David San Clair
Juni
Drogheda
 
A traditionally minded yet thoroughly modern musician, David San Clair draws influence from the greats of Irish and Folk music. Having studied at Dublin’s Academy of Music, this true-blood professional is ready with his twelfth studio offering. Delving into the future, David imagines a time when he and his future daughter can have deep conversations. Living in a small part of Ireland called Monasterboice, near Drogheda, the idyllic and rural location surely gives David San Clair the space to imagine and create truly immersive ideas. Locally recorded, David San Clair decided to enlist the skills and talents of several musicians from the area. These are Katie Phelan on extra vocals, Camryn Teehan, Josh Hackett, Dara Abdurahman, Louis Younge, and Edelian Geber. A few live shows are planned to support his release, and these will be across Co. Louth and in Dublin.
 
Strings and guitar begin the music with meaningful and thought-provoking harmonies. A drum kicks in to clarify the message as a violin takes a lead across rafts of chord played by guitar. Vocal joins the mix and for a moment is given the spotlight as the song is stripped back to simple chord progressions. The music re-enters the atmosphere and glides down and through the clouds of imagination as birds soar through misty morning sunshine. A waltz-type rhythm gives the music an ambling edge that takes note of steady progress over the little hurdles our years provide.  A sauntering melody builds from within, violin adding an extra quality to the timbre of voice and backing vocals giving depth to the story. Juni from David San Clair feels like a classic rock song dressed in traditional Irish garb and doing it every bit of justice.
 
You can follow David San Clair on Instagram

Facebook

and Twitter / X

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Frenchy And The Punk
Cities In Dust
EA Recordings
 
It’s an unbelievable 38 years since the iconic Siouxsie And The Banshees released their memorable Cities In Dust. To mark the occasion, the high-rising NYC duo Frenchy And The Punk have made their own version. Recorded during the production of their recent album Zen Ghost LP, the fan-favourite from their fabulous live shows made its way to the folder marked future which has now become today. Samantha Stephenson and Scott Helland bring their wide scope of skills and experience to the table and produce some of the biggest sounds two people can muster. With a punky folk cabaret edge, the group show us why Yahoo Music decided to list them among the United States’ top 25 two-piece acts.
 
A catchy drum riff begins the music before a harmony of strings enter with a melodic step. Vocals begin, evocative and passionate words cry out in rhythmic and tuneful wisps of chanted sound. With lots of music behind the simplicity of the song, a unison of guitars and tones fathom intriguing harmonies and changing percussive repeats. Bursts of flavour ring out with every new bar as the familiar chorus calls us to our feet. Punk sensitivities tingle with rock n roll grooves and alluring femininity.
 
Make sure to support the band and buy music by Frenchy And The Punk on Bandcamp.

Find out more on the Frenchy And The Punk website

​You can follow Frenchy And The Punk on Facebook

​Instagram

and X

Looks interesting: ​Everybody's Doin' It: Sex, Music, and Dance in New York, 1840-1917
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TOUR DATES
​
Oct. 21  EASTAMPTON, NJ - Autumn Lands Festival
Nov. 4   PITTSBURGH, PA - Witches’ Ball
Dec 2-3  WEST PALM BEACH, FL - Steampunk Adventurers Weekend
Jan. 13   COLTS NECK, NJ - Big Top Circus Ball
Feb 16-18  GETTYSBURG, PA - Mythicon
Apr. 6   GALVESTON, TX - Galveston Steampunk Festival
Apr 19-21  SAN METEO, CA - Clockwork Alchemy
Apr 27-28  HOLLY SPRINGS, NC - Festival of Legends
May 18   MILTON, PA - World of Fae Ball

Richard Evans
Dream Of The World
Cold Star Media
 
The Mancunian synthwave celebration continues with their very own Richard Evans. Back on his keyboards and computers, the juxtaposition of nostalgic space music and the magic of modern technology gives flight to this sonic songbird of sound. Dream Of The World EP presents the talented Evans in a setting that feels at home with the previous Sentinel plus an extension on the side. As we explore the new spaciousness and decorative intent, the title-track makes its way forward as the feature today. The British-Irish musician cut his teeth as the keyboard player in the popular rock band James before embarking on his own compositional creativity. No stranger to music, before turning his hand to electronics and synthesisers, Richard Evans played guitar and wrote songs for St Vitus Dancers. Inspired by artists like The Pet Shop Boys, Vangelis, Jean-Michel Jarre, and New Order, themes of the future of humanity in a technological world reinvent the 80s.
 
Strange, harmonised tones ring out in a progressive melody. New sonics join in with amplitudes and tone wavering in the abstract ambience. Whisks of synthesiser sweep the sounds into novel dimensions as the flow of notes and styles of wave merge in spacious and rich rooms. The vocal begins, Richard Evans adds a dreamy robotic edge to the human and introspective muse on the imagination. A series of musical breaks and rises keep the track moving through kinetic segments of transition as the vocal portrays a constancy among the reverse entropy. Richard Evans’ Dream Of The World conjures images of losing our sense of metaphor in favour of raw data via dystopian and designer realities.
 
