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	<title>Stephen Becker Archives - Various Small Flames</title>
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	<title>Stephen Becker Archives - Various Small Flames</title>
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		<title>Stephen Becker &#8211; Careless</title>
		<link>https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2026/04/10/stephen-becker-careless/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jon Doyle]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2026 19:51:19 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[New Music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Previews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brooklyn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New York]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stephen Becker]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[usa]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/?p=48161</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>&#8220;Forthright and unguarded, willing to open itself up to vulnerability in order to make progress.&#8221; That was our summation of Stephen Becker&#8216;s new album Gravity Blanket back in March, with lead single &#8216;Bad Idea&#8217; delving into the immediate aftermath of a relationship in order to not only evoke the sadness of the moment but also the nascent will to change. &#8220;‘Bad Idea’ is about a breakup I went through after seeing the ballet,&#8221; Becker explained. &#8220;The haunting feeling of the dancers’ [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2026/04/10/stephen-becker-careless/">Stephen Becker &#8211; Careless</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&#8220;Forthright and unguarded, willing to open itself up to vulnerability in order to make progress.&#8221; That was our summation of <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/stephen-becker/">Stephen Becker</a>&#8216;s new album <em>Gravity Blanket</em> <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2026/03/09/weekly-listening-march-2026-2/">back in March</a>, with lead single &#8216;Bad Idea&#8217; delving into the immediate aftermath of a relationship in order to not only evoke the sadness of the moment but also the nascent will to change. &#8220;‘Bad Idea’ is about a breakup I went through after seeing the ballet,&#8221; Becker explained. &#8220;The haunting feeling of the dancers’ movements lingering in my mind, the sad-sweet taste of spiked lemonade on the train ride home. I was thinking about, and trying to manifest, change with a newfound determination to break free from unhealthy routines and patterns in life and in love.&#8221;</p>
<p>Such a style is typical of <em>Gravity Blanket</em>, the record seeing Stephen Becker dig through the assorted fragments of ordinary life in search of some lesson or sense of higher meaning, even if it requires him to unearth some uncomfortable things in the process. The songs lead from childhood through adolescence and young adult life, featuring everything from Slinkys and Haribo frogs to break-ups and hallucinations, though Becker&#8217;s inventive lyricism and arrangements maintain both playfulness and vulnerability across them all.</p>
<p>Sitting at the louder, slightly more disordered end of the spectrum, latest single &#8216;Careless&#8217; again focuses on a failing relationship, though is more ambiguous than its predecessor. Because while &#8216;Bad Idea&#8217; existed within the moment an end became clear cut, &#8216;Careless&#8217; instead focuses on the uncertainty which worms its way the cracks of struggling partnership. &#8220;I was stuck on the word &#8216;careless&#8217;, and how adding a space flips its meaning entirely,&#8221; Becker expands. &#8220;In relationships, it’s hard to know whether someone’s just being careless (silly, impersonal) or if they actually care less (harsh). I tried to capture that ambiguity with a wily post-chorus guitar riff in the vein of Jonny Greenwood and Ed Rodriguez.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote>
<h5>It’s obvious, that you care less<br />
It’s obvious, that you’re careless<br />
It’s obvious but not obvious to me</h5>
</blockquote>
<p><iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1116920583/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=2588810041/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://stephenbecker.bandcamp.com/album/gravity-blanket">Gravity Blanket by Stephen Becker</a></iframe></p>
<p>Watch the video directed by <a href="https://haoyanofamerica.com/">Haoyan of America</a> below:</p>
<p><iframe title="Stephen Becker - &quot;Careless&quot;" width="1170" height="658" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sOTLtfaixks?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>Gravity Blanket</em> will be released on the 24th April and you can <a href="https://stephenbecker.bandcamp.com/album/gravity-blanket">pre-order it now</a>.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2026/04/10/stephen-becker-careless/">Stephen Becker &#8211; Careless</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">48161</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Weekly Listening: March 2026 #2</title>
		<link>https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2026/03/09/weekly-listening-march-2026-2/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jon Doyle]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Mar 2026 19:04:35 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[New Music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Weekly Listening]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Better Company Records]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cherub Dream Records]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[figure eight]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Griffin Brown]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Little Lungs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lucy Liyou]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Malmo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Minneapolis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New York]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Orange Milk Records]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Primula]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spacecase Records]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spread Way Out]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stephen Becker]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stockholm]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sweden]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Dead Century]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[True Green]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Where's Beth]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/?p=47900</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>The Dead Century &#8211; Been Better Minneapolis has a rich heritage in energetic indie rock, so its great to see bands like The Dead Century carrying the flame onwards. First drafted during the pandemic but now equally relevant in light of the city&#8217;s occupation, latest single &#8216;Been Better&#8217; wears its influences proudly, taking the raucousness of The Replacements and some of The Hold Steady&#8216;s buoyant positivity and applying them to the less than positive present. The result, essentially a dispatch [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2026/03/09/weekly-listening-march-2026-2/">Weekly Listening: March 2026 #2</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3 style="text-align: center;">The Dead Century &#8211; Been Better</h3>
<p><a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/minneapolis/">Minneapolis</a> has a rich heritage in energetic indie rock, so its great to see bands like <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/the-dead-century/">The Dead Century</a> carrying the flame onwards. First drafted during the pandemic but now equally relevant in light of the city&#8217;s occupation, latest single &#8216;Been Better&#8217; wears its influences proudly, taking the raucousness of The Replacements and some of <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/the-hold-steady/">The Hold Steady</a>&#8216;s buoyant positivity and applying them to the less than positive present. The result, essentially a dispatch from a profoundly difficult time, is propulsive, impassioned and ultimately affirming in spite of everything. One, much like the people on the ground of its home city, willing to confront the gravity of the moment and fight for something better regardless of how far away that might seem.</p>
