Slow Magic’s “Mind” gets remixed by Tomggg.

Slow Magic Shares “Mind” Feat. Kate Boy (Tomggg Remix)
Listen Here

Float Out October 6th On Downtown/Interscope

World Tour Kicks Off This Month


Photo by Dream Angel
Today, Slow Magic shares the remix for “Mind” from his forthcoming album, Float, due out October 6th on Downtown/Interscope. “Mind” is the lead single from Float and originally features Kate Boymarking the first time Slow Magic has included vocals on a track.

The genesis for “Mind” began when Slow Magic and Kate Boy met a couple of years ago at a German festival that took place in an abandoned car factory. Slow Magic recalls, “I remember sneaking through the backstage area and onto the roof to watch their set. I had wanted to work with them ever since I heard their song ‘In Your Eyes.’”

Initial work on Float began during a trip to Iceland. Slow Magic cites the surreal change in light that far north as an inspiration. “The sun never really went away. It was eternal,” Slow Magic explains. “I wanted to approach this album in ways I never had before.” That meant recording live drums at a studio in Stockholm normally reserved for metal bands. This is where “Mind” and other instrumentals for Floatstarted to take shape.

“Most of the songs started very stripped down, just with piano and organic instruments. I let the songs write themselves without forcing them to go anywhere they didn’t naturally go.” To complete Float, Slow Magic enlisted not only Kate Boy and Tropics, who features on recent single “Light,” but other vocalists such as Peter Silberman (from The Antlers), Toulouse, and MNDR, opening up a new dimension in Slow Magic’s songwriting.

Slow Magic will tour the world for the rest of 2017 in support of Float headlining his biggest rooms yet. “I’m planning a lot of new things that I haven’t done before. There will be a completely revamped live show with a ton of new music. I’m hoping people that have been to my show and people that never have will all feel like they are experiencing something they never have imagined.” Tickets are available for purchase here.

Listen To Slow Magic’s “Mind” feat. Kate Boy (Tomggg Remix):
https://soundcloud.com/slowmagic/mind-tomggg-remix-feat-kate

Stream/Buy “Mind” feat. Kate Boy (Tomggg Remix):
http://smarturl.it/MindTomgggRMX

Listen To “Mind” feat. Kate Boy (Original):
https://soundcloud.com/slowmagic/mind-1

Listen To “Light” feat. Tropics:
https://soundcloud.com/slowmagic/light-feat-tropics

Slow Magic Tour Dates:
9/13 – Paris, France @ Batofar
9/14 – Milan, Italy @ Circolo Magnolia
9/15 – Rome, Italy @ Monk Club
9/19 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Sugar Factory
9/20 – Brussels, Belgium @ Beursschouwburg
9/21 – Liege, Belgium @ Reflektor
9/23 – London, UK @ Oslo
9/24 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Lille Vega
9/27 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Debaser
9/28 – Berlin, Germany @ Gretchen
9/29 – Barcelona, Spain @ Razzmatazz
9/30 – Madrid, Spain @ Costello Club
10/25 – Austin, TX @ Empire Control Room
10/26 – Dallas, TX @ Trees
10/27 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
10/28 – New Orleans, LA @ Varsity Theatre
10/29 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade (Hell Stage)
11/2 – Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero
11/3 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere
11/4 – Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall
11/5 – Boston, MA @ Royale
11/8 – Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount
11/9 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
11/10 – Detroit, MI @ The Magic Stick
11/11 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Stache
11/12 – Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club
11/15 – Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
11/16 – Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar
11/17 – Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre
11/18 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall
11/30 –Vancouver, BC @ Venue
12/1 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
12/2 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
12/3 – Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall
12/6 – Arcata, CA @ Arcata Theatre
12/7 – San Francisco, CA @ Warfield Theatre
12/8 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park
12/9 – Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory
12/10 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Novo

Float artwork

Yumi Zouma’s new single, “Persephone,” is a nice slice of electro-pop.

