Archive for the ‘CLASSIC ALBUMS’ Category

BONNIESONGS – ” Follow Me “

Posted: June 14, 2019 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Art As Catharsis is proud to announce the release of Strings, a colourful four-track journey from the mind of Sydney based art-folk virtuoso Bonniesongs.

Bonnie’s sweet ethereal vocals sail over the polyrhythmic backgrounds created between her mandolin, percussion and vocal loops. Her imaginative lyrics tell stories of treehouses, mice, birds, flying and video games.
Described as “dreamy experimental indie folk” and compared to artists such as Bjork and Joanna Newsom, Bonniesongs is creating a unique sound in the Sydney songwriting scene

‘Follow Me’ is the lead single from ‘Strings’, a colourful four-track journey from the mind of Sydney based art-folk virtuoso Bonniesongs.

Backed by collaborators Freya Schack-Arnott on Cello and Sascha Bota on Viola, Stewart’s composition dances between conventional and uninhibited. Through challenging modern conventions the Australian folk scene is oft beholden to, “Strings” in its entirety offers refreshing bursts of complexity and wonder. Stewart’s voice calls as clearly and distinctly as birdsong, while every instrument wonderfully accentuates its surroundings. For lovers of atmosphere, shifts in feeling and distinctively airy vocals, this one is for you.

released August 16th, 2018

Bonnie Stewart: Vocals, effect/loop pedal, guitar, drums
Freya Schack-Arnott: Cello
Sascha Bota: Viola

JEANINES – ” The Jeanines “

Posted: June 14, 2019 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Brooklyn’s Jeanines specialize in ultra-short bursts of energetic but melancholy minor-key pop. With influences that run deep into the most crucial tributaries of DIY pop — Messthethics, the Television Personalities, Marine Girls, early Pastels, Dolly Mixture — they’ve crafted a style that is as individual as it is just plain pleasurable. Alicia Jeanine’s pure, unaffected voice muses wistfully on the illusions of time, while My Teenage Stride/Mick Trouble mastermind Jed Smith’s frantic Motown-esque drumming and inventive bass playing provide a thrilling rhythmic foundation.

“Winter In The Dark” and a lovely, jaunty cover of The Siddeleys’ “Falling Off Of My Feet Again” provide great insight into what Jeanines are about. 60s-meet-80s melodies combine with timeless guitar jangle in a way that recalls everything from The Aislers Set and Saturday Looks Good To Me to more recent DIY pop groups like Parsnip and Chook Race. Album opener “Either Way,” “Hits The Bone” and “Where We Go” hearken back to some of the most intriguing bands of the C86/C88 era, when bands like Jesse Garon & The Desperadoes crafted perfect pop gems enlivened by the inspiration of punk.

Gorgeous songs like “Where I Stand,” “Too Late” and “In This House” are windows into Alicia’s lyrical style and inspiration. She expands: “I’m kind of obsessed with mortality and how weird the passage of time is so I think my lyrics reflect that. I definitely lean into that kind of melancholy state of mind when trying to think of lyrics, while trying to avoid cliches!” The marriage of the minor-key melodies and melancholic lyrics is powerful and make Alicia’s songs all the more memorable, especially so on songs like “No Home,” with its echoes of girl harmony post-punk groups like Grass Widow and Household.


Clearly, with 16 great songs included, there is a lot at work here on this standout debut album. Jeanines have been compared to such cult pop icons as Dear Nora, Black Tambourine, and more recent acts like Veronica Falls and Girl Ray, but their dark, modal melodies and pensive, philosophical lyrics, along with Smith’s versatile but ever-economical musicality, ensure them a place of their own in today’s crowded but boisterously healthy DIY pop scene.
released June 14th, 2019

CALEXICO & IRON and WINE – ” Years to Burn ” Best Albums Of 2019

Posted: June 13, 2019 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Calexico and Iron & Wine - Years to Burn

Calexico and Iron & Wine first made an artistic connection with In the Reins, the 2005 EP that brought Sam Beam, Joey Burns and John Convertino together. The acclaimed collaboration introduced both acts to wider audiences and broadened Beam’s artistic horizons, but it was the shared experience of touring together in the tradition of Bob Dylan’s “Rolling Thunder Revue” that cemented their bond. Their metaphorical roads diverged in the years that followed, but they kept in touch and cross-pollinated where they could. But although they often talked about rekindling their collaboration in the studio and on the stage, it wasn’t until last year that their schedules aligned.

Years to Burn can’t help but be different from In the Reins. Back then, Calexico entered the studio with a long list of previous collaborations (first in Giant Sand, then backing the likes of Victoria Williams and Richard Buckner) and the knowledge that they loved Sam’s voice and his songs, but wondering if his material was so complete and self-contained that it lacked a way in, so hushed and delicate that it might be overwhelmed. For his part, Beam had been intimidated by their virtuosic playing and their deep comfort in an encyclopedic array of styles. “In my mind, I was a guy who knew three chords and recorded in a closet,” Sam says. “They were playing big stages and were superb musicians.”