<p><iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=710471745/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://thedeadcentury.bandcamp.com/track/been-better">Been Better by The Dead Century</a></iframe></p>
<p><iframe title="Been Better (Lyric Video)" width="1170" height="658" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZqQni6CcMLU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&#8216;Been Better&#8217; is out now and available from the usual places.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">figure eight &#8211; hummingbird</h3>
<p>Back in 2024 we featured <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/bay-area">Bay Area</a> outfit <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/figure-eight/">figure eight</a>, describing how the project has evolved from the experimental noise project of duo Nash Rood and Abby Goeser into something far more developed, with single &#8216;1999 (cherry)&#8217; from their self-titled EP highlighting the nuance and balance of the sound. &#8220;Twin threads of lightness and weight weave across the track into what appears to be the spirit of this new version of figure eight,&#8221; <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2024/10/14/weekly-listening-october-2024-1/">we wrote</a>, &#8220;a band aware of the transcendent power available at both ends of the spectrum.&#8221; Now they are back with <em>until the sun swallows the earth / hummingbird</em>, a double single on Cherub Dream Records, and you only have to contrast the titles tracks to see the balance between heft and elegance remains. After the slow-burn expanse of &#8216;until the sun swallows the earth&#8217;, &#8216;hummingbird&#8217; offers something more gauzy and restrained, the sound muted though no less full of atmosphere, and ultimately fulfilling its promise to spill over into something thunderous.</p>
<p><center><iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 470px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3563637309/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/track=3803756998/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://figure-eight.bandcamp.com/album/until-the-sun-swallows-the-earth-hummingbird">until the sun swallows the earth / hummingbird by figure eight</a></iframe></center><em>until the sun swallows the earth / hummingbird</em> is out now via Cherub Dream Records and available from <a href="https://figure-eight.bandcamp.com/album/until-the-sun-swallows-the-earth-hummingbird">Bandcamp</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Griffin Brown &#8211; DRAW</h3>
<p>“I need a hint, like a task, to check off and put behind me,&#8221; sings <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/new-york/">New York</a>&#8216;s <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/griffin-brown/">Griffin Brown</a> on &#8216;DRAW&#8217;, the first glimpse of his forthcoming album <em>Begriffin</em>. &#8220;But I don’t quite know what my success would guarantee.” This marbling of assurance and doubt not only runs through the lyrical aspect of the track, but the woozy sound itself. Brown evokes the feeling of starting something without knowing how it will end with a propulsive chorus that never seems to quite reach its natural conclusion. A joint release between <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/spread-way-out/">Spread Way Out</a> and <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/better-company-records/">Better Company Records</a>, <em>Begriffin</em> itself progresses in such a manner.It is undeniably confident and marked by forward motion, yet unsure of its final destination. As though Brown knows what he needs to do and how to do it, just not what the end result might be.</p>
<p><iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=889094931/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://griffinbrown.bandcamp.com/album/draw-single">DRAW (single) by Griffin Brown</a></iframe></p>
<p>Watch the video by Brown below:</p>
<p><iframe title="Griffin Brown - DRAW (Official Video)" width="1170" height="658" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ADAqNTEFOBI?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>Begriffen</em> will be released on the 8th May via Spread Way Out and Better Company Records. Get it from <a href="https://griffinbrown.bandcamp.com/album/begriffen">Bandcamp</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Little Lungs &#8211; Dragonfruit</h3>
<p>&#8220;Songs personal, compassionate and often affirming, driven by equal parts warmth and energy.&#8221; That&#8217;s how we described the work of <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/baltimore">Baltimore</a> folk rock outfit <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/little-lungs/">Little Lungs</a> back in February, single &#8216;The Heat&#8217; introducing the band&#8217;s forthcoming album of the same name. &#8220;A typically emotive track build around [lead Leena] Rhodes&#8217;s vocals,&#8221; we wrote, &#8220;and the braid of tenderness and strength they are able to evoke.&#8221; With <em>The Heat</em> coming later this week, Little Lungs have shared new track &#8216;Dragonfruit&#8217;. An example of the more electronic dimension which exists on the record, the song opens like the soundtrack to long lost videogame but soon blossoms into something charged and sweeping, and again Rhodes&#8217;s delivery is placed centre stage. &#8220;Standing outside, the middle of fall / Dragonfruit vodka clenched in your palm,&#8221; she sings in a verse indicative of the striking image-led style of the track. &#8220;You met my eyes / I knew that you changed / I hated you then but I couldn’t escape.&#8221;</p>
<p><iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1039626546/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=670829865/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://little-lungs.bandcamp.com/album/the-heat">The Heat by Little Lungs</a></iframe></p>
<p>Watch the visualiser by Zack Willis with clips from Leena Rhodes below [WARNING: contains flashing, high-contrast imagery that may triggering to individuals with photosensitivity or epilepsy]:</p>
<p><iframe title="Little Lungs - Dragonfruit (Official Visualizer)" width="1170" height="658" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DI361FFq2bk?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>The Heat</em> will be released on 12th March. Get a copy from the Little Lungs <a href="https://little-lungs.bandcamp.com/album/the-heat">Bandcamp page</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Lucy Liyou &#8211; Babygirl</h3>
<p>“Possess[es] both a fragile minimalism and lush melodrama [&#8230;] The sensation of watching a fond memory fade at the edges as the desire to return to its smallest details only grows.” So we wrote of <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/lucy-liyou/">Lucy Liyou</a>&#8216;s debut <em>Every Video Without Your Face, Every Sound Without Your Name</em> <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2025/03/07/lucy-liyou-16-8/">back in 2025</a>, an album that was both an exercise in musical invention and most personal of documents, a description that more than holds true for Liyou forthcoming new album, <em>MR COBRA</em>. A release described by label Orange Milk Records as &#8220;a semi-autobiographical solo theater-music piece [&#8230;] that combines free-jazz, Korean folk opera, musique-concrète, 2000s era pop, text-to-speech recordings, film, comedy, and drag-inspired performance,&#8221; the record sees fury, frustration, love and yearning all swirl together with the extravagance and grace of the best stage show, allowing Liyou to explore ideas of transition and identity in ways otherwise out of reach. &#8220;I was really inspired by sounds and images that felt satisfyingly &#8216;false&#8217; or “unclarifyingly” true, whatever that means,&#8221; she expands. &#8220;I was drawn to Cecil Taylor’s <em>Unit Structures</em>, my favorite drag queens in Los Angeles, who magically bombed every Monday, Ryan Trecartin’s<em> A Family Finds Entertainment,</em> Sunik Kim’s <em>Potential,</em> and so much more. I wanted frenzy that felt disembodying, so disembodying that this time of my life could conjure a laugh.&#8221; Check out single &#8216;Babygirl&#8217; below:</p>
