Rural France - RF

 

I became quite enamored with Rural France based on their previous album and the single released before today from the newly-arrived RF. However, I nevertheless was pleasantly surprised at just how good this new set of 11 songs is. Tome Brown and Rob Fawkes have composed their own songwriting cookbook, but the ingredients the use are the most common tags we apply to music we love and cover on this blog: Indie rock; Guitar pop; and jangle pop. And the influences high in our pantheon of heroes -- Guided By Voices, Teenage Fanclub, The Feelies. and a good dose of California guitar pop with a bit of country dust. Quality ingredients and influences alone don't guarantee good music, but Rural France clearly add the pop smarts, heart, humor and love of making music that result in RF being one of our top albums of the season.

RF is out today in digital and vinyl formats via Meritorio Records.

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Various links for RF

The Early Morning Satellites - Counting Seasons

 

I don't think I'm a stupid man, but there are things I don't know. For example, I don't know much about Glasgow's The Early Morning Satellites. I know that they are from Glasgow, that they have been less than diligent in providing updates on social media, and that they seem to have a connection with another Glasgow shoedaze band Honey (which we featured here about a decade ago.

However, I did stumble upon a very recently released collections of their songs, and find it to be an excellent set of shoegaze and dream pop tunes. Give it a listen, you may agree. By the way, the third song below was also a song recorded by Honey that we featured in the past.

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The Persian Leaps - Drone Etiquette

Minnesota musician Drew Forsberg named his band The Persian Leaps after an ancient architectural feature. But the foundations of his music are power pop and upper midwest indie rock. Like many artists, at least based on the great music we have heard this year, COVID shutdowns have made for some productive musical creation. But also due to the pandemic, Drew was unable to assemble a band of fellow travelers to record the new songs. However, six of them did get recorded with Drew filling multiple roles, and we have the spanking new Drone Etiquette to get us through the autumn months. Not that it ever takes any persuasion for us to cover a record by The Persian Leaps, but this EP is truly welcome. It avoids the COVID mope and anxious introspection of some pandemic music, blasting off on the indie rock side of the spectrum with the crunch, buzz and fuzz of "When This Gets Out" followed by the similarly hard-driving "Angel Complete". But fans of the more pop-side of the Leaps are not shortchanged as the following tracks balance the ledger with some chiming and jangling guitars and more relaxed tempos. As a songwriter, Drew doesn't shy away from telling us what's on his mind, but he is ever mindful that he is an entertainer and a rocker and he delivers accordingly.

Drone Etiquette is out now via Drew's Land Ski Records.

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"Horsepipe Ban" by Rural France

And now we go to Rural France in the English countryside. Hmmm, that opening sentence hurts my brain a bit. Anyway, guitar pop duo Rural France has dropped another single from their upcoming album. "Horsepipe Ban" is an upbeat song looking at a broken love summer. Good melody, good riffs, and good humor.

Rural France are Tom Brown and Rob Fawkes. The album is titled RF, and will be out October 29 via Meritorio Records.

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"Wait Your Turn" by Chime School

 I realize that it has been a week since we invaded your consciousness with new material. Sorry, but sometimes life interrupts even things of international importance like indie music blogs. However, we are trying to get 'back on the bike', and we are starting with the dreamy, jangling delights of the latest single from the upcoming album by Chime School. The song is "Wait Your Turn", and it is the lead track from the self-titled LP which will be released via Slumberland Records. While the song reveals the DNA of classic guitar pop, it is very much the fresh sound of present day San Francisco.

Chime School is Andy Pastalaniec, veteran of Seablite, Pink Films, and Cruel Summer. The album will be out November 5, but can be pre-ordered now.

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"Rock and Roll Void" by Swansea Sound

 

Time for another track from the upcoming album by Swansea Sound. "Rock and Roll Void" has the right amount of rocking and the right amount of smart, self-depreciation. It reflects the band's perception that pandemic lockdowns demand social-political punk rock. And who is to say they are wrong?

Swansea Sound is comprised of Hue Williams, Ian Button, Rob Pursey, and Amelia Fletcher. The album is titled Live at the Rum Puncheon, which name-checks a long demolished Swansea pub, and will be released on November 19. A few additional notes about the album release are in order, because it will not be available via streaming services. The primary label is the band's own Skep Wax, for vinyl, CD, and Bandcamp downloads. Lavender Sweep will handle UK/Euro cassette. In North America, HHBTM will have vinyl and CD, while Austin Town Hall will have the cassette. Indonesian label Shiny Happy Records will have cassettes, and Japanese label Hayabusa Landings will have the CD.

