This is fine.
Happy ACL day part 2! For those of us, like me, who couldn’t get away to see much last weekend, today marks the beginning of 3 more music filled days. The weather should be fantastic and some new bands have been added to the already stacked weekend lineup. Today I am finishing off my Gimme 5 feature this year with Toronto based Beaches who play in a matter of hours. So hit the jump and check out their words and picks.
For the 8 or so people who read this blog on the regular, you’ll likely be aware of my affection for all things Oceanic, primarily New Zealand and Australia. So, with year end lists in mind, I thought I’d offer up my personal takes on the best tunes to come out of the area in 2017. There’s no particular order, just my sixteen favorites of the year.
There’s even a fun little playlist at the bottom for you to enjoy!
Another day and another tune from Beaches to get us through the day. The guitar work on this track immediately stuck out to me, carrying a sentiment similar to Teenage Fanclub, just slightly a bit heavier. The vocals soar angelically, almost as if they’ve been added as another layer…it’s all about those huge riffs. Still, they provide plenty of balance to the song, allowing the group’s pop sensibility to peak through the clouds. Their new album, Second of Spring, will be released on September 8th via Chapter Music.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/321531586″ params=”color=00aabb&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
I love the way this new Beaches song starts out, as if it we’re hearing an old faded sample come into play…but then drums kick in and the track takes off into a fuzzy blissed pop number. There’s a softness to the vocals, built with a pop reinforcement via the occasional entry of “ooh ooh ooh”s. This Aussie bunch know how to balance their heavy distortion with their pop sensibility, which is perhaps why they’ve signed on to work with one of the great Australian labels, Chapter Music. Look for their double LP, Second of Spring, on September 8th.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/321531580″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
Today, news made its way from Australia that Beaches will be releasing their new double album, Second of Spring; accompanying the announcement was this driving swirl of psych rock that should definitely alert you to your next favorite act. From the get go the band pushes the heavy pace, waiting for the vocals to carefully enter the picture. I like how the focus is on the song’s emotive powers; the lyrics are good and well, but they almost seem an afterthought as you hear stabbing electronic beats and varying layers of guitars drag you into your speakers. Look for the new record to hit on September 8th via Chapter Music.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/321531629″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
