electronica – Radio Free Lightning Bug

Pack of Three: The High Loves, The Room in the Wood, Moist

Posted on December 12, 2018November 22, 2018 by Rob Jones

The holiday season is nearly upon us, RFLB fans! You know, I have to come up with a better name for all of you. “Buggers” probably won’t do.

Anyway!

As a holiday gift all wrapped up in a metaphorical bow until we reconvene in the new year, here’s a selection of three sumptuous tunes to which you can rock out while you get the rest of your shopping done.

Open your minds and ears.

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“You Already Knew That” by The High Loves

Name: The High Loves

From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Sound: Beatles-esque melodic guitar pop with distinct Strokes sensibilities.

Story: This song is a kind of break-up tune, penned by High Loves songwriter Noah Monckton about leaving a beloved someone behind to make space for self-expression and personal fulfillment in making music. You’d be right in thinking that this is autobiographical. The song is a single off of the band’s new EP, Seratonin. It’s out right now.

Link: Stream the EP here

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“Mars” by The Room in the Wood

Name: The Room in the Wood

From: Liverpool, UK

Sound: The spirit of Jim Morrison inhabits the bodies of two Liverpudlians to make a 2018-relevant political statement about the future of humanity.

Story: Stalwart Liverpool scenesters and former members of post-punk purveyors The Room, Dave Jackson and Paul Cavanagh have come together as The Room in the Wood to bring you this comment on our fascination with sexy technology that ultimately solves the wrong problems. This cut is taken from their newest release The Mars EP, out now.

Link: Listen to Mars EP here.

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“Traces” by Moist

Name: Moist

From: Söderhamn, Sweden

Sound: Icy, wintry electronica that is the sonic equivalent of watching intricate, beautiful frost patterns form on the inside of a window as the snow falls gently outside.

Story: Moist (not to be confused with the Canadian band of the same name) is the creative vehicle for electronica musician and producer David Elfström Lilja. This cut is taken from his newest LP, Lavine, featuring the voice of singer Maria Marcus.

Link: Get the new record and learn more at moist.se.

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Merry Holidays, you buggers!

(see – needs work …)

Until the New Year, then!

Happy Listening!

Royal Sings “Vessel”

Posted on November 14, 2018October 30, 2018 by Rob Jones

Spare and stark, awash in late Autumn rainy-day melancholy and with a soulful vocal at the center of it all. Vancouver’s Royal (neé Jodi Pederson), lays it bare on this solo acoustic version of a track off of her most recent record, Heart of Shadows, released last week.

The song explores a familiar theme of losing oneself in longing for another, a thread that runs through many of the songs on the record.

Here’s the studio version, which puts a distinct downtempo electronica spin on the song. Yet, that melancholy remains.

For more on Royal, investigate her website.

Happy listening!

Pack of Three: Jeen, Here Are The Lions, Ruby Velle & The Soulphonics

Posted on August 1, 2018July 19, 2018 by Rob Jones

A vital rock-pop sock in the gut from a prominent songwriter for a selection of Canadian acts and solo artist in her own right. A dance-rock clarion call from an international music collective. And a funk-soul excursion from the deep south.

What is your flavour, friends?

Observe this week’s Pack of Three board of fare right here.

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“Any Moment” by Jeen

Name: Jeen

From: Toronto, ON, Canada

Sound: Hard-edged Breeders-like indie-rock with echo-drenched vocals and distinct pop hooks.

Story: Jeen (aka songwriter and musician Jeen O’Brien) when not writing songs for others (Great Big Sea, Serena Ryder, Hawksley Workman, and others) has spent some of her time in her attic self-producing her own records, recently with the help of friends and family on various instruments. Her newest, Gift Shop, is out soon with “Any Moment” as a single that serves as an infinitely crankable rock anthem to add to our summer playlists. The song is a snapshot of Jeen’s continuing self-education as an artist who constantly pushes herself. Look for the release of Gift Shop on September 14, 2018.

Links:

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“Unsatisfied” by Here Are The Lions

Name: Here Are The Lions

From: France and other geographical points

Sound: Electronic dance pop as informed by a melange of world music ingredients and positive protest.

Story: Here Are The Lions is a project masterminded by French musician, producer, author, and activist Bernard P. Boyer, founded in 2014 and since featuring a range of musicians from all over the world. The name Here Are The Lions is a phrase found on old maps, marking territories that are unexplored, and slightly dangerous. This is their newest single, an amalgam of dance rock and world music with an undercurrent of protest music. The new EP is out in September 2018.

Links:

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“Broken Woman” by Ruby Velle & The Soulphonics

Name: Ruby Velle & The Soulphonics

From: Atlanta, GA. USA

Sound: Retro soul-pop full of wah-wah guitar, buoyant bass, sassy brass, and sultry vocals that’s appealingly unpredictable

Story: Singer Ruby Velle leads her merry band of soulphonics into musical territory tied to no single era, touching on many, while still managing to sound “classic” all at once. The band has shared stages with artists as far ranging as The Temptations, Erikah Badu, Feist, Kendrick Lamar, and Iggy Pop. This cut is featured on the upcoming record The State of All Things, and all a part of a mission to embody an earthy groove while also championing an informed awareness of the world at the same time. The new record is out now.