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"Osaka" by Rats On Rafts

 

We will start out today with a new single for the terrific "Osaka" by Rotterdam's Rats On Rafts. We have included the Bandcamp stream, but we think the video is the best way to appreciate the song for the first time. It was written in appreciation for the namesake city when the band was in Japan a few years ago. To our ears it is a wonderful mix of The Fall, The Cure and perhaps a bit of Peter Gabriel.

Rats on Rafts are Mathijs Burgler (drums), David Fagen (vocals/guitar), Doortje Hiddema (piano/synth/vocals/guitar), Arnoud Verheul (guitar/vocals) and Natasha van Waardenburg (bass/vocals). "Osaka" is out now in digital and vinyl formats via Fire Records.

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"Lava Lamp Pisco" by Psychedelic Porn Crumpets

It would have been enough good news to know that Psychedelic Porn Crumpets (everyone's favorite tea time soundtrack) will release their fifth album in 2022. But we get more! Specifically, we get the thundering psychedelic jam "Lava Lamp Pisco" just to remind us how good this band is. Follow the droning riff down the crazy wormhole and then go get the single and headbang through the weekend.

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Various links for "Lava Lamp Pisco'

"Depends On What I Know" by Good Morning

And we now give a warm welcome to "Depends On What I Know", the third single from the upcoming Barnyard LP by Good Morning. We have been following this band since 2015, and have high expectations for the new album. Built on a stuttering riff that buries itself in your brain and a theme that begs the listener to interpret, this song shows that the boys will deliver.

Stefan Blair and Liam Parsons are Good Morning. Barnyard will be out October 22 via Polyvinyl and Good Morning Music Company.

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"Luna Moth" by Lola In Slacks

 

One album we are eagerly awaiting this month is Moon Moth by Glasgow band Lola In Slacks. The five-piece is devoid of Lolas, but possessed of fine musicians and a mesmerizing frontwoman in Lou Reid. The album will have nine slices of pop noir to spice up your Autumn evenings. This week's single is "Luna Moth" which currently is available as a digital download.

Lola In Slacks is Lou Reid, Brian McFie, Lesley McLaren, Davy Irvin, and Fiona Shannon. Moon Moth will be available October 22 via Last Night From Glasgow.

Lola in Slacks · Luna Moth

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Astrid Swan - D/other

Addressing themes of sleep and dreaming, as well as motherhood and mother-child relationships, Finnish singer songwriter Astrid Swan has created a lush and dynamic new album that has given us a brain orgasm. Titled D/other (taken from a term Swan encountered in her Phd research), it consists of ten songs that feature literate and poetic storytelling and Swan's compelling vocals. Swan's dramatic vocals are well-matched by the fulsome arrangements, highlighted by Swan's piano, rich details and polished production. Don't miss this album, it is absolutely terrific.

Astrid Swan wrote the songs and sang, as well as played piano and acoustic guitar. Additional players were Mikael Hakkarainen (guitars), Johannes Salomaa (horns/keys), Alina Toivanen (drums), Veli Kauppinen (bass), and Owen Pallet (strings).

D/other is out now via Soliti Music.

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Cindy - 1:2

 

We don't always want the same thing from music. What we want, or need, depends on temperament, point in life, how the day or week is going and probably many other factors. Often we choose the music we need, but I think sometimes music finds us. 1:2, the new album by San Francisco's Cindy is that kind of music for me. As is the case with most of the music here it found me via a message from the label. However, it found me on an internal level as well. I played the album and discovered that it was something that, quite viscerally, I'd been missing. The songs filled a psychological hole, satisfied an emotional need and, despited the almost claustrophobic scope of the themes, seemed to expand my life. I think I have played the album at least once a day for over two months. 

The foregoing paragraph doesn't mean that 1:2 is full of bouncy happy songs. The tunes are hushed, with low-key observations, sometimes bitingly rendered. The lyrical delivery varies between soft, almost whispered singing and nearly spoken word. Some arrangements have the trappings of dreamy pop songs, aside from the lyrical content, while others emit a fragility that seemingly could be scattered in a moderate wind. But if this is dreampop, it is the pop of restless, unsettled dreams. And yet, it is compelling and a top ten album of the year for me.

The three songs I can embed are below, but you really must go to Bandcamp and hear "The Common Era", the title tracks, "Deer In Japan, "My Friend" and, well, all of the others.

Cindy is songwriter, guitarist, and singer Karina Gill with Aaron Diko (keys), Jesse Jackson (bass), and Simon Phillips (drums). 1:2 is out now via Mt.St.Mtn. and Tough Love Records. The cassette version is available via Paisley Shirt Records.

Mt.St.Mtn. · 06 - To Be True

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Emma Russack & Lachlan Denton - Something is Going to Change Tomorrow, Today. What Will You Do? What Will You Say?

