PureVolume

For the better part of the past few years, nav/attack, aka Andrew Lynch, has worked with some of the biggest names in music. He engineered projects for Sia, John Cale, Earlimart and OFF!, has recorded music for film and has been in several bands as well. Today, we’re excited to help unveil nav/attack’s latest, self-titled album, which will be released next Friday. As you listen, you’ll hear sparkly synths along with carefully crafted cinematic lyrics that flow perfectly with the drum machines that comprise the foundation for the sound. Add to that equation intricate instruments like trumpets, pianos and the bass, then you have a colorful recipe for success beyond its art pop roots. LISTEN HERE…

If you never heard of Atlanta trio The Head, you’ll have no excuse after they release their Millipedes EP in November. Comprised of guitarist Jacob Morrell, singer/bassist Mike Shaw and his drummer brother Jack, The Head have a sound that’s rawer and powerful than their age —early 20s — would indicate. Their heavy dose of vintage college rock, lo-fi garage rock and shoegaze is a welcome throwback, yet retains a sonic quality that feels at home in 2015. The trio has held their own opening for bands like Primal Scream, Steve Wynn and Those Darlins, and have been approved by the likes of Big Star’s Jody Stephens, producer Mitch Easter (R.E.M., Pavement), John Vanderslice and Guided By Voices’ Doug Gillard. Today, we’re stoked to premiere the band’s “Jesus,” which mixes the delicate balance between heavy and aggressive without teetering over the edge leading to an exciting wall of reverb that punches you in the face. Oh, and Mike Shaw’s vocals recalls some of the early grunge greats and that doesn’t hurt either. READ MORE…

Sydney Eloise & The Palms yearn for the golden age of pop—the ’60s and ’70s when Phil Spector reigned king—and they’re doing their best to put a modern spin on it. Mixing that with current influences like Rilo Kiley and up-and-coming indie darling Natalie Prass, Sydney’s debut album Faces is filled with lush instrumentation and whimsical vocal harmonies led by her sultry voice. Today we’re excited to premiere her latest single, “Comes to an End.” Stream the soulful song above and read Sydney’s track commentary below.

Jesse Harris may be known for writing Norah Jones‘ first hit “Don’t Know Why” and collaborating with the likes of Bright Eyes, Cat Power, Feist, M. Ward, Melody Gardot, Mike Patton, John Zorn, Solomon Burke, Willie Nelson andEmmylou Harris; however, the singer-songwriter is just as a prolific solo artist, gearing up to release his 13th solo album, No Wrong No Right. Today, we’re excited to premiere the video for the title track. Watch above as Harris and experimental duoStar Rover display their take on modern minimalism in the simple yet striking clip.

“With the video for “No Wrong No Right” we were going for a ’60s sci-fi look, emulating films such as The 10th Victim and [George Lucas’ first feature] THX 1138,” Harris explains. “The dancers were meant to represent more futuristic paganism than, say, ’80s Robert Palmer-style eroticism. That was the idea, anyway. I wrote the song about a kind of malaise that comes from letting time pass without making any hard decisions; through passiveness allowing nothing to occur. The video was meant to convey this angst—in the strobe lighting and the starkness of the scenery and wardrobe. As for the recording, we did the basic tracks for “No Wrong No Right”—the voice, guitars and drums—live, and then overdubbed organ, percussion and harmonies.”

No Wrong No Right is slated for a February 10 release through Dangerbird Records and can be pre-ordered via iTunes. WATCH HERE…

Sara Rachele released her debut album, Diamond Street, in September and didn’t wait long to give her fans more new music. The Georgia-raised folkstress is gearing up to release her “Listen, Judas” 7″, and today we’re thrilled to premiere its B-side, a hazy (even moreso than the original) cover of Mazzy Star‘s “Fade Into You.” Stream the song above.

“For me, Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval is synonymous with mystery,” Rachele confesses. “Her poetry and imagery is something that drew me in from the first time I heard it. She has this uncanny ability to take a simple lyric and make it mean so much. And with “Fade Into You”—which, really, is the quintessential Mazzy Star song—there’s something magical about the way the melody and chords come together. It’s one of my favorite tracks, so when a fan request came in for me to cover it, I immediately said yes. I said yes before I had a second to even think about it.

“The group of musicians behind this new version we’ve recorded is really special to me, as it included members of my old band [Decca/Universal recording artists] The Love Willows. Ryan Wilson produced and engineered alongside Hope Wilson at their studio, Hey Hey, in East Nashville.

“Back in the day with The Love Willows, Ryan and I would always talk about our favorite melodies. He’s got a knack for the bigger, slicker pop songs, so when I asked him to do this moody cut, I wasn’t quite sure he’d say yes. I told him it was a fan-requested cover, and he jumped right in, coming to the table with some amazing players and ideas. For such a dark song, it ended up being a fun vibe, a chance to get our old band back together for a few hours, this time with me on lead vocals. [Rachele used to handle backup vocals and keys for The Love Willows.]

“We cut “Fade Into You” all live, as per my mandate, and afterward sat around telling old stories from when we all used to play together. It was an incredible experience to get to put our spin on a song that meant so much to all of us growing up. And to bring it all home, we asked our friend Kristofer Sampson [Ponderosa, B-52’s, The Coathangers] to do the mixing. I’m really proud of how it came out, and of everyone who plays on it. And also, a big thanks to Mazzy Star for existing, and to the fans for reminding us why we do this in the first place—for each other.” LISTEN HERE…

Tesla Rossa are gearing up to release their self-titled debut album next month, and today we’re excited to premiere its latest offering, “Movie Houses.” Produced by Vance Powell (Jack White, The Dead Weather, Arctic Monkeys), this song showcases the alt-rockers’ knack for slow-burning balladry and solidifies their comparisons to the likes of Brand New and Manchester Orchestra. Stream the track above.

“‘Movie Houses’ was written during a time in our lives when we were trying to go off the map from a social standpoint,” vocalist Jason Denton explains. “Get out of the Nashville party scene and really get to work. The band all moved into a house together in East Nashville, and started writing and demoing music every night—getting more experimental.

“The same way I tend to lean on an “amp-cranked-to-10, sparkle-crunchy rip-your-face-off” guitar tone, [our lead guitarist] Ryan is the exact opposite. ‘Movie Houses’ was originally loud when I wrote it. Very loud. A booming, monstrous kind of thing. But after touring on it a bit, we started to discover the dynamic of what was happening between us on stage. It morphed into a song where Ryan gets to have his really soft, dark string-plucking moments, I get to have my loud moments, and [our drummer] Nathan somehow segues the two moods with an hypnotic beat. Then we threw in a sort of PB & Jam into the middle of it all.

“We cut this track live to two-inch tape with Vance Powell, who’s worked with Jack White, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather. At his studio, we put these these newly discovered dynamics into action. The strings on the track were actually the very last thing we overdubbed for the record.”

Look out for Tesla Rossa’s self-titled debut on November 11. LISTEN HERE…