"Ferme la Bouche" by Wojtek the Bear

 

A bracing slice of Philadelphia soul pop/rock from the streets of Glasgow? Why not? We think "Ferme la Bouche" by Wojtek the Bear is a perfect way to start the last-day-of-the-week-which-really-is-the-first-day-of-the-weekend. Out today as a digital single, add it to your "essentials" kit for the weekend.

We also suggest that you note the expected summer release of the band's album, Heaven by the Back Door (which we think is one of the better album titles we have seen lately). All released via the good and very tasteful crew at Last Night From Glasgow.

wojtek the bear · ferme la bouche

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Various links for single and upcoming album

"Dream House" by Wy

"Dream House" is the latest single by Malmo, Sweden duo Wy. It also is taken from the band's upcoming album Marriage, which is due May 7 via Stockholm's Rama Lama Records. The duo consists of married couple Ebba and Michel Gustafsson Ågren, who have released two previous albums. Their music is emotional, vulnerable, and personal. If the rest of the album is as dynamic and affecting as "Dream House", this may be the record that gives them the broad audience they deserve.

Rama Lama Records · Wy - Dream House

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"Outlaws and the Cops" by Dom & The Wizards

At WYMA world HQ we are bouncing around with excitement with the news that Dom & The Wizards will unleash new album The Australian Cyclone Intensity Scale on April 2. We expect Dom Trimboli's delightfully off-kilter stream of consciousness speak-singing, a full album of new favorite songs and plenty of psychedelic imageruy to bend our impressionable minds. And you can glimpse inside the treasure chest right now with lead single "Outlaws and the Cops". Insistent groove, a violin, and Dom spinning a tale. Just what we would have ordered had our waiter asked us.

The Australian Cyclone Intensity Scale will be released by Tenth Court Records.

Dom & The Wizards · Outlaws and the Cops

Various links for "Outlaws and the Cops"

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Raveloe - Notes and Dreams

This music may not be for everyone. If you don't like beautiful folk-accented melodies, impeccably crafted and sung, well, you might want to turn your ears elsewhere. But for everyone else, we suggest that Notes and Dreams is an EP that you will want. Indeed, that you need. The creation of Glasgow's Kim Grant under the name Raveloe (named after a town in George Eliot's Silas Marner) and a few collaborators from far and wide, it consists of five tracks created during the pandemic lockdown. Proving herself an accomplished wordsmith as well as an excellent musician, each of Grant's songs are a hushed but powerful burst of light. We expect more good things from Raveloe in the future, but for now this EP really hits the spot.
 

Notes and Dreams is out now in digital and CD formats via Glasgow's Olive Grove Records.

On this record Kim sings and plays the guitar, synth, and bass, and Jacob Tomlinson plays the drums. Izzy Rose plays bass on "Post It" and "Steady". Jen Anthan provides the strings for "Old Tree". Erin F. Watt plays the piano for "Post It".

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"New Moon" and "Why Don't You Come Out Anymore?" by The Natvral

 

Fans of The Pains of Being Pure At Heart will be thrilled to know that Kip Berman -- songwriter and frontman for that band -- has a solo project called The Natvral (well, did you expect a straightforward name?). Its debut album, tilted Tethers, will be released on April 2 via Kanine Records. The album reflects Berman's new groundedness as a father in a young family, and the tension between the comforts of home and the desire to go out and participate in the broader world.

So far, The Natvral has released two singles from the album. The latest is the folky "New Moon", while the first, "Why Don't You Come Out Anymore?", demonstrates that Berman hasn't lost his knack for infectious guitar pop. Enjoy both below.

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"Loath to Leave" by The Gracious Losers

 Today we introduce you to Scottish folk rock band called The Gracious Losers. In fact, they are a supergroup comprised of members of Sister John, Thrum, God Help the Girl, The Parsonage, Sporting Hero, and Berie Big Band. As you might expect, the assembly of that much talent from various spots in the musical spectrum results in a sound that reflects psychedelic, Americana, Celtic, folk, and pop. In fact, the introductory single, "Loath to Leave", falls into the moody, atmospheric pop category. We think is displays range, nuance and talent, and look forward to more from The Gracious Losers. And speaking of more, the band's full album Six Roads Ends is due in digital, CD and vinyl formats March 26 via Last Night From Glasgow.

