I have some alluring new music to tickle your ears. Hailing from Gothenburg, Sweden, the captivating music of KÅRP has been dubbed as ‘death disco,’ a new genre to add to an already long list. KÅRP has a dark love for the paranormal, outer space and the apocalyptic state of our times, which are recurring themes in their music and lyrics.
KÅRP released their debut single Therapist^2 in October 2017, and their debut album, Album 1, was released in 2019. The album was awarded the Swedish Manifest Prize in early 2020.
KÅRP‘s forthcoming triptych of EPs has the theme of the three stages of the apocalypse: Chaos, Silence and The New World Order.
The chaos represented on the first EP features heavy, dark beats and twisted voices invoking the Berlin underground. Their new single’ It Looks Bad‘ is the first track out from the Swedish death disco ambassadors’ triptych of EP’s in 2022.
“In February 2019, we came back to Sweden from a show in LA to go on tour in Scandinavia,” the band comments. “As the pandemic came, the plans were changed. Instead, we’ve been in the studio for about two years to compose this epic series of releases on the grand theme of apocalypse.”
‘It Looks Bad’ is about how the world is burning and how our generation has zero faith in the future. It’s about how the things close to you are all that matter when the world is going down. If anything even matters. We see deadly police brutality, wildfires, pandemics, nazis in the European parliaments, George Floyd. We’re fucked. It looks bad, to put it simple.”
“That’s why the first leg of this triptych of EP’s is pretty dark sounding. The next one will be slightly more mellow. And on the last one, we’re allowing ourselves a few major chords and some hope.”
VONAMOR presents ‘Take Your Heart,’ the lead track from their debut ‘VONAMOR’ album. Produced by Lucio Leoni, this 8-track collection will be released in February 2022 via Time To Kill Records (TTK).
I won’t spend much time today elaborating on who Vonamor is. I will leave that until February and the album release, which I look forward to with bated breath.
Suffice to say, this track is mesmerizing and the message, well I’ll let the band tell you: “Through our darkwave music and words, we search for the question, the ambiguity, the multiform influence of a variety of demons. We feel the urgency of questioning ourselves, our fellow human beings and the reality around us,” says Giulia Bottaro.
Francesca Bottaro adds, “With VONAMOR, we turned such a feeling into a sound of female and male voices, wrapping bass-lines and electronic beats, woodwind instruments chasing and caressing you, till we make you dance and move and love with us.”
VONAMOR is made up of sisters Giulia Bottaro (voice, bass, metal flute) and Francesca Bottaro (drum station, sequencer, sax, clarinet) and vocalist Luca Guidobaldi, with Francesco Bassoli (guitars and loops) and Martino Cappelli (guitars, mandolin, bouzouki, oud, loops) joining the trio for live performances.
‘Take Your Heart’ is now available across online stores and streaming platforms, including Apple Music, Tidal, Deezer, Spotify, etc. The full-length album will be available digitally and on CD in February 2022. It can be pre-ordered directly from Time To Kill Records
Ava Vox, that’s a cool name. I like it. So, let’s break it down. Ava is a word of Scottish origin that means ‘all of’. All of something, in this case, all of vox. Vox is from Latin and means ‘voice’ specifically or sound by extension. Those definitions bring us to all of voice or sound—a full voice, which is a good descriptor of Ava Vox.
What else can we say about Ava Vox? She is an emerging artist from the Dublin, Ireland, alternative music scene. She currently lives in County Meath, and when not performing as Ava Vox, she is Elaine Hannon. In the mid-1980s, Elaine formed the gothic rock / post-punk band Seventh Veil, which had an album named Vox Animae, which seems to have morphed into the persona of Ava Vox. I like that evolution from Vox Animae to Ava Vox, to quote Abed Nadir, “Cool. Cool cool cool.”
In February 2021, Ava Vox debuted with her rendition of The Cure’s ‘Love Song,’ which she slowed down with only the accompaniment of Ray McLoughlin on piano. That is a total 180 from her last recording with Seventh Veil, which is full speed in-your-face power rock.
Ava Vox followed that with a 2-track release that included her rendition of the Soft Cell hit ‘Tainted Love’ and the classic David Bowie song ‘Life on Mars.’
Ava Vox counts numerous artists among her influences, including David Bowie, no surprise there, Patti Smith, The Cure (another one that doesn’t need elaborating), Siouxsie and the Banshees, Cocteau Twins, Bauhaus, Japan and The Cult.
