There’s a lot of power in not taking yourself too seriously. On Used To Be The Next Big Thing (out November 18th), the sophomore LP from Northern Vermont Americana/roots-rock act Maple Run Band, vocalist/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Trevor Crist spins yarns of lost love, shattered dreams, and lost potential with a wry wit and a tongue-in-cheek lyricism that would make John Prine proud.
Minneapolis producer and Doomtree Records CEO & centerpiece Lazerbeak is preparing to release his new LP, Lava Bangers II, the sequel to his acclaimed 2012 beat tape Lava Bangers. Recently, Lazerbeak shared two brand new singles off of the album, “Rockers” and “Slumps” which are a meditative, grooving electronic tracks that builds uplifting melodies atop a laid-back beat driven foundation, with a transcendent gospel-organ driven centerpiece, and a downtempo, melodic indie-electronica cut that blends percussive synthesizers with layers of electronic texture and a thumping four-on-the-floor beat, respectively.
From the opening cascading cords of the latest Ghost Pavillion track “Still On Ice,” one would almost do a double take that they might be hearing a new Beach House track. Yet instead of the noted dream pop Baltimore duo, we get the west coast version, spearheaded by James Higgs.
Glide is premiering “Still On Ice,” the encapsulating new track that drifts with a masterful urgency that is both sweet and seductive atop a stark and fragile presentation.
If the term foot-stompin’ ever applied to a modern songsmith- it would have to be tagged upon that of Prinz Grizzley. With a throwback juke joint sound that is bluesy AF and a swampy cajun kick in the ass, Prinz Grizzley reverberates with a soulful edge reminiscent of an Alligator Records label act.
With a band name like Red Rum Club, one can almost picture a supergroup of sorts with collaborations with the likes of Joe Strummer and Paul Weller. But instead, we have one of Britain’s (Liverpool to be exact) most promising post-punk acts with a dose of pop since Arctic Monkeys. READ MORE…
Some artists have the gift of tune and Los Angeles singer-songwriter Sonja Midtune certainly has a way of varying the mood like a shapeshifting Aimee Mann. Midtune has moved from the acoustic, nostalgic, sad-girl tunes of her previous albums and has plugged in her electric guitar to bring us her new uplifting indie-electronic EP, Golden Girl (out Nov. 11).