<p><center><iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 470px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3172424031/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/track=1708362136/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://lucyliyou.bandcamp.com/album/mr-cobra">MR COBRA by Lucy Liyou</a></iframe></center><em>MR COBRA</em> will be released on the 17th April via Orange Milk Records and you can <a href="https://lucyliyou.bandcamp.com/album/mr-cobra">pre-order it now</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Primula &#8211; Cobblestone</h3>
<p>Do not be fooled by the title, <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/primula/">Primula</a>&#8216;s latest EP <em>Nothing New </em>signals a fresh chapter for the <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/malmo/">Malmö</a>/<a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/Stockholm/">Stockholm</a>-based outfit. Having made a name across the Swedish scene with a jazz-inflected sound, the new release sees the band bend more towards folk sensibilities, though without sacrificing the sense of collaboration and invention which made their earlier work so special. Single &#8216;Cobblestone&#8217; serves as the ideal introduction. It&#8217;s a track daring enough to eschew the conventional structures of indie music in order to create a dynamic sound that evokes the nuances of being alive. “‘Cobblestone’ is about the difficult yet comforting realization that you’re just a small piece in a much bigger world,&#8221; the band explain. &#8220;There’s a freedom in not having to be so significant on your own. Even if you feel insignificant by yourself, you’re still an essential part of making something whole.”</p>
<p><iframe title="Cobblestone" width="1170" height="878" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VMZ_Xkfhx8s?list=OLAK5uy_mc0oVhQ7GGjTn5Lq3s2REn_4EtuO4wWkY" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>Nothing New</em> will be released later this year.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Stephen Becker &#8211; Bad Idea</h3>
<p>Back in 2024, <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/stephen-becker/">Stephen Becker</a> released <em>Middle Child Syndrome</em>, an album <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2024/09/12/stephen-becker-the-answer/">we described</a> as “an effort, at least in part, to rise above the mundane present, as though to be trapped within conventions is to be restricted by the same inability to communicate effectively that haunts our everyday lives.” Now Becker is set to return with new full-length <em>Gravity Blanket</em>, and the record is no less thoughtful or ambitious. It sees him sift through the ostensibly banal details of memories in order to excavate a deeper human meaning with an otherwise unsatisfying present. As with <em>Middle Child Syndrome</em>, the result is forthright and unguarded, willing to open itself up to vulnerability in order to make progress, as highlighted by opener and lead single &#8216;Bad Idea&#8217;. &#8220;‘Bad Idea’ is about a breakup I went through after seeing the ballet,&#8221; as Becker explains. &#8220;The haunting feeling of the dancers’ movements lingering in my mind, the sad-sweet taste of spiked lemonade on the train ride home. I was thinking about, and trying to manifest, change with a newfound determination to break free from unhealthy routines and patterns in life and in love.&#8221;</p>
<p><iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1116920583/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=3440516868/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://stephenbecker.bandcamp.com/album/gravity-blanket">Gravity Blanket by Stephen Becker</a></iframe></p>
<p>Watch the video directed by <a href="https://haoyanofamerica.com/">Haoyan of America</a> below:</p>
<p><iframe title="Stephen Becker - &quot;Bad Idea&quot; (Official Video)" width="1170" height="878" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0kRZ3b9SekM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>Gravity Blanket</em> will be released on the 24th April and you can <a href="https://stephenbecker.bandcamp.com/album/gravity-blanket">pre-order it now</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">True Green &#8211; Bindi Sue</h3>
<p><a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/true-green/">True Green</a>, the project of <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/minneapolis">Minneapolis</a> songwriter Dan Hornsby, is named after “medieval nun Hildegard of Bingen’s idea of viriditas, and also a lawn care company.” This combination goes some way towards capturing the project’s style, which uses a laidback, often irreverent tone to tell stories with real feeling. Later this month, True Green will release sophomore album <em>Hail Disaster</em>, a record which, as its title suggests, explores “tragedies real and imagined”. New single ‘Bindi Sue’ is one last glimpse before the big day. A tribute to everyone’s favourite Aussie naturalist Steve Irwin, the song is wryly funny and genuinely poignant. It evokes both the loss felt by an entire generation following Irwin’s untimely death, and the joy of his good-natured relationship with the natural world. “He didn’t hunt them,” as the song begins, “they were his friends”.</p>
<p><center><iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 470px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1214124342/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/track=508176099/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://truegreen.bandcamp.com/album/hail-disaster">Hail Disaster by True Green</a></iframe></center><em>Hail Disaster</em> will be released via <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/spacecase-records">Spacecase Records</a> on 24th March. Order it now via the True Green <a href="https://truegreen.bandcamp.com/album/hail-disaster">Bandcamp page</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Where&#8217;s Beth &#8211; Ache Is A Cricket In The Night</h3>
<p>&#8216;Ache Is A Cricket In The Night&#8217; is the title track from the new record by <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/wheres-beth/">Where&#8217;s Beth</a>, the recording project of Seattle-based Sarabeth Weszely. The follow up to 2024 debut <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2024/09/25/wheres-beth-bone-broth/"><em>Bone Broth</em></a>, the album &#8220;draw[s] on apparently mundane moments from every day life,&#8221; as <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2026/01/27/weekly-listening-january-2026-2/">we put it previously</a>, &#8220;to chart the universal experiences of love, grief and longing,&#8221; building upon the style of its predecessor in the process. The album is now out, and the title track is an ideal entry point for those unfamiliar with the Where&#8217;s Beth project, looking for a place to dive in. &#8220;I can feel your heart beat like a candleflame / Fingers stretching out, flicker in the rain,&#8221; Weszely sings in the opening lines, immediately evoking the intimacy and compassion of the record. &#8220;Wind blows, I want to tell you it’s okay / To let in.&#8221; The rest of the track unfolds within the warmth of this beginning, a safe harbour from the outside world and its accumulation of difficulties, but importantly not a total escape. For, as the title suggests, Where&#8217;s Beth is not interested in blocking out sadness or suffering but rather creating enough distance that we might examine them in the context of everything else.</p>
<p><center><iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 470px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2883205450/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/track=428196552/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://wheresbeth.bandcamp.com/album/ache-is-a-cricket-in-the-night-2">Ache Is A Cricket In The Night by Where&#8217;s Beth</a></iframe></center><em>Ache Is A Cricket In The Night</em> is out now via the Where&#8217;s Beth <a href="https://wheresbeth.bandcamp.com/album/ache-is-a-cricket-in-the-night-2">Bandcamp page</a>.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2026/03/09/weekly-listening-march-2026-2/">Weekly Listening: March 2026 #2</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">47900</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Weekly Listening: October 2024 #2</title>
