2010FM - September Edition Three

The final selection for September and a shed load of great music to cover, so plenty of copying from PR material to give some background on the artists, as is always the case take it as read that we like and recommend checking out these people.

The Phantom Band was pulled together from all four corners of Scotland, settling on Glasgow as PB HQ. Duncan Marquiss (guitar), Gerry Hart (bass), Andy Wake (keyboards), Rick Anthony (vocals) and Greg Sinclair (guitars) are a volatile cabal of creative contradictions: a disorientating amalgam of music, art and performance that defies categorisation and provides an object lesson in how to forge something distinct and unique from well-worn sources. Checkmate Savage won plaudits from the mainstream music press and the indie blogs alike, finding famous fans in Peter Buck and comic artist Frank Quitely, while the influential music emporium Piccadilly Records named it their album of the year.

Their new album may be The Wants, but what do The Phantom Band want for? ?Survival.  For this album to lead to another after it, that's all. We think it's better than the last one, and if anyone agrees with us then brilliant, they can hop aboard. Those who disagree can hop aboard too, but they're sailing at the stern.?

This is a superb band and the featured track is just one dimension of them. On October 19th Chemikal Underground release The Phantom Band's album ?The Wants?.

Featured Track: Walls.
Website: Official.
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Way Slow is a new series curated by Lefse Records. While maintaining the basic structures of a formal record label, they are embracing creativity in everything from artist sound to packaging. Each release will be a unique creation from start to finish.

Many of the artists are going to be releasing material that is well outside of their normal sound, some will be collaborations, some will be from parts of the world where most of us will never see. Alongside digital downloads, they will be offering limited edition cd?s, cassettes, and even vinyl in some cases.

All physical products will be hand wrapped/sewn/carved individually for every release and presented as a heartwarming package of beautiful sound.

Volume One comes from Banjo or Freakout on October 12th and will continue indefinitely. Other artists already on board are: Ganglians, Sonny Smith, Houses/Teen Daze, Phaseone, The Traditionist, Aloha Tigers, Sunnybrook, Algodon Egipcio, Brothertiger, Tape Deck Mountain, Solter, and Black Glass.

Featured Track: Over There.
Website: Lefse Records, Pre Order.
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LA-based songwriter Lelia Broussard, originally from the bayous of South Louisiana, is set to unleash her third full-length release, ?MASQUERADE? (November 2nd, Self-Release). With masterful production by Dan Romer (Ingrid Michaelson, Jenny Owen Youngs), the album boasts an intriguing collection of driving folk/pop gems, bringing to mind a cross between Jenny Lewis and Jonatha Brooke. Already, considerable buzz is building around ?Masquerade? with the early spread of ?Satellite? and ?Shoot For The Moon? among the songwriter?s fiercely loyal fan base.  Most recently, The Deli Magazine nominated Lelia for their Los Angeles ?Artist of the Month? poll, and ?Satellite? was prominently featured on powerhouse NPR AAA station WXPN's blog.

Over the course of her career, Lelia has collaborated with A-List producers including Rob Fusari (Lady Gaga, Whitney Houston Destiny's Child), Dave Trumfio (Wilco, My Morning Jacket, Built to Spill) and Marshall Altman (Kate Voegle, Marc Broussard).  Her songs have been featured on hit television shows such as CBS' Joan of Arcadia NBC?s Men In Trees, and MTV's The Hills  as well as a few small independent films. In 2008, Lelia signed a publishing deal with Rondor Universal Music Group. Lelia?s strong grass roots fan base recently raised over $15,000 to help fund her new record and pushed her to be one of the most successful music projects on the popular indie fundraising site, Kickstarter.

This is a great pop song and more than enough reason  to check out more of her music.

