Icons of Americana and modern keepers of the folk tradition, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings have shared “Empty Trainload of Sky,” a single from the forthcoming full-length, Woodland, the latest entry in the duo’s two-and-a-half-decade-spanning career. Recorded in Welch and Rawlings’ own Woodland Sounds Studio in Nashville, “Empty Trainload of Sky” features the duo’s trademark tight-and-somber vocal harmonies, lyrics evoking …
The Neighborhood Playlist | July 20
How’s it going, Neighbors? July is moving and moving…and moving. It’s almost time for school and the summer will be wrapping up. In the meantime, The Neighborhood is here to keep your remaining summer HOT! On this walk through the neighborhood, I gave light to soul singer/songwriter Darien Brockington via The Soul Qurators podcast and playing a song from his …
Jax Music Hour Playlist | July 20
Last week on the Jax Music Hour (Saturdays at 8PM on WJCT News 89.9 FM), we heard from a variety of artists who are touring through the 904 soon, including King Stingray, who are opening for fellow monarchs King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard down at the St. Augustine Amphitheater on November 20, as well as The Breeders, who will …
Song of the Day | “Coast” by Kim Deal
On her first solo release for unimpeachably cool indie label 4AD, alternative-music icon Kim Deal arrives – as the meme goes – tanned, rested and ready; albeit it in true-Gen-X style. With its playful, sunkissed arrangement “Coast” retains the sonic spirit of some of Deal’s more lighthearted work with Pixies and The Breeders (the latter of whom play September’s Sing …
Song of the Day | “Lie 95” by Bartees Strange
Bartees Strange’s 2022 LP, Farm to Table, earned the genre-defying singer and guitarist’s certain songwriting skills a much broader audience – as did successive tours with The National and boygenius. The DC-based, UK-born Strange is back with “Lie-95,” an emotional and texturally rich new single that features soaring vocals and an interstate highway’s worth of passion. All songs featured in …
Song of the Day | “Side Quest” by Pearl & the Oysters
A year after releasing their most successful album to date – the sweltering summer pop opus Coast 2 Coast – Los Angeles duo Pearl & The Oysters has shared “Side Quest,” a breezy and animated jazz-pop number that sounds as though it were designed to incite a Soul-Train-style line dance on Mars. P&TO is made up of high school friends …
Jax Post-Punk Trio Glass Chapel Let Love Consume Them on “Alive”
Lovers of synth-pop, post-punk, and waves new, dark and cold, lend us your ears: Jacksonville’s own Glass Chapel have released their first new music in more than a year, the darkly romantic “Alive.” The trio self-produced “Alive,” their first single since May 2023’s “Foreign Rain,” with mastering by Matthew Messore (Cathedral Bells, Midi Memory). Jake Phillips (vocals, guitar, synth, drum …
Jacksonville’s Coyboi Circumvents the Monotony on Groovy New Single, “Time Away”
“Spent some time away, looking for reasons to love myself again,” sings Coyboi frontperson Cortnie Frazier on the opening salvo of “Time Away,” the funk-R&B-and-smooth-jazz infused new single from the popular Jacksonville indie band. The song opens with a disco beat and some invocative interplay between two guitar motifs – reverb-drenched strums and a funky vamp – all of which …
Song of the Day | “Tuesday” by Toro y Moi
Another record, another reinvention for Toro y Moi. In the two years since his the funk-driven full length MAHAL, the indie polymath has released an album of instrumentals, and, now, changed course with “Tuesday,” an industrial, melodically pop-punk anthem that foreshadows his latest sonic exploration, Hole Erth (due in September on Dead Oceans). With jagged guitar tones and an earnest …
Song of the Day | “No. 1 Headband” by Lupe Fiasco
Considered one of the best emcees of his (or any) generation, Lupe Fiasco’s sword remains sharp. On his latest the mid-tempo, jazz-infused “No. 1 Headband,” a single from a new full length Samurai (out now on 1st & 15th Too by way of Thirty Tigers), the Chicago rapper slices and dices. Showing off his agility with a dynamically diverse delivery, …
Song of the Day | “Low Sun” by Hermanos Gutiérrez
The instrumental music of Swiss-Ecuadorian siblings Hermanos Gutiérrez can sound tailor made for a listening culture that exalts vibes over all else. However, much like Khruangbin – perhaps the most exalted purveyors of vibes – the brothers’ intricate guitar work is best enjoyed as an intentional listening experience, rather than a passive one. On “Low Sun,” the lead single from …
Atlanta’s Lunar Vacation “Set the Stage” for Second Album With Atmospheric First Single
On Decatur, Georgia, “pool rock” quintet Lunar Vacation’s forthcoming sophomore album, Everything Matters, Everything’s Fire (Sept. 13, Keeled Scales). Our first taste of the LP is “Set the Stage,” released this week alongside a music video directed by musician, actor and friend of the band Finn Wolfhard. “Our last album was super produced, manicured,” vocalist/guitarist Maggie Geeslin said of Lunar …
Shovels & Rope Announce New Album ‘Something Is Working Up Above My Head,’ Share 2 New Singles
