Month: July 2017

The Clear – America

     The Clear make retro pop-flavored music that reminds you of the days when The Mama’s and The Papa’s were all the rage-that is to say that it does if you were alive then.  The collection of mostly previously released singles from this Sheffield, UK band, Patchwork (November 2016), includes America (seen/heard here) from back when the band was just recently formed in 2013. The video’s the band makes are largely formed from stock clips of 60′s videos, which is in keeping with the retro sound. America’s lyrical reminder of a…

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James Elkington – Make It Up

     James Elkington is someone you’ve probably never heard of but yet you’ve heard plenty from. That’s because Mr. Elkington has played in several well-known bands, collaborating with such artists as Richard Thompson and James Tweedy. His finger-style guitar licks are a magical bit of musical sorcery here on Make It Up, the lead-off track from Elkington’s forthcoming debut solo LP, Wintres Woma, which is ‘the sound of winter’ in old English. [The record is due to be released on June 30, 2017, but due to forward posting, it…

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Son Little – Blue Magic (Waikiki)

     Son Little makes wonderful rhythm and blues and soul. He’s grown from the seeds that he planted with his 2015 debut self-titled long-player, which heralded the roots of this music, to construct new funky soundscapes for his sophomore effort, New Magic (due out September 2017). Blue Magic is from that soon-to-be-released LP.  Working as both a singer, songwriter and musician as well as a producer, Son Little has toured with diverse acts such as Shakey Graves and Mumfort & Sons to name just two.  In 2016, his production talents…

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The Dead South – In Hell I’ll Be In Good Company

     The Dead South is a gravelly, gritty, road-worn bunch of Canadian misfits. Their brand of bluegrass and Americana influenced folk is full of stories of misdeeds and mayhem, but it’s something that you can get your feet into. Coming from diverse musical backgrounds that included metal and singer-songwriter, this unlikely amalgam somehow manages to make great and infectious music.  In Hell I’ll Be In Good Company (seen/heard here), is from the group’s first long-player,  Good Company (April 2014), but the band has a…

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