This quintet from Bristol is a lovely, slightly eccentric and sincere affair with songs about people like Olivia, Masie, Jessica and Anthony. The music is playful, but not plain – some songs are melancholic, but never too sad. A broad range of instruments like trumpet, organ, cello and flute are cleverly arranged, sometimes folky with a psychedelic twist. In these moments it’s hard to deny the influence of British psych-pop. The other reference is early Belle & Sebastian in songs like the title track Safe in Silence, but the effortless and charming way of Snails makes sure to have all your pop hearts melting.
Frühjahrsputz
Es gibt Dinge, die mit passender musikalischer Begleitung um einiges leichter von der Hand gehen: Aufräumen und Putzen zum Beispiel. Wem bislang für den alljährlichen Frühjahrsputz der rechte Antrieb fehlte, erhält heute musikpsychologisch fundierte Unterstützung. Spoon und Jens Lekman laden zum fröhlichen Schrubben in mitunter hochfrequenter Taktung ein.
| Artist | Track | Label |
|---|---|---|
| The Clean | Billy Two | Flying Nun |
| Spoon | Hot Thoughts | Matador |
| Danny de la Matyr | Lines | Pretty Olivia |
| Those Pretty Wrongs | I'm For Love | Ardent Music |
| Papernut Cambridge | The Alex Chilton Song | papernutcambridge.bandcamp.com |
| Big Star | Watch The Sunrise | Ardent Music |
| Kane Strang | Oh So You're Off I See | kanestrang.bandcamp.com |
| Jons | In The Yard | jawns.bandcamp.com |
| Triptides | Clementine | Croque Macadam |
| Divisionists | Say Can You | divisionists.bandcamp.com |
| Peaness | Seafoam Islands | peanessband.bandcamp.com |
| Dan the Man | Not as Far as It Looks | Bright Antenna Records |
| One Sentence. Supervisor | Oh! What An Empire | Oh, Sister |
| Björn Magnusson | TV Lights | Specter Fix Press |
| Jon McKiel | Unknown Source | You've Changed Rec. |
| Michael Nau | Good Thing | Full Time Hobby |
| Trimdon Grange Explosion | Christians' Silver Hell | borleyrectory.bandcamp.com |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The Missing Season | Run On | Le Disques Normal |
| Girl Ray | Trouble | girlray.bandcamp.com |
| Gentle Brent | The Lonely One | Jigsaw Records |
| The Pinecones | It's Always On Her Mind | thepinecones.bandcamp.com |
| The Feelies | Gone, Gone, Gone | Bar/None Records |
| Real Estate | Stained Glass | Domino |
| Brent Cash | Dim Light | Marina Records |
| Andrew Morgan | As Long As We're Together | Pretty Olivia |
| The Vernes | The Curious Cat's Eyes | thevernes.bandcamp.com |
| Jens Lekman | How We Met The Long Version | Secretly Canadian |
| Temples | (I Want To Be Your) Mirror | Heavenly |
| Froth | Passing Thing | Wichita |
| Spiral Stairs | Dundee Man | Domino |
| Christiane Rösinger | Eigentumswohnung | Staatsakt |
Swooning
This one’s very special: I like how every song is built around the human voice as a musical instrument. With their multi-layered harmonies and loops, Michele Finkelstein and Briana Marela aka Swooning create nothing but enchanting moments and an overall sense of warmth and creativity. Some tracks tap into the tradition of doo-wop music, but in the first place it all sounds pretty unique and dedicated.
Andrew Morgan
Apparently there’s quite a lot to discover from this gifted artist, I’m just beginning with his album Please Kid, Remember. It’s a collection of heart-melting chamber-pop, reminding us of forgotten sounds and beauty. Every song is filled with clever ideas, accompanied by interludes. Some might say that it sounds old-fashioned – but only in a good way! This is an astonishing, beautiful album. Re-released by the spanish pop-connoisseurs Pretty Olivia Records.
Unsolved Mysteries
Wieso wurde die Popmusik nicht schon längst begraben? Weshalb enden manche Songs als Ohrwurm, auch wenn man sie gar nicht leiden kann? Warum gibt es keine wasserdichte Pop-Formel mit Hitgarantie? Diese und andere cold cases stehen heute bei Golden Glades zur Wiedervorlage an. Lösungen können wir keine versprechen, wohl aber einen schönen Mix, der den Pop-Mysterien auf der Spur bleibt.
