The Hemlock Ernst partnership came about after Herring did a feature for the Beans album, Venga, and provided an opportunity to work outside of established styles. “After we did the song and the record came out, Beans hit me back and said he thought I should do a full project with Icky,” Herring explains. “He thought that I really needed to challenge myself, that it would bring something out in me. Beans and his group Anti-Pop Consortium were and are heroes of mine. ‘Tragic Epilogue’ by APC is one of the most influential records in my life. To get that kind of attention and push from Beans was huge, but I didn’t know how I felt about the idea at the time. I saw it as exactly that, a challenge.”

A variety of collaborators join to make this challenge a little easier, with Fatboi Sharif, Egyptian Lover and aforementioned Beans all lending their talents across the record. Latest single ‘Remains’ see EUCLID of Armand Hammer join the fray, a track of cold, dystopic beats which highlights both the intensity and lonely weight of Herring’s delivery, as well as the nocturnal atmosphere in which it moves. “It’s foolish attempting to paint the night as anything more than the absence of light,” the opening lines suggest, but Hemlock Ernst is taking you by the hand to lead you through all the same.

The post Hemlock Ernst – Remains appeared first on Various Small Flames.

The resulting album, Testarossa, “captures the emotional turbulence that Maddy & Davy endure as their relationship and lives slowly decay”, which apparently includes a pregnancy, a proposal, a wedding, music touring, touring failure, musical failure, musical perseverance and adultery (in that order). As the press release puts it:

“The sentiment distils the slow decay of the album.  It’s a high-concept examination of lives crumbling.  The despair of a lovable underdog who chased his dreams so relentlessly that he lost those he loved the most. He misses his kids, but still lives a debauched life away.”

You can have a listen to the track ‘Madeline’ below to get an idea of what broken dreams and crumbling lives sound like

Testarossa is set for release on the 6th May via Joyful Noise Recordings, and you can pre-order it now on black or bone vinyl.

The post Yoni & Geti announce Testarossa appeared first on Various Small Flames.

I Am Planet – Silene stenophylla

(RIYL: piano, soundtrack, minimalist)

Indian Bummer – bummer wars

(RIYL: bedroom pop, indie pop, DIY)

i tried to run away when i was six (but got too scared to cross the street) – Garbage / It’s So Nice

(RIYL: singer-songwriter, indie rock, lo-fi, sad)

Ikea Graveyard – Stray

(RIYL: acoustic, bedroom pop, a lo-fi Cold Specks)

Jacob Faurholt – Corners

(RIYL: indie rock, alternative, BOAT)

Japanese Breakfast – American Sound

(RIYL: bedroom pop, dream pop, Little Big League)

Jim Lawrie – Just Like Normal / Midnight Run

(RIYL: indie rock, country, The Rosebuds)

John Galm – Sky of No Stars

(RIYL: bleak folk, Low, a slow motion Mountain Goats)

Kerry – Away

(RIYL: electronic)

Kissed Her Little Sister – Mbube

(RIYL: indie pop, experimental, hip hop, reggae)

Kissing Fractures – Lost Self (you have to email to get this free)

(RIYL: acoustic, bedroom pop, poetry)

Kississippi – I Can Feel You In My Hair Still

(RIYL: bedroom pop, lo-fi, sad)

Klondike – AFRICA to MIDI

(RIYL: electronic, experimental, hi-tech tribal rythms)

KOOL A.D. – WORD O.K.

(RIYL: jazz, hip hop, Das Racist)

Laurence – It’s Real

(RIYL: dream pop, ambient, Youth Lagoon)

Lesjovka & Freund – Mold on Canvas

(RIYL: ambient, classical, sad movie soundtracks, Trouble Books)

Ligaments / Squanto – Split

(RIYL: electronic, drone, ambient)

Lost Film – Demo

(RIYL: dream pop, jangle, Orca Orca, The Smiths)

Mallory – To The Hollow Night (the band ask for donations to the people of Gaza)

(RIYL: folk, Spencer Krug, Wake Owl)

Mark Barrage – Surplus Behaviour

(RIYL: electronic, experimental, samples)

Matthew Lee Cothran and Delaney Mills – Failure II

(RIYL: bedroom pop, electronic folk, Coma Cinema)

The Meanest Creature Ever Known – You, Having Fun

(RIYL: slowcore, quiet, sad, Scottish, Meursault)

Mermaidens – O

(RIYL: dream pop, indie rock, psych)

Missing Organs – Undiscovered

(RIYL: experimental, drone, dreams)

Molly Dancer – Ripstick Can’t Jump

(RIYL: bedroom pop, odd power pop, lo-fi)

mooncreatures – Gaslamps / Sand Maps

(RIYL: shoegaze, lo-fi, ambient, cinematic soundscapes)

Movies – Horror Movies

(RIYL: bedroom pop, experimental, Los Campesinos, Arrange)

Favourite Free Music of 2014 (I-M) from Wake The Deaf on 8tracks Radio.

The post Favourite Free Music of 2014 (I-M) appeared first on Various Small Flames.

