A Little More Vodka, a Little Less Milk

Music that isn't the same old thing...mostly.

[alittlemorevodka]

Please stand by ...

A recent problem with the search on the blog, something that is very important to me and to others, has caused Vodka to rethink my current host. We’ve had a good run here. Over 800 posts, dating back to 2012. In that time, I’ve covered artists who were just getting started and later went on to higher heights, such as Courtney Barnett. I’ve covered lesser known artists such as Aaron English. I’ve also covered artists that never made it past their first LP. The music industry is a tough beast! I’ve covered alternative, folk, big-band, jazz, progressive rock, rock, and just about every other type of music that you might imagine. But finding that music now, is irrevocably broken because searching tags will get you either nothing, or at least not all of the historical data. Because so much of what I do on Vodka relies on revisiting past posts, that’s a deal breaker for me.

So what does this mean for alittlemorevodka.com? Is it dead? That would be an emphatic NO. Vodka has begun work on a new platform that will host the alittlemorevodka.com domain and posts. I’m going to do my very best to import all of the posts from here to the new site before I bring it online. The problem is that I can’t work on new posts here AND work on converting to the new site, so for now, I’m instituting a moratorium on new posts. My goal is to have everything ready to pull the trigger on the new site by January 5, 2022. That’s a post date (Wednesday), so I’m hoping to have a new post and all of the old content in the new site by then. That’s the goal! 

For now, take a look at our most recent posts starting with the excellent Spygenius Blow Their Covers review. I’d tell you to search for other hits for “spygenius”, but that will pull up no results, even though it was only a year ago that I reviewed their Man On The Sea LP. 

Watch for our new site in January 2022!

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Before we get started, Windy (seen/heard here) is from Spygenius’ previous and wonderful LP, Man On The Sea, reviewed here. If you haven’t had a chance to pick that one up yet, now is the perfect time! Bundle it up with the equally great, Spygenius Blow Their Covers LP (due out in just 2 days - what this review is all about) and you will have the perfect gift for yourself or that hard-to-buy-for music lover on your list.  Christmas is coming fast and Spygenius is the perfect gift.  Do I sound a bit overzealous here?  That’s possible. I don’t get excited about music as often as I used to. But I do recognize talent and ingenuity when it hits my ears!  

Spygenius is Canterbury England’s four piece that can rock as hard as you might want to rock, while maintaining beautiful melodies and harmonies. While the band is great with composition as well, this offering is all about the composition of others. Blow Their Covers is, as you might surmise, a covers LP. 

If you think that you’ve heard covers LP’s before and that this will be the same reworked top 40 hits of yesteryear, think again. Spygenius is as careful with their music selection as they are with their own performances. They have made this music (both old and new) their very own, and because the selections are often more obscure, you may not recognize some of them as covers at all.

So what are you in for if you decide to take the plunge and pick this up?  Well let’s take a look, step-by-step. The LP opens with the two-part track Paper Sun/Love Is Only Sleeping. Paper Sun was penned by Jim Capaldi and Steve Winwood (Traffic), while Love Is Only Sleeping was recorded by The Monkeys and written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. The tracks work together seamlessly and make for a nice up-beat start to the covers collection. Your toe will barely have time to stop tapping, however, because next up is So You Say You Lost Your Baby written by Gene Clark and released originally back in 1967. Leaning more mid-tempo, Therapy, by Big Stir Records label mates Plasticsoul first showed up in 2017. Even though we are jumping several decades here, there is no jarring juxtaposition. There’s a common theme: It fits beautifully. As if to prove that everything fits, we’re back to 1963′s Come On Home, written by Tom Springfield (The Springfields). Griselda brings forth the Celtic folk of Michael Hurley And The Unholy Modal Rounders, but it still fits. The most recognizable song in this collection (for me), Is That Love, (Squeeze), by Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford, circa 1981, still manages to fit perfectly in this collection. That’s only the first seven tracks of the thirteen carefully curated gems here. Each fits in Spygenius’ unique style, where tight harmonies and melodies are king. I could go on, but you would get tired of me repeating the same common themes! 

One thing that stands out on this, and all Spygenius projects, is the practice of good mixing and engineering. One of Vodka’s big annoyances is the use of over amplifying the mix. When this happens (and believe me, it happens a lot!) dynamics in the music are lost. There’s no way to tweak your equipment if the wave form is a flat line at the top. Spygenius seems to know and apply this to their recordings. There is always some dynamic head room available. In today’s environment, where everyone wants to be their own engineer, or worse, hire someone with “engineer” in their title that knows only how to push everything to the top most part of the wave form, the approach of Spygenius to preserve music dynamics is particularly refreshing. 

