Spaghetti & Frank get Petty, Frank Turner & Jon Snodgrass buddy up again, John Cale feels lazy, Blanketman show off their beach bodies, Mise En Scene offer unsolicited advice, Pimpton wants you to avert your eyes and more in today’s Indie Roundup. Is it just me, or is this a pretty star-studded lineup for a Tuesday?
ON REPEAT
1 | Spaghetti & Frank | Jammin’ Me
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “I feel like it’s no longer a question of Right or Left. It’s a matter of right or wrong,” says Eddie Spaghetti of The Supersuckers about his new single and video (directed by Jason Valdez), a cover of Tom Petty’s Jammin’ Me with L.A. punk mainstay Frank Meyer of The Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs under the bandname Spaghetti & Frank. “This election isn’t like you’re getting married. You’re not picking your life partner here. It’s more like public transit. You just wanna get on the bus that’s going to take you closer to home than you currently are.” Jammin’ Me addresses the chaotic political climate as the country enters the final weeks before Election Day. “We felt in this current world of reality TV and a reality TV president, this was a perfect opportunity to update [Jammin’ Me] and make the lyrics relevant to today,” explains Meyer. “The election is coming up and I guess this is our statement about where we stand…. and, more specifically. who we do NOT stand with… and that is President Trump.”
https://youtu.be/7sIAyc5H1_U
2 | Frank Turner & Jon Snodgrass | Bad Times Good Vibes
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Frank Turner & Jon Snodgrass will release Buddies II: Still Buddies on Nov. 13. As with the original, Buddies II was written in just one day, although this time, however, Turner and Snodgrass had to do it over the Internet due to lockdown. From the punk-turned-country of the album’s lead single, Bad Times Good Vibes to referencing George Carlin’s infamous Saving The Planet on The Fleas, Still Buddies also stands as the first album Turner has recorded, mixed and mastered entirely on his own. “Lockdown has been such a blow to the music industry, and such a drag that we were all looking for things to do. Jon and I have been buddies a long time, and I noticed the 10-year anniversary of our collaborative album was coming up. Technology is such that we were able to reprise the writing method remotely, and indeed it turns out we’ve got a lot better at it in the intervening decade. I’m really, really proud of the record.”
3 | John Cale | Lazy Day
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “John Cale returns with a new single and video for Lazy Day. It is gradual, inching forward with skipping percussion and aperiodic piano. In the accompanying video, directed by Abby Portner, a pink-haired Cale lounges around, intertwining with clips of the natural world and abstract images. “I was so ready to finally get my new album out; fits and starts and then damn 2020 happened! A lot to say in these times,” says Cale. “Context is everything and 140 characters isn’t going to cut it! As a songwriter my truth is all tied-up in and through those songs that must wait a while longer. And then it occurred to me that I do have something for the moment, a song I’d recently completed… With the world careening out of its orbit I wanted to stop the lurch and enjoy a period where we can take our time and breathe our way back into a calmer world.”
4 | Blanketman | Beach Body
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Blanketman return with new single Beach Body. Produced by Luke Smith, it arrives as the followup to their debut single Taking You With Me, which cruelly arrived right after the band performed sold-out live shows just before Lockdown took hold. Over the last year or two the band have been spearheading a burgeoning scene in Manchester and have gigged extensively throughout the city, performing their original brand of restless post-punk and cerebral indie-pop, served with a sharper, more sardonic pop edge than many of their more po-faced peers. Beach Body dials up the urgency and distils a swift insistence, on top of which vocalist Adam Hopper masterminds a trove of indelible melodies, punctuated by the refrain “Lift off! Lift off!”
5 | Mise En Scene | Unsolicited Advice
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Grunge-pop duo Mise en Scene release their raucous new album Winnipeg, California, this Friday. Today they tackle age discrimination and continue the fight for female empowerment with their latest single and video Unsolicited Advice. Born from the idea that “no one receives more unsolicited advice than a woman,” the band worked with women in their community for the video as “these remarkable women had a lot of years of unsolicited advice to blow off and this song helped them do that!”
6 | Pimpton | Don’t Stare At The Light
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “While the COVID-19 pandemic forced most musicians to a grinding halt, Regina rapper Pimpton has ramped up his output releasing a new music video for the single Don’t Stare At The Light from his upcoming new visual album Tunnelz. The project took its title from the Tunnels of Moose Jaw, which were notoriously known to be used by Al Capone & the mob to smuggle in alcohol during the prohibition era. Aside from the evident link with the Tunnels of Moose Jaw, the album title also pays homage to Pimpton’s relentless drive to attain goals by any means necessary, including digging tunnels beneath all obstacles.”
ALSO ON THE PLAYLIST
7 | Felin | Heroes & Villains
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Swedish-Pop artist Felin released her new song Heroes & Villains, from the new album of the same name due next year. The video is an artistic culmination of pure mayhem and corruptness festering in our world. Grabbing attention with neon lighting and elements of camp, vogue, and grunge, the visuals provide an alluring contrast to the narrative and its harsh reality. Felin sings, “old man Sam is coming for you, changing his opinions like he’s changing his shoes, whistling away while we’re singing the blues, what are we gonna do?” and continues with “there’s a lot of bad things out in the world, but they say you live you learn. Oh we’re did the good guys go? Seems like they lost control forgot ‘bout their heart and soul, who said it would be easy?”
8 | Bicep | Apricots
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Belfast-born, London-based duo Bicep (Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson) will release their second album Isles on Jan. 22. Lead single Apricots encapsulates these disparate influences perfectly. Sampling traditional Malawian singers — recorded by ethnomusicologist Hugh Tracey in 1958 — and a 1950s performance by The Bulgarian State Radio & Television Female Vocal Choir, steeped in a shimmering bath of warm synths, its spare percussion and arresting vocals bring the big room chills of ’90s rave, while still evoking something lost or forlorn. The accompanying video is directed by Mark Jenkin, who recently took home a 2020 BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British Director for his 2019 film Bait.”
9 | Serena Sun | Everyone I Run From
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Vancouver-based singer, songwriter, and producer Serena Sun is creating alternative pop tracks that speak to the soul. Serena shares her experience in navigating the highs and lows of life through her unique melodies and honest lyrics. Inspired by a mix of indie pop and ambient soundscapes, Serena fuses the two with her airy vocals to create a unique, emotion-driven sound. Serena just released a new single, Everyone I Run From — the first in a growing catalogue of music to share in the upcoming year.”
10 | Nasum | Shadows
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Oct. 6 marks eight years to the day since the members of Sweden’s grindcore outfit Nasum put the band to rest with an emotionally and sonically pulverizing show. To mark the occasion, Nasum announce the December 2020 release of the DVD of the concert/documentary film surrounding the band’s final stand in 2012. During its tenure, Nasum rose to become one of the most influential acts of the extreme underground. When singer Mieszko Talarczyk disappeared and died in the devastating and tragic tsunami of 2004, Nasum instantly ceased to exist. When the band’s would-be 20th anniversary approached in 2012, the band decided to end the band “the way it was supposed to end: exploding in a ferocious, blasting frenzy, not withering away at the mercy of tragedy.”
11 | Riley Michaels | Now I Know
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “From Beamsville, ON, Riley Michaels started making music at eight years old after winning a local singing competition. Today, the music Michaels makes is a combination of Pop and Adult Contemporary, with a range of influences. From his new releases, you can hear the smooth guitar playing of John Mayer, the subtlety and groove of Prince, the emotion of James Bay, and even some pop progressions that sound like Harry Styles or the Jonas Brothers. He even mixes in a little country, in the style of Chris Stapleton. Riley’s new songs evoke the vibe of driving down the highway with the roof of your car open, a day at the beach, or even a dance club. Others offer intimate feelings that audiences will connect with on a deeper level. In 2017, Michaels wrote, produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered his EP Toxic Love in his home studio, featuring five self-written songs with full-band instrumentation.”
12 | Belau | Risk It All (ft. Amahla)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Belau is one of the most promising electronica newcomers around the European music scene. In three years, they had almost 200 live performances in 23 countries. Their debut LP The Odyssey won the Hungarian Grammy in best electronic music album category. After their long-awaited sophomore album, titled Colourwave, they have released a new video. They say: “Risk It All is one of our favourite track from the new album. Before the release in February we shot a video for it around some breathtaking European sights.”
