Anthony OKs

There’s nothing worth reading on this page except the links to this amazing new recording:

Anthony OKS – In The Garden (EP)

I lost count of how many times I listened to this. I can’t write anything to describe it with grace and accuracy, you just have to hear it for yourself. I am going to sip on a coffee and listen to it again while you do the same, hopefully.

Anthony OKS – In The Garden (EP)

PRONUNCIATION:
Anthony Oh-Kay-Ess
ANTHONY OKS ONLINE:
INSTAGRAM: @anthonyoks
TWITTER: @AnthonyOKSmusic
FACEBOOK: @AnthonyOKSMusic
WEBSITE: anthonyoks.ca
PUBLICITY CONTACT:
Trevor Murphy | trevor@trevormurphy.ca

Anthony OKS – In The Garden (EP)

https://soundcloud.com/anthonyoks/sets/in-the-garden-1

D I S C O V E R:

www.instagram.com/anthonyoks

www.twitter.com/AnthonyOKSmusic

www.facebook.com/AnthonyOKSMusic

www.anthonyoks.ca

For press enquiries, please contact james@mysticsons.com

Creux Lies

Post-punk outfit Creux Lies have announced that they will release their second full-length album, ‘Goodbye Divine,’ via Freakwave, a Berlin-based label part of the Schubert Music Europe group. Nearly a year in the making, fans can expect both arrivals and departures from what they may be expecting, as the band offers a complete range of emotions throughout this collection. The previously released the monster single Misunderstanding to glowing reviews.

Hailing from Sacramento, California, Creux Lies has many parts. Ean Clevenger is on vocal duty and programming. Barry Crider plays guitars as well and contributes his vocal talent. Pounding out the bass lines, we have Kyle Vorst. Last but not least, David Wright conjures magic on synth and drum programming.

Know far and wide for their reverb to the max guitar work, inventive synth constructs, and layers of high-octane vocals, Creux Lies have paid their respects to the dark power-pop/punk of the 80s and 90s and have emerged with a sound that pays its respects to the past while charging into the future.

“Misunderstanding emerged from part of this strange writing session/coping moment during the world shut down, awakened with this “whoa-oh, oh-oh” in my head from a dream and went to the computer just after dawn. As with many tracks on this latest album, my tentative register was landing a bit lower from trying to sing it out in the early morning hours. So, the profound moody thing resonated, and the song unfolded around my fingers on the synths,” says Ean Clevenger.

The Creux added some great additions during production and elevated this song to what it is today. Ironically, the lyrics and message behind the track illuminate a moment of clarity when the misunderstanding of a perspective actually reveals itself as absolute authenticity.”

‘Misunderstanding’ https://youtu.be/mn82gdhkKUc 

Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/creuxlies/misunderstanding/s-lxV8jFuV1dq 

Pre-order / Pre-save https://orcd.co/cl_goodbye_divine

Bandcamp https://creuxlies.bandcamp.com 

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Albert The Painter

Irish underground music icons DAVID LONG and SHANE O’NEILL present their new video for ‘Albert The Painter’, a beautiful song based on Hermann Hesse‘s short story ‘The Painter’ about a refugee who prefers to walk the roads alone, gaining inspiration for his creations. In this video, the film footage (now colourised), filmed in Ireland at the turn of last century, blend’s with Hesse’s own artwork.

The duo’s debut album ‘Moll & Zeis’, includes 11 gorgeous offerings from these legacy artists. Having fronted successful 1980’s post-punk / indie rock bands INTO PARADISE and BLUE IN HEAVEN, it’s great to see them still creating genuinely invigorating new music. With such a legacy behind them and having put out both this stunning long-player and 2 gorgeous EPs shortly before that (my absolute favourite releases of 2021) – all eyes (and ears) should be on these first-rate artists.

‘Albert The Painter’ https://youtu.be/XiII4za2htE 
‘Moll & Zeis’ LP https://davidlong4.bandcamp.com/album/moll-zeis 
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/5J99pn4sfP9ywxQyIWi9iR 
‘Moll & Zeis’ single https://youtu.be/mhKqtu4YyCU 
‘Earth Moves’ https://youtu.be/emFlXb8zgAY 
‘Dreams Come’ https://youtu.be/FQBxiZj8Ti4 
‘Far From Home’ https://youtu.be/nGfnDNGS3dE 
‘Dreams Come’ EP https://davidlong4.bandcamp.com/album/dreams-come-3-track-single
‘Far From Home’ EP https://davidlong4.bandcamp.com/album/far-from-home-3-track-single 

The Brothers Steve

Big Stir Records is thrilled to announce the October 15 release of DOSE, the new album from THE BROTHERS STEVE, on CD and all digital platforms. Featuring the new single and focus track “Next Aquarius”, the record is up for pre-order everywhere including www.bigstirrecords.com and www.bigstirrecords.bandcamp.com now.

