Tim Bluhm busks a move, Mykele Deville has soul power, Sate calls out the liars, The Room in the Wood time travel and Jake & The Jellyfish have drawing power in today’s Roundup. High five!
1 We’ve all had nights (and days, if we’re being honest) like the one singer-songwriter Tim Bluhm relives in his latest single Where I Parked My Mind. But give the Mother Hips frontman credit for turning the experience into a wry throwback to the glory days of Nashville country-honk — and an enticing preview of the rocker’s countrified upcoming solo album Sorta Surviving, due March 29. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Where I Parked My Mind is an up-to -date representation of a night on the town and its repercussions. Director Tim Duggan: “People start their night expecting to have the time of their lives and often they try to portray that kind of ecstasy with phones and social media. The reality is almost always less glamorous.” Unless it’s wearing a green suit and busking on the corner:
2 Competition divides. Celebration unites. And while there is arguably a time for the former, it’s the latter that interests Mykele Deville right now. The Chicago rapper and poet’s new single and video Free Soul — from his Feb. 22 album Maintain — is an all-inclusive love letter to his hometown scene. It’s also got plenty of love for old-school hip-hop, underpinning its upbeat lyrics and positive vibe with an equally joyous and carefree groove that wouldn’t have been out of place on a De La Soul disc in the ’90s. If Maintain maintains this motivational vibe, it could be the feel-good rap release of the year. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “The track is a jazz and bebop-inspired rap manifesto brimming with pride for Chicago and a disdain for the gate-keeping clique mentality that sometimes pervades the music and art scene. The track is an upbeat portrait of a connected Chicago, from the basements to the spotlight.” Who’s got the funk?
3 There are people who believe — or at least claim — that we live in a so-called post-truth era. But let’s be honest: We all know the difference between honestly and deceit. Toronto singer-songwriter Sate clearly does — and stares down the double-dealers in the aggressive, metallic single and video Dirty Little Lie. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Dirty Little Lie is about control, succumbing to it or taking it tf back. It’s also about the devil card in the tarot. It’s not meant to be preachy. It’s meant to shine a light in the murk of our conditionings and ask who are you under the influence of – the angel or the devil?” Pour it on:
4 They used to share space in The Room. Now, decades after their Liverpool post-punk band parted ways, Paul Cavanagh and Dave Jackson have reunited, returned, relocated — and relocated to The Room in the Wood. And if you think they’ve been gone so long they might need a time machine to find their way back, well, they agree — as they make clear on their gently strummy, endearingly nostalgic single and video Time Machine, from their recent Mars EP. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Time Machine is another vaguely sci-fi rumination, wistfully reflecting on the passage of time filtered through the vision of HG Wells. We thought that Mars and Time Machine gave the EP a science fiction edge and Mark Jordan’s video reflects that,” says Paul Cavanaugh.” Welcome them back to the future:
5 Some days you feel animated. Some days you don’t. And some days you just have to draw on your own resources, as the protagonist learns in this video for Reading List, the scrappy, anthemic new single from Leeds folk-punks Jake and the Jellyfish. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Reading List is about confidence and learning how to deal with change. Lyrically this one was really personal to me, but I tried to write it so that it could be as relatable to others as possible, we all deal with change in our lives, whether it’s things getting in the way of seeing the person you love, loosing somebody close or even not spending enough time reading as much as you’d like. I approached our friend Claudio to do the video and he did such a great job of portraying the exact vibe of the song to the video he produced, he’s such a genuine guy and I think his input and enthusiasm for the project really gave the video an extra dynamic.” Get the picture:
