Partner Look - By The Book

 

Ever since I learned of the German phrase phrase "partner look", which refers to couples dressing the same, I have paid attention to whether couples I encounter are engaged in some form of identical dress. I have even broadened my inquiry to wonder whether some couples are deliberately avoiding dressing alike -- an 'anti-partner look'. I assured myself that it didn't affect me as my wife and I do not have the same taste in clothing. At least I thought so until we boarded a chairlift last week and noticed that we were both wearing black ski pants, yellow ski jackets and the same brand and color of mittens. Only our helmets saved us from full 'partner look'.

Why is that relevant to a post on a music blog? Well, it is because today's featured album is By The Book by a quartet that named themselves Partner Look. The Melbourne-based band includes two German born sisters and their Australian partners and, as you can see on the above cover art, they have the partner look down to the last detail. But fashion choices aside, Partner Look is one of the more promising new musical projects we have encountered recently. Admittedly the deck is a bit stacked with talent (see the final paragraph below), but not all combinations work. This combination of friends, siblings and partners, however, sounds totally in synch. We expect a bit of jangle from a Melbourne indie pop band, and Partner Look does not disappoint. However, By The Book isn't a scrappy jangle pop album. It boasts polished songwriting, varied textures and styles and assured performances. Here, your ears are in the hands of pros, so just relax and smile.

We usually only stream three songs from an album, going up to four when an album has 12 tracks, as does By The Book. However, after choosing three and thinking that the album may be a bit front-loaded, we discovered that the album is not, in fact, front-loaded. It is loaded. So rather than stress out in choosing three, we chose five. Our OCD was a bit troubled, but we will get over it.

Partner Look are Lachlan Denton (The Ocean Party/Pop Filter/others), Dainis Lacey (Cool Sounds), and sisters Ambrin Hasnain (Cool Sounds) and Anila Hasnain (Studio Magic). The name of the upcoming album is By The Book , and it will be released February 4 via Trouble In Mind in North America, and Spunk Records and Osborne Again in Australia and New Zealand.

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additional links to order the album

"Blue Raspberry" by Peter Cat

 As we huddle inside on a Sunday night listening to hour 10 of a soaking rain, we are grateful for "Blue Raspberry". Not that we have eaten any such fruit, but the musical representation has lifted our spirits. It is a woozy, summery tune that reminds us that the calendar promises better days ahead (and also, somewhat ominously, that we can yearn for things that don't exist). It is the final single to be released from The Magus, the March 18 EP by Glasgow project Peter Cat.

Peter Cat are Graham Neil Gillespie and some like-minded collaborators.

Peter Cat · Blue Raspberry

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Pintandwefall - Seventh Baby

 

Pintandwefall may have been chosen as a frivolous name. If so, it isn't surprising as the project was formed by musicians with other established projects, and this one may have been a bit of an experiment. But with six previous albums as well as EPs and videos, this Finnish band has proved to be both serious and seriously good. Their latest creation is the just released Seventh Baby. Begun via the exchange of demos after the beginning of pandemic-induced isolation, the album has been enriched by the the contributions of multiple songwriters enhancing each other's contributions. The result is a shoegazey guitar pop with wit, sensitivity, hooks, and plenty of muscle. An album this good deserves to be heard by many people. Buy it and play it for friends. Add the songs to playlists. Mention it in random conversations. Will it work? We don't know. But if you do it we won't feel so alone doing it.

Pintandwefall are Sanna Komi, Ninni Luhtasaari, Ringa Manner, and Iiti Yli-Harja. Seventh Baby is out now via Helsinki's Soliti Music.

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"Skin" by Maria Die Ruhe

We do not know much about Maria Die Ruhe, other than she is German, presently resident in Leipzig. Before today we had not heard any of her music. But the inbox brought "Skin" to our ears, and for that we are quite happy indeed. An electro pop track infused with intriguing sonic texture and a captivating vocal performance, it addresses the artist's journey to accepting her outer shell and reconciling it with how she feels about herself. We think it is time for us to check out some more songs by Ms. Die Ruhe.

"Skin" is released via Reduced To The Root.