 

When singer songwriters Emma Russack and Lachlan Denton join forces the result is much greater than the simple calculation 1 + 1 = 2, as they have proved that over the course of three previous albums. But the new Something is Going to Change Tomorrow, Today. What Will You Do? What Will You Say? (henceforth known as "SIGTCTTWWYDWWYS") is their best yet. Emma and Lachlan's comfort with each other as performers is obvious and they are generous in supporting each other's material. But perhaps most noteworthy is their songwriting. SIGTCTTWWYDWWYS is an album full of bouncy, bright and accessible tunes that run a mile deep with humanity, sympathy, and an accepting realism. If one had to assign a genre, I suppose it would be folk pop. But such descriptions don't do justice to music that is expansive and serious in  intent, cleverly in arrangement, but so intimate in delivery. And unlike some folky albums the support from Snowy and Dylan helps create a tight and fulsome musical tapestry.

SIGTCTTWWYDWWYS is an album that arrives in unassuming fashion but leaves a deep and satisfying mark. You owe it to yourself to dive in. It is out now via Osborne Again, Spunk Records, Bobo Integral

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"Clinging To A Dream You Don't Want To Leave" (Feat. Caroline Loveglow) by Early Internet

Seattle's Dean Stafford records under the name Early Internet. We have learned that he will release an album titled You're Just In Time To Miss Everything on October 29. We haven't heard the album, but if it is like today's dreamy and aptly-named single "Clinging To A Dream You Don't Want To Leave", with additional vocals by Caroline Loveglow, it will be an album that will be played often at WYMA HQ.

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“Move Me” (Feat. Marta) by Lonely Guest

One upcoming album we are excited to hear in its entirety is the self-titled release by the collective known as Lonely Guest. The project was conceived and produced by Tricky, with vocals by Joe Talbot (IDLES), Marta, Kway, the late Lee "Scratch" Perry, Oh Land and others. You can join in the enthusiasm with album track "Move Me" (Feat. Marta) below.

Lonely Guest will be out October 22 via False Idols.

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"Twin Flame" by Timeshare

 

Irrespective of what your real estate agent may tell you, Timeshare is back in fashion at WYMA! Less that two weeks after we belatedly covered EP Blue, Timeshare is back with "Twin Flame", the first single from upcoming EP Red. As you may recall, Timeshare is the solo project of Jordan Thompson of Australian bands The Ocean Party and Pop Filter, which is a reliable signifier of quality. And the winsome "Twin Flame does not disappoint.

Red will be released October 15 via Osborne Again Music. Consider pre-ordering it. Those big dogs pictured with Jordan have to eat.

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"Taking Time to Tell You" and "It's True" by Chime School

 

Yes, school is back in session, and a special course in jangle pop is coming this Fall via the aptly-named Chime School. The project of Andy Pastalaniec, who has hit the drums for several Bay Area bands But for this venture he has armed himself with a Rickenbacker and written his own songs. With influences ranging from the '60s and '80s and from Scotland to the UK to the US, and the infusion of his own interpretation, we think this self-titled debut will thrill guitar pop fans. You can sample the goods below with the first two singles, "Taking Time to Tell You" and "It's True".

Chime School will be released November 5 via Slumberland Records, but it is available for pre-order now.

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Ducks Ltd. - Modern Fiction

Ducks Ltd.'s rise from "cute name" (originally Ducks Unlimited) and nice little debut EP in 2020 to well-augmented re-issue of EP in Spring of 2021 to one of my top 20 albums of the year with today's release of Modern Fiction is remarkable. But they deserve any accolades that come their way. The initial impression of their songs is a wall of melody, jangle, and upbeat tempos. However, unlike other bands that record songs with many of those features, the songs written for this album benefit from a level of detail and complexity that may not be readily apparent. The knowledgable listener can spot the influences of New Zealand guitar pop, Television Personalities and similar bands, but such is the talent of Ducks Ltd. that nothing on Modern Fiction gives a hint of imitation. The past for this duo is just a spiritual guideline--the art is theirs and it is deeply satisfying and supremely entertaining.

We already have featured album tracks "18 Cigarettes" (here), "Under the Rolling Moon" (here), and "How Lonely Are You" here), so we are giving you three different gems below. But you owe it to yourself to go to Bandcamp or some other streaming service and listen to the entire album.

Ducks Ltd. are Tom McGreevy (lead vocals/guitar/bass/keys) and Evan Lewis (guitar/bass/drum programming). Modern Fiction is out today via Carpark Records

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"Sling Yr Hook" by Rural France

 

English band Rural France (yes, an admittedly odd beginning to a sentence) has shared another track from their upcoming album. On this song Tom Brown and Rob Fawkes deliver an excellent distillation of GBV and Teenage Fanclub ethos, and that hits us where we want to be hit.

RF will be out October 29 via Meritorio Records and is now available to order..

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