International music

Christian Lee Hutson, Jack Grelle and Mr. Alec Bowman

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Hey there’s a new Christian Lee Hutson album Beginners coming out next Friday on the ANTI- Records. This would be a parade-worthy event, but let’s settle for a dance around the apartment under these circumstances. Here’s the latest singles that you can use as the soundtrack for counting the days until the release.

Christian Lee Hutson Website
Christian Lee Hutson at Facebook

Then a couple of great ones that are already out and available. First over to St. Louis, Missouri for the new album If Not Forever from country singer-songwriter Jack Grelle. The song To Be That Someone is my own favorite of this awesome record and Matt Amato directed a really sweet music video for it. Check it out below along with another album cut from the record and then hit the links on the Bandcamp player if/when you are hungry for more.

JACK GRELLE "TO BE THAT SOMEONE" from NEW MASSES on Vimeo.

Jack Grelle at Facebook
Jack Grelle Website

Wrapping this blog entry in the UK with a couple of songs from the excellent new Mr. Alec Bowman album I Used To Be Sad & Then I Forgot. The album was produced by Josienne Clarke who made one of my favorite albums of 2019. This one has honest, fragile power that will stay with you long after the final note has drifted into the air. Sometimes reminiscent of Leonard Cohen, always captivating and compelling. Here’s A Ditch Worth Dying For from the album along with a video of another album cut Long Goodbyes. You’ll find a couple of more professional videos from his youtube channel, but I went with this one on this blog post because I love the song and there’s something really sweet about this outdoor video.

Mr. Alec Bowman Website

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International music

Girlatones, Leah Senior and Jenny O.

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Continuing these short round-up posts of songs that I love. This time we start from Melbourne, Australia with one of my favorite pop records of the year. I first found Girlatones due to Leah Senior being in the band and I love her folk albums. The new Girlatones album Horn If You’re Honky was co-released by Lost and Lonesome Recording Co (AUS) and Meritorio Records (Spain). Here’s a couple of faves from this delightful pop album. Check out the whole sweet album by hitting the links on the Bandcamp player.

Girlatones at Facebook

And speaking of Leah Senior, she will have new album The Passing Scene out on Flightless Records on the 12th of June. The latest single Evergreen just came out a while back and it’s again really wonderful. This time she delivers sweet baroque pop instead of melancholic folk, but it’s equally great. This is going to be such a brilliant record.

Leah Senior Website
Leah Senior at Facebook

Going across the ocean to wrap this short blog entry in Los Angeles, California with a couple of gorgeous singles from the forthcoming Jenny O. album New Truth that is coming out on Mama Bird Recording Co on the 19th of June. There’s four of them already and all are excellent. My favorites are the daydream-y What About That Day and the latest one Even If I Tried that falls into a perfect pop song category. Do check the others too (and pre-order) by following the links on the Bandcamp player.

Jenny O. at Facebook
Jenny O. Website

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Playlist

OCTA Weekly Playlist – Episode #88

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Another week, another weekly playlist.

Here we are again with the weekly round up of new releases. Maybe slightly slow release week on the album front, but still plenty to love and cherish. I quite rarely put reissues on the playlist, but I’ll make an exception for Julie Arsenault. I love her music and hopefully more people will find her songs thanks to this extended edition of The Creature that I Call Myself that was released by Son Canciones.

As for completely new albums, the big ones for me are the new ones from Woods and A.O.Gerber. The week also gave us new albums from Rod Smoth, Steve Earle, Jarrod Dickenson, Audrey and Hugh, Darren Hayman, RG Lowe, Katie Von Schleicher, Jordan Klassen, Tessy Lou Williams and Fretland. The album by Thomas Hine is some weeks old, but it’s on this playlist for the first time.

The lone Finnish album here is the new LOVE SPORT album. As an addition to that there’s awesome new singles from Lone Deer Laredo, Sam Shingler, Rohkeat Kuvat, Jukka Ruottinen, White Jackets and Jere Ijäs ja Monacon työväen palloilijat.

And finally the international singles. There was a couple of big announcements. There’s a new posthumous album coming from Jason Molina. One of the all-time greats in my books. The other big deal is that Kathleen Edwards returned with a new single. Some other single favorites came from Jenny O, Phoebe Bridgers and Kyle Nix, but as usual everything is a worthy of a mention.

That’s it for this week. As you may have noticed, I’ve been doing those round up posts to catch up with the stuff that I failed to post during my eight week long illness. Outside the playlist I mean, but I think it’s worthy because not every follows the playlist and I don’t want this to become just a playlist. All the best to everyone. Love from a distance.