‘Little Ghost’ is taken from a forthcoming Easy Victim, Charitable Deceptions, which is due in April on Big Footprints, a really great charity label (spearheaded by Brendan Lukens of indie rock band Modern Baseball) that are “doing a bunch of punk things to give back to the community”.

The post W.C. Lindsay – Little Ghost appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Doug MacNearney – Rambling Songs

(RIYL: folk, Canada, Tyler Butler, Zachary Lucky, heartfelt lyrics)

Dutch Barn – About Time

(RIYL: indie pop, fuzz, reverb, Teenage Fanclub)

Eerie Summer – S/T

(RIYL: dream pop, Best Coast, Pains of Being Pure At Heart)

Elvis Depressedly – Holo Pleasures

(RIYL: fuzzy pop, melancholy, Coma Cinema)

Eric & Magill – Two Travelers

(RIYL – indie pop, dream pop, long distance relationships)

The Everywheres – Slow Friends

(RIYL: Garage rock, psychedelic, fuzz)

Fiesta Minor – Time Spent Breathing

(RIYL: hardcore, screamo, post rock)

Filbert – Chronographic

(Riyl: indie rock, hip-hop, Why?)

Flow My Tears – I

(RIYL: indie pop, The Smiths, Cygnets)

The Flying Blackbyrds – No. 0

(RIYL: 60s rock, bar brawls, Mike Tod)

Fog Lake – Holy Cross

(RIYL: experimental, bedroom pop, slowcore, melancholy)

Fthrsn – Middle School Swag

(RIYL: glitch hop, dream pop, chillwave, GRL MTN)

Gatsby’s Estate – Intro/Extra

(RIYL: chillwave, synths, indie pop, the lonely life of Jay Gatsby)

Gingerlys – Summer Cramps

(RIYL: lo-fi, dream pop, indie rock)

Glass Vaults – Bright EP

(RIYL – ambient, dream pop, Youth Lagoon)

Goldeen – Off Duty Detective

(RIYL: chillwave, synths, John Maus)

Greatest Month – Herbs

(RIYL: washed out electronics, field recordings, chillwave)

Hand Drawn Dracula – Milkin’ It

(RIYL: grunge, indie rock, Nirvana, Toronto)

HAPPY TRENDY – For Listening Trial

(RIYL: lo-fi instrumentals, hypnagogic electronics, anxiety and chill)

Hog Bucket – Old Mustard

(RIYL: dirty bar-room blues, country, classic rock, drunken lovin’)

Hozier – Take Me To Church

(RIYL: radio-friendly indie, piano, Elton John)

The post Favourite Free Music of 2013 (D-H) appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Adult Mom – I Fell In Love By Accident

(RIYL: bedroom pop, lo-fi, kimya dawson)

Alone – S/T

(RIYL: downbeat, morbid beats, Why?)

Andrea – #OneSampleOneDay

(RIYL: electronic, chill, samples, r&b)

Animal Teeth – Me & You

(RIYL: indie rock, lulls and crescendos, reverb)

Astro Children – Proteus

(RIYL: shoegaze, surreal, weird sounds, literary references)

Baby Cages – I’m So Sorry

(RIYL: bedroom pop, dream pop, lo-fi)

Bashe – Open Up

(RIYL: math rock, pop, electronic)

Bearhead & Tape Sounds – S/T

(RIYL: experimental, electronic, samples)

Beat Easton – S/T

(RIYL: emo, Death Cab, Modest Mouse)

Ben Sollee – The Hollow Sessions

(RIYL: folk, covers, cello)

Birdtapes [Label] – Top 40 Compilation

(RIYL: covers, lo-fi, Top 40, tape hiss)

Boreal The Sky – S/T

(RIYL: indie rock, experimental, Said the Whale)

Cannon Beach – Concrete, People and Things

(RIYL: electronic, folk, Mount Eerie)

Casiotone For The Painfully Alone – In Sydney

(RIYL: CFTPA, Advance Base, indie pop, live recordings)

Chemists // 化学者 – Slow House Virtual

(RIYL: dream pop, ambient, chillwave, Rem’s Floating Chandelier)

Clipping – Midcity

(RIYL: hop hip, rap, harsh noise, Death Grips)

Coma Cinema – Posthumous Release

(RIYL: bedroom pop, downer, Elliott Smith)

Coyotes In The Room – Violence

(RIYL: lo-fi, garage, psych)

Crying – Get Olde

(RIYL: 8-bit, punk, indie pop, Gameboy, Rilo Kiley)

Cullan Bonilla – That’s fricked up fricked me up I’m fricked up now frick

(RIYL: acoustic, lo-fi, bedroom pop)

The post Favourite Free Music of 2013 (A-C) appeared first on Various Small Flames.

The aim of these lists is to present some of the very best new music and to highlight the talent and generosity of artists around the world, people who give their all in terms of time and creative energy for absolutely no monetary return. These are people who create music because that’s what they like to do, not because they want to line their pockets or have a quick flash of publicity.

