Irreversible Entanglements won’t take any more, Lido Pimienta knows what you did, James Elkington is a real nowhere man, Cayley Thomas works blue and more in today’s Roundup. Next up: Your complete weekend weather forecast with Stormy.
TRACK OF THE DAY
1 | Irreversible Entanglements | No Más
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Free jazz collective Irreversible Entanglements announce their new album, Who Sent You?, out March 20, and today present its lead single/video, No Más. The group is comprised of Camae Ayewa (aka Moor Mother), saxophonist Keir Neuringer, trumpeter Aquiles Navarro, bassist Luke Stewart, and drummer Tcheser Holmes. Who Sent You? is the punk-rocking of jazz and the mystification of the avant-garde. This record weaves kinetic soul fusion, dreamy yet harrowing poetry, and intricate rhythms into warmth-giving tapestries that comfort and conceal, confront and coerce all at once. No Más was composed by the Panamanian-born Navarro in a harmonic echo of a Strata East free jazz classic over a movement-inducing Latin rhythm. Over its peak moments, poet/MC Ayewa professes: “No mas. No more… No longer will we allow them to divide and conquer, divide and oppress, define our humanity…” Its stunning accompanying video was shot in Johannesburg, South Africa by filmmaker and photographer Imani Nikyah Dennison. The video explores the concept of Africans escaping planet earth, on a path to liberation. A story of migration told through collage, stock footage, and movement, all being driven by the sounds of free jazz and poetry.”
ALSO ON THE PLAYLIST
2 | Lido Pimienta | Eso Que Tu Haces
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Lido Pimienta has announced the release of Miss Colombia, out April 17, the anticipated follow-up to La Papessa, which was awarded the Polaris Music Prize in 2017. The Colombian-born, Toronto-based global beats trailblazer recorded the album in her home studio, with some additional recording done in the historic Colombian town of San Basilio de Palenque. Miss Colombia boasts 11 new and original songs that boldly celebrate Lido’s ecstatic musical hybridity of electronic meets cumbia, and is at once defiant and delicate, exploratory and confrontational. All of the songs were written and arranged by Lido, and she co-produced the album with Matt Smith aka Prince Nifty. Eso Que Tu Haces is a roaring declaration of discovery, as she exhales loudly, “Eso que tu haces / no es amor” (“that thing you do / is not love”).”
3 | James Elkington | Nowhere Time
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Chicago songwriter and guitarist James Elkington announces his new album, Ever-Roving Eye, out April 3, alongside the video for lead single, Nowhere Time. Ever-Roving Eye is the follow-up to his debut Wintres Woma, and is even more elaborate, shrewd, thoughtful, and confessional than its predecessor. Though it sounds like a line culled from a murderous Child ballad, the title has everything to do instead with the slipperiness of satisfaction, and the equal parts virtue and vice that is being your own mule and driver. The album’s lead single/video, Nowhere Time, is a call to take up arms against procrastination, and features some of Elkington’s most daring guitar-wrangling. “A more cosmic acquaintance of mine once told me that when your life is going in the direction you want it to, it’s the universe’s way of telling you that you are in the place you’re meant to be,” Elkington says. “Does that sound likely? Not at all, but the song asks the question anyway…” The track’s accompanying video, directed by Tim Harris, features himself, Spencer Tweedy on drums, and Nick Macri on upright bass.”
4 | Cayley Thomas | Blue Jean Baby
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Edmonton, Alberta’s Cayley Thomas shares the brand new video for her single Blue Jean Baby. The single is the second song from her forthcoming album How Else Can I Tell You? due out on May 1. Blue Jean Baby explores the pattern of feeling responsible for the emotions or actions of others at the expense of our own wellness. It’s like when you’re on an airplane and they tell you to put your oxygen mask on first before assisting other passengers. The accompanying video – written, directed, and produced by Cayley – takes a sobering look at this. The concept came to be while she was home for the holidays. “I kept imagining Edmonton in December… and thought it would be interesting to try and make something with a wintery snow globe type vibe. Like an old ‘made-for-TV movie’ but with a twist…” shares Cayley. “I wanted to highlight this woman who can be so elegant and powerful when free, but who elects to help this other person and “take on their weight.” I think we can become preoccupied with trying to do someone else’s work for them as a means of avoiding our own self-reflection.”