Charleston’s Shovels & Rope—that is, married couple Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent—have announced their sixth studio album, Something Is Working Up Above My Head (Sept. 6, Dualtone Records), and shared its first two singles, the story-forward “Colorado River” and “Love Song From a Dog.” The folk-punk duo have also unveiled a fall tour in support of their new record. …
Song of the Day | “Lorelei” by Mrcy
London-based soul duo Mrcy’s debut on Dead Oceans, the eight-track Volume 1, is full of enjoyable updates on retro sounds. Made up of producer Barney Lister and vocalist Kojo Degraft-Johnson, Mrcy (pronounced Mercy) combines a full spectrum of atmospheric samples with tight grooves and Degraft-Johnson’s mighty, world-class vocals. Volume 1‘s lead single, “Lorelei,” is a prime example of the duo’s …
Song of the Day | “Dog Days” by Dehd
Just about two years since the release of their Fat Possum records debut, the well-received Blue Skies (which got heavy airplay on our music discovery station), the energetic Chicago trio is back with Poetry (out now), 14 melodious and rhythmically primal ditties. Accompanied by a raucous honky-tonk-set music video by frequent collaborator Glam Hag, Poetry’s opening cut, “Dog Days,” is …
Song of the Day | “Like I Say (I runaway)” by Nilüfer Yanya
The first new music from UK songwriter Nilüfer Yanya since her breakthrough 2022 long player, Painless, finds the singular indie rocker flexing her distinctive ear for sonic interplay. “Like I Say (I runaway)” opens with clink-clank electronic drums and the hypnotic warble of Yanya’s electric guitar before morphing into a layered, distorted hook, with Yanya lending delicate, ethereal vocals to …
Song of the Day | “Push It” by Vicky Farewell
Orange County, CA songwriter and producer Vicky Farewell makes distinctively woozy pop. The classically-trained multi-instrumentalist’s veracity as a consumer of offbeat music from marginal genres is evident in the twinkling, downtempo, borderline-New-Age single, “Push It,” from Give A Damn, her new full-length due out on slacker-pop darling Mac DeMarco’s record label on May 10. All songs featured in our Song …
Australia’s Hockey Dad Try to Keep It Together on New Single “Safety Pin”
It’s hard to say which Australian trademark is more consistently killer: the wildlife or the guitar-pop bands. New South Wales duo Hockey Dad fall into the latter category, and they recently shared “Safety Pin,” the best single yet from their forthcoming album Rebuild Repeat (June 14, Farmer & The Owl / BMG). Fans of Melbourne’s Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever will …
Song of the Day | “Well Alright” by Johnny Cash
“Well Alright,” the latest posthumously released single by Johnny Cash, is about stumbling upon romance in an unlikely place (somewhere in which, it seems, Cash might have been washing a load of his all black duds). The tune is exemplary of Cash’s tight, efficient songwriting oeuvre. And comes with a cool backstory: Cash recorded the tune in 1993 as a …
The Neighborhood Playlist | April 20
Hey Neighbors! Hope you enjoyed the show if you listened. If not, I have a playlist of tunes from the show below for your streaming pleasure. Thanks again to hip-hop emcee Seafood Sam for taking time to bless the neighbors with an interview. I truly enjoy his story and his music. May is ALREADY here! With that, I’m sending blessings …
Song of the Day | “Sun Without Heat” by Leyla McCalla
David Byrne once said, “The better a singer’s voice, the harder it is to believe what they are saying.” Byrne’s decidedly-art-rock logic aside, it could also be argued that the more instruments accompanying the singer, the harder it is to believe what they are saying. Either way, on her new full length, Sun Without Heat, the classical and American-roots musician …
Song of the Day | “Fox Hunt” by Sierra Ferrell
Despite what impression mainstream country radio may impart, country music has always been a melting pot of influences. And since before she went from busking on street corners to performing on the hallowed Grand Ole Opry stage, West Virginia-bred singer and songwriter Sierra Ferrell was blending a range of traditional styles – bluegrass, gypsy jazz, even calypso – into country-tinged …
Song of the Day | “The Kill” by Maggie Rogers
The songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Maggie Rogers has had the kind of career arc that’s rare among her peer group of viral video sensations – that is to say: a relatively enduring one. Rogers was first “discovered” by Pharrell Williams when the mega-star/producer visited NYU where she was then a student. Rogers performed a song for him and (skip the next …
Fontaines D.C. Announce New Album, Share Anxious Lead Single “Starburster”
Grammy-nominated Irish five-piece Fontaines D.C. have announced their debut release on XL Recordings, Romance. Their fourth album and the follow-up to their acclaimed 2022 LP Skinty Fia arrives on Aug. 23, and the music video for intense lead single “Starburster” is out now. The London-via-Dublin quintet—Grian Chatten (vocals), Carlos O’Connell (guitar), Conor Curley (guitar), Conor Deegan (bass) and Tom Coll …
Duval Indie Pop Lord Luci Lind on Catching Songs Like Fireflies
