Marshall Crenshaw shares his dreams, Sorry shoot for the stars, Jaakko Eino Kalevi looks forward and more in today’s Roundup. Where’s a runaway semi when you really need one?
1 | Marshall Crenshaw | Misty Dreamer
THE PRESS RELEASE: “I love it that phonograph records are popular again,” enthuses Marshall Crenshaw. “They were consigned to oblivion by the music business back when I was recording … but now they’re back!” The artist recently regained ownership of the five acclaimed albums he released between 1994 and 2003, and plans to issue revised editions of those efforts, on vinyl and on all digital platforms, beginning with his 1996 release Miracle of Science, due on Jan. 17. The new edition of Miracle of Science includes a pair of bonus tracks, Misty Dreamer by Scottish indie-pop artist Daniel Wylie, and What the Hell I Got, a 1974 number by Canadian artist Michel Pagliaro.”
2 | Sorry | Rock ’n’ roll Star
THE PRESS RELEASE: “North London’s Sorry have revealed Rock ‘n’ Roll Star, the B-side to their latest single Right Round The Clock. The two tracks make up a new 7” single that will be released Nov. 29, laying the groundwork for the group’s debut album 925, coming spring 2020. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Star video focuses on Sorry instigator Asha Lorenz’s brilliant, debauched portrayal of Elvis. It was produced by Conny Elmy-Martin, and directed by Lorenz with frequent collaborator Jasper Cable-Alexander. Lorenz and Cable-Alexander also co-directed the video for Right Round The Clock, which similarly features a nod to the king of rock and roll.
3 | Jaakko Eino Kalevi | I Am Looking Forward
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Jaakko Eino Kalevi, the Helsinki-raised and Berlin-based psych-pop voyager, released his new mini-album Dissolution this past Friday. Today, JEK has shared a video for I Am Looking Forward, a sparkling cut from the new release, that comes directed by Finnish animator Ville Vainio. There is a positivity to I Am Looking Forward, of which Kalevi says: “Some time ago I felt that everyone was asking me all the time, ‘Are you looking forward?’ and it made me feel kind of nervous. It’s a funny expression – of course everyone is looking forward all the time. How can you not?” Ville Vainio adds about the video: “When I first heard the song, I immediately had this vision of Jaakko walking across different sceneries, looking very determined. Also, instead of telling a story, I wanted to capture the mood of the song and make it more like a video portrait of Jaakko’s character.”
4 | Pyramids on Mars | Song of Light
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Guitarist Kevin Estrella’s project Pyramids On Mars has a new album being released on Dec. 21 entitled Edge of the Black. The full length offers up an aural palette of intense instrumental rock that’s emotional, provocative and 4-dimensional. Estrella shares his thoughts on the album: “On Edge of The Black, I wanted to put emphasis on songwriting and telling a story. The emphasis is not just on the lead guitar melody, but on the band as a whole. Harmonic variations on repeating themes are strongly utilized; like rhyming phrases in spoken language that allows easier accurate retelling of the original story. This idea of repeating music phrases/themes so the audience can easily recall it and hum it all the way home.”
5 | Pennywild | Footsteps
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Pennywild unites global dance and music cultures on Footsteps. An infectious bassline pops underneath lush chords and commanding chants, providing a sizzling soundscape for ballroom voguers worldwide. The genre-bending track arrives primarily as a result of Pennywild’s time in Ephrat Asherie’s street and social dance company in New York back in 2014. During this time, Omari Wiles, who contributes vocals to Footsteps, helped open her eyes to ball and vogue culture. Five years later, the two are bringing the best out of each other again with a dynamic collaboration fit for ballrooms and nightclubs alike. “The moment I discovered I wanted to create an homage to the genre, I knew I had to get Omari involved. Through working on this track together, we really pushed the boundaries of one another’s artistic expression.”
6 | Bernhard Schimpelsberger | Anger
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Austrian composer Bernhard Schimpelsberger shares Anger from his powerful, yearning score to Swedish ballet production Glansvit. Written in 1883 by Swedish writer Alfhid Agrell, Glansvit tells the tragedy of a beautiful white reindeer borne into a black reindeer tribe. Condemned to a life of persecution and imprisonment, the white reindeer – Glansvit – eventually succumbs to her heartache and takes her own life. This story of equality and discrimination – still hauntingly evocative and relevant today – was commissioned for a performance in 2018 by Sweden’s Norrdans dance company. Norrdans hired Spanish choreographer Jose Agudo and Austrian percussionist and composer Bernhard Schimpelsberger to realise the production.
7 | JS Williams | My Name is December
THE PRESS RELEASE: “JS Williams has shared his debut album, From A Plane. Today he shares the track My Name is December. From A Plane, which was recorded with the help of Rob Heaney (Patrick Watson, Barr Brothers) and is already being compared noteworthy acts to Bon Iver, Dan Auerbach and Grizzly Bear.
