Archive for the ‘CLASSIC ALBUMS’ Category

KATE DAVIS – ” I’ll Do Anything But Breakdance For Ya, Darling ” Daniel Johnston Cover

Posted: October 14, 2020 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Kate Davis A singer songwriter from New York, The first single from Kate Davis’ record ‘Strange Boy’ was originally released January 15th, 2021. ‘Strange Boy’ is a track from the album of Daniel Johnston’s ‘Retired Boxer‘. Released in collaboration with the Hi, How Are You Project, a non-profit organization that provides a platform for the exchange of ideas and education on mental well-being, Davis will release Strange Boy, a unique rendering that is named after the eighth song on Johnston’s original masterpiece.

Releases January 15th, 2021.

SUN JUNE – ” Somewhere “

Posted: October 13, 2020 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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The five members of Sun June spent their early years spread out across the United States, from the boonies of the Hudson Valley to the sprawling outskirts of LA. Having spent their college years within the gloomy, cold winters of the North East, Laura Colwell and Stephen Salisbury found themselves in the vibrant melting-pot of inspiration that is Austin, Texas. Meeting each other while working on Terrence Malick’s ‘Song to Song’, the pair were immediately taken by the city’s bustling small clubs and honky-tonk scene, and the fact that there was always an instrument within reach, always someone to play alongside. 

Coming alive in this newly discovered landscape, Colwell and Salisbury formed Sun June alongside Michael Bain on lead guitar, Sarah Schultz on drums, and Justin Harris on bass and recorded their debut album live to tape, releasing it via the city’s esteemed Keeled Scales label in 2018. The band coined the term ‘regret pop’ to describe the music they made on the ‘Years’ LP. Though somewhat tongue in cheek, it made perfect sense ~ the gentle sway of their country leaning pop songs seeped in melancholy, as if each subtle turn of phrase was always grasping for something just out Sun June returns with “Somewhere”, a brand new album, out February 2021. It’s a record that feels distinctly more present than its predecessor. In the time since, Colwell and Salisbury have become a couple, and it’s had a profound effect on their work; if Years was about how loss evolves, Somewhere is about how love evolves. “We explore a lot of the same themes across it,” Colwell says, “but I think there’s a lot more love here.

”Somewhere is Sun June at their most decadent, a richly diverse album which sees them exploring bright new corners with full hearts and wide eyes. Embracing a more pop-oriented sound the album consists of eleven beautiful new songs and is deliberately more collaborative and fully arranged: Laura played guitar for the first time; band members swapped instruments, and producer Danny Reisch helped flesh out layers of synth and percussion that provides a sweeping undercurrent to the whole thing. Throughout Somewhere you can hear Sun June blossom into a living-and-breathing five-piece, the album formed from an exploratory track building process which results in a more formidable version of the band we once knew. ’Real Thing’ is most indicative of this, a fully collaborative effort which encompasses all of the nuances that come to define the album.

“Are you the real thing?” Laura Colwell questions in the song’s repeated refrain. “Honey I’m the real thing,” she answers back. They’ve called this one their ‘prom’ record; a sincere, alive-in-the-moment snapshot of the heady rush of love. “The prom idea started as a mood for us to arrange and shape the music to, which we hadn’t done before,” the band explains. “ Prom isn’t all rosy and perfect. The songs show you the crying in the bathroom,, the fear of dancing, the joy of a kiss – all the highs and all the lows.”  It’s in both those highs and lows where Somewhere comes alive. Laura Colwell’s voice is mesmerising throughout, and while the record is a document of falling in love, there’s still room for her to wilt and linger, the vibrancy of the production creating  beautiful contrasts for her voice to pull us through.

