Chris Stamey & The Fellow Travelers "A Brand-New Shade Of Blue (Omnivore)"
From Omnivore Records:
Chris Stamey’s collaboration with The Fellow Travelers, A Brand-New Shade Of Blue, was inspired by the intimate small-combo sound of the late ’50s and early ’60s—a time when the “cool jazz” compositions of such luminaries as John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Miles Davis, and Thelonious Monk lived alongside the expanding pop vocabulary of Burt Bacharach and Jimmy Webb. “These are songs for late nights and rainy days,” Chris explains. “I wrote most of it in the dark of winter, in whispers, in the ‘wee small hours of the morning,’ that magic time ‘when the whole wide world is fast asleep.’ And these great singers and musicians kept that mood alive throughout the sessions that followed.”
Flower "None Is (But Once Was) (Ernest Jenning Record Co.)"
From Ernest Jenning Record Co.:
1986. New York City. Trash cans ablaze in vacant lots. Wheels stolen, cars on blocks. A new noise was rising amid the rubble of abandoned buildings; this was the beginning, and Flower would take root and thrive here. Over their three years of initial outburst, Flower recorded two albums; the first, Concrete, dark and raging, pounding and brutal. The following year brought Hologram Sky; a glimpse of redemption, the promise of Spring on a bitter March wind, melodic and noisy, precise and chaotic, icy and warm. Their live shows walked the third rail, one step from catastrophe, one step from Valhalla, pushing density, rhapsody and bombast to their limits. Flower were young and foolish, naively insightful and blissfully ignorant, unaware of the power with which they toyed.
Naturally, they self-destructed.
The survivors, most notably Ed and Richard Baluyut, went on to form the indie icons Versus. Ian James managed to crawl away unscathed, only to end up in Geffen flame-out Cell, but later would reunite with drummer Andrew Bordwin to form French. This was to be the lay of the land for the next three decades until…
Flower returned.
Having always remained close, while Ian was recording the most recent Versus releases, discussion turned to seeing what would happen if all four original Flower members locked themselves in the studio until an album had been written. So it was agreed, and so it was done. None knew what to expect – would they kill each other? Worse, would the music be lame? The road took many detours, but the goal was finally realized: the first Flower album in 30 years.
Snowgoose "The Making Of You (Ba Da Bing)"
From Ba Da Bing Records:
The follow-up to their critically acclaimed debut, “Harmony Springs”, sees the songwriting duo of guitarist Jim McCulloch and singer Anna Sheard supported by a who’s who of Scottish pop music, including members of Belle and Sebastian, The Pearlfishers, and Teenage Fanclub. Tracing a line through ‘60s West Coast psychedelia and early ‘70s folk-rock, Snowgoose create something both timeless and unique, music which transcends its influences to assert itself as modern and forward thinking.
“The Making of You” represents a new chapter in the Snowgoose story. While their 2012 debut was largely written by former Soup Dragons guitarist Jim, the new songs see Anna step forward as a lyricist and melodist. The result of this collaboration between the pair is a record of rare beauty, one moment intimate, the next utterly exuberant.
Joey Pecoraro "Sea Monster (Rough Trade Publishing)"
Joey Pecoraro‘s latest full-length LP Sea Monster is a genre-busting mix of electronica, lounge, trip-hop, and pop.