of Brooklyn’s Scott Klass, aka The Davenports. It’s this music that’s “steeped in pop/rock—Ben Folds meets Weezer …leading you to sing along to songs you’re hearing for the first time while stories unfold of relationships gone awry….” (The Deli) that has been the foundation of The Davenports since Klass started it in 2000.

He puts it out with a rotating cast of great musicians including regular appearances by Claudia Chopek (Father John Misty, Springsteen, Moby), Garo Yellin (The Band’s Visit, The Ordinaires, Pere Ubu), Danny Weinkauf, Dan Miller (They Might Be Giants), Erik Philbrook, Rob Draghi, Cheri Leone and others.

Well-known for “Five Steps,” the theme song to A&E’s Emmy-nominated Intervention, Klass has licensed numerous songs to TV in addition to putting out four critically-acclaimed records—Speaking of The Davenports, Hi-tech Lowlife, Why the Great Gallop, and Don’t Be Mad at Me—the title cut of which PopMatters described as “...transforming cleverly from a somber progression to a full-bodied slice of pop glory.”

Don’t Be Mad at Me, marked a series of firsts for Klass. Most notably, Shirley Simms of The Magnetic Fields took lead vocal on “Miranda in Her Room”--the first Davenports song to ever feature a lead vocalist other than Klass. While the duet comes across as seamless, Klass and Simms recorded their vocals in different cities (New York and Boston, respectively), and they didn’t actually meet in person until the following year at a Magnetic Fields show.

“I’m Not Gonna Bother You,” the first song from Klass’ new material that would fit as comfortably on any Fleet Foxes record as it would on Pet Sounds, provides the soundtrack for a new video as well. The piece stars Rebecca Creskoff (Hung, Claws, Mad Men), a Victorian mansion, a kitchen timer and several well-dressed monkeys, in the actor’s first appearance in a music video. The filming also marked the first time Klass and Creskoff, old college friends, had seen each other in 25 years.

In addition to his own output, Klass/The Davenports are regular contributors to a popular series of cover projects. He provided renditions of Wham! and Randy Van Warmer songs to the compilation series’ Drink a Toast to Innocence (covering the ’70′s) and Here Comes the Reign Again (covering the ’80s)–records which also featured Mike Viola, Freedy Johnston and Rachel Yamagata. Most recently, he contributed a cover of the Paul Williams/Barbra Streisand classic “Evergreen” to the tribute record White Lace and Promises, about which Williams himself exclaimed “you made it your own -- killed it! Many thanks.”

Klass is also a member of Look Park, the new project from Fountains of Wayne frontman Chris Collingwood which also includes Philip Price of Winterpills. The trio played Japan’s Fuji Rock festival and opened for Britpop legends Squeeze on their 2016 west coast tour. Klass and Collingwood opened for British invasion staple Dave Davies of the Kinks.


The Davenports, indie rock, chill, mellow, evocative pop, "I'm Not Gonna Bother You", story telling, Look Park, singer songwriter, TV theme songs, Scott Klass, composer, musician,

Burght and the spiraling fever dream of "Bright New"













"somehow I always get away..."


From the Netherlands based Burght, their divergently shining "Bright New", from their recently released second EP "Super Variation", feels a bit like a spiraling down through a fever dream. The sounds are bent, the vocal aesthetic verging on the edge of dissonance in spots. The deeper you fall and you are into a full fledged nightmare of artful whimsy with surprising stabs of sound befitting of a Tim Burton animated otherworld and a 50's musical as sound tracked by an amalgam of Oingo Boingo, Wall of Voodoo, Kraftwerk and Brian Wilson. 

Burght say they are inspired by "both by modern pop-culture and French underground writers from the seventies" and I thoroughly believe them. Their music are surprising boxes to be opened in the still of the night or in that semi-surreal period between being asleep and awake. 

-Robb Donker Curtius 




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Born within walking distance of each other, it seems like these guys were made to make music together. But somehow it took years for them to figure this out themselves...

