Honey Harper & The Infinite Sky - Honey Harper

 

New album from alt-country act Honey Harper out now via ATO Records

Honey Harper return with a follow-up to their 2020 breakthrough Starmaker, with a deliberate change in direction with keyboardist Alana Pagnutti taking on a greater songwriting role alongside frontman William Fussell, adding a new dimension to their lyrical output.

The 12-track album feels like a cross-country travelogue through the history of country music, influences of blues, folks and pop with references ranging from Frank Ocean to the Bee Gees and with Pagnutti's input the legendary Loretta Lynn is not faraway.

This is country music but with a kaleidoscopic and spectral in its splendour, from album opener steel guitar dripping 'Reflections' to 'One Thing' with its harmonic melodies resounding out across the John Ford vistas. Top track is 'Boots Mine Gold' a disco tinged line-dancing stomper which comes with a Terminator style video.

Strong hints of Drive-By Truckers ring out in my ears, the vocal delivery of Fussell is a winner throughout. He is ably supported by a stellar band that comprises The Infinite Sky - bassist Mick Mayer, pianist John Carroll Kirby, Alex Fischel (keyboards), Jackson MacIntosh (guitar) and steel player Connor Gallaher.

From highs such as 'Hard to Make A Living' to the mysterious 'Crystal Heart' there is something for everyone on this album from those who cannot tell their opera from their opry.

Honey Harper is out now on ATO Records.

In Plain Sight - Neal Francis

 

Second album from Chicago based singer-songwriter Neal Francis from ATO Records out 5th November

Encompassing a changing of personal momentum and relocating back to his hometown after a break-up, Neal Francis' second album In Plain Sight is an honest collection of new songs about resilience and overcoming adversity soaking up influence of rock and soul into a dreamlike state that is both absorbing and gratifying.

Produced by Grammy winning producer, Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, MGMT), who has experience of working with off the wall production; Francis takes the basis for the second album his debut Changes which was a New Orleans RnB effort that drew comparisons with Allen Touissant. High praise indeed, yet the music of this album is more rockier drawing inspiration from the Chicago jazz and rock scenes and for this listener you cannot ignore the influence of early Elton John when he was in true trubadour honky cat days or that of Leon Russell; that joie de vivre of piano performance.

The opening track of the album 'Alameda Apartments' kicks off as more a statement of intent than anything else; full of untethered melodies, luminous grooves and lyrics that find the protagonist drifting from despair to craziness as it tells the story of moving into a haunted apartment following another break-up.

Lead single 'Can't Stop the Rain' is perhaps the standout track of the album, a real tour de force combining the power of unabashed piano with anthemic guitar riffs, written with a friend David Shaw who came up with the refrain and incorporates a message of hope despite the prospect of rain, "You can't stop the rain/It's always coming down/It's always going to fall/But you're not gonna drown"

The album was recorded by Francis and his band in a defunct church (St. Peter's UCC) setting and on tape, to help grab the power of live music performance and a band in sync; such as the guitar-heavy 'Prometheus' which features Francis on St. Peter's pipe organ in combat with an electric synth. 

The surreal and odd nature of living and performing in a church infuses the album with this religious and spiritual context; you do not have to have faith to get the power of this album as the piano Francis plays is able to connect many a listener but the piano is Francis' tool for redemption and ultimately transformation for a person who has overcome addiction problems and is now happily sober in 2021.

The album is a pleasing and rocking joy to finish this most tumultuous of years, through it all we shall always have rock and roll.

In Plain Sight is out from ATO Records on 5th November 

Neal Francis is on tour in the UK headlining O2 Academy Islington on January 23rd 2022

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

Margaret Glaspy - Devotion

Second album from American songstress Margaret Glaspy via ATO Records

The album is a collection of a dozen compositions that are about love coming in when you do not expect it, there is a soulful to this record in contrast to her debut 'Emotions and Math' which had a grittier sound and purpose. This is a record which has an energy of its own.

Songs that take on a life of their own, starting soft then becoming more universal as they ferment in the ether, much like the opening salvo 'Killing What Keeps Us Alive' a song that takes on this political comment but has a very personal energy to it due to the auto-tune nature with it being stripped back led by Glaspy's hypnotic vocal lead.

The distant cousin of Alanis Morisette's Jagged Little Pill but perhaps without the vitriol against men, this is an album that shows an artist spreading her creative wings and going for broke by putting her heart on the table and coming up trumps.

From the winning 'Without Him' and 'You've Got My Number' there is a yearning for love and the importance of love between two people, how a relationship can bring the best out of someone culminating in the brilliant 'Devotion' a song that is both about strength in each other and yourself.

Devotion is out from ATO Records on Friday 27th March.

