Tag: melby

Last Week’s Jams, Today (10.17 – 10.21)

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In a week where tons was going on, we hit it fairly harder than I remember. We ran a preview of Levitation (kicking off this week) by catching up with La Femme, plus we learned how to make a sweet acai bowl with Ribbon Stage. Dropped a few brand new tunes from folks like The Living Pins and Elizabeth, plus through out some encouraging album streams from Melby, Twain and more. This is a great way to catch up on all those tunes we ran, and maybe jump back in time and look at our interviews. Or, just turn it up and rock it out, cuz you know, Monday.

Friday Album Streams: Dry Cleaning, Melby, Lucid Express + More

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It’s that time of year when singles begin to dry up a bit, and everyone’s already sending us a reminder of all the songs/records we should have covered. But, there’s still great music to be had, thus why we’ve got some real bangers to enjoy below. There’s the expected from Dry Cleaning; I mean you can’t miss that one anywhere. Personally, I think the Melby and Twain records are my highlights this week, so don’t skip out there…especially to Melby (if they were from the States or UK, they’d be huge). Then, we’ve got a few others, including a look at Lucid Express, who visit next week for Levitation. Plus, Paul Thomas Saunders new LP gets love.

Lucid Express – Floret (Kanine Records)

Melby – Looks Like a Map (Rama Lama Records)

Paul Thomas Saunders – Figure in a Landscape (7476 Records)

Dry Cleaning – Stumpwork (4AD)

Twain – Noon (Keeled Scales)

Last Week’s Jams, Today (9.26 – 9.30)

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Hitting our stride last week, or so it seemed. We wrapped up the week streaming tons of records we’d been jamming, plus new stuff out on Friday from Gold Star, Midwestern Medicine, Matching Outfits and more. Personally, I got stuck on that Melby tune, wondering what it would take to make them huge in the US. And, since we got to spin some records, we’ve also got some upbeat numbers sent our way by Fujiya & Miyagi, Certain Times and No Zu. There’s a little bit of everything for everyone, so like us, its all over the place. Happy Monday.

Melby Share Hammers Single

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With a few weeks to go, Melby stop by with one final single before the release of their forthcoming LP, Looks Like a Map. Having spent a lot of time with all the singles, I absolutely adore the way the band have begun to flex their musical muscles, hinting at the varying sounds we’re likely to encounter. This one for instance, has these little subtle breakdowns, multiple tempo changes, and a meandering solo at its center; it all feels like it was completely constructed piecemeal, with the band’s cleverness the only way to build into this seamless pop song. Looks Like a Map will drop on October 21st via Rama Lama Records.

Last Week’s Jams, Today (8.22 – 8.26)

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Think you missed something awesome last week? Well you very well might have, and we did our best to cover what we were into all week long. Great to hear new stuff from the forthcoming Eerie Wanda record, as well as news that we were getting a new Robert Sotelo LP before the year wraps up. Melby might have dropped the greatest jam that hasn’t quite broken over here in the States, despite its brilliance. Oh, and RayRay caught up with Peter Matthew Bauer for an interview and premiere of a new single! So, go back and revisit the jams from last week!

Melby Share Music Should Feel Single

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I tend to agree with Melby here, as music should definitely feel, or at least make you feel. That said, I feel like this is the perfect track to entice the larger indie rock listeners, as it draws on the modern tropes, but still has those little details that make it feel like a wholly Melby tune. Matilda’s voice is so enticingly playful here that I couldn’t help but draw comparisons to the way we all fawned over Feist back in the day; it’s got that same joy in letting notes sort of rise and fall in syllables. You’ll get a dose of jazziness bubbling up, but ultimately, it’s a relaxed pop tune that doesn’t need much more than the band’s care, as the craft here is too superb to ignore. They’ll release Looks Like a Map via Rama Lama Records on October 21st.

Listen to Melby’s Latest Single, Concorde

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When it comes to crafting creative pop music, I can’t really think of too many operating like Melby, save for maybe Sun June. They have this natural ability to kind of lock into grooves and subtle pop inflections, riding them until the mood strikes and they switch directions. Here, there’s almost this calming lounge vibe, a late night pop croon for you, but then it kind of snakes its way into more dangerous territory, picking up a slight pace and sort of rocking you to a close. Like a great boxer, bobbing and weaving, in and out of grooves and melodies, delivering the ultimate pop knockout.

Melby Return with Magic

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The song is titled “Magic,” but musically that seems a pretty apt descriptor, seeing how far Melby have come since their early days in the Sweden scene. This go round, they’ve really branched out, writing then heading into the studio to record right away; there’s no room for lots of thinking, so we get the freshest version of the tunes possible. I’m pretty sure Matilda Wiezell’s voice could carry this song on her own, tucking notes in at the edges to round out melody, then belting with these huge, compelling notes. Of course, the band’s bounding behind her, filling in little gaps of air with fuzz and tinkering, honing in on the experimental nature of their current writing process. As for now, this is just another great single on their label Rama Lama, but lets hope there’s a ripper of an LP hanging in wait.

Melby Drop Somewhere New

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None of This Makes Me Worry was a great introduction to Sweden’s Melby, but the pandemic has allowed the group to sort of rearrange their approach in crafting songs, turning practice pieces they would normally tour behind into concrete songs. Listening to “Somewhere New,” it seems like the group’s focus has never been sharper, but their willingness to sort of let songs meander on their own time also has become more apparent. This song begins in a very modern indie rock vein, with Matilda’s voice dominating the early part of the performance, particularly the way she toys with syllables. But, somewhere along this musical journey the group really begins to just let go, really let their song take on a life of its own, riding into this sort of psychedelic proto pop, both energetic and sonically explorative. I’ll keep an eye on the band’s label, Rama Lama to be sure you’re up to date with the group, as they’re on to something exciting here.

Julmat Share Next Xmas

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Earlier this week we dropped the latest tune from Melby, but now we’ve got Matilda lending her dazzling voice to a track written by fellow labelmate, Julia Rakel (who we’ve raved about before too!); they are working together under the name Julmat. They’ve written a holiday tune of sorts, though its more about getting rid of 2020 and just speeding ahead to the Christmas of 2021, where we hope we can celebrate a holiday appropriately. More or less, this pop gem is a 2020 beat down track, disguised as a holiday tune, but it’s done so beautifully, well, I just had to get it up for you all to hear!

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