Featured Track: Satellite.
Website: Official.
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Birthday Boys are Graeme Kennedy (vocals, guitar), Jordan Mack (vocals, guitar), Jeremy Boyd (vocals, bass), and Matt Paige (drums). Based in Peterborough, Ontario, the band formed in 2008. They have since built a strong following with their debut album, 'Bad Blood' (recorded at Steve Albini's studio in Chicago with engineer Greg Norman - Built To Spill, Guided By Voices - and mixed by Jason Martin - Cold War Kids, The Drums) and their powerful live show.

Since the release of ?Bad Blood? Birthday Boys have been playing a steady circuit of shows in New York City, Montreal, Toronto, and several other Southern Ontario cities.

They have a new EP is called, "Tin Head" and consists of six songs that were recorded in an abandoned log cabin on Emerald Isle Ontario. The EP will be available on itunes, tunecore, and many other online distribution sites on October 1st.

Birthday Boys are about to head out on a Coast to coast Canadian tour, and are planning a very ambitious project while on the road. They will be writing a new song everyday of the tour, and filming a performance of the new song every night. Those who follow Birthday Boys  on twitter (twitter.com/birthdayboys) will be sent a message revealing the time and location of the filming, and are welcome to come out and participate in the performance of the song. The videos will then be posted daily at www.birthdayboysmusic.com/30songs.

Featured Track: Tin Head.
Website: Official.
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Simon Fagan is not our typical Irish singer songwriter. Blending elements of gospel and folk with acoustic rock, Simon and band produce a big Americana sound. He's opened for both Lionel Richie and Smokey Robinson and has sold out shows in Ireland, The UK and Egypt.

2009 saw Simon tour heavily throughout Ireland and the UK, performing on no fewer then nine primetime BBC radio shows in the UK, Newstalk?s Weekend Blend and Today with Pat Kenny on RTE radio in Ireland. Fagan even ventured as far as Egypt, where he and his band not only performed sold out shows in Cairo, Sharm El Sheik and Dahab, but also invited to appear on national TV and Radio. He has previously opened for Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson and more recently at Laura Izibor?s sold out Tripod show in Dublin.

With a new album released in May of this year Simon has been receiving accolades both in Ireland and the US. ?Outside Looking In? was named Album Of The Week by RTE, while individual songs have also been gaining attention. ?Never Really Cried? picked up Best Performance at this years International Songwriting Competition, chosen from 15,000 entries; ?Damn Honey? was named Song of the Month with Songwriter Universe in April and ?Water?s Edge? has just been selected for Paste Magazine?s August CD Sampler.

We here at Beehive Candy feel embarrassed that we have only recently come across Simon and hope to make amends by featuring one of his great songs here.

Featured Track: Tired Of Tryin.
Website: Official.
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New York's Backwords recently released their new psych-folk album 'Quilt' on September 7th and in support of it, are touring around the USA.

A couple of quotes to help put us all in the picture,

"Just as the album title would suggest, the music is extremely warm and puts you right at home next to your favorite quilt your grandmother made you as a child." -- The Noise Is...

"...with vocals that sound like they were ripped from a Beach Boys track laying on top of instrumentals that have that charming, lo-fi quality that sounds like it was recorded in a friend?s basement." -- NY Press.

Tour dates include:

10/02/10, Saturday @ Mocha Madness, Pocatello, ID
10/04/10, Monday @ House Show (342 Monroe Street), Eugene, OR
10/06/10, Wednesday @ The Maltese, Chico, CA
10/07/10, Thursday @ The Stork Club, Oakland, CA
10/11/10, Monday @ Spaceland, Los Angeles, CA
10/13/10, Wednesday @ Laughing Goat, Boulder, CO
11/14/10, Sunday @ Circle Bar, New Orleans, LA
11/19/10, Friday @ Homegrown Cafe, Newark, DE
11/06/10, Saturday @ Gillie's, Blacksburg, VA
11/07/10, Sunday @ Snug Harbor, Charlotte, NE
11/08/10, Monday @ Acoustic Coffee House, Johnson City, TN
11/09/10, Tuesday @ The Basement, Nashville, TN

Featured Track: And Then Sigh.
Website: Official.
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I like this intro to Pancake Breakfast and boy do I like the song (always helps if you want to be featured around here).