Yumi Zouma Share New Single “Persephone”
Listen Here

Willowbank Out October 6th On Cascine

Catch Them On Tour This Fall

Photo by Aaron Lee

Yumi Zouma are sharing “Persephone” from their forthcoming album, Willowbank, coming out October 6th on Cascine. It’s the latest single from the new album following previously released tracks “December” and “Depths Pt. I” and offers another reason why publications like NPR Music are calling Yumi Zouma “perfect pop.”
Listen To Yumi Zouma’s “Persephone”:
https://soundcloud.com/cascine/yumi-zouma-persephone
Limited edition Willowbank 12″s are pressed on baby blue vinyl and include sheet music for album highlight “Carnation” printed on premium cotton paper. Select limited edition LPs will also include hidden entry tickets to invite-only release parties in New York City and Los Angeles, featuring live and DJ sets from the band.

For the making of Willowbank, the members of Yumi Zouma settled on a plan to head home for the New Zealand summer. To complete what would become their first significant work written and recorded entirely in their home country, they rented a studio in Christchurch’s semi-demolished CBD, on one of the few remaining blocks that still characterizes the city from before it was destroyed by a series of earthquakes.

Guitarist, keyboard player and vocalist Josh Burgess says, “It was as though there was a brief pause in all of our lives and we finally felt like a band from New Zealand. We were on home turf and creating from a place that felt fundamentally natural.” That sensation was further underscored by Willowbank’s recording sessions falling over the cherished holiday season, during which the Yumis were surrounded by family. Burgess credits some of the small, often mundane Kiwi traditions of the time for influencing their mindset. “New Zealand has a distinct feel from Christmas to the end of January. Things shut down. It has a calming presence, it’s very peaceful.” That sense of holiday can be heard on lead single “December” where the melodies float and stir themselves into a series of swelling refrains that culminate in horns and handclaps.

When you know it’s there, the feeling of rootedness is undeniable on Willowbank. Being connected to their origins on the bottom of the earth allowed the band’s members, Charlie Ryder, Josh Burgess, Christie Simpson and Sam Perry to craft another essential chapter in the Yumi Zouma storybook.

Yumi Zouma Tour Dates:
Fri. Oct. 6 – London, UK @ Omeara
Sun. Oct. 8 – Brighton, UK @ The Joker
Mon. Oct. 9 – Paris, FR @ L’Espace B
Wed. Oct. 11 – Copenhagen, DK @ VEGA Musikkens Hus – Ideal Bar
Thu. Oct. 12 – Stockholm, SE @ Debaser
Sun. Oct. 15 – Amsterdam, NL @ Sugarfactory
Wed. Oct. 18 – Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Theater*
Thu. Oct. 19 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop*
Fri. Oct. 20 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios*
Sat. Oct. 21 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza*
Mon. Oct. 23 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s  ^
Tue. Oct. 24 – Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall ^
Wed. Oct. 25 – New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge ^
Thu. Oct. 26 – Boston, MA @ Lilypad ^
Fri. Oct. 27 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz ^
Sat. Oct. 28 – Toronto, ON @ Smiling Buddha ^

*w/ Chad Valley
^ w/ She-Devils


Willowbank
artwork

Gary Wilson – Let’s Go to Outer Space

It’s a bit surprising that experimental psych-lounge musician Gary Wilson has taken so long to release an album entitled Let’s Go to Outer Space because I’m fairly certain Mr. Wilson is from Saturn or perhaps somewhere outside this solar system.

The album opens with “Back to Where I Belong” and Wilson boldly proclaiming that he met an alien at a bus stop in Johnson City and they then walked all the way to his hometown of Endicott in the rain.  Theremin rolls all around the track as Wilson tells her she’s the prettiest girl from outer space, meaning he’s met others (which shouldn’t surprise anyone).  She offers to take him back with her, but he stays.

“Gary Kissed a Mannequin” is self-explanatory as Wilson falls in love with a mannequin who looks like the girl next door and takes her out to talk to the trees and dance all night long.  It’s quite possible that his encounter with an alien beauty drove him mad.  “Lost in a Mystery” is a song with a familiar theme on Wilson’s records – loneliness.  The song’s peppy keyboards and jazz lounge beats (and more Theremin!) can’t conceal Wilson’s confusion about why his alien girl left (“I want to cry.  I don’t know just why.  You took my heart and ran away.  I’m gonna save my heartache for another day.”).

