Tuesday Tunes--April 5, 2016
Shaun Cordingley
This month we are launching an old school weekly music feature (more details at the end of the article), so I went with a lot of retro-modern indie music in this week's Tuesday Tunes, with a bit of heavier slant toward indie rock, and to the UK and Australia.
The Guys From do not hold the rights to any of these songs, it is more our hope to expose our readers to new and different music, or re-expose them to things they may have forgotten about.
At the top of each section, will be the song name, followed by the artists' name linked to their website, so you can fall down the rabbit hole, finding and supporting what you dig.
Seven - Run River North
This, believe it or not, is a *B-SIDE* from California based Run River North's album Drinking From a Salt Pond. I cannot get over the fact that this brilliantly constructed song is not on the album. It actually hurts a little bit, as this fusion of folk, rock, a little hymnal, and traditional violin is fast becoming my favorite song by a band that I am 100% sure you need to be paying attention to. Run River North is a band that I am exceedingly excited about, as they move around between rock and folk, with violin, and have so far released two very, very good albums.
If this is your first introduction to Run River North, I promise you, you are in for a treat.
L.U.V. - Catholic Action
Glasgow's Catholic Action are up next with their bite-sized, retro sounding rock song 'L.U.V.'. A guitar and clap heavy track which is just the right kind of catchy--this is one of those songs that never fails to get my foot tapping along, as I spend a hazy two minutes with them. I would not be surprised to hear their work get snagged for indie films sooner rather than later (be honest: you would not be surprised to hear this in the next Richard Linklater film). This is a near perfect song to start you thinking about summer.
Ride On - Rocky Nti
Hailing from Milton Keynes (London), indie rocker Rocky Nti is up next with his really fun, and upbeat song 'Ride On'. This is just one of those rock songs (and hopefully acts) that produces ridiculously well crafted, high tempo, fun rock, and he is, at the moment, criminally unknown--every time I see someone complaining that 'rock is dead', after I'm done laughing and rolling my eyes, Rocky Nti is one of the first artists I pass along. How I managed not to mention him, or his great 2015 EP Ride On before now, is a mystery to me.
Nti has just recently released a new track called 'Reflections' as well that I recommend you check out as well, I just always suggest 'Ride On' to start, then exploring the rest of what he's got out there after that.
Melvista - Wesley Fuller
Melbourne's Wesley Fuller is up next with his psychedelic pop debut 'Melvista'--this is such a pure, retro 1960s tune that it almost feels out of place. However, I do not mean that in a negative way: this is a great throwback pop song, really showcasing Fuller's vocals, and that tambourine-clap-guitar aesthetic that we seemed to lose from pop music in the 1970s to fold together into a song that I would be surprised if you were not singing along with by the end.
Fuller has said there are more tracks to come this year, so if retro pop is your bag, keep an eye out for him.
Animals Housed - Playwrite
Playwrite, an Australian alternative folk rock band (who are sadly on a hiatus at the moment) have an absolutely gorgeous song here in 'Animals Housed', from their 2015 debut album Cathedrals.
Generally I write a few notes here, but I wanted to give you, verbatim, what Patrick Holcombe wrote in the video notes instead, as it really wraps this song together:
In early 2009 my Mum and Dad passed away in the Black Saturday bushfires in Kinglake.
They were trying to defend the house I grew up in, with my brother and sister, nestled on a mountainside in Kinglake National Park.
It was handmade from mud bricks and heavy recycled Oregon beams and had huge windows that looked out into the forest. Often I remember not being able to get to sleep at night because the wombats were being so noisy outside my bedroom window. It took my father and mother over 25 years to build. After the fire there was nothing left except some crumbling mud bricks and scraps of metal and pottery. I don’t remember much from that year at all, I think I watched a lot of Bruce Willis films.
During that time Jordan and I started making music together again after a 6 year hiatus (we had played in high school). He gathered a small group of close friends around and we both started writing songs. This song was one of the first I ever wrote for this band. It has been with us since the very beginning. Over the last 5 years we have spent countless nights back up at my property in Kinglake. I planted fruit trees and built a cabin where we hang out and rest, rehearse and write songs and where lately we have recorded the songs which make up our debut album.
The only place that seemed right to make a video of this song was back up at Kinglake with the people who have supported us and our music since the very beginning. So we threw a party, with our friends and we filmed it.
This video is a celebration of how far we have come, how far we have to go and not a single bit of this could have been done without you.
Patrick Holcombe (Playwrite)
This is the kind of indie music that I love finding for Tuesday Tunes, as you can just feel the energy, the heart, and the enjoyment Playwrite has in playing music in this (and indeed all of their songs. I hope they come back...but even if they don't, they did leave us with the quite spectacular Cathedrals.
March's Tuesday Tunes Apple Music Playlist is now available! As usual, I have done my best to mix it all together like I'm spinning a set for you, but as that is hard to do without being able to fade, mix, or talk through the transitions, you will have to forgive a few hard edges...although this one was not as hard as some months previous.
The February Tuesday Tunes Apple Music Playlist, with all the songs put together the way we all like it, the Massive, 2-month (and almost impossible to blend together) December & January Tuesday Tunes Apple Music Playlist is right here. The November Tuesday Tunes Apple Music Playlist and the October Apple Music Playlist is still available of course as well, in case you have not caught those yet (or just need more theguysfrom.com in your life).
Support what you dig! It's soooo much cheaper than anything else out there. You cannot even buy ice for what one of the songs listed here would cost you...Do you know how many guys died bringing that ice (and that one bag with the bear in in it? Ah bobo)...
Starting a new music series this week with an Old School Thursdays Track list: 'Throwback Tracks', where I will be putting together 5 tunes each week from the 20th century, to give you guys some retro songs as well--my original intention with Tuesday Tunes was also to include some classics/forgotten songs as well, but that just is not happening with all the awesome indie music I'm finding, and that is getting sent my way, so...yeah. Check out Throwback Tracks, starting on April 7!
Oh, and we will see you again next week with 5 more Tuesday Tunes!
-S (@Shauncord)