On June 21st, Aimee Mann and Superchunk entertained a large crowd at the Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival in New York. Photographer Christie McMenamin was on hand, and captured some stunning photos for us.
Keep up with Luna May here.
Johnson City, Tennessee-based self-proclaimed “giggle-pop” trio Achy – comprised of Achy (Samuel B.) (songwriter, composer) and his cohorts Mahto Bowder (bass), and Sam Love (drums) – just unleashed their seven track stunner Friendly Animals unto the world. Laced with a psychedelic, garage rock feel, the trio somehow pulls off a brit-pop soundscape above it all. Each track is refreshing, and honestly something we would enjoy at an outdoor barbecue. (You know… IF the heat ever dies down anywhere close by!)
Feel free to check out Friendly Animals below, and then check out our quick interview with the trio, where we get deep into their production process and – of course – superheroes.
What was your first musical memory, or the first album or song you heard? Do you think that has any bearing on who you are as an artist now?
Samuel: My absolute first musical memory is sitting in the living room of my folks old apartment, and my dad had this little record player set up and was playing Money by Pink Floyd on it. And that memory has always stuck with me super strong. My dad and my mom showing me their music growing up definitely impacted the way I make music though.
Sam Love: My first musical memory that really really made me love music was Pink Floyd. Particularly the Syd Barrett era, which was a more spastic and creative-sounding time for Pink Floyd in my opinion. However Lonesome Crowded West by Modest Mouse was the most influential album on my drum playing.
Mahto: There was always stuff like the Grateful Dead, Augustus Pablo, Bad Brains, Neil Young playing at the house. My folks had a fairly wide taste. My first cd was Help by the Beatles. I feel like the set me up pretty well. I do remember going to see a stage production of beauty and the beast and suddenly being much more interested in the piano at the the house. All that said I’m sure it must be why I act in the way I do now.
What is this self-proclaimed “giggle-pop” genre you’ve come up with on Facebook? Where did that term come from? Don’t necessarily disagree — just SUPER curious.
Samuel: It’s to describe that lil giggle you let out when a pop hook sounds real good. And we found it just online I can’t remember where or who but some beautiful stranger described us with the perfect genre! We also crack a lot of jokes at the live gigs.
Sam Love: Our term “giggle pop” comes from how much fun we having playing and learning music together; I think Samuel and Mahto have great senses of humor and we always make each other laugh in between songs! Although we take the music we make seriously I think it’s important to also have fun with it and they are great fellas to have around for that!
Mahto: I think someone else called us that in a Facebook event. It’s pretty accurate though. We get pretty giggly pretty often.
Friendly Animals is so refreshing and upbeat. We hear it all happened in 2 days. (AMAZING!) Any fun anecdotes?
Samuel: Thank you! It was the most exhausting two days I’ve ever had, we as a group literally rehearsed the songs one day before recording them and a lot of the parts were actually written as we recorded. By the end of recording I couldn’t even redo guitar takes cause my fingers hurt so bad!
Sam Love: The recording process for our EP Friendly Animals was a blast! It’s was a lot of work, but working with Henry of Taped Records in Knoxville was absolutely amazing. He has done a great job setting up an environment where work and productivity explode like a volcano, but in a way that doesn’t stifle the creative process. I feel like it was refreshing for all of us.
Mahto: It was very hot. And very hard on the hands. I thought the improv jam was the most fun though. After spending all day trying to get the songs right, after learning them the day before, it was really nice to be able to turn the brain off and slip into the rhythm off this new thing.
Do any of you have a favorite track from the album, or perhaps a song you prefer to perform live? Why? What makes it something to look forward to for you?
Samuel: Mine would have to be “Breakfast w/ You”, seeing people smile and get excited that we’re playing it just makes me so happy. That or “Telephone P’lease”!
Sam Love: My personal favorite song from Friendly Animals is “Summer Sweater” because I really like how the grooves kind of take on a funkier sound. I always look forward to playing it live!
Mahto: I rather like playing “Telephone P’lease”. It makes me feel like a rockstar.
How do you want fans to feel after listening to the album in its entirety?
Samuel: That they feel like they know us! By the end of the record I’d love it if people felt a little closer to what we’re doing and like they could come up after a show and talk like old friends.
Sam Love: Ideally, after listening to Friendly Animals for the first time, I would like the listeners to feel like they just heard something different in an interesting “fresh” way.
Mahto: I want listeners to feel like Samuel for a minute.
On a broader spectrum, what drives your passion to create music?
Samuel: The people and connections I make everyday doing it, the strongest and funnest connections you can make are when you become besties with another band or artist, that’s true love right there.
