Available today, right now, is the full debut from CLIIIVE – aka Jeremi Morris. It’s an enjoyable mixture of electronic music wavering between atmospheric and crunchy, dirty soundscapes. It’s got a menacing, foreboding feel to it that feels right on par with what the cover art suggests – staring into a TV of static and being fully consumed.
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Girls of the SEC – Lost Summer
Alright, this isn’t technically a Nashville release anymore because musician Ryan Burleson resides in New York at the moment but I have it on good authority that he’s pining to get back, so that makes it relevant, right? Regardless, the album was originally released in 2013 in Nashville and has now received a bit of an upgrade. It’s the same album you may remember from before – beachy, summer vibes – but now peppered with samples, field recordings and improvements to many of the songs.Â
Happy Little Trees – We Are Happy
Dan Sommers never ceases to impress me. For me, his work in Hotpipes will forever stand the test of time, his performances in My So-Called Band are always spot on and his creations with POLY are downright delightful.Â
So, with all that in mind, it’s no surprise that his first full-length release as Happy Little Trees is not only enjoyable, it’s a different direction from his other endeavors. I’d call them straightforward pop-rock songs but that’s an injustice to the massively explosive nature of the songs.Â
Our Heavenly Bodies, Coupler Score
Awhile back, Coupler provided a live score to German director Hans Walter Kornblum’s masterpiece, Our Heavenly Bodies, for the Belcourt series Science on Screen. There’s a trailer for the performance and three clips on the bands website worth having a listen to. Oddly, the 1925 film and modern ambiance electronic music pair together quite nicely.
(Source: http://couplermusic.com/)
The By Gods – Phone Calls EP
Hot on the hells of their January full-length, Get On Feelings, The By Gods have a new EP of big riff rock to soundtrack your summer. The full EP is available in early July but you can listen to “Where Do You Come From?†right now.
Rales “Write Offâ€
Excellent new track from Rales now available. Love the mild gravel in the vocals and the perfect mix of upbeat style with earnest, melancholy delivery. Hope there’s a full album sneaking behind this release sometime soon.Â
CLIIIVE – “Silkyâ€
Jeremi Morris, of Hanzelle, has a new solo undertaking entitled CLIIIVE. It’s an atmospheric electronic undertaking with a nice dancey undertone. The first track, “Silkyâ€, is available for your listening pleasure with the full album, Head Movies, coming up shortly.
Nightblonde “Vanishingâ€
The debut from Nightblonde, Numbers, will be released digitally on June 3rd and the band has released another preview track in anticipation of the full release. It’s melancholy pop at its finest.
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)
Kansas Bible Company – “Adios Amigosâ€
The first track from Kansas Bible Company’s forthcoming full-length, Paper Moon, is available for your ears over on Soundcloud. They got that good horn sound going.
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OST Preview Mix
The official launch of WXNAÂ brings many good things to Nashville. For locals, it means a radio station worth listening to. For those outside of the immediate area, it means podcasts, playlists and plenty of curating musical goods to dig through.
Sam Smith – drummer, illustrator and  DJ for the forthcoming OST show on WXNA – has posted his first  preview mix for his show of original soundtrack music. It’s a stellar listen.
Adia Victoria “Dead Eyesâ€
If you haven’t seen it, see it.
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)
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Adia Victoria, Beyond the Bloodhounds
The cover art to Adia Victoria’s debut album is an exercise in simplicity and trickery. From one perspective, it could be seen as a photo of the songwriter in colorful socks, just having a goofy sit. From another, it could be interpreted as a bare white room akin to an insane asylum archetype. The cleanliness of the setting takes on a darker vibe, as all objects have been removed to prevent harm to our protaganist.
Overall, this is very similar to the feelings that bubble up listening to Beyond the Bloodhounds. The overall vibe is dark and moody, with a perfect balance of strangeness and beauty happening consistently from top to bottom. Sonically, it’s an unfit comparison but I can’t help but think of Peggy Lee’s hit “Is That All There Is?†– a terrifying soliloquy of detached emotions and chaos, wrapped in a pop song.
The album is released today, May 13th, and I can’t suggest diving in headfirst as soon as conveniently possible.