“Crash brings you somewhere – to a place, to another dimension, another time / futuristic. The music and the words lead me to create a music video (forthcoming) about the consequences of Global warming/climate change, to our planet and the human race,” says Ava Vox.
“In the music video, a White Witch Goddess (the White Witch Goddess symbolizes mother nature, who loves the earth and all its species/human race), she gives you a glimpse of the present destruction/devastation caused by Global warming/ climate change and then shows what the future could be if we don’t try to save our planet, ‘the end of the world/extinction of species/human race.”
‘Crash‘ is available across online stores and streaming services, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp. Ava Vox is currently completing work on a new album ‘Immortalised,’ due for release in early 2022.
I will be posting just a short note today for the Singapore-France duo Cravism x Maya Diegel. They have released their ‘Caryatid’ and ‘Ladies’ Night’ singles via Komplex Recordings with a video that features both songs.
The two singles are in a stunning video mix blending created by Arthur Etienne and Thibaut Vega. Several weeks ago, the duo released the first single, ‘It’s Okay,’ with soulful and jazzy textures laid over lush, mellow jazz hip hop beats, transporting the listener into a chilled relaxing realm.
Out in full on October 22, the ‘Caryatid EP‘ project entails a staggered release of a track every three weeks with accompanying films, in addition to a series of online live performances of these compositions.
Enjoy, I will be back with another installment in three weeks.
I am stuck in a rut. Being stuck in a rut is not where I want to be. It is not where I want to be. It is, however, where I find myself, and I need to address that.
Where is the rut, you may ask? The rut in question emerged from the nether regions of Glasgow. I have never been to Glasgow, so it may sound like a stretch to blame Glasgow for my predicament. I do not hold a grudge against the city of Glasgow. I am sure it is as good of a place as anywhere. The fact remains that the rut started there and is now accosting me.
The rut in question has travelled across the Atlantic Ocean and then across 3/4’s of North America. It is an impressive rut by any standard.
So here I sit with this groove from Glasgow tormenting me. It has been growing in my office for three days now. And I don’t know what to do with it. I suppose I could start by telling you the driving force behind this unusual predicament that I find myself in.
It all started with half a dozen Glaswegians getting together making some music and got a groove going on. The groove in question is the fifth full-length album from The Kundalini Genie.
You too? Yeah, I had to go and look up what the hell a Kundalini is. Apparently it is some spiritual force in Hindu, Yogic and Buddhist teachings. There is more than one way to practice the Kundalini spirituality, but I wager that listening to good music is one path.
Today we will focus on the Genie method of Kundalini. The Kundalini Genie involves singer-songwriter Robbie Wilson, on sitar, guitar, and vocals.
We also have Jason Houston on guitar and more vocals.
Melissa Rennie plays guitar, keys and adds her vocals.
Lloyd Ledingham contributes bass and vocals.
Louis Martin plays guitar and, yes, more vocals.
My goodness, they are competing against the Mormon Tabernacle Choir with everybody singing. Everyone except the drummer, Grant Robertson. I bet he sings, but they don’t mic it. Maybe he is more of the shower stall singer variety. Nothing wrong with that. Heck, I even sound better singing in the shower, and I can’t carry a song in a bucket.
Now that everyone is accounted for let’s talk about the music that dug a trench from Glasgow to my office in Canada’s hinterlands. Scottish psychedelic rock’n’roll outfit The Kundalini Genie has announced they will release their fifth studio album ‘Half In, Half Out’ by the end of 2021, following up their ’11:11′ album via SpaceRanch Records (Europe) and Little Cloud Records (USA) in 2020. Ahead of this, they present the title track ‘Half In, Half Out,’ a robust offering to whet our appetites for the long-player.
“This song is about assholes, really. People who aren’t nice. People who think they’re better than you, or too cool for you, or higher and mightier than you, it’s also about when those people inevitably fall short of their own high opinion of themselves and make themselves look a fool, in a nutshell,” says Robbie Wilson.
What can I say? That is straight from the horse’s mouth. A song about assholes. That got real super fast, I can’t wait to know what the remainder of the album sounds like with the opener blasting out of the studio with a song about buttholes.
It doesn’t matter much what the song is about, the simple fact remains that I can’t stop listening to this offering from Glasgow, The Kundalini Genii and the single Half In, Half Out.
