19 year old Molly Burman has returned with her latest single, Everytime, following on from the success of her debut release Fool Me With Flattery last month, alongside its accompanying music video. Watch and listen below.
Everytime is another promising release from Molly, a slice of empowering slacker-pop which is effortlessly melodic. Speaking about the track, Molly states
‘’Everytime’ is about my sad excuse for a love life. I used to be so obsessed with dating and getting validation from guys, but they just kept ghosting me, it’s like a sort of love letter to myself, always there to remind me that I am enough and I am exactly what I want.
The release of Everytime is partnered with the release of its accompanying visual, created by her friend and collaborator Harvey Frost who created the setup in Brighton, backing up the homespun, bedroom-pop feel which Molly encapsulates in her music.
As well as this new single, Molly has also announced her new EP, Fool Me With Flattery (out August 21st), a collection of tracks written in the last couple of years which have been recorded and home co-produced by her father.
During the past few weeks since her 2017 debut single, “Neoprene,” new Belfast electronic alt. pop artist Jule Shawe, aka, PATHS, has garnered a good amount of press coverage and fans in Ireland, the UK and abroad.
The single, with it’s interlacing and twinkling synth keys, set over a constant treble-clattering beat and soothed by Shawe’s whispery, sexy vocals, has been making the rounds on the blogs recently, and was featured on the BBC, the artist of the week in Q Magazine, and as a Nialler9 Song of the Week in the The Irish Times.
Her latest effort is the split single, “Right Beside You” – highlighted by looping grooves, sparkling synths and booming beats – and “Last One Standing” a more subdued and melancholic electronic pop tapestry, should make 2017 an exciting year for PATHS and her growing fan base.
“I wanted to get three tracks out in a short timeframe to give listeners a full taste of my sound and felt that a single followed quickly by an A/B was the best route,” Shawe says. “[The singles] were written and produced in close succession and although different in sound, are all a lyrical reflection of relationship challenges.”
Her talents for assembling and manipulating diverse and multi-cultural samples that match to East-Asian instruments were partially realized by producer and post-rock front man Rory Friers, who has a new moniker – Thrash Hat. PATHS biggest musical influences include Jamie XX, St Vincent, HAIM, Feist, Shura, Miike Snow and Foals.
Located in the university town of Ann Arbor, Michigan, psych rock multi-instrumentalist Tim Knowlton, aka, Way Zen, weaves wailing lo-fi guitars, swishing, hip-hop influenced rhythms and percussion, various samples and his well-honed vocal style on the intoxicating title track of his new album, Relics of the Heart.
“The album puts the contours of the human heart in sharp relief,” Knowlton says, “illuminating the heartbreaks and ego of a love-obsessed individual.”
The second standout track is the poignant, “I’ve Got Reasons to Never Stay The Same.” Knowlton is one of the rare ‘one-man band’ musicians that stands out from the never-ending flow of one-man bands these days. This track is just more evidence of that, as is the album itself.
But Knowlton is not the ordinary bedroom musician; he is a Berklee College of Music graduate, engineer, and trained musician since he was in his teens.
And while it’s true that most DIY musicians, or one-man bands, or ‘bedroom musicians,’ whichever phrase works in whatever context, do not have the luxury of having gone to perhaps the best music college in the U.S., it’s ultimately what grads do with that education that matters. On Relics of the Heart, Knowlton has proven that he was not wasting his time at Berklee, both as a musician and an engineer in training.
His musical influences are many and include Kevin Parker (Tame Impala), Ruban Nielson (Unknown Mortal Orchestra) and Elliott Smith, “particularly how they wrote for and played every instrument on their records,” he adds. Some of his favorite bands include Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Wilco, and The Velvet Underground.
Knowlton has recently decided to take a hiatus from recording in order to build sustainable strawbale homes in Utah as part of an effort to help folks there adapt to climate change. After this volunteer project out west, Knowlton says he will begin recording his second album.
Singer/songwriter Katie Stump has dropped her new video, Minnesota, the second video from her critically acclaimed EP, Feels Like Home. The video, set to the breathtaking song itself, is a heartbreaking song of loss and longing of someone close, and the emotional turmoil it causes.
Born and raised in Fullerton, California, Stump grew up in a musical family, and was encouraged to pursue music at a young age. Over the past year Katie has emerged as one of the most exciting up and coming young artist, and recently won the coveted U.S.A. Songwriter competition.
With the kick-off of SXSW today, the album and video release are perfect timing as Stump will be the featured artist at the USA Songwriting Competition Showcase this Friday evening at Mozart’s in Austin.
Her new EP was produced by Grammy Award winning producer Mikal Blue (Colbie Caillat, Jason Mraz, One Republic).