Last Night From Glasgow · Loath To Leave

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"Mirrorball" by The Catenary Wires

Welcome to one of our favorite duets in recent memory. "Mirrorball" is jaded, sweet, worldly, world-weary and optimistic. Yes, that is quite a package, but The Catenary Wires is powered by Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey of Heavenly and Talulah Gosh fame, joined by Ian Button, Andy Lewis and Fay Hallam. "Mirrorball" is available to stream now, and will be released April 16 as a 7" digital or vinyl single via Skep Wax in the UK and Shelflife in the US. We don't want to divulge any secrets, but just between us the B-side will be a Human League cover.

While we don't have a release date yet, but we can tell you that The Catenary Wires will bestow a full album titled Birling Gap on the ears of eager fans this year.

SKEP WAX · Mirrorball

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"Bottom Feeders" by Tim Cohen

About two months ago we featured "Rave On" by Time Cohen of The Fresh and Onlys and Magic Trick. Although release date still is five weeks away, we have a new single entitled "Bottom Feeders". A thrilling slice of surfy noise pop, it fuels our Saturday night.

You Are Still Here is Tim Cohen's sixth solo album, and will be released in vinyl and digital formats on March 26 via Bobo Integral.

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"Nya Normala" by änsendå

The isolation of COVID is considered a negative by nearly everyone, but having a sense of humor about it seems to be a healthy approach. One view is expressed in "Nya Normala" (new normal) by Swedish singer songwriter änsendå, which suggests that not everyone copes with complete stability.

änsendå is the project of Nico Chavez, who recently returned to Sweden after an extended period working in bands in London. Expect an EP of Nico's brand of psych pop soon via Stockholm's Rama Lama Records.

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Guy Blakeslee - Postcards From The Edge

 

Channeling the emotions of change, loss, health issues, geographic dislocation and breakup, The Entrance Band guitarist Guy Blakeslee has created a powerful and affecting set of songs that deserve a high ranking in the American songwriter canon. Titled Postcards From The Edge, it consists of seven well-crafted songs featuring raw emotions, pointed and sometimes bittersweet observations, insistent questions and portraits of moments in time. The production is full, and at times, lush. The arrangements are unhurried, with the songwriter's plaintive vocals appropriately high in the mix. The instrumentation is varied, but Guy's piano features prominently. This is an album we had not anticipated, but it has become part of our lives and we find ourselves turning to it frequently.

Postcards From The Edge is out now via Guy's Entrance Records.

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"Piece Together" by Nightshift

One of the gems of the new year, Zoe by Glasgow's Nightshift, is still a week and a half from release. But we now can enjoy the hypnotic and mesmerizing opening track, "Piece Together". And yes, it deliberately plays with the notions of "peace" and "piece".

Zoe will be available February 26 via Trouble In Mind Records.

TroubleInMind · Nightshift - Piece Together

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"Hear Not Say" by Western Column

 We start our Monday with  "Hear Not Say", a shoegazey guitar pop treat by Glasgow's Western Column. The project of Christopher Devine, who also is a member of Dutch Wine and Stock Manager. The song has a propulsive, forward pushing vibe and hazy vocals. It strikes us as a good summer tune, which is somewhat perversely welcome right now as we prepare to gig out from the weekend's snowfall. Good stuff -- check it out below. 

"Hear Not Say" is out via Negative Hope Records. And we also suggest that you check out the previous single by Western Column, "Golde" (here).

Western Column · Hear not Say

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Sports - Get A Good Look Pt. 1

 We must confess that we haven't often featured acts from Tulsa, Oklahoma. But when the music grabs you, its place of origin doesn't really matter. And Get A Good Look Pt. 1 has grabbed us hard to juice our Saturday night. The product of duo Sports, consisting of Cale Chronister and Christian Theriot, the six-track EP boasts danceable pop with elements of psychedelia, shoegaze and disco. It is bright, colorful and irrepressible. What more do you want for a weekend evening?

