For our first episode of season 2, we had a chat with singer/songwriter Janet Labelle. Of course we dove into the topic of aliens, but you best believe we got deep before that. Be sure to listen through to the end for August show dates!
If you’re looking for a cinematic music video to put things a little over the top today, look no further than the new visual for “Dusk”, the latest feature in the Kill The Whale: A Musical Odyssey project. What Daniel Emond has done is a re-imagining of Moby Dick, and he is releasing it in a series. We have the exclusive video premiere for “Dusk”, which features Courtney Bassett (The Great Comet). In the video, you can see her as the character Starbuck.
The series itself is a bit of political commentary a little too fresh to really want to delve into at present, but the product inspires us to break free from the chains that bind and create hate. It’s quite a beauty to behold. Expands Daniel:
When I first showed her the song, I told Courtney that I see Starbuck as the story’s protagonist. It started as a peppy island tune on ukelele, but as I dug deeper into the first mate’s emotional turmoil, a much edgier, darker folk ballad on piano came out. It continues to be many of our fans’ favorite song from the piece, and I think that’s because people relate to the conflicting feelings that Starbuck is dealing with: basically, hating, and being in love with, your boss—in this case the captain.
Admits Courtney, “I felt my soul stir when I first sat next to Daniel on a piano bench on 46th street two years ago and learned this song. I feel like I’ve been singing it for always and will keep singing it forever, and I am gratified and proud to have the space to tell a male-driven story as a female identifying human.”
Today, indie pop musician Nicholas Altobelli releases the music video for his track “Tell Me What I Got To Do”. A leisurely pace and a sincere host of lyrics give this song impact, as Altobelli lays vulnerable his desires. The video is interestingly shot, with warmth applied as if you’re viewing the world with rose colored glasses. But the subject matter is much more melancholy, matching the pace and composition of the track.
Get your first peep below, and let us know what you think on Facebook!
Vertigo was released August 2. Keep up with Nicholas Altobelli here.
On Friday, Americana rock musician Beth Bombara released her new 10-track full-length, titled Evergreen. With robust vocals that float around the Sarah Mclachlin range more often than not, we’re captivated by her well-developed sound. “I Only Cry When I’m Alone” sheds some uncomfortable light on covering up our metaphorical bruises when we are in pain. It lays out the propensity to make things seem perfect, and the truth that many of us face: We hide our hurt from others when support is much more important. And the emotion doesn’t run cold with the first track, either. “Upside Down” presents a feeling of dark nostalgia on hard times, a hard topic masked a bit by the upbeat tempo. “Anymore” slows it down considerably for us, but brings a sense of empowerment with the existence of newly-induced boundaries.
“Tenderhearted” definitely has more of your run-of-the-mill country love track flare to it, while “Growing Wings” presents a bittersweet view on change. “Does It Echo?” is interestingly composed, the strings played in a way that brings the instrumentals to the forefront of the track for the first time since we pressed “play” on Evergreen. That’s not to say we don’t hold her vocals in very high regard, but there is so much beauty in the composition that it seems to have been the driving force in the writing of this particular song. “Good News” picks the momentum back up, leading us into the title track, freeing percussion and a vivid descriptors giving life to the lyrics.
While “Criminal Tongue” does its best to blend some incredibly sassy blues instrumentals in, we can’t help but wonder if the track is a proper nod to modern day politics, or if the song tells of a more specific tale. If that’s the case, we’re clambering to find the inspiration for this one! Bombara rounds out the album with “All Good Things”, a proper tempo slowdown that has quite sincere and introspective lyrics. The way the melody plays out makes it feel like a traditional ballad, with all of the energy and emotion that Pink has provided in recent releases. Wouldn’t you agree?
August has been a fascinating month for music. More so than ever, we have heard soundscapes diversify into such different categories, keeping our minds busy with guessing games of what’s to come. But while we suss all of that out, it’s time to enjoy this soundtrack with a collection of our favorite new tracks of August 2019. Playlist artists include Blandlord, Young Guv, Mike Posner, Wiz Khalifa, James Vickery, the bird and the bee, Fox and Bones, and more. Check back all month for more additions to the feature!
Fullerton-based indie rock musician The Late Innings (Vincent Sinex) is coming at us hard with the video premiere for his track “Our Secret”. The song itself takes almost a spoken word tempo, packed with entertaining lyrics. As we get an audible glimpse into simpler times in the bay area, we are drawn to the adventurous nature of topographically-designed lyrics.
Explains Vincent:
I made the ‘Our Secret’ video entirely using topographical maps. I wanted to capture the restless feeling of a traveler going from one place after another, searching for that perfect spot. I’ve always been fascinated by maps and travel. When I was younger, I would spend many hours poring over atlases and maps, studying place names and doing things like learning state capitals. To make the video, I took screen captures from United States Geological Survey topographical maps and used them to illustrate not only the lyrics of the song, but also the types of places (beaches, coves and bays) the traveler encounters in the song.
This song itself is about a guy who travels to a place he considers his ‘secret’ vacation spot, only to find out that the place is now overrun with tourists. He’s disappointed to discover that something he used to think of ‘his’ is now a place that apparently everybody now knows about. The inspiration for this song came from a trip of my own, where we went to a beach that seemingly no one knew about, and we had the whole place to ourselves that afternoon. After that trip, I thought, ‘The next time I want to go back there, will it still be a secret, especially since in the age of social media, nothing is a secret anymore?