Luckily they finally did come to their senses at some point. Because, whether you like it or not, their music really is something else...


Burght is a pop group that makes eclectic pop music. Alternative, but in an unconventional way. They always start with the intention to finally write that perfect pop song, with that perfect pop song structure and that perfect radio friendly sound.

They have yet to succeed.


Somehow the music always seems to take them somewhere else. From melancholy reveries to fierce chaotic eruptions. From sunlit grooves to dark whipping synths. As it turns out, this four headed collective is no stranger to metric modulations and odd time signatures.

Every song is a trip. Some good, some bad. It’s up to you to judge which is which.

Just as it’s up to you to decide which trip you like better...

As adventurous as their music is, it all still sounds strangely coherent. Every song is unmistakably Burght.


Inspired both by modern pop-culture and french underground writers from the seventies, the lyrics often paint a mood that’s not necessarily in sync with the music. A nihilistic desperation is accompanied with feel good vibes. An unexpected encounter with a loved one is framed with dissonant guitars.


If you’re wondering what a collaboration of Tame Impala, Mac DeMarco and Suuns would sound like, you might like what these Burght boys have been cooking up.


According to Burght themselves the music is best to be listened to at dusk or dawn, or (as a close second) somewhere in between. According to us, you should just pull down the lights, make yourself comfortable and absorb the sounds.


They’ve just released their second EP “Super Variation” on the 9th of july.

You can also listen to their single “Somebody Got More”, which, as they will proudly tell you, is probably the closest they will ever get to that perfect pop song we’ve been talking about...

Available on all music platforms.


Burght, indie rock, divergent rock, post punk, experimental tones, lounge punk, art rock, EP "Super Variation", "Bright New" single, The Netherlands,

Saint Small and the raw cuts and poetic message of "Sins of the Father"

 







"The sins of the Fathers pass down thru the time / Try to undo all the knots in the twine..."


Saint Paul, Minnesota based Saint Small, on "Sins of the Father", cut the kind of musical swath that I love because of the raw emotionality, the punchy guitar sounds, that on one hand are bathed in punk tones but also shine with a sort of 80's power pop vibe, and a vocal aesthetic that has an immediacy of grit and delivery over being overly sung. Call it a blue collar vibe or call it something else. It is, for me, indicative of 90's college radio tones (incredible), it has a Guided By Voices gravitas with a sort of Super Chunk brightness around the edges and a Pixies like divergent storyteller aesthetic. And, again, love the vocal sound and attitude a lot here.

Of the track the band shares:

[Thinking about the hurt we put on each other across generations, especially as men, in quiet codes and louder actions, and how difficult it is to shake that history, even when you want to so badly. Fathers to sons, but also from religions, schools, governments. No one really knows where they're going or even where they've been, but here's to hope for new beginnings and better journeys. On the first new song release from Saint Small since 2019 EP, "Sins of the Father" is about how we pass on more than just hair color across generations, and how pain can carry from father to son and beyond. Recorded during the pandemic, this track will be the first of several releases for Saint Small in 2021/2022, as Manic Pop Thrill Records supports their upcoming full release, You Must Destroy What Will Destroy You.]

-Robb Donker Curtius






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Saint Small is 4 friends from Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Jim McGuinn Slusarek - guitar
Bill Muller - bass
Steve Burnett - guitar
Jimmy Olson - drums


Saint Small, Punk, Indie Rock, Alternative Rock, raw sound, lo-fi, 90's college radio tones, "Sins of the Father", Saint Paul, Minnesota,

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

MOY and the power pop / garage rock punch of "IDFR"

 








"at least we're here together..."


"IDFR" by Glasgow based MOY with the jubilant post punk lines that for me are bathed in a sort of 80's power pop punch is not afraid to celebrate the dizzy power of garage rock but also feel quite pop forward. Some of that pop sense is on account of the vocal aesthetic that have melodic pop tone combined with a sinewy soul and funk fiber provided by the band's namesake, New Zealand born Moy. 

