Even if you know who Magazine is, do me a favor and just watch the first number, eh? So freakin’ awesome. And newcomers – tell me how many 21st century acts kinda sorta sound like this, inimitable vocals aside. Howard Devoto is a weird guy. He’s also a genius. And not very consistent in his …
Bright eyed, tousle-headed and with a look halfway between penitence and innocence, James Leesley (aka Studio Electrophonique) conjures a sound akin to the dream where Bill Ryder-Jones fronts The Velvet Underground with echoes of Cherry Ghost drifing in there for good measure. Cinematic, melodic, warm – efficient in arrangement yet intricate in detail. Studio Electrophonique …
DJ Baba The Raptor is the godfather of Caracas, Venezuela’s underground dance music. And a regional music hero. If you’re familiar with the political/economic/social situation in Venezuela, you know it’s not easy to be a musician in Caracas, but DJ Baba the Raptor continues to bring dance music and pulsing experimental music (and joy!) to …
‘KEYS’, possesers of the communion and redemptive powers of Rock & Roll are unmistakably back, kicking the doors down on their way to steal our hearts all over again! The second single taken from their eagerly anticipated new album is the gloriously titled ‘I Only Want Want You For Your Rock And Roll’. Following on from …
Allow me to present the new LP, Smoke and Glass, from the production duo, Alex Haas & Bill Laswell, which was released this week and has been setting the internet aflame. These guys are engineers & producers who’ve been recording hits in NYC’s music scene since the late 70s, putting their stamp on projects by …
One of the highlights of my Seattle work day: during a ten minute break I innocently stretched to 15, I walked into Lenny’s Grocery and shopped for fresh vegetables as I strummed and sang through Frank Sinatra’s ‘That’s Life’ and Dean Martin’s ‘That’s Amore’. The folks there love it when I bring my guitar and …
Juno Roome, the ace honcho of a. harlana, recently got some of his many, many talented friends together and filmed several live videos with loop oriented versions of his songs. This is similar to the way that Juno performs for solo gigs. The shots are beautiful. It looks and sounds fantastic. The most recent releases, …
Bat For Lashes, aka Natasha Khan, has unveiled her new song, “The Hunger,” from her highly anticipated new album Lost Girls out on September 6 via AWAL Recordings. The video for “The Hunger,” which Khan directed and stars in, is shot in an otherworldly nowhere place, and reveals Khan’s character Nikki Pink’s rise as the head priestess of the Lost Girls, spreading magic and light …
This video is intense. Frankie Swain has today released the emotive video for her new single “Emergency Alarms.” Directed by Alan Dunne and produced by Stubborn Monkey Media, “Emergency Alarms” reflects on how important it is to reach out to friends in time of need. “It’s so important today that we reach out to friends …
Paper Idol has shared his new track “Feel Real Pretty” on Grimy Goods. When talking about the track Matan KG says, “I wrote “Feel Real Pretty” while working as a project manager in Copenhagen; the brutally-long hours in the office brought my imagination to interesting places. One day, the story for the song popped in my head: some guy …
Negativland have announced their new LP True False and shared the track “Discernment” on Billboard — a mainstay of their live sets for nearly 20 years, yet unreleased until now. Describing the track, the band has declared, “If our nervous systems have been conditioned to react to the language of broadcast media with instinctive skepticism, the …
“Cash,” the latest, greatest single from LA-based, pop contessa Teddi Gold mixes bass-heavy Caribbean vibes with innovative top 40-tinged hooks and mixes it all with cheeky commentaries on society. This is an ironic banger about wealth inequality. Its’ lush exterior helps the weighty message go down with a spoon full of sugar 😉 https://www.facebook.com/teddigold/
Have a listen to LGB ambient guitarist FerrariLover. Her haunting overtures give off an otherworldly vibe, rife with delicate sonic ideas. Her genre-defying musical sets present a liberating mise-en-scène perfect for bringing to life a fantastical spiritual drama, perhaps something written and danced by PJ Harvey and scored by the young Philip Glass. Or something …
If you have ever imagined what Lou Reed fronting post-rock innovators ‘Slint’ with some Jonathan Richman ‘The Modern Lovers’ two chord interplay driving it all would sound like?…. Well here’s Papur Wal and their ambitious double A side singles ‘O’n Ni’n Ffrindia’ and ‘When He’s Gone’. Papur Wal returned to work again with Cardiff producer …
With dreamy sounds and a silky smooth voice, Ghaniyya Ghazi is a up-and-coming 17-year old Indonesian R&B singer and songwriter. Her music draws from a mix of Electro/Pop and Blues. She first started writing music at 14 and is inspired by Ella Fitzgerald, Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse and H. E. R. Ghaniyya’s latest song, “The …
