Porches Archives - Various Small Flames

Frankie Cosmos announces new EP, Fit Me In

Liam Doyle — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 17:39:37 +0000

Fit Me In is the new EP from Frankie Cosmos, the bedroom recording project of Greta Simone Kline. Created in collaboration with Aaron Maine of Porches, the EP is apparently “a one-off experiment in fitting Kline’s songwriting into an electronic sound”. Maine was given production duties, and swapped out live band instrumentation for electronic equipment. You can hear the first track, the short-but-sweet ‘Sand’ below:

Fit Me In is due fro release on Bayonet Records in November. You can pre-order it now.

Photo by Matthew James-Wilson

The post Frankie Cosmos announces new EP, Fit Me In appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Battle Ave. – Year of Nod

Liam Doyle — Mon, 04 May 2015 19:04:18 +0000

Battle Ave. are self proclaimed “dark pop” band from upstate New York. The are about to release a brand new album (the follow up to their 2011 debut War Paint) called Year of Nod which I’m getting increasingly excited about. The reason I’m excited is that the two songs available to preview on their bandcamp page are pretty great. I mean really pretty great. Take for example ‘Zoa’, a plus-seven-minute gem which starts begins with a certain momentum and descends into a lovely slow burn. Add to that some great, if rather opaque, lyrics (e.g. “i am the crown, i am the weight, i am the momentary metempsychotic state, i am the breaking and settling”) and you’ve got yourself a brilliant song.

Looking at the list of contributors the band got to help out with the album, it’s little wonder it’s shaping up so good. It was produced by Kevin McMahon (who has previously worked with indie rock heroes Titus Andronicus) and Hunter Davidsohn (who has worked with a variety of great bands such as Porches. and Rivergazer) and also features contributions from Greta Kline (ie. Frankie Cosmos), Nick Corbo (of LVL UP and Crying).

Year of Nod is due for release tomorrow (the 5th of May). You can pre-order the album on cassette via Seagreen Records or as a download via the Battle Ave. Bandcamp page.

P.S. You can stream the entire album over at Stereogum.

P.P.S The band have pledged to donate all digital pre-order sales to Baltimore to cover rebuilding and legal fees after recent events. All the more reason to grab a copy!

The post Battle Ave. – Year of Nod appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Rivergazer – Random Nostalgia

Liam Doyle — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 17:35:13 +0000

Rivergazer is the recording project of songwriter Kevin Farrant. Random Nostalgia is his first full-length album, having previously released demos and an EP (Oh My Ego) and played in numerous other bands, including with childhood friend Aaron Maines in Porches.

This is an indie rock record at heart, and a step away from the uber-lo-fi recordings of Farrant’s previous releases. It’s catchy and sunny and pretty easygoing, but also deals with some darker thematic material. As the press release put it, “the album tells the tale of modern sadness – growing up in the suburbs, getting married and divorced, having no money, being in debt, driving mom’s car, friends, isolation, wanting a dog, finding zen, and making memories.”

Listen to first single ‘Safari Jack’ in the player below:

Random Nostalgia is due to be released on the 12th of August on Father/Daughter Records. Pre-order it now!

The post Rivergazer – Random Nostalgia appeared first on Various Small Flames.