5 | Brother Dege | The Early Morn
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Grammy-nominated Brother Dege is one of the best-kept secrets in Louisiana; a musician, writer, outsider artist, and heir to a long line of enigmatic characters birthed in slaughterhouse of the Deep South. It’s a been a wild ride for this boy. Like the mad love child of Son House and William Faulkner, Dege has burned a colorful trail through the Promised Land, working odd jobs (dishwasher, day laborer, cabdriver, embedded journalist, homeless shelter employee), hitchhiking, studying philosophy, writing books, and experimenting with psychedelics – all while passionately championing the Deep South, but also clashing with its pecking orders, prejudices, and parochial narrow-mindedness. Teaming with otherworldly slide guitars, country psych, barn burning anthems, his most recent release Farmer’s Almanac is a sprawling, southern concept album that further explores the unique mysteries of small towns. It’s an 11-track, southern gothic journey that explores escapism, class structure, and the opiated dark side of America’s small town rural communities. The album swarms with otherworldly slide guitars, rustic psychedelia, possessed barn burners, and swamp-drenched cinematic songcraft.”
6 | Basia Bulat | Already Forgiven
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Basia Bulat unveils Already Forgiven from her forthcoming record Are You in Love? out March 27. Bulat has joined forces once again with Jim James of My Morning Jacket, who also produced her 2016 release Good Advice. “When making this album I tried to challenge myself in ways I hadn’t before. I felt like the only way my art could grow was to open my heart to all the things I was afraid of. I wanted to write a song about one of the concepts I’ve struggled with the most since childhood, the idea of forgiveness,” Bulat says. “The word [forgiven] means something different to everyone and I have spent a long time trying to figure out what it means to me. I felt like I had been trying for many years to accept and acknowledge pain and past suffering without letting it define me or hold me back, and while writing this song I feel like I finally found a space in my mind that lets those thoughts flow like water through my hands. A place that has clarity and stillness but also moves like a breeze. And it feels like it’s always been there but the path to it is fickle and difficult—singing these lyrics for the album was one of the hardest days for me, because I really wanted to believe myself when I was singing, and that feeling determines its own schedule.”
7 | Andrew Hibbard | Running From the Enemy
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Andrew Hibbard is a musician, songwriter, singer and writer of poetry. Born in Hamilton, Ohio in the late months of 1995, he began playing guitar at the age of six when his father showed him some basic chords. Since high school he’s been picking and roaming, following the paths cut by his musical forebears — Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Lou Reed, Neil Young, Hank Williams, Chet Atkins and Lightnin’ Hopkins. Andrew has released two studio albums to date; Foot in the Door (2012) and Under the Knife (2015). He has toured, performed at festivals and shared the stage with some titans of the American songbook; Dr. Ralph Stanley, Willie Nelson, Sturgill Simpson, Old Crow Medicine Show, The Tillers, Willie Watson and Tyler Childers. Andrew claims to have written nearly 300 songs, most of which he’s scrapped, lost or forgotten. Luckily a dozen of the best have survived the culling and are slated for release on his third self-titled LP, due May 8.”
8 | I Break Horses | Death Engine
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Six years since their last studio album, I Break Horses are pleased to announce news of Warnings, their long-awaited third LP, that will be released May 8. Alongside this news they have shared first track Death Engine accompanied by its visually arresting, self-made video. Of the track, the lyrics of which highlight the troubled minds of today’s youth in our harsh contemporary times, Maria Lindén says: “The song, which was written in connection to a close friend’s suicide attempt, also reflects upon the increasing reports that suicide is the second leading cause of death among Generation Z, with this age group having more mental health issues than any other generation.”