You can find more information on Spygenius by heading up to their website. Pick up their music, including Spygenius Blow Their Covers and Man On The Sea, from Big Stir Records store, or from Big Stir’s bandcamp.com site.  

With Christmas fast approaching, pick up a gift for yourself and every music lover on your list, by picking up a copy of Blow Their Covers now!

Note: It looked like we were heading for clear skies with Covid 19. The variants are making a comeback, which means that the livelihoods of artists like Spygenius and many others are still threatened. If your situation allows it, consider purchasing more in these tough times. Please, if you are physically able to do so, get the vaccine! –Vodka

Search is broken: Finding former posts from artists used to be a given, but something has happened with our host. Searching for an artist (above) will sometimes get your results, and sometimes (as with a search for “sinnober” for instance) it will yield nearly none of the historical posts. This is a problem that Vodka is researching. Please be aware that we may be forced to change hosts, which would cause a short moratorium on posts. If you are used to seeing a  new post on the blog every Wednesday, then just be aware that if you don’t find a new post, it’s because we are off building elsewhere. Thanks for your patience.

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Three months ago, Vodka was happy to have a new Sinnober single to review, Ophelia. It was beautiful, and so great to have these two back making music again! Fast forward to today, and yet another single has dropped, From Afar (seen/heard here). Rather than just review it without any feedback, I really wanted to find out how things were going in the Sinnober world. I reached out to them and received a response from Natalie Brice to a few questions.  The questions and responses follow. I may edit the questions slightly so that they read better, but the responses are 100% from the artist: Vodka: I'm curious about a few things. The most recent single, "From Afar" has a completely different sound than your other music. Can you tell me what influenced the sound of this single, and what is the message you are trying to drive with the lyrics?

NB: When we first started out, we were in our twenties, we had a manager, and there was always a brief: write a hit. We are now in our thirties, we don’t have a manager, and we have two young children. We are no longer operating within that commercial realm and this has been truly liberating in that we consciously create what comes naturally. We listen to a wide range of music and find it stifling to limit ourselves to one style.

A musician friend and I were chatting recently about how simple, well-crafted songs don’t often get the credit they deserve. This inspired me to write a love song. You have to sacrifice part of your ego and get uncomfortable if you are creating something truthful and vulnerable. I felt vulnerable and exposed singing it so I knew I was out of my comfort zone. This song doesn't pull any gimmicks, it isn’t cryptic or clever. It is about being shit scared.

Vodka: Looking at everything that's happened in your lives in the last several years since Projection was released, (starting a family, COVID 19, etc.,) what would you say have been your biggest challenges, both musically and as a young family?

NB: Our son had just turned 4 and our daughter was 6 months old when the first lockdown happened. We have a lovely home, beautiful countryside within walking distance, and an openhearted community who passed cakes over the fence. All this said, we still found it ball-breakingly hard.

If it had just been Seb and I, it would’ve been chilled - fun even. I would’ve learnt a new language, perfected my sourdough starter, phoned old friends, and researched the American civil war.

With a young child and a baby it was a different ball game. There was the paradox of having all the time in the world but no time to do anything creative or work-related. We spent a lot of time at the allotment which was a lifeline, I memorised every cobweb on our bedroom wall while nursing the baby, and we watched a lot of box sets!

Funnily enough, all this stagnancy must’ve provoked a creative surge as song ideas were pouring out of me - just no time to record in the studio as there wasn’t any childcare available.

One of the many blessings that comes with having young children is that you become less precious about your music because you simply have to be. You become super efficient with any time you might have in the studio and you don’t beat about the bush!

Performing and gigging is still a challenge due to our toddler not sleeping which is terribly dull. Hopefully things will shift and we will be able to perform again in the Spring.

Vodka: Finally, as you look towards the next year, what are your plans? Is there another LP in the works at some point in the future?

NB: To achieve a full night’s sleep! And to make space for creativity, family, and friends.

We have every intention of writing another LP, but maybe don’t hold your breath! Until we do, we will release songs spontaneously - as and when they arrive.

Well said, Natalie. Vodka will be watching your musical progress.

With From Afar, Sinnober creates another beautiful song in a catalog that contains no duds. Not one. If you have as yet to pick up any of Sinnober’s music, I encourage you to do so!  Pick up all three of their LP’s and all of their singles from their bandcamp.com site. Check out their website as well. 

