Spencer Radcliffe & Everyone Else – Hot Spring

Joined by Ben Austin (cello), Grant Engstrom (lead guitar), Pat Lyons (pedal steel),
Tina Scarpello (vocals) and Jack Schemenauer (percussion)—AKA Everyone Else—Spencer Radcliffe has made a new record to be released this month on Run For Cover Records. Adopting something of a country vibe, the release of Hot Spring is timed perfectly, the record concerned with transitions and seasonal change. The title track finds snow once more, winter clinging on or returning unannounced, while second single ‘Bloodletting’ finds something of a reprieve. “Spring is done, the battle’s been won,” Radcliffe sings. “Everyone survived the unloading of guns.” The order of the tracks is flipped on the album itself, lending a new weight to a line in the former: ” You know it’s best not to believe in everything you’re told.”

Christelle Bofale – U Ouchea

Based in Austin, Texas, Christelle Bofale combines soul, dream pop and jazz to form a distinctive sound, drawing upon her Congolese roots to further add to the personal nature of her music. Thematically, the record is one of conflict, from the juxtaposition of gentleness and ferocity in the sound to the lyrical explorations of bravery, honesty and doubt—coalescing into an evocative meditation on the contemporary black experience. Single ‘U Ouchea’ is a worthy introduction, its cyclical nature unfurling slowly across the seven-minute run time, yet underpinned by an oblique tension, some inner force running against the ethereal style.

Emma Frank – I Thought

There’s no one genre tag that will adequately describe the music of Emma Frank. With the pursuit of a number of styles, often within the same song, the New York artist has created a uniquely shifting sound that is never satisfied with remaining in any one place. Be it folk, pop, jazz or R&B, Frank dips into any number of stylistic influences, though the sound is tied together by the honeyed warmth of her vocals.

Having signed with Justin Time Records/Nettwerk, Frank has recently released a brand new single, ‘I Thought.’ The track confronts the impulsive and drastic, the people who change their lives on the whim of tenuous crushes, burning bridges with all that came before in the blinkered blur of the moment. Frank considers herself a member of this group, but the track is a reminder of the value of a slower kind of living—the meaning of things cultivated over time, weathering fleeting fancies to achieve a more substantial weight.

Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater
Don’t burn the bridge that you’re walking over
But I lay the first brick down in the wall between us
I kept the first secret
I kept the first secret

There’s never a limit to how much we change
And I thought we’d finished
I thought I was to blame

Check out a video from the visual artist Ayo Tsalithaba below:

Keep an eye on the Emma Frank website for news of more releases.

Operators – Faithless

Montreal-based project Operators sees Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs), Devojka and Sam Brown (Divine Fits, New Bomb Turks) combine their talents to form an urgently electronic sound. The project feels like the sonic progression of Handsome Furs, synths and beats weaving a pressing sound somewhere between Cold War and sci-fi, Boeckner’s familiar vocal style only adding to the insistent motion.

Ahead of new record Radiant Dawn, Operators have released the single ‘Faithless’. With its rigid beat and cold synths, the song opens as a kind of brutalist pop song, though eventually takes on a variety of other elements so as to form an almost transcendental crescendo.

Radiant Dawn is out on the 17th May via Last Gang Records.

Bad Books – Lake House

Bad Books is a collaborative project between Kevin Devine and Andy Hull and Robert McDowell of Manchester Orchestra. Their first album in seven years, III will be released this summer on Loma Vista Records, and sees Devine and Hull alternate writing duties. The first single, ‘Lake House’ is Hull’s creation, leaning closer to his Right Away, Great Captain! sound than Manchester Orchestra, his distinctive brand of morose hope feeling as striking as ever. “‘Lake House’ is quite a personal song to me, Hull explains. “We tried to place it in a sonic environment that felt three dimensional. Instead of just hearing the song left and right, we wanted to have the sounds feel forward, backwards, above and below.”

III will be released digitally on the 14th June, and physically on the 21st June via Loma Vista Recordings.

Robert Stillman – Reality

Hailing from the northeast United States but now based in the UK, Robert Stillman composes experimental music that incorporates features of classical, jazz, minimalism, electronic and folk, pairing the futuristic digital sounds with a more traditional American style. His latest record, Reality, intends to, as Stillman puts it, “draw attention to, and unconditionally praise, the directly experienced world,” something achieved through an intense attention to detail that conjures a sense of intricacy and wonder. With an intuitive, spontaneous style, the album possess an organic, living spirit, each track its own ecosystem within which the various elements interact and converse.