9 | Catchlight | Silent Ghost
THE PRESS RELEASE: “A few weeks after the official release of their new conceptual futuristic album Helios : Part One, French Post-Progressive Rockers Catchlight just premiered their brand new official music video video illustrating the song Silent Ghosts. Catchlight is a post-progressive rock/metal band from Lyon/Grenoble area (France) born around 2016 with a first concept album called Amaryllis released the same year. The melancholy and poignant songs tell the story of the fallen humanity struggling to regain its past glory in a world plunged in the shadow of a thousand-year-old night. In 2019, Catchlight expanded his futuristic musical concept with a brand new album called Helios Part One.“
10 | Deanna Devore | Lately
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Deanna Devore is a Chicago and Toronto based multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and producer. Her music beautifully blends downtempo electronic beats with organic instrumentation, creating emotionally captivating music that has been resonating with audiences across the globe. Devore’s polished musicianship, modern production techniques and compelling songwriting emanates a maturity and sophistication that spans across downtempo electronic, R&B, neo-soul, jazz and orchestral territories. Following the success of her highly acclaimed EP half and half, Devore is unveiling her new release Lately, featuring a mystery vocalist who cannot yet be announced. Thematically the single narrates the insecurity and ups and downs of a relationship, detailing how love can often feel like an emotional rollercoaster until it finally comes to an end. Its mellow grooves and smooth lo-fi beats cook up a mouth-watering release, oozing with seductive melodies and velvety vocals, which highlight the featured singer’s impressive vocal range. Emitting a sensuous flowing cadence, delicately layered harmonies and a pulsating rhythm, Lately provides an alluring neo-soul track, showcasing Devore’s unique and fresh production.”
11 | Alec Lytle & Them Rounders | Landslide
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Northern California-based band Alec Lytle & Them Rounders have announced their sophomore album, The Remains of Sunday, due April 17. The band has also shared the lyric video for their song Landslide. The 10-track album was recorded in Studio B at the world-famous Sound City Studio in Los Angeles, produced by Tony Berg (Michael Penn, Josh Radin, Blake Mills), and mixed by the legendary Bob Clearmountain (Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie). The Remains of Sunday embodies modern folk and traverses a broad range of instrumental textures through the use of mandolin, upright bass, drums, slide guitar, pedal steel, fiddle, banjo, and three-part vocal harmony. In the lead single Landslide, Alec dives into the stresses, ups, and downs of new parenthood. As he says, when things are spiraling, “the most loving thing I can do, is to say nothing at all.”
12 | Schade | Pegate
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Los Angeles producer Schade brings fresh sounds via Pegate, an energetic house record featuring a Spanish vocal sung by Manny S. Boasting an additive blend of Latin sounds alongside hip hop and dance music, Schade has ascended up the ranks over the past few years, steadily pushing out his signature brand of West Coast House x House en Español.”
13 | Chatham County Line | Station to Station
THE PRESS RELEASE: “A staple of the North Carolina music scene for two decades, Raleigh, NC’s Chatham County Line introduces a new sound and line up with the release of their ninth studio album, Strange Fascination, out May 15. Station to Station, the lead single, which adds to the band’s repertoire of train songs, debuts today. Twenty years into the band’s career, Strange Fascination marks a turning point in their steady growth and evolution, serving as both the final release with co-founding banjo player Chandler Holt, the first line-up change since 2001, and the first to feature drums on every song. The core of CCL — Dave Wilson (guitar/vocals/songwriter), John Teer (mandolin/fiddle/vocals), and Greg Readling (bass/pedal steel/piano) — now welcome percussion to its line-up with long time friend of the band Dan Hall on drums.”
14 | Benevolent Like Quietus | Dawn of Rust
THE PRESS RELEASE: “In a scene where thrash and speed metal rule the roost, Calgary’s Benevolent Like Quietus stand out with their unique, goth rock-tinged melodic metal. BLQ has been lurking in the Canadian underground metal scene since 2015 and over the past half a decade, incubating their debut album Kill The Bliss, which will be released on March 13. “We think it should be received as a testament to our tireless effort to create our own unique brand of heavy music that is equal parts heavy, melodic, gloomy and just rockable. It’s brooding, depressive, dark, uneasy and often aggressive. Listening to it you can understand why we named it Kill The Bliss. It’s not all doom and gloom though. There are some positive moments as well.” The first single off Kill The Bliss is Dawn of Rust, one of the more mellow songs on the album. “With the new single Dawn of Rust, we’re hoping to give a good glimpse of the album to come without pulling out all the stops. The song is a lament to the daily grind of life, societal pressure and overall decay of joy. Basically, if you can’t relate, you may not be human.”
