STRATEGIC ARTIST ADVOCACY SINCE 1997
"Intricate indie rock guitars, silken new wave synths, jazzy chord changes, and a love for irresistible pop melody."
What else do you need?!
Hear another track from the debut EP by Movie Jail before it drops this Friday on Desperate Spirits!
Thanks to Under the Radar for premiering "Stop At The Mark" which you can listen to during your lunch break, when you're picking up the kids from school, while walking the dog...
I'm out of suggestions!
A comedian is bombing so badly that his microphone decides to make an escape. Comedy is not pretty!
Have some fun watching the "Call The Neighbors" video from Movie Jail over at MAGNET! Hobart Rowland proclaims it a "hooky sonic barrage,” and damn if that's not what I need after my bowl of egg whites and spinach.
Debut EP (mixed by John McEntire of Tortoise who also contributes vibraphone) out March 3 on Desperate Spirits! "Call The Neighbors" single is out now and available here.
In its premiere coverage of the debut single by Opal Eskar, Philadelphia's NPR-affiliate WXPN writes, "Longtime Philly scenesters Chet Delcampo (of Hong Kong Stingray and more) and Heyward Howkins teamed up with the comparatively new-to-town Karl Blau on a dreamy new project called Opal Eskar.
"Dappled in light bongo beats, a rippling guitar undercurrent, and layered vocal harmonies, the project’s new single is a Philly answer to Phosphorescent... 'Sunlight Is Breakin’ Out' is a reflection of the languid heat wave energy while a solid means of keeping sonically cool."
The debut self-titled EP by Opal Eskar is scheduled for release on May 19, 2023 via Spiral Valley Records.
"Juxtaposing new wave guitar scratch against lush and shimmering Stereolab-style loungey electronic elements and intricate rhythmic shifts and time signature changes."
People of Earth! Please call the neighbors (including those newly discovered beyond our planet) about "Call The Neighbors" by Movie Jail, streaming now over at the very fine Treble Zine.
Listen now, and pre-save the single, which drops this Friday, here.
Debut EP out March 3 from Desperate Spirits!
Hi! The third single from the upcoming 𝘚𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘦 by Pacifico (February 10, Pacifirecords) comes out this Friday and Glide Magazine has the video for "Comatose" today!
The site explains that Matthew Schwartz "conveys a sense of wisdom in the lyrics, which he sings in a way that is both jaded and exuberant to capture the mood. With its bouncy bass line and plenty of explosive guitar flourishes, the song ultimately feels like a cathartic rocker."
I'll add that if you dig a stadium-sized chorus, you will find one here!
"Envisioned as an imaginary B-side to Bruce Springsteen’s cover of 'Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town,' the song is an upbeat rocker that carries a bittersweet sadness."
Hey! While you're out there contributing to the economy today, take a moment for this soon-to-be-classic holiday number by Sloan Brothers.
"Ain’t Goin’ Home This Christmastime" is streaming exclusively today at Flagpole Magazine and will land at all streamers on Tuesday. Click for your life!
"The vibe is reaching levels of ultimate leisure... Dani Meza and company have captured the purest essence of this backdrop with utter confidence."
I love this so much because that's what these songs are all about.
CHILL VIBES.
The third in a series of three-song EPs by the crushedvelvets is out this Friday and you can hear "Neon Nights (Chinatown)" over at Ghettoblaster Magazine right now. Click for your life.
"Impeccable melodic instincts... abrasively beautiful."
Kind words from MAGNET Magazine this morning about I Was A King, as we are given the new video for the new single from the new album.
BrooklynVegan says that "Growing Wild" goes into "more melancholy territory, while keeping the hook count high" and Donald Milne's video for the song perfectly captures the mood.
The full-length 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘔𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘮𝘦 arrives October 28. Click for your life!
We've got another Ivory Fields single dropping today! "Blasted" premiered yesterday over at New Noise Magazine.
Ivory Fields is the duo of Mahadev (Gangi, Fake Estates, Current Pathways) and Ale Cohen (Pharaohs Languis, dublab).
“Ale came up with the title ‘Blasted’ first, which inspired the song,” says Mahadev. Cohen adds, “‘Blasted’ is our closest example of a pop track, but in our own abstract and cosmic way.”