Opening track ‘Bad With Time’ sets this tone from the outset, both dark and mysterious, sad and sultry as it fascinatingly unrolls. “I didn’t mean what I said,” Colwell sings. “But I wanted you to think I did.” Somewhere showcases a gentle but eminently pronounced maturation of Sun June’s sound, a second record full of quiet revelation, eleven songs that bristle with love and longing. It finds a band at the height of their collective potency, a marked stride forward from the band that created that debut record, but also one that once again is able to transport the listener into a fascinating new landscape, one that lies somewhere between the town and the city, between the head and the heart; neither here nor there, but certainly somewhere. “Karen O” by Sun June from the upcoming album ‘Somewhere‘ out February 2nd, 2020 via Run For Cover Records,

We are extremely happy to be announcing the February 5th release of Sun June’s forthcoming LP Somewhere. “We shot the video out on a Texas Hill Country ranch with a spotlight ranchers use to check on cattle at night (very Texas of us). We thought the stage lights and disco ball helped draw out the connection between feeling an emotion and performing it, both for yourself and others. We got lucky and happened to shoot during a lightning storm, so we went full melodrama with it.”

Releases January 10th, 2021

TOUCHE AMORE – ” Lament ” Best Albums Of 2020

Posted: October 11, 2020 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Post-hardcore band Touché Amoré released their long-awaited fifth studio album “Lament” via Epitaph Records. The album is produced by Ross Robinson, who’s worked with Glassjaw, Slipknot and Korn. Lead single “Limelight,” which features Manchester Orchestra’s Andy Hull, is as chaotic as Touché’s other songs, though it’s quiet at first, with Bolm’s scratchy vocals making the most noise. Hull’s silky vocals are a great addition to the post-hardcore/emo mess. Touché Amoré’s last studio album was 2016’s critically-acclaimed Stage Four, which reckoned with the death of frontman Jeremy Bolm’s mother. It was powerful and evocative, and Bolm’s poetic lyricism resonated with many. Since then, they re-recorded their album “To the Beat of a Dead Horse”, and they released a live album and some one-off singles.

After extensively grieving his mother on 2016’s Stage Four, Touché Amoré singer Jeremy Bolm just wanted to move on. As Lament makes clear, though, it wasn’t that easy. “It’s not how it was, but it’s not getting lighter,” he yells on “Limelight,” the album’s soaring lead single. Bolstered by an extensive recording session with legendary nü-metal producer Ross Robinson, Touché Amoré fine-tune their trademark brand of post-hardcore on Lament and make every note serve a purpose, from the enormous “Deflector” to the tenderhearted “I’ll Be Your Host.” Bolm may not feel like he’s basking in sunshine just yet, but by the sound of Lament, he’s found the next best thing: the promising warmth of a sunrise and the glimmer of determination that comes with it.

It’s October 9th which means “Lament” is officially out worldwide. We’ve been working on this album on and off for a couple years now and for it to be finally out feels extremely gratifying. Working with Ross Robinson was a dream and a privilege we don’t take for granted. He taught us new things about ourselves every step of the way and this album wouldn’t be what it is if it wasn’t for his most sincere devotion to every decibel of sound any of us made from an incorrect note, embarrassing voice crack or getting something just right. We can’t thank the hard working people at epitaph enough for indulging all our wild ideas with vinyl packaging / flexis / music videos and more. Andy Hull, Julien Baker and Justice Tripp for lending us your voices however big or small, we understand that finding the time and energy in the times we are living in can feel like monumental tasks so to have your energy and grace on this album is something we’ll cherish forever.

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Last but not least thank you to the kindness, patience, and understanding of those who have purchased the LP, streamed the album, or shared a kind word about its release. Following Stage Four wasn’t an easy task and often felt unachievable. We are so proud of Lament and we hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it.  Seldom can a band evolve so organically and still remain relevant,

The sound of pure anguish with a glint of hope.

