The Bobby Lee’s – New Music Jason’s Picks

The New Music I’m Listening To As A Distraction From The Heaviness Of Life This Week, October 1 – 7, 2022:

Good Monday, everyone. I’m back from a weekend spent in my hometown, with the intention of seeing my mother in Hospice care. Sadly, she passed away on Friday, before I was able to arrive, though I’m told it was very peaceful.

I’m not a very spiritual person, but while we were driving to get to my family, at the very moment that she died, there was a rainbow over our heads. It doesn’t mean anything, but it means something to me.

Music helps keep my mind in a positive frame, and, while I was driving here, there, and everywhere this weekend, I was still able to come up with nine titles to recommend, and to massage my soul.

I have a sneaky single to start my picks for the week. Sneaky, because Sault’s new 10 is a 10-minute track called Angel, divided into three movements. Touching vocal performance with emotional resonance.

Sault – 10

My Imaginary Nightclub has lately been lacking in fresh jams to get my imaginary patrons on their feet. Just in time, before it imaginarily goes out of business, it has been given fresh life. An unfamiliar DJ and Producer, possibly from the State of California, and who goes by Mon$rock, has released a new Beat Tape called Some Slight. It it 26-tracks of continuously-mixed songs, aimed to get your booty shaking or head nodding (if you’re too cool).

The Chillout Room also has some New Music. British Producer and Musician Loraine James has released a new album, titled Building Something Beautiful For Me. Downtempo, with shades of ambience, and always progressing. Yes.

*Loraine James – Something Beautiful For Me*

Band Name of the Week is awarded to Sheffield, UK duo Get The Fuck Outta Dodge. Their aggressive pairing of distorted bass guitar and speedy drums comfortably sits among their Punk compatriots. What sets Dodge’s 17-tracks-in-25-minute, Mammoth, apart is the ingenious way the two of them trade off vocals and harmonize. It strangely reminds me of the way Chuck D and Flavor Flav work together.

My BandCamp Wishlist came through again. Seattle Cellist Lori Goldston’s new album, High and Low, is evocative solo instrumental music performed on an Amplified Cello, with some songs featuring heavy distortion. Her musicianship is bold, with aggressive attack on the instrument to punctuate the droning effect. It is both exciting and meditative.

A three-piece from Brooklyn, NY, caught my attention for its audacious new album. Bi Ba Doom released graceful collision last week, and I love how the trio is using root elements of Jazz (saxophone, bass & drums) with electronics to create something improvisatory and unique.

An interesting blend of Electronic Music and Pop greets us next. A anonymous duo from New York who record as Macula Dog has released their second album, titled, Orange 2. It is eleven tracks that aspire to replicate the typical “verse-chorus-verse” format, but just miss, to astonishing effect.

The Bobby Lees are a band from New York State that released an ep that I featured back in June. They have just released their debut full-length, called, Bellevue. Smart and slinky Rock & Roll fronted by the captivating Sam Quartin. In addition to the four songs previously released, there are nine more tracks to get your pulse racing.

My Feature Pick for this past week comes from another band that I have featured in the past. Sorry are a duo from London that released an ep that I fell in love with last year. I’m so happy to have New Music from them, in the form of a full-length album. Anywhere But Here is couched in Pop, with a darker edge, and full of hooks. New Order meets Siouxsie Sioux meets the future.

I hope you enjoy what I have on offer, and that you are taking care of yourself. If you are, be sure to check in on your loved ones. I’ll be talking to you again soon.

The New Music I’m Listening To, This Mysterious and Satisfying Week, June 11 – 17, 2022:

Happy Friday, everyone! Hope your week wasn’t a soul-sucking trudge through the dull drudgery of what life may deign to offer. I hope it was filled with light, and happiness.

In terms of New Music, I suppose it was bound to be a lighter week in findings, compared with last, seeing as they don’t come much bigger than last week’s bounty. The surprise release by Drake today (Friday) didn’t do much to sway me to him, but I was able to find se7en releases to add to my life, and maybe yours.

I’m so happy to have discovered Juçara Marçal. Her album from last fall, “Delta Estácio Blues”, is a thrilling trip through dazzling soundscapes, led by Marçal’s daring and magnificent voice. Released this week is, “EPDEB”, a fantastic four-song ep. Presumably these are songs that are leftover from the album, but much like Radiohead, these are as good, or better, than the ones she kept. Of course, if I’m to have any certainty about this, or anything, really, it will require a working knowledge of Portuguese.

