Doug Paisley
Sometimes It’s So Easy
From Say What You Like
 
Canadian singer-songwriter Doug Paisley has just released a great single and video to establish the new album, Say What You Like, due out in March. Premiered on Under The Radar, it’s a real honour for Sound Read Six to be given the next round of mail-outs. The folk-pop escapades of Doug Paisley have been building in momentum and velocity ever since he started, and the new album is one step further once again. Accompanied by a video directed by Colin Medley, who’s worked on many productions including P.S. I Love You, The Incident Report, and The Seams: Remembrance Day, Sometimes It’s So Easy offers a catchy and universally listenable jolt into the electric atmosphere of the artist.
 
A solo Americana vocal melody begins the music as the guitar follows in time. Frills of chord spread the harmonies across rhythmic flow. A verse draws us in with words and then the chorus begins with doo doo doo melodies that anyone can join in with. Blues guitar enters to fill the void between the words before the next verse begins. A smooth drum beat and bass line keeps everything in time as the rhythm guitar sparkles and shines across a progressive structure. Happy, laid back, and inventive, Sometimes It’s So Easy is indeed easy to love.
 
 
You can visit the Doug Paisley website

​You can visit Doug Paisley on Facebook

and Instagram
​
You can buy music by Doug Paisley on Bandcamp
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Black Market Karma and Tess Parks
The Sky Was All Diseased
From Friends In Noise
 
Just out last Friday, the new Black Market Karma record consists of six true epics that define and explore the multi-faceted band sound. A mix of psychedelic fuzz and thumping rhythms invents a modern dreamcore schema that sits comfortably among the classics and the up-and-coming. Since the slamming success of Aped Flair & Hijacked Ideas LP which came out not that long ago, the band has been nutrified and empowered by its momentum. The new record has been put together as a collage that consists of music recorded between the band and their peers in music. Black Market Karma is fronted by the amazing Stanley Belton who brings the music to life with his leadership. As well as Tess Parks, Black Market Karma have produced work alongside members of The Underground Youth, The Confederate Dead, as well as the encapsulating Ruari Meehan. As the band embark on their latest run of tour-dates, this LP is perfect to set the scene.
 
Smooth strumming enters with a breezy blues guitar. The bass section rumbles along with mechanical pace as the melody evolves and shifts like the shape of clouds. Long bars of imaginary sway lead into a slow and dreamy vocal section. Tess Parks offers an intimate and closely held rendition of poetry and verse. Repeating lines sit against choppy blues guitar which in turn is rooted in a driving rhythm. A progressiveness in the guitar track brings wholesome composition to the mix, intensifying the music by just enough to be felt by a princess sleeping on a pea. Before we realise, we’re being drawn deeper into a mesmerism that’s laid out for us in enchanting and charming corridors of sound.


You can follow Black Market Karma on Facebook

Twitter

and Instagram

You can buy music by Black Market Karma on Bandcamp

TOUR DATES (Get tickets)
Jan 27th  LISBON, Portugal - LAV
Jan 28th  PORTO, Portugal - Hard Club
Jan 30th  MADRID, Spain - Teatro Eslava
Jan 31st  BARCELONA, Spain - Apolo
Feb 1st  TOULOUSE, France - Le Bikini
Feb 2nd  BORDEAUX, France - Rock School Barbey
Feb 4th  GRENOBLE, France - La Belle Electrique
Feb 5th  LAUSANNE, Switzerland - Les Docks
Feb 15th   COPENHAGEN, Denmark - Vega
Feb 17th   ANTWERP, Belgium - Trix
Feb 18th  NIJMEGEN, Netherlands - Doornroosje  
Feb 19th  AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - Paradiso
Mar 15th  TOURS, France - No New Fest (without The Black Angels)

Alpha Neutral
Too Posh
London
 
Alpha Neutral are all about inclusivity. Anyone who is human and doing what they can to live their best life is welcome to enjoy the sounds and family ethos. They fit right at home in Sound Read Six, which also has room for everyone. Members of this up-and-coming UK act have worked with big names already. These include people like Edwyn Collins, Gerry Rafferty, and Bryan Adams. Since Alpha Neutral's music was featured on a BBC Television show, their new work has been getting some serious attention. Too Posh is the latest single.
 