“Gary Feels Cool” has the never-ending optimism you also find on Wilson’s records.  He’s never completely out of the dating game, despite his many setbacks.  His keyboard solo emphasizes his confident swagger.  He’s just as cool when he dreams of a lovely lady in “You’re the Girl from a Magazine.”  He can’t name her or the magazine.  He just knows she’s pretty and famous for something.  It’s not a sleazy song either.  Wilson just wants to take this pretty girl for a nice walk.

Wilson admits his story is “insane” in “She’s the Girl from Mars,” but he’s so sincere (and his quirky synths are so fun) that you can’t help but believe him.  “Let’s Go on a Walk Tonight” is another plea from Wilson to his Martian girlfriend to stroll with him through Endicott and beyond.  It’s a toe-tapper that you can’t get out of your head for a while after hearing it.

The song’s beats and even the “la la la” chorus continues in “I’m Not Ashamed of You,” as Wilson’s keyboards sound more like a harpsichord.  Wilson has no fear of walking around with an alien, even as others around him are running away in terror.  He’s finally found love, and everyone should be envying him.

The honeymoon ends, however, when we get to “I Want to Cry.”  Everything had been going so well that Wilson even took his outer space lover to his high school reunion, but yet he still wants to weep.  Is it from joy or misery?  It can’t be from his sweet electric piano solo, that’s for sure.

“Let’s Go to Mars” is simple, yet catchy with Wilson singing another song about marrying his Martian girlfriend in front of his hometown pals and then driving her in his new car out of orbit.  He can’t find love on Earth, so will he find it on another planet?

Probably not, if “My Beautiful Wife Walked Away” is any indication.  Wilson has been dumped yet again.  “I don’t know just what do.  I just wanna be with you,” he sings.  Finding a lasting love is an eternal quest for Wilson, and things beyond his control or understanding always seem to screw it up for him.  On “My Pretty Little Space Girl,” Wilson laments the departure of his alien beauty who never plans to return.  “All things gotta come to an end,” Wilson tells us.  That includes his quest, by the way.  It might not have ended with a woman from another planet, but Wilson will find someone someday.

Keep your mind open.

[Updates sent through outer space to your e-mail inbox when you subscribe!]

Lindstrom’s new album, “It’s Alright Between Us As It Is,” due out October 20th.

LINDSTRØM ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM, IT’S ALRIGHT BETWEEN US AS IT IS, OUT OCTOBER 20TH ON SMALLTOWN SUPERSOUND

LISTEN TO LEAD SINGLE “SHININ” FEAT. GRACE HALL
http://bit.ly/2wrQrm3

(above image by Lin Stensrud)
Norwegian producer Lindstrøm, aka “the king of space disco” (New Yorker), will release his fifth solo album, It’s Alright Between Us As It Is, on October 20th via Smalltown Supersound. The album, presented as one continuous stream of nine interlocked tracks, shows Lindstrøm refining his love of arpeggiated synths, relentless uplifting beats, warm and steamy analogue bubble baths and earworm melodies. In conjunction with today’s album announcement, he shares the shimmery electronic pop of lead single “Shinin” feat. Grace Hall. It’s one of three songs on the album with guest vocalists; the others feature Jenny Hval and Frida Sundemo.

Based in Oslo, Lindstrøm has always made a virtue of his obsessive work ethic, turning his city center studio into a factory floor for churning out monster tracks, then punching out regularly and going home to his family. He’s collaborated with the likes of Todd Terje, Prins Thomas, and Todd Rundgren, remixed a slew of acts, including LCD Soundsystem, Lana Del Ray, Haim, Grizzly Bear, Flume, RAC, London Grammar, and more. On It’s Alright Between Us As It Is, he aggregates all the best elements of his long and varied career and newly reveals himself to be a commanding mood sculptor.

 

Lindstrøm will play select shows this fall.