What makes this so attractive to me? It could be intelligent lyrics, good writing scores big marks with me. It is beyond doubt within the music. They channel so many bands and music styles that I could keep writing all day about The Kundalini Genie’s sound. The psychedelic rock, smooth retro pop, amazing vocals, they check all the boxes, all of them. But I can not put The Kundalini Genie in a box. They need to be set free, and that is what happened. Someone in Glasgow, it is highly probable that all of the members of The Kundalini Genie were involved, and they started digging a groove of their own. Geography could not contain that groove, and it found its way to my listening post, and here I am, in a rut.
I sincerely hope the same thing happens to you when you hear what this band has going on. It is magical. Now quit reading and listen to The Kundalini Genie and the single Half In, Half Out. While you are doing that I am going to start plotting how I can get across the pond and hear this band live.
It is early September, and the crisp winds and cooler temperatures tell us that autumn isn’t far away. It arrives on September 22nd this year. Growing up, this meant that we were going back to school after the Freedom of the summer holidays.
September also meant the arrival of the Christmas wish books from Sears and Eaton’s. We were not rich, but through the magic of wishing, we experienced the freedom of making any object in the catalogue come to life and be our plaything for as long as we could keep the catalogue away from our siblings.
Dublin-based Kilkenny-born indie-pop artist Cat Dowling will release an album this fall via FIFA Records. While we wait for the album, we have the freedom to explore Cat Dowling’s new single, Freedom and let our imaginations take us to beautiful places where we can run and laugh and dance and be free.
Dowling also presents the video for ‘Freedom,’ created by Alba Lahoz. When Covid restrictions were momentarily lifted in Ireland, Cat’s three free-spirited tearaway children do their thing, showing that Freedom is a space inside us that can never be tamed.
“Sometimes we think big. Sometimes we think small. Sometimes we think with all we have got. When we have limited access to other humans, the humans closest to us are the most important humans of all,” says Cat Dowling.
“This video was filmed on a bitingly cold December afternoon when the light was sparse, winds howled, and the skies randomly opened. We managed to find the sun, fell in love with the wind and forgot about the camera. It was mainly filmed on Donabate beach and Dollymount Strand in Dublin. Freedom is best explained and expressed in childhood when there are no limitations, everything is possible, and we are free to be truly ourselves”.
Freedom’s out now, available everywhere digitally, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. Fans can expect Cat Dowling‘s next long-player to be released in November of this year.
The loss of permafrost will have drastic long-term effects on our planet.
The addition of Permafrost is having a dramatic impact on my Apple Music Library. I have put the single, Restore Us, from the band Permafrost, on an endless loop as I write. The single Restore Us is from the soon-to-be-announced album Fear of Music, which is the title of one of my all-time favourite albums. It is, of course, the Talking Heads that I allude to, and Permafrost have cited the Talking Heads as an influencer for their music.
Permafrost is making a comeback after a hiatus. Formed in Norway in 1982, they were active during the first post-punk wave and finally, we can all join them in this exciting new wave. The band has also grown to include British keyboardist Daryl Bamonte, who took the video footage for their new single ‘Restore Us’ while on the road with Depeche Mode for their Music For The Masses tour.
The single, Restore Us was released on September 3 and is available everywhere online via the Fear of Music label with distribution by Secretly Noord. We can also find the single on Spotify,Apple Music and Bandcamp. It can be pre-saved on Spotify: http://smarturl.it/Permafrost-RestoreUs
I drove through New York state and loved every kilometre of the journey. There were scenic and historical rest areas all along the highways and byways. However, we didn’t stop for a proper visit in New York, city or state. That leaves the door open for us to return and take in at least some of what we missed driving through New York.
We didn’t encounter any Ghosts of New York State. On the other hand, I enjoy listening to Ghosts of New York State, the new single released today by Will Graefe and Jeremy Gustin, who make beautiful music under the nom de plume Star Rover.
“The seed of ‘Ghosts of New York State‘ began with the fingerpicked riff, which alternates between 6/4 and 7/4 meters throughout. We wanted this song to communicate the numb and dislocated feeling of the words while maintaining a propulsive groove and nervous energy. The burst of colour in the middle represents a kind of blinding epiphany. This song is about family and the weight we carry, sometimes unknowingly and unconsciously. The end mantra is ” The ghost, the host. The ghost, my host,” says Will Graefe.
