We were not previously familiar with Nina Winder-Lind or The New Eaves, the band of which she is a member. But we are quite taken with her new single "This Is Our Life". The song begins with restraint. But as it nears the first minute it opens up into a rousing folk pop romp. Coupled with an appealing video, we needed to play it through a half-dozen times to jump start our day. We will be looking forward to more gems from this Brighton-based Swede.
Today brings our ears "All Your Yesterdays" -- a perfect slice of jangle pop by London's The Hanging Stars. The vocals, guitars and introspective lyrics recall the warmth of Laurel Canyon guitar pop and makes us yearn for more. And more we will get, as this single is the second song shared from the band's upcoming LP Just A Day. If we participated in the betting markets, we would be tempted to bet that it will be one of our favorites this year.
The Hanging Stars are Richard Olson (guitars/vocals), Patrick Ralla (guitars/keys/vocals), Paul Milne (bass/vocals), and Paulie Cobra (drums/percussion/vocals). Just A Day will be out June 19 via Loose Music.
As it is Sunday, we think it is time to put on our Sunday Best. For you, putting on your Sunday best may be your best outfit, and we do not intend to dissuade you. You need to do you, and in our opinion too many people dress like they have a poor self image. But for us, Sunday Best also means a wonderful 7" by San Francisco project Kitchenettes. The members are Morgan, Emily, and Sequoia, whose collective resume includes bands The Umbrellas, Telephone Numbers, and The Snogs. The recording consists of three delicate and charming songs that warmly reflect '80s - '90s girl-group pop. We can only hope that this 7" prompts the Kitchenettes to continue writing and recording.
Sunday Best is available in vinyl from three labels (pick your continent!): Slumberland Records in the US, Meritorio Records in Europe, and Galaxy Train in Japan. Digital downloads also are available at the Slumberland and Galaxy Train links below.
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The sun is out and Springtime is invading out world. In such times, our musical interests expand to music with a wide scope and a tempo that invites driving on the open roads in a convertible -- even if we are stuck in an office. Fortunately, Long Beach indie rockers Softjaw understand us. They know we need crunchy, riff and hook infused traveling music with power pop harmonies. And that is just what they delivered in their debut, self-titled mini-LP.
The core of the band is the duo of Tanner Duffy and Dustin Lovelis, who write all of the songs (except for the occasional cover of a song by a worthy such as Paul Collins). Softjaw is out now via Oakland's Dandy Boy Records.
Well, that's us blown away. It is the fault of Maxwell Farrington & Le SuperHomard (aka Christophe Vaillant) via their new single "Lorene". A cinematic dream pop gem, the song recalls classic French pop. Farrington's evocatively melancholy vocals are balanced by lush orchestration and the backing vocals of Lily Buchanan. After hearing "Lorene" we discovered that it was the third single from the duo's upcoming LP, titled Window Tax. The album is out April 24 via Talitres, and we look forward to discussing it here at that time.
On of the simple delights of life that helps make our day is getting new music from a band previously unknown to us. One recent such occurrence was an email with a link to The Tiny Wave, a four-track EP from Brooklyn, New York band Ceylon Sailor. What king of music? Well, it is guitar pop. But it also is indie rock. And some quite definitely (we think) is what some call yacht rock (for the record, we like yachts, especially if G&Ts are being served). What's more -- there are horns! And to our ears, it all mixes together is an upbeat, even euphoric wall of sound that is going to carry us through this weekend. It is just what we needed, because with the price of gas we certainly aren't driving anywhere this weekend. Sail on, Ceylon Sailor!
The sailors in this crew are KM Sigel, Kieran Kelly, Andrew Wood, Dave Long, Paul Brodhead, and Seth Ondracek.