Listen to Lindstrøm’s “Shinin” feat. Grace Hall –
https://soundcloud.com/smalltownsupersound/lindstrom-shinin-feat-grace-hall-1/

Lindstrøm Tour Dates:
Fri. Aug. 25 – Niort, FR @ Jeudis Niortais – Les Jardins François Mitterand
Fri. Sep. 1 – Randaberg, NO @ Randaberg Kulturhus
Sat. Sep. 2 – London, UK @ Village Underground
Sat. Sep. 16 – Bucharest, RO @ DokStation at Control Club
Thu. Nov. 9 – Brooklyn, NY @ Good Room
Fri. Nov. 10 – McDade, TX @ Sound On Sound Festival
Sat. Nov. 11 – Chicago, IL @ Smart Bar

It’s Alright Between Us As It Is Tracklist:
1. It’s Alright Between Us As It Is
2. Spire
3. Tensions
4. But Isn’t It feat. Frida Sundemo
5. Versatile Dreams (Interlude)
6. Shinin feat. Grace Hall
7. Drift
8. Bungl (Like A Ghost) feat. Jenny Hval
9. Under Trees

Pre-order It’s Alright Between Us As It Is
http://smarturl.it/sts320-bcamp

Download hi-res press images of Lindstrøm and album art –
http://pitchperfectpr.com/lindstrom/

(It’s Alright Between Us As It Is cover art)

Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | Smalltown Supersound

Kllo deliver excellent new single – “Downfall.”

Kllo Share New Single “Downfall”
Listen Here

Debut Album Backwater Out October 20th On Ghostly International

Photo by Hayley Louise Brown
Having recently announced their debut album, Kllo are back today with their second single from Backwater titled “Downfall.” It follows lead single “Virtue” which The New York Times calls “sterling” with “euphoric, quick-stepping production” that “bridges fiery garage and joyous disco.”

“Downfall” is the leadoff track on Backwater, due out October 20th on Ghostly International. It was also the last song written for Backwater. “We wrote it on a balcony in Croatia overlooking the water,” say Kllo. “It was very beautiful there, warm and still. We were in a good space, reflecting on everything we’d gone through, but also how much we’d grown through making Backwater. It’s a reminder to not get too caught up in your head, to not dwell on the negative things.”

Listen To Kllo’s “Downfall”:
https://soundcloud.com/kllomusic/01-downfall
Kllo – an electronic pop collaboration between Melbourne cousins Chloe Kaul and Simon Lam – waded in figurative backwater for much of 2016 amid an extensive world tour. These were exciting times; the duo’s Well Worn EP furthered the promise of 2014 EP Cusp, receiving millions of streams and landing Kllo on festival stages as well as Artists-to-Watch lists. Nonetheless, the stretch kept them far from home, isolated and vulnerable, treading through perpetual uncharted territory while yearning for the comforts of the familiar.

As a result, Kllo’s full-length debut depicts inner adjustment to outer change. Songs were written partially on the road and developed back at Lam’s bungalow, a haven that harbors creative spontaneity and catharsis.

“It’s the first time we hadn’t felt like kids anymore,” says Kaul. “We were really able to dive in deeper and bring out a lot more of us into the music.”

Kllo first emerged with a sound beyond their years; fully formed, fusing elements of R&B, UK garage, and 2-step. Well-versed students of artists like James Blake, Lauryn Hill, and The xx, the duo extend an amalgamation of established pop elements with modern sensibilities and wide-eyed sincerity. Backwater arrives as a refined, coming-of-age account. The LP format finds Kllo with more room to breathe and sync their rhythms with emotions. Kaul’s smoky voice emanates with assurance and leisure. Lam’s production invents brooding, steely undercurrents hemmed with charming crescendos.

Kllo have officially come out the other end of the stilted estuary with twelve compositions cultivated to feel timeless and crafted, and equally current. The duo’s second release on Ghostly International — and their most realized work to date — Backwater celebrates the ephemeral and the enduring changes in emotion, the downfalls and the dissolves. It’s an album that parts course with its flow, and flourishes in a lowland.

Backwater is out October 20th on Ghostly International.

