Léanie Kaleido has dropped her new video for the track titled ‘All The Things I’m Made Of’. That somber and heartfelt feeling that comes from earnest and honest feelings is hard to come by in this assembly line world but Léanie pulls it off with her subtle yet soulful croon and introverted songwriting.
‘All The Things I’m Made Of’ is now available as an immediate-gratification download upon ordering her ‘How To Weigh A Whale Without A Scale’ LP. As of March 12, the full album will be released everywhere digitally and will be available across online streaming platforms, including Apple Music and Spotify. It can pre-ordered directly from the artist via Bandcamp.
ABOUT LÉANIE KALEIDO
UK singer-songwriter Léanie Kaleido has announced she will be releasing a new album, entitled ‘How To Weigh A Whale Without A Scale’, produced by Ride frontman Mark Gardener at his OX4 Sound Studio near Oxford. Gardener also contributes guitar on one track. Ahead of this, she previews the lead track ‘All The Things I’m Made Of’.
No stranger to music, Kaleido grew up in a musical household. Her father Top Topham was the original lead guitarist in The Yardbirds and was signed to Mike Vernon’s Blue Horizon record label as a solo artist.
On this long-play, Kaleido plays lyrically astute, laid-back pop, piano-based ballads with the odd quirky guitar ditty thrown in, showcasing Léanie’s eccentric look at life. This new release will thrill Léanie’s existing fans, giving them lashings of melancholia, but peppered with that ever-present tongue-in-cheek commentary that tells you she never has and never will take herself – or anyone else – seriously.
But this third album also cements her as a consistently accomplished songwriter, unbound by the notion of what is ‘cool’ as she sits back and enjoys the thrill of writing unabashedly from the soul.
Léanie, who grew up “snogging posters of Ride and wanting to be PJ Harvey”, has, over time, settled into the acceptance that her songs just come out the way they do. “Not especially cool”, she says, “but I’m really proud of some of my lyrics. Getting ‘salient verities’ into a song gave me a lot of satisfaction! Now Mark is a really good mate who knows what works best for my songs. And he has the best selection of green tea. I’m now a loose-leaf connoisseur, thanks to him!”
Kaleido’s 50th year went off with a bang thanks to Gardener’s open-armed invitation to record at his Oxford studio. After four or five sessions throughout the less locked-down parts of 2020, and ten songs later, an album was born.
“The songs on this album represent the highs and lows I’ve encountered over the past few years, how I’ve dealt with them and what I’ve learnt through the process. It’s a mixture of love, regret, philosophies, humour and hope. I’ve always been a late developer, and so this to me feels like a coming-of-age album,” says Léanie Kaleido.
“Mark Gardener was determined to make my vocals and lyrics ‘the stars of the show’ and this has steered my sound to something more stripped back and atmospheric. Mark is a top bloke. He made me feel at ease straight away. The anxiety tablets I’d taken with me to stop myself exploding with fear weren’t needed and we got on famously from the start. It was such a laugh recording with someone who once had been the target of my ‘dribbly poster snogs’ and now is just a really good mate who knows what works best for my songs.”
LINKS:
https://www.leanie.com
https://www.facebook.com/leaniekaleido
https://leaniekaleido.bandcamp.com
https://twitter.com/leaniekaleido
https://soundcloud.com/leaniekaleido
https://www.youtube.com/user/lkaleido/videos
https://www.instagram.com/leaniekaleido
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Social Station – Try (Cross My Heart)
With a passion for analog synths, hypnotic guitar, and undeniable melancholic vocals, the band originally started as a solo project in 2013 by singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist Paul Todd, debuting with the single ‘The Sun and The Air’, followed by their ‘With a Smile’ EP.
“The song ‘Try’ has been evolving for close to two years with its start as a slow and deep staccato guitar riff along the lines of early Chelsea Wolfe or PJ Harvey, and just the first verse. Moving the song to an arrangement for piano completed the verses but still did not have the Cross My Heart chorus and up-tempo pace. Still pretty gloomy,” says Paul Todd.
