Gary Clark, Jr. Goes For Adds
Austin-native guitar virtuoso Gary Clark Jr. is releasing the much-anticipated follow-up to his celebrated debut album, Blak & Blu. Though he has won a Grammy for “Best Traditional R&B Performance,” Clark is actually a non-traditional musician whose diverse approach is apparent in the company he keeps: Alicia Keys has compared him to Jimi Hendrix and Marvin […]
Tarmac Adam Goes For Adds
According to bandleader Matt O’Donnell, the name Tarmac Adam is meant to conjure images of “the first man, the Everyman – on life’s journey, a journey we all travel.” That meaning resonates on In Place, the band’s new album of open-hearted, stoic affirmation hewn from road-worn meditation. In 2013, the band took their shimmering melancholic pop […]
Young Empires Tours and Looks for Debuts, Gets Praise from Flood and Confront
Flood Magazine recently premiered Young Empires‘ new album, the Gates, which is still streaming in full on the site. The feature notes that Young Empires’ debut EP, 2012’s Wake All My Youth, “garnered the band comparisons to everyone from Battles and Yeasayer to Arcade Fire and Foals.” But the Gates, Flood says, adds “a professional sheen, […]
WRMC and Oh Comely Love Lianne La Havas; Her Tour Starts This Week!
Lianne La Havas recently sat for a lovely lunchtime interview with Oh Comely, telling interviewer Tamara Vos about a time in which her effervescently confident stage persona was less developed than it is today. “There was one particular week where I didn’t know how to achieve what I wanted and I felt defiant,” she says. […]
The Donkeys Tour, Talk to SF Weekly
San Diego’s surf rock stalwarts, The Donkeys, are on tour with dates all across the US this month and into October. A couple of weeks ago the band gave an interview with SF Weekly, here, that deeply explores the band’s sonics, its history, the San Diego scene from which it comes, and plans for the future. […]
Also At Radio
Aqueduct – Wild Knights (Aqueduct Music) Lael Neale – I’ll Be Your Man (Liberal Arts) Glint – Introvert (Votiv) Fever the Ghost – “Vervain (Dreams of an Old Wooden Cage)” and “1518” [digital singles] (Complicated Game) Lost in Stars – Once You Were Fire EP (self-released) The Bird and the Bee – Recreational Love (Rostrum […]
New Music from The Paper Kites
Australian indie-folk outfit The Paper Kites have released “Electric Indigo,” the first single from their forthcoming album, twelvefour. Formed by songwriters Sam Bentley and Christina Lacy while they were in high school, the band spent several years making a name by selling handmade copies of their early music. Then, the 2013 release of debut album States in […]
New Music From Gary Clark Jr.
Austin-native guitar virtuoso Gary Clark Jr. is releasing the much-anticipated follow-up to his celebrated debut album, Blak & Blu. Though he has won a Grammy for “Best Traditional R&B Performance,” Clark is actually a non-traditional musician whose diversity of approach is apparent in the company he keeps: Alicia Keys has compared him to Jimi Hendrix and […]
Glint is Featured on Northern Transmission, Announces NYC Show
Glint, the expansive and powerful three-piece led by Jase Blankfort, has been generating buzz with the Introvert EP. The lead single on the 3-song collection, “While You Sleep,” has been generating the most attention and was featured recently on Northern Transmissions. As the site notes in its feature, here, Glint “strives to create songs that sound […]
Utne Reader Features Lael Neale and Aqueduct
The Utne Reader has curated an excellent September music mix, including music from both Lael Neale and Aqueduct. Of Neale, whose song “Born in the Summer” is featured, Utne says, “She writes deep and soul-baring folk music that has earned her appropriate comparisons to Angel Olsen and Sharon Van Etten with a hazy vocal quality that […]
The Bird and the Bee, Renowned For Their Sound, Talk to PrideSource and Announce Live Dates
The Bird and the Bee‘s Recreational Love keeps finding new adherents, most recently at Renowned for Sound. In its review, the site said the LP is an “extremely solid collection of new music” and “a thoroughly enjoyable return to the scene for the duo” of Greg Kurstin and Inara George. The review says the album’s […]
Also at Radio
Young Empires – The Gates (Votiv) Lianne La Havas – Blood (Nonesuch) Lost in Stars – Once You Were Fire EP (self-released) Kathryn Calder – Kathryn Calder (File Under: Music) Alpine – Yuck (Votiv)
New Music from Tarmac Adam
According to band leader Matt O’Donnell, the name Tarmac Adam is meant to conjure images of “the first man, the Everyman – on life’s journey, a journey we all travel.” That meaning resonates on In Place, the band’s new album of open-hearted, stoic affirmation hewn from road-worn meditation. In 2013, the band took their shimmering melancholic […]
KJHK and the Santa Barbara Independent Feature Alpine
Kansas may be pretty far away from Australia, but that doesn’t mean that Melbourne-based 6-piece Alpine doesn’t have fans there. KJHK, the campus station at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, is playing the band’s album Yuck and has given it a website feature. “Sultry lyrics, layers of gorgeous vocals, pulsing beats and atmosphere only […]
Iowa Public Radio and the Spectrum Review the Bird and the Bee
The Bird and the Bee‘s Recreational Love continues to be a force at college, noncommercial, Triple A, and alternative specialty radio. Though released in July, the album continues to find its way onto playlists at stations around the country. The record has been climbing up the charts at Iowa Public Radio, where it was picked […]
Young Empires Goes For Adds
“It’s hard to believe that The Gates is Young Empires' debut,” writes the CBC. “It’s such a confident, cohesive record.” Three years after the release of their “happy-go-lucky” EP Wake All My Youth, the Toronto-based trio has returned with an album that combines late night soul, Technicolor pop, and vibey beats to present a mature […]
CMJ College Radio Award Nominations Close on Wednesday – Nominate Erik Felix!
For the past several years, I’ve had the distinct pleasure of working with Erik Felix here in our office in Eagle Rock, California. He’s a tremendous asset to our work here at A man A plan A canal because, in addition to possessing an encyclopedic knowledge of independent music both past and present, he’s a true […]
Lianne La Havas Performs For Pigeons and Planes, Talks to Fuse, Charts in CMJ Top 20 for a 3rd Week
Blood, the second album from British neo-soul songwriter Lianne La Havas, has gotten a lot of press for its bombastic production. While her debut, Is Your Love Big Enough?, is generally relaxed in timbre, Blood is full of big beats and flourishes that take the sound to the next level. Yet La Havas retains the […]
Gary Clark Jr. Streams on NPR First Listen, Performs on the Tonight Show, Goes for Adds 9/15
Gary Clark Jr.‘s “The Healing” single has been making an impact on college radio, spending the past two weeks on the CMJ Radio 200 even though it’s only a teaser for his full release, The Story Of Sonny Boy Slim, going for Adds on 9/15. Now fans can hear the rest of the LP, thanks to […]
BitTorrent Bundle Features Lost in Stars
In a testament to producer Dylan Willoughby‘s ability to appear to the bedroom file-swapping set, BitTorrent Bundle has picked up Lost in Stars‘ EP Once You Were Fire as a featured bundle. In the words of EarMilk, the EP includes “four unique tracks without a single low point,” and the BitTorrent bundle gives listeners a bit more […]