Listen To Kllo’s “Downfall”:
https://soundcloud.com/kllomusic/01-downfall

Watch & Listen:
“Virtue” video –
https://youtu.be/4vSVpoABRRU
“Virtue” audio – https://soundcloud.com/kllomusic/virtue
Kllo Tour Dates:
Nov. 12 – Madrid, ES @ Costello
Nov. 13 – San Sebastian, ES @ Dabadaba
Nov. 14 – Barcelona, ES @ Sidecar
Nov. 16 – Paris, FR @ Supersonic
Nov. 17 – Rotterdam, NL @ V11
Nov. 18 – Brussels, BE @ Les TransArdentes at Palais 12
Nov. 20 – Amsterdam, NL @ The Sugar Factory
Nov. 23 – London, UK @ XOYO
Nov. 24 – Bristol, UK @ The Louisiana
Nov. 25 – Manchester, UK @ The Soup Kitchen
Nov. 27 – Glasgow, UK @ Broadcast
Nov. 28 – Edinburgh, UK @ Sneaky Pete’s
Nov. 29 – Leeds, UK @ Headrow House
Nov. 30 – Nottingham, UK @ The Bodega
Dec. 3 – Berlin, DE @ Badehaus
Dec. 4 – Cologne, DE @ Yuca
Dec. 5 – Hamburg, DE @ Haekken
Dec. 8 – Sydney, AUS @ Oxford Arts Factory
Dec. 9 – Perth, AUS @ Jack Rabbit Slim’s
Dec. 14 – Brisbane, AUS @ Woolly Mammoth
Dec. 15 – Melbourne, AUS @ Corner Hotel
Dec. 16 – Adelaide, AUS @ Fat Controller


Backwater
artwork

Slow Magic’s new album, “Float,” due October 6th.

Slow Magic Announces New Album, Float
Out October 6th On Downtown/Interscope

Listen To New Single “Light” (Feat. Tropics)
https://soundcloud.com/slowmagic/light-feat-tropics

World Headline Tour Announced

Float artwork
Slow Magic is proud to announce his new album, Float, coming out October 6th on Downtown/Interscope. Float is Slow Magic’s third proper studio album and follows up 2014’s How To Run Away. Along with the announcement of Float, Slow Magic is sharing a new single, “Light,” featuring Tropics. It follows up previously released Float single “Mind” featuring Kate Boy.
Listen To Slow Magic’s “Light” (feat. Tropics):
https://soundcloud.com/slowmagic/light-feat-tropics
“‘Light’ is one of my favorites from the upcoming album. It started with a harp sample I was playing on my keyboard. I really enjoyed the way it played and ended up just messing around with it for hours. I wanted the song to convey the tension between a really calm and expected moment, suddenly followed by something intense. Light has always been an inspiration of mine. It can determine and define our surroundings in a way nothing else really can – it even dictates our mood and emotions. When Chris from Tropics sent me the lyrics it worked perfectly. He captured in a love song everything I wanted to say musically.”

Work on Float began during a trip to Iceland. Slow Magic cites the surreal change in light that far north as an inspiration. “The sun never really went away. It was eternal,” Slow Magic explains. “I wanted to approach this album in ways I never had before.” That meant recording live drums at a studio in Stockholm normally reserved for metal bands. Once the instrumentals took shape, Slow Magic enlisted vocalists Peter Silberman (from The Antlers), Kate Boy, Tropics, Toulouse, and MNDR to help complete Float.

“My last album How To Run Away was about my life at that time, really just moving at all times, running away from any reality and problems. I wanted to capture that feeling of freedom of youth when nothing really seems to matter in the long term. A lot of the songs were about specific places in the world I was able to experience for the very first time.”

“On Float I wanted to go back to the beginning of Slow Magic. I wanted to capture the raw sounds and feelings and freedom of my first albums ▲ and How To Run Away while expanding and evolving into something completely new. Most of the songs started very stripped down, just with piano and organic instruments. I let the songs write themselves without forcing them to go anywhere they didn’t naturally go.”

Slow Magic will tour the world for the rest of 2017 in support of Float headlining his biggest rooms yet. “I’m planning a lot of new things that I haven’t done before. There will be a completely revamped live show with a ton of new music. I’m hoping people that have been to my show and people that never have will all feel like they are experiencing something they never have imagined.”