Note: It looked like we were heading for clear skies with Covid 19. The variants are making a comeback, which means that the livelihoods of artists like Sinnober and many others are still threatened. If your situation allows it, consider purchasing more in these tough times. Please, if you are physically able to do so, get the vaccine! –Vodka

Search is broken: Finding former posts from artists used to be a given, but something has happened with our host. Searching for an artist in the search (above) will sometimes get your results, and sometimes (as with a search for “sinnober” for instance) it will yield nearly none of the historical posts. This is a problem that Vodka is researching. Please be aware that we may be forced to change hosts, which would cause a short moratorium on posts. If you are used to seeing a  new post on the blog every Wednesday, then just be aware that if you don’t find a new post, it’s because we are off building elsewhere. Thanks for your patience.

[alittlemorevodka]

New to Vodka, Charm Of Finches, provide beautiful two part harmonies, sung as equal parts which ends up sounding like a chorus. The artists closest to having harmonies and beautiful melodies like this, were Lily and Madeleine which appeared on Vodka back in 2013 when they debuted, and then disappeared off the face of the earth in 2015. Made up of two sisters, Mabel and Ivy Windred-Wornes, the Australian duo breathe new life into melody-driven folk-pop.  Concentrate On Breathing (seen/heard here), off the duo’s recently released LP, Wonderful Oblivion (October 2021), showcases those tight harmonies. The LP gives you eleven reasons to purchase and enjoy this style of music. Lyrically these tracks delve into sometimes complex themes. It becomes the listeners’ choice to simply enjoy the music, or to dig deeper into the meaning of each song. 

From a marketing perspective, Charm Of Finches get’s an A+ rating from Vodka. You can find more information on the duo from their website, which links to all of their social, streaming, and purchase sites. The bandcamp.com site, also links to the website and social sites. The website includes a simple, but explanatory, biography. You should have no problems finding out more about these two sisters, and you definitely should do that. 

Pick up some excellent music from a duo who is showing great promise for the future! Check out Charm Of Finches now!

Note: Unfortunately, we are still dealing with Covid 19. The variants are making a comeback, which means that the livelihoods of artists like Charm Of Finches and many others are still threatened. If your situation allows it, consider purchasing more in these tough times. Please, if you are physically able to do so, get the vaccine! –Vodka

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Set firmly in the mid-tempo range of indie-rock, Moonwood’s latest single Slow Down (September 2021) delves into the differences between two people in a struggling relationship, and the effort that needs to be made to hold things together.  

The effort is worth it, in Moonwood’s case, and the message is just “slow down:” 

“Let's talk things out I've got the time To see things through From both our sides It can be tough Dealing with me I'll show you now What we could be

Slow down, I'll grab your hand, just cry Like you do it all the time Honey just slow down...”

Musically, this song builds in intensity without ever leaving the mid-tempo status, and the band has created a very singable melody that you will be humming long after you’ve heard the song for the first time. 

Moonwood is comprised of Australian, Canadian and US band mates, all currently living and working in Sydney, Australia. The band was conceptualized out of a conversation in 2013 between Jacob McCullough (Jake) (lead vocal), originally from Battle Creek Michigan, and Justin Spaccevento (drums), from Southwest Sydney Australia. Both were studying music at the time. They didn’t get together to play, however, until a 2016 jam session.  Jake had invited a friend to play keys to see if he was a good fit. It was alright but the guy wasn’t too interested. The funniest part is that Aaron Spaccenvento (keyboards), from Southwest Sydney Australia was actually there that night just to hang out. Afterwards Aaron hinted at the idea of playing in the band and so from the second jam he was solidified as a part of the band. From here, the boys cycled through a few guitarists and bass players until Jake reached out to Paul Brouwer (guitar), originally from Windsor Canada, and invited him to play at a rehearsal. Paul clicked with the group and kept on playing with the boys. In 2019 the band went through a period of inactivity while some of the boys did important things like travel overseas and a few got married. Rounding out the quintet is Will Coleman (bass), originally from Dallas Texas.

As a single, Slow Down works well, and since the band has only one other track out there right now (that I can see anyway), the fact that they’ve come up with such a great single, means they’ve either been extremely lucky, or that they are very talented and we should watch what they do next. Ever the optimist, I’m going for the latter!

One thing to be aware of is that a search for Moonwood on bandcamp.com, returns a result that is NOT this Moonwood. It’s not too unusual these days to run into duplicate band names (I mean, there have been a boat-load of bands over the years!), but it’s just a caution to those looking for more from the band.

Speaking of “more from the band,” you can find some additional information on their website. This needs some work, unfortunately. There’s no biography, and the only purchase link at the moment appears to be Apple Music in the Music link. What does exist are links to their social and streaming platforms. 