Released October 9th, 2020
The Band:
Jeremy Bolm – Vocals
Clayton Stevens – Guitar
Nick Steinhardt – Guitar
Elliot Babin – Drums
Tyler Kirby – Bass

All songs written by Touché Amoré except * Written by Touché Amoré & John Andrew Hull

“Limelight” (feat. Manchester Orchestra) by Touché Amoré from the album ‘Lament,’ available now

HAERTS – ” For the Sky ” (Feat. Ed Droste)

Posted: October 10, 2020 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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This week Haerts (the duo featuring romantic partners Nini Fabi and Benny Gebert) shared a new song,“For the Sky,” via a video for it. The song features guest vocals from Grizzly Bear’s Ed Droste. Julian Klincewicz directed the video, which was filmed while Fabi was pregnant.  Fabi had this to say about the song in a press release: “‘For the Sky’ came from a dream I had when I first found out that I was pregnant, which was the catalyst and beginning of writing the new music. When we finished the demo for the song I kept hearing Ed’s voice and just thought he would sound amazing on it.

We didn’t know him at the time, but were such fans. When we reached out we honestly thought we’d never hear from him. But we did and we went into the studio in LA, and ended up recording it just singing together in a room. Now that feels like such a nostalgic notion. But even then it was special. It was that feeling you get when you sing with somebody and something just clicks. And it’s especially crazy when you sing with a vocal force as Ed. I wish everybody could sing together more and feel that. “A few months later, we decided that we wanted to do a music video a week before I ended up giving birth. So it all came full circle when Julian came to NY and filmed me dancing at 9 months pregnant.”

Haerts’ last album, sophomore effort, came out in 2018 via Arts & Crafts. Haerts turned heads in 2012 with their fantastic debut single, Its documentary style video has over 1.8 million views on YouTube. That was followed by their 2013 Hemiplegia EP and their 2014-released self-titled debut album.

HELENA DELAND – ” Someone New “

Posted: October 10, 2020 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Montréal’s Helena Deland opened for Connan Mockasin at the 2019 Montréal Jazz Festival, where Deland’s deft lyricism and sonic edge left a lasting mark. For her debut album, she’s signed to Chris Cantallini’s (of timeless indie blog Gorilla vs. Bear) Luminelle Records, and her dreamy sound slots nicely next to label mates like Anemone, Hana Vu and Jackie Mendoza. On songs like “Someone New” and the spectacular “Truth Nugget,” Deland expands on themes of interpersonal dynamics and identity in powerful ways. She is undoubtedly one of the best new talents to emerge from the robust Montréal indie scene.

A unique transformation occurs the moment a lover lays eyes on your bedroom for the first time: the room is suddenly, involuntarily no longer your own. Your curated “you” is subject to the impressions of the other, and you try hard to adopt this filter yourself, wondering what information the objects and their position suggest about you. If, in moments like these, the new gaze seems to almost conjure the room, a desperate question arises: what remains of the room without the other? With no external sources of appraisal or affirmation, where does the stuff of the self reside, and how does it take shape?

These blood-deep paranoias set the stage for Helena Deland’s debut album, Someone New, an exploration of gender, power, time and the “self” that finds Deland in full control of her sound and style, even as she asks whether control is ever possible. The album was written and recorded over a period of two years, beginning with Deland’s guitar and expanding into a lavish sonic sphere that blends elements of hypnagogic pop and classic folk. Deland’s voice ties it all together, sometimes hushed in a whisper, sometimes shrouded in distortion, and sometimes full and clear

New song “Pale’ is about the little space left to the actual self in romantic relationships where idealization comes into play,” says Deland in a press release.

The song is accompanied by a simple visualizer featuring foaming water in a stream, which Deland says “represents the question of control when control is ultimately impossible.”

In July Deland also shared the album’s “Lylz.” Then when the album was announced in August she shared the album’s title track, “Someone New,” via a video that showed Deland posing for the portrait painting which graces the album’s cover. Then she shared another song from it, atmospheric slow-burner “Truth Nugget”,

Helena Deland’s debut album ‘Someone New’ out October 16th via Luminelle Recordings.

