Playlist

OCTA Weekly Playlist – Episode #11

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Another week, another weekly playlist.

This was a special week. Wonderful Finnish artist Lac Belot released his debut full-length ABRACADABRA!. If you listen to one Finnish album this year, make it this one. On global spectrum, the St. Lenox album that I’ve been raving about for the past month is now out and available. Ten Fables of Young Ambition and Passionate Love is an exceptional and inspiring album. I’m also thrilled about the new Marissa Nadler, Jerry David DeCicca and The Pollies. albums. There’s a lot more though and I haven’t even had the time to listen to enough of all these beauties. There’s new ones from Amy Ray, The Herbert Bail Orchestra, Lala Lala, Doe, Ural Thomas and The Pain and Hello June. The wonderful albums from Guy Capecelatro III and He Arrived By Helicopter also make a debut on this weekly playlist, because they weren’t available or I thought they weren’t available on Spotify when they came out a few weeks ago. Obviously some great ones from previous week remains on the list with another song. These are Kristina Murray, Mahonies, Frontperson, Ben Pirani, The Sha La Das,

A couple of new EPs too from Edward & Jane, Katy Kirby (I think digitally this was already available, but now on cassette as well) and Finnish band The Handkerchiefs. Oh and the Little Star EP is all the way from February, but I just bought it on Friday and I had to include it, because I’ve been really badly addicted to the first two songs on it.

The single list is always so impressive. That Jamie Lin Wilson album is going to be so good, because especially these last two singles Oklahoma Stars and this one Death & Life are so damn good. Both new William Matheny songs are winners and it was difficult to decide which one to include. Some of the best news of the week was that Pony Bradshaw will have an album coming out on Rounder Records in early 2019. I’ve been waiting to praise this guy. Bad Teeth album and Josephine single were so spectacular a couple of years ago and then they just vanished. Looks like the reason is that at least some of those new songs will get a new life on that forthcoming album and I really love that. The first single 10×10 is now out and available. A new Daniel Romano is always a parade-worthy situation and we also got awesome new singles from Anna St.Louis, Timber, Jake Paleschic, Valley Maker, Sloucher, Pottonen Band, Anthonie Tonnon, Martha L. Healy and Yowler (this was last week though, but I missed it then).

OCTA Weekly Playlist – Episode #11

1. Lac Belot – D’n’A (ABRACADABRA!, Solina Records, 2018)
2. St. Lenox – Vincent Van Gogh (Ten Fablea of Young Ambition and Passionate Love, Anyway Records, 2018)
3. Marissa Nadler – Lover Release Me (For My Crimes, Bella Union, 2018)
4. William Matheny – Christian Name (single, Misra Records, 2018)
5. Jerry David DeCicca – Dead Man’s Shoes (Burning Daylight, Super Secret Records, 2018)
6. Jamie Lin Wilson – Death & Life (single, 2018)
7. Pony Bradshaw – 10×10 (single, Rounder Records, 2018)
8. Jake Paleschic – Some Days (single, 2018)
9. Amy Ray – Fine With The Dark (Holler, Daemon Records, 2018)
10. Timber – Sunstroke (single, Cornelius Chapel Records, 2018)
11. The Herbert Bail Orchestra – Chains (History’s Made at Night, 2018)
12. The Pollies – Note He Wrote (Transmissions, This Is American Music, 2018)
13. Anna St. Louis – Desert (single, Woodsist/Mare, 2018)
14. Daniel Romano – Empty Husk (single, New West Records / You’ve Changed Records, 2018)
15. Guy Capecelatro III – I Could Write You (Splintering, Burst & Bloom Records, 2018)
16. Valley Maker – Beautiful Birds Flying (single, Frenchkiss Records, 2018)
17. He Arrived By Helicopter – Gold Damn Truth (The Shiny Hostel, 2018)
18. Katy Kirby – Tap Twice (Juniper EP, Keeled Scales, 2018)
19. Lala Lala – Destroyer (The Lamb, Hardly Art, 2018)
20. Doe – Labour Like I Do (Grow Into It, Big Scary Monsters / Topshelf Records, 2018)
21. Sloucher – Be True (single, Swoon Records, 2018)
22. The Handkerchiefs – The Law (American Brainwash EP, 2018)
23. Mahonies – Bruises (Pouring From an Empty Cup, Iso Pinkki, 2018)
24. Pottonen Band – Juggling Eggs (single, NXVX, 2018)
25. Anthonie Tonnon – Old Images (single, Misra Records, 2018)
26. Frontperson – Postcards From a Posh Man (Frontrunner, St. Oscar Records, 2018)
27. Ural Thomas and the Pain – You Care Very Little (The Right Time, Tender Loving Empire, 2018)
28. Ben Pirani – You Brought the Rain (How Do I Talk to My Brother?, Colemine Records, 2018)
29. The Sha La Das – Just For A Minute (Love in the Wind, Daptone, 2018)
30. Edward & Jane – Hold Your Own (Too Early To Tell EP, 2018)
31. Kristina Murray – The Ballad Of Angel & Donnie (Southern Ambrosia, Loud Magnolia Records, 2018)
32. Martha L. Healy – Fall in Love Again (single, 2018)
33. Hello June – Handshakes (Hello June, 2018)
34. Little Star – Willows (Waltzing With Tears in My Eyes EP, Good Cheer Records, 2018)
35. Yowler – Where Is My Light? (single, Double Double Whammy, 2018)

if you are looking this after a week has gone, the embedded Spotify will show the latest playlist. I’ll just update the same playlist because a) if someone wants to follow it, they can just follow that one list and will get a new set of songs each Sunday b) so that I don’t have a trillion of different playlists on my Spotify account.