Take a listen to a young band that is demonstrating a firm understanding of infectious music creation by checking out Moonwood now!

Note: Unfortunately, we are still dealing with Covid 19. The variants are making a comeback, which means that the livelihoods of artists like Moonwood and many others are still threatened. If your situation allows it, consider purchasing more in these tough times. Please, if you are physically able to do so, get the vaccine! –Vodka

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New to Vodka, Maygen & The Birdwatcher present a beautiful blend between folk stories and styles, with nods to both bluegrass and country thrown in for good measure. Enter Antidote (seen/heard here), from the band’s recent long-player Moonshine (October 2021), which is a different twist on the classic love song. 

Lyrically, Antidote highlights the stubborn self-sufficiency of the protagonist, which is just fine with their status alone and in control, until someone comes along with the tools to crack open the protective shell:

“It’s always been my way, or no way I’ve always been just fine, if that means I’m alone I never thought too much, about constellations I never thought about the pull of the moon You came in through the side gate, unexpected Opened this untamed heart, to your blanket of love Wrapped up so tight, in unspoken safety Never release me You see me, the real me Unkempt and unrefined“

Maygen Lacey’s delivery here represents the resulting aftermath of the love that found the keys to what was locked up in her. Whether this is directly  relating to Lacey herself, or in someone she simply perceives in her story, is unclear.  That’s not important however, because it’s a great story to tell, even if it is just a different telling of love that is found.

Maygen & The Birdwatcher is represented by founding members Maygen Lacey (singer, songwriter) and Noah Neumann (guitar). Both are responsible for the lyrics of Antidote. The band includes Ethan Moravec (bass), Jesse Moravec (mandolin, fiddle), and Nik Pellinen (banjo). These members add textural beauty to what is already a wonderful song. 

You can find more information on Maygen & The Birdwatcher by heading up to their website. To be fair, this is not the most wonderful website in the world, but it has nearly everything you are looking for: a biography on the band, and links to all of the social and streaming content. What is missing are the purchasing options for Moonshine. I did find Moonshine and the original EP from 2018, The People We Don’t Choose on the band’s bandcamp.com site which appears to be missing from the website.

I can’t say enough about the band’s sound. It’s full, but doesn’t overshadow Maygen’s voice, which is a perfectly wonderful voice indeed! Take a listen to Maygen & The Birdwatcher and pickup their music now!

Note: Unfortunately, we are still dealing with Covid 19. The variants are making a comeback, which means that the livelihoods of artists like Maygen & The Birdwatcher and many others are still threatened. If your situation allows it, consider purchasing more in these tough times. Please, if you are physically able to do so, get the vaccine! –Vodka

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Our world seems in a shambles in many ways. One can easily lose hope when you look at all of the issues facing us. Casii Stephan’s anthem for dealing with life is found in These Hard Days (seen/heard here) and it is an anthem worth taking to heart! Stephan’s beautifully natural alto vibrato says it’s OK to scream in frustration, to let your emotions out, but calls on us to remember that no matter how hard these days are, “they are still our days.” The message here is that you need to find your peace, to tap into the good, to enjoy the beauty that you can find. You can’t focus on the negative. I need to be reminded of this on a daily basis it seems, so I’m sure some of the rest of you do too.

Hope is an underlying theme in Stephan’s music. While she understands that this can be a pretty cliche-ridden word, there is a lot of nuance to hope. It’s what keeps us moving forward. If we had no hope at all, what would be the purpose of life at all?  While the lyrics for These Hard Days may be the most important thing here, it is Stephan’s voice that drives them forward and places them firmly in your head. It is beautiful and forceful all at once! You can find more information on Casii Stephan by heading up to her nicely formatted website. Everything is available, including purchase links for her singles (no long-player as yet). There’s an older bandcamp.com site that has a couple of those singles available, but your best bet is to follow the links in the ‘Music’ section of the website.

Check out an artist that deserves more of a following than she currently has. Check out and purchase Casii Stephan’s music! 

Note: Unfortunately, we are still dealing with Covid 19. The variants are making a comeback, which means that the livelihoods of artists like Casii Stephan and many others are still threatened. If your situation allows it, consider purchasing more in these tough times. Please, if you are physically able to do so, get the vaccine! –Vodka

[alittlemorevodka]

Just a little bit bluesy, Vodka newcomer Emily Henry’s wonderful The Sound suffers just a tiny bit from some instrumental over-production, particularly later on in the track (somewhere around 1:58). It wasn’t bad enough that it meant that I could forgo reviewing this little gem however. I’m always a little put off when the music is pushed too far forward or too loud in the mix. That’s what volume controls are for, but luckily Emily Henry’s vocals are strong and shine through clearly, so she gets a pass-this time anyway.

