Alice In Chains Live @ Kaaboo Del Mar 2019.
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Easy – Day for Night
Ahead of releasing their new album ‘Radical Innocence’ via A Turntable Friend Records, Sweden’s celebrated 90s indie rock darlings Easy present the single ‘Day For Night’, a powerfully catchy track highly reminiscent of True Faith-era New Order or the Bernard Sumner / Johnny Marr offshoot Electronica.
The accompanying clever and beautiful animated video was produced by Ian Holmes, who also created the video for the lead track ‘Crystal Waves’, released on February 21.
In the early 1990s, Easy was one of Sweden’s most notable indie groups. This year marks the 30-year anniversary of their highly acclaimed debut ‘Magic Seed’ LP, a critical success that spawned three alternative hit singles: ‘Castle Train’, ‘He Brings the Honey’ and ‘Horoscope’. The group also frequently toured Britain and Europe. While their ambitious ‘Sun Years’ LP (1994) had less of an impact, singles ‘Never Seen a Star’ and ‘Listen to the Bells’ clearly demonstrated that the band had taken several musical steps forward.
Easy suddenly disbanded in 1994, with members becoming involved in other projects. The mark they left was notable – when returning to Sweden years later, they found a new Indie scene full of bands inspired by their uniqueness and success, having toured all over Europe with bands like The Gun Club, The House of Love, Lush, The Charlatans, and The Jesus and Mary Chain. Easy had something special with elements from pop history – the perfect combination of Sonic Youth-like intensity and the sweet harmonies of The Beach Boys.
In 2010, the group reunited with the original line-up, consisting of Johan Holmlund (vocals), Rikard Jormin (bass), Tommy Dannefjord (drums), Tommy Ericson and Anders Peterson (guitars). The reunion spawned the albums ‘Popcorn Graffiti’ (2012) and ‘Swimming With the Beast’ (2014), marking a new era of inspiration for the band.
The ‘Radical Innocence’ LP is Easy’s first new album in a decade. It is also the band’s third release via German label A Turntable Friend Records, the first being the ‘Magic Seed’ LP reissue in 2017 and the 2018 release of ‘A Heartbeat from Eternity’, a user-friendly compilation of the two previous albums, along with the fresh new single ‘Ask the Sky’. The group played live shows in the UK and Germany.
With a songwriting-production cycle that began in late 2018, the band worked with legendary producer Pat Collier, who was responsible for many of their favorite records, at his Perry Vale Studios in London. Everything has come full circle with the band returning to the British capital, where they recorded their debut album 30 years earlier – kind of a new start on the band’s path towards creating perfect pop songs.
‘Radical Innocence’ is an 8-track offering and their most ambitious album to date. Here, Easy is being easy. The songs are coherent and more refined than on previous albums. This new album also involves a new member – Ingvar Larsson, Moog, and keyboard master for post-punk outfits Camouflage and Dogsmile.
Working with Collier and Larsson helped the band to further refine their sound, achieving organic pop songs with sweet melodies, sharp guitars, impactful drumming, and clever lyrics.
LINKS:
https://www.easy-magicseeds.se
https://www.facebook.com/pg/SwedishindiebandEasy
https://easy-sweden.bandcamp.com
https://twitter.com/easybandsweden
https://aturntablefriendrecords.limitedrun.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0DjECvHwnn8WAvqMWflvB5
https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/easy/1305804296 -
Cinthya Hussey – My Heart Is A Ghost Town (Julian Shah-Tayler’s Spooky Remix)
Cinthya Hussey has just premiered her new video for her remix single titled ‘My Heart Is A Ghost Town (Julian Shah-Tayler’s Spooky Remix)’.
Cinthya, to me, screams mega talent. In more ways than one. She is an accomplished actress as well as a stellar singer. And now she gives a perfect collaborative example with the help of Julian Shah-Tayler with this new video.
Cinthya and Julian mix like oil and water, which is a good thing in this case. First off, listen to the original HERE. Are you back? Ok, good. Now watch the new video above. See what I mean? What we have here are two very compatible yet different artists coming together in a beautiful mix of talent, harmony, and sheer love of the craft.
The multiple layers of instruments and melody surround Cinthya’s subtly angelic vocal style with imagination and collective crescendo that culminates to an aural passion for the craft. This is a song that will become a soundtrack to your next memory if you let it. And combine that to that certain something that Julian possesses in his own right and you have what music should be about: That love for the commentary of life.
Check out our other features with Cinthya Hussey HERE.