		<link>https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2024/10/21/weekly-listening-october-2024-2/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jon Doyle]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 Oct 2024 18:35:51 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Weekly Listening]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Belfast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ben Van Bonn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Blue Deputy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brooklyn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Buenos Aires]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[canada]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cherub Dream Records]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dalliance Recordings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Daughter of Swords]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elori Saxl]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Neon Moon Records]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[north carolina]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Philadelphia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pocket Full of Crumbs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Psychic Hotline]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Record Euphoria]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[san francisco]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saskatoon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steph Cameron]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stephen Becker]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[This Lonesome Paradise]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[usa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[western vinyl]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/?p=43100</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Ben Van Bonn – Great West Arch Based in Brooklyn, Ben Van Bonn has made a name combining the traditional and the contemporary, taking a classic American fingerpicked style and reaching in new directions. Debut album Myth of the Middle Rung displayed how evocative this style could be, with singles like ‘Concord, MA’ highlighting a distinctive combination of archaic and digital sensibilities which created something delicate, spacious and shot through with some cryptic ancient power. Now Van Bonn is back [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2024/10/21/weekly-listening-october-2024-2/">Weekly Listening: October 2024 #2</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3 style="text-align: center;">Ben Van Bonn – Great West Arch</h3>
<p>Based in <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/brooklyn/">Brooklyn</a>, Ben Van Bonn has made a name combining the traditional and the contemporary, taking a classic American fingerpicked style and reaching in new directions. Debut album <em>Myth of the Middle Rung</em> displayed how evocative this style could be, with singles like ‘Concord, MA’ highlighting a distinctive combination of archaic and digital sensibilities which created something delicate, spacious and shot through with some cryptic ancient power. Now Van Bonn is back with <em>Further Than Thought</em>, a new full-length which strips things back further, forgoing any vocals and removing all instruments but guitar and electric bass. Named after an aquatic portal in the Farallon Islands, first single ‘Great West Arch’ doubles down on intricate fingerpicking to transport the audience to the Californian coast, and serves as a timely reminder that less is often more.</p>
<p><iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=963614004/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=1091882232/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://benvanbonn.bandcamp.com/album/myth-of-the-middle-rung-2">Myth of the Middle Rung by Ben Van Bonn</a></iframe></p>
<p><iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=730261482/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=3008846943/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://benvanbonn.bandcamp.com/album/further-than-thought">Further Than Thought by Ben Van Bonn</a></iframe></p>
<p>Further Than Thought is out on the 29th November and available to pre-order via <a href="https://benvanbonn.bandcamp.com/album/further-than-thought">Bandcamp</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Blue Deputy &#8211; Cypress</h3>
<p><a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/blue-deputy">Blue Deputy</a> was formed by Andy Bunting in <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/philadelphia/">Philadelphia</a> in 2020, and immediately won fans with the self-produced single &#8216;New Jersey&#8217;. Since then, Bunting has moved to <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/belfast/">Belfast</a> and recruited Caoilfhinn McFadden (bass) and Cathal Francis (guitar and vocals) to form the current Blue Deputy lineup. The band are currently working on their debut EP, and new single &#8216;Cypress&#8217; is perhaps our first taste of that. Released via new <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/dalliance-recordings/">Dalliance Recordings</a> imprint Under The Rolling Y, the song combines everything from soft bedroom pop and lyrical folk rock to the emotional intensity of Midwest emo. Bunting&#8217;s vocals smoulder and sway over steady percussion, subtle synths and wistful slide guitar, all coming together to from something that feels soft and raw with a clear-eyed clarity.</p>
<p><center><iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 442px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=53481590/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://bluedeputy.bandcamp.com/track/cypress">Cypress by Blue Deputy</a></iframe></center>&#8216;Cypress&#8217; is out now and available via the Blue Deputy <a href="https://bluedeputy.bandcamp.com/track/cypress">Bandcamp page</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Daughter of Swords &#8211; Alone Together</h3>
<p><a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/daughter-of-swords/">Daughter of Swords</a> is the solo project of <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/north-carolina/">North Carolina</a>&#8216;s Alex Sauser-Monnig, who you may also know as one third of Mountain Man and one half of <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/the-as/">The A&#8217;s</a>. Their debut album, <em><a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2019/12/11/daughter-of-swords-dawnbreaker/">Dawnbreaker</a></em>, came out in 2019, and followed a similar folk blueprint to those other projects. But the last few years have been ones of great personal change for Sauser-Monnig, and new single &#8216;Alone Together&#8217; very much reflects that. Created with help from log-time pals Jenn Wasner (Wye Oak, Flock of Dimes), Nick Sanborn (Sylvan Esso), and TJ Maiani (Weyes Blood, Neneh Cherry), the song pulses with synths and blossoming electronics, driven forward on a stream of potent guitar and muscular percussion. It&#8217;s a dispatch from what label <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/psychic-hotline/">Psychic Hotline</a> describe as &#8220;[a] fresh chapter of exploration and liberation,&#8221; exuding a buoyant confidence as we all trudge on through the barrage of bad news and complicated feelings.</p>
<p><center><iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 442px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=3808384350/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://daughterofswords.bandcamp.com/track/alone-together-2">Alone Together by Daughter of Swords</a></iframe></center>&#8216;Alone Together&#8217; is out now via Psychic Hotline and available via <a href="https://daughterofswords.bandcamp.com/track/alone-together-2">Bandcamp</a>. It is also part of the incredibly stacked <em>Cardinals At The Window</em> compilation in aid of Hurricane Helene relief and recovery. You can get that <a href="https://cardinalsatthewindow.bandcamp.com/album/cardinals-at-the-window-2">here</a>.</p>
<h3></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Elori Saxl &#8211; Grows Along The River Fast</h3>
<p>&#8220;Arrangements which combine digitally processed recordings of natural phenomena with analogue synths, MIDI samples and woodwind by Stuart Bogie, evoking not only the interplay between geography, ecology and human development in the area, but also the emotional landscape which results.&#8221; So we <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2024/09/27/elori-saxl-grows-along-the-river-slow/">wrote last month</a> when introducing <em>Earth Focus</em>, the new album from  <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/new-york/">New York</a>-based composer <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/elori-saxl/">Elori Saxl</a> on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/western-vinyl">Western Vinyl</a>. A soundtrack to the PBS documentary of the same name, the record evokes the Southern Californian topography, especially along the LA River, highlighting the environment&#8217;s rhythms and changes, so it is fitting latest single &#8216;Grows Along The River Fast&#8217; offers a different take to first single &#8216;Grows Along The River Slow&#8217;. A variation which switches up the length and tempo to offer a different picture of the same waterway, susceptible as it is to the varying conditions of the land.</p>
