Esa Linna will release his debut EP She’s Not a Human Being in Finland on the 29th of february. As previously mentioned, the title song She’s Not a Human Being features pop wizard Roger Joseph Manning Jr (Jellyfish etc) on backing vocals and keyboards. The full-length album will follow before the end of the year. Preview the EP below (for some weird reason this set seem to only show 3 songs in here even though there’s 4 songs on the soundcloud set).

 
Esa Linna Website

Canadian Daniel Romano released a wonderful vintage country album Sleep Beneath The Willow last year. It took the spot #14 on onechord.net’s album of the year list. The opener Time Forgot (To Change My Heart) has now a music video. Such a great song.. and there’s actually 3-4 better ones on the album. That’s how strong the album is.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=no3tNgZXIvE

Daniel Romano Website

I’ve been meaning to write about this amazing pop album for a month, because it deserves some.. well actually a lot of.. love. There’s also another good reason to write about it, because it was just released on vinyl in february 2012 (came out in october 2011 on CD).

Michigan-based songwriter/producer Andy Reed is the man behind An American Underdog and he has created an impressive pop record. Always on the Run is a melodic heaven that reminds me of all kind of great things from Jellyfish to The Beach Boys. These delightful pop songs are full of insightful arrangements. I’ll Miss You Girl should be a hit in the same vein Cherry Twister songs should have been hits in the year 2000. Always on The Run is a classic pop album and it’s not a surprise that it was widely praised on several power pop blogs last year. This is the opener Your Reign Is Over. You’ll find plenty of more sample songs from his soundcloud page.

 
An American Underdog Website
An American Underdog at Facebook

Yer Bird Records will be re-releasing Tyler Butler’s Winter King on 20th of march. To celebrate the upcoming release, Tyler and Yer Bird have set up a video series and they will post a new live video every tuesday until the release. Winter King took some high positions on the year-end lists of my favourite folk-minded blogs (Slowcoustic, Common Folk Music) and it’s definitely time to introduce my heart to Tyler Butler’s music when Winter King comes out. I think we might hit it off rather well, if this video of Plover is a sign of things to come. Finnish folks are certainly quite used to the same kind of chilling conditions as this Canadian folk musician. Check out more videos at winterking.ca where you will find a new video each tuesday.

Tyler Butler :: Plover from Yer Bird Records on Vimeo.

Nopat -- Kadun tuolla puolella (Kleppari, 2012)

I’ve been looking forward to this album for a year or two, because Nopat is a big favourite at this household and I loved those little discs they released back in 2010. Therefore it was quite clear that Nopat has to take the album of the month spot, if the album will be as good as I hoped it would. And it definitely turned out to be just as good as I had hoped. Cosy sunday afternoon is actually a perfect time to write a few words about the new Nopat album Kadun tuolla puolella, because this is a great sunday album. Even some minor stomach bug can’t stop me from enjoying the subtle beauty of the everyday that Nopat injects to my heart. Kadun tuolla puolella is a comfortable place to be and these fairly simple but thoughtfully crafted easy-flowing folk pop songs are able to turn a vulnerable moments into something manageable. Something very Finnish is gently colliding with delicate 90s american indie (perfect soundtrack for painting a house red in the early hours). Gentle, warm and captivating. Well done.

 
Nopat Website

Last year I fell in love with Chris Bathgate’s latest album Salt Year and during the recent months I’ve been working my way through his back catalogue. First A Cork Tale Wake took my breath away and now I’m forming a lifelong beautiful relationship with Throatsleep. Chris Bathgate has been the artist I’ve listened to the most during these early parts of 2012 and very often I start my work day by selecting artist Chris Bathgate from the iPod menu and hitting play all. Chris Bathgate is one amazing folk musician, brilliant songwriter and a true genius. If you don’t take my word for it, listen to these magnificent songs from A Cork Tale Wake and Throatsleep (Salt Year is equally wonderful, but I’ve posted songs from that one before).

Chris Bathgate Website
Chris Bathgate at Bandcamp

The major announcement of the day was that Soliti will release the new Cats on Fire album All Blackshirts To Me on 28th of march. A Few Empty Waves is a brilliant new outtake from the upcoming album and it is now available as a free download. I’m so thrilled about the fact that there will soon be a new Cats on Fire album. There just isn’t a better indie pop band in the country/world.

 
Cats on Fire Website
Soliti Website

The long-waited new The Explorers Club album Grand Hotel comes out tomorrow on 14th of february. I’m confident this will be a harmony-filled pop treasure. Because one apparently can’t write about The Explorers Club without mentioning The Beach Boys and Burt Bacharach, I’ll get that out of the way now. The Beach Boys and Burt Bacharach. Before I send my application to the school of lazy journalism, I will spend some quality time with these smooth and beautiful pop sounds that admire the past, but aren’t completely stuck in it. The debut was already gorgeous and based on one listening session at Spinner, I know that this new album is also marvellous. Time to hit the buy button tomorrow.

This is Run, Run, Run from the new album.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LBeHeBosgU

The Explorers Club Website

Simone Felice will release his new solo album in april 2012. I’m a long time fan and I’m really looking forward to the album. Especially because these first soundbites seem to be quite close to the material on the first The Duke & The King album, which was a five hearts album here at onechord.net and was also #3 on my top albums of the year 2009 list. These couple of videos have been out for a while and it’s criminal that I haven’t posted these yet. These marvellous songs are Hey Bobby Ray and New York Times, both from the upcoming album.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nhjz1s2Qm2E

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSagbK_Thz8

Simone Felice Website

Twitter told me yesterday that there’s a new Otis Gibbs album coming out on 28th of february. I was excited because I was totally into the previous album Joe Hill’s Ashes back in 2010. After listening to the new album twice, I’m even more excited because now I know the new album Harder Than Hammered Hell is at least as amazing. Otis has again written an extremely convincing album that showes that he is a great folk/country singer-songwriter. You can pre-order the album from his website (which I’m gonna do early next week) and/or listen to it at bandcamp.

This is Don’t Worry Kid from the new album.

Otis Gibbs Website