Common Tones – Broken Heart Sounds & Flannelmouth – I Am The Town
Sometimes it feels like One Chord to Another has drifted a bit too far from the starting point, which was to love, praise and promote melodic Finnish guitar pop. Finnish pop music was the reason I started this whole mess over thirteen years ago, so let’s get back to that core at least for one blog entry. These two new new releases perfectly fit under that original idea.
First we have the new album by Common Tones called Broken Heart Sounds that just came out late last week. I’ve had the chance to listen to it since early summer and I think it’s a wonderful album full of addictive melodies. These boys certainly have a great pop sensibility. You’ll find a couple of fine examples below. The first single Shine from Bandcamp and Finding Life from Spotify. The album is available at least on iTunes and Spotify. Oh and about that thing that drove me insane in the summer. After listening to this album for hours and hours, I came to conclusion that it’s Tommy Keene whose vocal phrasing occasionally came to mind while listening to this.
Finnish pop veterans Flannelmouth has a new album out, available and ready to hit your heart. It’s called I Am The Town and it came out in early November on Bianca-Pop Music. They have certainly written a really good album once again. They always do this melodramatic and graceful pop music so brilliantly. This first single and music video Forgotten Tapes is a great example of their talent.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1cWS93Y5Kg]
She Keeps Bees, Bear Medicine & Faux Fawn
I should start making those year-end lists, but I still have a few dozen 2014 releases that I haven’t featured at all. Some that even might appear on those lists. So I try to shortly go through some of them before writing those lists later in December.
This first one is a very current favourite actually, because I just got fully into this She Keeps Bees album that is out in Europe On BB Island. It might not be something that I usually listen to, but thankfully I gave them a chance, because this is rather excellent on all accounts. I find that certain hypnotic beauty of the album 8 Houses irresistible. This song and video Owl is a perfect example.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyTKyFlos1w]
Bear Medicine from Lexington, Kentucky brings us music for traveling to the moon. The new album The Moon Has Been All My Life has been on the playlist for a month or two and I’m liking it a lot. Here are two fine examples of their beautiful sounds, Blood In Common and Sevens.
And last but not least. Something brand new. If you are dedicated follower of onechord.net instead of fashion, you are well aware that I’m a big fan of Paul Otteson. This guy just has the loveliest voice and is always able to write amazing songs. His new band Faux Fawn just released their new album Lonesome Loon. This one sure goes to darker side of things as well, but still I often find myself just adoring the warmth of their sound. But in a way that dark vs light contrast works wonderfully. You can stream/buy from Bandcamp. This is the opening track Lover’s Curse.
Adam Carroll, Chris Stalcup and The Grange & Michael Rank and Stag
I should start making those year-end lists, but I still have a few dozen 2014 releases that I haven’t featured at all. Some that even might appear on those lists. So I try to shortly go through some of them before writing those lists later in December.
Adam Carroll is a Texas-based songwriter and definitely a mighty good one. Otis Gibbs introduced him to me years back on his guest post at ninebullets, if my memory serves me right. His new album Let It Choose You has gotten a lot of air time in this household and I should have written about it months ago. This is the awesome opening track Bernadine.
We haven’t heard of Chase Fifty Six (or at least I haven’t) since their really good Allatoona Rising album back in 2010. However, Chris Stalcup has a new project these days called Chris Stalcup and The Grange. Their album came out in April, 2014 and should have gotten recognition back then. But better late than never I suppose, if we start celebrating cliches. This is Eastern Stars from the album called Dixie Electric Co.
Chris Stalcup and The Grange Website
Michael Rank and Stag is also a group that should have a thing or two to say to the lazy blogger who is writing this. I’ve been listening to their last three albums, enjoyed each and every one of them, but have never written a single word about them. This North Carolinian is a really prolific songwriter and he has released these three albums during the past two years. His 2014 release is called Deadstock and these are Idle Hands and Little Late For Me from that album.
Red Jacket Mine, Paul Gonzenbach & Naïm Amor
I should start making those year-end lists, but I still have a few dozen 2014 releases that I haven’t featured at all. Some that even might appear on those lists. So I try to shortly go through some of them before writing those lists later in December.
Red Jacket Mine is a Seattle-based group that has been featured here a few times over the years. Their new EP called Pure Delight came out a few weeks ago and I’ve been fully enjoying their soulful rock once again. Here is my favourite songs from the new one. It’s called Crow and features Shane Tutmarc on co-lead vocals.
Staying in Seattle. Next we have Paul Gonzenbach. He had his albums available for name your price deal at Bandcamp earlier in the year. I picked up four of them and paid 5-6 dollars. Which was criminally small amount based on how much I’ve enjoyed them during this latter part of 2014. Paul Gonzenbach used to be in The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up, but nowadays he is releasing fabulous music under his own name. My favourite out of these is last year’s Notify Your Friends: Everything Ends, but his 2014 releases are also excellent. This one is the opener from the album Drew Breath and it’s called Breakneck Speed.
Moving on Tucson Arizona where French born Naïm Amor is making some rather magical albums and film scores. His new album Hear The Walls has been a bit of a surprise favourite here at the onechord.net headquarters. It can turn the dark anxiety of Finnish fall / early winter into something serene, but colourful. This beautiful record is now out on Fort Lowell Records. This is Turn The Magic On from that lovely album.
And here’s a little short film about the man and guitars.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWpmyogl53k]