There is also an excellent video based on the song Ghosts of New York State:
I will give a broader account of Star Rover on October 15, when the LP will be released. As of August 31, ‘Ghosts of New York State‘ will be available across digital platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music. The ‘Star Rover‘ LP will be released on October 15 and pre-ordered via Bandcamp.
I don’t usually promote singles, lonely songs, not lonely people.
However, I will make an exception to that self-proclaimed rule today. I present ThatChitty Bang Majik and Escalator for your listening pleasure, two singles that kick-started my morning.
ThatChitty Bang Majik is a new single by a band that left an indelible impression on me back in May of this year when I posted my thoughts about their single and video Bluebird, Hollywood… Domino. That band is The Gorstey Lea Street Choir.
I still enjoy listening to them, and this new release only adds to my desire to own slabs of vinyl by them.
I am at a loss for words that describe what my ears are hearing when I listen to this song, so I will let The Gorstey Lea Street Choir, which is Michael Clapham and Russ Phillips, speak for themselves.
“The song came about last January after a Christmas repeat that we had both watched of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ Michael Clapham tells us.
‘We love the film and the soundtrack, and we started discussing ‘the flying car” and before you know it ‘…That Chitty Bang Magic‘ was born,” says Russ Phillips.
“This song represents the poppier side of our indie credentials whilst still retaining our core vibe, 12 string guitars chime alongside brass punctuations and Moog synths, with the two vocal Gorstey chant upfront, telling the story of the track. We are really looking forward to folks hearing the rest of the LP in early July when it arrives, the four new tracks and the four re-imaginations of ‘Extended Play One’ tracks by Choque from Black Star Liner,” says Michael Clapham.
I concur with really looking forward to hearing the rest of the LP in July when it is released.
As of June 22, ‘That Chitty Bang Majik‘ will be available everywhere digitally, including Apple Musicand Spotify. Additionally, the ‘…from Prince’s Park to Farsley – Volume I’ LP will see its release on July 9.
This music should garner The Gorstey Lea Street Choir extended air time no matter the format or delivery platform. Just listen to it is all I am saying. It is that good. I will put it on repeat, sip my beverage of choice and sit back to enjoy every nuance of The Gorstey Lea Street Choir.
Wow, I got carried away with that review. I need to get some words in this blog for the second single of the day. Phoenix-based dream-electronic artist FLDPLN presents his new single Escalator previewing his full-length album by the same name. Scheduled for release on July 30, it will be digitally available and on colour vinyl via the label Sillas Famosas.
FLDPLN (“field-plan”) is the new solo project of Andrew Saks, former frontman of Southern California shoegaze band Sway. As FLDPLN, he creates a primarily electronic project with songs that feature synthesizers, vocals and layered saxophones reminiscent of 80s pop.
“Escalator is really the result of my years of dabbling in electronic music production combined with my desire to reconnect with my roots, having been a saxophone player for most of my life,” says Andrew Saks.
“For this album, I wanted to write songs that are true to the way I hear things in my head, dreamy, blurry, beautiful without compromise and incorporate the horn as a textural instrument as well as another melodic voice.”
At times, Andrew Saks horn playing features soaring leads that lift the dreamlike and serene to near-anthemic heights while, in other instances, they convey an emotional, whisper-like voice. While certainly nowhere near new to experimental music, the tone and texture of the saxophone in this context effectively lends itself to ethereal lullabies and reflective daydreams.
While textures and sound are an integral component of the music, Andrew Saks does not shy away from hook-laden songwriting. This music is highly influenced by Andrew Saks childhood memories of going to bed with Walkman headphones on and later waking up in the darkness, in a partial dream-state with the pop songs of the 1980’s – Pet Shop Boys, New Order, Bruce Springsteen, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, Debbie Gibson, Human League still whispering in his ears.
The ‘Escalator’ single is now available everywhere across online stores like Apple Music and streaming platforms like Spotify. The entire ‘Escalator’ LP will release on July 30 and can already be pre-ordered digitally and on colour vinyl via Bandcamp.
Ender Bender Have A Good Time (self-released) 12 May 2021
Electro-indiepop artist Ender Bender breaks free from lockdown on “Have a Good Time’ single
FOR FANS OF: Gunship, The Midnight, Twin Shadow, The Weeknd, LeBrock, Mitch Murder, Ace Marino FCC clean Studio photos by Roberta Ovatta. Other photos by Gabriel Parra
Weathered Music 