ABOUT CINTHYA HUSSEY
Cinthya Hussey is a Brazilian singer, songwriter, actress & visual artist.
A few years ago Cinthya watched a TED Talk featuring Paula Fuga and her inspirational speech ‘Believe In Yourself’ on how we all need to pursue our dreams. At the end of her presentation, Paula performs one of the songs on the ukulele that had brought her international recognition. Cinthya thought, “I could learn to play that instrument”.
Not long after, Cinthya was given her own ukulele as a present and taught herself to play by learning cover versions of songs that she has loved since being a teenager. There are several videos of Cinthya on her own YouTube channel performing songs by The Pixies, The Cure, Depeche Mode, & Cigarettes After Sex as well as the ‘official’ video for Cinthya’s first single, released in July 2020, of her stunning reworking of Morrissey’s ‘Everyday Is Like Sunday’. Produced by Wayne Hussey, singer-guitarist in the British band The Mission, who has also produced Cinthya’s 2nd single, ‘My Heart Is A Ghost Town’.
‘My Heart Is A Ghost Town’ – a vision of 50s/60s pop meets the Cocteau Twins meets David Lynch – is the first song that Cinthya has written herself, originally a poem that she recently put to music, which will be included on her debut solo album planned for release in 2021.
Cinthya has also recently contributed vocals to a couple of remixes of the Beauty In Chaos anthem, ‘The Delicate Balance Of All Things’. The ‘Rapid Reiteration Mix’ is remixed by renowned producer Tim Palmer whose credits include U2, Pearl Jam, Robert Plant, & David Bowie among many others, and the ‘Equipoise Mix’ is mixed by the Beauty In Chaos head honcho Michael Ciravolo in tandem with Grammy-winning producer Michael Rozon. Cinthya’s unique paintings were also used as artwork for the albums ‘Out Of Chaos Comes’ and ‘Chaos Continues…’
This is what Tim Palmer has had to say about working with Cinthya:
‘I had the opportunity to mix ‘The Delicate Balance Of All Things’ recently for Cinthya and it was a joy. Her voice is something special.
Ever since I was a young lad, I have been attracted to the sound of foreign female voices singing in English. Astrid Gilberto, Charlotte Gainsburg, or even Abba, always exude something special by being from far off lands. Somehow the accent gives the voice an innocence, mystery, and charm. Well, Cinthya has all that and more. Her choice of notes is refreshing and unique and I am left wanting to hear more. I wish her great success.’
And Michael Ciravolo, the curator of the Beauty In Chaos collective, wrote this about Cinthya:
‘‘The Delicate Balance Of All Things’ was the first tune I wrote for ‘The Storm Before The Calm’ and still one of my favorites. When I heard Cinthya do her cover of ‘Everyday Is Like Sunday’ I really fell in love with her voice. When I initially sent this stripped-down version to her and Wayne I thought she would sing more backing vocals and harmonies to Wayne’s original lead vocal, but when we received the trackback it was like WOW! Cinthya really took the song over ad took it to a new, totally different and beautiful place and I knew it was something special.’
Wayne Hussey, who has recorded both of Cinthya’s two singles in his own Green Room Studio in the countryside outside of Sao Paulo, commented:
‘Cinthya has a unique and singular vision. It’s rare, in my experience, for new musicians to be so certain of what they want to do, how they want to sound, as Cinthya is. It’s refreshing. Both recordings were totally driven by her, my job being principal to help her realize the soundscapes she was hearing in her head. Her voice is certainly something individual and the way she phrases things is unlike anyone else I know of. There is a sensuality to her voice that is effortless which is as all real sensuality should be.’
LINKS:
https://www.cinthyahussey.com
https://www.instagram.com/cinthyahussey
https://www.facebook.com/CinthyaHusseyOfficial
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdPB8SkrT7a0tNGPHkRDllQ -
Sara Vanderheyden – Dementia
Sara Vanderheyden is a Belgian singer active with various projects. During 2017 she signed a contract with Epictronic for the production of her debut solo album. Subsequently, Finnish songwriter and producer Ville Oravala decided to join the project and support Sara with his unique songwriting and production skills. During the last months of the year, Sara recorded some songs at Titans Lab Studio in Italy with the help of Ville Oravala and Riccardo Daga. This second single is the result of this cooperation.
Video Direction: Tom Swinnen
Artwork and Photography: Tom Swinnen
Publishing: Carlo Bellotti Publishing / Warner Chappell Holland B.V.LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/VanderheydenSara
https://twitter.com/Sara_VDH