The Brooklyn DIY rock band, Lightouts, recently dropped a new set of singles, featuring the band’s new vocalist, Ron Ron ‘Skip’ Greer, lead singer of the legendary punk rock band Dead Kennedys.
Since the last time we featured the band, Lightouts has performed live in the studios of the well regarded Seattle radio station KEXP, and won a battle of the bands against the popular electro pop band Ladytron. They’ve also been recognized as one of the ‘next big things’ and ‘hottest acts’ from SPIN, SXSW and CMJ. Combining stoner guitar rock, laconic vocals and low-key rhythms, Lightouts will remind some of indie rock bands like PAWS, Japandroids and Parquet Courts. KEXP‘s John Richards quipped: “Lightouts are everything I like about bands.”
The band’s newest single, “More Than Ever,” blazes along nicely with menacing guitar riffs, a chugging bass line, monotonic vocals and whip-lashing drum beats. Some will notice the likeness of Bowie, and bands like Television, New Order and Sonic Youth, in the band’s mix of post punk meets goth, which frontman and guitarist, Gavin Rhodes, has sculpted from the get-go, and remained true to over the years.
Lightouts are, left to right, Gavin Rhodes (songwriter, guitarist), Kyle McCammon (bass), Ron 'Skip' Greer (vocals), Hommy Rosa (drums). Photo by Beth Eisgrau-Heller for KEXP
Early last year, the band’s long-time vocalist, Greg Nelson, and bassist, Dean Perry, left the band for other pursuits, even though Lightouts’ string of well received singles, and the terrific album, Want, were hailed by the music press, including The Village Voice, SPIN, Pretty Much Amazing, and IRC. The band also has a collection of excellent covers of Bowie, The Cure, Guided By Voices, Stone Roses and The La’s to boot.
In fact, it was the Want album, and Lightouts’ extended discography, that compelled Greer to join the band. “I definitely felt a resonance as I listened to Want,” Greer said. “I heard something in Gavin’s guitar playing [that] I wanted to interact with – hints of no-wave guitar soundscapes filtered through New Order and Television. And, I thought his arrangements were on par with anyone [else’s].”
The new “More Than Ever” single, paired with the wistful and ‘crickety’ B-side, “All We Had,” is Lightouts’ first drop with Greer on lead vocals. Earlier in the year, the band also drop a killer cover of Joy Division’s “Interzone.”
Marsan is a solo project of 21-year-old Chicago musician, Jeremy Marsan, who is currently in the band Acker, and was previously a member of Shy Guy Says. In 2012, Marsan kicked-off a side solo project as a way mainly to channel his “interest in replicating the textures and grooves” with the use of “live instruments” like his favorite electronic artists like Boards of Canada and Four Tet.
“As I proceeded, I was inspired to add pop melodies and folk lines over the dense, harmonic-rich textures. Continuing further, I noticed a theme and loose story line: a character gets lost in a goliath-sized shopping mall, intercepting media signals that misguide and confuse, yet experiencing some awe-inspiring moments along the way,” adding, “you don’t need to follow a story line to enjoy it.”
“Strain Theory” – Marsan from Music For Agoramaniacs
Let’s just say that Marsan – who wrote all of the songs; played all of the instruments; recorded and mixed all the tracks – definitely delivers in more ways than one on his first solo release, Music For Agoramaniacs. As the two singles, “Strain Theory” and “Snow Day” demonstrate, the album is chock full of innovative, experimental and entertaining tracks that combine elements and strokes of electronic, pop, folk, shoegaze, downtempo and jazz, just the sound Marsan indicated he was aiming for on his debut solo album.
These are amazing songs; Marsan has definitely hit on something original even though he openly admits he is emulating other artists. There isn’t a musician in the world who doesn’t emulate another artist and who isn’t influenced by others’ work. The test of talent is what an artist can do with what they’ve learned from others before them, and what they can bring to it to make it pretty much all of their own, and therefore create their identity and sound. That said, there is no question of the enormous influence Boards of Canada appears to have on Marsan’s music.
Ivy Dye is a Chicago band formed in 2011 by Chris Adams, the head songwriter. His best friends, who happened to be the musicians he played with regularly, were going off to college, so he needed a new outlet. Thus, Ivy Dye was born. Blending elements of ’90s alternative and a love for ’80s reverb, Adams has whipped up some songs that are accessible to many. The band’s first EP, Lyme Times, dropped in 2012, is followed up by a second EP, Continuations. The band is currently playing and promoting the current EP release in the Chicago area. The band’s major musical influences include Nirvana, Tokyo Police Club, Passion Pit, Vampire Weekend, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, and The Joy Formidable.