MARIA Die RUHE · SKIN - MARIA Die RUHE

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Bandcamp for "Skin" (with lyrics)

Various links for "Skin"

"Hi Life" by Kindsight

 Danish band Kindsight has dropped "Hi Life", their third single from next month's LP Swedish Punk. We particularly like how this band artfully merges indie pop and noise pop. This is one of the finer young Nordic bands we have the pleasure of following.

Kindsight are Nina Hyldgaard Rasmussen (vocals/guitar), Soren Svensson (guitar), Anders Prip (bass), and Johannes Jacobsen (drums). "Hi Life" is out now via Stockhom's Rama Lama Records, which also will release the album.

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Bandcamp for album

Rama Lama Records

Red Pants - When We Were Dancing

 

One of our very favorite discoveries in the past couple of years is San Francisco label Paisley Shirt Records. Their taste in music matches ours quite closely, which  means that they have very good taste indeed. While many of their releases have been local bands via cassette (often with other labels releasing the record in other formats), they have expanded their distribution offerings lately in terms of artists and format. Today's utterly delicious release is When We Were Dancing by Madison, Wisconsin's Red Pants, available in digital and, of course, cassette formats. The project of Jason Lambeth, who himself runs the cassette label Painted Blonde Tapes. Jason's lo-fi guitar-focused creations are drawn with fuzz, distortion, and jangle, and with a solid core of pop smarts.

The music on this album sounds like the music that has long been in our favorites' rotation -- melodic, sturdy, and unpretentious. And we suggest that it may well hit your sweet spot if you are a regular reader of the blog. It is one of our favorite albums of the year so far, and the fact that one of us grew up in Wisconsin has nothing to do with it.

While Red Pants is Jason's solo project, for this album he partners with his regular collaborator Elss Nekola who provides vocals and drumming.

Website for Jason Lambeth

Bandcamp for album

"It's Over, If We Run Out Of Love" (featuring Raven Violet) by David Holmes

 Although we feel a bit guilty about the paucity of posts lately, we can only assure that we are doing the best we can while dealing with unusual and many distractions and demands on our time. We will try to publish several posts today.

And we kick off the proceedings with the latest creation by Belfast native David Holmes. Holmes is a musician (one-third of the band Unloved) and composer with dozens of soundtracks to his credit. "It's Over, If We Run Out Of Love" is one of our favorite tracks this month, and we think you will enjoy it. The song is an ode to youth culture recalling Holmes youth in the turmoil that was Belfast in the '70s and '80s and features vocals by Raven Violet. It was written by Holmes and Noel Gallagher. By the way, the fine video for the single was created by Douglas Hart.

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Various links for single

Ryan Allen - I'm Not Mean EP

 

Detroit guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Ryan Allen has earned his stripes with Ryan Allen & His Extra Arms and Thunderbirds Are Now. But he released this delectable EP of jangle/power pop in late January, and we commend it to your ears. There is plenty of reverb, riffs, pop hooks and jangle to give you the lift you crave.

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Website for Extra Arms band

"Something" by Hater

 

"Something", the new single by Hater is a pointed reminder that we have been deprived of this band's talents for too long. Few acts today can combine artfully layered pop, dark sentiments, and shoegaze like this Malmo, Sweden fourpiece. The song is the opening track of their third album, Sincere, which will be released May 6 via Fire Records.

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The Reds, Pinks & Purples - Summer at Land's End

 

Like your favorite sweater that makes you feel content and secure as soon as you put it on, Summer at Land's End just feels like music you have always wanted to listen to. The balance between memorable melodies, haze, jangle, and poignant and lovelorn observations is perfect. Creator Glenn Donaldson released three previous albums as The Reds, Pinks & Purples closely preceding this record, and while each qualified as a perfect nugget of that cherished category of beautiful music that may prompt tears, this new one seems like the publishable dissertation in Glenn's study of relationships and finding peace in love and loss.