15 | Raspberry Bulbs | Spitting From On High
THE PRESS RELEASE: “New York’s Raspberry Bulbs — featuring members of Bone Awl and Rorschach — share latest track Spitting From On High. The tune comes by way of the band’s forthcoming new full-length Before The Age Of Mirrors, set for release later this month. Raspberry Bulbs emphasizes the volatile, confrontational attitudes of punk with the discordant sounds of lo-fi black metal and inspirational fever dreams found only in weird fiction. In the band’s own words, “Equal parts paranoia, anger, and insane humor to satisfy the most cynical minds, Before The Age Of Mirrors was crafted for the times where we desperately look for a way forward and we seem, at this dazzling stage, almost prepared to step through the mirror.”
16 | Emily Rockarts | Right Now
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Montreal-based indie singer-songwriter Emily Rockarts shares lead track, Right Now, from her debut album Little Flower due out on April 24. The new single is about how we get distracted all the time by the future, things on the to-do list, and our neverending plans. “Sometimes you just have to stop and live in the present;” shares Emily. She sings on the song: “It’s all good, it’s okay! It’ll work out anyway – Always does, somehow, so be with me right now.” Right Now was recorded in Montreal at Hotel2Tango and written by Rockarts, and produced by Franky Rousseau.”
17 | Carla Olson | Timber, I’m Falling In Love
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Two great voices weaving together beautifully is one of the most basic and durable concepts in music, and Carla Olson returns to it on her new album Have Harmony, Will Travel 2, which arrives on March 20. The album, which features the veteran Texas-bred, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter-producer in duets with 11 guests, is a successor to 2013’s Have Harmony, Will Travel, which found Olson collaborating vocally with such artists as Peter Case, Richie Furay (Buffalo Springfield), John York (The Byrds), Scott Kempner (The Del-Lords), and Juice Newton. Like the previous collection, Have Harmony, Will Travel 2 was inspired by Olson’s youthful days as an aspiring musician, when she marveled at the diverse sounds she heard on Austin’s top-40 station KNOW. She recalls, “You’d hear everything from Love Is Blue by Paul Mauriat to The Zombies. Even before I got into high school, I had a wonderful variety of music hitting me. I had this catalog of songs in my head that I wanted to play with a band, or I’d hear a vocalist who maybe wouldn’t have done a particular song actually recording that song. Very often a singer will think that they’re not capable of doing a song that I’ve asked them to do, or that it wouldn’t fit them stylistically, but I’ll hear something in that voice that beckoned me to get them to sing it.”
18 | J-Felix | Check
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Producer and multi-instrumentalist Joe Newman, otherwise known as J-Felix, returns with his future blend of boogie, p-funk, disco and soul on his sophomore album Whole Again Hooligan, out March 6, and releases the heavily-sampled single Check featuring El Train. “The tune came together really naturally, El Train came to my studio in Brighton, had some lunch, jammed for a few hours, swapping instruments,” J-Felix explains. “The track started off with a simple drum loop, I then played the bassline on one of Joe’s many analog synths. It was all pretty organic from there, just building up the track and adding elements until we thought it was done,” El Train adds.”
19 | Kat Hamilton | Medicine Line
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Kat Hamilton is a west-coast singer, songwriter and performer. Growing up in the Bay Area, the musician has hopped from city to city, leaving her mark in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, London, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Hamilton cleverly crafts an intimate blend of rock, pop, Americana and emo, establishing an entirely new genre. Hamilton’s career has the trajectory of a chameleon; lending her talents to pop-punk, emo, r&b, hip-hop, pop and country. She is no stranger to reinventing herself. In 2017, Hamilton ended her five-year run as the front woman of popular east-coast pop punkers, Manic Pixi, before shifting her focus to her upcoming solo album. Hamilton confides, “I had just gotten out of a recovery center and these songs became my way of coping.”