Listen To Slow Magic’s “Light” (feat. Tropics):
https://soundcloud.com/slowmagic/light-feat-tropics

Buy/Stream “Light”:
http://smarturl.it/SlowMagicLight
Listen to “Mind” (feat. Kate Boy):
https://soundcloud.com/slowmagic/mind-1
Slow Magic Tour Dates:
9/13 – Paris, France @ Batofar
9/14 – Milan, Italy @ Circolo Magnolia
9/15 – Rome, Italy @ Monk Club
9/19 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Sugar Factory
9/20 – Brussels, Belgium @ Beursschouwburg
9/21 – Liege, Belgium @ Reflektor
9/23 – London, UK @ Oslo
9/24 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Lille Vega
9/27 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Debaser
9/28 – Berlin, Germany @ Gretchen
9/29 – Barcelona, Spain @ Razzmatazz
9/30 – Madrid, Spain @ Costello Club
10/25 – Austin, TX @ Empire Control Room
10/26 – Dallas, TX @ Trees
10/27 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
10/28 – New Orleans, LA @ Varsity Theatre
10/29 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade (Hell Stage)
11/2 – Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero
11/3 – Brooklyn, NY @ Secret Location – TBA
11/4 – Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall
11/5 – Boston, MA @ Royale
11/8 – Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount
11/9 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
11/10 – Detroit, MI @ The Magic Stick
11/11 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Stache
11/12 – Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club
11/15 – Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
11/16 – Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar
11/17 – Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre
11/18 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall
11/30 –Vancouver, BC @ Venue
12/1 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
12/2 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
12/3 – Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall
12/6 – Arcata, CA @ Arcata Theatre
12/7 – San Francisco, CA @ Warfield Theatre
12/8 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park
12/9 – Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory
12/10 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Novo

Photo by Dream Angel

Rewind Review: Zola Jesus – Taiga (2014)

Zola Jesus’ music is difficult to classify. It’s not quite electro, not quite shoegaze, not quite diva, and not quite goth. Yet it is somehow all of these things. Zola Jesus, has one of the most haunting voices in music, and her album, Taiga, and is a fine addition to her already impressive catalogue.

The title track opener is a spooky electro song with drum and bass beats that dissolve into frightening horns. “Dangerous Days” could be a dance club hit if she wanted. It could also be your favorite new song about relationships. “Dust” sounds like a long-lost Yaz track with its tick-tock electric beats and her lovely voice creeping through it like fog rolling along a beach. Ms. Jesus, in case you’re reading this, I’ll sign a petition to hear you cover Yaz’s “Situation.”

“Hunger” is a hot song about hot sex that I’m sure tore up dance clubs in various remixes in 2014. “Go (Blank Sea)” is a swirling wave of sound that hits you over and over again (in a good way) with Zola Jesus’ powerful vocals, which are sometimes laced with reverb to make them even bigger, industrial beats, and angelic synths. It’s one of the best cuts on the record. “Ego” and “Lawless” highlight her vocals well, especially “Lawless,” which mixes epic synths with hip-hop beats and a bit of a tough girl attitude behind her vocals.

“Nail” has the gloomy yet beautiful feel that many Zola Jesus fans love in her work. “Long Way Down” has probably the biggest electro beats on the record (and the most reverb), and I’m sure is another excellent remixed dance track. “Hollow” is another solid entry, and the closer is the cheekily named “It’s Not Over.” It’s a big-voiced track about big love with a slow build and a glorious ending.

The main attraction to any Zola Jesus record is her phenomenal voice. The electro beats and goth touches help, but her voice can be soothing and haunting at the same time. She needs to sing the theme to the next Bond film, and the next ten Bond films if you ask me. If you enjoy a lovely female voice, you need to hear her.

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Briana Marela’s shares new single from upcoming album due August 4th.

