Best of What’s New

Happy Saturday and hope your weekend is off to a great start! For many folks in the U.S., with Labor Day coming up on Monday, it’s a three-day stretch off work. And, nope, even though there is this notion, the holiday doesn’t mark the end of summer! In North America, that date is September 22 this year. With that important clarification out of the way, let’s get to new music. All picks are on albums or EPs that appeared yesterday (Sep 2).

Luke Sital-Singh/Can’t Get High

I’d like to kick off this new music revue with Luke Sital-Singh, a Los Angeles-based British indie folk singer-songwriter. Here’s more from his Apple Music profile: Raised in the southwest London suburb of New Malden,…Sital-Singh released his first EP, Fail for You, in late 2012. Produced by veteran Irish producer Iain Archer (Snow Patrol, Jake Bugg), the four songs had a haunting, intimate quality that drew comparisons to Bon Iver and Jeff Buckley, and earned Sital-Singh considerable airplay in the U.K. He released a second EP in the spring of 2013 called Old Flint, which opened the door to several tours and key spots on the U.K. festival circuit, and eventually landed him a deal with British major Parlophone Records. Sital-Singh’s first full-length album The Fire Inside appeared in August 2014. Now, his fourth studio album Dressing Like a Stranger is out. Here’s Can’t Get High, a nice pop rock tune he wrote together with Nashville-based songwriter and frequent collaborator Ben Cramer, better known as Old Sea Brigade.

Mo Troper/I Fall Into Her Arms

Mo Troper is a Portland, Ore.-based singer-songwriter and guitarist. From his AllMusic bio: His music takes listeners on an emotional trip, with the beauty of his classic-style pop melodies facing up against lyrics that ask pointed, sardonic questions about the world around him...Troper’s father was an obsessive Beatles fan, and Mo grew up absorbing the influences of the Fab Four and other ’60s pop acts. At an early age, Troper had developed a passionate interest in music, and in his teens he began making his way into the Portland D.I.Y. music scene. While in high school, Troper and drummer Nate Sonefeld formed the band Your Rival, who specialized in “fun songs about horrible things.” In 2013, they released an album, Here’s to Me, through the local punk label Party Damage Records. The band soon broke up, and Troper worked with the groups TeenSpot and Sancho before he decided it was time to strike out on his own. His solo debut album Beloved was released in April 2016. Fast-forward six and a half years to MTV, Troper’s fifth studio album, and I Fall Into Her Arms. Like all other tracks except for one, the power pop tune was solely penned by Troper.

Rodell Duff/Tell Me Twice

Rodell Duff who originally hails from Trinidad & Tobago is a Texas-based country singer. From his website: He moved to Houston, TX as a kid[, which] has been his home since then. Music has always been a part of his life. From being in the choir during his school years, to now garnering over 7 million plus streams on Spotify with just 5 releases under his belt. Now residing in Kemah, TX, Rodell Duff has been all over Texas performing in front of live crowds. He recently opened up for acts such as The Josh Abbott Band, Michael Ray & Corey Kent, just to name a few. His first official single “Wrecked” was released in 2021 & ended up landing on Spotify’s “Hot Country” playlist. Rodell Duff has now released his first EP, Red Dirt Cursed, and I like what I’m hearing. Check out opener Tell Me Twice, which Duff co-wrote with Dylan Maloney, Eric Dodd and Haley Ganis.

The Front Bottoms/Hello World

Wrapping up my new music picks for this week are The Front Bottoms, an indie rock duo from Woodcliff Lake, N.J. Consisting of Brian Sella (vocals, guitar) and his childhood friend Mat Uychich (drums), The Front Bottoms were formed in 2006. Uychich’s brother Brian Uychich (keyboard, vocals) completed their original line-up, which recorded their first two self-released albums. In September 2011, The Front Bottoms’s eponymous third album appeared, their first released with a record label. Following the departure of Brian Uychich, Ciaran O’Donnell (guitar, trumpet, keyboards) joined as an official member in 2012. After the release of their fourth studio album Going Grey in October 2017, The Front Bottoms became a duo. Their music has been eclectic, blending elements of pop, rock and punk. This brings me to Hello World, a tune from their latest pop rock-oriented EP Theresa.

This post wouldn’t be complete without a Spotify playlist of the above and some additional tunes.

Sources: Wikipedia; Apple Music; AllMusic; Rodell Duff website; YouTube; Spotify

Best of What’s New

This doesn’t happen very often. As I was browsing and sampling newly released songs, I quickly realized there were a good amount of new tunes I could have featured in this Best of What’s New installment. During most weeks, it’s relatively easy to select four tracks that rise to the top based on my taste. This time, I could have included nine or 10, so I decided to broaden the set from the usual four to six tunes.

The result is an eclectic selection, including indie rock, post-hardcore rock, alternative rock, pop-oriented country, searing rock and even some bossa nova. All tracks appear on albums that were released yesterday (May 21). Hope you find some music in here you like!

