Robert Ellis spaces, Boy Scout parties, Whitney cruise, THC finger you and more in today’s Roundup. Does anybody else have a craving for birthday cake?
1 Space is truly the place these days. For the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon launch, Texas piano man Robert Ellis gets on board with his tender solo number Everyone’s Gone to the Moon, a cover of the 1965 track by British singer-songwriter Jonathan King. Bonus points for his out-of-this-world outfit. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Much of the iconography in Houston is about NASA (Astros, Rockets, Space City e.g.). It’s a part of our identity. I got sort of obsessed with how mind-blowingly cool it is that people decided to go to space, and that where I am from was such a part of it. Making the suit was a way of sharing that pride and identity with the outside world … I connect with this song a lot. I’m continually inspired and in awe of NASA and the Apollo 11 space mission. I hope it brings you some joy.” Ready for takeoff:
2 A Boy Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. I’m sure some of those apply to singer-songwriter Taylor Vick — who goes by the musical handle Boy Scout. But the clip for her bittersweet indie-pop latest song Expiration Date — the latest peek at her Aug. 30 album Free Company — adds another adjective to the mix: Adorable. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “With its jangly electric guitar chords and sky-high vocal melodies, Expiration Date tackles that universal human quandary of impermanence. “Everything changes all the time. Nothing will last forever,” says Vick. “It’s such a hard concept to grasp because we just get so attached to things and people and situations. But stuff can’t stay how it is forever. That’s also to be said about bad stuff that happens. It won’t weigh you down forever.” Put on your party hat:
3 Life is a long and winding road of hills and valleys. The latter is clearly where Chicago duo Whitney find themselves on their strummy truck-driving-man single and video Valleys (My Love) — but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it’s quite pretty. Check out their Aug. 30 album Forever Turned Around to see where the rest of their journey takes you. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Valleys (My Love) describes the anxiety of being away from a loved one, and was inspired by a particularly scenic drive in Montana. The accompanying video by Kamp Grizzly, directed by Nick Woytuk and shot in Portland, Oregon, documents the life of a commercial truck driver, and illustrates the connection between traveling for work and the band’s own personal experiences.” Enjoy the trip:
4 Texas Hippie Coalition are clearly No. 1 with their fans. You can tell based on all the raised digits in the metal bruisers’ clip for their latest single Dirty Finger, a cut from their recent album High in the Saddle. Be sure to show them the same honour if you see them anywhere. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Let me see your dirty finger in the air! This set was the most fun I’ve ever had shooting a video, bar none, we just cut loose” says frontman Big Dad Ritch. “Around 4:20 pm, we started partying, grilling, drinking, and burnin’ with a bunch of friends and extended family. BarBQ, Beer, and Bud! Living in live color! That’s OUTLAW Baby!” If you say so, Dad:
5 Dorothy’s Yellow Brick Road led to The Emerald City, of course. But Chicago hip-hopper Ric Wilson’s Yellowbrick road leads to his love — and from a soulful ballad to some laid-back funk. Pay no attention to the puppet behind the wheel. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “I started writing Yellowbrick three years ago about one love and finished writing it about a current one,” says Wilson. “I just wanted to make a song that sounded like it could be in a black rom-com; a song that sounded like the black love songs I grew up too. You know, Marc Dorsey, Tyrese, Jason Weaver, Tank, Ruff Endz.” Follow him, baby:
6 Heaven is what you make it. And on All-American Rejects’ latest single Send Her to Heaven — the title tune from their brand-new three-song EP — they make it into a number that splits the diff between Pixies and Weezer (no surprise, since it was inspired by the former and co-written by the latter’s Rivers Cuomo). And they animate it with a clip that simultaneously celebrates life at the club while delivering a cautionary tale about illicit drug use. Hell is what you make it, too. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “The last couple of records were fun to make but they were pretty draining, whereas I think recording this way keeps us on our toes and excited,” guitarist Mike Kennerty explains. “We recorded each of these songs on their own and didn’t think of them as a package. We just took each song and went to a different producer to see what we would come up with,” he says of the process, “Because of the way we went about it, I think we created a diverse group of songs that might not have happened if we did it the way we’ve always recorded in the past.” See you in the stall:
7 You know what they say about every dog having their day. For Smooth Hound Smith — actually the husband-and-wife duo of Zack Smith and Caitlin Doyle-Smith — that day will be Aug. 9, when their third album Dog in a Manger drops. But consider today a warmup: It’s the day their latest preview track Waiting For a Spark arrives. Light it up. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “The track cites the New Testament and Plato in picturing someone who is “weighing her options, just looking for… any little glimpse of light,” says Caitlin, who handles lead vocals on the track. The songs on Dog in a Manger’s tracklist salute the far corners of the Americana world, touching upon everything from greasy, big-city blues to acoustic folk. There are slide guitar solos, coed harmonies, a Fleetwood Mac cover and a cameo by the North Mississippi Allstars’ Luther Dickinson tossed into the mix, too.” Call it a dog’s breakfast, but in a good way:
8 Write what you know, goes the old adage. Screw that, replies Frankie Cosmos singer-songwriter Greta Kline. The indie-popster’s jangly new single Rings (On a Tree) — the latest preview of FC’s Sept. 6 album Close It Quietly — is about love and heartbreak. But not in a way that Kline is familiar with. Let’s let her explain. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “It’s “a fictional tale of a breakup from the point of view of a mistress. After I wrote it I realized what it meant to me — even though I’ve never been a mistress, I related to the character from being in a relationship where my feelings weren’t prioritized. I originally wrote it just on piano and released the solo version that way. The band version really takes it somewhere else and felt very collaborative. I love everyone’s parts. Alex wrote the funky guitar part I play in the middle section, based on an idea Luke and Lauren verbalized.” Love is love:
