Today’s Song of the Day is “On the Sparrow” from Lazerbeak’s album, Lava Bangers II, out now.
Americana UK premieres uplifting new Raveis Kole video “So Nice”
Begin your day with this uplifting new song from husband and wife folk-duo Raveis Kole. The main take-away from ‘So Nice’ is the simple joy Laurie Raveis and Dennis Kole take in one another’s company and in performing together. The chorus melody and harmonies soar, lifting the we listeners and bringing light into our days. In the video, the couple play and sing, walk and drink, with genuine smiles on their faces; such delight is both refreshing and welcome in challenging times. Indeed, the song was inspired by the collective, joyous experience of playing to an appreciative crowd after pandemic restrictions were lifted. the audience were thankful as Raveis sang and this reflected in the lines: “So nice to be right here // Hanging out with friends old and new..Right now can you feel the wind’s at your back // Take a deep breath, relish this moment.” The sentiment is simple and direct and all the more powerful for that. Sonically and thematically, ‘So Nice’ feels free. Kole considers the song’s meaning: “I couldn’t help but reflect on the simplicities of life unfolding, that sense of expanded joy because people hadn’t been able to participate fully in life and were almost glowing with excitement to be out, to be together, enjoying live music.” Further exclusive reflections from Laurie Raveis and Dennis Kole about the song are below; huge thanks to them for their thoughtful comments and insight.
Spill Mag debuts new single and video from The Sarandons, “Letting On,” noting its “bristling honesty” and “blips of joy emitted from elated shrieks of pitch-shifted guitars.”
Heartland Canadian indie rockers The Sarandons deliver defiant optimism on their debut full-length album Sightlines, a rich body of work replete with spirited rhythms, lustrous synths, punctuated guitars and delightfully rugged vocal harmonies, produced by Dan Hosh (Wild Rivers, City and Colour, Glorious Sons) at Double Car Recording and Trench Recordings in Toronto. The Sarandons have shared stages with Dakota Mill, Mattie Leon, Julie Title and more.
American Songwriter interviews Matthew Check about his new record – Without a Throne – noting, “Check’s book of songs is getting more revelatory as time goes on.”
A deep reflection on how the Brooklyn, New York-based singer and songwriter reached sobriety, “Old Wooden Floor” is a frank outpouring of the despair and survival of that moment in time, and one of the shared stories and narratives from Check’s own life that plays out on his second album, Without a Throne.
Check’s book of songs is getting more revelatory as time goes on. Scanning personal and peripheral stories and even the biblical with the old testament tale of King David’s son in “What a Father Would Do (Absalom),” Without a Throne cracks open a time capsule of long-forgotten songs in waiting, some for decades.
Americana Highways reviews Moon Shine’s debut LP, The Land in Between, noting, “The music, spiced with horns and Moon Shine’s smooth voice keeps the narrative flowing… great storytelling.”
The work of Brooklyn-based artist Moon Shine reflects the varied background of its creator, Angie Glasscock. Memphis soul, Nashville country and LA polish are combined on Moon Shine’s debut album, The Land in Between, named after Glasscock’s familial itinerance and the search for a home of her own.
Glasscock’s origin story is explored in the album’s title cut. “The Land in Between” kicks off with a stirring Wurlitzer line and the beginning of the singer’s travels – “I was born in Memphis/But didn’t stay long.” After moving to California, Mom and Dad split up, Dad moved to Tennessee, and a long childhood of constant travel (perhaps presaging her life as a musician) began – “Back and forth/We’re traveling/Between two extremes.” The music, spiced with horns and Glasscock’s smooth voice, keeps the narrative flowing.
Seven Days reviews Maple Run Band’s sophomore LP, Used to Be the Next Big Thing, calling it “a timeless Americana record.”
Used to Be the Next Big Thing is a timeless Americana record. Maple Run Band continue to establish themselves as “one of the 802’s foremost practitioners of the genre,” as Justin Boland called them in his 2020 Seven Days review of their debut LP. These tunes will be playing in the Green Mountains and beyond for many years to come.