“Repetition” – Ivy Dye from Continuations – Jan. 19th
“Battle Trance” – Ivy Dye from Continuations
“Indie Rock is the freedom to pursue what you want. No sound is off limits and experimentation is openly invited, because if it weren’t then there simply would be no element of wonder in the genre. It exists as an open outlet for creativity.” – The band’s answer to the ‘what is indie rock’ question on the submission form.
During a 2010 tour, in which Nashville band, Cadillac Sky, was opening up for the Grammy-winning band Mumford and Sons, lead singer Bryan Simpson, a Nashville local, hit a wall – spiritually, mentally, physically and emotionally. In distress, Simpson made the incredible decision to leave the tour and his band right at the time when they had seemingly achieved the kind of success that just about any other band would give just about everything they had for. Supporting one of the hottest bands in the world is not a minor thing. But Simpson simply could not continue the rigorous tour. He battled demons and went to a very dark place, he told IRC.
Simpson left it all behind to strike out on his own, and formed The Whistles and the Bells, making peace with himself and his former band mates. The entire experience, from the highs of a national spotlight, to the lows of his darkest moments on the road, provided plenty of material for the young songwriter. The result is his new band project’s debut album, described by his publicist as “the dark, and at times musically twisted, autobiographical snapshot of Bryan’s personal earthquake surrounding the education of studying his maker.” Obviously, he was particularly struggling with his faith. The debut album encompasses “all [of] the modern southern gothic swirl of sounds from blues, to Americana, to New Orleans-style horns and darkness of the [sic] self-exploration,” the type of material, he contends, that creates a “personal soundtrack of a character from a Faulkner novel.” The first single, “Mercy Please” was a Rolling Stone magazine daily download.
“Mercy Please” – The Whistles and the Bells from The Whistles and the Bells – March 4th
“Transistor Radio” – The Whistles and the Bells from The Whistles and the Bells
Simpson described indie rock as initially “sounds that were too edgy for a major label, but with some of the best ‘indie rock’ bands in the world all being signed to labels, this term really takes on a new meaning,” he wrote, describing it as “rock music without limits. Indie rock has spawned so many genres…that I think is incredibly exciting. The more sub-genres you have, the more experimentation there is; someone does something new that can’t be categorized,” he wrote, so “it’s usually put under indie rock.”
Los Angeles DIY artist Davis Fetter. Photo by Ry.Due to the popularity over the past year of the Bands You’ve Gotta Hear series, we decided to expand it to artists. Originally this feature was going to be a new installment of the One Man Band series, but a couple of these highlighted artists have had some help from other musicians, so it would not be technically accurate to refer to them as a one-man bands, even though, for the most part, they are.
One man bands are usually young guys who write, play, and then track and mix, all of the instruments, and sing, produce and master their own songs. Performing live is often impossible for a one man band, which is why, over the past decade, they are often referred to as “bedroom artists.” Since the mid 2000’s, there have been dozens and dozens of one man (and woman too) bands profiled on IRC, who, often because of their popularity (in which case record executives often pick the band members), or a natural desire to perform live, have wound up in a band. Just a few examples would be Bon Iver, The Tallest Man on Earth and Oberhofer.
This debut of the 5 DIY Solo Artists You’ve Gotta Hear artist profile and playlist series kicks off with the buzzed-about Los Angeles artist, Davis Fetter, followed by Bring Prudence from Brooklyn; Ben Kernion of Pittsburgh; Tapes and Tubes from Olympia, Washington; and Ian Burn from St. Louis, Missouri.
Davis Fetter – Los Angeles, California
When Davis Fetter, a Los Angeles musician, was 12 years old, he heard rock and roll legend Chuck Berry for the first time, and from that moment on, he was hooked on rock and roll. Not long after being converted to rock by Berry, Fetter’s parents bought him a Gibson 335 guitar. Before he was even a teenager, Fetter was learning how to play rock and roll simply by listening to Berry and other artists. Over the years, Fetter’s music would gain him his own recognition as an artist. In fact, Fetter has opened for artists such as Peter Murphy, Blondie, Chris Cornell, The B-52s, Young The Giant, Local Natives, and The Airborne Toxic Event. That’s an impressive list of bands to have opened for.
Davis is inspired by the iconic songwriting of artists like The Smiths, Elvis, Roy Orbison, Lou Reed, and John Lennon, along with the euphoric melodies of The Libertines, Jesus and Mary Chain, and Buddy Holly. Overall, he says that his musical influences include His guitar tones are unique, technical, and spacious at the same time. Vocally, Davis’ range gives him the freedom to hit Little Richard type notes with the effortless cool of a Morrissey or Julian Casablancas, and the childlike raucous of Peter Doherty. His sound has been compared to Arcade Fire, The Strokes, Glasvegas, John Lennon, and James Brown.
