‘The end times end, we all sing along, one short verse thirteen bars, the force of fifty collapsing stars…’
I have to be honest. It’s been a fair while since I last heard a chorus that instantaneously made me want to set stuff on fire. Welcome back then Empty Country, whose new cut Erlking has been burning up the outer edges of the airwaves over recent weeks.
Returning three and a half years after their self-titled debut, the project led by Connecticut based artist and former Cymbals Eat Guitars frontman Joseph D’Agostino have announced a new album, Empty Country II, split between Get Better Records (US) and Tough Love Records (UK.)
Tying in with the overarching theme of Empty Country II, Erlking sees D’Agostino’s stunningly emotive vocal rally against the political corruption and gun violence running riot at present across the US, doing so amid a backdrop of soaring, searching guitars and a rhythm section that operates with devastating passion and precision.
For all the crushing weight of its far reaching narrative, Erlking stands tall as a truly great song, and serves as a perfect introduction to D’Agostino’s unique musical landscape. Empty Country II arrives November 3rd.
Pre order now via Tough Love Records (UK) and Get Better Records (US)
David West’s Jolly In The Bush seemed to largely slip through the cracks after its release early last year, which was a real shame as it’s gloriously off-kilter electronic pop was amongst the finest and deepest of the year.
In addition to various other fingers in various other pies, West also fronts Perth based collective Rat Columns, who’s new single Cerulean Blue hints at a darker, heavier switch in style and sound. Sign of the times I guess.
Slowing down the pace from the punchily romantic power-pop of 2021’s Pacific Kiss, Cerulean Blue sees the band turning inward, treading wearily between two huge chords as a glacial lead riff does the heavy lifting in and around West’s softly authoritative vocal.
How bands can still make this kind of thing sound so new this far into the game is completely wild to me, but long may it continue. Music to soundtrack all the many ‘how’s?’ and ‘why’s?’ that we all seem to be drowning in right now, new album Babydoll arrives 20th October.
Times are weird. You know it, I know it, Helpful People know it. The majority of us are facing struggle of one kind or another. Kindness and truth crushed beneath power grabs and petty politics, art continuously devalued and discarded. Bay Area creatives have consistently been a shining light in the fight back against such overwhelming grimness, and this project features two of the very best.
For those not already aware, Helpful People combines the talents of Glenn Donaldson (The Reds, Pinks & Purples) and Carly Putnam (The Oilies), and on debut album BrokenblossomThreats they have tapped into what it is to be an artist, what it is to be human, in these strangest of days.
Whilst chiming lead single Bugs From Below proved that Donaldson’s fuzz-infused janglepop brew is as potent as ever, it is Putnam’s presence here that brings new energy and a different kind of magic. Her vocals are delivered plainly and without affectation, ensuring each abstract truth cuts through with a pure, raw power, like jagged fragments of some distant dream.
As the album progresses, subtly different grooves and ideas rise to the surface. Your Movie contains an insidious guitar riff that offsets the jangle operating at its core, whilst Backwards Mirror is driven by fiercely melodic acoustic guitars that become increasingly buried by swathes of ocean deep feedback, as the song and all of its pent-up emotion threaten to spiral out of control.
Across Brokenblossom Threats’ twelve tracks, Helpful People have taken a familiar formula and injected it with new life. A collaboration between two such creative souls was always likely to yield special results, and with this album Putnam and Donaldson have created a work of great depth and a very real beauty.
Available now via Tall Texan (Vinyl) or Burundi Cloud Music (Digital)
After capturing audiences across this year with their unique nocturnal psychfolk wanderings, Southend based collective Yes Today have now given a full release to their first recorded works, 2022 Demos.
Recorded prior to Roy Thirlwall (Melodiegroup/The Windmills) joining the group on bass, these six beautifully sparse arrangements feature the core trio of Amy Glover, Amy McKenny and Claire Keech, with drums courtesy of Totnes based Toby French and production and some additional instrumentation from James Hoare, formerly of UK indie heavyweights Veronica Falls (Slumberland Records) and Ultimate Painting (Trouble In Mind Records.)
Delivered with an ethereal beauty, it is the lyrics and vocals of Glover that provide the projects heart and soul. Her acoustic based songs of loss and regret are brought to life however by the vital, contrasting contributions of her bandmates. McKenny’s violin is sorrowful and deep, whilst Keech provides some distant light with her weaving, intricate clarinet lines.
Be it the gentle folk of Moon, the vocal push-pull of Too Far From, or the mantra like If Only, none of these songs offer any of the comfort or illusion of resolution. Questions and emotions are left hanging deliberately and delicately in the air, stating with devastating clarity that some things just are, and will likely always remain that way.
Yes Today’s enchanting, difficult truths offer new perspective and new ways of facing up to age-old problems. Serving as a fitting entry point into their world whilst they complete work on their debut album, these recordings point the way to a bright future for this most special of bands.
