balue, suburban bliss

balue, suburban bliss

On Friday, lo-fi garage pop musician Balue is set to release his new album Suburban Bliss. We’re lucky enough to have your first listen to the release in its entirety, starting with the sound bites that intro the title track. Jam packed with leisurely tunes perfect for your next road trip, Suburban Bliss leads you on a sonic journey that both urges you to open your mind and keeps a moderate tempo that tends to keep your emotions at bay. Moments of 70’s-inspired, glittery soundscapes are nestled amongst futuristic chord progressions and reverb for miles. It’s beautiful and fun and quirky, all wrapped into one wonderful collection that will easily make the “summer to autumn” transition with you.

Get your first listen below, and keep your eyes peeled for that album release on the 23rd!

Keep up with Balue here.

ben folds @ starlight theatre

ben folds @ starlight theatre

On Friday night, Ben Folds made a spectacular appearance at Starlight Theatre in Kansas City, MO. Our city has an affinity for this man, palpable when he sang a song about making Jason Sudeikis his “piano bitch” back in the day when he used to play The Bottleneck in Lawrence. He and his band entertained until the very last second of the sound ordinance, and what a beautiful start to the weekend it was.

Keep up with Ben Folds here.

alex lahey @ outside lands music festival

alex lahey @ outside lands music festival

In May 2018, we got our first true chance to see Alex Lahey perform live. Not only were we enchanted by her set in the mid-day heat at Sasquatch Music Festival, but it left us wanting more. Her appearance at 2019’s Outside Lands was one for the books, as she played a pretty packed Panhandle stage early on Sunday and had us reinvigorated for the remainder of the festivities.

Keep up with Alex Lahey here.

most captivating new music videos of august 2019

most captivating new music videos of august 2019

August has been a beautiful, hot, wonderful month and we are so grateful to have so much new art available to us! We continue our monthly installment of the visual soundtrack, a Youtube playlist of new music videos that we love! Most – if not all – of these videos were released this month, so if you’re looking for new releases, this is your most up-to-date list. Check it out daily for the rest of the month for new additions, and come back anytime to relive August 2019!

mxtmoon portraits @ outside lands

mxtmoon portraits @ outside lands

It’s wonderful what some fresh air can do for you. We caught up with mxtmoon at Outside Lands festival for a few quick portrait shots, and found this fun little backdrop on the perimeter of the polo field. How fun to duck into some trees and feel like you’re the only ones in the field! (Aside from Mavis Staples singing and preaching to the masses in the background. What an incredible weekend!)

Keep up with mxtmoon here.

a conversation with janet labelle

a conversation with janet labelle

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!

0:00    Intro
0:11     EZVisibility.com
0:22    Dbl-take.com
0:33    imperfectfifth.com/merch
1:05 Janet Labelle intro
2:21 Music therapy
4:16 The Beach Boys
6:43 “I Only See You”
15:33 “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)”

17:57 Hannah Hailey
23:09 aliens
23:25 “The Twilight Zone
25:00 Area 51
28:50 4TH Street Recording

31:04 Avery reunion shows
Asbury Park 8/16
Jersey City 8/17
31:34 Rockwood Music Hall, 8/26

Keep up with Janet Labelle here.

kill the whale: a musical odyssey, “dusk” (ft. courtney bassett)

kill the whale: a musical odyssey, “dusk” (ft. courtney bassett)

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.”

Keep up with the project here.

nicholas altobelli, “tell me what i got to do”

nicholas altobelli, “tell me what i got to do”

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.

beth bombara, evergreen

beth bombara, evergreen

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?

Try the album on for size below!

Keep up with Beth Bombara here.