Of the track he shares:

“‘IDFR’ is a collision of two worlds, with the first instrumental demo being created through late night jam sessions in Glasgow, and the lyrics being written in New Zealand before the band met in 2018. Re-recording the song fresh in 2021 was a trip through time. We recently acquired a rare Japanese distortion box from the ‘80s, which sparked the inspiration to make it the way it sounds today.”

-Robb Donker Curtius




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The Glasgow-based quintet debuted in 2019 with their self-released track ‘Start Me Up’. They have proved to be impossible to second guess, putting a fresh touch to influences spanning psychedelia, alternative rock, indie, grunge and power pop.


The fiery energy of ‘IDFR’ gives fans a taste of what to expect from MOY’s intense and charismatic live shows. They’re set to play both legs of the Stag & Dagger festival which hits Glasgow (November 13th) and Edinburgh (November 14th), with further shows set to be scheduled soon. For most fans it will be their first chance to catch MOY in action, as many initially discovered the band during the UK’s initial lockdown with the single ‘No Talk’s The Best Chat’.


"IDFR", alternative rock, MOY, indie rock, garage rock, 80's power pop, punchy guitars, soul laced vocals,  "IDFR", garage rock, not afraid to be pop forward, 

Johnny Hunter and the romantic horror eruption of "The Floor" (Official Video)








photo by Sam Horton


Step into the raucous flamboyant fury of "The Floor" by Aussie goth art punk outfit Johnny Hunter and you will likely either run away or dig deeper into the sound. This is not to say that Johnny Hunter is repelling, quite the opposite. There are tentacles of baroque rock red velvet curtains, of horror pop, of 80's goth pop /rock, of stylized art rock, of politico punk and more to revel in. It feels to me like a captivating amalgam of artists like The Birthday Party, Tropical Fuck Storm, The Sisters Of Mercy, and Bauhaus. I also feel a purposeful theatricality that might hinge on punk cabaret of performance art twisted into the post punk aesthetic and, personally, I love that. 


Of the track JH shares:


"The floor is the lowest point. The realization that the person you’ve become is not the person you wanted to be. When after a lifetime of casting the blame outward, the only place left to look is inward. It’s the accusation of the self and the confession to the self. The acceptance of responsibility. The rude awakening. The brute in the mirror. But above all it’s a release. It’s the clarity to know yourself well enough to see that the only way now is up."


The amazing goth punk vision for the Official Video as directed by Dakota Fisher blends in gothic, horror and romance elements befitting the Johnny Hunter aesthetic perfectly. Of the video, Dakota shares:


“I wanted to showcase the romantic and theatrical nature of Johnny Hunter’s live performance. With -The Floor - a horror ballet seemed appropriate.”


-Robb Donker Curtius



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Johnny Hunter is equal parts unfiltered anarchy and cabaret.

Johnny Hunter, indie rock, post punk, baroque rock, art rock, art punk, heavy rock, gothic pop, gothic rock, Australia, "The Floor", Official Video,

 

Lola Scott and the swirling gentle turmoil of "20"

 


photo by Mia Rankin 


No matter how old you are there is almost something magical that happens when you think of days gone by. Depending on your head space at the time, you might relive not so good times but then, again, you might refresh the computer in your head by splicing together the times when important strides were made, of grand accomplishments or loves and even the loves lost feel like gains and the possibility, the hope of new ones. There was a time when I only dwelled on the regrets, the things I didn't do or say and that is only a recipe for disaster and future failures. Please don't do that. 


I thought of the past though veiled memories and so much more when I listened to Lola Scott's intimate chill moving reflections on "20". With her lovely vocals so upfront as to feel sometimes like she is inches from your ear spilling her guts a bit and with gentle cyclical guitar patterns that feel themselves like 16mm memories, scratched up and torn she recalls relationship ashes and sparkles in beautiful ways. Her melodies are pop forward but in an almost anti-pop way, especially on the chorus as the beats anchor the sort of vintage quality in today, in now. Lovely stuff full of wistful imagery dusted with with bits of longing and hope.  