For us, Summer at Land's End by The Reds, Pinks & Purples plays as a dream pop soundtrack to a montage of memories, relationships, scenes (actual, altered, or even feverishly imagined). Of course it wasn't specifically tailored for our lives, loves, wins and losses, or for yours. But we venture to say that you can snap these songs onto your life and find it a good fit -- the humanity and observational clarity is that good. Singles from the album, "Don't Come Home To Soon" and "Let's Pretend We're Not In Love" struck us at first listen as the best songs were were likely to hear this year, and our opinion still holds. However, we haven't streamed them below (we did feature each of them previously) because we think that the best way to showcase the quality of Summer At Land's End is to reference you to the four-song run of "Pour The Light", "All Night We Move", "Tell Me What's Real", and "Upside Down In An Empty Room". This is incisive, flowing pop songcraft at its best. We really would not want to be without these songs in our lives, and it is about time they arrived.

Summer at Land's End is out now in digital, CD and vinyl formats via Slumberland Records (US) and Tough Love Records (UK). Note that there also is a limited edition vinyl version that includes a second record of new instrumental songs.

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"Certainty" by Steve Lane

 

We don't need to tell you that the world could use a bit more positivity right now. In business, in politics, and of course, in music. Thus the timing of the release of "Certainty" is welcome. Replete with references to things that endure (we hope) in the natural world despite the many threats, the piano-driven tune is a ray of defiant hope in the mess around us. Thanks go to the artist, Steve Lane of Melbourne, Australia, who also plans to release his fourth album, The Great Imposter, this year. Thanks also go to Last Night From Glasgow, as the label extended its reach across the globe to bring us "Certainty".

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Sad Eyed Beatniks - Claudia's Ethereal Weaver

 

This feature joins two threads of our (admittedly scary) subconscious. The first involves Kevin Linn. You may not know Kevin Linn. Actually, to be honest we have never met him either, although we have exchanged correspondence with him in his capacity as honcho for the wonderful little San Francisco label Paisley Shirt Records. He seems like an nice, intelligent man with really good taste in music (in that sense, we might actually be twins). The second thread involves the Sad Eyed Beatniks, a San Francisco jangle/alt/twee pop band whose name is one of our instant favorites and about which we had heard good things, but we hadn't had time to check out their music.

The threads combined because we recently learned that Kevin Linn is the one and only Sad Eyed Beatniks. And as the Sad Eyed Beatniks he has released a really, really good album titled Claudia's Ethereal Weaver. Consisting of ten songs, the album is rooted in well-crafted jangling twee, but also includes an lot of interesting details around the edges that earn an alt pop tag as well. And while you won't often find those touches on a jangle/twee album, they fit the Paisley Shirt Records esthetic perfectly. More importantly they add increased space and light to the already deftly constructed compositions. In our view the result is a set of songs that seems to float in the air -- substantial yet seemingly pulling you into the songwriter's inner musings. Playful, honest and engaging, this is music to cherish.

Claudia's Ethereal Weaver is out now via Paisley Shirt Records and Spain's Meritorio Records.

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Various links for Sad Eyed Beatniks and album

Josephine Foster - Godmother

 

Josephine Foster is a unique and special artist. Her vocal style has been termed operatic and even 'old timey' (as in a radio show from the 1930s). But regardless of label, her voice is lovely and expressive, as well as distinctive. Her songwriting style is art folk, but as she notes it owes as much to Tin Pan Alley as the American folk songbook. Her themes are introspective, spiritual, and cosmic.

Foster's new album is titled Godmother, and for our tastes it is a noteworthy and consistently high quality set of songs. It is noteworthy because unlike previous records, Foster's aural palette includes more expansive instrumentation, including synths and other electronics. As for the consistent quality, you will have to let your ears guide you. However, we can't imagine a music fan settling into a chair by the fire and cuing this album to be anything other than relaxed, inspired, and impressed. This is our favorite album by Foster to date, and if this signals a new approach to recording for her, we say bring it on.

Godmother is out now in vinyl, CD and digital formats via Fire Records.

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Various links for Godmother 

"Strawberry Boy" by Boy With Apple

 

Sweden's Boy With Apple is new for us, but they certainly have grabbed our attention with their new single "Strawberry Boy". It is a fully fleshed out post-punk track with soaring '80s synth pop vibe that just makes us feel good all over. The Gothenburg-based trio is releasing three singles this spring, and then will record an LP.

