Daniel Pingrey has a rather fascinating discography over works. BIG CHANCE TIME BABY is a series of “re-imaginings” performed via the “Electronic Toys” settings on his Kompakt. Christmas Eve at the Castle Orchestration is a delightfully executed collection of traditional Christmas songs, existing on the opposite end of the spectrum of the prior release.

His latest, Shorts, is another entirely new entity. This ongoing gathering of tracks are, as the name implies, quite dainty in length but still manage to set an enjoyable mood in their brief lifespan. Hopefully he makes good on his promise to keep adding to the collection, as 3 tracks is simply not enough.

In 2017, Hammock managed to release two full-length records; Mysterium and the Columbus original motion picture soundtrack. Both are meticulously crafted, deliberately paced, sweeping records of ambient post-rock instrumentals.

With that in mind, it’s pleasantly surprising to see that they’ve already released another EP this early in 2018 with Repeat/Texture. It is four compositions of more quality ambient music. Their album description says each track was built around a sound meant to induce a specific mood but that’s certainly in the ear of the beholder. These tracks are excellent companions for quiet contemplation and staring into the void.

At the last Birdcloud Cool Christmas, Joshua Hedley took the stage and performed a stunning rendition of “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” His long-standing presence performing at Nashville honky-tonks was a sufficient endorsement of his skill but actually heard him sing in person is a different experience altogether. It was confirmation that his upcoming Third Man Records release was worthy of anticipation.

The title track to said album, “Mr. Jukebox”, is now available in the form of this official video and it delivers as one would hope. In it Hedley does battle with a director wanting to exploit his country style, having him perform from a beaten down country home, riding a horse with a banjo or sitting in a rocking chair with a gun in his lap. It’s a funny video but, moreso, a commentary on the Modern Country World that Hedley doesn’t quite fit into. Thankfully.

There’s plenty of Classic Twangâ„¢ to his voice, backed by slide guitar, piano flourishes and a catchy hook. The album is surely filled with the same refreshing style and be pre-ordered over at Third Man now.

Side note: If you aren’t following @joshuahedley on Twitter, you’re missing out.

We posted about the Sad Baxter single for “Baby” back in November when it was covered by NPR’s “Songs We Love” and now it’s got an official video – courtesy of the Nashville Cream premiere.

The 90’s grunge vibe clearly influences more than just their music as this video is a perfect throwback to the time when music videos were semi-narrative, ridiculous and fun. This would fit right in on 120 Minutes and I’m sure Matt Pinfield would have plenty of good things to say about it.

To be clear, just because there’s a 90’s vibe here, I’m not slagging on this. Deezy’s voice has a growl to it that is undeniably appreciated and it presents itself perfectly at the apex of this track.

This new split single from Cosmic Thug Records features Emma Swift and Pony Boy each tackling covers of Neil Young – “Mellow My Mind” and “Like a Hurricane”, respectively.

Pony Boy’s take on “Like a Hurricane” turns the somewhat anthemic original into a mournful lamentation, expressing the underlying sadness of the song. Swift’s “Mellow My Mind” maintains the melancholy of Young’s version but trades the melodrama for her unique voice and a delightfully warbly guitar.

The single isn’t officially released until Feb 14th but you can hear both tracks over on Bandcamp now.

The Telefones relocated to Nashville from Atlanta in 2016 and released their debut Rack Your Noodle EP around the same time. The five-song undertaking manages to cover a good bit of ground as the band explores some psych-rock and shoegaze fused with the occasional punkish outburst. Immersing yourself in lead track “Subculture Danger” will give you a good idea of the kind of warbly surprises in store. Looking forward to their 2018 followup.

The full-length from Lasso Spells, Stuck in a Shape, was released in 2016 when the band resided in Brooklyn. Since that time, founder Brett Dudash has relocated to Nashville and is working on a followup entitled Bohemian Mechanics. Assuming that the project keeps moving in the same direction there will be plenty of 60’s psychedelic pop influence mixed with a hint of desert country.

John Davis is a busy guy. He released The Blinding White Of Nothing At All double record last year with The Lees of Memory, has been collaborating with Andy Herrin as Two Chalfonts and has a new project with Mike Armstrong entitled The Rectangle Shades.

The first two demo tracks from the project – “Ranting and Raving” b/w “Behind Dark Eyes” are available to stream now and it’s clearly a good fit between the two. Lead vocals are traded off between the two tracks and lots of instruments are used. It’s an excellent sneak peek at, hopefully, a larger release.