LOMA – ” Don’t Shy Away “

Posted: October 10, 2020 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Loma are releasing a new album, “Don’t Shy Away”, on October 23rd via Sub Pop Records. This week they shared another song from it, “Elliptical Days,” via a video. Loma consists of Shearwater singer Jonathan Meiburg, alongside Emily Cross (of Cross Record) and Dan Duszynski. Cross and Duszynski directed the video (filming it in Dripping Springs, Texas). Cross had this to say about the song in a press release: “‘Elliptical Days’ was one of those songs that was pretty well fleshed out by Dan and Jonathan by the time I heard it. I loved how different it sounded from what we usually make together, but it was somehow still in the Loma realm and the horn arrangement made it really special for me.

Meiburg adds: “The horn session for Don’t Shy Away was one of the most exciting moments in making the record. They drove out to the studio one evening and blew their hearts out for three hours, without hearing any of the songs beforehand. I think they left feeling a bit confused about what kind of record this was, but they were really good sports about it.”

Duszynski also adds: “I started ‘Elliptical Days’ as a sketch in Ableton- an exercise to learn the software and dig through some synth sounds. Jonathan heard me messing with it and walked into the control room asking, ‘Can we use this?’ The song really came to life as he and our good friend (and touring Loman) Emily Lee started overdubbing piano and koto parts—and as usual, our collaboration transcended what any of us could do alone.”

Don’t Shy Away is the follow-up to the band’s self-titled debut album, released back in February 2018 via Sub Pop. One song from Don’t Shy Away, “Homing,” was produced by Brian Eno. The album features “Half Silences,” a new song the band shared in April 2019 via a music video. When the album was announced they shared another song from it, “Ocotillo,” via a lyric video. Then in September they shared two new songs from it, title track “Don’t Shy Away” and “I Fix My Gaze,”

“Don’t Shy Away” Release Date: 10/23/2020 on Sub Pop Records.

ANDY BELL – ” Love Comes In Waves “

Posted: October 10, 2020 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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This week, Andy Bell, founding member of ’90s British shoegaze band Ride, released his debut solo album, “The View From Halfway Down”, and shared its first single, “Love Comes in Waves,” via a video for it. The album will be released October 9th on Sonic Cathedral. Bell began writing the album in 2016, but shortly after, Ride’s live reunion tour became a full time return, and the band released two albums and embarked on two world tours. When the pandemic hit, Bell decided it was finally time to work on and release his debut solo album, sharing the first single today on his 50th birthday.

“The View from Halfway Down” was engineered by Gem Archer and mastered by Heba Kadry. “Love Comes in Waves” is a heavily psychedelic song, with an accompanying video just as trippy.

Bell had this to say about the album in a press release: “I’ve always wanted to make a solo album, I’ve always said I would do it, although I never imagined it happening like, or sounding like, this one does. I’d been sitting on this pile of almost finished tracks, along with all the other hundreds of ideas that had fallen by the wayside since I’ve been making music. Lockdown gave me the opportunity to find a way to present it to the world.

“The album is not about song writing. There aren’t many verses or choruses, because this album is about sounds, a listening experience.”

Ride reformed in 2014 to do some touring and finally released their first new album in 21 years, Weather Diaries, in 2017 via Wichita. That was followed by the 2018 EP, Tomorrow’s Shore and then 2019’s This Is Not a Safe Place.

After the initial run in Ride, Bell formed the band Hurricane #1 in 1997 and then was in Oasis for 10 years (from 1999 to 2009), as well as in Beady Eye (a band that featured many of the later members of Oasis, including Liam Gallagher, but not Noel Gallagher, from 2009 to 2014).

Now that the album is out we can share one of our favourite album tracks from it, six-minute long “Skywalker.” We have no clue if the song has anything to with Star Wars, but musically it’s got a bit of a Krautrock vibe reminiscent of Working For a Nuclear Free City. Then he shared its second single, “I Was Alone,” via a video for it. In a press release Bell described “I Was Alone” as “a Spacemen 3-influenced song about dealing mentally with solitude”

“The album is not about song writing. There aren’t many verses or choruses, because this album is about sounds, a listening experience.”