Lyrically, The Sound is all about “taking joy where you can find it”, and we have never needed to do that more than right now in this moment in history. To illustrate the lyric, the video portrays the protagonist as a spy waiting for a message in her hotel room. She explores her emotions while she waits: 

“We're alone now - nobody knows See the stormclouds growing close We should leave now - or we could stay Nobody's waiting on us - let it rain”

There’s an internal tug of war going on as she ponders her options.

While I’ve taken a little jab at the music levels, the tune here has a great melody and hook. It sticks with you after a listen, and plays in your head well. 

You can find more information on Emily Henry by heading up to her website which is nicely formatted and contains all of the links you require. There’s not much music available yet, but the streaming links have everything that is available and let’s hope there is more coming soon!

Check out an indie-pop artist who has great potential for future growth! Check out Emily Henry now and watch for more from her in the future!

Note: Unfortunately, we are still dealing with Covid 19. The variants are making a comeback, which means that the livelihoods of artists like Emily Henry and many others are still threatened. If your situation allows it, consider purchasing more in these tough times. Please, if you are physically able to do so, get the vaccine! –Vodka

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Vodka favorite rocker Courtney Barnett, has been releasing singles furiously for the past couple of months in preparation for her new long-player Things Take Time, Take Time due out November 12th, 2021. Enter Write A List Of Things To Look Forward To (seen/heard here). Vodka has been following Barnett since the beginning (2012) but I’ve been sidetracked with other things of late and haven’t been keeping up.  Though Courtney Barnett doesn’t fit neatly in the Vodka philosophy of shining a like on the dark corners of the music world anymore (due to her increasing success and following), that is no reason not to emphasize to those of you who may be unfamiliar with her music, that you need (no seriously, you really need!) to become familiar. Barnett approaches music creation uniquely, from her compositional style, to her left-handed odd-ball strum, to her lyrical whimsy. Every one of these elements adds something magical that you will not find anywhere else.  Write A List Of Things To Look Forward To explores a world gone mad or a relationship based solely on letters. You decide:

“Nobody knows, why we keep trying, why we keep trying. And so on it goes, I’m looking forward to the next letter that I’m gonna get from you.

A baby is born, as a man lay dying, as a man lay dying. And so on it goes, I’m looking forward to the next letter that I’m gonna get from you.

Sit beside me, watch the world burn, we’ll never learn we don’t deserve nice things. And we’ll scream, self-righteously, we did our best but what does that even mean.”

She is so right: “we don’t deserve nice things.”

You can find all of the information you might be looking for by heading up to Courtney Barnett’s website. Everything is there, except for her bandcamp.com site. Get your pre-order in for Things Take Time, Take Time, or pickup the rest of her music right now!  Note: Unfortunately, we are still dealing with Covid 19. The variants are making a comeback, which means that the livelihoods of artists like Courtney Barnett and many others are still threatened. If your situation allows it, consider purchasing more in these tough times. Please, if you are physically able to do so, get the vaccine! –Vodka

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Vodka has blown hot and cold Von Boyáge Laissez Faire (seen/heard here), which is why it has stayed in my to-do queue for several months without action. Yet there is something about the track that keeps me coming back. It’s not because the track breaks any new ground. No, in fact it is pretty formulaic. What keeps me coming back is the sheer will of the song to insert itself. Every time I hear it, it is an ear-wig for at least a few hours after. That, in itself, is an accomplishment! 

Lyrically, Laissez Faire is all about finally making a statement and leaving. When you can’t keep coming back to the same problems, sometimes it’s best to just walk away, even if that is hard to do: 

“I can't make up your mind I don't know what else I can do So I'll send these words to you I'll send these words, I'll send

Be careful where you go Cause I won't be there to catch you when you fall”

It’s a simple message of goodbye and good luck in the future. A message for a relationship’s end.

Von Boyáge is  founder Christopher Hocker (lead vocals, keyboards, guitars, production ) and Stevie Noah (drums, background vocals). The backwards name for the band, is described by Hocker as “a boys journey through life.” The Los Angeles, California duo, have made just a few tracks together to date, but if their ability to write songs that stick in your head like Laissez Faire is any indication, they should have great careers ahead of them.

You can find more information on Von Boyáge by heading up to their very complete website. Everything is there including a nice biography, social, and streaming links. There are no purchase links that I could find at this time.