13+14 | Desert Blonde | Stay For Good + It Ain’t Bad (To Be Alone)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Desert Blonde, aka Brooklyn-based musician Zach Hinkle, has shared Stay For Good — the second single from his upcoming new EP Live Slow Die Old — along with a new video for It Ain’t Bad (To Be Alone). Hinkle describes Stay For Good as a breakup song: “I was picturing a couple going back and forth, trading shots. The chorus is that moment when one of them realizes they’re not going to win, so now it’s a game of getting them back and not pushing them away.” It Ain’t Bad (To Be Alone) is an ode and a hat-tip to life’s quiet, peaceful moments, for fans of John Prine and Jeff Tweedy. The video was shot in Idaho, where Zach and his wife isolated during quarantine. Ironically, Hinkle wrote the tune before the pandemic was a reality.”
15 | Ilsa | Poor Devil
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Washington D.C.’s Ilsa return with their sixth full-length Preyer, coming Nov. 20. In advance, the band has unveiled first single Poor Devil. Ilsa frontman Orion comments, “Poor Devil sprung from study of Potter’s Fields and the story of Judas Iscariot, where I found parallels with [American murderer] Sean Sellers’ ‘betrayal’ by his best friend and Judas’ role as biblical scapegoat. For such a lynchpin in the The Passion Of Christ, Judas was never afforded the reverence of the other disciples, forever damned as an unredeemable traitor, while the story could never be complete without his participation. The Potter’s Field where Judas hung himself became the burial grounds of the discarded and unclaimed dead, and the name stuck to this day. Apologies to D.I.‘s Richard Hung Himself where we snuck a nod to the one of the best punk songs ever written.”
16 | Xander Marsden | Town Sleep
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “California singer-songwriter Xander Marsden shares the video for his new song Town Sleep. His debut self-titled EP is due Oct. 23. Town Sleep is a song that captures the universal feeling of being trapped in one’s place and looking to escape into life. The video features Marsden moving through various ever-changing backgrounds looking for an escape. The animation and special effects are used to give a psychedelic feel to match the creative imagery of the song. Marsden says, “I felt overwhelming stress from balancing school life with my music life. I had to keep up on things when I really just needed some sleep.”
17 | Helena Deland | Pale
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Montreal’s emerging singer-songwriter Helena Deland shares the enchanting new song Pale, the fourth single from Someone New, her debut album due out Oct. 16. Pale single casts its gaze on interpersonal matters through a corporeal lens, guided by mercurial rhythmic changes and a low-key, funky synth hook. “Pale is about the little space left to the actual self in romantic relationships where idealization comes into play.” says Deland. The song is accompanied by a visualizer, about which Helena shares: “The stream in the visualizer represents the question of control when control is ultimately impossible.”
18 | Benjamin Lazar Davis | If You Want It
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Eclectic Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter, arranger, composer, and producer Benjamin Lazar Davis has made his name as a valued collaborator as well as a gifted solo artist. If You Want It — his first single release since 2018’s break-out debut solo album Nothing Matters — was co-written with Lip Talk’s Sarah K. Pedinotti. If You Want It is about recognizing that someone you love is lost and unable to be honest with themselves. “To me, the lyrics are about recognizing that someone is lost and unable to be honest with themselves. It’s about trying to shake them out of their fog covering so that they can make the right decision, which is to drop everything and be with you. You’re telling them to look you in the eye and hoping that they won’t be able to lie to your face.”
19 | Sorrows Path | Black Stone Wielder
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Doomsters, metalheads and friends, the world is being attacked by an invisible enemy, the Covid19. Be patient and calm. We feel the need to share some music and video from the good old days: A cover of Candlemass’s Black Stone Wielder taken from the compilation Epicus Doomicus Hellenicus — A Tribute to Candlemass. The Footage taken from Sorrows Path live with Candlemass in Athens, Greece. DOOM RULES ETERNALLY!!!”
20 | OG 3Three | 3 Shit (ft. YoungBoy Never Broke Again)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Baton Rouge’s OG 3Three releases the official lyric video for 3 Shit, ft. YoungBoy Never Broke Again. 3 Shit is the focus track on OG 3Three’s new mixtape The Appetizer, which was released on Friday.”
21 | Layla Kardan | You
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Layla Kardan unveils You, the first single taken from her upcoming EP Abscission, set for release on Feb. 26. You is a powerful ode to freedom, a personal and empowering journey through loss-love and self-discovery. Its the product of Layla’s search for independence, achieved by untangling herself from unhealthy relationships. In Layla’s own words: “It’s about the constant struggle of remaining independent and yet always falling into the arms of possessive men incapable of handling my strength. The constant pull to retain a position of power ultimately sees the relationship fail and overturn for the last time.”