Love comes in Waves, psychedelic raves, lost nights, found in days of volume, fuzz and delays. If you’re searching for meaning, or a secret worth revealing, and you’re missing the feeling of connection, a reflection back from above, you’re ready to ride the first wave of love. Love comes in Waves, give us a wave, I’m one step away, lost in the maze. If you’re searching for meaning, or a secret worth revealing, temptation is calling and your self control is falling, if your friends started stopping, but for you there’s no dropping off at all, and you’re missing the feeling of connection, a reflection back from above, you’re ready to ride the first wave of love.

The first single from Andy Bell’s debut solo album ‘The View From Halfway Down’, released on Sonic Cathedral on 9th October, 2020.

ANDY BELL – ” The View From Halfway Down “

Posted: October 9, 2020 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Andy Bell 'The View From Halfway Down' LP

Ride guitarist / singer Andy Bell releases his debut solo album “The View From Halfway Down”. The product of a gradual, four-year process and finished during lockdown, the album was entirely written and recorded by Andy, Back in 2016, Andy was inspired by David Bowie’s death to be more proactive about finishing his songs, more confident about sharing them and to channel all of this into finally making a solo album. He laid down some tracks in former Beady Eye and Oasis bandmate Gem’s studio, but got diverted when Ride’s live reunion blossomed into a full return. A run of two albums, an EP and two world tours later, it would take a pandemic to give Andy the space to complete The View From Halfway Down.

Honing in on Andy Bell’s exacting song writing skills, ‘The View From Halfway Down’ packs eight songs into a mere 42 minute run time. ‘Cherry Cola’ is a fizzing delight, while opener ‘Love Comes In Waves’ is the sound of pure abandon.

‘Ghost Tones’ is playfully melancholy, with Andy Bell conjuring opaque ambient tones on spaced out closer ‘Heat Haze On Weyland Road’. A refined, contoured example of his song writing, he closed 2020 by releasing ‘Cherry Cola’ as a stand alone single, featuring a nimble acoustic take, and a typically searching Pye Corner Audio remix.

From the ecstatic psych pop of “Love Comes In Waves”, to the heady loops of “Indica” and deeply groove-led “Skywalker”, the eight tracks mix summery melodies with soundscapes and studio experimentation. The end result sits neatly between Ride’s widescreen shoegaze and GLOK’s textured electronics, variously inspired by The Stone Roses, Spacemen 3, The Beatles, The Byrds, The Beta Band, Stereolab, Neu!, Can, John Fahey, The Kinks, The La’s, The Who and the United States Of America.

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Andy Bell of Ride (and Oasis and Beady Eye), a solo album, The View from Halfway Down. This is Bell’s first under his own name, rather than his pseudonym, Glok, the culmination of finishing songs he had been tinkering with on and off for years. This doesn’t mean that The View from Halfway Down sounds like a Bowie or Ride record. It sounds like who Bell is as a person: unfussy and understated, go-along and get-along. You would be forgiven in thinking The View from Halfway Down is just like another Ride album based on the powered-up shoegaze vibes of opener, “Love Comes in Waves” or the dreamy “I Was Alone.” That idea is soon extinguished with the psychedelic strains of “Indica” the Stone Roses-esque warbles of “Skywalker” and the slow, bass-based “Cherry Cola.” He includes three instrumentals: the spare and beautiful, guitar-based “Ghost Tones” the experimental, indie-prog rock “Aubrey Drylands Gladwell,” and the IDM-ish album closer, “Heat Haze on Weyland Road.” Bell packs a lot into the eight songs on The View from Halfway Down, touching on a lot of styles in the process, and all of it works.

So there you have it. The near death of a cartoon anti-hero and the actual death of a music legend, feeling the calm within a global pandemic and a musical turning point halfway through life all add up to one glorious, technicolour whole Released October 9th, 2020 All tracks written and performed by Andy Bell.