Note: Unfortunately, we are still dealing with Covid 19. The variants are making a comeback, which means that the livelihoods of artists like Von Boyáge and many others are still threatened. If your situation allows it, consider purchasing more in these tough times. Please, if you are physically able to do so, get the vaccine! –Vodka

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File this beautiful piece under cinematic pop-rock. Ragnar Ægir, now based in Germany, expounds on missing his homeland, Iceland, with this magnificent video tour along with his single I’m At Home (seen/heard here).   At just over three minutes, it’s a brief tour, to be sure, but so beautiful. With travel restrictions firmly in place during the pandemic, the song echos that feeling of disconnection from a home country that you love. Ægir sings: 

“Your silhouette is coming closer flashes of light in my brain I'm so moved by all your beauty Finally weʼre close again

Like a river that flows In the arms of the ocean I just knew that someday I will come back to you And my heart starts to smile When I see your horizon fresh wind on my skin Tells me Iʼm at home”

Everyone has had their personal pandemic experience: loss of a loved-one, separation, pain, grief, and even separation from places that we love. Ragnar Ægir’s homage to the land that he loves, is a testament to an optimistic hope for the future. 

You can find more information on Ragnar Ægir by heading up to his very complete website. All of the needed links are there. There’s a nice biography, that details Ægir’s love of the sea that is quite good.

I’m At Home is the title track to Ægir’s debut EP, due out late this year. If this track is any indication, it should be a wonderful collection! Pick up or stream some excellent cinematic pop by a new artist, with some excellent compositional chops!

Note: Unfortunately, we are still dealing with Covid 19. The variants are making a comeback, which means that the livelihoods of artists like Ragnar Ægir and many others are still threatened. If your situation allows it, consider purchasing more in these tough times. Please, if you are physically able to do so, get the vaccine! –Vodka

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A musical prodigy who began writing and performing lyrical piano compositions at the ripe old age of 10, Grace Freeman (Gal Musette) spins us up a beautiful bit of introspection with Ghost (seen/heard here). Musette’s piano work is a simple and beautiful bit of dancing, flowing, notes, that could easily stand on its own as an instrumental. Her lyrics and voice, add a bit more pizzazz, without overshadowing that underlying atmospheric setting. And what of the lyrics? Musette allows the listener room to interpret, but the lyrics are none-the-less comforting: 

"I awake to a ghost every evening now Imaginary friends aren’t so bad when they help somehow

You are so beyond reach You are so look the moon Coming, going has always been your knack But my ghost comes around Every night when he’s gone I know he’ll be coming back”

Gal Musette has performed as an opening act for such artists as Macy Gray, Suzanne Vega, and Todd Snyder to name just three. Everything she has created to this point is leading up to her very first long-player release, Backwards Lullaby that is scheduled for October 2021,  just a month away. 

You can find more information on Gal Musette by heading up to her simple, yet complete, website. Everything is available there, with the exception of her bandcamp.com link, which you should use to pick up her singles and earlier EPs. 

Check out an amazing singer, songwriter and musician by picking up some Gal Musette music today, and watch for Backwards Lullaby in just a few weeks!

Note: Unfortunately, we are still dealing with Covid 19. The variants are making a comeback, which means that the livelihoods of artists like Gal Musette and many others are still threatened. If your situation allows it, consider purchasing more in these tough times. Please, if you are physically able to do so, get the vaccine! –Vodka

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Vodka has never been a huge fan of live albums. Give me a good studio recording any day, and I tend to appreciate it more. That said, The Lunar Laugh’ soon-to-be-released Nighthawks! LP is thoughtfully curated, and carefully engineered, and mixed to get that live feel without an abundance of crowd noises. The production is bright and crisp, and the music is expertly played and sung, including wonderful three-part harmonies. What more could you want?

Nighthawks! is mostly a collection of back-catalog tunes gathered from very good (see above) live recordings. In 2020, as the pandemic put an end to touring for the band, they released It’s Okay (seen/heard here) as a way of passing on good vibrations to their fans:

“So I say It's okay it's okay to have a heartbreak it's okay if you don't know what you're thinking of trust me I can relate it's okay if you're questioning everything that you used to be No, you are not your past You're here at last and you're who you're supposed to be it's okay“

The message is that there are a lot of things that upend our lives. Certainly the pandemic has been one of those things. In the end, though, you will get through it. It’s okay, as the lyrics say, to feel like you do, but just remember you aren’t in this alone. The music emphasizes this positive outlook, pushing that fun, free, revelatory feeling. It’s Okay, as well as the lead off track, I Wanna Know, are songs that were part of the band’s studio sessions that created the LP, Goodnight Noises Everywhere (June 2019). They didn’t quite fit into that LP, but I’m glad they make an appearance here.