It begins with birdsong, and a pleasant atmosphere. Then, drums and bass kick through as vocal enters on a groovy swagger. Harmonies from female choral singers elevate the funky lines that flow between the jazz-funk guitar and keyboard. Fly melodies adapt and foam against the thumping bass and snare beat that rattles with lots of vibrant cymbal. A true up-stroke funk thrill infuses the mix as the lyrics and tune eloquently fit the structure with all the right clothes. Too Posh from Alpha Neutral is a fun and sparkling tune that sounds as fantastic as the video looks.
 

Find out more by visiting Alpha Neutral online

You can buy music from Alpha Neutral on Bandcamp
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​Markus Homm, Brad Brunner, AG Swifty
The Big Con
Sublease Music
 
This trio of titanic talent take the wheel for the latest offering from Sublease Music. A veteran on the dance and techno scene, Markus Homm has been headlining venue nights since the times of the early era. Teaming up with Brad Brunner and AG Swifty, Homm directs and distils his virtuosity with the help of today’s modern luminaries. Giving the newer names a vital lift in terms of musical kudos and foundation, this triple artist release takes seriously the ethic of the genre and the bubbling of new directions that keep it alive. Making use of minimal house rhythms and manic percussion lines, The Big Con is available to stream from today.
 
Thick bass rattles through an alignment of hats and snare. A staggering to the beat gives a jolt to the awareness as the bass hits on the second one. Rumbling and progressive lo-side beats burst through in pulsations of heaviness. A tonal melodic sits quietly on the top of the throbbing underside. The talkative and tubular sound of tuneful drums dances in a happy motif across the rage of sudden bass. Stabs on synthesiser join in, carrying a vocal ooh in the lines. The percussive use of the syllabic lyric invents a dancing clarity to which we can move with grace. Rampant beats scatter and froth in multiple directions of stereo as the music simmers into a quieter moment. The mix hits out again with equal force to culminate the progression into a stream-lined bash through rhythm, bass, and style.

You can follow Markus Homm on Instagram

and Facebook

You can follow Brad Brunner on Instagram

and Facebook

You can follow AG Swifty on Instagram

and Facebook
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Jill Barber
Homemaker
Vancouver
 
Released via Outside Music on the 10th of January, British Columbia’s Jill Barber presents Homemaker. An ode to all parents and their daily challenges, Jill Barber sends a message to let you know you are not alone. Known for an intimate and pretty finger-picking guitar style, this new album is the first record that Jill has produced herself. Working with Erik Nielsen of City and Colour in the studio, the record has everything it needs and everything the artist imagined. Taking a step back from the string arrangements that fans already know, this new set of songs features a stripped-down and traditional technique that brings the song writing to life with a more subtle direction.
 
A stroke of guitar brings a smooth melody that sways in a warming breeze. Jill Barber begins to sing; her voice strikes as beautiful and soulful. The lyrics recognise the human side of being a parent. Delicate harmonies resonate in the background and a drumbeat emerges from the mixture. We listen intently as the alluring music draws in closer with compassionate lines. The silky delivery reveals truths about being a real person with responsibilities and trouble. Doing our best as a parent is all we can ask for, and the music reminds us that we can’t be expected to be on top of the world every day.
 

​Find out more by visiting Jill Barber online

You can follow Jill Barber on Instagram

Twitter

and Facebook
​

Benji Tranter
Satellite
From Songs To Make You Happy
 
With two brilliant Eps to his name already, it’s been around five years since Welsh Marches resident Benji Tranter put his name to his sounds. Having recently spent time with the power-pop three-piece Ski Lift, his band has reached lofty heights with plays on BBC Radio and beyond. Now that he’s returned to his lo-fi home-grown sound with the debut full-length album, Benji Tranter presents the video for Satellite. As Britain enters the space-age with its first ever rocket launch tonight, putting home-made satellites into orbit, it’s an ideal time to update you with this relevant and artistically stunning song-writer. Produced by Benji himself and featuring a selection of talented friends, Songs To Make You Happy is available from January 20th. 
 
The music begins with a broken guitar riff that blurs into drums. The chords begin again once the beat is established, and a happy tune ensues. The lyrics leap from the bars in giddy dances as a chugging guitar rhythm keeps time with the sway. We can sing-a-long with the words as the crisp and listenable delivery makes it difficult not to. Laid-back and full of personal groove, the tuneful creation of music rests on sturdy laurels as harmonies and musicality fortify the sound.
 
You can follow Benji Tranter  on Instagram