More than a few genre-bending artists have thrown their country music hats into the ring by reimagining Johnny Cash‘s mariachi-infused meditation on the “south of the equator” lady part, “Ring of Fire.” [The anatomical origin of the song is alleged by Johnny Cash’s first wife, Vivian Liberto, in her memoir, I Walked the Line: My …
This video features PRO SKATEBOARDER STEFAN JANOSKI. This is good. I wouldn’t want to bother with a video featuring an amateur. Originally recorded for 1994’s NEW TIMES, this latest version of “I’m Nothing” sees a featured appearance from pro skateboarder Stefan Janoski. A lifelong Femmes fan, Janoski has also teamed with the band to create the Nike SB …
MoMo Releases New Single “Tumba” MoMo makes her way to the Latin American music industry Miami, Florida – July 26, 2019, The singer, dancer and actress, MoMo, is preparing to hypnotize the Latinx audience with her new duet “Tumba,” which premiered July 19th, alongside Jamaican singer, Konshens. The feminist artist, Monique González a.k.a. MoMo, is …
French-Caribbean singer Adeline (pronounced ad-uh-leen) has released a sizzlin’ new summer jam, the disco-inflected burner “When I’m Alone”. Released July 26 on Razor-N-Tape Records, the single bundle includes remixes by Jaques Renault, Dirty Channels, and J-Kriv & Peter Matson. “When I’m Alone is my homage to disco,” says Adeline. “It’s a tribute to my heroes of the …
The Bird and The Bee have released “Hot For Teacher”, a cover of one of the many hits off Van Halen’s 1984 and the final song released by the pioneering rock group’s original lineup. The Bird and the Bee’s distinctive take on the song is sans guitar and with an unmistakable spoken word cameo from …
The Swedish artist David Åhlén, who has been called the Arvo Pärt of indie pop, releases a new single with the track “Morning Without Clouds” taken from his most recent album Hidden Light (2016) – now with a new remake by Mit Tim. The single is produced, mixed and mastered by Manne von Ahn …
Set for release in September and spanning 10 tracks upcoming album, Lost Girls sees Bat For Lashes aka Natasha Khan dreaming up her own fully-formed parallel universe, creating an off-kilter coming of age film in which gangs of marauding female bikers roam our streets and teenagers make out on car hoods. In this video we …
Some years ago I became fond of a redemption-ish song called “Halo” by Melodime. I still am. Give it a listen here. In the years since then Melodime has recorded a great country-rock wedding song, “If You Will, Then I Do.” The video is below. https://www.melodime.com/ They have several Northwest concert performances coming up: Lola’s …
This is the first single from the upcoming album, Smoke and Glass by Alex Hass & Bill Laswell. www.alexhaas.com The collaboration between musician/artist Alex Haas and bassist/producer Bill Laswell is an homage to the organized chaos and flux of their changing city. NYC has been their creative muse since the late 70’s when they met, …
Here’s the Sanyo M9970, my favorite (and by far the best-performing!) of the half-dozen boomboxes I’ve owned since the mid-’70s! It was purchased on 28th August 1980 for $149.00, at the Woolworth’s in my hometown of Havre, Montana, per my mom Elaine’s meticulous notations in the owner’s manual. Such an incredible addition to my senior …
When East Portland Blog asked me to interview Veronica Fusaro from songwriter to songwriter I was intrigued. After listening to her music I was thrilled and excited to meet the artist behind that mesmerizing voice. Her songs create a feeling that draws you into them until you are caught in their story and melody – …
On the warm summer evening of July 21 Seattle’s Showbox hosted the stellar double bill of Bowling for Soup and Reel Big Fish. This was a show not to be missed. Bowling for Soup played last and this was my third time seeing them. As much as I enjoyed their last two shows, this one …
“I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing on the moon and returning safely to Earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind or more important for the long-range exploration of space. And none will be so difficult or …
Continuing with today’s Beatles theme… my favorite song by anyone, I suppose. From one of my favorite movies; it’s terribly silly, but you can’t beat the cinematography… or that music. I don’t know why I’ve always loved this song so much, other than I can relate to the sentiments and phrases. It’s the greatest sing-along. …
A Beatles album’s ability to take you away from wherever you are, perhaps even from what you are, has always been one of the band’s strongest selling points. Rubber Soul, Magical Mystery Tour, Sgt. Pepper’s, Help!, The Beatles For Sale, and this one – they take you places. As exciting as the first song is, …