The Bandcamp link is below, but we expect you can find the EP wherever digital music is sold.

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Cool Sounds - Bystander

 

These days few records make us happier than a new record by Melbourne's Cool Sounds. Fortunately for our collective emotional state, the band is prolific. This week brings the new nine-track Bystander, and it effortlessly reaches the high standard we expected. Written on a summer tour in Europe and recorded upon return to Australia, the sound is a full pop/rock sound, fleshed out by six members. The arrangements channel the best of '70s soft rock with a touch of strutting, semi-funk rhythm and standout guitars. Whether expressing carefree joy, melancholy, or a bit of unease -- understandable these days -- the sound is warm and the vibe is sunglasses-and-convertible-too-cool-for-school. Overall, the lyrics are more direct than past recordings from this band -- Dainis has some things to say and he says them well. So come for the ambiance and atmosphere, and stay for the whole package. You'll be glad you did. After all, it is Cool Sounds!

Bystander is out now via Osborne Again Music and Spunk Records in Australia and New Zealand, and Nice Guys Records in the rest of the whole wide world. Cool Sounds are Dainis Lacey, Nick Kearton, Ambrin Hasnain, Steve Foulkes, Jack Nichols, and Pierce Morton. The band will be touring the Eastern Coast of Australia in the next couple of months.

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"Supplication" by Wurld Series

A month ago we shared a "fuzzing, buzzing, psychedelic" treat named "Nap Gate" by New Zealand band Wurld Series (link here). The band now has shared "Supplication" the second song taken from their upcoming LP, What's Growing. "Supplication" displays a different facet of the band's art, more folk rock and dreamy. It seems to us to have an appealing strains of Syd Barrett and Kevin Ayers DNA.

Wurld Series is formed around Luke Towart and drummer/producer Brian Feary, with additional contributions from other musicians as available. The album will be released March 19 via Meritorio Records (Europe/USA), Osborne Again (Australia) and Melted Ice Cream (New Zealand/Rest of the world).

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The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness - Songs From Another Life

 

With the Northern Hemisphere in the midst of winter, who doesn't want jangle pop/power pop that evokes tooling down the California highways with the top down and sunshine warming your face? We have just the thing to aid you in your dreams: Songs From Another Life by The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness. We are delighted to find the full load of 12-string jangle accenting melodies and execution that remind us of Big Star, Teenage Fanclub and a number of legends of the '80' and '90s'. Thundering drums add a propulsive drive to the sunny arrangements. The overall effect is one of the brightest and most positive sets of music you are going to find. Whether you know it or not, you probably need this music in your life.

The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness are Andrew Taylor in Scotland and Gonzalo Marcos in Spain, each recording separately. Songs From Another Life is out now via Bobo Integral Records 

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"Heaven and Holy" by Painted Shrines

 This week brought another treat from Painted Shrines -- "Heaven and Holy", the new single from their upcoming album, also titled Heaven and Holy. Painted Shrines is a duo comprised of Jeremy Earl of Woods and Glenn Donaldson of Skygreen Leopards and The Reds, Pinks and Purples so you just know the album will be good.

Heaven and Holy will be out March 5 via Woodsist.

 

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"Big Cat" by Black Twig

 

We can confidently opine that one of our favorite releases of the first quarter of 2021 will be Was Not Looking For Magic by Finland's Black Twig. It is too early to further discuss the album, but we can provide a bit of the evidence backing our conclusion: The new single from the album, "Big Cat". We loved Black Twig before, but we still are impressed with how much they have refined their sound in the five years since their last album.

Black Twig are Aki Pohjankyrö, Rasmus Rantanen, Kaarlo Stauffer, Janne Vainikainen. The album is titled Was Not Looking For Magic, and it will be released February 26 via Soliti Records.

Soliti · Black Twig : Big Cat

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