BRIANA MARELA SHARES NEW SONG, “FEEL WHAT I FEEL,”
AND ANNOUNCES SEPTEMBER TOUR

https://youtu.be/oK0_TlZ1P1c

NEW ALBUM, CALL IT LOVE, OUT AUGUST 4TH ON JAGJAGUWAR

(photo credit – Eleanor Petry)

“an exciting and exhilarating new terrain for Marela” — Stereogum

Olympia-based Briana Marela explores the sounds of love in beautiful, striking new ways on her forthcoming album, Call It Love, out August 4th via Jagjaguwar. Produced by Juan Pieczanski and Ryan Heyner of Small Black, the album presents both her ambient, ethereal side and brighter, beat-driven pop leanings. Following the release of “Quit” and “Give Me Your Love,” Marela now shares “Feel What I Feel,” a song initially written about her first big breakup when she was barely twenty. In the recorded version, it bears a new sophistication; the lyrics dare the subject to jump back in, even as the music reminds them Marela doesn’t need their love to be happy.

Catch Marela on the road in September supporting San Fermin.

Stream Briana Marela’s “Feel What I Feel” –
https://youtu.be/oK0_TlZ1P1c

“Give Me Your Love” –
https://youtu.be/mV21zXLoT2s
http://open.spotify.com/album/1qVsrYXGsyCbZC8T0lTHiC

“Quit” –
https://soundcloud.com/jagjaguwar/briana-marela-quit-2/s-9KqDG
http://open.spotify.com/album/3ksYQpIUvO7bMmvH4JpShh

Briana Marela Tour Dates:
(all shows with San Fermin)
Thu. Sep. 14 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
Fri. Sep. 15 – Kalamazoo, MI @ Bells Brewery
Sat. Sep. 16 – Indianapolis, IN @ Hi-Fi Lounge
Sun. Sep. 17 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
Mon. Sep. 18 – Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
Wed. Sep. 20 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
Thu. Sep. 21 – Ft. Collins, CO @ Downtown Artery
Fri. Sep. 22 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room
Sun. Sep. 24 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar

Pre-order Call It Love
https://brianamarela.lnk.to/callitlovePR

POW! – Crack an Egg

I hadn’t heard of San Francisco’s POW! until a recent radio gig of mine. I thought the name of the band sounded fun and figured I’d give their new album, Crack an Egg, a try.

I’m glad I did, because this is a fun synth-punk record and one of the catchiest albums I’d heard this year. The opener “DNS” blends early Gary Numan synths with snotty vocals about the lead singer’s father (or boyfriend?). It also has a brash guitar solo to make it a bit glam. “Back on the Grid,” with its male and female vocals and 1980’s video game keyboards, is a great post-punk track. “Castle of Faith” sounds like something that you heard in a video on USA’s Night Flight at 3am and you haven’t heard it since – big synths and beats and slightly distorted vocals made for an industrial club.

“Necessary Call” is both retro and new at the same time. Stoner rock guitars and drums blend quite well with deep synths and Low-era David Bowie style vocals. “Runner” is synth-psych and the oddly placed “Crack an Egg Intro” is trippy synth-weirdness. “Cyberattack #3” sounds like Kraftwerk, Gary Numan, and Thee Oh Sees all partying in a dystopian future. “Color the System” reminds me of early Public Image Ltd., and “The Razor” would fit right in on the Stranger Things soundtrack. “Energy in Motion” is suitably peppy with its loud guitar chords and keyboards that sound like robots having a conversation.

The album ends with the sprawling, humming, and chugging “Crack an Egg in Honor of the Human Race.” It’s a title as intriguing as the album. The album is full of synths, drum machines, loops, and processed and chopped beats, but the longest track on the record calls for us to remember our humanity. As always, technology has just as much potential to drive us apart as it does to bring us together. Perhaps POW! wants us to cook each other breakfast after a long night of partying to their album. I’m game. Are you?

Keep your mind open.

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Kllo announces debut album, “Backwater,” due October 20th.

Kllo Announce Debut Album, Backwater
Out October 20th On Ghostly International

Listen To Lead Single “Virtue”
https://soundcloud.com/kllomusic/virtue

Nov./Dec. European & Australian Tour Dates Announced

Photo by Hayley Louise Brown

Kllo are pleased to announce details of their debut LP Backwater, due for release on October 20th via Ghostly International. Today, Kllo reveal “Virtue,” the album’s slow-building and euphoric first single. “‘Virtue’ is about not knowing what you’ve got till it’s gone, whether that be a part of yourself or somebody else,” the pair say. “It’s the present moment of finally coming to that realization.”