Rose Hotel – Running Behind

Marking a change from the lo-fi intimacy of debut EP, Always A Good Reason, the forthcoming Rose Hotel (AKA Jordan Reynolds) album embraces a full-band sound. But the record promises to retain the earnest tone that made the debut so special. As such, while I Will Only Come When It’s A Yes displays a variety of influences, from shoegaze to retro girl group, Reynold’s burning spirit acts as the through line. ‘Running Behind’ attests, the track’s upbeat country rock distorted in a kind of Neutral Milk Hotel manner, Reynold’s vocals soaring and swooping within the clamour.

Check out the video directed by Reynolds and filmed/edited by Casey Doran:

I Will Only Come When It’s A Yes is out on the 31st May and you can pre-order it now.

Yammerer – Poisonous Reptilian Colleague’s & Co

One of Liverpool’s best kept secrets, Yammerer eschew promotion and social media presence in favour of old fashioned hype, developing a psych-tinged brand of post-punk that’s only as odd as the world from which is emerged. Take new single ‘Poisonous Reptilian Colleague’s & Co’, which combines the dark prophecies of Nick Cave with The Fall’s caustic charm and creates a sonic beast of many heads—each snarling and sneering and prone to howls of execration.

‘Poisonous Reptilian Colleague’s & Co’ is out now via Restless Bear Records and you can grab/hear it from all of the usual places.

Anna Wiebe – Fortune

New Behaviour, the 2016 debut record of Guelph songwriter Anna Wiebe, might have utilised relatively simple folk arrangements, but rich harmonies and Wiebe’s offbeat style transformed them into nuanced and genre-challenging songs. Her follow-up record All I Do Is Move, said to be concerned with “cycles, and the mental growth and movement that comes with life’s lessons,” promises to see an embrace of more complex arrangements. Though it is Wiebe’s idiosyncratic eye that will again prove to be its biggest strength. Lead single ‘Fortune’ gives us a glimpse at the evolution, the creeping, snaking vibe grown vivid by a full band, Wiebe’s vocals combining with the instrumentation to form a near-hypnotic rhythm.

Merin – Coral Island

Describing themselves as a “melancholy power pop quartet,” Winnipeg-based band Merin combine the bummed-out vibes of slacker rock with a more hopeful spirit, leading to a sound that’s at once grounded and bright. The title track of their latest EP, Coral Island, is perhaps the perfect example. “As I get older and fatter,” sings lead Cole Neusteaeder in the opening line, “I try my best not to just get sadder,” imagining an escape to a tropical island as though warmer climes might stave off the concerns. Only this is the twenty-first century—the coral reefs are dying and the pacific islands are being reclaimed by the sea. At least at the end of the world, we no longer have to worry about growing old and fat.

Check out the literal garage rock video below:

Coral Island is out now and you can get it from the Merin Bandcamp page.

Wild Yawp – Femme Girl

New York’s Wild Yawp is perhaps best described by their own name—WILD (adj): uncontrolled or unrestrained, especially in pursuit of pleasure, YAWP (n): a raucous noise; a cry; a shout. With Emily Bielagus on vocals/guitar, reba hasko drumming and sid solomon providing bass/backup vocals, the band create a boisterous, in-your-face sound that is equal parts fun and aggressive. New single ‘Femme Girl’ being a case in point, taking on the arrogance of Straight White Males with all the energy of a runaway train—combining the caustic wit of The Coathangers with the breakneck snarl of Priests to transform an uncomfortable situation into an affirming one.

Eamon McGrath – GUTS

Eamon McGrath’s prolific career has encompassed a wide range of styles and genres, though his music has always been united by a heartfelt spirit and DIY attitude. Latest single ‘GUTS’ sees an introspective turn, tackling addiction and its accompanying emotions of guilt and sadness with an affirming openness and vulnerability. The tone therefore veers between self-deprecation and a strange kindness, working to acknowledge the frustration of dependence and the poison that brings, while trying to carve out an opening to relieve the pressure in order to start the slow healing process.