In August 2012, Fetter’s single, “I See Love,” went #1 on LA’s KROQLocals Only broadcast, earning the song additional airplay on London’s XFM. Fetter’s songs have also been featured on MTV, FX, Oxygen, Sky Network, and in various independent films. Nylon Mag featured Fetter’s track, “Euphoria” on their Sept 2011 mixtape. His latest single “I Won’t Let The World Break My Heart,” clearly demonstrates Fetter’s talent as a songwriter, vocalist and musician. Fetter has no plans at the moment to release an album, stating that he’s a “singles guy.” It would be nice to see him put out a debut album. The second single, “Look What You’ve Done to the Boy,” and the accompanying music video, is yet another excellent track that adds credibility to Fetter’s profile.
The one-man electro pop band project of Brooklyn resident songwriter, musician and producer Oleh Zaychenko, called Bring Prudence, was an interesting discovery in our submission box. Zaychenko records quirky, heavily melodic pop songs with a 80’s new wave/goth edge, drum machines, chunky bass lines, understated guitar parts and Casio-sounding keyboards on tracks like, “Don’t Break My Heart,” complete with Zaychenko’s nerdy style vocals that remind us a lot of They Might Be Giants. His musical influences include Depeche Mode, Elliott Smith, Leonard Cohen, and The Talking Heads. Bring Prudence’s EP, Aliens, was dropped on August 5th.
“Don’t Break My Heart” – Bring Prudence from Aliens
“Grandview” – Bring Prudence from Aliens – August 5th
Ben Kernion – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh DIY indie psychedelic guitar rock musician Ben Kernion began writing and recording music during 2004 to 2006 while attending audio engineering school in New York City. After graduating in March 2012, Kernion moved back to his hometown of Pittsburgh after being evicted from his New York apartment for noise complaints. Along with Marko Zyznewsky, Kernion co-wrote the music to “The Rust,” the standout track from his debut album, Tunnelvision. The album cover art for the release is awful, which is why we avoided using it, but the alternative wasn’t much better. (If you’re going to use crayons, at least come up with something stunning; not some chicken scribble that looks like a seven-year-old did it; a seven year old lacking artistic talent at that.)
Recently, we started asking musicians who submit their songs for review, “what is indie rock,” in their own words. Kernion wrote: “Indie rock to me is any music that honestly reflects the unique thoughts and feelings inherent in each of us, individually, and as communities, performed with at least one traditional element of rock.”
“The Rust” – Ben Kernion from Tunnelvision – Feb. 17th
“The Sinking Facts” – Ben Kernion from Tunnelvision
Another one-man band, Tapes & Tubes, is the work of Olympia, Washington experimental recording artist Austin Potter, who occasionally gets help from family and friends, although his recordings are primarily his work, from the writing and recording of instruments to the mixing and mastering of the final tapes. His DIY recording of the lo-fi, dreamy, hazy pop song, “Salad Days,” reminds us of American Analog Set and in other areas of the album of My Bloody Valentine, specially on the track, “My Own America,” which is reminiscent of the droning vocal layering MBV’s Kevin Shields used on the band’s classic album, Loveless. Both tracks are off of Potter’s self-released album, simply titled, 27, released on August 5th. Potter also hosts a weekly radio show at KAOS 89.3 FM in Olympia and lists his top musical influences as Yo La Tengo, Dump, The Feelies, Neil Young, and Lambchop.
It happened on a January evening in 2013. Suddenly, it all clicked, and the young, aspiring musician Ian Burn was inspired to write and record his first song titled, “Enough.” From St. Louis, Missouri, and only 20 years old, Burn attempted to write an album’s worth of material, but soon he discovered that he could actually write songs better and more quickly if he approached his songwriting from a non-album framework. Plus, as Burn said in his submission, he has been “trying to write music, but could never finish either the music or the lyrics.” For the songs that he has finished so far, we are impressed by the raw, untainted sincerity and lo-fi magnificence of DIY.
Should he continue to hone his skills, we think Burn has a lot to contribute as a songwriter and musician. He sings about avoiding mediocrity and embracing a life of curious searching for his place and meaning in life, which is perfectly normal for a young man to do, and it’s a process that lasts a lifetime. He found that attempting to write music within the concept of an album was blocking him from finishing songs, both lyrically and musically, so he now writes and records a song a month, which he indicated works well for him.