"I wrote this song about someone that I had fallen back in love with after not seeing each other for over 10 years. He was one of my first relationships when I was in high school and we ended up back together when I briefly moved back to my small hometown during isolation."


-Robb Donker Curtius


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“Synth-heavy indie pop floating in melancholic drama” - it’s the perfect description from Lola Scott herself of her multi-faceted musical stylings. Over the past 12 months, the young Sydney-based artist has worked tirelessly on expanding her musical offering.

Established as a gun-for-hire, she has toured internationally as a guitarist, racked up a bunch of co-writes and most recently set up shop as a producer – all part of her steadily evolving face as artist set to be a force to be reckoned with.

Introduced to music by her Dad who loved new-wave, post- punk synth pop and alternative rock, she quickly began piano lessons, but her love for guitar sparked with lessons from age eight. The hobby became a full-blown obsession with classical guitar studies in high school and a degree to follow. playing in a heap of college bands punctuated the process, before Scott realised that the only way to tame her inner control freak was to start a solo project.

Along the way her childhood exposure to Joy Division, The Cranberries and New Order merged with current loves of artists including Banks, Broods and Maggie Rogers – all of which have had an impact in some way on where she has arrived as an artist, and furthermore the journey to come.





Lola Scott, indie pop, chill wave, indie electronic, singer-songwriter, musician, poetic words, engaging melodies, new song, "20", Australia based,

Monday, July 26, 2021

WEIRDO and the electro rock cool of "TRANSCENDENCE" (Official Video)

 











"we've been breaking down, we can't figure out the right way..."


"TRANSCENDENCE" by Berlin / UK based WEIRDO rides a tightrope between electro pop, indie rock and funk / dance pop in a deeply hybridized way. The feeling is cool, midnight drives with dark glasses on, a sense of mystery with a catchy chorus that feels part 90's boy band and part Linkin Park-esque rock and that electro rock sense is what elevates this above many pop forward artists. 


-Robb Donker Curtius




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WEIRDO

Birmingham/Berlin


WEIRDO, Electro Pop, Indie Electronic, Indietronica, Birmingham/Berlin, indie rock, "TRANSCENDENCE",

Lord Baltimore and the slippery smooth allure of "Ketamine Tea"

 













"Something bout the look in your eye / Chilly like the weather outside... "


"Ketamine Tea" by Lord Baltimore works on your brain in many ways. The running melody is slippery and the deep big bottom synth and machine beat that (sometimes) feels like finger snaps has a cool smoky vibe. The sultriness that builds and slides smoothly like MJ dancing is incredibly alluring. The vocal melody and LB's vocal aesthetic, bumped up with an enticing self harmony is captivating. I mentioned MJ earlier who, on one hand, is far from this sound but (on the other hand) this production and the snaking dense coolness does in some alternate universe feel in some aspects like a sideways "Bad". Maybe it is just me but I can feel and hear some weird almost musically genetic connection (??). In any event, "Ketamine Tea" from Lord Baltimore's EP "Angel" is a delicious track and the video directed by Sebastian Avery feels artfully raw.

Of the track LB shares:

"This song is about phone sex, something that I’m sure we’ve all gotten quite accustomed to after our time in quarantine. I wrote it after a spontaneous night with a friend of mine. In the past I didn’t write many songs about my sexuality. Internalized religious doctrine has a way of making people late bloomers. I was saving myself till marriage until I was 18, and I didn’t learn how to properly flirt until I was 22. However, after writing this song, I can safely say that the next EP will be filthy."

Lord Baltimore's ability to render a sound and melodies that stick to your brain plus do so in an askew pop indie way on "Ketamine Tea" may make you feel high or horny. Either way it is a win win (but be safe out there).