So what else can you expect from the LP?  Well a lot, actually. The previously mentioned I Wanna Know is a mid-tempo rocker with a jangle rock feel that would have been comfortably played on the radio two to three decades ago. Because the band is so playful, it does not sound dated at all, but fresh like a little time machine bubble updated just for you. On The Road, is a song that dates back to the band’s 2015 LP, Apollo. It is always included in the band’s set list, because, as Jared Lekites tells it:

“It works so well in a live setting and this line always rings true: playing my songs, making bank, but every dollar winds up in the gas tank”

By The Light Of The Living Room, from Goodnight Noises Everywhere, seeks to channel the influences of Tom Petty and Pat DiNizio (The Smithereens). Both artists had recently passed away before the song was written. It is a reverent re-imagining of both artists styles.  It might be Vodka’s favorite song on this collection, but there is a lot to love everywhere here. Listening to this song will have you singing it aloud in no time!

Living Room is followed by Winsome from Apollo and Living a Lie from Mama’s Boy (February 2017), and the Campbell Young penned and sung Alive, originally from his solo work before he joined the band. It should be noted that It’s Okay is also written and sung by Campbell. Jared Lekites is definitely the lead writer here, with 9 of the 18 tracks written solely by him, and with a hand in four additional tracks. Lekites’ penned Tell Me A Story, from Goodnight Noises Everywhere, is his version of what I would call the state of the music business. Today’s next “hit” is more about feelings, rather than a message, and Lekites longs for that missing element:

“we gotta keep movin’ on can’t concern ourselves with yesterday said it’s alright and day turns to night anyway is there somewhere that I belong? another place where I can sing my songs again when nobody’s listening hey! tell me a story of seven maids and cabbages and kings and help me take my mind of some things hey! tell me a story that makes me wonder where the treasure’s hid the kind of story I heard when I was a kid“

Jared, Vodka is with you there 100%.

There is original material galore here, but The Lunar Laugh almost always include a few covers in there live sets. True to that live set format, the band does not disappoint, by including Neil Diamond’s Solitary Man, and Death Cab For Cutie’s (Ben Gibbard penned) Soul Meets Body with guest vocals provided by Chase Kerby (an Oklahoma City The Voice contestant) here. This latter track reminds me so much of songs written and performed by The Bats. Both tracks work very well within the band’s style. 

The three primary band members, are  Jared Lekites (vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, harmonica, percussion), Campbell Young (electric guitar, keyboards, bass, vocals), and Connor Anderson (electric and acoustic guitars, vocals, percussion). Additional musicians included here are Chris Anderson (keyboards), Peter Collins (keyboards, melodica), Jimmy Jackson (drums, percussion), Triston Lightner  (bass, vocals), Derek Moore (bass), Logan Morris (percussion), Levi Sherman (drums, percussion, vocals), and John Stendel (bass). There were also special appearances by Chase Kerby (vocals, acoustic guitar on "Soul Meets Body"), Kyle Reid (pedal steel guitar), Lucas Ross (banjo on "Nighthawks and Mona Lisa") and Taylor Johnson (bass, keyboards, guitars on "I Wanna Know" and "It's Okay"). You can find more information on the band, by heading up to their very complete website, which includes all of the purchase, streaming, and social links that you need. You can also purchase Nighthawks! from The Lunar Laugh’ label page at Big Stir Records. 

As a footnote, there is one track that The Lunar Laugh can’t get away without playing in any live set, and so they include it towards the end. That track is Work In Progress (track 18 here), from Mama’s Boy. A great way to end this phenomenal set of music!

Nighthawks! releases in just two days and you can pre-order right now. Head over to Big Stir Records and reserve your copy! You can find most of the band’s music right there, but feel free to visit The Lunar Laugh’ bandcamp.com site as well. 

Note: Unfortunately, we are still dealing with Covid 19. The variants are making a comeback, which means that the livelihoods of artists like The Lunar Laugh and many others are still threatened. If your situation allows it, consider purchasing more in these tough times. Please, if you are physically able to do so, get the vaccine! –Vodka

[alittlemorevodka]

Avid Vodka readers will remember Ebony Buckle. I’ve reviewed three of her tracks over the last year and change. There’s a reason for that: Buckle’s voice! It is at once beautiful, clear, and precise lyrically. While the storyline may not be perfectly clear, this leaves a space for the listener’s interpretation. The best creative minds have always written this way. They know their lyrical intended meaning, but they allow the listener space to experience their own vision. Enter Wild Woman, the single released back in July (seen/heard here), and another single off of the debut long-player (LP) Disco Lasers, due sometime this year.