<p><center><iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 470px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3394120278/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/track=86090666/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://elorisaxl.bandcamp.com/album/earth-focus-original-score">Earth Focus (Original Score) by Elori Saxl</a></iframe></center><em>Earth Focus</em> is set to be released via Western Vinyl on 15th November. Pre-order it now from the Elori Saxl <a href="https://elorisaxl.bandcamp.com/album/earth-focus">Bandcamp page</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Max García Conover &#8211; coming up low</h3>
<p>A new month, a new single from <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/max-garcia-conover/">Max García Conover</a>, and this time he has company. &#8216;coming up low&#8217; sees Buenos Aires&#8217; Paula Prieto and New England&#8217;s Ben Cosgrove lend their talents, joining Conover on what is a characteristically sincere and tender track. Because while there are more voices in the mix, the song is a lesson in understatement. Mining the image of the moon in all of its isolation and pale sympathy, not to mention the way it encapsulates the stark power of a simple image. &#8220;I watched you dress in the soft light of the moon,&#8221; as one verse goes, &#8220;I was desperate and I was hopeless except for hoping that you wouldnt notice / I watched you dress in the soft light of the moon.&#8221; Elsewhere the night comes crashing down, and worst fears are realised, yet the lasting impression is that familiar blend of melancholy and hope experienced when looking up to see the moon rising again.</p>
<blockquote>
<h5>All month the moon coming up low coming up low coming up low<br />
I awoke and you were missing and you left me a letter in the kitchen</h5>
</blockquote>
<p><center><iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 442px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=2541008362/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://maxgarciaconover.bandcamp.com/track/coming-up-low-featuring-paula-prieto-ben-cosgrove">coming up low (featuring paula prieto &amp; ben cosgrove) by Max García Conover</a></iframe></center>&#8216;coming up low&#8217; is out now and available from <a href="https://maxgarciaconover.bandcamp.com/track/coming-up-low-featuring-paula-prieto-ben-cosgrove">Bandcamp</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Pocket Full of Crumbs &#8211; Ice Water</h3>
<p>This summer, <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/san-francisco/">San Francisco</a> outfit Pocket Full of Crumbs released <em>In My Hands I Hold A Lucky Cricket</em>, a full-length album on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/cherub-dream-records/">Cherub Dream Records</a>. With its marriage of post-punk, alt rock and shoegaze, the record embraces the twin forces of gauzy texture and crushing weight to create something which nods to the nineties while keeping its eye fixed firmly forward. It saw an admirable degree of variation across the songs—from the twitchy energy of tracks like &#8216;Blink&#8217; to the altogether heftier &#8216;In My Home&#8217;. Fan favourite &#8216;Ice Water&#8217; offers yet another dimension, where increased clarity grounds a downbeat and ambiguous sound which threatens to spill over into dark chaos but never quite does, highlighting an understanding of mood and sense of control which is sometimes lacking within the genre.</p>
<p><center><iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 470px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=941941414/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/track=1596816930/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://pocketfullofcrumbs.bandcamp.com/album/in-my-hands-i-hold-a-lucky-cricket">In My Hands I Hold A Lucky Cricket by Pocket Full Of Crumbs</a></iframe></center><em>In My Hands I Hold A Lucky Cricket</em> is out now via Cherub Dream Records and available from <a href="https://pocketfullofcrumbs.bandcamp.com/album/in-my-hands-i-hold-a-lucky-cricket">Bandcamp</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Sonya &#8211; Inside &amp; Out</h3>
<p>Sonya released their debut <em>At What Cost?</em> earlier this year, a succinct collection of songs as comfortable offering late-night emotion as it was an upbeat swagger. If this duality marked the album, then new single &#8216;Inside &amp; Out&#8217; confronts such an idea head on. Another example of Sonya&#8217;s fantastic ability to sound at once confessional and carefree, intimate feelings communicated without sacrificing any of sense of confidence or attitude. With a taut rhythm that pulls the audience in and a singalong finale keeping them there until the close, the song is yet more evidence that the star of Sonya is rising and one to watch in the coming months.</p>
<p><center><iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1919099858&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true&amp;visual=true" width="100%" height="300" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe></center></p>
<div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc; line-break: anywhere; word-break: normal; overflow: hidden; white-space: nowrap; text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif; font-weight: 100;"><a style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" title="Sonya" href="https://soundcloud.com/sonyahtml" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sonya</a> · <a style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" title="Inside &amp; Out" href="https://soundcloud.com/sonyahtml/inside-out" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Inside &amp; Out</a></div>
<p>&#8216;Inside &amp; Out&#8217; is now available via streaming services.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Steph Cameron &#8211; Today</h3>
<p>Having just announced a UK and European tour along with fellow Canadian songwriter <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/Abigail-Lapell/">Abigail Lapell</a>, Saskatoon’s Steph Cameron has shared new single, ‘Today’. Her first new release in seven years, the single offers a glimpse of a full-length forthcoming next year on Neon Moon Records, and sees Cameron build upon the atmospheric and thematically charged style of folk which made previous records <i>Sad-Eyed Lonesome Lady</i> and <em>Daybreak Over Jackson Street</em> so special. A song as assured as it is emotive, simmering with brooding longing as it contemplates complex ideas of identity and history with a straightforward confidence. “&#8217;Today&#8217; is a song about reconnecting with both our living and ancestral communities,” she explains. “It is about the pain of turning away from your identity and the strength and pride found in turning toward it.”</p>
<p><iframe title="Today" width="1170" height="878" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Hsl2DsabG60?list=OLAK5uy_k8Fri5ZQVIsmS-op-54rydzex-at1l3OY" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span class="TextRun SCXW243503159 BCX0" lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" data-contrast="auto"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW243503159 BCX0">‘Today’ is out now </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW243503159 BCX0">via Neon Moon Records. You can find the dates of the Steph Cameron and Abigail </span><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW243503159 BCX0">Lapell</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW243503159 BCX0"> tour <a href="https://www.stephcameron.com/tour">here</a>.</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW243503159 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Stephen Becker &#8211; Range</h3>