Anything new from the beautifully creative mind of Jason Lambeth is cause for celebration, but news of his first vinyl release courtesy of the wonderful Madrid based label Meritorio Records is truly next level stuff.
Red Pants is Lambeth’s collaboration with fellow Madison, Wisconsin based artist Elsa Nekola, and the duo have just released Witching Hour, the lead single from forthcoming album Not Quite There Yet. It is a fuzzy, droning delight that will capture your heart in an instant, riding in on a riptide of warmth and intensity.
Staying true to the DIY indie aesthetic of previous recordings but adding just a little polish, Lambeth weaves his subtle, melodic vocal in and out of a barrage of dirty riffing and fluid, driving bass work, whilst Nekola’s rhythms drive the song forcefully forward.
Witching Hour is the perfect introduction to Jason Lambeth’s creative wonderland. With a back catalogue full of treasures waiting to be discovered and their best work to date about to be released, it seems Red Pants’ time is very much now.
Following on from their early limited EP tape releases and subsequent self-titled compilation for Paisley Shirt Records (tape) and Dandy Boy Records (vinyl) back in 2021, Oakland noise-pop trio Blue Ocean have returned with news of their first long player.
Fertile State is the lead single and title track from the bands debut album coming soon via Slumberland Records, and for me it serves as a timely reminder of how dangerous guitar music can still be. It isn’t the lyrics or melodies that pull me into Blue Ocean’s orbit here, but the sound, the sound is everything.
As soon as you think you have this tune figured out, it shifts another gear. Guitars and electronics veer from punk rock to space rock in a heartbeat, with rhythms set to the tightest kind of loose propelling us towards the sun. I suppose there’s elements of shoegaze to be found in its relentless shuffle, but again that label doesn’t really fit when the whole thing is pointing so beautifully skyward.
I’m sure there are a ton of cool bands from the past and present that I could use as a vague reference point here but I prefer to focus on what Fertile State doesn’t sound like. This isn’t easy listening, there isn’t a hook to snare you or any of the usual comforts of the familiar. With this release, Blue Ocean take the basic fundamentals of indie rock and twist them into infinite shapes and possibilities. Essential.
I was first drawn toward Oakland indie rockers The 1981 when I saw the hype building for last years Polaroids EP. I was hooked by the beautifully retro artwork before I’d even heard a note, and the fact they were part of the wonderful Dandy Boy Records sealed the deal.
Fast forward a year and the band are preparing to release their debut full length album Move On. Lead single Make It Right served as a fine introduction to their eighties influenced indie aesthetic with its anthemic power pop energy, and latest cut Notebox is their most immediate statement to date.
Continuing the albums wider narrative of a fictional couples relationship slowly crumbling, Notebox stomps out of the traps, with core duo Adam Widener and Bobby Martinez bolstered by Phil Lantz’s pounding drum track. Equal parts surging guitars and lilting melodies, this track will appeal to folk across the indie spectrum and is sure to help bring The 1981’s wonderful work further out into the light.
Each new tune I hear from this band raises my excitement for what’s to come next. This is music for the soul, rousing and soothing in equal measure. Move On is available now for pre-order, and is shaping up to be one of the albums of the year. Don’t sleep.
Alternatively, you can visit http://www.sfob.co.uk and scroll down to the widget at the bottom of the page.
Lastly, you can find the show by searching for Ship Full Of Bombs at Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Deezer, Mixcloud and all other leading podcast apps.
There is something truly sublime about the music of Tony Jay. It goes all in on emotions that others will only hint at, and is never afraid to let the songs vulnerability be their strength.
Headed by San Francisco lo-fi legend Michael Ramos, new album Perfect Worlds will soon be arriving via the esteemed Slumberland Records, and for the uninitiated, it’s freshly released title track serves as the perfect introduction to Tony Jay’s perfectly imperfect pop.
Glistening with a just a little more clarity than previous releases, but losing none of the fragile magic that sets Tony Jay’s songs apart, Perfect Worlds is sure to bring comfort and gentle release from the chaos that surrounds us all, whilst still asking enough questions to ensure we don’t get too comfortable.
‘One day the words will come to me, can you believe them?’ asks Ramos with that unmistakably cracked croon, and when entrusting us with art this vividly real, how can we do anything but.
There is a startling amount of great stuff happening on the Oakland based Dandy Boy Records at the moment, and this wonderful new tune from Smile Too Much might just be my pick of the bunch.
You Can’t Help Me is the lead track from the Oakland bands upcoming self titled EP, and it’s a hazy, melodic delight. Melancholic guitars fuzz in and around the dual vocals of Maggie Aytac and Louis Bilman, combining to create the happiest kind of summer sadness.
Evoking the halcyon days of early nineties indie when it felt as if the right chord change could alter the trajectory of your life, it can’t be easy making it sound this easy. That unique Bay Area spirit is fully intact, and soul seeps from their every heavy hearted note. It’s all but impossible to resist Smile Too Much’s restless charm when it hurts this good.
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