WRITTEN YEARS – ” A Cinematic Goodbye “

Posted: October 9, 2020 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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The Story of The Written Years starts here, Almost exactly 7 years ago, I moved into a little all-white-but-still-grungy Burnaby basement with one of my best friends Kane and started writing & demoing the songs that would be become our first (self-titled) album. The songs started out solely as a way for me to get things off of my chest, to help digest both the isolation and wonder I felt being in a new and much bigger city than I had grown up in. We were still green as hell (and I think that little album is a reflection of that) but we were lucky enough to have some people believe in us early on. Our producer Ryan Worsley helped make us sound larger and more grandiose than the 3 piece that we were (our good friend Kodie Krogh being that third). I can’t thank that record enough for what it did for me – if I didn’t have that outlet and if I didn’t put all those frustrations and anxieties on paper, I can guarantee that I would not be the same person that I am today. We were also fortunate enough that someone by the name of Brian Dyck witnessed our very very first show and was eager enough to fight for a spot in the project. It turns out that that couldn’t have been a better thing because Brian came to be someone who really helped take the project’s sound and live show to where it ended up last year. So many hours and late nights him and I spent pouring over..over a bright grey Ableton screen trying to dial in the perfect synth sounds for this record. Together (this time, our good friend Alex Richardson included), we worked for years on a release that we really believed in, despite some of my own voice loss issues and still learning the ropes. Alex also really stepped forward as a writing partner for me and helped me take my melodies to a place where I hadn’t been able to on my own.

The result was a record that we re-did a couple times over but ended up saying everything we felt like we really needed to say, lyrically and as musicians. We didn’t try to make a pop album, it’s dark at times but was its own catharsis for me. I talk so much about the frustrations I had with the type of lifestyle I was living and the shitty places I felt like I was relying on for emotional support. I wrote about how helpless it can feel to lose your voice – something I depended on so much as a form of expression.

I’m sure the amount of times we went back up to bat with this thing is a running joke in the Echoplant studio, it definitely is among ourselves. The reality is that those guys put a lot of time and hard work into it. Not only Ryan but also Matt DiPomponio, his assistant engineer, was an absolute source of energy and enthusiasm for us. He never complained once, despite the demanding schedule, and always had a way of making things feel effortless and fun, despite the immense stress that we were actually putting ourselves under.

Until now, I was admittedly scared of putting this 2nd record out. Maybe on some level because it means finally calling it “finished” after so long but also because we’ve continued to grow so much since then. It’s a tough part of my life to reflect on and I admit a lot in it to where such transparency and vulnerability can feel a bit unsettling for me.

But with this comes something positive. It means that it makes sense to finally put this record out that so many people worked so hard on. it’s a batch of songs about desperation, about a longing I had to change myself and reclaim parts of myself that I had lost. If there’s one feeling I think we always managed to capture well, I think that’s the one of nostalgia and these 10 songs are full of that. It felt appropriate to call it “A Cinematic Goodbye” as a send-off to the project as a whole. To boot, we all pretty much live in different cities now.

The 10th track was one of the last written and was where I felt I finally found some acceptance. The ending to this story never had to be a resolution, but it just needed to be a coming-to-terms with what I was fighting. That not-so-little 5 1/2 minute piece of music really summed up for us everything we wanted to do at the time. It doesn’t conform to any real expectations and really just says everything we felt we needed to. The bass line in there is honestly one of my favourite things ever and the drums go through like 10 different beats but I love every one of them. I remember the last vocal session we had, it was at about midnight the night before and I hadn’t finished these lyrics yet. I had a near panic attack and took a few-hour walk only to come back and hit Save on the final lyrics by 4:30am. Slightly delirious the morning after, Matt and I finished the vocal tracks and finally sat back after such a long week. I think I called my brother right after in some sort of exhausted victory lap.