<p>The forthcoming album from  <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/los-angeles/">LA</a>-born, <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/brooklyn/">Brooklyn</a>-based songwriter <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/stephen-becker/">Stephen Becker</a>, <em>Middle Child Syndrome </em>is a record concerned with change in all its guises, exploring the duality of permanence and decay inherent within existence itself with a distinctively personal slant. &#8220;The album sees Becker lean into this unorthodox style with an almost stream-of-consciousness immediacy,&#8221; we <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2024/09/12/stephen-becker-the-answer/">wrote in a preview</a>, &#8220;as though the audience is given a direct invitation into his daily existence.&#8221; With vocals from Alena Spanger, latest single &#8216;Range&#8217; puts forward a more subdued, restrained aspect of the record, the absence of drums creating a kind of torpor into which anxious thoughts inevitably seep, and the slow drift of time offers not peace but unease.</p>
<blockquote>
<h5>Microcosm of your parents, brother left LA<br />
By this age you already had Michael I was late<br />
Melody recycled wind me up and watch me spin</h5>
<h5>I’m not lost, I’m just outside my range<br />
I’m not lost, I’m just a little spaced</h5>
</blockquote>
<p><center><iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 470px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3643326133/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/track=2951264933/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://stephenbecker.bandcamp.com/album/middle-child-syndrome">Middle Child Syndrome by Stephen Becker</a></iframe></center><em>Middle Child Syndrome</em> is out on the 25th October via <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/record-euphoria/">Record Euphoria</a> and you can pre-order it from <a href="https://stephenbecker.bandcamp.com/album/middle-child-syndrome">Bandcamp</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">This Lonesome Paradise &#8211; Into the Ether</h3>
<p>Led by E. Ray Béchard, <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/this-lonesome-paradise/">This Lonesome Paradise</a> specialise in a dark and mysterious brand of Western noir. Last week they released a new record, <em>Luna Nocturna</em>, via Bad Vibes Good Friends, a collection of eight songs that we <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2024/08/27/weekly-listening-august-2024-4/">previously described</a> as “a meditation on the American Dream with all its brutality, broken promises and betrayals.” Likening it to a Cormac McCarthy novel, the label describe the album as “an evocative journey through desolate landscapes and haunting narratives, capturing the raw essence of the American West.” This is very much apparent on centrepiece and standout track ‘Into the Ether’, a slinky and surreal slow-burn rock song that feels like a midnight cruise along a desert highway, taking us deep into the shadowy heart of the nation.</p>
<p><center><iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 470px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2755131211/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/track=2716147697/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://thislonesomeparadise.bandcamp.com/album/luna-nocturna">Luna Nocturna by This Lonesome Paradise</a></iframe></center><em>Luna Nocturna</em> is out now and available via the This Lonesome Paradise <a href="https://thislonesomeparadise.bandcamp.com/album/luna-nocturna">Bandcamp page</a>.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2024/10/21/weekly-listening-october-2024-2/">Weekly Listening: October 2024 #2</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">43100</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Stephen Becker &#8211; The Answer</title>
		<link>https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2024/09/12/stephen-becker-the-answer/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jon Doyle]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Sep 2024 19:44:33 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[New Music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Los Angeles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New York]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Record Euphoria]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stephen Becker]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[usa]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/?p=42777</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>&#8220;Work[s] in the indie-psych tradition of the late noughties/early 2010s, adding jazz and baroque pop sensibilities to a more traditional singer-songwriter style,&#8221; we wrote of LA-born, Brooklyn-based songwriter Stephen Becker back in August when introducing his forthcoming album Middle Child Syndrome. &#8220;An effort, at least in part, to rise above the mundane present, as though to be trapped within conventions is to be restricted by the same inability to communicate effectively that haunts our everyday lives.&#8221; Forthcoming on Record Euphoria, the album [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2024/09/12/stephen-becker-the-answer/">Stephen Becker &#8211; The Answer</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&#8220;Work[s] in the indie-psych tradition of the late noughties/early 2010s, adding jazz and baroque pop sensibilities to a more traditional singer-songwriter style,&#8221; we wrote of <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/los-angeles/">LA</a>-born, <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/brooklyn/">Brooklyn</a>-based songwriter <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/stephen-becker/">Stephen Becker</a> back <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2024/08/19/weekly-listening-august-2024-3/">in August</a> when introducing his forthcoming album <em>Middle Child Syndrome</em>. &#8220;An effort, at least in part, to rise above the mundane present, as though to be trapped within conventions is to be restricted by the same inability to communicate effectively that haunts our everyday lives.&#8221; Forthcoming on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/record-euphoria/">Record Euphoria</a>, the album sees Becker lean into this unorthodox style with an almost stream-of-consciousness immediacy, as though the audience is given a direct invitation into his daily existence.</p>
<p>New single &#8216;The Answer&#8217; furthers this sound. A disarmingly bright folk song which pairs a relaxed rhythm with altogether more uncertain, agitated lyrics, the gentle vocals only underscoring the authenticity of what is being said. But this carries its own contradiction, because what is being said is an attempt to convey just how difficult it is to explain the truth of one&#8217;s feelings. And thus &#8216;The Answer&#8217; represents a straightforward communication about how it is never straightforward to communicate. “[The song is] about how we often lose ourselves, unable to know what we really want or even how to answer simple questions,” Becker says. “We give answers that we think are true, but in the end are maybe just what the other person wants to hear.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote>
<h5>He’s a mess and sitting there just waiting to be funny<br />
But I’m upset ‘cause no one else knows what exactly’s coming<br />
Take a breath and take a step towards walking, then towards running<br />
With no pretense, a separation forced us not to hurry but I’m worried you’re alone</h5>
<h5>Well I gave you the answer, I gave you the answer you wanted</h5>
</blockquote>
<p><iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3643326133/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=1998264396/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://stephenbecker.bandcamp.com/album/middle-child-syndrome">Middle Child Syndrome by Stephen Becker</a></iframe></p>
<p><iframe title="Stephen Becker - &quot;The Answer&quot; (Official Video)" width="1170" height="658" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zdD6WI9gZ4c?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>Middle Child Syndrome</em> is out on the 25th October via Record Euphoria and you can pre-order it from <a href="https://stephenbecker.bandcamp.com/album/middle-child-syndrome">Bandcamp</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://i0.wp.com/varioussmallflames.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/stephen-becker-lp.jpg?ssl=1"><img data-recalc-dims="1" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/varioussmallflames.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/stephen-becker-lp.jpg?resize=1170%2C829&#038;ssl=1" alt="Vinyl art for Middle Child Syndrome by Stephen Becker" width="1170" height="829" /></a></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2024/09/12/stephen-becker-the-answer/">Stephen Becker &#8211; The Answer</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">42777</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Weekly Listening: August 2024 #3</title>