Make sure to support the artist and buy Dream Of The World EP on Bandcamp

​​You can find out more on the Richard Evans website

​Follow Richard Evans on X

and Instagram

​Want to make your own analogue synthesisers? This book explains all.
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​Antarma
You Are Loved
Shri Matangi Records
 
The mystical and marvellous Antarma has recently treated his fans and beyond with a heart-warming and interesting number. You Are Loved was written and recorded to ensure that we all feel loved and part of the human family. Sometimes hearing it from someone else helps to put to sleep the doubt that gets in all the wrong places. You are enough and no matter what you do from now on, remember to love as much as you can. Recorded at Unique Studios in Chennai, India, the initial mix and production was taken care of by none other than Vykunth and Ramji Soma, who have worked with stars including AR Rahman. The recording also contains live violin played by Kumar Raghunathan. From his London roots, Antarma has become culturally entwined in the realm of Sufism, ancient Sanskrit mantras of the Dharma tradition, and shamanic practices from the world over. Bringing this mindset into the world of music and rapping, Antarma began his career by busking on London’s streets with nothing but his voice and a hand-drum.
 
The music opens with a strum of guitar and a brief chord to set a mood. Antarma begins to sing in chanted rap moves that quickly spill the lyrical flow over the bars. A London vibe rings through his syllables as the words coalesce into an amalgam of rhythmic poetry. A shift in the progression chops the track from a quickly spun verse pattern into drawn out sounds and emotive projections as the guitar continues to throb with melodic backdrops. Another verse emerges from the spiral of intent and sound with yet more clever and fitting lines that resonate with the motive. You Are Loved from Antarma spirits us away into an imagination of sound and flow before dropping us back down to Earth with a little more confidence and grounding.
 
Make sure to support Antarma and visit his Patreon page

You can follow Antarma on X

Facebook

and Instagram

Also, you may be interested in: ​Living Dharma: Teachings and Meditation Instructions from Twelve Theravada Masters
​

Grife
Ones And Zeros
Zatar Music
 
This new release marks the second in the series for Zatar Flavours, a run of progressive and promotional cuts that not only highlight the label but headline several key creatives in the scene. The figurehead artists who make the grade find themselves offering snippets of their sentiments by demonstrating deep cuts that deserve to be added to repertoires in every corner of the room. The A-side of Zatar Flavours 2 features Grife, a Brazilian artist whose name translates into Designer Label from Portuguese. Alongside the French artist Jas/t, the effervescent house number gets the mind moving and offers a quality step pattern for the body.
 
A bouncy and full spectrum rhythm begins with layers of jostling percussion. New elements are unpacked as cymbals and hats add their metallic clatters to the rhythmic flux. A deep and breathy synth begins to sway with pulsations of tone as extra effects add spaciousness to the melody. Harmonising slow tones meander and wade through the choppy rhythm section as moderate outlays of groove begin to dispel the peripheral darkness. Amplitude is sprinkled on the vibrancy as the moody synths climb to highlight the track as bubbles and currents shift and move with the flow of rhythm and synthesiser. Ones and Zeros from Grife is a relaxed chill-out breezeblock that will sturdy any setlist of laid-back grooves.

Make sure to support the artist and buy the music from Zatar Music on Bandcamp
 
You can listen to music by Grife on Spotify

You can follow Grife on Facebook

and Instagram

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 Burr Island
Towers
Devon
 
The alt-rock independent West Country stage maestros are back with another 60s influenced swinging single that sits head and shoulders over the corn. The band have recently enjoyed huge support from the BBC with airplay and mentions across Radio 6, Radio 2, and Gaby Roslin’s Radio London show. Their new single Towers enjoyed radio play on Radio X for the premiere with a media slot in Shindig Magazine to offer the goods. Now it’s a short few weeks until their set of dates supporting Ocean Colour Scene on tour, and with their own shows scheduled to match, Burr Island hit us with this anti-capitalist number. So, don't be cheap, buy your copies of the song. Also, if you happen to like what this journal does, turn off the adblock, reward your blogger. No one likes a capitalist freeloader. Seriously though, we can all pay our own way and a little bit forward as well but it’s the filthy rich who need a good scrub down with proverbial ammonia.
 
Gentle and sombre acoustic guitar opens out like a Bert Jansch piece as melody and progression work together to unravel a mood. Delicate vocals join in a duet of uplifting yet thoughtful verse lines. A gaze of temperance passes by until the music leaps to a celebratory yet warning chorus where the flowers are dying. What could they represent? A short number with a prettiness to be enjoyed, the deeper message is one of care and the lack of it. Towers from Burr Island takes us to the roots of British folk via a range of modern influences.
 
Make sure to support the band and buy music from Burr Island on Bandcamp

Find out more on the Burr Island website

You can follow Burr Island on Facebook

and Instagram

​Also: Read a complete course in progressive leadership from the author of Sound Read Six for free.

​TOUR DATES:

Headlining:

13/12/23- London- The Old Queen’s Head, Islington.

Supporting Ocean Colour Scene:

03/12/23- Bournemouth- o2 Academy

04/12/23- Bristol- Beacon

07/12/23- Belfast- Telegraph

08/12/23- Dublin- Olympia

09/12/23- Dublin- Olympia

11/12/23- Liverpool- University (Mountford Hall)

12/12/23- Sheffield- o2 Academy

14/12/23- Norwich- UEA

15/12/23- Wolverhampton- The Halls

16/12/23- London- Eventim Apollo

18/12/23- Glasgow- o2 Academy

19/12/23- Glasgow- o2 Academy

20/12/23- Newcastle- o2 City Hall
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