My thanks as always to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

Margaret Glaspy Returns

Singer-songwriter Margaret Glaspy returns with a new album Devotion out on 27th March from ATO Records.

Following on from the release of her acclaimed debut in 2016 Emotions and Math and her EP Born Yesterday, and a three year trip on the road Glaspy is following a new direction on this new release.

She has released lead single 'Killing What Keeps Us Alive' which offers a new sound with digitised vocals and a bare electronic sound in contrast to the rich electric guitar swagger on her debut.

The new single which also has an excellent promo directed by Alex Chaloff which shows how colour can come to the fore if you look hard enough, and is as much about gestation and patience over the be here immediately mindset.

The album which was co-produced by Tyler Chester in Los Angeles features 12 love songs, of which Glaspy states, 'It's about letting love in even when you don't know what will happen when you do'

If the single/video is anything to go by, then listeners and fans both old and new are in for a pleasant surprise - gone is the angry guitar sound a la Glaspy's peer Anna Burch (herself returning with new material this year) and instead a more melodic and emotive soundscape - an artist willing to challenge herself in terms of production, subject matter and material.

Margaret Glaspy will be on tour in the UK for some selected shows:

27th March - Mono, Glasgow

28th March - Institute, Manchester

29th March - Fleece, Bristol

31st March - Lafayette, London

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

Joseph - 'Good Luck, Kid'

The new album by sisterly trio Joseph, Good Luck, Kid is out on 13th September from ATO Records

The trio comprising of sisters, Natalie Schepman and her twin sisters Allison and Meegan Closner, grew up in a musical household, yet did not sing together until a few years ago when the band formed in 2014 when Natalie asked the sisters to form a band.

Taking their name from grandfather Jo, and the tiny Oregon town of Joseph where he lived, the sisters have hit upon a sound that is familiar but can only be nutured by a familial bond together. The harmony on this album is otherworldy, which goes hand in hand with the empowering lyrics that runs through the album - a quiet simmering intensity runs through the road movie as album concept that 'Good Luck, Kid' becomes.

Narratives of the songs give an example of three girls transforming along this odyssey, as they start quietly the songs become soaring anthems full of emotion and boldness.

For fans of First Aid Kit, Fleet Foxes alike; the trio utilise their strengths to create a memorable album of unique potential and vocal alchemy. And one befitting the change of the seasons, as we move from summer into autumn, Good Luck, Kid, is an album that demands repeat listens as the nights draw in.

From lead single, 'Fighter' the band have a great ear for catchy tunes to the most recent single 'Green Eyes' a pulsating shot of adrenaline to our mere mortal earlobes that refuses to let go of your attention.

Joseph are playing four nights in the UK in November; 

11th November -Hare and Hounds, Birmingham

12th November - Bush Hall, London

13th November - Night People, Manchester

14th November - Broadcast, Glasgow

Follow the band on Twitter @thebandjoseph

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

Rayland Baxter 'Wide Awake'

Out on 13th July from ATO Records, the new album from Rayland Baxter Wide Awake

Following on from the positive word of mouth of recent video and radio hits, 'Casanova' and 'Strange American Dream', Baxter has realised a dream in the production of his third studio album.

The roving rock and roll philosopher has dreamed of produced an album very much of the space in which it has its genesis. The hard-touring led the musician to slow down and find a quiet place for his work, he found in an abandoned rubber band factory in Franklin, Kentucky where he covered the windows, threw a mattress on the floor and with just a guitar and a piano he spent three months writing in the wilderness so to speak.

At night, Baxter would listen to the sounds of America from howling coyotes and the harsh wind with only the endless cycle of TV news for comfort.

The result is a collection of songs that speaks on the isolation of the individual in the vast United States but yet celebrates the best of humanity despite the worst being spoken of at length in the media.

Following in the footsteps of contemporaries, Ezra Furman and Jim James, who have capitalised on the traumatic presidency of a Trump administration where the needs of big business are being heard above those of the masses; Baxter explains, 'This is an album about decision making. It's about being a human at a crossroads. All of these emotions are things I see in myself, and they're the same things I see in everyone else no matter where I go'.

Wide Awake was produced by Butch Walker and features Walker himself on bass; and the production on this album is first rate elevating what must have been scratchy demos and ideas that Baxter had during his weeks of loneliness to raise them up to greater American staples of rock and Americana; songs that speak to the uniqueness of the American experience - one man can make a difference for sure, but one man perhaps has to make himself heard firstly.

Baxter is going the right way about it, creating music that is both accessible and pleasing despite its angry subtext brimming below the sometimes shiny exterior.

Wide Awake is out from ATO Records on 13th July.

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

Jim James - Uniform Distortion

Jim James, the angelic voice of My Morning Jacket, has ventured into areas his band would not have been renowned for when together. Following on from the politically conscious 'Eternally Even' from 2016; James returns with the new album Uniform Distortion.