Those fears were dispelled quickly. Calexico was bowled over by Beam’s many talents: “The arranging, the writing, his sense of rhythm, the quality of his vocals—and then there’s the experimental side of Sam,” Joey says. “They were the perfect band at the perfect time for me,” Sam adds. “I loved all their different sounds. They’re musical anthropologists, not regurgitating but absorbing what they discover.” Nearly 15 years on, “coming back to the project has to do with acknowledging how much impact the first record had for me in my life.”

Calexico and Iron & Wine

Released via Sub Pop (World) and City Slang (Europe)

STEVE MILLER BAND – ” Welcome to the Vault “

Posted: June 13, 2019 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Steve Miller Band: Welcome To The Vault

Steve Miller will give fans a deeper look at his five-decade career with the October. 11th release of “Welcome to the Vault”, a 52-track collection that includes 38 previously unreleased recordings by the Steve Miller Band.

The set includes live versions, demos, rehearsals and outtakes; five of the songs have never been released in any form, including a 12-minute “work-in-progress suite” for “Fly Like an Eagle,” acoustic versions of “Kow Kow Calculator” and “Seasons” a big-band performance of “Take the Money and Run” with Jimmie Vaughan and a recording of T-Bone Walker playing “Lollie Lou” in the living room of Miller’s childhood home in 1951.

There’s also a DVD with 21 live performances, including a pair of songs recorded at 1967’s legendary Monterey Pop Festival, a 100-page hardcover book of photos from Miller’s collection and a 9,000-word essay by David Fricke. The box also features an authentic backstage pass and 10 guitar picks emblazoned with Miller’s Pegasus logo.

You can watch the trailer for Welcome to the Vault .Welcome to the Vault is now available for pre-order at Miller’s web store; an alternative version of “Rock’n Me” is also up at all streaming services.

CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL – ” Live At Woodstock “

Posted: June 13, 2019 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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On August 2nd, Craft Recordings will release the Official full hour-long concert by Creedence Clearwater Revival in a 50th year celebration of the appearance at the Woodstock Festival. The show delivered a classic run-through of eleven well-known CCR songs. This historic show will be delivered on vinyl 2LP package. The set will be called “Live At Woodstock”.

Woodstock has long been considered the classic Rock and Roll event by which ALL festivals pattern, govern, and aspire to. To date, none have superseded the event. Many bands refused to go and be a part of soon to be historic festival, but for those that did, they forever became a strong tie-in to Woodstock. One of those bands was Creedence Clearwater Revival. CCR were at a peak and this hour-long set helped to contribute to their growing fame. I’m sure no band ever regretted joining this ‘at the time’ unsure festival plagued with everything that could possibly go wrong.

This long sought-after release celebrates the 50th anniversary of Woodstock by giving fans a front-row seat to relive Creedence Clearwater Revival’s hour-long set as it was performed that historic night in August of 1969. Kicking off with “Born on the Bayou,” the album features the band’s biggest singles of the day including “Proud Mary,” “Bad Moon Rising,” “Green River,” and more. Full of creative energy, John, Tom, Stu, and Doug delve deep into their music, playing extended improvisations of “I Put a Spell on You,” “Keep on Chooglin’” and “Suzie Q.”

Taken from Creedence Clearwater Revival “Live At Woodstock”, available August 2 via Craft Recordings.

FAYE WEBSTER – ” Room Temperature “

Posted: June 13, 2019 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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If she prefers to stay inside, then Faye Webster makes music for her own kind: With all its droopy pedal steel, unhurried funk and a breezy island air that could sub in for your AC, Atlanta Millionaires Club is the perfect summer album for indoors-y types. Drawing on both her Americana roots and the bendy R&B of artists like Aaliyah (one of her cited inspirations), Webster creates a dramaticized retelling of romantic shortcomings that sounds like the sun crying. After her debut album Run and Tell and high school, Webster did what any aspiring songwriter would: she moved to Nashville. There, she studied songwriting at Belmont University before trying out graphic design, but when she found herself jonesing for a trip home every other weekend, decided to abandon collegiate life altogether and made plans to return to Atlanta, where she has since stayed put.

Since then she’s spent considerable time photographing various ATL stars like Offset and Lil Yachty. Webster released her second, self-titled album after college, which contains her first Spotify hit, the groovy “She Won’t Go Away,” a hazy country dream. But dreamier still is Webster’s third solo LP, Atlanta Millionaires Club, a steamy brush with R&B flourished with lots of twang and retro grooves. It’s weird and sleepy and full of droll one-liners like “I should get out more,” the chorus from “Room Temperature.”

