half empty - Austin Town Hall

Next Two Singles from The Little Hands of Asphalt

March 9, 2020 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

We continue our coverage of the forthcoming LP from the Little Hands of Asphalt with the latest two singles from the Sjur Lyseid’s project. There’s only one more set of singles yet, so it’s best to go and get yourself acquainted with Sjur’s work before Half Empty is released. On “Dystopian Sci-Fi,” it feels like something Destroyer might have crafted; it has this brilliant piano line and distinctive vocal performance. “Six Feet Over” offers up a slightly Americana vibe, which doesn’t seem like a stretch, but definitely adds some differentiation to the album’s song cycle. If you like what you’re hearing, Fika Recordings releases the full album on April 3rd.

News
Tunes

More New Music from the Little Hands of Asphalt

February 24, 2020 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

Every few weeks (two to be exact) Fika Recordings shares new music with us from the forthcoming Little Hands of Asphalt LP. Last time out, I think I finally clicked on why I love the way Sjur crafts his songs, even going so far as to compare the tunes to my favorite John K. Samson. Here, there’s one track that still has that inclination, but on “Writing About Music,” there’s great arrangement work that really builds on the song’s emotional pull; I love how it’s almost broken down to bare bones before bounding off with buoyant strings and rolling drum work to close the song out. We’re still about a month away from the March 27th release date of Half Empty, and I’m every bit as excited…hope you are too!

<a href="http://shop.fikarecordings.com/album/half-empty">Half Empty by The Little Hands of Asphalt</a>

News
Tunes

More Tunes from The Little Hands of Asphalt

February 11, 2020 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

You can pretty much guarantee that anything coming out via Fika Recordings is going to get my support; I’ve already encouraged you to give a listen to The Little Hands of Asphalt with the first singles. But, here, we have two really striking numbers, elevating my anticipation for the release of Half Empty. Honestly, both these songs remind me a lot of the Weakerthans (or John K solo stuff). “No Reception” has that upbeat energy, though you can still hear the penchant for pop sensibility. On the flipside, you’ve got “Drinking Song,” which is more of an intimate ballad that is sure to endear itself to any listener. I’m just all about these tunes; Half Empty is out on March 27th.

<a href="http://shop.fikarecordings.com/album/half-empty">Half Empty by The Little Hands of Asphalt</a>

News
Tunes

New Music from The Little Hands of Asphalt

January 24, 2020 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

The great thing about the labels left in the world is that you can always rely upon the tried-and-true ones, like Fika Recordings. By and large, they release a lot of stuff I already love, but sometimes they bring up something I adore that I wasn’t even aware of, like The Little Hands of Asphalt. It’s the project of Sjur Lyseid of Norway, who has been mostly quiet since 2012, working behind the scenes in studios, rather than up front. Today, Fika shared two beautiful pop gems that will appear on the new album, Half Empty. There’s a fragility in these two tunes that I didn’t know I missed, so I wanted to be sure and share those with you today. The new album should be out on March 27th.

News
Tunes