The keenly- awaited follow up to the LA quintet’s acclaimed 2019 debut #1, DOSE ofers up 10 new songs which take the band’s invigorating punk-pop sound in exciting new directions, folding in elements of psychedelia, glam rock, and even fourishes of chamber pop while retaining all of the energy and charisma that made THE BROTHERS STEVE such an instant favorite on the global pop scene.Bristling with the trippy energy its title suggests, the new set was written and recorded by frontmen and singer-guitarists OS TYLER and JEFF WHALEN and is fueled by the chemistry of the live band: drummer COULTER (aka author S.W. Lauden) and bassist JEFF SOLOMON (Whalen’s longtime bandmates from the beloved LA pop-rock combo TSAR) and guitarist DYLAN CHAMPION.

Tracked and mixed at a secret LA recording studio, DOSE simultaneously captures the band’s irresistible live energy while pushing their gleeful aesthetic into fascinating new territory.It’s an album of twists and turns and surprises, delights and deception: lead track “Get On Up” opens with an almost lullaby-like acapella harmony passage before exploding into a boisterous, supercharged call to arms for creatures of the night. The closing “Better Get Ready To Go” is cut from the same glam-anthemic cloth, taking unbridled joy in exhorting the listener to “get it on, squeaky Kong,” and “Just put Geppetto to the meadow and let’s get out of here,” it’s emblematic of a record that revels unironically in the fundamental absurdity of rock and roll. “We’re saying things that may seem to make no sense at all, but we’re sincerely convinced of them!” enthuses Whalen.

Playful surrealism and quirky character sketches give the record its shape. Take the Zombies-infected “Mrs. Rosenbaum” (she’s defnitely dead, and maybe a witch), the bubblegum sweetness of “Sugarfoot” (nominally inspired by the frontman of The Ohio Players, of all bands), and the exhilarating boogie “Wizard of Love” (he makes you feel like you’re the passionate one). “It’s heady like a bolt from above” goes one line, and so is much of DOSE, including the driving, post-punky celebration of “Electro-Love” and the ridiculously catchy single “Next Aquarius”: it’s equal parts psychedelic shimmer, punk-rock sneer and pure pop perfection.There’s mystery in the grooves, too, and that’s where the new record adds texture to the winning formula of #1. The urgent “Grifth Observatory” has all the charge of the best tracks on the debut, overlaid with a layer of old Hollywood intrigue (it’s inspired by the Barbara Streisand A Star Is Born among other infuences, Whalen discloses). There’s the fascinating “She Will Wait,” wherein Tyler and Whalen tell two sides of the tale at the same time, with tender interlocking counterpart harmonies; the “she” of the title may or may not be time itself.Perhaps most evocative of all is the soaring “Love Of Kings” with its impassioned fairy tale imagery… although Tyler specifes that the narrative takes place 122 years in the future. “There’s a collective mythology here, maybe a sort of future-retro-neo-noir thing” says Tyler, “but it’s fundamentally about sonic delight, a luxurious soundscape.” Whalen adds that the songs “evoke like an MF… like a T-Rex song, the imagery might mean diferent things to diferent people, but you can tell how excited we are about making the listener feel it along with us.”Ultimately it’s the hooks, harmonies and instrumental interplay that make DOSE such an intoxicating experience. There’s a leap forward in sophistication and nuance, but the album is just as much of a giddy ride as #1 and just as likely to top year-end “Best Album” lists and indie radio charts worldwide. DOSE is in fact just what the doctor ordered for a world awash in pandemic-era bedroom recordings: a real band fring at the height of their considerable powers, charting new ground and having palpable fun doing it. THE BROTHERS STEVE made a promise with their debut: “We Got The Hits.” Here are ten more of them.
https://orcd.co/thebrotherssteve-dose
BIG STIR RECORDS2140 N. Hollywood Way #6607, Burbank CA 91505 bigstrrecords@gmail.com
rexbroome@gmail.comwww.bigstrrecords.com

Jonny Woolnough


I have the privilege of having a forward copy of the new album from Jonny Woolnough, Mayurqa. I, fortunately, was asked if I would like the opportunity to write a post about the new single from the title track Mayurqa. I immediately dived into the whole album and subsequently got it way over my head.

