Author: nathan.lankford

The Green Child Share Fashion Light

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Don’t tell me you’re not in love with the Green Child?! You get Mikey Young and Raven Mahon, teamed up to make this wonderfully subtle, dreamy pop music. That synthetic beat initially made me want to bounce; it just has that joyous nature to it’s movement. But, Raven’s voice has this light drizzle to it, steadily soaking you with melody; it’s a strong contrast, which is one of the reasons I love what they’re doing, playing with both sides of my musical brain. I honestly couldn’t think of a better way to come to the end of the week; it’s thoughtful and promising, and maybe I can crack a smile. Look for Shimmering Basset this October via Upset the Rhythm.

Tugboat Captain Share Day to Day

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It’s a bummer that SXSW cancelled because I was really looking forward to catching Tugboat Captain around town. In fact, this was one of the early songs that caught my ear, though this version has been updated and built up with textured instrumentation and an additional vocal performant from Flirting’s Poppy Waring. This version’s really working for me today; it sounds like if the Spook School shunned their pop punk ways and fell in love with Stuart Murdoch…basically its like hyper-twee pop rock, and we’re all better that its out in the world. If you’re like me, and you’ve been piqued by the band’s work, then be on the lookout for Rut in October via Double A Side Records.

Stream Fort Not’s The Club Is Open LP

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About a year ago we first caught wind of Gothenburg’s Fort Not with their hit single “I Guess;” they’ve been teasing us with a full LP for the better part of this year. Tomorrow, however, The Club is Open will officially be birthed into the world, but we’ve got a preview of the album courtesy of our friends over at Meritorio Records (who are releasing it!). If you skip ahead, you can catch my track by track breakdown of the entire LP; all 13 tracks! Of course, you can also just grab a copy for yourself right HERE!

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Will Courtney Shares Video for Cracking Up

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If you listened to me, as I sincerely think you should, you caught Will Courtney‘s latest release, At Home with Will Courtney and the Wild Bunch. The EP is a collection of Will and his bunch recording their own versions of some of their favorite songs; you can grab it over HERE when you’ve got your wallet ready. Seeing as music never goes away, the band has worked up a really great video for their version of Nick Lowe’s “Cracking Up;” it was shot by the band’s own Travis Garaffa, using stop-motion animation with still footage of the various band members. The band’s version of the song definitely plays up some of the country twang Lowe used in the original, but of course its done so well you might not know if we hadn’t told ya! Enjoy the video and grab the EP!

Pool Holograph Share Mirror World

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Chicago outfit Pool Holograph are just a few weeks away from the release of their new LP, Love Touched Time and Time Began to Sweat. I really love the thoughtfulness of this new single, illustrating the band know exactly when to kind of pull back on the reins a little. Every little note seems like its perfectly stitched into this subtle pop quilt that shimmers on the surface, allowing Wyatt to add his breathy vocals and coat the tune in this heavy melodic blanket. Already a huge fan of the band, every step they’re making on this new Lp seems supremely rewarding; it drops officially on October 2nd.

Mobley Drops James Crow Video

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I’m super impressed with Mobley‘s work this year. He gave us A Home Unfamiliar, where he helped curate 30 songwriters and artists to come together and create a visual album…which gave us some of our first Jim Eno (Spoon) solo work. But, he’s also been working on his own songs, which is where we find him with his latest, “James Crow.” The video’s narrative follows up on Part I, which came to us with this year’s single Nobody’s Favorite;” its all part of a visual storytelling project that will coincide with his forthcoming EP, Young and Dying in the Occident Supreme. Really dig the breakdown the 1:45 mark, works well in contrast to the energetic pop burst. Dig it.

Mamalarky Announce Self-Titled LP

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If you’ve had your eyes on Mamalarky, you might have noticed some bubbling tunes popping up this past year, hinting at their debut LP…and that time has finally been announced! Fire Talk will be releasing the self-titled LP on November 20th. With the news comes another single to tease the release, and it captures what I really enjoy about the band’s work. The playfulness in the video somehow always also seems to be part of the music too, balancing these exuberant notes with more serious approach; you can hear that in the anti-chorus moments going on here when Livvy’s voice sort of settles in more directly, kind of flattening out and making you take note. It’s like a fun rock party, and I’m totally here for it.

 

New Proto Idiot Ditty

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I love the lads in Proto Idiot; they’ve been pushing out satisfying blends of punk and pop for some time now, and they’ve got a new LP coming out next week! Their latest single has the same steady jittering guitar riffs I’ve come to associate with the group, but I love their patience on this tune. You can feel the tension building, and they shake it up a little bit in the chorus, but there’s this restraint making room for the pop sensibility to shine through here. I love the backing vocals, giving this sort of catchy barbershop quartet feel to this bouncing rocker. Look for FUB next week via Rigamarole Records.

Rock n’ Recipes: Emma Kupa

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We return to Rock n’ Recipes features with one of my absolute favorite musicians, Emma Kupa. I first stated my fandom with Standard Fare, but she’s gone on to her current projects Mammoth Penguins, Hayman Kupa Band…and, this month she’ll release her new solo LP. We caught up with her via email to chat about her songwriting process, the new LP, and she shares her go recipe for Vegan Banana Pancakes! It Will Come Easier is out Friday via Palo Santo Records and Fika Recordings.

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Nah Share Finger on the Map

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Nah… have been on our minds since we first heard their Summer’s Falling EP in 2018, and while we’ve been waiting for a full LP, they’ve dropped in a single here and then to keep our eyes (and ears) on the prize. Their debut self-titled LP is a week or so away, so we’re happily sharing another single to encourage your purchase. For an indiepop band, they sure offered a nice twist on the opening here, giving us more of an almost classic rock chug bouncing back in forth in our speakers. When Sebastian enters with his curled croon, the song softens up a little bit, though there’s still some heavy-handed riffs hanging back there; I just loved the energy this song pushed forward from the start. All that said, the group does start to see-saw back towards the purely indiepop side of things around the 2 minute mark with Estella Rose poking her voice into the fray. Once there, the song bursts into this euphoric dream state of swirling melodies and squawking horns, riding the song to an emphatic close that’s both catchy and boisterous. Nah drops on September 23rd via Shelflife.

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