It's hard to find new things to write about Jake Xerxes Fussell because his songs are just so consistently great. All of the previously released singles for his upcoming album have all had that traditional folk but done in a unique way while sounding completely familiar sound, and his latest also nails that. "Rolling Mills Are Burning Down" is a great folk song. Like... it's really great. It's such a simple song, but it's a rare thing to find an artist this earnest who releases music without any pretentiousness or preciousness. "Rolling Mills Are Burning Down" makes Fussell sound like a modern day John Prine in its simple beauty.
You can listen to "Rolling Mills Are Burning Down" below. Good and Green Again is due out January 21 on Paradise of Bachelors. The album can be pre-ordered/pre-saved here. For more on Jake Xerxes Fussell, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the song.
Fri. Jan. 21 - Chapel Hill, NC @ The Nightlight ^ Sat. Jan. 22 - Richmond, VA @ The Camel Sun. Jan. 23 - Washington, DC @ Pie Shop Tue. Jan. 25 - Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA # Wed. Jan. 26 - Brooklyn, NY @ The Knitting Factory Thu. Jan. 27 - Boston, MA @ Club Passim Fri. Jan 28 - Keene, NH @ Nova Arts Sat. Jan. 29 - Saratoga Springs, NY @ Caffe Lena Thu. Feb. 17 - Los Angeles, CA @ Gold Diggers * Sat. Feb 19 - Santa Monica, CA @ McCabe’s Guitar Shop * Tue. Feb 22 - Portland, OR @ The Old Church * Wed. Feb 23 - Seattle, WA @ Fremont Abbey * Sun. May 1 - Kilkenny, IE @ Kilkenny Roots Mon. May 2 - Kilkenny, IE @ Kilkenny Roots Tue. May 3 - Dublin, IE @ Bello Bar Wed. May 4 - Belfast, UK @ Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival Fri. May 6 - Manchester, UK @ Gulliver’s Sat. May 7 - London, UK @ Oslo Sun. May 8 - Glasgow, UK @ Glad Cafe Mon. May 9 - York, UK @ Fulford Arms Wed. May 11 - Ultrecht, NL @ Tivoli (Club Nine) Fri. May 13 - Nijmegen, NL @ Merleyn Sat. May 14 - Cologne, DE @ King Georg Mon. May 16 - Hamburg, DE @ Aalhaus Tue. May 17 - Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso ^ w/ special guest Rosali # w/ special guest Mike Polizze * w/ special guest Tom Brosseau
Photo by Alexa Viscius This may be Liam Kazar's debut single, but the Chicago based musician already has an impressive resume, having worked with Jeff Tweedy, Chance the Rapper, Steve Gunn, Daniel Johnston, and others. "Shoes Too Tight" features childhood friend Spencer Tweedy on drums, Lane Beckstrom on bass, and Ohmme on vocals. It's an absurdly fun and groovy little song that is a party waiting to happen. What he gives us here is a timeless song that could truly have been released any time since the 1960's (ok... maybe not the 80's...) There are elements of classic rock, 60's crooners and R&B, indie rock, modern Americana... it's really just packed with everything in a cohesive song that maintains the vibe the entire way through. You can watch the video for "Shoes Too Tight" below. For more on Liam Kazar, check him out on Instagram and Twitter . He's also raising money on his Bandcamp for Constellation and The Hungry Brain. ...
Photo by Joanna Chattman I've been referring to Northampton, MA based Izzy Heltai's music as mainstream modern folk with just enough of a unique spin to keep it appealing to music snobs, too. His latest single, "Father," might be the perfect example of that. It's a quiet, deeply personal song that starts off painfully sparse but ever so slowly builds and builds as it goes on. It walks that line between accessible/mainstream and indie expertly. You can watch the video for "Father" below. Father , the upcoming debut album from Izzy Heltai, will be out October 9. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Izzy Heltai, check out the artist's website .
Lex Leosis might be Toronto based, but she spent a lot of time in California's Bay Area working on her hip hop sound. She's also traveled all over the United States to collaborate with other artists. Her latest single, "Mind Your Business," has a strong 90's hip hop feel to it. It's dripping with attitude, and Leosis's flow is in full on attack mode. The 90's vibe could be because of the fact that there is no R&B chorus, keeping the song pure hip hop, which is rare these days. This reminds me a lot of Oompa's songs, which is a huge compliment coming from us. You can listen to "Mind Your Business" below. Mythologies , the upcoming album from Lex Leosis, will be out later this year. For more on Lex Leosis, check out her Facebook . Mind Your Business by Lex Leosis
