Laura Jean Announces Amateurs

We’ve gone about five years since hearing from Australia’s Laura Jean, but there’s news of a new LP titled Amateurs, and with it, comes this huge song that I just want on repeat throughout the rest of the day. This new single is just absolutely brilliant, even getting a little help from Aldous Harding and Marlon Williams on backing vocals. For starters, the guitars on this song are so rad; you get a darker guitar dueling with this strummed jangle, fitting them perfectly like a tasty PB&J. Still, the vocal performance throughout is just spot on; there are moments when the vocal texturing is so sublime that you might not spin anything else for the rest of the day. Amateurs will be out via Chapter Music in November!

Last Week’s Jams, Today (6.13 – 6.17)

Well, we wrote up at least 25 fresh tracks last week, many of which we purposefully tried to make sure weren’t on all the other cool kid sites. That also might be why we missed a few that you’d expect us to cover. It was great to hear Cool Sounds taking some new risks for their new LP, plus we made sure we had that new Mary Onettes tune right up there. And, our old friends Big Bill dropped a new record, so we wanted to remind you of their gifts…and then, there were loads of other songs, meant to get you through those early Monday morning blues without having to think too much about what you’re listening to all day…just know it’ll be good.

Marlon Williams Announces My Boy

I very vividly remember running with my iPod around 2018; I was listening to a bunch of stuff on random that I had downloaded from various PR folks. Marlon Williams “Beautiful Dress” came on, and I immediately stopped to see what on Earth was making that voice. I’ve been a fan ever since, so I’m looking forward to Marlon’s new LP, My Boy. The release promises a more playful Williams this go round, which you can hear in the style of this track, so it’ll be nice to hear him attached to something a bit different, though equally as moving…as you can see. Just check out the 2:25 mark to see where my brain is at! My Boy is out on September 9th via Dead Oceans.

Beautiful and Haunting Video from Marlon Williams

This may be yesterday’s news, but the song is too perfect not to share. Marlon Williams has a new album coming out on Dead Oceans, and he’s shared a new video for the lead single, “Nobody Gets What They Want Anymore” which features vocals from Aldous Harding. Just when you thought that Williams’ vocals couldn’t get any more soulful and moving, you add that extra level of Aldous Harding to the top and you get something so beautiful and perfect that you’ll want to drown in the sound all day. Simple, yet sweeping, the track puts the vocals at the center, letting them creep over you like fog. Take a peek at the video below and then get excited forMake Way For Love, which will be out February 16 of next year.

 

Have You Met Marlon Williams Yet?

unnamed-6Sometimes bands hit it big overseas and don’t quite break into the North American bubble; that’s what appears to have happened with New Zealand’sMarlon Williams. But don’t you worry, he’s about to rock our world over here with the re-release of his debut album over on Dead Oceanson February 19th. Until then, you can watch the music video below for “Dark Child,” which is quite odd, but nevertheless interesting and features the folksy blend of sounds that Williams brings to his music. His vocals are reminiscent of Grizzly Bear, while the instrumentation strikes a bit more along the lines of alt-country.

[youtube]https://youtu.be/ZX5WwRv9E-8[/youtube]