According to New Noise, “Indeed, the music here often feels like it is both floating just out of grasp and overwhelming and omnipresent at the same time.” Click for your life!
The third of three three-song EPs by the crushedvelvets lands on October 21 and we've got the new track "Stun Gun" streaming today over at New Noise Magazine.
Stereo Embers previously described Dani Meza's sounds as "Dreamy and soulful shuffles... the night-kissed grace of Julee Cruise and poetic finesse of the Jazz Butcher."
Big ups to Heather Sommerhauser's backing vocals.
Quiet beauty. Click gracefully.
I love what video director Alex Pelly did with the debut Ivory Fields single "As If.” She says, "The 'As If' video illuminates the band in flashes of warm and cold light generated through audio reactive modular video synthesis, and filmed on an 80s security camera."
See it now over at Glide Magazine. They say the song is "brimming with a melange of enticing synth sounds that keep you listening. The music is danceable and mysterious, with a touch of 80s contrasting with its distinctly modern sound."
Go see and hear for yourself and pre-save the debut album (out October 28) here.
cc: Ale, Mahadev, Pharaohs, Languis, dublab, Gangi, Fake Estates, Current Pathways
Photo by Jeanette Getrost.
The Harry Styles hit "As It Was" became the fourth longest-running #1 single of all-time on the Billboard Hot 100 yesterday, so we can't wait any longer to jump on the bandwagon and bring you the J Hacha De Zola cover we promised last week!
Many thanks out to Cover Me for posting this one!
They say, "No matter his source material, he’s more likely to invoke garage rock or Tom Waits than he is the Top 40 charts. And that holds on his latest, a wild reimagining of Harry Styles’ monster hit 'As It Was' complete with pounding percussion, spooky vocals, and a big flamenco-horn finish."
As I mentioned last week, I had never heard this song (I since have, many times, haha!) and I have to say that I now love what J did with it even more. He took the emotional core and soul of this tune and turned it way up!
J Hacha De Zola's version of "As It Was" hits all streamers tomorrow. We'll have some new Hacha album news for you later this week, too!
Photo credit: Christine Samaroo
The fine folks of Fecking Bahamas invite you to "take a jaunt through something else entirely" via "Calm Sea," the latest video from Portland's bass & vibraphone duo CLIFFWALKER, aka Cliff Hayes (CARCRASHLANDER) and A. Walker Spring (Old Time Relijun).
"At once a breath of fresh air and a deeply nostalgic look into the 1960’s aesthetic... comparisons to espionage composers like John Barry or Lalo Schifrin... The duo casually skirts past math rock, jazz, and minimalist classical like ships in the night."
The video is a beautiful assemblage of clips from the film Impressions of a Drowned Man, with the blessing of its director, Kyros Papavassiliou.
He says, "The film is about the responsibility towards the preciousness of life, and about the responsibility of offering without waiting for something in exchange."
Painted Gray Sky — the debut EP by CLIFFWALKER — is out now.
Librarians of the world! You are seen! I promised you a video of Alex Lilly dancing with books in a Berlin library and now I am delivering!
"Pure Drivel" is taken from Alex's upcoming new album 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘐𝘴 𝘈 𝘚𝘪𝘯 (October 21, Release Me Records) and it's a fun take on a serious topic: book banning.
Alex says, "Germans are quite strict about filming in public places. This wonderful library allowed us to bring a choreographed dance routine."
"Pure Drivel" features contributions from Inara George of the bird and the bee and Griffin Goldsmith of Dawes.
Do what's right and click for your life!
How often do you hear a song that is a "synth filled anthem to booklovers and librarians?"
Now you can!
Check out "Pure Drivel," the first single from the new Alex Lilly album 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘐𝘴 𝘈 𝘚𝘪𝘯 (out October 21 via Release Me Records) over at mxdwn or here:
"Its lyricism is an ode to banned books whose themes are often challenged in schools and other public spaces such as libraries whether they be LGBTQIA+ or racial justice based."
All true. And it's also a jam and it also has a FAB video featuring FULL-ON dance sequences shot in a Berlin library which we will show you TOMORROW!