“Experimenting with an Akai MPC 100, the song took off with a life of its own. The guitar melodies and string arrangements just fell into place. Two words always come to mind when working on a Social Station song, yearning, and melancholy. The perspectives or lens may change but longing or struggling and feeling overwhelmed drives the writing process. This song in particular frames the challenge of feeling comfortable in your own skin while trying to have a meaningful and significant relationship.”
Their live show and distinct sound took shape through Paul Todd’s collaboration with Spenser Kydd. Their common music sensibility for distinct melodies and themes led Social Station to release their debut single ‘Awfully Pretty’ in 2015. That track received immediate attention and was hand-picked for Orkus Music and Culture Magazine’s monthly music compilation.
With the addition of Alexander Minx on drums, Social Station spent a summer in an industrial space in Baltimore, writing and recording their debut full-length album ‘Our Pleasure of Solitude’. This effort earned them inclusion in the NPR-affiliated WAMU Capital Soundtrack and Stereo Embers Magazine’s ‘Next Twenty Post-Punk Bands You Should Know About’.
With a renewed commitment to touring and recording and the departure of Spenser Kydd and Alexander Minx, this release marks a new chapter for Social Station. The extensive use of midi sequencing and the addition of classical musician Jacob Sebastian on bass has opened a whole new world of possibilities for the duo, both in the studio and on stage.
The two of them will kick off an extensive tour in support of their new single ‘Try (Cross My Heart’ and their back catalog. Catch them at one of the dates lined up their summer.
LINKS:
http://socialstation.com
https://www.facebook.com/socialstationmusic
https://socialstation.bandcamp.com
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC01nErg_F6csXIF08HBNt8w/videos -
Gina Cutillo – Brand New Start
Gina Cutillo’s 2016 single “Keep On” debuted at #34 on Billboard Top 40 Mainstream chart and was the most added track to radio. The track reached #41 on Top 40 MediaBase Activator Charts, #12 on Top 40 NMW charts and was the #1 Indie record.
With song placements on Oprah, Nickelodeon, Mean Girls 2, Barbara Walters, MLB, Food Network, Degrassi, E! Network, VH1 and more, Gina Cutillo’s music is heard worldwide. Her recent single, “The Inside”, was co-written with Pete Nappi of Arthouse Entertainment (Meghan Trainor, Ke$ha, Shinedown, Kara DioGuardi ). “The Inside” become a viral hit with social media fans and major industry execs.
Gina has also toured with Katy Perry, Paramore, Gym Class Heroes and more on the Warped Tour. Her stage presence and catchy songs won over many crowds and other major artists on the tour. She’s performed on stage with Prince and has played SXSW a few times including her last performance as the opener for Neon Trees. Gina has also performed at CMJ, Launch, Dewey and other major festivals.
Between her critically-acclaimed third album “The Lover” and her singles “The Inside”, “Fly (Feel Love Tonight)”, “In Another” and “In Time” that will be featured on her upcoming album, Gina released two EPs “Monolovers” and “Love, Faith, Soul”. Both were put in the forefront of the APM library with a review stating: “New Yorker Gina Cutillo delivers Pop/Rock/Dance at its best with a fresh batch of incredibly catchy memorable songs.”
Gina Cutillo’s mission has always been a worldwide success by reaching fans through her music. She has been quoted:
“The best feeling in the world is when someone tells you they had a better day because of your song. It’s true what all the success comes down to … my fans.”
SOURCE: Official Bio
LINKS:
http://ginacutillo.org
https://www.facebook.com/ginacutillo
https://twitter.com/ginacutillo -
Storms – Undress
‘Undress’ is the 2nd of 3 new tracks the band is releasing over the summer. The song, according to guitarist Felix Howes, is about “ the stagnation of a couple’s relationship and the things you will try in hopes of reviving its past glory.” Once again the band has created a video to accompany the song.
The previously released song ‘Swell’ has so far reached almost 5000 views on YouTube and is fast becoming a live favorite. The 3rd song in the summer trilogy is expected to drop in late September, which we are still calling summer! Having forged their reputation with a string of exciting gigs in and around the capital, the band have quickly built up a strong word of mouth following.
Late in 2013 Storms hit the road with Broken Hands and played a bunch of UK dates, which marked their debut British tour.
LINKS:
http://www.facebook.com/stormsofficial
http://www.twitter.com/stormsband
http://www.soundcloud.com/stormsband