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colourspacecolour releases jovial new eponymous EP

2 Nov

They say not to judge a book by its cover, but sometimes I do end up judging bands by their names. I very nearly ignored Clap Your Hands Say Yeah because the name alone was too much for me to handle. You can’t have a comically simple name that is five words long, no one will remember it! But the music was enough to get me past it. “Satan Said Dance” remains one of my all-time favorite songs.

I discovered Sun Comes Out Twice As Bright a little more than a year ago, and fell in love with their sweet synth pop. Their name didn’t exactly roll off of my tongue but I was happy to see a talented female duo enter the scene. (Even the acronym SCOTAB felt uncomfortable to say.) The ladies, Pearl Button and Claudine Michael, had released a couple tracks under that moniker before rebranding- after some tinkering, they now only respond to colourspacecolour. (That name is hard for me to spell because I’m American and want to leave out that useless ‘u’ in ‘color.’) Only one video remains of their old persona, and it proves that these gals have a sense of humor on top of musical talent.

colourspacecolour have now emerged suddenly with a new eponymous EP, leading with “Ocean Floor,” their newest single. It is exactly what I remember loving about Sun Comes Out Twice As Bright, but has a darker feel than their previous sunny and bright demeanor. Not to say colourspacecolour isn’t any fun, quite the opposite, just listen to “Upside Down Inside Out.” I just love that whether they are brooding or gushing over a crush they are still one of the sweetest, most fun pop groups I’ve heard lately.

Check out colourspacecolour’s debut EP, out now. Find colourspacecolour on Facebook and Twitter.

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Magical Mystery of the Day: EVA

16 Oct

The internet is incomprehensibly vast. I like to occasionally dip my toe into the abyss of music on Bandcamp, by following tags of places I’ve never heard of, or wading through gag tags. I find a lot of insanity, but this time I’ve found a gem. Unfortunately, I’m not quite clear what the gem is yet, because it is clouded by its own mystery.

EVA is a delightful folk artist with some opera-worthy vibratos thrown in for good measure, but it’s her distinct personality that makes her so compelling. She describes her EP as the precise dictionary definition of “catholic,” and calls her music a litany of humorous and even minorly self-deprecating genres, including yolk folk and scat scum. This abrasive yet endearing tone isn’t so far from that of her songs, if you go through and really analyze her lyrics. “Trash” contains both a nervous and glucose breakdown, which I like to think are directly related to the plot of the track. Not to mention my favorite line(s) from her other song, “No Star”: “Lovable is really so absurd for you to boast/ Coming from a parasite I keep pining to host.” How romantic.

What is the cherry on top of this lovely new artist is her dedication to withholding any information about herself or her career. From my extensive five minute research on this artist, I cannot locate a website, social media presence, or even any suggestion that any Eva Patterson in the world has musical talent. Who are you Eva? Give me more music for my ears!

Find the only information available on this phantom on Bandcamp.

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Tall Fences Make Good Neighbors and other advice from Magic Bronson

12 Oct

magicbronson4Magic Bronson may not have coined that famous phrase about neighbors and fences, but the tone in their most recent single seems to match it. All things considered, “Fences” by Magic Bronson is a tribute to the duo’s parents, and a catchy one at that. But there is still an aspect of the track that feels tongue in cheek, which seems to both thank the most important people in their lives while also acknowledging just how hard it is to follow your dreams. “Good enough just doesn’t make it, kid you gotta take it into your own hands,” cries frontman Michael Nicastro. Brutal advice, but if you’re going to seriously pursue your passion, you need to hear it. And the only people who love you enough to tell you are good ol’ Mom and Dad.

“Fences” will be out on Magic Bronson’s upcoming LP, Wildlife, out 11/4 on War Cry Records. For more information on Magic Bronson, visit their website.

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Kathleen Mary Lee soothes with her new single, “Hours Gone By”

5 Oct

kathleen mary lee
Falling asleep to classical music is not uncommon. But whatever happened to the lullaby? Lullabies, as the name somewhat implies, are meant to make you fall asleep. I suppose these bedtime tunes are associated with children, but children are not the only ones that have trouble falling asleep. Adults need to once again embrace the lullaby. Particularly, embrace Kathleen Mary Lee’s latest single, “Hours Gone By.”

This track is delicate and soft, from the strums of the guitar to the whispered vocals. The rhythm gently pulses underneath the morose lyrics about a love lost, but not forgotten. It is written like a poem with a specific rhyme scheme and sounds so sweet coming from the duet of Lee and Tom Wright. It is a song so soothing that the silence heard once it is over feels overwhelming. So play it again, and again, and soon you’ll find yourself drifting off to sleep.

Next year you can expect Kathleen Mary Lee’s next LP. In the meantime, you can browse her back catalogue.

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This Autumn: One Winter

30 Sep

The seasons are a-changin’. Where you are, you may notice that the heat is subsiding for chillier breezes, and the trees are glowing red and orange as they shed their greenery. Fall will fade into a grey bleak winter, but eventually renews itself in spring. The cycle of the seasons must be beautiful, though I can’t say I’ve ever experienced any of it. After all, I have only lived in parts of south Florida and LA throughout my life. But one day I hope to see snow. One winter. And I’ll be listening to Seán McKenna purr in my ear all the while.

One Winter is a warm story about a colder time in life. Though the subject of the lyrics is not always pleasant, the chords have an upward progression, getting brighter and happier as the songs moves. Take “Katrina.” The chorus morosely echoes, the layers in his voice mirrored by depth of the lyrics themselves. But the bitterness of life should not keep you down. Seán still strives to trust and love, even in the worst of circumstances, when he doesn’t “have a fucking clue,” as in the track “Miles and Miles.” One Winter is a cold night, brightened by a warm embrace.

But wait, there’s more! One Winter is contrasted with One Summer, backed by the full band of Lay Low Moon. It has all the elements of the acoustic collection of One Winter, but I feel that the other instruments almost crowd out the emotional yearning in McKenna’s voice. Both are lovely, but I prefer the lonely and intimate feel of One Winter. Maybe I enjoy it because I don’t have any winter memories of my own. Enjoy it for your own reasons, just be sure to give it a listen.

One Summer and One Winter are available now. Be sure to check out Seán McKenna’s reconstruction of Lay Low Moon tracks in Sorry We’re Closed. And be on the lookout for some new material sometime next year. For any more information on Seán or Lay Low Moon, check out his website.

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