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Anyway, I’m sorry this whole thing has been so long but I wanted to give this record and project its proper due. There’s one other person that I would really like to thank here and that’s an incredibly thoughtful and motivational manager by the name of Jeff Ojeda. Jeff had only been on board in the final year but had brought such a level of care and expertise for the project that we never could have asked for. He also did such an amazing job of linking us up with more people that have helped us further our vision, including JVP who blew us away with his mix of Superficial Feeling. I guess I’m just kidding though because there really are so many other people that I should thank – people that helped us out with some beautiful additions on the record and during our live shows (Laura Genschorek, Benji Klassen, Siobhan Lauzon, AJ Buckley, Elliott McKerr, Julia Huggins, Michael Cumblidge, Kelsey Huggan, Emma Song-Carrillo, Sheena Truong, Mitch Walford, Jamie Smail, Ryan Morey, Ryan Eno, Matt Thomas, Cam Nicklaus, Richard Mitchell, Tyson Sulley) or lent us their advice & skills (Sebastian Galina, Murray Ash, Kevin Lim).

So for those following the story, hopefully this doesn’t end up being a total “goodbye” from us. Anyone who’s ever attended a show, bought a copy of our record, bought a tee shirt or just believed in us in any way: thank you so so much, we cannot express how much that stuff meant to us and really kept us working hard. We love you.

LOVE //
Wade, Kane, Brian & Alex
Written Years  Released October 9, 2020 The Band: Wade Ouellet – Vocals, Words, Guitar, Keys
Kane Enders – Drums, Percussion
Brian Dyck – Bass, Keys
Alex Richardson – Guitar, Vocals

The LEFT OUTSIDES – ” Are You Sure I Was There? “

Posted: October 9, 2020 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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The Left Outsides are: Mark Nicholas and Alison Cotton, a wife and husband duo based in London, England whose atmospheric, hypnotic songs echo Nico’s icy European folk, pastoral psychedelia and chilly English fields at dawn. Released October 9th, 2020 All songs by The Left Outsides (Alison Cotton / Mark Nicholas)
Produced by Mark Nicholas. At last, a new studio album from superb London duo, The Left Outsides, to follow up on 2018’s amazing All That Remains.

The basic building blocks remain the same — half of the sound is Alison Cotton and her viola and keys, the other half is Mark Nicholas with a stunning array of guitars — but the structures they create this time are darker and more forbidding than their antecedents. This album feels very much a piece of the season in which it is being released, as the leaves strip themselves from trees and the sky grows colder, greyer by the hour. More than once while “Are You Sure I Was” There spun I was put in mind of the classic Rainy Day LP, masterminded by Kendra Smith back in 1984. The Left Outsides possess the same sure grasp of that place where sorrow, ecstasy and psychedelics meet in a shower of dying stars.

The tunes here are wonderful. Most are new, although a few have been heard before in different forms (if you knew where to listen.) “The Wind No Longer Stirs the Trees” (with its glorious blend of backwards and forward motion) was on a 7” lathe, backed with “As Night Falls” (a beautiful ode to the promise of winter.) The track “Seance” was first recorded as part of a celebration of Help the Witch, the debut novel by former music critic Tom Cox (whose words were used for most of the lyrics.) And “My Reflection Once Was Me” (which recalls The Trees’ epic tunes by combining massive blocks of raging guitar with Alison’s steady vocals) was featured on the live A Place to Hide LP.

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The other compositions are all-new and utterly great. The tunes that Mark sings tend to evoke a certain ’60s whisp. Whether it’s the Floydian lilt of “Only Time Will Tell,” the freakbeat pop of “November on My Mind,” or “Pictures of You,” which stacks a dreamy ’60s overlay upon contempo pop structuring. Alison’s vocals often display a more folky essence. “The Stone Barn” has a vibe very similar to some of Sandy Denny’s later solo work, grounded by stately piano chords. “Things Can Never Be the Same” centers on a gorgeous mid-paced vocal performance, encased in spinning webs of very elegant guitar. And the conjoined vocals on “A Face in the Crowd,” sit atop a huge fuzz riff, sounding like the perfect anthem for the new Slow Music Movement. They wont back down!

And you shouldn’t either. I’m not exactly sure where anyone gets their records these days but wherever that is, you should march there tout de suite (even if only figuratively) and demand a copy of Are You Sure I Was There? today. And yes, I am sure. Today!

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