22 | Aby Coulibaly | Taurus
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Where on earth has Aby Coulibaly been all our lives? She is a 21-year-old singer-songwriter from Dublin and if you don’t know, you need to get to know. Aby’s debut single Taurus is the sound of a debut artist who has everything in place to make an instant impression. Aby explains, “Taurus is about getting over someone you were hung up on and chilling with friends because they’re the realest ones we’ve got. I wrote it after I had ended things with a guy who I really liked at the time, but he wasn’t sure what he wanted so I had told him not to waste anymore of my time and ended things. I was surprised by how easy it was for me to move on and not be upset because I had made the decision that I deserved better. ”
23 | Stephen Becker | Slurpee
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “New York singer-songwriter Stephen Becker debuted his new single Slurpee alongside a Santi Slade-directed video. Becker says: “Slurpee juxtaposes springtime euphoria with social anxiety, icees and sandcastles with middle child syndrome and political turmoil. The pervasive kick drum represents an existential anxiety about the state of things, a brain freeze in the sun that prevents you from really enjoying the sunshine.” Slurpee is the second single from his forthcoming EP Nothing Sun Under the New, out Oct. 30.”
https://youtu.be/pRSvE_XYB8c
24 | Wings Of Desire | Runnin’
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Everybody wants to leave something behind them, some impression, some mark upon the world. And then you think, you’ve left a mark on the world if you just get through it and a few people remember your name. Then you’ve left a mark. You don’t have to bend the world. I think it’s better just to enjoy it. Pay your dues and enjoy it.” This quote from Dorian Corey, taken from the 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning, rings out through the opening of new Wings Of Desire single Runnin’. It sets the tone for a single that unfurls to reveal a band quietly and confidently demonstrating themselves as masters of the majestic, euphoric slow-burn. Drawing inspiration from psychological revolution, visual arts, and 20th century counterculture, the result is a Factory-era creative outlet for a disenfranchised generation. Wings Of Desire is simply a mirror to the planetary shift we are all experiencing.”
https://youtu.be/2e33d1cjnLg
25 | The Dirty Nil | Blunt Force Concussion
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Hamilton power trio The Dirty Nil share Blunt Force Concussion, a slice of ‘90s power-pop and the latest cut off the forthcoming album, Fuck Art, out Jan. 1. Says frontman Luke Bentham: “Y’all ever felt yourself sliding down the greasy hill of love? Down, down, down you pathetically slide until you reach the bottom. Finally, you find yourself hanging from the cliffs of sanity, above the fiery hell of romance. We present to you Blunt Force Concussion… We pulled out all the stops on this one: bangin’ ass drum fills, booty shakin’ bass lines, big boi geetars and a thousand-dollar chorus. If you don’t like this song, fuck you and the horse you rode in on.”
26 | Yaotl Mictlan | Tezcatlipoca – Espejo Relumbrante
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Tezcatlipoca — Espejo Relumbrante is the new single from Salt Lake City, Utah-based indigenous black metal tribe Yaotl Mictlan. The song precedes the band’s impending third full-length release, Sagrada Tierra del Jaguar, due in late October. Drummer Yaotl delves into the writing of Tezcatlipoca – Espejo Relumbrante and the new album: “After our last tour in Mexico, my brother Tlatecatl (guitar/vocals) and I were meeting for band practice so we could start writing new material. We were having a conversation about Mesoamerican folk, on how the Mexican god Tezcatlipoca came down from the sky on a spider web and how he jumped from the web to the ground creating a cloud of fog. He then proceeded to blend in the busy Toltec city wearing a robe concealing his face. The story ends when Tezcatlipoca tricks Quetzalcoatl the ruler of the Toltecs and is forced to leave his country only to come back as a god. Tlatecatl started playing a riff that he says is what he imagined Tezcatlipoca climbing down from the spider web, I loved the riff got on the drums and the inception of this track happened and it set the tone for the rest of the tracks in this new album!”