		<link>https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2024/08/19/weekly-listening-august-2024-3/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jon Doyle]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Aug 2024 18:21:14 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[New Music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aotearoa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[british columbia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cali Bellow]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[canada]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[country girl]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Death And The Maiden]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dog eyes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dogwood Tales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dunedin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dwi Riana]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Earth Libraries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FADER Label]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fishrider Records]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Grand Jury Music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kamloops]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Liverpool]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mother Sun]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Zealand]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Oakland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Occultation Recordings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Port Chalmers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Record Euphoria]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stephen Becker]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Yammerer]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/?p=42325</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Cali Bellow &#8211; Goldin Scepter The project of Agriculture&#8217;s Leah B Levinson, Cali Bellow makes music concerned with the tension and interplay between the interior and exterior, real and fictional. Thematically, new album Ciao Bella owes as much to Dark Souls and The Muppets as it does Ursula Le Guinn and Joanna Russ, not to mention the environment of Altadena, California. A deep consideration of ideas of artifice and abstraction which always challenges limitations, be they of genre, gender or [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2024/08/19/weekly-listening-august-2024-3/">Weekly Listening: August 2024 #3</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3 style="text-align: center;">Cali Bellow &#8211; Goldin Scepter</h3>
<p>The project of Agriculture&#8217;s Leah B Levinson, Cali Bellow makes music concerned with the tension and interplay between the interior and exterior, real and fictional. Thematically, new album <em>Ciao Bella</em> owes as much to <em>Dark Souls</em> and <em>The Muppets</em> as it does Ursula Le Guinn and Joanna Russ, not to mention the environment of Altadena, California. A deep consideration of ideas of artifice and abstraction which always challenges limitations, be they of genre, gender or spirituality. Taking inspiration from songs like &#8216;Full Of Happiness&#8217; by H.O.T. and &#8216;I, Me, Mine&#8217; by Godflesh, as well as the hyperactive soundtracks of games like Sonic, new single &#8216;Goldin Scepter&#8217; is a microcosm of the wider album. A myriad of influences deconstructed and rearranged in order to build a world of its own. &#8220;I wanted to pull on the zany character that a lot of ska, funk and pop music teases and push it to a more monstrous effect,&#8221; as Levinson explains.</p>
<p><center><iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 470px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=873071973/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/track=2458617233/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://calibellow.bandcamp.com/album/ciao-bella">Ciao Bella by Cali Bellow</a></iframe></center><em>Ciao Bella</em> is out on the 25th October and you can pre-order it now from <a href="https://calibellow.bandcamp.com/album/ciao-bella">Bandcamp</a>.</p>
<h3></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">country girl &#8211; your favorite girl</h3>
<p>Blending an upbringing in classical music with a present love of pop, country girl creates music to bring to life those small personal experiences which make life worth living. Having recently signed with the FADER Label, the project is now back with a new single &#8216;your favorite girl&#8217;, the ideal introduction for anyone unfamiliar with the project. &#8220;A song about the movie scenes we film, direct, and act in our heads while in the frenzy of a crush,&#8221; as the artist explains. That pressing desire to be a main character in story, however small that story might be. Even if it just means being someone else&#8217;s favorite girl.</p>
<blockquote>
<h5>I wanna look you in the eye<br />
Oh man it gets me every time<br />
I wanna shine inside your world<br />
I wanna be your favorite girl</h5>
</blockquote>
<p><iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1896787968&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc; line-break: anywhere; word-break: normal; overflow: hidden; white-space: nowrap; text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif; font-weight: 100;"><a style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" title="country girl" href="https://soundcloud.com/country_girl_online" target="_blank" rel="noopener">country girl</a> · <a style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" title="your favorite girl" href="https://soundcloud.com/country_girl_online/your-favorite-girl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">your favorite girl</a></div>
<p><iframe title="country girl - your favorite girl [Visualizer]" width="1170" height="658" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F53RncrqtZ0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>&#8216;your favorite girl&#8217; is out now via FADER label and available from <a href="https://countrygirl.ffm.to/yfg">the usual places</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Death And The Maiden &#8211; Waratah</h3>
<p>Based in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/aotearoa/">Aotearoa</a>/<a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/new-zealand/">New Zealand</a> trio Death And The Maiden take not only their name from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_and_the_Maiden_(motif)">an engraving by Edvard Munch</a>, but their entire atmosphere. A meeting of strength and vulnerability, shadow and light. Moreover, a willingness to embrace ambiguity within a sound which draws upon everything from electronic, folk and psych to house and dance. Released via <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/fishrider-records/">Fishrider Records</a> (southern hemisphere) and <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/occultation-records/">Occultation Recordings</a> (northern hemisphere), new album <em>Uneven Ground</em> is perhaps their most experimental to date, though conversely sees them embrace pop too. Single &#8216;Waratah&#8217; displays such contradictions in all their alluring layers, allowing freedom and restraint to sit side by side.</p>
<p><center><iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 470px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2744341081/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/track=2708644902/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://fishriderrecords.bandcamp.com/album/uneven-ground">Uneven Ground by Death And The Maiden</a></iframe></center><em>Uneven Ground</em> is out now via Fishrider Records and Occultation Recording and is <a href="https://fishriderrecords.bandcamp.com/album/uneven-ground">available from Bandcamp</a>.</p>
<h3></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">dog eyes &#8211; drive</h3>