“I started writing music cause I have some things to say,” Burn told IRC. “I’ve been playing guitar for about 10 years, so most of my songs start from the guitar and then I build them up. Genre wise I think my music is just rock n’ roll. Besides Petty and Dylan I’m a big fan of Link Wray and a lot of early rock/surf music… I write and record all the parts on my laptop, but do the drums/bass through a USB keyboard. All this is done solo, usually on the floor in my room.”
Burn has a nasally, pitchy voice woven together with jangly blues guitar and simple, clear cut, drums and rhythm, reminiscent of early Tom Petty. Burn currently performs at open mics around the St. Louis area.
China Rats are a four-piece indie rock band from Leeds, England, that the U.K. press has been hailing as the next Arctic Monkeys, even though they haven’t released a debut album yet. What they have released is a three-song EP and a single; what little they have released is creating quite a buzz in the U.K. The young, edgy lads of China Rats know how to write, create and record good music that gets people’s attention. The band members are inspired by a mutual love for songs that use elements of punk, rock, 50’s pop and British Invasion classic rock of the 60’s. Their sound feels like a wedding of The Kinks‘ early day panache with a Ramones-era anarchy, topped off by a good dose of Cheap Trick‘s legendary sassiness. China Rats’ sound has also been compared to bands ranging from The Beatles to the Buzzcocks to Oasis and the most recent wave of garage rock-influenced bands.
The band’s fast and furious pace is tied together by jangly guitar hooks and bombastic drumming. The band only formed two years ago, but got a good deal of positive press last summer when they filled in for Bat For Lashes when Natasha Khan and company were unable to make it to a U.K. music festival. The members of China Rats are Graeme Thompson (lead vocals/guitar), Luke Smith (lead guitar/vocals), Jedidiah Allcock (bass/vocals) and George Riley (drums). The following track, “She Never,” is one of the band’s few released tracks; it’s a hook-heavy, melodic rocker with a catchy riff, swaying rhythm and rambunctious vocals.
A newer single, “Nip It in the Bud,” is an energetic, fast rocker with crunchy guitar riffs. “We wanted it to sound like The Sonics or something, rough around the edges,” vocalist Thompson said. “It’s got a bit of a groove to it – I’d like to think people could jive to it in a club or before they go out.” The band’s latest single from the Leeds UK band, was produced with help from Hugh Worskett (Boxer Rebellion, Crystal Fighters) and mixing by Chris Sheldon (Foo Fighters, the Pixies).
Spirit Spine self portrait
New musicians popping up in recent weeks are beginning to make 2009 look like a promising year for indie rock, electronica and pop.
Yet another relatively unknown talent has caught our attention, and we think his sound will appeal to many people who have reacted so positively to Blind Man’s Colours’ post a couple of weeks ago.
Joseph Denney, aka, Spirit Spine, is a freshmen at Indiana University in Bloomington, who began a “music project” last fall that friends encouraged. His friends were right to encourage him. The result is a collection of sprawling, dreamy, psychedelic and pop-oriented songs that we keep playing again and again.
“My new album,” Denney wrote in an email to IRC, “is self-titled and has been compared to “Panda Bear + MGMT + New Order” and ‘The Beach Boys fronted by Lou Reed high on Nyquil and Redbull’ I was greatly influenced by Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound” Technique as well as Surf Rock and 80’s Pop.”
That’s an excellent comparison. You can hear more of his other influences – like Joy Division and Beck, in Denney’s music as well, not to mention the obvious Animal Collective influences.
Denney says he created all of the music using the the computer software program Garageband on the Mac and some 8-tracking. This is an amazing example of how one talented young musician in the technological age can write, record, manufacture, distribute and market his own music for the rest of us to enjoy.
Highlights from Spirit Spine’s debut include “Trickledown”, “Crashers (Highs and Lows)”, “Heart Races”, “Raptures” and “Faustian Vice”.
Spirit Spine is a force to be reckoned with in 2009, and hopefully many of you will agree. The album Spirit Spine is available on iTunes through Lovegiffrae Records.
“Trickledown” – Spirit Spine from s/t “Crashers (Highs and Lows)”– Spirit Spine from s/t
During a 2010 tour, in which Nashville band, Cadillac Sky, was opening up for the Grammy-winning band Mumford and Sons, lead singer Bryan Simpson, a Nashville local, hit a wall – spiritually, mentally, physically and emotionally. In distress, Simpson made the incredible decision to leave the tour and his band right at the time when they had seemingly achieved the kind of success that just about any other band would give just about everything they had for. Supporting one of the hottest bands in the world is not a minor thing. But Simpson simply could not continue the rigorous tour. He battled demons and went to a very dark place, he told IRC.
