Bronze Radio Return – They Rocked Connecticut. They Can Rock You

They Rocked Connecticut. They Can Rock You

There comes a time for every young bird to leave the nest, even when the bird is a band and the nest is the local music scene they came up in. For Connecticut’s Bronze Radio Return, that time is here. In fact, it’s past: the Hartford band has been putting in plenty of hours on the road, playing more than 100 shows a year as they seek to broaden their reach.

The group this month releases their third full-length album, “Up, On & Over.” Speakeasy today exclusively premieres the title track.

The album is a buoyant collection of upbeat, rootsy rock songs built around clap-along rhythms and lyrics that convey a sense of wistful optimism. The title track stacks layers of vocals over trebly guitar and a strong rhythm as frontman Chris Henderson sings about powering through obstacles.

“‘Struggle’ isn’t quite the right word, but it’s about the process of setting a goal and working toward something,” Henderson told Speakeasy. “It’s about the ebb and flow of the process.”

Though the musicians spend a big chunk of their lives in their van riding to and from gigs — “In rock ’n’ roll, there’s a lot more roll than rock,” Henderson cracks — they still consider Hartford home. In fact, they play a hometown CD release show there Saturday in the Great Hall at Union Station.

“We strive to be known on a larger scale throughout the country, but our heart is still in Hartford,” Henderson said. “It’s important that we all really still respect the scene and we enjoy being a part of it.”

Bronze Radio Return releases “Up, On & Over” June 25. What do you think of the title track? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Listen to Bronze Radio “Up, On & Over”

Bronze Radio Return, ‘All In’ – Exclusive Song Premiere

Bronze Radio Return, ‘All In’ – Exclusive Song Premiere

Next week, Bronze Radio Return will release their new album ‘Up, on & Over,’ and the alt-country group from Hartford, Conn. is sharing a song exclusively with Taste of Country readers before the record hits. ‘All In’ isn’t a mainstream country sound, but it’s one fans of groups like the Lone Bellow and the Civil Wars will enjoy.

Listen to the foot-stomping cut below. Chris Henderson provides the unique vocals, while Patrick Fetkowitz and Matt Warner back him up on guitar. Sharp lyrics and thumping rhythm from bassist Bob Tanen and drummer Rob Griffith define the cut, while banjo player Craig Stuble adds a perfect country garnish. ‘Up, on & Over’ is Bronze Radio Return’s third album.

Listen to Bronze Radio Return, ‘All In’

MTV IGGY PREMIERE: Os Mutantes — “Look Out”

Brazilian psychedelic rock legends Os Mutantes reunited after a 28-year hiatus in 2006. They’ve just released the album Fool Metal Jack, their first English-language record. “Look Out” has the same kinetic energy that they’ve been known for since pioneering the rebellious genre of tropicália.

Watch Video on MTV IGGY

Cloud Cult: Responsible Rock Stars on Greening the Music Industry

June 15 , 2013

With nine studio albums and a stint on the Billboard charts, experimental rock groupCloud Cult has had plenty of opportunities to  make it big.  While dedicated to  growing its fan base, the band’s primary concern has always been to work in an eco-friendly way.  The band turned down record contract offers and opted to maintain ethical control over business practices.

Paste Premieres “Tidal Wave” by The Hush Sound

 June 4, 2013

Click to listen to “Tidal Wave”

 Song Premiere: The Hush Sound – “Tidal Wave”

Chicago-based indie quintet The Hush Sound, which recently re-formed after taking an extended hiatus from 2008-2012, is debuting a brand new song called “Tidal Wave.” Just its third new track in five years, “Tidal Wave” comes in quick succession after the band’s 45 EP released while on tour this spring.

Recorded earlier this year and produced by Phantom Planet’s Sam Farrar, “Tidal Wave” represents a sonic shift for The Hush Sound, a band that got its start performing alongside pop-punk groups like Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco and All American Rejects. As singer/pianist Greta Morgan writes via email, “The original demo felt very influenced by Joni Mitchell, but we arranged it for a four piece rock setting. We were also listening to Air quite a bit while recording.”

The band has also decided to donate all proceeds from the new track to charity, an Atlanta-based organization called Songs for Kids. Founded in 2007, Songs for Kids strives to enrich the lives of sick and suffering children by bringing live musical performances to hospitals and other facilities.

Read the rest of the article and listen to “Tidal Wave” over at Paste.