Nothing is a secret, and we can all relate. Check out the video below!
When you wander into a small venue and see someone that was a little rough around the edges at a previous job – and you happen to be in attendance with a former coworker from that previous job – things can get a little weird. But we are here to tell you that the experience was not diminished in any way. The incredible talent from duo Seasaw is palpable from first listen, and their performance legitimately lights up any room they happen to be entertaining in. We melted into their lyrical journey, and fell deeper in love with the music with each slight lyrical explanation, each moment their earrings were swinging. Highlights from the show below!
The Skints are absolutely phenomenal. Past their live performance, their music is enigmatic, their personalities are so fun, and there’s just a sense of community around everything that they do. We were recently blessed with their presence in New York, where photographer Christie McMenamin got to hang out and take some portraits of the band, comprised of the phenomenal talent of Jon Doyle, Jamie Kyriakides, Josh Waters Rudge, and Marcia Richards. We got some time to chat as well, which gave us a glimpse into the lives of one of our favorite bands right now! Check out the interview below, and take a listen to the new album and peep their latest video while you’re at it!
What was the first album or song you remember hearing, and do you believe that music has any bearing on how you approach your career?
First music I remember hearing I don’t know. First reggae song I ever remember hearing was my parents playing “Iron Lion Zion” when I was like three, which I remember cos I liked lions. First album I bought was the soundtrack of Space Jam on cassette. I don’t know if the first music I heard had any bearing on the APPROACH of my career more than “I like music”, I was say the music that had that bearing I found about 12/13 years old.
What is the origin story of The Skints? Was it a meet-cute?
I don’t know what a meet cute is, but we were all just local friends from school. Teenagers form punk band at school, very primitive! We started with the dream of playing our local venue (The Standard, Walthamstow, RIP) and never stopped.
Swimming Lessons. SUCH a wonderful album. So well-rounded, and so laser-focused on a unique and beautiful soundscape adventure. Anyone have a favorite track off that album, or a song you revert back to to make you feel a certain way?
Wow, thanks so much, that’s very kind of you. My favourite changes all the time, but today I’m gonna say “Stop Looking Back”; I think it’s the most musically mature song we’ve done.
On “Restless” you vocalize criticism on the government and media. Totally warranted. Was there any piece of you that might have been nervous about releasing a track like this, or was it an obvious inclusion on the album from the get-go?
Nah no way, we’ve been calling our government, the media, the “system” out on their shit from when we first starting writing songs and that’s not going to change.
You have some incredible features on this album. What ignited the conversations to include Protoje, Runkus, and Jesse Royal on tracks, and how did you approach them to work on it? Had you already had those established friendships?
Protoje and Jesse Royal we had met and formed road friendships with those 2 guys with about 5 years ago at festivals in Europe. We’d stayed in touch, always linking up with Protoje to hang when he was in London and playing on a bunch same festival bills around the world, and had been saying to one another “let’s do a tune” for ages. We also did a secret support for him in a tiny club in a Parisian suburb once! Jesse came over and played this pop-up Skints party we curated called “Nice Time” a couple years back and we went to the studio the day after and wrote a DIFFERENT song to Love Is The Devil, maybe that will see the light of day some point! So yeah those were totally organic connections, and it was Protoje that put us on to Runkus a few years ago, who was also a fan of ours as we are of him, and we connected off the back of that.
You chose blue vinyl for your recent album release. What inspired that decision?
The album is called Swimming Lessons and we love colour vinyl!
You have been touring the last few years almost non stop. What have been some of your favorite memories of this time on the road?
Man, so many. Japan completely blew all of our minds, I’d say that was the most different place we’ve ever been. Even down to getting the train as to being on the road, the pace of touring is just different out there.
But also… any crazy fan stories or random happenings on tour that are just too bizarre or funny to not talk about?
Ah man, we been touring for like 10 years haha! We once stayed in a terrifying hostel in Berlin with unfinished paintings on the walls. Portraits with no eyes or mouths. Scary.
You guys seem to get along really well. How have you kept your heads on straight while touring together for such a long time?
We’ve spent so much time around each other we actually operate like a family. We just try not to push each other’s buttons, communicate honestly and healthily and try to be respectful of one another as we operate. Also gotta just laugh through the madness!
Anything else you’d like to share with us?
Big up everyone supporting and showing love, it means the very most!
New Orleans-based rock collective The Revivalists – comprised of David Shaw, Zack Feinberg, Andrew Campanelli, Ed Williams, George Gekas, Rob Ingraham, Michael Girardot, and PJ Howard – have injected such soul and intensity into this track, that’s hard not to feel it in your bones. The song details a “wide eyed wonder” who seems to be causing trouble left and right, and the song is a way of coping with such a wild personality, which we can all truly relate to on some level. The layers of the instrumentals make for a sound your ears will perk up to, while the vocals make you want to lose control. The video has been shot quite remarkably, giving the viewer a peek into what life in the studio might look like for a band with this type of magnetic energy and talent. Check it all out below, and let us know what you think on our Facebook page!