-Robb Donker Curtius






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Lord Baltimore
New York, New York

Lord Balitmore, lo-fi, pop indie, anti pop, alternative pop, New York City, "Ketamine Tea", EP "Angel", phone sex, sultry, hooky melodies,


These Guy and the surreal pop sunshine of "Expert Manoeuvring"

 








"when I wake up ringing through my head..."


"Expert Manoeuvring" by Brisbane based These Guy and from their full length "A Long Winded Story", dropping August 6th digitally and via cassette, feels like a soundtrack for a surreal Saturday walk in the city. There is a pop sheen that mixes lo-fi-esque, sort of vintage synth sounds that provide a playful kitschiness with lush vox and a demonstrably lounge funk bottom beat. Somehow These Guy twist modern new pop affections with older 80's tones. Dig this.

[These Guy was born many moons ago, deep within the bowels of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Joe Saxby’s consciousness. Originally a solo project inspired by the late-aughts’ proliferation of bedroom recording artists, it grew into a three-piece in 2015, with the addition of Josh Coxon on guitar (aka Simi Lacroix) and Eddie L'Estrange on drums.]

-Robb Donker Curtius



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These Guy was born many moons ago, deep within the bowels of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Joe Saxby’s consciousness. Originally a solo project inspired by the late-aughts’ proliferation of bedroom recording artists, it grew into a three-piece in 2015, with the addition of Josh Coxon on guitar (aka Simi Lacroix) and Eddie L'Estrange on drums.

After cutting their teeth for a couple of years in Brisbane’s live music scene, they retreated into a so-called “working hiatus” in Canada, which featured showcases at Pop Montreal 2017. The trio then made their way back to Brisbane in late 2018, and went on their first Australian tour. In 2019, they belatedly recruited Durwin Anderson as their first-ever bass player and continued to record and release material.

The addition of band members, as well as just the natural passage of time, has allowed a process of continual sonic decluttering and renewal for These Guy. As a band, they’ve gradually refined Saxby’s initial one-guy vision into a smoother and calmer these-guy vision, which, however, remains aglow with a characteristically erratic and naïve sonic expressionism.


These Guy, Lo-fi Rock, Indie Pop, indie rock, alt pop, shiny pop, "Expert Manoeuvring", album, "A Long Winded Story", Australia,

Saturday, July 24, 2021

The Lipschitz and the dual pole punk electricity of "squabble" (Official Video)

 











"you say you got nothing to lose..."


Upon first listen, stepping into the pounding punk / garage rock fray of "squabble" by Chicago's The Lipschitz, I flashed on other duo's like Los Angeles' Surf Curse (early days) or trios like Beach Goons or even bands with several members like Osees. The shared nucleic acid being a punchy sort of surf punk or non surf punk on high gleefully raucous and or rabid and with the inclusion (often) of tom tom beats, gotta have tom tom beats. It is a sound that you will know when you hear it and will engender flailing moshing arms and eye pokes for the young (and sometimes young at heart). I am digging The Lipshcitz' snarky attitude, dynamic drumming, boy girl vox and Daniel Brady's vocal aesthetic that reminds me a bit (old reference ahead) of  Stan Ridgway.


"squabble" song and video is released ahead of The Lipschitz' full length "Chevron" dropping July31st (2021) via Company Businesses Inc. The Lipschitz is comprised of Rachael Brianna (vocals/drums) and Daniel Brady (vocals/guitar).


-Robb Donker Curtius





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The Lipschitz is a music partnership by Rachael Brianna (vocals/drums) and Daniel Brady (vocals/guitar). Formed in 2015 in Savannah, GA and now based in Chicago, IL – the duo blend elements of post punk, art rock, indie and garage rock into a slurry of sonic apathy, and airhead sarcasm. Their debut LP Chevron releases 7/31 on Company Businesses Inc, following their 2019 cassette release LAVA on Not Normal Tapes.

