Premiere: Jay Alan Kay Drops Minivan

For near on 20 years at this point Grand Rapids based songwriter Jay Alan Kay has been making music with his pals in all sort of bands and projects, most notably the folk punk outfit Singing Lungs. Well the time has come for Kay to step out on his own with a planned 13 song debut solo LP of impulsive singer/songwriter tunes. A first taste of his new solo work comes from this DIY tune called “Minivan” which seems to be about what sounds like a pretty sweet Astro van. The style conjures up images of other punks greats who went solo like say Chuck Ragan, but Kay delivers something so much more honest and intimate that gives his sound a much more endearing quality.

Jay Alan Kay’s new solo album, Songs Before Work, will be released by Setterwind Records in March, 2024.

 

The Photocopies Prep Wrong Century Compilation

Deep in the heart of Michigan lives a great well of indiepop sounds going by the name of the Photocopies; the project has been pretty busy with lots of little singles here and there throughout the last few years, and now those songs are all being strung together to make up the Wrong Century compilation. Just press play below and you’ll immediately get swept away in the galloping pop sounds; there’s little fuzzy riffs and a bouncing bit of percussion to push you forward. From there, the vocals come in coolly, melodic and a little bit shy, which makes them all the more endearing. If you’re into it, you get 8 bonus tracks by grabbing a CD version from Discos de Kirlian.

Interior Geometry Shares Tender Terrible

You might recognize Jared Sparkes as one of the members of Michigan’s Dont, but for now, we’re focused on his solo project Interior Geometry and the sounds of the forthcoming Tore Through the Sky EP. A great deal of the EP is spend with Jared meandering the territory between extravagant bedroom pop like early Grandaddy and the noisier tendencies in his songwriting. But, for “Tender Terrible” he’s given up the vocal duties to Mary Fraser (Child Sleep), who allows us to fixate on this sweet melody while the buried jangling guitar line dances in the background. There’s no way you can escape the infectious joy in both the chorus and the following work on the keys; it reminds me of the playful soul we got on those early Camera Obscura records, so I know a whole bunch of you are going to spend your day fawning here. Look for the EP later this summer, which was mixed and mastered by Fred Thomas, so we get an added bonus here.

Sludgy Rock Number From Stop Watch

As we all recover from the Texas blizzard and move into a beautiful day, I hope you will help me in welcoming new Ann Arbor band Stop Watch to our pages. For an introduction to the 4 piece, here is the single called “Stop.” which is what originally turned my attention towards the band. It’s a sludge rock number with some lovely bits of slowness mixed in with loud, distorted guitars. Basically, multiple layers of things I love.

More From Minihorse

Back in the winter months of February, I discovered the Michigan based band called Minihorse. I was immediately drawn to the group’s style of slowed down, slackerish rock style with tons of rises and falls throughout each song. Today I’m pleased to share with you another single from the band entitled “Summer Itch”. This one has an even slower, mellow vibe when compared to the previous single, but it yet again well slap you in the face with some loud guitar breakdowns from time to time. It’s another beauty.

Minihorse will release their debut album Living Room Art on July 26th via Park the Van.

Loving This New Minihorse track

In my never ending quest to find quality music with a rocking sound, I came across this incredible new track “Drink You Dry” from Michigan based group minihorse. It reminds me a great deal of the later work offered by Nada Surf if they added some droning, loud guitars to their repertoire. The repetitive nature of the song with the beautiful compliment of harmonies provided by Anna Burch, create a track that’s sure to warrant multiple plays.

Minihorse will release debut album Living Room Art on April 3rd via Park the Van Records.

Beautiful Folk From Cameron Blake

Hopefully we all survived the weekend of torrential downpours and took the safe route on the way to work this morning. While hunkered down for 3 straight days, I found myself really enjoying this song “After Sally” from Michigan based songwriter Cameron Blake. The track is a nice blend of acoustic, folk-pop music similar to Austinites Okervil River or one of the older songs from The Decemberists. Have a listen and stay dry people.

Cameron Blake will release Fear Not on November 17th.

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More From The Hazy Seas

12795335_951492121602660_8656031474738553721_nI told you a couple of months ago you’d be hearing more from Michigan based band The Hazy Seas as I received more information right? Well today I have yet another promising new single here entitled “Kite Dodging”. I’m really loving the frantic pace to the song which adds a nice element to the already dreamy and catchy bit of pop sounds. To me, this band is doing something truly unique and creative. Pay attention.

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Get A Little Heavy With Heaters

unnamed (2)Heaters is a Michigan based band I’ve written about a few times in the past right here on ATH. Though I’m one to certainly get a little inundated with all the psych rock music currently clouding the genre, I feel like Heaters bring a little something different to the table. The band is a bit heavier, give us some true quality guitar playing, and seem tighter than almost any other band of the genre. Try out their new single “Centennial” and let me know what you think.

Heaters will release their sophomore album Baptistina on August 5th via Beyond Beyond is Beyond Records.

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Nice Bit of Pop From The Hazy Seas

12795335_951492121602660_8656031474738553721_nYeah so you know the story by now right? I know very little about (insert band name here), but I love them after hearing their music today. Sound familiar? Well I’m yet again discovering new things today with a new single called “Evergreen” from Michigan based pop group The Hazy Seas. A lot is going on in the song but all blends beautifully with jangly guitars, some hushed vocals, and a somewhat frantic pace all coming together nicely. After winning my ears today, I’ll be sure to share more from The Hazy Seas once I get the info.

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