We cover a lot of artists that blur the lines between indie rock and Americana, and as much of a cliche as it is, no one does it quite like S.G. Goodman. The Kentucky artist's latest single, "Satellite," leans more into the indie rock side of the spectrum while keeping roots in Americana. The song is a slow burn that moves along with a dark sense of menace. Much of Goodman's upcoming album was inspired by the loss of her dog Howard and a close friend, and that sense of grief is audible in "Satellite." As indie rock leaning as the song is, there is that Appalachian sense of darkness that seems to dominate the track. This one is certainly not an upbeat listen, but Goodman finds beauty in the grief and darkness throughout the song.
S.G. Goodman says about her latest single:
“The whole premise behind the practice of Planting by the Signs, is that we can look to nature to understand when would be the best time to do something to get the best results. I am interested in how man is obstructing nature and its ancient knowledge, while the human condition remains the same: that to survive we must be in harmony with nature and each other.”
You can watch the video for "Satellite" below. Planting by the Signs is due out June 20 on Slough Water Records/Thirty Tigers, and is available for pre-order here. For more on S.G. Goodman, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video and include a November 1 date at The Sinclair in Cambridge, MA, and November 2 at The Iron Horse in Northampton, MA.
5/29 - Jacksonville, FL - VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena +
5/30 - Gainesville, FL - Heartwood Soundstage
6/1 - Orange Beach, AL - The Wharf Amphitheater +
6/27 - Lexington, KY - The Burl (w/ Secular Pets)
6/28 - Lexington, KY - The Burl (w/ Nick Harley)
7/5 - Duluth, MN - Bayfront Festival Park “
8/7 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE ^
8/8 - Columbus, OH - KEMBA Live! ^
8/9 - Rochester Hills, MI - Meadow Brook Amphitheatre ^
8/23 - Falkenberg, Sweden - Rootsy Summer Fest
8/24 - Stockholm, Sweden - Stockholm Roots
8/26 - Oslo, Norway - Belleville
8/28–8/29 - Tønder, Denmark - Tønder Festival
8/31 - Den Haag, Netherlands - Once In A Blue Moon Festival
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