Aimee Mann - Charmer

Aimee Mann is back. Four years after her last LP @#%&*! Smilers the new record Charmer will be out September 19, 2012.

Charmer cover

You can listen to two new songs - Charmer via rollingstone.com and Labrador (live) on Youtube.

If these are an indicator for the whole record, it will be a brilliant!

Nik Kershaw - New Album "EI8HT"

Nik Kershaw will release his 8th studio album EI8HT on August 6 2012. 

The Sky’s The Limit will be the first single.

Nik Kershaw, a man known from his early 1980s hits Wouldn't It Be Good, The Riddle or I Won't Let the Sun Go Down, renewed his solo career in 1998 with his remarkable album 15 Minutes, which was loved by critics and fans.

In 2001 followed To Be Frank, 2006 You’ve Got To Laugh and in 2010 No Frills (an acoustic album).

Ei8ht cover

I highly recommend to listen to his last four records - samples can be found here:  

Nik Kershaw discography

Official website: nikkershaw.net

Air Traffic Controller - NORDO (Update: Short Review & Full Album Stream)

Air Traffic Controller is back with their second record NORDO - it is out now!

Nordo cover

Track list

1

Hurry Hurry

2

If You Build It

3

You Know Me

4

Pick Me Up

5

The Work

6

Blame

7

Any Way

8

Magic

9

Ready Or Not

10

Different

11

A Minute To Think

12

Thinking Of You

Let's go back in time: In November 2011 Air Traffic Controller raised 12.000 US$ on kickstarter.com for their second album NORDO. And I missed it. Damn.

Further back in time: Singer-songwriter Dave Munro, a real-life air traffic controller serving in the US Navy had written and recorded 4-track demos during his deployment.
He returned to his hometown Boston and founded the band ... Air Traffic Controller.
One of his demos reached singer-songwriter and producer Bleu. Everything fell into place resulting in a collective work on NORDO.

Now a few words about the songs: The upbeat, stomping playful Hurry Hurry - the first single from Nordo - opens the album and leads to the compelling If You Build It.
The floating Pick Me Up is predestined for a radio single. It's catchy like hell.
Already after my first listen to Blame I thought "this is one epic ballad" - the one ballad that can make a band famous all around the globe.
Any Way and Ready Or Not are melodic gems.
A Minute To Think is ... a minute to think. Yes, it's one minute of silence.
It's followed by the closing song Thinkin' Of You, which starts quiet and passes on to a playful finale.

I was a bit worried, NORDO could be one of these records you buy because of two or three songs that are really good, and at the moment you listen to the whole record you immediately get sobered. Then there's a phase of "Well, they might all be good but I have to listen more often". Finally you recognize they are not and the record finds its place in the shelf between all the other records and will be forgotten. And you'll hardly play it again because of your disappointment of the whole thing. Nordo is fortunately not this kind of record. Every song has its right to be part of it. There is on filler song. Great work ATC!

Highlights: Hurry Hurry, If You Build It, Pick Me Up, Blame, Ready Or Not

You can stream four songs from it at soundcloud:

The a full album stream can also be found at relix.com:

Relix - Album Premiere: Air Traffic Controller - NORDO

One more thing: I'll repeat myself here but NORDO produced by the one and only Bleu!

Preorder it at Newburycomics.com - with an autographed booklet!

Mike Viola - Soundtrack Of My Summer (New Video)

The second music video from Mike Viola’s Electro de Perfecto is out. Soundtrack Of My Summer is a quite surprising video… see for yourself:

Reminder: The new record Acousto de Perfecto is out on July 17, 2012.

Brandon Schott - This Is Home (New Video)

Brandon Schott just released a new video - This Is Home is the 3rd single from his latest record 13 Satellites.

Do you like it? I do!

The Darkness - Hot Cakes

The Darkness? At PowerPopSquare? Yes. That's right. 

I just love them for their reminiscence of Queen, AC/DC or Aerosmith. But The Darkness are more than just a band who brings back the past. Their music is fun. And that's why their records are still spinning at my turntable.