The song comes complete with a video by Sheila Roberts and Ryan Brough, with art and performance direction from Michael Bright. Check it out below:

‘GUTS’ is out now and you can get it from the Eamon McGrath Bandcamp page.

If you enjoyed Vol. 24 then be sure to check out all previous Bright Sparks lists, and head on over to our Reviews page for a more in-depth read.

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Through both lyrics and tone of voice he illustrates the joy, grief, desperation and downright loneliness of human relationships. Themes straight out of the classics; love and hate, forgiveness and revenge. The albums are about being far away from what you care about and our struggles to return. They are about our inability to appreciate the the thoughts and motives of others

For those who aren’t familiar, The Bitter End, The Eventually Home and The Church Of The Good Thief are a trilogy of concept albums based around the travels, and subsequent return, of a nameless sailor and father who retreats to sea after discovering his wife and brother are having an affair. The journey is an epic one, written in novelistic detail that surpasses the overwhelming majority of albums – tracing the sailor’s time at sea (and his relationship with the captain of the ship before the mentor dies) and his return to land, where he falls to an opiate addiction and mental breakdown. All the while the sailor harbours the grudge against his loved ones, something which blossoms into violence by the time of the third album. 

The albums are a study in loneliness and isolation, tracking the effects of betrayal on a man too deeply in love to cope. The first album sees a recognisable (albeit severe) sense of angst and grief, but this warps into something more sinister by the end, with the protagonist unable to get off his ship to greet his family for fear that he will kill them all. Drugs and confinement further detach him from reality and logic on the second album, where things get weird and stray from the typical tortured romantic you might have been expecting. Indeed, by the finale the tale resembles a Shakespearean tragedy, so deeply bitter and sad you get the sense that death is the only possible conclusion.

If you like your music with a detailed and sprawling narrative, Right Away, Great Captain! will be the project for you. You can buy the RAGC Anthology now from the Right Away, Great Captain! Bandcamp page.

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The first two FR albums were important to me. The third one was good. The fourth one passed me by. I can’t say why this happened. It was probably my fault. Whatever the reasons, I find myself listening to this solo album hoping that something special happens again. I’m giving it my full attention, putting the effort in on my side.

Owl John is strange in that it is both closer to and further away from what I consider the FR golden years (I mean this terms of sound, not quality). Opening track ‘Cold Creeps’ sounds like it could fit in quite nicely on Sing the Greys. ‘Songs About Roses’ is pretty close to something that might have made Midnight Organ Fight, or is at least inspired by that period in Hutchinson’s career. I consider ‘Los Angeles, Be Kind’ more like a Winter of Mixed Drinks track, while ‘Stupid Boy’ is the essence of FR’s self-deprecating style. There are deviations, with ‘Two’ featuring a Gaelic (?) spoken word conclusion that brings to mind Aidan Moffat, and ‘Hate Music’ which sounds like FR doing a great Manchester Orchestra impression.

[THE MOMENT THE REVIEWER CHANGES DIRECTION]

I’ve realised there is something strange at work here. I’m talking about old albums. This is unfair to Hutchinson and any other artist trying to top previous albums. I don’t want to do it. I consciously tried to stop myself from doing it.

I think it’s all to do with Hutchinson’s personal style of song writing. It’s ironic that listeners connect with his songs because his lyrics are so intimate, so honestly him, but it is true. He shows us his innards and we see ourselves. It’s no exaggeration to say that The Midnight Organ Fight was part of my life for a fair period of time. When something is that important to you, it’s natural to look for more, to expect more. But consider it from Hutchinson’s point of view. Those songs were his and he had to hand them over and repeat them for years to crowds of people who had taken them. And now he tries to do something new all the fucking bloggers are talking about are how each song might fit on the old FR records.

[THE REAL REVIEW]

So, Owl John. Owl John is an album that mixes up sad self-deprecation with confusion and love and regret. It tells of people far away from home making new homes. It speaks of vast stretches of introspection dotted with those incandescent moments of feeling that make it all worth while. Hutchinson uses his supreme talent for song writing to conjure a person before us, a person who cries and bleeds and yells with joy just like any other person. That’s all you need so know.

You can buy the album from the Owl John webpage.