The Lipschitz, punk, garage rock, surf punk, alternativer rock, punk duo, "Squabble", full length upcoming, "Chevron", edgy, divergent punk, Chicago,

1st Base Runner and the dark sonic allegory of "Break Even" (Official Video)

 











"what was it you said I had to be to get to heaven..."


From the onset, 1st Base Runner's spiraling musical vision "Break Even" feels darkly cinematic and is made even more so by iconic music video director Matt Mahurin (Tom Waits, Alice in Chains, and more). At the creative core and behind the quizzical musical moniker is Austin based Tim Husmann. While the pulsating synths, beautifully heavy ascensions that feel like the dark side of heaven and a beat that feels tethered to ancient grounds stir up a sense of drama and mystery, it is Husmann's vocal aesthetic that draws you in hypnotically, gravitationally. His voice has a cool mystique anchored in an ease, self awareness and confidence that is further anchored in an obvious belief in the music, in the art. This makes for a perfect storyteller voice. You want to sit around the campfire with wide eyes and open ears to absorb the narrative. 

Husmann shares:

"This song is about the expectations other people place upon us in life. This could and should include life partners, parents, and authoritarian figures in general. It is written from the perspective of an adolescent trying to find meaning in the world. It attempts to reconcile the void between what is often given as advice and the underlying truths of what it means to be human and to be at peace with one's existence. This is also intertwined with other people's interpretations of a vengeful creator and the pitfalls of projecting anger on the behalf of a deity. The instrumental sections of the song are intended to carry the listener away and into the deeper chasms of meaning and purpose." 

The video is, simply put, a trip, dark and gothically drawn. "Break
 Even" the 3rd track to be released via Universal Music Group is from the forthcoming album 'Seven Years of Silence' (due July 30).


-Robb Donker Curtius



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Music is a compulsion. In another life, Husmann performed with international acts at storied venues all across North America from the Troubadour and the Fillmore to Montreal's St. James United Church, playing drums, synths, and arranging electronic live setups. For the 1st Base Runner mastermind, a hiatus of seven years was necessary to clear out the creative coffers of past projects in order to forge ahead with a fresh new sound. Striking out on his own he sought to coalesce his inspirations into an endeavour that tied together his love of vintage synthesizers, atmospheric musical acts, and surrealist cinema. With all this musical flotsam and jetsam floating around in his head, he was compelled to make his long awaited return to the scene.


Seven Years of Silence is a testament to patience and precise planning. Tim Husmann works with the meticulousness of a Reznor or slow play masters Godspeed You! Black Emperor, wrapping each of his astral post-punk pieces in airy layers of cosmic synthesis. 'Only One' takes clanging eastern bells and repurposes them for a rainy Bristol mood. 'All Thoughts' hits at the essence of gothic pop, brooding crooning over a danceable beat and an infectious melody. 'Pirouette' creates a suspenseful dreamworld scene with Husmann's gravelly whisper offering words of support, like a boxing coach giving last minute guidance before the next round. The record maintains its grainy glow from start to finish enveloping the listener in rich analog goodness.


Born in Amarillo, Texas and residing for most of his adult life in Austin, Husmann now lives in the hills outside of the hip cultural capital. He crafts his concertos conveying the ironies of the human condition from the privacy of his personal studio on the acreage. A highway burn removed from the neon distraction of Sixth Street and the live music crucible of the Red River District, Husmann can channel the wind whistling through the thicket on those vast Texas plains to inspire the airy waves of cascading sonics that proliferate Seven Years of Silence.


Alongside the release of the album, 1st Base Runner is releasing music videos for 'Break Even' and 'Only One' directed by visually-arresting visionary video director Matt Mahurin. Of the music film maestro, Husmann says: “I really respect Matt a lot. I find his technique to be incredibly unique. He has a very wonderful way of combining moving image with painting and still photography. He also does all of it himself at his private studio”. The director is responsible for Sturgill Simpson's 'In Bloom' and Tom Waits' 'Hell Broke Luce' videos. Both feature a striking set of heightened reality visuals and demonstrate a style perfectly tailored to Husmann's cinematic compositions.


