NEW SONGS: Week of Wonders - "Piggybacks" single

Week of Wonders is a new project of Leif Anders, former member of Orca Team. This new band formed in January 2013, playing music they call "tropical punk". I certainly get the tropical part, and perhaps there's some punk in the skittering nature of the rhythm section. But the vocals and guitars (which to me have an Afro-pop lean) are melodic as heck, which is something this band has in common with Orca Team. Both Scott (here) and I (here) featured Orca Team previously on WYMA, so this successor project is certainly welcome here, too.

Here's the video for "Piggyback":

And here's the b-side "The End of the Day":

They're on Athens label HHBTM Records.

Week of Wonders Facebook

Now-Again Goodness: Some free Zambian Psych Rock, limited edition reissues and upcoming records from WITCH and Musi-O-Tunya

Now-Again features perhaps the most eclectic and exciting roster of any label we know of - in addition to the sheer variety of sounds, there are reissues and current releases from legends in music scenes the world over. A perfect example is the Zamrock stuff, featuring amazing talents like WITCH’s Emmanuel “Jagari” Chanda and Musi-O-Tunya founder Rikki Ililonga.

Here's a track from WITCH:



Recently, Chanda and Ililonga went to Rennes to perform Zamrock live with Karl Hector & The Malcouns at France’s Transmusicales Festival. The proceedings were recorded, and Now-Again has made two tracks available for free download:

"Dark Sunrise"

"Munzi Wa Kangwada"

Also, Now-Again is currently offering some single LP reissues of their Zamrock archive - the original box sets sold out. Click here for more information.

And later this summer a new Musi-O-Tunya record will be available. Stay tuned, because we'll have more to say and hopefully share closer to the date... Ililonga's guitar creativity is simply amazing, as is the bounty of output from Now-Again Records.

REVIEW: Young Dreams - Between Places

Young Dreams is a Norwegian band, labelmates (on Modular Recordings) of Tame Impala. Unlike the guitar-based psychedelia of Tame Impala, Young Dreams are playing a baroque, very Beach Boys-inspired style of pop rock - but they're not completely leaving out dance, psychedelic or world music touches.

It's a record that, to me, reveals its charms on repeated listens. The first time through, the production values and big synthesizer sounds tend to overwhelm the melody - but listen again, and the utter charm of Young Dreams' approach becomes apparent. This is super-sunny pop music. Just in case the album cover, or the photo accompanying the single "First Days of Something" don't make it apparent, the music will: Norway's Young Dreams are making a summer soundtrack.

Here's the advance single "First Days Of Something":



The delicate guitars play just behind the beat, then about a minute in there's an afro-pop riff that jumps up, then fades back into the mix, where the vocals (lead and the angelic harmonies) take over. The beat fades into and out of the foreground. There's a lot going on, and it's all calculated for maximum enjoyment - I might even say, happiness... and the last minute or so of the song is pure bliss.

Here's "Fog of War":



And it is another pretty song, full of pop features that blend together into what would most certainly have been a massive radio hit when the radio was full of baroque stuff like this from the likes of Brian Wilson and Todd Rundgren.

And speaking of the continuing pop music influence of Brian Wilson - holy cow, check out the vocal harmonies in this cover of Tame Impala's "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards":



(this cut is not on the album, it's being released as part of another Modular release - a bundle of covers and remixes)

The album continues to reveal itself - just the 10:00-plus "The Girl That Taught Me to Drink and Fight" has plenty to keep you going - with pristine vocal harmonies, an insistent beat and a musical vocabulary that moves seamlessly from rock guitars to orchestral strings, and in places combines them. This is a record you will want to keep in the rotation for a while, and probably take back out when summer comes along. It was released Mar 2 in Australia, Mar 4 in Europe and Mar 5 (USA).

Young Dreams Website

New Exotic Folk Rock Discovery: Norwegian Arms - Wolf Like A Stray Dog

Norwegian Arms is a Philly-based duo (Brendan Mulvihill, Eric Slick) playing some intriguing, exotic folk rock along the lines of Vampire Weekend, Walkmen and Arcade Fire (to my ears, anyway). This debut album, Wolf Like A Stray Dog, is the result of lyrical and musical reflections on a year spent in Siberia by vocalist/mandolin Mulvihill, shaped into an album upon his return to the states with Slick (who is also a member of Dr. Dog.), in Dr. Dog's studio in Philadelphia.

The album integrates Eastern influences in a slightly different way than the afro-pop of Vampire Weekend, but it's not dissimilar, which raises all kinds of questions about the commonality of rhythms and musical approaches the world over...



The record is intriguing and pretty charming - and you have every incentive to check it out, since you can stream (and currently download for name-your-price) at Bandcamp:



It's on Big School Records and you can pre-order vinyl, physical cd's and other merchandise at this link.

Physical release is due on Jan. 15.

Free EP from Queen Jane

Late last month we profiled Queen Jane, a good young band from Cumbernauld, Scotland.  They have an energetic, Afro-pop inflected sound that we found quite refreshing.  For those who liked it then, or who are just discovering it now, you are in luck.  From now until Christmas, the lads are offering their new Romantics EP as a free download (we tried to negotiate a better price for you, but the group held firm at free and could not be moved).  If you sleep on this offer, you will regret it.







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Wild Cub - new video for "Thunder Clatter"

We've been following this Nashville electro-rock duo for most of 2012, and thought you'd like to have a look at their latest video - for the song "Thunder Clatter" from Youth. This song leans heavily in the Afro-pop direction that's caught on among young rock bands in the last couple of years - the difference being, to me, the vocals here are fuller.



Our review of Youth is here, and if you search "Wild Cub" on our site, you can see some other videos as well as a few free song downloads we've featured. The visual part of art is pretty important to these guys - lead man Keegan Dewitt is also a film composer. Wild Cub is a very impressive new band - it's all good but I especially like Dewitt's vocals.

Introducing: Queen Jane

You may not have expected this, but Cumbernauld, Scotland is the home of the best Afro-pop inflected indie band you've heard in a great while.  James McGarragle, Chris Harvie, Mark MacDonald and Craig Lindsay comprise Queen Jane, a group which remains unsigned only due to the corruption and sloth rampant in the A&R segment of the music industry.  A good introduction to their sound would be the Romantics EP, which just has been released this week.  If you worked forward from their promising Confetti EP to their early 2012 EP, Denver, to now, you'd readily see the maturing of this group.  Get on the bandwagon now, boys and girls.




The lads took the time to create this video for EP track "Josephine.  It is a rousing, energetic tune and I think you'll enjoy it --


Queen Jane - Josephine from Queen Jane on Vimeo.


As I noted above, the most recent past release is the Denver EP.  The video for track "Those Summers" can be viewed here, and the entire EP streamed below.   I should note that the entire Denver EP, with a bonus amount of Afro-pop guitar, is available as a free download at Bandcamp.  I think you can figure out what to do about that, don't you?


Queen Jane - Those Summers from Queen Jane on Vimeo.


The 2011 debut EP, Confetti, is available as a free download at their Bandcamp page.

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