An album that got my attention this week comes from Melbourne, Australia. It is the product of a mysterious vocalist and songwriter who is known only as Phia. Her self-titled sophomore release is pretty standard Singer/Songwriter fare, with a secret weapon. Phia is the founder and artistic director of a choir, called, Melbourne Indie Voices. They are a collective of seventy+ singers, and they feature on four of the eleven tracks, to dramatic effect. The album is reminiscent of Leslie Feist, and that ain’t too bad, but it does suffer from some clunky lyrics. It’s a mystery why the choir wasn’t utilized more, but if you like pretty voices with good instrumentation choices, this is for you.

I thought I knew little about Phia, but I can say with certainty that I know even less about my next pick. The only information listed for The Clue’s one-track “Demo” is “Denver, CO”. The catalogue number of DB#21 is also noted, which refers back to its label, Deluxe Bias. At this point, I invite the reader to do a Google search for, “The Clue Denver music”. Relevant results are nowhere to be found. I can only assume this is the work of a solo musician, with drum-machine, guitar, and a microphone made from a potato. The track is five songs in seven minutes, and it is a great demonstration of weirdly poppy adventure.

I was able to find a scant few details about this next pair of artists. Adam Buffington and Zach Rowden have released (what I would call) a split-single, as Mocks Folder. They are from Dillsburg, PA, and New Haven, CT, respectively. Both of the two tracks on “Schnittke Was A Lifer” are titled by the artists’ initials, which would imply that they are the performer. Whether there is collaboration is unknown (another mystery!), but each of the tracks, about three-minutes in length, are experiments in found sound, spliced with church bells, disembodied voices, and light orchestral music. If you think that The Beatles’, “Revolution #9” should have been a single (which would have been amazing), than you need to give this a listen. You’re among friends, real and imaginary.

I don’t remember if I’ve found New Music from Finland before this week, with their mountains so lofty, their treetops so tall. I’m glad to have found, from Helsinki, a bedroom Pop artist called John Ringhofer, who has been recording as Half-handed Cloud since 1999. His latest album, “Flutterama”, is filled with quirky, left-of-centre instrumentation, some tape manipulation, and ‘arty’ vocals. Precious, without being vain.

Jaimie Branch is a Trumpet player, vocalist, and composer from New York. Her “Ride or Die Live” album that came out last year got my attention, and she has a side-project that has a full-length album out this week. Anteloper is Branch and Jason Nazary, who takes care of the Electronic elements on their third record, “Pink Dolphins”. The mystery with this is, what do you call it? I’ve landed on “trippy Space Jazz”, with doses of abandon.

A band that has too much hype to be mysterious is Woodstock, NY’s The Bobby Lees. This four-piece has a pedigree that precedes them; they signed to Mike Patton’s Ipecac Recordings, was pitched by Patton’s A&R man, Henry Rollins, and hyped up by none other than Debbie Harry. The Bobby Lees are likely on a lot of people’s “Next Big Thing” list. If they’re not, their new ep, “Hollywood Junkyard”, will give them good reason. Take no prisoners, confident and powerful, this is ROCK, kids, and it’s my Feature Pick for this week.

*The Bobby Lees – Hollywood Junkyard EP*

Mmmm…so satisfying. We’ve got a lovely mix of dreamy introspection, mixed with bold instrumentals, and a healthy helping of crunch. I don’t know where it stands in terms of nutrition, but I feel full. How about you?

Remember to take care of yourself, and I’ll talk to you again soon.

Upcoming New Releases – Week of June 17, 2022:

Last week was such a blowout of all my expectations, that I’m hesitant to predict how busy this week will be.

In terms of big name draws this week, there is not much to speak of. The rapper Logic has a new album on Friday, as does Alanis Morrisette.

She rocks Saddam Hussein’s ass.

I’m looking forward to hearing the new titles from Bartees Strange, Binker Golding, and J. Rocc. My BandCamp Wishlist has twelve titles awaiting release and final approval. Not all will make the cut (I think), but I am especially looking forward to the full releases from The Bobby Lee’s, Elaquent, and a new ep from Juçara Marçal. Marçal was responsible for my favourite album of 2021, bar none.

Juçara Marçal – Um Choro

It’s important to note that this Friday will be another BandCamp Friday. The app will be donating its share of the day’s sales to the NAACP, in honour of Juneteenth. It will be a lovely day to make your life better, with the power of music. I do hope that you will check back with me on Friday, so that I may steer your ears to beauty. Be well, friends, real and imaginary.