Whereas, the previous album was a comment within an election year, the new album is more of a reaction to the Trump presidency - an album of anger and looking back.  In the press release for the album, James has mentioned how in the world today 'my head feels like it is exploding with the amount of information we are forced to consume on a daily basis and how that information is so DISTORTED'

Having listened to other American albums from such luminaries as Ezra Furman, there is a general anger simmering in American musicians about how their lives are being governed by a man who distorts his own way of thinking on a regular basis changing the narrative to suit his needs and wants; and thrusting it upon his people.

Whilst James' first album was one of meditation closer to that of MMJ releases, the further he goes down a solo career the more relevant to today's world he is becoming. Whereas MMJ albums would play like psychedelic work from another dimension full of hipster bohemia; James is certainly more of a rock and roll performer currently - in the same vein as Neil Young.

From title opener with its scratching hook 'Just A Fool' to the vitriolic 'Yes to Everything'; James is trying to make sense of the world and of his own place in the world - the latter track being more about regret and remorse than anything else.

There are still moments of lushness such as 'Throwback' a sonic blast of euphoria reminiscent of the best moments of MMJ with soaring backing vocals embracing the hook line, 'When we were young' before rocking out akin to Neil Young at his most bombastic.

Because of Trump, perhaps this is where rock music has to be on this permanent Eddie Vedder type show of angst. A reflective strain of songwriting in reaction to the nature of the world with a slight resignation to the belief that MAGA can happen in this first term of a loose cannon presidency.

From the rock out nature of 'Out of Time' and 'You Get To Rome', there remains an energy throughout the album that rivals many the qualities of a band of four or five. James wants to be heard on this record and heard loud and clear.

However, you cannot discount the voice of James one of those rare instruments in today's music scene that deserves the praise showered upon him, a voice that is full of soul, gravitas and power.

Uniform Distortion is out from ATO Records on 29th June.

Okkervil River 'In The Rainbow Rain'

Okkervil River releases new album In the Rainbow Rain on ATO Records.

The American musician, Will Sheff, under the guise of Okkervil River returns with his new studio album. Produced by Sheff himself, the new album is a step up in songwriting form, as too long under the radar, Sheff is making a break for the mainstream by producing an album that is relatable and singles that are radio-friendly and have that unique ear-worm quality.

Coupled with luscious productions, there are swooning synths and bombastic guitar licks, married with some great vocal work by Sheff himself and on backing vocals, most notably on the epic 'The Dream and the Light'.  

Driving melodic anthems appear in 'Love Somebody' and 'Pulled by the Ribbon' along with lead single 'Don't Move Back to LA'; there is an emotional vulnerability running through the music. A need to understand where Sheff was when he started writing the album was late 2016 after Donald Trump was elected. 

With touring ending, the band reconvened to Brooklyn and for the first time Sheff wrote with the band, and the wave of collaboration is running through the album, no less on 'Family Song', and the songs sing as this sense of unity and togetherness comes out of the speakers.

Whilst there are moments of anger and disconnect within the album, these are off-set by the uplifting moments of euphoric joy which makes it a pleasing record to listen to and one you go back to for several listens. 

Mixed by Shawn Everett - who has worked with The War on Drugs - it also has that hook-worthy notion reminiscent of Elbow and Ed Harcourt's work.

Will Sheff - Okkervil River's under-rated songwriter

An album that is indicative of the changing socio-political climate in America; one that is looking towards the horizon rather than worrying about the here and now. The idealist virtue prevalent in American culture is strong in this brilliant new album.  For this reviewer, it may well be one of the best albums of 2018.

You get the feeling that this would be a great album to hear live. Okkervil River tour Britain in early October stopping off at Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Glasgow, Manchester, Brighton and culminating with a headline show at Koko, Camden on October 10th.

In The Rainbow Rain is out from ATO Records on 27th April.

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

Margaret Glaspy 'Born Yesterday' EP

Margaret Glaspy returns with the surprise release of new EP, Born Yesterday, debuting 'Before We Were Together'.

The lead track is a gritty love song that goes hand in hand with the three songs she has released on the EP, the song has a slow build but then becomes a good rock and roll song in the similar vein to Anna Burch of recent releases:

“I wrote these songs on the road, in my hotel, on the plane, and at soundcheck,” says Glaspy. “They were the product of the little time that I had to myself - three songs about different sides of love: love gone wrong, love gone right, and love at a distance.”

The EP is a bookend to Margaret's lauded debut, Emotions and Math which featured on various End of Year lists when released in 2016. 

Born Yesterday is available digitally everywhere and the 12" will be available for pre-order (31st May, 2018) 

Born Yesterday Track List

1 - Before We Were Together

2- One Heart and Two Arms

3- I Love You Goodnight

Margaret Glaspy is signed to ATO records.