<p>&#8220;A reach towards an almost cinematic brand of pop that leaves none of the emotion behind,&#8221; we wrote of &#8216;moment&#8217; by <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/dog-eyes/">dog eyes</a>, &#8220;where friendship is at once the most intimate and soaring experiences one might be lucky enough to hold in their life.&#8221; The song typified the <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/oakland/">Oakland</a> band&#8217;s new album <em>holy friend</em>, which explores how relationships and connection not only shape us but morph over time. With the record now out via <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/grand-jury-music">Grand Jury Music</a>, dog eyes have released a new single, &#8216;drive&#8217;. An example of the more folk-adjacent side of the album, the song tells the story of a road trip into the mountains with all the quiet seclusion of the leafy backroads, gentle guitar and ramshackle percussion sparkling sleepily behind sincere vocals. The result feels like a small and sweet moment grasped in its moment of transience and fixed to tape.</p>
<blockquote>
<h5>I would not say words if I did not mean them<br />
Tired of monotony<br />
Just drive this Sequoia please<br />
To some distance where I cannot see<br />
Where I’ll forget how to tell where I am</h5>
</blockquote>
<p><center><iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 470px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1602488339/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/track=2223112140/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://dogeyesforever.bandcamp.com/album/holy-friend">holy friend by dog eyes</a></iframe></center><em>holy friend</em> is out now via Grand Jury Music and you can get it from the dog eyes <a href="https://dogeyesforever.bandcamp.com/album/holy-friend">Bandcamp page</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Dogwood Tales &#8211; driver&#8217;s side fantasy</h3>
<p>Based in Harrisonburg, Virginia, Dogwood Tales originated in 2016 with Ben Ryan and Kyle Grim and soon expanded to become a full band with the addition of Danny Gibney (bass), Stephen Kuester (pedal steel) and Jake Golibart (drums). Working within a country-inflected rock style, the project has released a number of albums and EPs, most recently <em>Rodeo</em> via WarHen Records, and is putting out a brand new tape later this summer. Latest single &#8216;driver&#8217;s side fantasy&#8217; introduces the sound, occupying that post-Drive-By Trucker&#8217;s sphere alongside the likes of MJ Lenderman. Watch the video filmed by Travis Legg below:</p>
<p><iframe title="Dogwood Tales - driver&#039;s side fantasy" width="1170" height="878" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vvqmHWMLvvs?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>&#8216;driver&#8217;s side fantasy&#8217; is out now and available from <a href="https://linktr.ee/dogwoodtales">the usual places</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Dwi Riana x Orkes Garasi &#8211; Ku Bisa</h3>
<p>Indonesian-Canadian artist <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/dwi-riana/">Dwi Riana</a> has made a name for working across genres, finding inspiration in everything from folk, hip hop and traditional music to bossa nova and jazz, and new single &#8216;Ku Bisa&#8217; is the project of yet another direction. &#8220;I had the amazing opportunity of composing for an Indonesian short film titled <em>A Day Apart on the Seventeenth</em>, directed by Noel Pendawa,&#8221; they explain, a process which saw them team up with Toronto-based Indonesian Keroncong band, Orkes Garasi. Channelling the themes of Pendawa&#8217;s film, the song explores ideas of homesickness by melding Keroncong and folk styles, and the result sees the narrator turning to dreams as their only mode of escape.</p>
<p><iframe title="Ku Bisa (feat. Orkes Garasi)" width="1170" height="878" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_bXa342Xp2w?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>&#8216;Ku Bisa&#8217; is out now via streaming services.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Mother Sun &#8211; Giant Bog</h3>
<p>&#8220;I think with these songs we wanted to create a record that sonically speaks to the magic that is constantly unfolding all around in the natural world.&#8221; That&#8217;s how lead Jared Doherty describes Mother Sun&#8217;s latest album, <em>Meadow 6</em>, which is coming soon via <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/earth-libraries/">Earth Libraries</a>. Fittingly, many of the songs originated when playing guitar outside in the garden, with the Kamloops, <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/british-columbia/">BC</a> outfit not only exploring the diversity of nature but humanity&#8217;s relationship with it. Something to escape into, to explore and study, cultivate and exploit. Crafted from a vivid psych-rock sound that reaches towards jazz, krautrock and retro folk, the album comes to form an environment of its own, as captured by new single and closer, &#8216;Giant Bog&#8217;. A sprawling track which serves as a kind of retro-futurist hothouse within which all manner of things can sprout and grow wild.</p>
<p><center><iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 470px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2327385084/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/track=3486567932/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://mothersunmusic.bandcamp.com/album/meadow-6">Meadow 6 by Mother Sun</a></iframe></center><em>Meadow 6</em> is out on the 4th October via Earth Libraries and you can <a href="https://mothersunmusic.bandcamp.com/album/meadow-6">pre-order it now</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Stephen Becker &#8211; I Held An Echo</h3>
<p>This October, Stephen Becker is releasing his new full-length <em>Middle Child Syndrome</em> via Record Euphoria. The album sees the <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/los-angeles/">LA</a>-born, <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/brooklyn/">Brooklyn</a>-based songwriter work in the indie-psych tradition of the late noughties/early 2010s, adding jazz and baroque pop sensibilities to a more traditional singer-songwriter style. An effort, at least in part, to rise above the mundane present, as though to be trapped within conventions is to be restricted by the same inability to communicate effectively that haunts our everyday lives. Single &#8216;I Held An Echo&#8217; hints at the widescreen scope of the resulting sound, though the glitch and shimmer of the dreamlike arrangement hints at the precarity of any attempt to escape our usual constraints.</p>
<p><iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3643326133/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=977923107/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://stephenbecker.bandcamp.com/album/middle-child-syndrome">Middle Child Syndrome by Stephen Becker</a></iframe></p>
<p><em>Middle Child Syndrome</em> is out on the 25th October via Record Euphoria and you can pre-order it from <a href="https://stephenbecker.bandcamp.com/album/middle-child-syndrome">Bandcamp</a>.</p>
<h3></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Yammerer &#8211; ESZ &#8211; Erth Station Zebra</h3>
<p>How do you convince people to engage with album-length work in this age of streaming and algorithmic playlists? Liverpool&#8217;s <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/yammerer/">Yammerer</a> have one potential solution. Erth Station Zebra might be packaged as an album on Bandcamp and the like, but the release is intended as a single composition. Or as the band put it, &#8220;a transcendent odyssey&#8221; which runs through six movements across its forty-four minutes. Previous releases like <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2019/11/26/yammerer-reality-escape-resort/"><em>Reality Escape Resort</em></a> might have positioned them in the contemporary post-punk revival, but there was always something different about the outfit. An extra level of ambition and invention. <em>Erth Station Zebra</em> sees them embrace this side of their work wholeheartedly, leaning into transportive psych to not only revitalise the appetite for in-depth pieces of work, but position themselves as one of the UK&#8217;s most interesting projects to keep an eye on moving into the future.</p>
<p><center><iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 470px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1316459131/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://yammerermusic.bandcamp.com/album/erth-station-zebra">Erth Station Zebra by Yammerer</a></iframe></center><em>Erth Station Zebra </em>is out now and available from the Yammerer <a href="https://yammerermusic.bandcamp.com/album/erth-station-zebra">Bandcamp page</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2024/08/19/weekly-listening-august-2024-3/">Weekly Listening: August 2024 #3</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">42325</post-id>	</item>
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