The request was for the title track, only, not for the whole album. The album will be available on November 19th 2021. That gives me over a month to properly listen to this eloquent and enchanting musical missive.

So, back to Mayurqa and what I think about it as a single. It’s good. Have a listen below and come back on November 19th to check out the entire musical journey of the album Mayurqa by Jonny Woolnough. Here’s a teaser; it is racing to the top of the WeatheredMusic charts well ahead of its debut.

1https://soundcloud.com/jonny-woolnough/youve-got-that-look-2

1https://open.spotify.com/track/7jtaLyXrsjfap0V4bL5SHd?si=cfe2dcebafef4b7e

1www.jonnywoolnough.com

1www.facebook.com/jonnywoolnoughmusic

1www.instagram.com/jonny_woolnough

1www.twitter.com/jonnywoolnough

For press enquiries, please contact james@mysticsons.com

TRAITRS present Horses In The Abattoir

Ponderous and carrying the world’s weight lumbering keyboards are carried aloft by a whispering wind blowing words across the stage that the ballerina is dancing on. A swirling maelstrom soon pours forth with anguished vocals and music that still thunders under the world’s weight but with momentum on its side now. That, my friends, is a great show opener. Sea Howl is the name of the song. The name of the album that gorgeous track came from is Horses In The Abattoir. The creative force behind this tour de force is the duo of Sean-Patrick Nolan and Shawn Tucker, a pair of Canucks from the center of the known universe, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The next song on the playlist is Mouth Poisons; “The core sketch of this song was written late at night at a very good friend’s place in Frankfurt, Germany. ‘Mouth Poisons’ is an extremely personal song, and lyrically I set myself up as the main target.” It carries an air of ‘come see what’s going inside of me that wants to burn down everything in sight. Definitely my favourite single we have ever released to date,” says Shawn Tucker

Mouth Poisons‘ was initially supposed to be a fast, angular punk track, and it remained in this form for several months until Shawn wrote the bass guitar part and completely changed the way I heard the song. His melodic bass line brought out a sadness and vulnerability in the track that I didn’t know was there. All of a sudden this frantic punk song sounded more like The Smiths or New Order, so I completely rewrote my synth part to tease out those elements even more. The break before the outro is one of my favourite parts on the album,” Sean-Patrick Nolan tells us.

Mouth Poisons has some very pointed lyrics, and I found them poking me several times. I felt there is a fear in what lies ahead of us and a sense of loss in the lines,

“I tried to hide these awful thoughts

Of all the time we haven’t got”

And then the song turns to anger and a feeling of dejectedness and futility.

“Life’s a lie, and now it’s said.

Making dimes until we’re dead

I will be forever young.”

In the song Oh Ballerina, the protagonist has a bleak view and keeps trying to run away. I have tried this method of problem-solving. “The only problem with running away is that no matter where I run, I am still there.” I attribute that quote to a friend of mine, so no matter where I run, a little bit of Andrew is always with me. Thanks, bro

And now, thanks to TRAITRS, a bit of them will always be with me through their music. Thanks, Sean-Patrick Nolan and Shawn Tucker. This album started strong and kept that momentum going for the full forty-four minutes of playing these 11 songs.

On November 19, the full-length ‘Horses In The Abattoir’  will be released via Freakwave, a Berlin-based label part of the Schubert Music Europe group, with distribution by The Orchard.

I can’t forget the eye candy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IW-UJEbvD48
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Sw-xW2YJ4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuKUvZi-Vok

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Persian Leaps / Drone Etiquette

The Persian Leaps present their new album Drone Etiquette, released via Land Ski Records. Firmly established on a magnetic alternative rock foundation, the latest musical output continues The Persian Leaps‘ tradition of producing power-pop earworms with midwestern charm and an inherent element of 90s’ college rock’.