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Their new EP, The Long Defeat, due out on 21st May, is pop music from the indie rock world; simultaneously playful and serious, this is catchy and passionate music that would be equally enjoyable heard alone through headphones as in a packed gig. The opening track ‘Scotch Broom’ begins with ominously heavy guitars, reminiscent of Manchester Orchestra, before skipping into life and becoming something along the lines of Todd Goldstein’s ARMS meets the Foo Fighters. Across the five tracks the vocals trade back and forth between male and female, adding a nice variety with proceedings while still allowing the band’s style and sound to remain evident. It’s not always easy to maintain a cohesive sound when swapping between vocalists on a short release but here it sounds natural, they have pulled off with expertise.

The EP was recorded by Martin Feveyear who has worked with acts like Kings of Leon and Girls (not to mention blog favourite Damien Jurado), so Land Of Pines are certainly aiming high. I think it’s fair to let these guys finish college before expecting too much, but this EP is certainly strong and bodes well for things to come.

You can pre-order The Long Defeat from the good folks over at Fin Records, on beautiful blue-and-bone splatter vinyl.  The release is limited to 500 so get in quick before the May 21st release date. On the note of releases, if you find yourself in Seattle at the beginning of May then get tickets for the release show at The Vera Project on May 4th.

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Tracklisting:

1. From Stardust To Sentience (High Places cover) – Banjo or Freakout
2. So Prone (SLUTEVER cover) – Ghost/Light
3. I Will Always Love You (Dolly Parton cover) – Howth
4. Salvador Sanchez (Sun Kil Moon cover) – Little Silver
5. Brother (Annuals cover) – Manchester Orchestra
6. Darling (Magic Man cover) – And the Giraffe
7. When You Were Mine (Prince cover) – John Heart Jackie
8. I Wanna Be Adored (Stone Roses cover) – Coma Cinema
9. Crying (Roy Orbison cover) – Austra
10. Streets of Philadelphia (Bruce Springsteen cover) Casiotone For The Painfully Alone
11. Iron Man (Black Sabbath cover) – Four Tet
12. The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight (R.E.M. cover) – Oxford Collapse
13. My Proud Mountains (Townes van Zandt cover) – J. Tillman
14. Chelsea Hotel #2 (Leonard Cohen cover) – Sarah Jaffe
15. If I Handle You With Care (Trembling Blue Stars cover) – Evening Hymns
16. Left & Leaving (The Weakerthans cover) – Beat Radio
17. I Know What I Know (Paul Simon cover) – Graham Wright
18. Some Things Last A Long Time (Daniel Johnston cover) – The Twilight Sad
19. Unicorn (Gay Against You cover) – Dananananaykroyd
20. See U Again (Miley Cyrus cover) – The Mae Shi

Click on the band name in the tracklisting to be whizzed off to a specific page for each artist. Buy some music if you like what you hear. I didn’t bother with Dolly Parton, Springsteen etc. but if you need some pointers on where to find out more about them give us a shout.

Enjoy.

The Covers Mix: Volume #2 from Wake The Deaf on 8tracks Radio.

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Manchester Orchestra always seem to be placed somewhere between conventional indie rock and the teen angst driven market led by Brand New and the like. This isn’t meant as an attack on those sorts of bands but it sometimes appears that MO fail to get the recognition they deserve with their blend of the epic and the restrained producing stories about ordinary people but of near-biblical proportion. RAGC! takes this further and masters the idea.

As with all of the very best songwriters, Andy Hull is more than a musician. He is a storyteller, someone who can spin a narrative with all of the related emotions and feelings in just a few fragmented sentences. Through both lyrics and tone of voice he illustrates the joy, grief, desperation and downright loneliness of human relationships. Themes straight out of the classics; love and hate, forgiveness and revenge. The albums are about being far away from what you care about and our struggles to return. They are about our inability to appreciate the the thoughts and motives of others.

The story resolves around a sailor away at sea, a man separated from his wife and children. I’ll say little more and let the tale unravel for you in your own time but I urge you to read Hull’s thoughts on the trilogy to fully develop the plot as he intended.

As with The Antlers’ Hospice, the albums are enjoyable as a straight narrative but can also be taken as a giant metaphor or expanded upon within your own imagination. I guess it depends how much you want to read between the lines.

Bandcamp is the place to go to acquire The Bitter End, The Eventually Home and The Church Of The Good Thief. You will not regret it.

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