All that said, there are ways of supporting every single artist on this list. Firstly, tell your friends, your family, your next-door neighbour! Spread the word and give these artists the recognition they deserve. If you like what you hear then let the artists know. The vast majority of bands on this list are not affiliated with a record label and so do not have middle men and PR agents to deal with emails and messages. So why not spend 10-15 minutes of you day writing a message of support to brighten their day a little?

It’s also important to note that each of these releases are available for free download, but many are also available in physical forms (often at very reasonable prices). Many of the download pages also have the option to provide a token cash donation, so if you really love a record on this list, then why not give a little something?

Wake The Deaf’s Favourite Free Music of 2013:

Part I: A-C

Part II: D-H

Part III: I-O

Part IV: P-S

Part V: T-Z

The post Favourite Free Music of 2013 appeared first on Various Small Flames.

We had originally planned for 15 songs each but found it was too difficult to fit in all the artists we felt needed to be included and decided to go with 20 each. Luckily, HI54LOFI included some of our favourites and I think we had some of his on ours, so we helped each other out a bit.

Granted, there are far more than 40 noteworthy Canadian artists out there and there were some hard decisions. Any disappointed acts crying into their maple syrup or taking out frustrations on their teamates on the ice, please don’t despair, there is always next year.

We hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed making them. These songs certainly haven’t helped banish our romantic view of Canada.

Wake The Deaf side:

1.Docking Guard – Northern Primitive
2. Drop It – NEEDLES//PINS
3. Flyingshot Lake – The Flaming Moes
4. Ask Me Something – Wind & the Wild
5. Left and Leaving – The Weakerthans
6. Snow Ghosts – Paul Stewart
7. Voyageur – Doug MacNearney
8. The Future Of Tradition – Frederick Squire
9. Bruises – Dusted
10. Ben – Tyler Butler
11. Warning – Postdata
12. Margaret Downe – Aidan Knight
13. Coming Back Home – Zachary Lucky
14. Sask – Donovan Woods
15. Young Glass – Hey Rosetta!
16. Lightshow – Plants & Animals
17. And I Thank You – Pink Mountaintops
18. Cloud Of Evil – Blackout Beach
19. Sing! Captain – Handsome Furs
20. Continuous Thunder – Japandroids

HI54LOFI side:

1. Welcome To The Heart – Eamon McGrath
2. Broken Knees. – Different Skeletons
3. Sunset – Two Bicycles
4. Brook and Branch – The Weather Station (featuring Baby Eagle)
5. Skinny Ghost – HAPPY TRENDY
6. Deny, Deny, Deny – Joel Plaskett
7. You’re Cool – The Joe
8. Oh My God (It Still Means A Lot To Me) – The Wooden Sky
9. Necromancy – Jessica Jalbert
10. Scared – The Tragically Hip
11. Family Tree – Evening Hymns
12. Wind Driving Dogs – Chad VanGaalen
13. Were You In Love With Me – Andy Shauf
14. Big Bird In A Small Cage – Patrick Watson
15. I Need You Closer – LadyFace
16. Where are you? – nick everett
17. The Very Best – Mike Tod
18. Vapours – Islands
19. Sugar Mama – The Deep Dark Woods
20. Road Regrets – Dan Mangan

You can find both mixes here as a collection.

EH? – A Canadian Mixtape (Wake The Deaf Side) from Wake The Deaf on 8tracks Radio.

EH? – A Canadian Mix Tape (HI54LOFI Side) from HI54LOFI on 8tracks Radio.

If anyone can think of any more Canada-themed cliches or stereotypes then please don’t hesitate to let us know for next year’s mix. Going by this collection of songs, being insanely talented might just be one more.

The post EH? – A Canadian Mixtape Complied By Wake The Deaf & HI54LOFI appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Syracuse, his new album, is very different from that record. The title track that opens proceedings is a strange and otherworldly spoken word piece that builds into something cinematic, the soundtrack of a weird old sci-fi film set in a future year that has already passed. It ends with an alarm clock sound just as the song was building toward a climax, as if Adem was exploring an alternate reality where he played with computers rather than guitars. It’s an effective opening that certainly makes you sit up to see where the album takes you next.

The album flits between with traditional songwriting with guitar strumming and experimental nods to other genres, refusing to sit nicely in the ‘folk’ box. With spoken word bits and different instruments appearing throughout, you never quite know what is around the corner. ‘St. John’s Ukrainian Catholic Church’ is an urgent message that John Darnielle would be proud of, and the next track ‘I am Alright’ is a regular folk song that you might expect after Armour, but then ‘I Am Not’ defies all expectations and does whatever the hell it pleases. It’s a tangled jungle of a song with snaking tendrils feeling in all sorts of directions from 80s electronica to hip-hop and rap and even a Paul Simon inspired ending.

There is something admirable about Kyle Adem. We mentioned last time that he left a career in buisness to pursue his creative ideals and that attitude is present on Syracuse. This is the record, these are the songs, listen to them. If they are hard to characterise then, frankly, that is none of his concern. Where he goes next will be very interesting to see.

Buy Syracuse now from the Kyle Adem Store or on iTunes.

The post Kyle Adem – Syracuse appeared first on Various Small Flames.