Nadine Carina

Recently, I’ve had the pleasure to interview the lovely and talented Liverpool-based singer-songwriter Nadine Carina.
Nadine Carina’s music has been keeping me company for the past few weeks. ‘Storm/Calm’ is a gorgeous track off her third EP, ‘Little bits’, which you can download for free on her bandcamp.
This great track featuring producer Gated, is perfect for unwinding after a long and tiring day. It is probably my favorite track on the EP along with ‘Gâteau aux Pommes’.
Nadine says of ‘Little Bits’, ‘these songs are a continuous experimentation of sounds and ambiences, created in my bedroom with a loop station, a MIDI keyboard, a Monotron Synth, noise of pens, wrenches, a folding ruler and my cat.’ (more…)

Rachel Sermanni

‘Sleep, baby, sleep, I don’t mind if you leave, we will part in our dreams, let them come…’

Il n’y a pas de vie humaine sans rêve, pas de nuit sans rêve même quand on ne s’en souvient pas. Mais y’a-t-il des jours sans rêve? il y a des jours sans souvenir de rêve et il y a des états de veille où le rêve et la réalité s’entremêlent de telle sorte qu’on ne peut pas distinguer l’un de l’autre.
Do you remember your last dream? I do.
Last night, I dreamt that I had the chance to interview Scottish singer-songwriter Rachel Sermanni…Dreams do come true sometimes :)

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Douglas Dare

Douglas Dare is a talented singer-songwriter and performer based in London.
His first album entitled ‘EP1’ is a truly gorgeous collection of songs with heartfelt vocals and beautiful arrangements. Douglas Dare says that he’s inspired by Patrick Wolf, Rufus Wainwright, Thom Yorke and PJ Harvey. I first heard the ballad ‘Thirty-One Pages (Caroline)’ and was immediately captivated by it. ‘Glorious Feeling’ is another song that I really like. Douglas also wrote a piano score for the short film Dorset by Night, directed by Steven Banks. Watch the great live performance of his tracks ‘Flames’, ‘Sticks and Stones’ and ‘London’s Rose’ below. (more…)

Burnt Ones

Get ready to have a good time with Burnt Ones.
Burnt Ones is a great San Francisco three-piece who describe their sound as ‘hologram rock’.
The band is made up of Mark Tester (Vocal / Guitar), Amy Crouch (Drums), and Brian Allen (Bass). Their new 7-inch ‘Meet The Golden One b/w Luv’ came out last March on Burger Records/Gold Records. You can download their track ‘Bury Me In Smoke’ and see the video for ‘Meet the Golden One’ below.
Burnt Ones will play on May 16 w/ Thee Oh Sees, Mallard and Warm Soda so make sure to buy tickets now before it’s all sold out. Do not miss them!

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Total Slacker

Feeling nostalgic for the ’90s? Well don’t worry I got exactly what you need. Let me introduce you to a fantastic Brooklyn based band called Total Slacker. From left to right we have: Tucker Rountree, Emily Jane and Ross Condor. The band’s name is a reference to Richard Linklater’s film ‘Slacker’.
My personal favorites from their debut album ‘Thrashin’ are ‘Magical Date Night’, ‘Thyme Traveling High School Dropout’ and ‘Psychic Mesa’.
The trio (soon to be a quartet!) is currenty working on several projects so keep your eye on them!!
Read the interview below and check out the rad video for their track ‘Crystal Necklace’ here.

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Shimmering Stars

Last year, Canadian band Shimmering Stars released their debut album ‘Violent Hearts’, with the catchy lead single ‘I’m Gonna Try’.
I found myself playing their track ‘Sabians’ over and over. Such a beautiful track and album.
The band is made up of Rory McClure (vocals and guitar), Andrew Dergousoff (vocals and drums), and Brent Sasaki (vocals and bass).
You can download their track ‘When I See You Again’ below. This gorgeous track will be featured on Shimmering Stars’ upcoming EP, ‘Ghosts Past’, due out March 5th via Almost Musique. You can pre-order it here. A portion of the proceeds will go to benefit Jason Molina’s Medical Fund.
Highly recommended.

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Luke Rathborne

Here’s some very beautiful music I’d like to share with you: Luke Rathborne‘s Double EP ‘Dog Years / I Can Be One’. His songs always seem to take me somewhere else when I listen to them.
I came across this NYC based artist during one of my insomnia nights and he quickly became one of my favorite songwriters. His track ‘Dog Years’ immediately won me over. I also love ‘Cold Breeze’ (Check out his incredible live performance of that track here). His lyrics and music are haunting and authentic. Luke vit ses chansons et ceux qui l’écoutent le ressentent aussi.
Digital tracks can be downloaded on his Bandcamp, and if you purchase his vinyl, a book of poems titled L.A. written by Luke Rathborne himself comes along with it. How great is that!

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His Clancyness

His Clancyness is Jonathan Clancy, a Canadian singer-songwriter living in Bologna, Italy, who makes lo-fi, dream pop music.
To get into his world, go ahead and have a bite of ‘Summer Majestic’, a fantastic track to start off the week. Make sure you also check the cool video made by Jamie Harley for this single. Another of my favourite tracks is ‘Mistify The Ocean’ from his debut album ‘Always Mist’. I love the lyrics and atmosphere. Last but not least, his latest project is a collaboration with a great band called Shimmering Stars. This new release came out just today! (Oct. 31st). Be sure to get a copy! You can stream the tracks ‘Carve a Peach’ and ‘Not Growing Up’ on SoundCloud.

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Slim Moore & The Mar-Kays

I’ve been digging their music from the moment I heard it. Let me introduce you to the Souljazz Orchestra‘s brand new project: ‘Slim Moore and The Mar-Kays’. This time, the Souljazz crew combines his talent with Jamaican-Canadian singer Slim Moore along with the One Faith Gospel singers.
The result is outstanding as the band brings you that authentic soul and funk sound from the ’70s. Check out their excellent cover of Syl Johnson’s classic ‘Is It Because I’m Black’. ‘Introducing Slim Moore and the Mar-Kays’ is an album that I will keep in heavy rotation for a long, long time…
Spread the word! :)

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Carousels

Longtime friends Nick Benton and Lucy Wilson create music under the name Carousels.
I discovered this great Guildford based duo a few weeks ago while browsing the website Abeano. Their track ‘Here To Me’ has been fitting my recent mood. Watch the self-made video for ‘Carousel’ below and listen to another track ‘Sleep’ on their soundcloud. They will be making their first live show for Binnacle festival in October so if you like what you hear, I urge you all to buy tickets!
I cannot wait to listen to their debut album.
Highly recommended.

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