Hailing from St.Paul, Minneapolis, The Persian Leaps have gone through various lineups but have always revolved around the principal songwriter, vocalist and guitarist, Drew Forsberg. “The title Drone Etiquette came from an article about the dos and don’ts of flying remote-controlled drones. However, “drone etiquette” could also describe the rules that we mindless worker drones follow in our daily lives. The cover art, which was inspired by Soviet propaganda posters, evokes our enthusiastic lockstep march towards a meaningless existence.”

“This EP was an especially difficult one to record and finish. Because of the pandemic, I was forced to abandon a lot of the comfortable processes I’ve used for years. The friends I collaborate with for recording and performances weren’t available in person because of health issues, so I tried a new approach. This time around, I recorded at a different studio and performed all the parts on the EP myself. I also got directly involved in editing the tracks for the first time, which took longer. Ultimately, though, I’m very happy with how the songs turned out. The EP doesn’t address the pandemic at all, but it’s very much a by-product of lockdown and what we all endured,” says Drew Forsberg.

The band name The Persian Leaps came to Forsberg in college while daydreaming during Greek Archaeology class. Writing solo music under that name for years, he finally assembled a band in 2012, releasing an EP every autumn until 2017. NME Magazine described their debut Praise Elephants EP (2013) as “celestial guitar jangle.” Their music has been widely praised, from their sophomore Drive Drive Delay EP in 2014 to their fifth Bicycle Face EP. Delivering one perfect power pop cocktail after another, they eventually released their 18-track Pop That Goes Crunch anthology in 2018.

The year 2018 saw The Persian Leaps return to their roots as a studio project, releasing Electrical Living in 2019 and the Smiling Lessons EP in 2020 in collaboration with Jon Hunt, a musician and graphic designer. He did the cover artwork for most of the band’s releases to date. During the 2020-2021 pandemic, Forsberg recorded the Drone Etiquette EP as a solo effort, primarily due to lockdown limitations.

On October 1, Land Ski Music (BMI) is pleased to announce the release of Drone Etiquette on CD and online platforms, including Apple MusicSpotify and Bandcamp.

Order the album https://thepersianleaps.hearnow.com/drone-etiquette 
Bandcamp
 https://thepersianleaps.bandcamp.com/album/drone-etiquette 
‘Your Loss’ https://youtu.be/pITGjmTLqsE 
Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/persianleaps/when-this-gets-out 
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/4a6iMxN2rO3QmksgsepyHM 

CREDITS

Written and performed by Drew Forsberg

Drew Forsberg – Vocals, guitars, keyboards, bass, drum programming

Recorded by August Ogren, The Terrarium

Mixed by Neil Weir, Blue Bell Knoll

Mastered by Bruce Templeton

Microphonic Mastering

Cover art by Jon Hunt

All Songs Land Ski Music (BMI)

(c) 2021 All Rights Reserved

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Tainted Pink Turns Blue

Pink Turns Blue released their album Tainted this Friday, October 1, 2021, and I fell head over heels for it. This band is so good that I wanted to listen to Pink Turns Blue’s back catalogue. I had heard one of their albums some time ago, and I wanted to refresh my memory of them. I blocked off time this morning to listen to the new album and sample some of their back catalogues, but I was easily distracted and ended up wanting to hear every song from every album. That was too much of a good thing, so I am only talking about one album today, Tainted.

The band Pink Turns Blue got their start in the post-punk/new wave/darkwave/gothic rock scene in Berlin in 1985. That sentence is an excellent example of why I don’t like pushing artists into genre boxs’. If Two Worlds Kiss, the first record for Pink Turns Blue, came out in 1987 and thanks to the bands’ days of playing small clubs all over Germany, people recognized some of their songs. Having a record out made them suddenly feel like they were a real band. Walking On Both Sides became their first hit and got them up to number 5 on the Swiss single charts. That’s a good start.

Fast forward to today, and I am listening to You Still Mean Too Much To Me, a single from the new album Tainted from Pink Turns Blue. And as of today, it sits at #4 in the INDIE DISKO TOP 40. That’s respectable. Two albums from the same band thirty-four years apart, and they are still in the top ten charts.

Today Pink Turns Blue is a trio consisting of Mic Jogwer (vocals, guitar), Reubi Walter (bass, keyboards) and Paul Richter (drums). In the first generation of gothic rock, Pink Turns Blue was a duo consisting of Mic Jogwer and Thomas Elbern, plus A. Drumachine. They named themselves after a Hüsker Dü song. Hüsker Dü was a band that influenced them, along with The Chameleons, Clan of Xymox, and The Cure.

