Tony Jay Joins Forces with The Moment of Nightfall

When Michael Ramos left to take Tony Jay over to Japan, I’m not sure that he envisioned a new project with The Moment of Nightfall, but here we are, and dammit if the world’s not instantly a better place. Thematically, the song’s and the album title, Winter Dream, imply a certain starkness in the world, and I’d be lying if I didn’t see that as perfectly fitting, as I prefer listening to these songs all cozied up in my blanket with my headphones on, as if its actually Winter. And sure, it’s Texas at the end of the world, so there is no Winter coming, but the song’s provide warmth, texturally and musically, thus comforting me in my time of need. Whether you hear a soft blanket of snow or a rustling of autumnal leaves as they fall to the ground, you surely hear the Earth breathing in tune with this new project. Winter Dream is out on November 29th via KillKillVilla Records.

Last Week’s Jams (7.8 – 7.12)

After a brief vacation, I apparently over-indulged while RayRay was out on the town, hitting up nearly 30+ songs, and some of those, like the premiere we ran for legendary Refrigerator, aren’t even on streaming platforms, so you have to go find em’ on the site! Austin had a big week, with acts like Club Coma, Liz Burrito, Voxtrot, Font and Letting Up Despite Great Faults throwing out some new jams. But, don’t think San Francisco/Oakland were game for being overshadowed, with Tony Jay, Sad Eyed Beatniks, Chime School, Fake Fruit and Parallel all dropping new jams. So, this is nearly 2 hours of really really great music, so sit back, press play, and escape the madness, albeit for a brief moment.

Tony Jay Announces Knife is But a Dream

Michael Ramos, like many folks in the Bay Area, whether that’s with Tony Jay or Flowertown, all of whom which have had releases in the last couple of years. Today, we get news that his Tony Jay project will be releasing Knife Is But a Dream, a new collection of music to prepare for his August tour of Japan. You get two tracks to sample today, one being more of a noisy piece of ambiance to prepare you for your listen, with the other more of Ramos’ bread-and-butter. Personally, the way the traditional ballad is presented in the second track is quite special; it operates as sort of two musical pieces, one being the central ballad and Ramos’ soft voice, while the other seems to be an entirely separate movement of ambient symphony, laid behind the ballad to create this dense drone of striking pop. The release will be out on August 16th via Paisley Shirt, Galaxy Train and Slumberland Records.

Flowertown Announce Mini LP for Paisley Shirt Records

If your site isn’t covering Flowertown, do you even really like music? Sure, Karina and Mike both have other popular acts to their name (Cindy/Tony Jay), but this isn’t a side-project, at least to my ears. They’re offering up some of the most stunning down-trodden pop you’re going to find this year. Period. Full stop. Whatever. Light percussive elements create a looped background with guitar lines carefully crafted to cruise beneath Karina’s voice. There’s always something in her vocal tones that feels pained, something that just feels so inherently personal when its presented in this fashion…I find that increasingly enchanting. Still, I love the little nuances in their craft, like the beautifully dancing guitar line at 1:50. Tourist Language is out February 29th via Paisley Shirt Records.

Last Week’s Jams – (9.11 – 9.15)

It seems weird to say, but last week was the first time in a long time where I was able to find every song we covered on all the DSPs! Does this mean I’ve gone mainstream? Anyways, we had a few premieres running from the likes of Class and Alijca-Pop, so be sure to check those jams out.. And, as per usual, dipped our toes in the Austin pond, with new stuff from Holy Wire and the stream of Will Johnson‘s new LP. Oh, and we made sure we had as much Oceanic coverage as possible, throwing our weight behind Soft Covers, Native Cats, The Small Intestines and Exek! Give a listen to the singles below!

Friday Album Streams: Tony Jay, The Creepy Crawlies, Will Johnson +

It’s Friday. Friday’s the new Tuesday, but does anyone even remember Tuesday release days anymore. So, here’s a bunch of stuff I jammed today, and I recommend for you to jam as well. Plus, threw in one of RayRay’s favorite bands too.

Tony JayPerfect Worlds (Slumberland)

The Creepy CrawliesWeeds (Self-Released)

Will JohnsonNo Ordinary Crown (Keeled Scales)

Bareknaked LadiesIn Flight (Raisin’ Records)

 

Last Week’s Jams (8.21 – 8.25)

There continues to be an unreasonable amount of great music coming out nowadays, and I’m absolutely baffled at how it just never ceases; there’s been nothing but week after week of tunes for me to fawn over. This week’s a little all over the place, with a little bit of rock, a little bit of pop, a little bit of songwriter and back again. Wanted to begin with the great cover of “Rock n’ Roll” by the Feelies, then jump right into some of my favorite tracks of the week. I mean, new Tony Jay and Red Pants make all of us winners. Plus, there’s a new Lewsberg tune floating about, which I definitely have included in other playlists. And, I got back on that review game with a track by track breakdown of Holy Wave’s latest. So spend some time looking back at last week!

Tony Jay Share Isolated Visions

It’s probably early on in your day, if you’re reading this as I post it. If that’s the case, your day just got better, as there’s a fresh Tony Jay track to dive into right now. Even though the song takes on this mellower vibe, something about it feels adventurous, encouraging you to throw a knapsack over your shoulder and head off into wherever. Intertwining vocals from Michael Ramos and Karina Gill offer this sense of bewilderment, disorienting in the best possible way, begging you to bundle up tight and turn your headphones all the way up. There’s a moment in the song with some light shaker, and you can hear a little rattle in the snare, and for some reason, I just kept diving into that moment; there’s also a really sharp guitar line that sparkles right around 2:25 that stood out to me. More songs please! Tony Jay releases Perfect Worlds on September 15th via Slumberland.

Last Week’s Jams (7.31 – 8.4)

I really thought we knocked it out of the park last week, covering 25 different tunes. But, it looks like we decided to one-up ourselves and post 26 for this week’s Last Week’s Jams collection. We got some of our favorite labels and bands putting out fresh new stuff, like new Tony Jay on Slumberland and new Onyon on Trouble in Mind. Plus, our friends at Keeled Scales are putting out a new LP with one of my favorite Texas songwriters, Will Johnson. All that and we haven’t even talked about how great that new Smashing Times single is. As much as it can be a challenge to cover it all, feel like we did our damndest to bring you some of the more deserving hits you might not find where the cool kids hang out.

Tony Jay Announces Perfect Worlds LP

Scenes across the US musical landscape tend to move from time to time, and as of the last couple of years, there’s not been a place I’ve gravitated towards, musically speaking, as much as San Francisco. Today, one of the Bay Area’s biggest labels announces a new release by one of the best bands; Slumberland Records will be releasing the next Tony Jay LP! Now, who is Tony Jay? Well, rumor has it that the band is loosely tied to Michael Ramos of Flowertown, but he’s not singing here, so perhaps the vocals have been leant to video director and Cindy powerhouse, Karina Gill? Most importantly, this song feels like that perfect late night lullaby; it hangs in your brain, allowing you to walk between that realm of reality and deep deep sleep. While it all starts with soft vocals over a subdued beat and a ringing guitar note, there’s a turn to a steadier strum that changes the melodic nature, and it will most certainly take your breath away. Look for Perfect Worlds to drop on September 15th.

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