Links:

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What say you, friends? Give me your impressions in the comments!

Happy Listening!

Pack of Three: Transistor Girl, Lightning Echoes, Cubicolor

Posted on July 18, 2018July 12, 2018 by Rob Jones

An interior tale of (literal!) quiet regret delivered in a late night, post-rock package. A hopeful tune in times of trouble. And a polyrhythmic electronica excursion that draws all the right comparisons.

It’s Radio Free Lightning Bug’s weekly Pack of Three, friends.

Find your favourite below!

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“Quiet Regret” by Transistor Girl

Name: Transistor Girl

From: Geneva, Switzerland

Sound: Quietly brooding and compellingly tense and atmospheric post-rock awash with electronics and echoey guitar.

Story: Some songs tell grand narratives of high drama. Others tell stories that happen only in the most fleeting thoughts and collected emotional geography. No points for guessing where this track falls, kids. This song touches on themes that the title only teases at, with the slow build of the music bringing it to fruition via movie soundtrack influences and smoky, downcast vocals. This is one to listen to with the headphones on, lights out.

Links:

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“In Circles” by Lightning Echoes

Name: Lightning Echoes

From: Vancouver, BC, Canada

Sound: Optimistic and texturally varied folk-pop with earnest, hopeful lyrics sung in real, untreated voices.

Story: In an increasingly uncertain world, having some encouraging and hopeful anthems is welcome – even necessary. This is certainly one of them from producer/performer/multi-instrumentalist duo Kaitlin Deavy and Alejandro Zarazúa who go by the name Lightning Echoes. The two met while studying music technology and production, with their partnership flourishing out of creating work for their portfolios, and based on a common love for smart pop music that goes beyond the expected. “In Circles” is their debut single.

Links:

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“Counterpart” by Cubicolor

Name: Cubicolor

From: London, UK and Amsterdam, Holland

Sound: Haunting electronica with jazzy flourishes, ominous strings, and quietly menacing textures.

Story: Radiohead and Massive Attack comparisons abound with this trio made up of Dutch producers Ariaan Olieroock and Peter Kriek, and British producer / lead vocalist Tim Digby-Bell. Those comparisons are ultimately pretty justifiable. On this track, their newest single, they deliver the sonic richness contained within aural environments that are equal parts compelling and foreboding to easily place them in that company. The single is a follow-up to their debut album, 2016’s Brainsugar.

Links:

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Time to round up your impressions, everyone. What are your thoughts? How have the above rocked your world, or kept it from rocking in the best possible way?

Do tell, and as always,

Happy Listening!

Pack of Three: Becoming Bristol, Confusionaires, Morten Lava

Posted on June 6, 2018June 4, 2018 by Rob Jones

This is the first “pack of three” post ever, friends; a weekly series that groups three magnificent, although sometimes very stylistically disparate, musical gems together.

This week, we have a selection of aural delights ranging from chilled out pop electronica, to boot-stompin’ Saturday night rockabilly, to pastoral and introspective folk-pop.

Get stuck in!

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Becoming Bristol, “Sort Myself Out”

Name: Becoming Bristol.

From: Seattle, Washington.

Sound: Spacey and relaxed pop music with dreamily ambient electronic textures.

Story: Once monikered “The Exchange”, Becoming Bristol is a new musical entity, with this song being an anthem to starting again while taking responsibility for the past, too. Being in a band and touring since their teens, you can understand how autobiographical this song might be.

Links: Facebook, Instagram, band site

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Confusionaires, “Everybody’s Talking (But Nobody’s Talking to Me)”

Name: Confusionaires

From: Edmonton, Alberta

Sound: Rollickin’ three-piece twangy barroom rockabilly.

Story: This tune is featured on their newest record, Time to Make a Little Mess With …, contrasting the ballsy swing of the music with the socially awkward narrative found in the lyrics. I can relate to both, of course! Also, here’s the live version.

Links: Facebook, band site, Bandcamp

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Morten Lava, “In A Daydream”

Name: Morten Lava

From: Denmark (now based in London)

Sound: Wistful, melancholic, harmony-laden acoustic folk-pop.

Story: Trading in a sound that hooks into a similar sonic territory as José Gonzalez, Morten Lava’s (nee Larsen’s) music is an exploration across genres, and with plenty of atmosphere to enjoy along the way. The EP In A Daydream, was released today! To those of you within range, Morten is doing an EP launch party today at the Notting Hill Arts Club in Kensington, London.

Links: Buy the EP on iTunes, artist site.

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This is the part where I ask you your favourites of the three, friends. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section.

Happy Listening!