Follow Margaret on twitter @mglaspy

Jessica Lea Mayfield

Sorry Is Gone, is the fourth album from renowned singer-songwriter, Jessica Lea Mayfield, a songstress who has created a gripping confessional LP following the break-up of her marriage. 

At times emotionally raw and yet unapologetic in wearing her feelings on her sleeve, Mayfield has created a piece of work that is both universal and personal.  Her first album since 2014's Make My Head Sing, and whereas that album had the music written first, for Sorry Is Gone, Mayfield had the lyrics written first as she quietly endured years of domestic abuse, hiding within a brewing tempest. Whilst there may be moments of darkness within the lyrics and riffs, there is light creeping out in the defiance such as in 'World Won't Stop'

From the titular track, Mayfield's music is a mix of Americana with a folk tinge but with a rebellious punk spirit running through its heartfelt veins, helped by having John Agnello (Kurt Vile, Dinosaur Jr.) on production duties helping Mayfield becoming the empowering voice she has become.

Female singer-songwriters are in the vanguard currently dividing opinion and winning fans from the mainstream like Taylor Swift and Adele to the more leftfield St. Vincent or Courtney Barnett; albums are appearing from young women with something to say and finding a voice loud enough to say it.

From the defiant album opener 'Wish You Could See Me Now' with the lines, 'Wish you could see me now/But no-one can see me now' a statement of intent but new beginnings. The album is a multitude of influences from the punk of that opener to the confessional folk of 'Maybe Whatever', the songs are a diverse mixture of opportunity and optimism.  And in 'Offa My Hands' you have the biggest middle finger in female music since Alanis Morrisette's 'You Oughta Know' in being raw but accessible.

Sorry Is Gone is out from ATO Records on September 29th and available for pre-order now

American Band

American Band, is the 11th studio album by one of the best and still unheralded bands in America, Drive-By Truckers.

Consisting of a five piece with duelling compositions by Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood; the band is one of those spit and sawdust bands you imagine exist in every bar in the Southern states of America. And yet the older they have got as a band, the better they have become as a unit but also as a voice of the disillusioned masses.

The bands writing has consistently had a great sense of story and narrative, one of this reviewer's favourite albums of the 21st century remains Brighter Than Creation's Dark, which consisted of such fables as 'Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife', 'Three Dimes Down' and 'Monument Valley'.

When Drive-By Truckers released their first single of the album 'Surrender Under Protest', the point was made by Patterson Hood in a statement:  

"These are crazy times and we have made a record steeped in this moment of history that we're all trying to live through. We've always considered ourselves a political band, even when that aspect seemed to be concealed by some type of narrative device i.e. dealing with issues of race by telling a story set in the time of George Wallace or class struggles by setting "Putting People of the Moon" in the age of Reagan.

This time out, there are no such diversions as these songs are mostly set front and center in the current political arena with songs dealing with our racial and cultural divisions, gun violence, mass shootings and political assholery. Once again, there is a nearly even split between the songs of Cooley and myself, with both of us bringing in songs that seem to almost imply a conversation between us about our current place in time."

The band are celebrating their 20th anniversary with the release of this album, and it can be interpreted that the album is a call to arms about the way the world is but also a sense of America coming to terms with not being the biggest noise in the room anymore, a realisation that the country's time is passing with the possible calamity of a Donald Trump presidency mere months away.

The album has the usual bombast and rock and roll guitars from the opening riffs of 'Ramon Casiano', but there is more subdued tone in the lyrics from the lead single of 'Surrender Under Protest' to the wrenching 'Guns of Umpqua' to the reflective 'Once They Banned Imagine'

Cooley and Hood's vocals are great to hear as they mix maturity with the ever optimistic streak throughout their oral history, yet there is still that sense of a moment passing by and of America changing in this current political climate.

'I might get better when the sun don't shine,

Much rather watch the clouds go by'
- 'When the Sun Don't Shine'

The album is a must for all Americana fans and those who love the sound of riffing guitars be it from Neil Young or Bruce Springsteen; this album packs a direct punch and will get your toes tapping quicker than a line dancing contest.

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS
AMERICAN BAND TRACKLISTING:

1)      Ramon Casiano
2)      Darkened Flags on the Cusp of Dawn
3)      Surrender Under Protest
4)      Guns of Umpqua
5)      Filthy and Fried
6)      When the Sun Don’t Shine
7)      Kinky Hypocrites
8)      Ever South
9)      What It Means
10)    Once They Banned Imagine
11)    Baggage

American Band by Drive-By Truckers is released by ATO Records on 30th September 2016

Catch the band on tour
Follow them on Twitter @drivebytruckers