Their debut album ‘If Two Worlds Kiss’ brought dark undertones into their new wave sound, essentially advancing the darkwave sub-genre while becoming a seminal album in the post-punk genre. Emerging from the fear and uncertainty of a divided Cold War Germany, the band went on to release 11 full-length LPs, the latest being ‘The AERDT – Untold Stories’ in 2016.

On October 1, the ‘Tainted’ LP will be released digitally across digital platforms, including Apple Music and Spotify. Black vinyl, strictly limited to 500 copies with an 8-page booklet, will be released on October 29. CDs, which come with a 16-page booklet, are available now. All of these formats can be purchased exclusively via the band’s website, https://pinkturnsblue.com

So, what did I think about the album? HIT THE BRAKES! I went off on a rabbit trail there and had to do some severe delete and start again.

What did I like? Well, the music is top-notch for starters. It’s not a mystery why this band has been around for 34 years. They are good at making music. I like it when a band can take less and make more. For example, there are only three people in the band Pink Turns Blue, but they make it sound so expansive. That is a natural talent, folks. It often floats by under the radar, and not too many pay attention to it. But I did, Mic Jogwer on vocals and guitar, Reubi Walter driving the bass and keyboards, and Paul Richter providing the percussion make this recording sound rich and full. Well done, guys.

Pink Turns Blue beim New Waves Day am 18.05.2019 in der Turbinenhalle Oberhausen

On ‘Tainted,’ the band added an electronic element that harkens back to their early days when Pink Turns Blue was a duo consisting of Mic Jogwer and Thomas Elbern, plus A. Drumachine. The album title itself relates to the state of our world: climate change, its effects, the reaction to it, the split within society, isolation, health risks and financial uncertainty.

“When I travel the world, I encounter two types of people. Many are sad and void of hope that mankind is able to change. Others just don’t care or are sarcastic about just everything. I guess this makes me angry. I see all those toddlers with their lives before them, playing and laughing and inheriting a world in disarray just because of the greediness and irresponsibility of their parents. A call to try so much harder! Instead of using excuses for missing or inadequate action, mankind really has to get its shit together – now,” says Mic Jogwer.

“Obviously, young people seem to realize the cost of our shortcomings much better: all the carelessness about using resources, polluting the environment, the threatening effects of global warming, a poisoned environment and extinct species. They are at the beginning of their lives and the world is in crisis already. But most of us are using excuses or alibi “actions” to cover up our indifference or complacency. We pursue our own advantage at the expense of others even if the calculation does not add up in the end: if we don’t incorporate sustainability in our actions all will lose.”

Closing remarks:

Not even trying is one of the best shouts against the current conditions on this planet. Check out the video as well as the song.

‘Tainted’ LP pre-order https://pinkturnsblue.com/shop 

‘Not Even Trying’ https://youtu.be/FZuh3ZdEepI 

Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/6mwyxXRojEFweYO7r655kL 

‘You Still Mean Too Much To Me’ https://youtu.be/goK9_etF2OY 

Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/3utwmUD4YbpE5NnpS3LDAZ 

‘The Must Be So Much More’ https://youtu.be/313g81nFcEI 

‘So Why Not Save The World’ https://youtu.be/qTTbuTX5WHg 

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Exotic Quixotic

On the weekend my family knows where to find me. I will be in my office watching the Premier League. I do not have a favourite team, so I will watch whichever game happens when I arrive in my big comfy chair. The weekend is also a time for new music. Friday is album drop day, which means Saturday and Sunday have to share football with new music.

On this particular Saturday, Manchester United were playing, which meant two of the brightest stars in football would be playing. Christiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes. Neither player contributed to the scoreboard, and their opposition for the day, Aston Ville, won the game with a late goal from Kortney Hause which turned out to be the match-winner. Bruno Fernandes of ManU via Portugal missed a stoppage-time penalty as Aston Villa recorded a rare Premier League victory over Manchester United, winning 1-0 at Old Trafford. The other Portuguese player on the pitch that day and arguably one of the best players in the history of football, Christiano Ronaldo, failed to put his name on the score sheet for that day.