Welcome to Songwriting School, where we talk to songwriters about the craft of songwriting. Born in Pensacola, 22-year-old pop artist Luci Lind has called Jacksonville home since he was a toddler. His coining of the genre “Jax pop” is just one example of his pride in being part of the Bold City music scene, where he gathers inspiration from his …
Jax Musician Kennie Mason on ‘My Dog Ate My Patriotism,’ her noisy debut album as Siichaq
Kennie Mason, lead singer and founder of Jacksonville band Siichaq (pronounced sea-check), always felt like a fish out of water in the community she grew up in. Her music career began early, checking off the rite of passage of many a beach kid: singing in a rock band with a bunch of surfers. After a few years of growth and …
Jacksonville Band Ducats Offers Worthy Psych-Rock Delights on New Single, “Uggo Druggo”
Springtime apparently activates febrile indie rock music. The latest track from locals Ducats, “Uggo Druggo” heralds the seasonal arc in the form of an unhurried post-punk planted in a field of reverb. Over the course of its four-and-a-half minutes, “Uggo Druggo” is carried along in a bramble of guitar stabs and textures, riffs closing and falling back into the echoes, …
Madi Diaz Shares Lovely New Single “One Less Question,” Featuring Lennon Stella
On the heels of the February release of her latest album Weird Faith, Nashville singer-songwriter Madi Diaz has posed “One Less Question,” a gorgeous new collaboration with Lennon Stella that the duo debuted on Tuesday night’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! Co-produced by Diaz and Weird Faith’s Konrad Snyder, and co-written by Diaz, Stella and Kate York, “One Less Question” …
The Neighborhood Playlist | April 6
Happy April, Neighbors! Springtime is here and I am here to give you some music to make those flowers look beautiful and the beaches feel great for you! We visited a new song from the legendary group Arrested Development. We played a new jam from DJ Harrison, a member of the soul-jazz-funk-hip-hop group Butcher Brown. Lastly, we played some hometown …
Woods Share Surprise ‘Five More Flowers’ EP, Feat. Hopeful Lead Single “Lay With Luck”
Though its April Fools Day announcement may have made fans think twice, Brooklyn’s Woods do, in fact, have a surprise new record out. The psych-folk-rock outfit released their Five More Flowers EP via their own Woodsist label this week ahead of a North American tour alongside Animal Collective’s Avey Tare. The roots of Five More Flowers touch much of Woods’ …
Saya Gray Uploads ‘QWERTY II’ EP, Announces International Tour
Following the release of her QWERTY II EP, Japanese-Canadian art-pop artist Saya Gray has announced an international tour in support of her new record, with shows in the U.K., E.U. and North America set for late spring. Gray released the seven-track QWERTY EP via Dirty Hit in May 2023, then delivered the seven-track follow-up last week—in a statement, the artist …
St. Vincent Shares a Sinister New ‘All Born Screaming’ Single,“Flea”
This spring, St. Vincent returns with her seventh—and first self-produced—studio album, All Born Screaming (April 26, Total Pleasure Records / Virgin Music Group), and our second preview of the LP is out now in the form of “Flea,” featuring Dave Grohl and Justin Meldal-Johnsen. Where 2021’s Grammy-winning Daddy’s Home found St. Vincent time-traveling to 1970s New York City, even recording …
The Mercurial Musical World of John Lurie Is Illuminated Anew on ‘Music from the Series (Painting with John)’
The latest from Renaissance-man and quixotic rambler John Lurie is a 56-song collection of recent musical collaborations that will do much to satisfy fans of the musician-artist-actor-memoirist. Meanwhile, those who are indifferent, annoyed, or puzzled by the now-71-year-old Lurie’s almost-five decades long (and heavily hyphenated) body of work could very well still be intrigued this 56-song set, available in vinyl …
London’s Lava La Rue Announces ‘STARFACE,’ Shares Silky Lead Single “Push N Shuv”
West London-based psych-soul artist Lava La Rue has announced their full-length debut STARFACE, coming June 21 on Dirty Hit. Lead single “Push N Shuv” is out now with a self-co-directed music video. Our first preview of the much-anticipated album, “Push N Shuv” pays affectionate homage to iconic ‘80s new-wavers Tom Tom Club, with a bubbly funk groove that sounds like …
Bad Madonna’s Alexis Rhode Goes Solo as ROADIE, Shares First Single “Ball of String”
Alexis Rhode of Jacksonville indie-rock act Bad Madonna has shared her first solo single as ROADIE, exploring a more delicate singer-songwriter sound on the pensive breakup song “Ball of String.” Rhode is backed by Danny Strickland, Milan Algood and Jordan Mixon on her new single, but you wouldn’t know it from the song’s opening moments. “I guess I got in …
Latest from Duval-to-NYC Musician Alexei Shishkin is a Quality Byrds-Style Flight Plan
Make no mistake: “Wind Picks Up Again,” the third track from Alexei Shishkin’s recent album dagger, is a fantastic rock song. From the start, it’s evident that the Jacksonvillian-turned-NYC-Brooklynite is adept at evoking the kind of lysergic 12-string-guitar shimmer that made 1966-era Byrds achieve stratospheric peaks, and the driving bass and drums accompaniment of Shishkin’s economical approach propels and enhances …