Kllo – an electronic pop collaboration between Melbourne cousins Chloe Kaul and Simon Lam – waded in figurative backwater for much of 2016 amid an extensive world tour. These were exciting times; the duo’s Well Worn EP furthered the promise of 2014 EP Cusp, receiving millions of streams and landing Kllo on festival stages as well as Artists-to-Watch lists. Nonetheless, the stretch kept them far from home, isolated and vulnerable, treading through perpetual uncharted territory while yearning for the comforts of the familiar.

As a result, Kllo’s full-length debut depicts inner adjustment to outer change. Songs were written partially on the road and developed back at Lam’s bungalow, a haven that harbors creative spontaneity and catharsis.

“It’s the first time we hadn’t felt like kids anymore,” says Kaul. “We were really able to dive in deeper and bring out a lot more of us into the music.”

Kllo first emerged with a sound beyond their years; fully formed, fusing elements of R&B, UK garage, and 2-step. Well-versed students of artists like James Blake, Lauryn Hill, and The xx, the duo extend an amalgamation of established pop elements with modern sensibilities and wide-eyed sincerity. Backwater arrives as a refined, coming-of-age account. The LP format finds Kllo with more room to breathe and sync their rhythms with emotions. Kaul’s smoky voice emanates with assurance and leisure. Lam’s production invents brooding, steely undercurrents hemmed with charming crescendos.

Slow to arc, lead single “Virtue” hushes, stutters, and syncopates before locking into a club-ready groove in its second minute. The hook poses a question: “Can I count on you?” Drama is introduced, and heightened without resolution. Instead we’re lead to a stirring and euphoric epiphany.

Kllo have officially come out the other end of the stilted estuary with twelve compositions cultivated to feel timeless and crafted, and equally current. The duo’s second release on Ghostly International — and their most realized work to date — Backwater celebrates the ephemeral and the enduring changes in emotion, the downfalls and the dissolves. It’s an album that parts course with its flow, and flourishes in a lowland.

Listen To Kllo’s “Virtue”:
https://soundcloud.com/kllomusic/virtue

Pre-order Backwater:
The Ghostly Store / Physical –
https://www.theghostlystore.com/products/backwater
Digital – https://Kllo.lnk.to/backwater
 


Backwater
album art

Backwater Tracklist:
1. Downfall
2. Still Motion
3. Virtue
4. Predicament
5. Last Yearn
6. Backwater
7. Dissolve
8. By Your Side
9. Making Distractions
10. Too Fast
11. Nylon
12. Not Like Them

Kllo Tour Dates:
Nov. 12 – Madrid, ES @ Costello
Nov. 13 – San Sebastian, ES @ Dabadaba
Nov. 14 – Barcelona, ES @ Sidecar
Nov. 16 – Paris, FR @ Supersonic
Nov. 17 – Rotterdam, NL @ V11
Nov. 18  – Brussels, BE @ Les TransArdentes at Palais 12
Nov. 20 – Amsterdam, NL @ The Sugar Factory
Nov. 23 – London, UK @ XOYO
Nov. 24 – Bristol, UK @ The Louisiana
Nov. 25 – Manchester, UK @ The Soup Kitchen
Nov. 27 – Glasgow, UK @ Broadcast
Nov. 28 – Edinburgh, UK @ Sneaky Pete’s
Nov. 29 – Leeds, UK @ Headrow House
Nov. 30 – Nottingham, UK @ The Bodega
Dec. 3 – Berlin, DE @ Badehaus
Dec. 4 – Cologne, DE @ Yuca
Dec. 5 – Hamburg, DE @ Haekken
Dec. 8 – Sydney, AUS @ Oxford Arts Factory
Dec. 9 – Perth, AUS @ Jack Rabbit Slim’s
Dec. 14 – Brisbane, AUS @ Woolly Mammoth
Dec. 15 – Melbourne, AUS @ Corner Hotel
Dec. 16 – Adelaide, AUS @ Fat Controller

“Virtue” single artwork