Oh and do buy the vinyl/cd/download. Spotify and other streaming services are perfect for these introductory purposes, but try to buy at least the music that matter the most to you

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International music, News

Philippe Bronchtein, Holly Arrowsmith, M G Boulter & Doug Paisley

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Following yesterday’s footsteps. It’s another trip around the world (or well some English speaking countries). This time in a slightly folkier setting.

We shall begin from Nashville, Tennessee. Philippe Bronchtein left Portland and the moniker Hip Hatchet behind and is now living in Nashville and releasing wonderful music under his own name. He has a new album Me and the Moon coming out on the 5th of October. The lead single and title track of the album surfaced a couple of weeks ago and it’s one of my favourite songs of this fall. I can’t wait to hear the full album in a few weeks. You can pre-order CD/casette from his website.

Philippe Bronchtein Website

Time to travel to Christchurch, New Zealand and spend an afternoon in the garden with the great folk singer-songwriter Holly Arrowsmith. Her second full-length A Dawn I Remember came out on the 22nd of June and it’s a really beautiful folk album with powerful songwriting. Here’s the album opener The Gardener. Follow the links on the Bandcamp player to hear/buy the whole remarkable album.

Holly Arrowsmith

Moving on to UK where folk songwriter M G Boulter and string quartet The Froe joined forces and created a compelling and beautiful EP called Blood Moon. It came out on the 31st of August on Hudson Records. I’m somewhat obsessed with the song Frances Forlorn, but maybe it’s better to go with stunning title track on this little blog post.

M G Boulter Website

Last stop Toronto, Canada. Travelling wears one down, so time to rest our minds and hearts by drinking with our dear friend Doug Paisley. Oh well, actually this Drinking With a Friend contains some heavy pondering, so it might not lift the spirit of the worn down traveller. Except that it does, because it’s an amazing song and the first outtake from Doug Paisley’s forthcoming album Starter Home that is due out on the 2nd of November. That’s going to be a late entry to the amazing 2018 album vault, so keep a slot open on your albums of the year list.

Doug Paisley Website

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Finnish music, International music, News

Lac Belot, Future States, Monnone Alone & The Wave Pictures

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Tonight we’ll take a quick trip around the wondrous and magical pop world.

We shall begin our journey from Finland, because there should be a national holiday scheluded for this Friday in order to properly welcome Lac Belot’s magical debut full-length into the world. Here’s the latest single Friendly Beast from one of the finest Finnish albums of recent years. The album ABRACADABRA! is out on the 28th of September on Solina Records.

Lac Belot at Facebook

Moving on to Canada. I already posted the b-side Bugaboo of this single by Future States a couple of months ago. Still love that wonderfully arranged, warm and beautiful slice of pop heaven, but hey the a-side Heaven also rules the world and all other universes and there’s a music video for it too. The digital single is out on Golden Brown.

Future States Website

Let’s row the boat across the pacific and listen to the new marvellous and super catchy Monnone Alone single Cut Knuckle. Monnone Alone is a pop group from Melbourne, Australia and it’s led by ex-Lucksmiths member Mark Monnone. The new single is the first outtake from Monnone Alone’s second album Summer of the Mosquito, due out sometime in 2019.

Monnone Alone at Facebook

Last but not least we stop in London UK where the insanely prolific pop group The Wave Pictures is currently getting ready to release their second album of the year. While waiting for that to drop into our hearts, let’s stare at The Little Window with Dave Tattersall and co. This one is from their earlier 2018 album Brushes With Happiness.

The Wave Pictures Website

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International music, News

St. Lenox – Hashtag Brooklyn Karaoke Party (single/video)

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The music of St. Lenox has been a huge thing in my world during the past month and now we are finally approaching the release of his gorgeous album Ten Fables of Young Ambition and Passionate Love. The album is due out next Friday on the 28th of September on Anyway Records. The latest single First Date is on the new weekly playlist, but here’s the one from last week companied with another lovely music video. Besides making unique and inspiring pop songs, St. Lenox masters this visual thing equally well. Of course together with the director Elliot Lyman. I hope I manage to write a proper piece about the album during the next few weeks, but meanwhile you can investigate the science of love with the help of this tremendous song/video combo for the album opener Hashtag Brooklyn Karaoke Party.

St. Lenox Website

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