| Artist | Track | Label |
|---|---|---|
| The Perfect Kiss | Broadcast (From You To Me) | Elefant |
| First Base | If I See You With That Girl Again | latidarecords.bandcamp.com |
| Gentle Brent | Never Wanna Make You Cry | Jigsaw Records |
| Julien Baer | Roi de l'underground | Le Pop Musik |
| Forever Calypso | Bungalows | Croque Macadam |
| Hong Kong In The 60s | Diaryland | hongkonginthe60s.com |
| Tennis | In The Morning I'll Be Better | Mutually Detrimental |
| King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard | Sleep Drifter | Heavenly |
| Tall Tall Trees | A Place to Call Your Own | Joyful Noise |
| Rose Elinor Dougall | Take Yourself With You | self-released |
| Magnetic Fields | '88 Ethan Frome | Nonesuch |
| Lusterlit | List of Equipment | lusterlit.bandcamp.com |
| Merk | I'm Easy | merkscoolsongs.bandcamp.com |
| Harry Mud | My Heart Wins The Race | ussb.bandcamp.com |
| Balduin | Mirror, Mirror | Sunstone |
| Starwheel | Through My Window | starwheel.bandcamp.com |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever | French Press | Sub Pop |
| Temples | Mystery Of Pop | Heavenly |
| The Paperhead | The True Poet | Trouble In Mind |
| CaStLeS | Ffrwydriadau o Deimladau | castlesband.bandcamp.com |
| Steady Holiday | Superstar | Infinite Best |
| Carpenters | Superstar | A&M Records |
| Greek Theatre | Still Lost Out At Sea | Sugarbush Records |
| Happy Sadness | Alone | happysadness.bandcamp.com |
| Hand Habits | In Between | Woodsist |
| Ben Reed | Maniac Man | Gare Du Nord Records |
| Andy Reed | The Criminal | You Are The Cosmos |
| The Legal Matters | The Cool Kid | Omnivore |
| Frontier Ruckus | Gerunds | Loose Music |
| Nadia Reid | Richard | Basin Rock |
Happy Sadness
Listen carefully with your headphones on, and it’s easy to get lost in these tracks. Happy Sadness knows pretty well how to create contemplative moments with his floating textures and warm compositions. Sometimes it’s like a soothing soundtrack that tells stories without words. But as well we have a few songwriter-based tracks where Jason Andrew Brown (multimedia artist and the man behind Happy Sadness) gets very close to you with his voice. In these tracks he shows his real quality as a versatile musician.
The Fisherman
All frequent listeners of Golden Glades know by now, that the world is full of talented bedroom producers. Here’s a wonderful project hailing from Nafpaktos in Greece: Tony Panou alias The Fisherman. He calls himself an amateur, but I think he’s just being modest because he obviously has a knack for timeless melodies!
Trials & Truths
Wir haben es ja derzeit viel mit falschen Wahrheiten und alternativer Faktenlage zu tun. Ein Glück, dass die Musik einen ganz anderen Zugang zur Realität erlaubt – einen, der von vornherein keinen Anspruch auf objektive Allgemeingültigkeit erhebt. Vielleicht ist das sogar ein Kriterium, nach dem wir versuchen, unsere kleine Sendereihe zu bestücken: Lässt sich in diesem Song ein eigener Weltentwurf erkennen, und sei er nur auf den 8 Quadratmetern eines Schlafzimmer-Studios gültig. Ihre ganz persönliche Wahrheit lassen in der heutigen Ausgabe erklingen: Lake, Molly Burch und Jens Lekman.
| Artist | Track | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Jeans | False Start | Jigsaw |
| Horse Thief | Another Youth | Bella Union |
| Otago | Ghost Stories | mairisch Verlag |
| LAKE | Work With What You Got | Tapete |
| Benny Sings | One Of These Hearts | Jakarta |
| The Sound Of Money | Tiger T. - Death Happens To A Few | BB*Island |
| Diners | In My Hometown | diners.bandcamp.com |
| Molly Burch | Try | Captured Tracks |
| Steady Holiday | Open Water | Infinite Best |
| Manuela | Supermarket | Lost Map / Schamoni Musik |
| Homeshake | Call Me Up | Sinderlyn |
| alphaequalsfoverm | Ashes | Oh, Sister |
| Dutch Uncles | Streetlight | Memphis Industries |
| Spiral Stairs | Dance (Cry Wolf) | Domino |
| Elephant Stone | Photograph | Elephants On Parade |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BeWider | Beneath The Sky | self-released |
| Jens Lekman | Hotwire With Ferris Wheel | Secretly Canadian |
| The Da Vincis | Friend Machine | thedavincis.bandcamp.com |
| Hippo Campus | Simple Reason | Transgressive Records |
| Merk | Melody | merkscoolsongs.bandcamp.com |
| The Fisherman | Down | thefisherman.bandcamp.com |
| Novella | Four Colours | Sinderlyn |
| The Proper Ornaments | Memories | Tough Love |
| Brent Cash | The Way You Were | Marina Records |
| Real Estate | Darling | Domino |
| Jay Som | Turn Into | Polyvinyl |
| Hand Habits | Sun Beholds Me | Woodsist |
| Christiane Rsinger | Lieder ohne Leiden | Staatsakt |
| The Everywheres | Concede | theeverywheres.bandcamp.com |
Francis Macdonald & Harry Pye
Wow, I instantly fell in love with this new song by Francis Macdonald & Harry Pye! Watch out for their promising debüt „Bonjour“ by the end of May on Glasgow’s finest Shoeshine Records. A rich tapestry of lovely sounds and melodies will fill your ears – just what you need in these times:
You like that? Well, here’s another wonderful track:
Heaven For Real
It looks like Halifax is currently the place to be with its vibrant music scene: there are so many interesting bands and artists to discover. Heaven For Real play a melodic Indierock version with occasionally Pavementesque twists. It’s cleverly and well done.