1st Base Runner will also release a five-track EP Ellis later this summer with a more pop-leaning dub sound. Seven Years of Silence is out April 8th on limited edition vinyl LP as well as all major streaming platforms.


1st Base Runner, darkwave, gothic tones, art rock, Trip-Hop, Shoegaze, Alternative Rock, "Break Even", new album, "Seven Years of Silence", singer-songwriter, musician, Tim Husmann,

Friday, July 23, 2021

Dad Hat and the soulful pop indie sunshine of "Florist" featuring Angela

 









photo by Connie Edward


There is so much to like about "Florist" by L.A. based pop /rock / indie duo Dad Hat (and featuring Maddie's sis Angela on vox) but I have to admit that the slippery smooth guitar licks dipped in jazz tones might be what hooked me into the soulful pop fray. I liked the jazz affections that, in some ways, hit me with a bit of nostalgia. The penchant for blending in jazz with pop and Angela's sultry earthiness on vox felt very 80's tonally, a time when popular acts like Sade or Hall and Oats would dip into jazz modes besides just R&B and soul / funk / pop.  


“We were so excited to blend our musical stylings with Angela’s artistry”, says Steven Gudino, singer/guitarist. “Her voice elevates the emotion of the track to a new level -- you can really feel a sense of intimacy when she sings”.

-Robb Donker Curtius


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Dad Hat is a So-Cal based group made up of two friends looking to make some wavy tunes. Blending Indie, Lo-Fi, Jazz, and Classic Rock influences, this guitarist / keyboardist duo are just trying to have a good time, and sound good doing it.


Dad Hat, Surf Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Indie Rock, "Florist", Los Angeles, duo, guitar, keyboards, vox, genre blending,

Trouvère and the existential emotional orbit of "Satellite" (Official Video)

 











"time is spinning too fast, so it seems so slow 'tll the good times show..."


There is something about Trouvère's indie chilled "Satellite" that feels so soothing and so exquisitely embracing. This effect cannot just be attributed to the chill swinging cadence, the psych filtered space guitar work, the two step bass dance or Dwight McGlynn's beautifully earnest and emotionally malleable vocal aesthetic asking existential questions. It might be all those things but something undefinable too, maybe having to do with the somber lyrics and the kind of 70's pop idolatry that maybe had to do with something heartfelt over tropey. A song like this feels so classic and pervasive that it could of existed back then (actually) most likely crafted by Harry Nilsson and George Harrison. Lovely stuff and an equally lovely and disarming Official Video. 


-Robb Donker Curtius 



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Relocating from upstate New York, Dwight McGlynn (Singer-songwriter), moved to Lynchburg Virginia in 2012 to study Classical Guitar. After playing in several bands, McGlynn formed Trouvére with its original members Jay Bisaga (bass), Riley Ball (drums), and Stevie Mangum (Lead E.G.). In the early stages, the group built their sound by playing numerous house shows and venues around the Lynchburg region. Growing in familiarity, the group became known as a staple band in the Lynchburg music scene. After several months of playing, the group entered the studio to record their freshman EP, St. Luna. The EP gained some traction in the area; getting online streaming as well as radio play on Charlottesville's WNRN. The group synthesized a dynamic sound that utilizes ambience with intriguing harmonic structure and transparent lyrics.

In the fall of 2017, Trouvére relocated to Morganton NC with a rotating outfit of members; Dwight McGlynn still remaining as songwriter and producer of the project. Since, when not teaching public school music, McGlynn has been writing new tunes under Trouvére and has been playing local venues around Western North Carolina. Working with Peter Brownlee out of Asheville, NC Trouvére is currently recording their second EP, to be released this fall.


Trouvère, Psychedelic Rock, Indie Rock, Alternative Rock, dreamy, beautiful, poetic, somber, "Satellite", North Carolina, Official Video