Their second LP One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back was released in 2005. After that there was really much trouble: 

The band broke up. A new band which featured 3/4 of The Darkness (Ed Graham, Dan Hawkins and Richie Edwards) was created: Stone Gods. Justin Hawkins formed various projects: British Whale, Hot Leg etc. Everything seemed to fade away and to be over.

Seven long years later ... they are back! 

(This is an interesting analogy to the album title of the second record, is it?)

LP No. 3 - Hot Cakes - will be out on August 20 2012. Two of the new songs are already out - watch the videos here:

Track List:

01 Every Inch of You

02 Nothin’s Gonna Stop Us

03 With A Woman

04 Keep Me Hangin’ On

05 Living Every Day Blind

06 Everybody Have A Good Time

07 She Just A Girl Eddie

08 Forbidden Love

09 Concrete

10 Street Spirit

11 Love Is Not The Answer 

Amanda Palmer - New album via kickstarter.com

The incredible Amanda Palmer is working on her new record and it's crowd funded:

Listen and download to the new single "Do It With A Rockstar" at the official website. Did I mention it's incredible?

Ben Folds Five - New Album pre-sale via crowd funding

You can preorder the new Ben Folds Five album (!) here: pledegemusic.com

Young Hines - Give Me My Change

On September, 20th 1976 a nurse wrote "Young Mr. Hines" on the patient info sheet for the yet to be named newborn child. "Young" seemed perfectly fitting to his parents, and it stuck.

One day out of the clear blue sky Young Hines got an email from none other than Brendan
Benson containing a cover of one of Young's own songs. He came across Young’s music by
chance when friends of Young, who happened to be painting Benson’s house, were
listening to one of his demos as they worked.

The two had an instant creative connection. He moved to Nashville, where he recorded the album Give Me My Change with Benson. It's released on Lojinx in the UK and Europe, and on Benson’s newly formed ReadymadeRecords in the US.

Track list:
01. Young Again
02. Give Me My Change
03. Don't Break My Fall
04. I Ask This of You
05. Keep Me Goin'
06. No One Knows
07. Just Say No (Sometimes)
08. Hold You and Scold You
09. Rainy Day
10. Better Things
11. Can't Explode
12. Lost in the Mix
13. Forever Young

The whole record is very versatile, and that's a good thing. Just compare Forever Young to Can't Explode - who would think that these songs are from one single artist?

Listen to: 
Don't Break My Fall, Better Things, Rainy Day, Just Can't Say No (Sometimes), Forever Young

Young Hines did a short Q&A with me: 

What do you think about crowd funding (e.g. kickstarter)?
YH: I believe it's up to each artist. I personally think the ones that raise money for tools that benefit the many rather than an individual have a better shot and are a bit more respectable.

CD or Vinyl?
YH: vinyl

The Beatles or The Beach Boys?
YH: wouldn't have been one without the other. Love them both!

Chicago or Nashville?
YH: love them both but the Nashville weather is better for me

Digital download or physical medium?
YH: physical medium

Record store or iTunes?
YH: record store

 

Chesney Hawkes - Real Life Love

Do you know Chesney Hawkes? You sure do. The 90s, long ago...

In 1991 when he was 19, he had his biggest single (The One and Only) from the soundtrack of Buddy's Song, a film he also performed in. It was written by Nik Kershaw. The song was used in a bunch of other movies, such as in Doc Hollywood, Moon, Source Code.

So, is he a stereotye of an one hit wonder? Far wrong. The album Another Fine Mess is filled with gems of songs. Listen below! (songs you should listen to: Another Fine Mess, Overrated, Stay Away Baby Jane)

Discography (Albums):

• Buddy's Song OST/The One and Only  (1991)
• Get The Picture (1993) 
• The Very Best Of (2005) 
• Another Fine Mess (2007) 
• Me My Mouse & I (2009) 
• Real Life Love (2012)

The reason I write about him now is:
He is making a new record, called Real Life Love. And it's financed by crowd funding. You'll find more information at pledgemusic.com

Ben Folds Five - Do It Anyway (new track!)

Ben Folds posted a link to the new Ben Folds Five track Do It Anyway:


You can download it here: http://bit.ly/IR7qg1