That gives you, the reader, a snapshot of what I was watching yesterday, two football players from Portugal. What I was listening to and the reason for the preamble of this blog is the Portuguese music featured in a new album that I have been listening to,  ‘Exotic Quixotic.’   The EP is by a group of very talented musicians Neil Leyton, Mikael Lundin (a.k.a. Micke Ghost), João Sousa, Omiri, O Gajo, Abel Beja, Janne Olson and other artists that come and go within the collective known as Lusitanian Ghosts.  The band’s genesis happened when Neil Leyton brought Micke Ghost a Viola Amarantina from Lisbon to Stockholm. I would suggest that at this point you should watch the feature documentary film ‘Lusitanian Ghosts: Making Of the Lusitanian Ghosts debut album – Chordophone Rock n Roll.’ Watching the video will help you in understanding how these historical instruments are the real Lusitanian Ghosts.

This experimental folk-rock singer-songwriter record has only chordophones: Amarantina, Braguesa, Terceira and Campaniça, with guest appearances by an electric bass guitar and various percussion instruments. Lusitanian Ghosts replaced the snare drum in many songs with the Adufe, a Portuguese square drum.

I have waffled back and forth as to my opinion regarding this recording. It is undoubtedly a pleasure to hear these beautiful instruments that must have been a joy to tune to mesh with each other. These players have crafted an album that is unlike any other album. There are so many cultures around this globe and countless instruments unique to each ethnic group. I am glad to have been able to hear some good Portuguese-influenced music on their traditional instruments. Portugal has given us many unique gifts, from football players to musical instruments.

I am still uncertain about my feelings towards this recording. The musicians’ playing is marvellous, but something is missing—something to make this extraordinary music rise higher and more vital.

The chordophones took center stage but didn’t hog the spotlight, so they aren’t the problem. The bass and percussion held their fair share of the show and shone in their own spotlights; no problem there. About all I can say about the instrument playing on Exotic Quixotic is that it is top-notch. These guys know how to get a groove going, and it was a joy to listen to these masterful players.

Neil Leyton

The vocals are interesting. Neil Leyton is the lead singer and a co-writer of this album, and he has a decent voice. It isn’t bad, but it isn’t much above average either. It is well-grounded in the middle of capable. There are moments when his voice rose and shone, such as in the song For the Wicked. He was squeezing emotion out, and it was a beautiful thing. Neil needs to capture and bottle that magic. He shows us that he can do better, and I believe he has that power in his grasp. It just slipped away on a good portion of this recording.

There is one other thing that Neil Leyton could do to make future records rise above the crowd. He needs to throw his rhyming dictionary away. At 8:36 in the video, he is asking what rhymes with Johnson. Does it need to rhyme? I think he over rhymes, in my opinion. It sounds contrived and forced. Let your muse wander away from the rhyming dictionary and give it some freedom. Maybe read some freeform poetry. You write some good material. It just needs more space to grow, not so constrained by rhyming.

On another side note,  London Calling is one of my all-time favourite albums and songs. I have played it live with bands as well as torturing my guitar practicing in the basement. So, when I heard Lisbon Calling, I immediately got nervous that I was about to listen to a clone with different words. That didn’t happen, Lisbon Calling pays homage to The Clash, but it doesn’t rip it off. Well done, Lusitanian Ghosts; you flirted with the original but didn’t jump into bed with it.

By the time I had listened to this album about a dozen times, I had tried ever so hard to find the good in it. I did. There are lots of quality moments in Exotic Quixotic. I just had to listen harder and find them. I found excellent music coming from instruments that I had never listened to before; that is a good thing. I heard a band playing tight together that made the hair on my arms tingle. That is good.I listened to a lead writer and lead singer with potential, and I think he will rise to that high bar. That is good. I heard good production and mixing; well-done, lads. I found lots of good in Lusitanian Ghosts; let your journey of discovery begin now and listen to Exotic Quixoti.

Released on July 30, the ‘Revolt Against An Age of Plenty’ LP is available as a coloured double-vinyl gatefold LP and gatefold CD with 16-page lyrics booklet. It is also everywhere online, including SpotifyApple Music and Bandcamp.
‘It’s a Wonderful Lie’ https://youtu.be/1JSbB1NK1Yo 
‘Revolt Against An Age of Plenty’ https://youtu.be/_toOqZGoBBY 
Album teaser https://youtu.be/wgHy8NdfNN4 
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/4O9Q9cddbc9OXXBPAt55CB 
Bandcamp https://thegreatleapforward.bandcamp.com/album/revolt-against-an-age-of-plenty 
Soundcloud  https://soundcloud.com/the_great_leap_forward/revolt-against-an-age-of-plenty/s-mxm1KFnoLLO 
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Filip Sjögren presents Paintroller