Times are hard. Folks want to see and hear something that makes them feel better, or at least different. Pancake Breakfast  is attempting to do just that. The nine, hardworking Northwesterners hailing from Portland, OR, have played memorable sets at festivals like Portland's Pick-a-thon and the Sisters Folk Festival to local house shows, bar gigs and campfire hootenannies with one goal: to send people home from their shows with a song in their head and a good story to tell the next morning. Doing just that, the nine-piece has begun to make a name for themselves with their eclectic blend of down-home folk, working-man singalong rock and south-of-the-border ballads.

Having locked themselves away for the past few months in a studio cabin near Mt. Adams with Producer Mike Coykendyll (M. Ward, She & Him, Blitzen Trapper, Bright Eyes), Pancake Breakfast has emerged with a impressive debut that maintains the vibrancy of their live shows while showcasing the intricate dynamism they share as a talented nine-piece. That's not it, though. The band wanted to take it a step further. So they have enlisted 12 different directors  to make an originally produced video to accompany each track which will be released near the release date of the record. The record will be released nationally (USA) on October 19th, 2010.

Featured Track: Little Bird.
Website: Official.
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Without wanting to take anything away from the other artists featured in this edition of 2010FM, this is without doubt my favorite song presented this time around.

Honeymoon is a new collaboration between singer/songwriters Lauren Shera, Andrea Blunt, Christina Bailey, and Sara Bollwinkel. These four young women, with accompaniment from Matt Bailey on drums and Matt Bollwinkel on bass, have come together to combine their exquisite talents and eclectic influences, creating a sound all their own.

Combining elements of traditional folk and americana with an indie rock and pop sensibility, honeymoon utilizes their various talents comprising four part harmonies, acoustic guitars, violins, accordion, piano, banjo, and ukulele.

More info from their website tells us - Each of the four front women have had great accomplishments and successes between their solo careers and various incarnations of the group in other projects; Lauren Shera tours nationally and has appeared with artists such as Nanci Griffith, Ray LaMontagne, and Billy Bragg. Andrea Blunt has built a name for herself both as a solo act and with several bands including indie hip-hop artist MC Lars, with whom she has appeared at venues such as the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and the Shoreline Amphitheater in San Jose. Christina Bailey and Sara Bollwinkel began their careers as solo artists, writing songs and singing in successful a capella groups and choirs, and later combined forces when they founded the indie-rock group Big American Family, which went on to open for AA Bondy, Truth & Salvage Co., and Carney

It is a rarity and a privilege to see artists of this depth coming together to create something so fresh and unencumbered, without ego or pretense but for the sheer love of creating, playing, and performing music together. The band?s stunning privilege to see artists of this depth coming together to create something so fresh and unencumbered, without ego or pretense but for the sheer love of creating, playing, and performing music together. The band?s stunning repertoire includes original songs from each leading lady, a few familiar cover tunes, and intricate band originals. With voices that command your attention and instrumentals that will give you chills, combined with their undeniable chemistry on stage, honeymoon creates a one-of-a-kind listening experience that is not to be missed.

Beehive Candy genuinely feels privileged to introduce this band to anyone yet to hear them, and to those already in the know - Why are you not shouting about them from your roof tops? Wonderful music.

Featured Track: Processional.
Website: Official.
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OK lets crank it up a little for them there visitors who like their music a little more on the rocking side (I will never make it as a DJ).

Quoting - It's not quite appropriate to pigeonhole Abby Gogo  as a shoegaze band and the garage rock shoe doesn't quite fit either. Rather, twin brothers Bon and Jon Alinson and company traverse an expansive middle ground where '60s pop sensibilities are tempered by elusive feelings of melancholy and elation. Previously releasing a split single with Carnivores in summer of 2009 on Double Phantom, Abby Gogo  are now set to release their first full length on November 30, 2010.