27 | The Mastersons | In the Name of God
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Mastersons, singer-songwriters/multi-instrumentalists Chris Masterson and Eleanor Whitmore, channel vintage acoustic rock (think Fairport Convention, Fleetwood Mac and even Led Zeppelin’s folk songs) on their somber new track In the Name of God. The Mastersons explain that the song came to them while they were on the Lampedusa: Concert for Refugees Tour with Joan Baez, Patty Griffin, Steve Earle, Brandi Carlile, Lucinda Williams, James McMurtry and Lila Downs. “It was so inspiring to be singing our own songs alongside these amazing artists to benefit refugees,” Chris says. “We got to thinking about all the violence that people are fleeing when they are forced from their homeland and the intersection of fear and hate.”
28 | Travis | Waving At The Window
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Ahead of the release of their new album 10 Songs this Friday, Scottish legends Travis have released romantically reminiscent new track, Waving At The Window. Co-produced by both Fran Healy and Robin Baynton, and recorded at RAK Studio, 10 Songs is about the way life comes at love and what love does to weather those challenges. It’s grown-up. There’s sizzling synergy in abundance and benefits from the almost psychic sense of mutual attunement that comes from being in a band whose line-up hasn’t changed in its entire collective lifetime.”
29 | Colossus Of Destiny | Bittersweet and Pathetic
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Seven years after the release of their debut full-length record In Lesser Brightness (2013), French sludgecore/rock/metal practioners Colossus Of Destiny announced their second album Last Call, coming out on Nov. 30. In the meantime, the band just shared a first audio/video glance from this upcoming effort with the song Bittersweet And Pathetic. A French sludgecore/metal/rock four-piece from the Paris area, Colossus Of Destiny is Igor (Bass), Etienne (Drums), Noé (Guitars /vocals) & Julien (Guitars).”
30 | Gob Patrol | Sin City
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Sin City is the latest single from Las Vegas based punk-rock outfit Gob Patrol. The followup to recent single Anarchy, Sin City continues Gob Patrol’s reputation for thunderous guitar and drum tones, and high-energy vocals. This is as punk as it gets! Gob Patrol are heavily inspired by the legendary ’80s U.S. punk scene highlighted by acts such as Black Flag, GBH, Minor Threat and The Germs and both singles fall directly under the influence of the aforementioned acts. they are angsty, rebellious, chaotic and 100% pure old-school punk rock.”
31 | Miesha & The Spanks | Wanna Feel Good
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Miesha & The Spanks just released a new single, Wanna Feel Good. The track features new dimensions of fuzz and feedback for the band and captures that tense high-shouldered dread when time is running out. Miesha & The Spanks are a high-octane garage-rock duo from Calgary, made up of rock ’n’ roll matriarch Miesha Louie and her partner in crime Sean Hamilton on drums. Together they draw inspiration from classics to create some modern noise that’s catchy enough to raise a fist and sing along.”
32 | Eamon McGrath | Sparkle & Bleed
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “With over 300 songs written and recorded, album of the year credits, and multiple continent-spanning tours, Eamon McGrath has developed a body of work that could rival that of any artist 15 years his senior. This is the house that punk rock built: a fierce DIY attitude and constantly-changing style has guided McGrath across the globe on countless tours, stories from which have been cultivated in innumerable journal entries and song lyrics. New single, Sparkle and Bleed features guest vocals from longtime friend, collaborator, colleague and bandmate Julie Doiron. Sparkle and Bleed is taken from an upcoming full-length album that will be McGrath’s first release since 2019’s critically acclaimed Guts.”
33 | Gerald Burkhart | Lucia
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Gerald Burkhart is an Austin singer-songwriter who blends the resolute tradition of folk songwriting with the advanced production techniques of the information age. Lucia is a fictional biographical retelling of James Joyce’s favored daughter of the same name. Though very important to her father, Lucia has been all but removed from history. Using Joyce’s unique story as a framework, the song explores familial and societal roles and structures that are being challenged to this day. Lucia is at once a character exploration and a celebration of a trailblazer lost to circumstance.”
34 | Winston C.W. | Good Guess
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Winston Cook-Wilson, lead singer and songwriter of Office Culture, has announced his third solo album as Winston C.W., Good Guess. Today, he is also sharing its first single: the sprawling, eight-minute long title track. “I feel like it encapsulates a lot of the things I’ve been writing about for the past few years,” he says. “There’s a bit about feeling like a stranger to yourself and sleepwalking through life in a compressed urban environment. It’s just tracking different moments of feeling rudderless — mixing more metaphorical observations with real images of an unsettled world. It’s one of those songs I could have kept writing verses for, like journal entries.”