“Room Temperature” by Faye Webster off ‘Atlanta Millionaires Club’ out May 24 on Secretly Canadian

SHARON VAN ETTEN – ” Remind Me Tomorrow ” Best Albums Of 2019

Posted: June 13, 2019 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Singer/songwriter Sharon Van Etten experienced a lot of change after the release of her last album, 2014’s Are We There, and they’re the kind of life-altering shifts newfound romantic partnership, motherhood, career advancements—that are all but destined to reveal themselves in one’s art. And here, on her fifth studio effort Remind Me Tomorrow, those evolutions are apparent in a powerful sonic swerve, and in Van Etten’s desire to explore both nostalgia and rebirth, and maybe even how they intertwine.

Remind Me Tomorrow was the first great rock album of the year, and it would behoove any and all of Van Etten’s fans, even those who staunchly prefer her folk-leaning material, and rock ‘n’ roll aficionados of all stripes to open their ears (and their hearts) to this beautifully executed pivot. And for all its bold sonic upheavals—the addition of drum machines and electric shred and cavernous synth Remind Me Tomorrow maintains Van Etten’s gothic sensibilities.

Sharon Van Etten was truly one of the great lyricists of the ’10s, but with this breathtaking project, she’s proved an artistic pliancy her contemporaries may not possess. She hit her stride with Are We There, but here she’s not even on the ground.

LIFE – ” Hollow Thing “

Posted: June 13, 2019 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Following the release of excellent recent single “Moral Fibre”, Hull based outfit LIFE have now announced details of their much anticipated second album “A Picture Of Good Health”. Alongside this announcement the band have also shared a new single taken from the record called Hollow Thing.

Whereas the band’s excellent debut album Popular Music was broadly political, the new album takes a more personal approach with some beguilingly honest and brave lyrics that are bold in both sound and feeling, whilst also retaining the core DNA of their previous material. Hollow Thing has the band homing in on a bigger and more focused sound whilst also channelling the lyrical content inwards.

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Hollow Thing is about tackling isolation and fixing yourself. It’s about letting go of something in your life, something that’s passed.

‘’Wait for the past to fade, wait for that hollow thing…’’ Hollow Thing is about moving on and overcoming hurt, taking the hits but getting through it.

‘’Wade through a sea of beige, choke on great clods of dirt…’Hollow Thing is embracing your worth.

‘’I look much better than you, I love much deeper too.’’Hollow Thing is littered with lyrics that reference something ending and then something beginning again. It’s a twisted pick me up!

‘Hollow Thing’ is the second single to be taken from LIFE’s new album. Produced by Luke Smith (Foals) and mixed by Claudius Mittendorfer (Parquet Courts), the band home in on a bigger and more focused sound .

Going on to speak about the album Mez says “A Picture of Good Health is not a collage of work but rather a snapshot of time; our time and the time of those around us. It’s political, but in a personal way. It’s a body of work that explores and examines the band’s inner-selves through a precise period; a period that has brought pain, loneliness, blood, guts, single parenthood, depression and the need for survival and love. It is the sense and need for belonging that is the resounding end note!”

New album out on 20TH SEPTEMBER 2019 via Afghan Moon.

ART SCHOOL GIRLFRIEND – ” Diving “

Posted: June 12, 2019 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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“Diving is about desire and anxiety in equal measure,” explains Art School Girlfriend (AKA Polly Mackey). Written during a shift in Mackey’s personal life, the lyrics muse on the anticipation of new possibilities in her relationship. Grounded in quintessential Art School Girlfriend production elements – cavernous space, swathes of reverb and great rushes of air – Mackey’s vocal is centered in the ebb and flow.

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‘Diving’ is the second side to Mackey’s most recent single ‘Come Back To Me’. Both tracks will be available soon on a double-A 7” vinyl.

released June 12th, 2019

WILL JOHNSON – ” Cornelius “

Posted: June 12, 2019 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Over the course of his quarter-century-plus career, Will Johnson has dealt with every challenge a musician can face. The silver lining, however, is that the Austin-based songwriter excels at taking bumps in the road and turning them into gold. As a solo artist, Johnson also knows all too well the balance required to navigate solitude and collaboration.

“Cornelius” is the first single from Will Johnson’s new album “Wire Mountain” coming September. 27th, 2019 via Keeled Scales. This album was recorded at Ramble Creek Recording in Austin, Texas

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Will Johnson’s got no problem shelving a great song. To him, “the ride” of a record is so paramount that outliers – even if they’re superb – are sent to purgatory. Such had been the case with “Cornelius.”

“That damn song,” he says. “I thought it was gonna go by the wayside. It’d been hanging around for about 10 years and I could never find the right collection of songs to tuck it into. It finally found a home.” At last, the pounding and melodic four-and-a-half minute track slots into Wire Mountain, his newly announced seventh solo LP

Will Johnson’s solo album Wire Mountain will be released via Keeled Scales on September 27, 2019.

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