Sam Love: I always find myself in and around musical environments, and being able to play music with good friends and musicians like Samuel Bowman and Mahto Browder really helps drive my passion to create music. I also love how music can bring so many different people together, and even serve as a sort-of medicine.
Mahto: It just something I have to do. I think there is something primal that makes people want music.
If you could be any superhero – “existing” or made up – who would you be and why?
Samuel: Definitely Hellboy, coolest hero ever! Also the best graphic novel hands down.
Sam Love: If I could be any superhero, pre-existing or otherwise, I firmly believe I would be Father Captain Doctor Love. The man who, of course, had humble roots in a church eventually becoming a Priest. After seeing the ugly underbelly of religion and understanding religion’s sinister and corrupt nature in his town he quit the church to join the army. He quickly became a Captain, but after seeing the unjust conflicts and unspeakable horrors of war he left to further his academic career and reflect on his experiences. He decided to become a heart surgeon, and graduated at the top of his class successfully becoming a doctor. It was then he learned he could just also read minds and become temporarily invisible for 10-15 minute intervals on Thursdays.
Mahto: Batman. He just does what he wants. No powers or anything.
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Keep up with Achy here.
Australian psych collective Psychedelic Porn Crumpets really elicits a reaction with their band name alone. Then you turn on their music, and the excitement mounts. But there’s nothing like the strange, truly psychedelic energy in their new music video for “Cornflake”. Imagine some of the most kaleidoscope-like visuals you can, ripe with alien fights on hover boards, and a storyline you won’t soon forget. That’s “Cornflake” for you, animated bu Mike Wyatt (Attack Animation).
Another impressive original soundscape from this group, infinitely more mind-blowing than we expected.
Keep up with Psychedelic Porn Crumpets here.
Australian artist Harp Samuels’ latest single is a stripped-down masterpiece that draws you in with beautiful vocals and a poignant piano melody. The track is reminiscent of the styles of Sufjan Stevens or Damien Rice, but it tells a story that is entirely his own. Samuels bares his soul in the haunting way that only music can do. The lyrics are few and far between, yet they manage to encapsulate the same amount of emotion, or even more, than most ballads. In this case, the story not only lies within the lyrics, but the way the lyrics are sung:
You’re my home/I am safe with you/You’re my home/You made a space, so you could hide/Locked in your hazel eyes/I feel I can climb these mountains/When I’m/in deep, dark waters/You help me breathe/I’m in the waves but I’m able to see.
The first time around, Samuels’ voice is quiet, raw, and dark. But by the second time, the song shifts – the music swells and his voice has a renewed hope to it. The song’s simple structure is emphasized by the title – it reminds us to breathe, especially at times when that’s all we can do.
Keep up with the latest on Harp Samuels here, and be sure to check out the rest of his music.
On June 21st, Caroline Rose entertained an enchanted crowd at Stubb’s in Austin, Texas. Photographer Erica Tello took a handful of photos to capture the ambiance of the evening.
Keep up with Caroline Rose here.
Asbury Park, New Jersey-based rock trio Levy & The Oaks are revving up to release their upcoming album Sound Of The City. Their new video for “Obsessive Love” is making the rounds, and their sound is pure perfection for the summertime. Lucky for us, they created a playlist as an ode to their home, and we’ve got the exclusive streaming privileges right here! Says the band of the soundtrack:
Asbury Park is filled to the brim with amazingly talented artists. This playlist only scratches the surface and is our way of saying “Thank You” to all the friends and family we’ve made along the way. Asbury welcomed us with open arms and we hope to do the same for all upcoming inspiring artists looking to join our music community.
Keep up with Levy & The Oaks here.
Though Adeline is known as the voice of celebrated band Escort, the work she has produced on her own is something of a dream as well. The video for her single “Emeralds” is out now, and we’ve watched it several times this morning already. Who else needs a breath of fresh air injected into their day? This is it. The video plays off contrast, dark and light emphasized with each new frame while Adeline sings soulfully into the camera. The song itself is seductive, and the way the video has been pulled off is pure art. Check it out below!
Check out Adeline at Afropunk on August 25th.
Ed the Dog’s new single from his debut album Shame is an ode to the simpler times which, in this case, is the television era. Ed Wettenhall has created a song that is reminiscent of 90s pop. Its catchy chorus paired with an upbeat guitar gives off a song-of-the-summer vibe. While “Television Era” is incredibly charming, it also references the angst of nostalgia, growing up, and living in the modern world. But despite that, it still makes you want to dance.
Be sure to check out Ed the Dog’s album, and keep up with him here.