The members of Boy With Apple are Zara Henriksson, Saga Fransson, and Tim Hedlund. "Strawberry Boy" is released via VARO Records.

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"Let's Pretend We're Not In Love" by The Reds, Pinks & Purples

 

You can trust us on this: There is no such thing as too much music from The Reds, Pinks & Purples. Admittedly there is little risk in making such a pronouncement so long as Glenn Donaldson crafts the sort of hyper-melodic and sadly romantic pop that he has released in 2020, 2021, and now next week. Yes, Summer At Land's End will be out February 4 via Slumberland Records (North America) and Tough Love (UK/Europe), and we expect it to slay us as has its predecessors. The third and final single from the album is below. See (and hear) what we mean?

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"High Street" by Team Me

March will bring the end of winter and first hints of spring, at least around WYMA World Headquarters. It also will bring Something In The Making, the third studio album by Norway's art pop band Team Me. The band has earned justified acclaim over their 10 years together, and we are looking forward to this next chapter in their musical story. You can enjoy "High Street", the first single from the album below.

"High Street" and Something In The Making are released via Propeller Recordings.

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"Aihai" by Pintandwefall

 

We are certain that it is due to long-time conditioning, but the word "pint", alone or in combination with other words, triggers happy sensations. And those happy sensations include our feelings in learning that Finnish indie pop band Pintandwefall will release their new album February 25. Titled Seventh Baby, it will be available in vinyl and digital formats via Soliti Music. We will have more for you closer to the release date, but we can share the first single, the soaring "Aihai.

Pintandwefall are Sanna Komi, Ninni Luhtasaari, Ringa Manner, and Iiti Yli-Harja, all of whom are involved in other excellent projects as well. They have released six albums and additional EPs and videos.

Soliti · Pintandwefall: Aihai

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"Melon Dating Simulator" by Peter Cat

 

Peter Cat is not, in fact, a cat. And you should also know that the main man behind the project is not named Peter. Peter Cat is a band that crafts sophisticated pop music with a plentiful helping of whimsy and humor. A new EP titled Magus is due in March, but we are discussing the non-cat today because the first single from the EP is streaming now in all usual streaming locations. Bearing the perfectly normal (if you are Peter Cat) name "Melon Dating Simulator", in a story set in an online role playing game. We think will give you an enjoyable taste of this band's brand of pop music.

Peter Cat are Graham Neil Gillespie and some like-minded collaborators.

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"Middleman" by The Saint Larsen

 Our congratulations to Northern Portrait vocalist and rhythm guitarist Stefan Larsen on his promotion to The Saint Larsen, especially as such designations typically are bestowed posthumously. Although Northern Portrait remains a working band (a new album will be released soon), Stefan has been writing and recording on his own. We only have the one song - "Middleman" - to evaluate, but it suggests that the upcoming album Show Geezer will capture our ears. "Middleman" is a deft bit of songcraft with hints of '60s/70s songwriters Emitt Rhodes and Harry Nilsson.

"Middleman" is out now via Matinee Recordings, which also will release the album.

Matinée Recordings · The Saint Larsen - Middleman

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Matinee Recordings page for "Middleman"

Kids On A Crime Spree - Fall In Love Not In Line

 

Today's words of wisdom are Fall In Love Not In Line. But unlike some advice which is dryly delivered by a humorous old coot, this gem arrives as the title of perhaps the best noise pop album we have heard in many years. With racing tempos, fuzzing & buzzing guitars, ace vocals and the most premium deluxe hooks you can imagine, Oakland trio Kids On A Crime Spree have given everyone a reason to comply with the album title by falling in love with the band and the album. We have given you three examples below. In choosing them we ignored the singles because, well, this album seems like a collection of hit singles anyway.

Kids On A Crime Spree are Mario Hernandez (bass/vocals), Becky Barron (drums), and Bill Evans (guitar). Fall In Love Not In Line is out now in vinyl, CD and digital formats via Slumberland Records.

Bandcamp for album

Slumberland Records page for album