‘Lucky Cat’ reserved acoustics and hushed, almost whispered vocals, while ‘The Loud Word’ is a similarly acoustic track but with added electronics, little beeps and hums and shimmers, kind of like those which adorn the Lejsovka & Freund album we wrote about recently. ‘Small Wind Power’ is basically an acoustic folk song, and a pretty one at that, the morose vocals seemingly directed to Christie’s feet rather than the audience.

‘Inside Out’ has a laid-back woozy feel, all backed up with the by-now familiar gentle acoustics. ‘Puddle Rock’ is a light and floaty instrumental guitar track, before the EP finishes with a cover of ‘Metamorphic Moon’ by fellow New Paltz band Wet Petals, a track which tentatively feels its way into life before the advent of sadly serene vocals:

“i reach out to touch the moon
and now there is nothing
but the moon;
no hands to touch,
no eyes to devour,
only a tarnished flower
torn from a dream”

Small Wind Power is a lovely collection of songs which conjure a really nice feeling. They are enclosed and intimate, like sharing a heart-to-heart inside a tent at the height of summer, the tape hiss becoming the stridulations of insects, the trickle of the creek.

You can get Small Wind Power on cassette via Apollonian Sound, or as a name-your-price download via the Fraternal Twin Bandcamp page. The release supports the NJ Clean Water Fund, a really cool project that campaigns for some great health and environmental issues.

The post Fraternal Twin – Small Wind Power appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Father/Daughter Records are back with their second instalment of the Faux Real series where cool real bands cover the songs of cool fictional ones. Faux Real I saw the likes of Levek, Radiator Hospital and Body Parts covering The Muppets, The Cattanooga Cats and Disney’s Goofy, and now a fresh roster of are back to take on some of the most iconic songs in pop culture (sort of). The tracklisting is as follows:

Tracklist
1) Chumped – “Threshold” (Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World)
2) Krill – “Billy Madison Victory Song” (Billy Madison)
3) Quarterbacks – “You Painted My World” (The Adventures Of Pete & Pete)
4) Running In The Fog – “Killer Tofu” (Doug)
5) Allison Crutchfield (of Swearin’) – “Special To Me (Phoenix Audition Song)” (Phantom Of The Paradise)
6) LVL UP – “Somebody Kill Me Please” (The Wedding Singer)
7) Sharpless – “Franz Kafka” (Home Movies)
8) Rivergazer – “Fever Dog” (Almost Famous)
9) Paint Sepsi – “I Must Be In Love” (The Rutles)
10) Small Wonder – “Margerine” (The Simpsons)

While it’s hard to believe of a compilation that contains a song from Doug, this release was rejected by Record Store Day as it was “not compelling enough” for their release list. You can see the final RSD list here and, while there is some cool stuff, there is also what seems to be quite a lot of flab (seven Springsteen releases?). But, hey, what do I know? Luckily, Faux Real II lives on. And that’s a good thing, because aside from being an entertaining collection of obscure-ish made-up bands, the real artists have actually done a great job in making ten enjoyable songs that will still be listenable once the novelty wears off.

You can pre-order the compilation now from the Father/Daughter website or Bandcamp page. It will be released on 28th April on “Fake Grape” vinyl and limited to 500 copies. It’s not going to be repressed or released digitally so get in quick.

P.S. Father/Daughter head honcho Jessi Frick spoke with Stereogum about the compilation and the issues surrounding Record Store Day. It’s worth a read for those interested in how those things work.

The post Father/Daughter Records Presents: Faux Real II appeared first on Various Small Flames.