1. Julie Arsenault – Island Girl (Creature that I Call Myself Extended, Son Canciones, 2020)
2. Woods – Be There Still (Strange to Explain, Woodsist, 2020)
3. A.O. Gerber – Full Bloom (Another Place to Need, Hand In Hive, 2020)
4. Jenny O – Even If I Tried (single, Mama Bird Recording Co, 2020)
5. Phoebe Bridgers – I See You (single, Dead Oceans, 2020)
6. Darren Hayman – I Am the Noise (Home Time, Fika Recordings, 2020)
7. Jason Molina – Shadow Answers the Wall (single, Secretly Canadian, 2020)
8. Rod Smoth – Pocket Mirror (Rod Smoth, Future Loves Records, 2020)
9. Kyle Nix – Blue Eyes (single, Soundly, 2020)
10. Lone Deer Laredo – High Noon (single, 2020)
11. Bror Gunnar Jansson – The Cotton-Eyed Joe (single, Playground, 2020)
12. Jarrod Dickenson – Gold Rush (Ready the Horses, 2020)
13. Steve Earle & The Dukes – If I Could See Your Face Again (Ghosts of West Virginia, New West Records, 2020)
14. Jaime Wyatt – Goodbye Queen (single, New West Records, 2020)
15. Kathleen Edwards – Options Open (single, Dualtone Records, 2020)
16. Matt Berninger – Serpentine Prison (single, Concord Records, 2020)
17. Audrey and Hugh – What a Man Does (Sisterman, 2020)
18. My Darling Clementine with Steve Nieve – Different Finger (single, Fretsore Records, 2020)
19. Tenci – Forgot My Horse’s Name (single, Keeled Scales, 2020)
20. Sam Shingler – In It Together (single, Soit Se Silti, 2020)
21. Babehoven – Dissociative Tally (single, 2020)
22. Gold Star Gold Star – Play It Cool (single, 2020)
23. RG Lowe – Tulip Ave (Life of the Body, Western Vinyl, 2020)
24. Jukka Ruottinen – Sort it Out (single, 2020)
25. Jere Ijäs ja Monacon työväen palloilijat – Kii sussa (single, Texicalli Records, 2020)
26. Rohkeat kuvat – Joo (single, Soit Se Silti, 2020)
27. LOVE SPORT – The Biggest Liar in Town (And Justice For All, Soliti, 2020)
28. White Jackets – Hard Times (single, Pinetree Records, 2020)
29. The Speedways – Love Really Hurts Without You (single, 2020)
30. Pacific Radio – It’s So Good to See My Baby (single, 2020)
31. Matt York – Scent of Sin (single, 2020)
32. Lauren O’Connell – I Hear Them All (single, 2020)
33. The Wild Reeds – Get Better (single, Dualtone Records, 2020)
34. Lily Hayes – Still Young (single, Uncollective Records, 2020)
35. Katie Von Schleicher – Nowhere (Consummation, Full Time Hobby, 2020)
36. Jordan Klassen – Ministry of Doubt (Tell Me What to Do, 2020)
37. Thomas Hine – Barren Daughters (Ledgers and Stones, 2020)
38. Sofia Talvik – Broken (Steelguitars in Heaven) (single, Makaki Music, 2020)
39. Tessy Lou Williams – Midnight Arms (Tessy Lou Williams, 2020)
40. Fretland – Hands (Fretland, 2020)
41. Nicholas Mudd – Heartache Express (single, 2020)
42. Kelly Finnigan – Impressions of You (single, Colemine Records, 2020)
43. Holy Hive – Float Back to You (single, Big Crown Records, 2020)
44. Lee Fields & The Expressions – Thinking About You (single, Big Crown Records, 2020)
45. War & Pierce – Amen (single, 2020)
46. Mark Fredson – Come Find Me (If There’s Anything I Can Do, 2020)
47. MAITA – Pay To Play (Best Wishes, Kill Rock Stars, 2020)
48. Zach Aaron – C.C.C (Fill Dirt Wanted, 2020)
49. Pharis & Jason Romero – Old Chatelaine (Bet On Love, Lula Records, 2020)
50. Jason Isbel & The 400 Unit – Letting You Go (Reunions, Southeastern Records, 2020)

Playlist link

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

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.

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Finnish music

Kalevi Suopursu, Guggenheim-projektz, Hermaja and Rock Siltanen

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These quick spring release round-up posts now turn into a Kalevi Suopursu appreciation society. During the last few years I’ve learned that I love pretty much all music-related things that somehow involves Kalevi Suopursu. It don’t matter whether it’s Amuri, Guggenheim-projektz, Kalevi Suopursu Karaoke Show or just adding some VHS magic to songs by other beautiful artists. It’s all pure gold. Therefore one of my favorite albums of this spring has been the new solo album Yksin yksiössä that came out on Helmi Levyt on the 13th of March. A wonderful record that contain (should be) hits like Sinä olet minun sunnuntai, Mies Saabissa itkee ja Sotkin käteni vereen.

If you are hungry for more and quite frankly who wouldn’t be, one of his bands Guggenheim-projektz also released a great new album called Dersu Uzala. Here’s the lead track Matematiikon poika. Check out the whole album on the streaming services or buy a cassette version from Helmi Levyt.

Guggenheim-projektz at Facebook

Then a couple of other gorgeous Finnish releases with some video art from Kalevi Suopursu. First the debut album Kultasuoni from Hermaja that came out on the 8th of May on Helmi Levyt. It’s sad that there’s no Hullu Ruusu anymore, but thankfully both Merita Berg and Antti Hermaja are releasing equally wondrous music on their own / with their new groups. Here’s Charlotta Siren from the new Hermaja album.

Hermaja at Facebook

And last but definitely not the least on this little round up is the new magical single from Rock Siltanen. I was ready to spend the summer of 2020 singing along to a completely another song by Rock Siltanen, but that’s not what life had in store for us. We shall do the Uskon Huuhkajiin sing-alongs next summer, but Rock Siltanen has a perfect song for these current times too. Tulevaisuus ei oo sitä mitä se oli is warm-hearted, beautiful and full of empathy. A kind shoulder to lean on, if the anxiety tries to take a hold of me. Oh and be on the lookout for the Amuri debut album out in the fall of 2020. It will contain more magnificent songs from both Kalevi Suopursu and Rock Siltanen. If this blog / world still exists at the end of 2020, it might well turn out to be my album of the year.

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