Exclusive Video Premiere: Y LUV’s ‘All I Wanna Do’

May 30, 2013

Y LUV.  It’s not just the name of a buzzy Los Angeles-based synth pop band (from left: Freddy Janney, Evan Newman, Sam Nardella, Luke Hanna), it’s also a burning philosophical question. Why love? In a world where nobody’s really on your side and kindness is rarely reciprocated, why go through the trouble of loving at all? Perhaps the answer can be found in the video for the band’s latest single, “All I Wanna Do,” an infectious track from their brand new EP,Take the Ride, that we’re debuting right here, right now. It’s a navel-gazer, a party-starter, and a life-affirmer all rolled up into one song. And in the spirit of summer songs, it seems designed for road trips, with a mellow heartbeat of an intro that slowly builds to the chorus, which bursts in and cleaves the whole thing in two, I’m a creep-style, with guitar so fuzzy it belongs in a furry convention.

“All I Wanna Do” is wonderfully different, and just might make you want to drive your car through a desert and wander until you see sexy girls dancing. Or maybe I’m just projecting here. The video opens in Joshua Tree National Park. The sun is shining. Black crows pick at seeds on the ground. Headbanded lead singer Freddy Janney drives a car that’s almost out of gas, gunning it before he starts to drift off. Images flash by:  Cute girls dancing. Flashlights. Is this some kind of desert rave?

Actress and singer Kelley Jakle jumps around, rolls on a bed, acts like the great girl that Janney dumped, or who left him because he didn’t give her the respect she deserves. He’s regretting it now, tromping through the undergrowth—hey, don’t damage the flora, dude. I’m worried about him. He seems to be losing his mind. He should have brought water, and a sun hat. Here comes the guitar solo. Oh this is so very Eddie Van Halen. Jump back, what’s that sound? It’s a modern take on the guitar solo from “Panama.”

More cute girls dancing. Glow sticks, glow necklaces. Was this all a dream, a hallucination? Did he jump off that rock? Is he okay now? He seems okay. I think he’s better. I think he’s going to give love another chance. He should definitely give it another chance, because, despite it all, it’s a beautiful world out there. Don’t take it from me, watch the video below and decide for yourself. Why love? Why not.

Hooverphonic, ‘The Night Before’ Album Stream, Video, & Free ‘Unfinished Sympathy’ Download

June 03, 2013

The trip-hop outfit sheds the sub-bass on Massive Attack cover.

Capsula Performs “Dark Age” on AXS Live

NYLON Song Premiere: A Great Big Pile of Leaves

Song Premiere: A Great Big Pile of Leaves

May 9, 2013

On the one hand, “Snack Attack”–the first single off of Brooklyn’s A Great Big Pile of Leaves‘ upcoming album (out by Topshelf Records in July)–is about exactly what you think it is: food.

“The songwriting occurred during the very late, eerie hours of the night when I was watching Man. v. Food and was frustrated by the combination of escalated salivation in my mouth and lack of high-quality eateries that were open at that hour,” remembers Peter Weiland, the band’s singer and guitarist.

But he promises that that isn’t all: “There is a solid blend of both literal and metaphorical qualities to the lyrical content of the song, which was derived from my experience and interpretation of the world at that moment,” he adds.

No matter what it’s about and where it came from, we like it: From the opening oohs and snaps onward, “Snack Attack” bounces along like the dreamiest, ’90s-tinged late-night crawl ever. “I like to think we write songs that are interesting musically but are also easy and fun to listen to. We like to mix complex guitar lines and different time signatures with catchy instrumental and vocal melodies,” says drummer Tyler Soucy.

And no, you don’t have to be awake at 3 a.m. to listen to it; as Weiland puts it, “The song is like a trip to the boardwalk and a ride down the tallest, twisty-est waterslide on the hottest day.”

Hear what he means below–we’ve got the exclusive premiere of “Snack Attack”! –REBECCA WILLA DAVIS

BRIDGES AND POWERLINES BIKE TO “WILLIAMSBURG” (PREMIERE)

May 15 ,  2013

Each song on Bridges and Powerlines’ Better EP (out next Tuesday on Daisy Pistol) takes its name from a differentBrooklyn neighborhood. At the center is the soaring “Williamsburg,” which agglomerates sounds around an intricate three-guitar pattern. The video mimics this crescendo, with flickering colored panels rising up to reveal more of the musician’s visages as the song builds and a lone bicyclist (as befits the title) slowly makes his way across a nocturnal landscape. Images of fireworks accompany a whirring electro breakdown.

Bridges and Powerlines play an EP release show at Piano’s,158 Ludlow Street, this Saturday, May 18.