The grinding intonations of every guitar tone and distant voice are captured with clarity, illustrating jagged sonic textures that serve the long bouts of repetition in "Louder Than Dreams" and "Come On," rather than dirtying them up. Each song streamlines the group's sound without compromising how much a crest of feedback and distortion can underscore the strung-out sense of beauty evoked. "Glass" is an instant heartbreaker, with layers of slurred melody and ill-defined nostalgia that defies the murky nature of such influences as Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine. There's good variety as well, which is hard to pull off when you're lost in the grooves of such deep cuts.

Featured Track: Louder Than Dreams.
Website: MySpace.
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Another band new to Beehive Candy and reminding us of the Cocteau Twins in a very positive way, that said they are definative in their own right City Of Satellites have a considerable amount to offer.

The sublime opening track from their debut album Machine Is My Animal, ?BMX? unfolds in a magisterial swirl of synths and hovering atmospherics, driven by Thomas Diakomichalis? propulsive, detailed drumming and Jarrod Manuel?s pure vocal tones. Part misty paean to lost youth, part anthem for a better future, ?BMX? is premium 21st-century pop. Others have already discovered and enjoyed this band, a few quotes therefore seem appropriate - - -

?One of the most unabashedly shoegaze-y albums in recent memory? City Of Satellites? Jarrod Manual and Thomas Diakomichalis have tuned their ears to the expansive dream-pop of the classic 4AD roster and the likeminded M83, relishing the elastic reach of spidery rhythms and unmoored melodies? There?s an almost austere sheen to Machine Is My Animal, such that we?re never bombarded but gently seduced and swayed. It?s a beautiful feeling.? ? Cyclic Defrost

?What elevates City Of Satellites? dream pop above others? takes on the style is the urgency driving the nine songs on Machine Is My Animal ? shoegaze is an obvious wellspring for the group, but one also hears traces of both ?80s synth-pop (OMD, for example) and New Wave in City Of Satellites? pristine, analogue sound.? ? Textura

?City of Satellites have crafted an album filled with dense space and fueled by vintage synthesizers and melodically rich vocals?. the production values on the record rival that of heavyweights M83 and Aphex Twin.? ? Drum Media

"Australia?s new finest dream-pop duo ascend to orbit." ? Rave Magazine

Featured Track: BMX. 
Website: Official.
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Singer-Songwriter Savio Rego was born in Bombay, India and raised in San Jose, California. Having left behind a successful career in Banking, this Californian singer-songwriter has gone back to his first love ? music. Savio started playing guitar at the age of 13. As a self-taught guitarist, his playing evolved over the years. The first song he learned was "Patience" by Guns N' Roses.

Savio's style contains a breadth of influences ? from R & B, blues, soul, pop, jazz to rock, electronica and house music. His songs are seductive, there?s no question about it.....featuring lyrics revealing open lust and melodies leading straight into hooky choruses. He can breeze through songs with his soothing style leaving listeners yearning for more.

Savio Rego's self-penned, self-produced record "All I Want sold over 2,000 copies here on myspace in 3 months since its release, on the back of little more than word of mouth. It's the kind of pop record that music lovers wish there were more of. It is a singer-songwriter?s record, but contains all the best elements of blues, jazz, soul, chill and folk. Yet his poignant lyrics and catchy melodies will also satisfy the discerning end of the pop market.

His debut "All I Want" is the perfect example of a record made by someone who does not see music defined by rigid genres. Savio Rego's music has been in rotation at several NPR, Satellite Radio and Internet Radio stations. So take a listen, "All I Want" is all you?ll need to make your personal CD collection a lot more exciting.

A superb way to finish up this 2010FM round up we hope Savio Rego reaches a wider audience and continues to produce music of this quality.

Featured Track: Senorita All I Want.
Website: Official. 
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Featured Tracks:

Source: http://www.beehivecandy.com/2010/09/2010fm-september-edition-three.html

Kevin Barnes Lisa Mitchell Trembling Blue Stars Hidrogenesse