Following the successful release of his bittersweet debut single’ Too Late,’ Filip Sjögren returns with his band Hands Down and demonstrates his knack for making a pretty song. Sjörgren took a year away from working as a sound technician and producer to write a set of personal songs, so it’s no surprise that he knows the small tricks and attention to detail that makes a song work. Though the genre swings from jazz-inflected pop to indie rock, what unites these songs and brings them to life is the richness of the sound, the flow provided by the spark in Sjögren’s vision and the harmony of the individual parts working in perfect sync. 

Filip Sjögren’s day job sees him working as a sound technician and producer, so it’s no surprise that he knows the small tricks and attention to detail that makes a song work. That’s clear when he hops over to the other side of the recording studio with his band Hands Down. Though the genre swings from jazz-inflected pop to indie rock, what unites these songs and brings them to life is the richness of the sound, the flow provided by the spark in Sjögen’s vision and the harmony of the individual parts working in perfect sync. 

A paint roller crops up a lot in interior decorating but, as you might imagine, not so much in music. A quick search reveals only one song on Spotify that bears the title. But now that number is set to double. With his band Hands DownFilip Sjögren has shown he has a knack for making a pretty song. But with the swaying, dreamy song “Paintroller,” he may just have hit a new level.

The tone is an essential factor in the songs of Hands Down, and “Paintroller” is blessed with a rich, carefully- detailed instrumental backdrop, with swirling synths, stings and even saxophone all mixing harmonically a flowing cloak of many colours that Filip Sjögren shapes into a song. There’s darkness in the anxieties of his lyrics, but the music keeps things warm, and when the bright chorus bursts into life, it feels like light breaking through the clouds and illuminating this sparkling pop song.

Filip Sjögren says: “The song (Paintroller) is about being coloured by everyone else and having your ideas crushed by outside forces. Not feeling very welcome to the party, both in terms of music and society, feeling peer pressure. That’s what inspired the song. I had the whole song done at one point, and then I scrapped the vocal and wrote and recorded a whole new melody and vocal. We called that demo’ paintroller,’ and so that inspired me to write the new lyrics. I have no idea why that demo was called paintroller. But it is a very visual word”.

Filip Sjögren says:” ‘Too Late‘ is about seeing relationships fade away, not specifically romantic relationships, but with friends too. The song started back in high school. I had a melody that I couldn’t play myself, so I got my friend Hannes to play it and recorded it on my phone. I used that sample to write this song five years later, though it’s not on the final version. I love the dancy, jazzy vibe of it. The acoustic piano flows so well, and the drums have that beat. It’s not disco, but it’s slow disco”. 

That’s certainly evident in the song “Too Late.” A dancing piano line kicks things into motion, and from there, it grows into an elegant, dreamy pop song. It’s made up of subtle touches that mean it blooms over several listens, from the strings to the shivering bass line, and Filip Sjögren extends that subtlety to the melodies, which stay light and airy but still suck you in. In the end, “Too Late” is a little sad, but that doesn’t stop it from having effortless charm, and being sweet, breezy pop infused with the warmest of glows.

Meet Me At The Bar‘ kicks off as a stripped-back and raw rock and roll song but soon shakes that off. Filip Sjögren’s vocals ride alongside the rough-cut guitars until the scene shifts and transforms into a delicate, graceful pop song, the guitars swapped out for strings, and the bravado in the verses swapped out for a vulnerable falsetto. Hallmarked with Filip Sjögren’s signature songwriting, ‘Meet Me At The Bar’ is full of surprises and strange turns but has been stitched together into a song that is both sweet and cynical.

For Filip Sjögren’s, “the song is basically about me getting tired of Tinder dates. Meet me at the bar, and we will talk, and then we will go home and never see each other again. That spiralled into me, thinking I would never be able to love anyone. The music has a little kick, and I think that’s important. I always try to contrast the lyrics and the music because otherwise, it can become too sad and whiny. And I don’t wanna be a whiny guy!”

Filip Sjögren’s unique sound, production tricks, songwriting strength – not to mention the critical acclaim of Hands Down’s first few singles make the Paintroller LP an eagerly anticipated release. ‘Paintroller‘ will be available to stream the 8th of October via Youth Recordings.

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