Storefront Church/Smile-Shaped Scar

According to an artist page on the website of their record label Sargent House, Storefront Church is a Los Angeles-based project around singer-songwriter Lukas Frank. Smile-Shaped Scar, co-written by Frank and guitarist Waylon Dean Reactor, is a tune from the outfit’s debut album As We Pass. The project included more than 20 collaborators. Sargent House describes the outcome as “a sweeping artistic statement that paints dark, weathered landscapes paired with Frank’s mournful croon and howls summoned via poignant songwriting that recalls the likes of Roy Orbison, Scott Walker, and Jeff Buckley.” While the lyrics aren’t exactly cheerful, I really dig the sound of this tune, which is quite catchy as well. Check it out!

Fiddlehead/Million Times

Fiddlehead, which has been active since 2014, are a rock band from Boston, featuring Patrick Flynn (vocals), Alex Henery (guitar), Alex Dow (guitar), Casey Nealon (bass) and Shawn Costa (drums). Wikipedia characterizes them as a post-hardcore supergroup bringing together former members from various other bands, including Have Heart, Basement, Big Contest, Intent, Youth Funeral, Death Injection and Glory – frankly, all groups I don’t know! Fiddlehead released their debut EP Out of the Bloom in 2014. Their first full-length album Springtime and Blind followed in 2018. Million Times, credited to the entire band, is a fairly melodic rocker from Fiddlehead’s new sophomore album Between the Richness. Here’s the official video that was released in March.

Counting Crows/Elevator Boots

There’s a name I hadn’t heard for quite some time. Alternative rock band Counting Crows entered my radar screen in late 1993 with Mr. Jones, the catchy lead single from their excellent debut album August and Everything After. The band was formed by lead vocalist Adam Duritz and producer and guitarist David Bryson in San Francisco in 1991. Together with Charlie Gillingham (keyboards, accordion, clarinet, backing vocals), Duritz and Bryson remain as original members in the group’s current line-up, which also features David Immerglück (guitars, bass, pedal steel guitar, banjo, mandolin, backing vocals), Millard Powers (bass, rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Dan Vickrey (lead guitar, banjo, backing vocals) and Jim Bogios (drums). To date, Counting Crows have released seven studio and various compilation and live albums. Elevator Roots, written by Duritz, is a song from the band’s new EP Butter Miracle Suite One, their first studio release since 2014. I like it!

Jordan Davis/I Still Smoked

Jordan Davis is a Nashville-based pop-oriented country singer-songwriter who originally hails from Shreveport, La. According to his artist profile on Apple Music, Davis had music in his bloodline. His uncle Stan Paul Davis wrote country hits for Tracy Lawrence and others in the ’90s, and in 2012, Jordan made his way to Music City to give his own songs a push. Five years later, his debut single, “Singles You Up,” stampeded up the country charts and went double platinum. His next couple of singles, “Take It From Me” and “Slow Dance in a Parking Lot,” became country smashes too, as did the album they appeared on, 2018’s Home State (his studio debut album). I Still Smoked, co-written by Davis, Jonathan Singleton and Randy Montana, is a melodic tune from Davis’ new sophomore album Buy Dirt.

Ayron Jones/Mercy

Ayron Jones is a guitarist and singer-songwriter from Seattle. Jones has been active since the age of 19 when he started performing at local bars. In 2010, he formed Ayron Jones and the Way, a trio influenced by the likes of Cream, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, and Prince and the Revolution. A gig at a Seattle bar in 2012 led to their discovery by local rapper, songwriter and record producer Anthony Ray, aka Sir Mix-a-Lot. The band’s debut album Dream appeared in October 2013. Jones has since released two additional albums including his new one Child of the State. Here’s Mercy co-written by Jones, Marti Fredericksen and Scott Stevens. Jones’ guitar-playing style has been compared to Gary Clark Jr. and Vaughan. This rocks quite furiously. Check out the official video.

Marinero/Through the Fog

Let’s wrap up this post on a softer note: Through the Fog, a track from Hella Love, the debut album by Marinero. According to his Bandcamp profile, Marinero is the moniker for Jess Sylvester. Sylvester who grew up in San Francisco and is now based in Los Angeles, is of Mexican heritage. It’s difficult to classify or generalize about Marinero’s music or identity, notes his profile. To him, it’s important to let his music do the talking. “I’m Chicanx, a bay native, biracial, and I’ve luckily gotten to travel and spend time in Mexico and I feel like my personality and specific musical tastes come through on this album… Pulling sonic influences from classic Latin American groups and international composers from the 60’s & 70’s: Los Terricolas, Ennio Morricone, Esquivel, Carole King and, Serge Gainsbourg Hella Love finds Sylvester fusing classical arrangements with a variety of different genres, evoking a sonic nostalgia blended with other contemporary artists like Chicano Batman, Connan Mockasin, and Chris Cohen. I dig this tune’s jazzy bossa nova groove.

Sources: Wikipedia; Storefront Church Sargent House artist page; Apple Music; Marinero Bandcamp profile; YouTube