Lyrically, Wild Woman is a nod to Buckle’s inner self; The one that keeps her on course. In her words: 

“The one who has taught me to tend to my inner power, to keep me on the path that is truest to myself, to trust my own intuition and to take up space in the world.”

It is surprising to me, that a voice that is so powerful and beautiful, is wrapped up in a person who struggles with confidence. For Buckle, tapping the Wild Woman inside gives her the power to move forward musically.

It’s hard to think of Ebony Buckle as not having released an LP. Every single she has released has been a polished gem, the sort that usually announces an LP. Yet these singles have existed on their own up to now, teasers that can increase the excitement of the LP’s eventual release. With Wild Woman released, let’s hope that the LP is right around the corner!

You can find more information on Ebony Buckle by heading up to her website which includes the social and purchase links you require. Consider joining her Patreon, where you can help create new music with your support. Watch for the release of Disco Lasers sometime this year.

Note: Unfortunately, we are still dealing with Covid 19. The variants are making a comeback, which means that the livelihoods of artists like Ebony Buckle and many others are still threatened. If your situation allows it, consider purchasing more in these tough times. Please, if you are physically able to do so, get the vaccine! –Vodka

[alittlemorevodka]

M. Byrd has an infectious, hypnotic, single with Morning Sun (seen/heard here), which could function as an early morning experience in the mind. Byrd describes it this way: 

"Morning Sun has become a kind of morning mantra for me. The idea came to me a few years ago in the morning right after I got up and it came back to me subsequently over and over again, like a kind of entry into meditation, until I finally recorded it and arranged it into form."

Blending the sound of waves, jangling guitars, carefully placed bass lines, minimalist percussion, and a breathy vocal delivery, Morning Sun provides a pleasant auditory experience. It’s the sort of thing you would want to listen to as your morning coffee brews (in Vodka’s case anyway), taking it in like a deep breath as the day begins.

Byrd has performed as the bass player for Ilgen-Nur and shared some of his demos with the band while touring. It was their reaction to his demos that finally pushed him into moving forward with a solo career.

You can find more information on M. Byrd by visiting his Facebook page or taking a look at his Instagram. Vodka isn’t a huge fan of a social-only presence on the web. You want your information to be accessible from as many locations as possible, preferably without a login required. Given Byrd’s relative newcomer status to solo music, I’m willing to give him a pass for now on those critiques, to give him time to develop his music. Hopefully a website will pop up and everything (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) will be linked. In the meantime, you can stream his music on Spotify. 

Note: Unfortunately, we are still dealing with Covid 19. The variants are making a comeback, which means that the livelihoods of artists like M.Byrd and many others are still threatened. If your situation allows it, consider purchasing more in these tough times. Please, if you are physically able to do so, get the vaccine! –Vodka

[alittlemorevodka]

Progressive rock can either be a blessing or a curse. Vodka favorites in this genre`, Big Big Train, have just released their latest long-player, Common Ground (July, 2021), which falls firmly in the former category.  The video for the title track (seen/heard here) of the new LP starts in silence with a simple statement: 

“There is more that unites us than divides us.”

And then the music and lyrics kick in to remind us why that is so! It’s a message that needs to be emphasized often. The 24-hour news cycle relies on highlighting our divisions in order to strengthen their profit. Social media can either aid the positive or strengthen the negative. It is our personal connection with each other that allows us to forget the differences and share what we have in common. If we focus on our personal connections instead of our differences, we will be better for it!

Nothing has separated us more from our human interaction than the pandemic. Common Ground (the LP) was written during the height of the first wave in 2020. The LP shares the band’s insights on loss, death, love, and more during that time.

Throughout the single, there are many moments of compositional brilliance and lyrical excellence. A repeated theme is:

“We claim our common ground!”

There is a feeling of triumphant success woven into the anthemic ending where that lyric repeats as the instrumental parts come to a brilliant finale. It is sung one final time in near quiet. 

You can find more information on Big Big Train by heading up to the band’s complete website. Everything you need is there, including all social, purchase, and streaming links. If you don’t know who Big Big Train is, check out Vodka’s other posts for the band.

Join the positive people by switching off the 24-hour news and picking up a copy of Common Ground now! Then go out into the world and make some new connections. Stop focusing on your tribal instincts, and find some “common ground” with those around you.

Note: Unfortunately, we are still dealing with Covid 19. The variants are making a comeback, which means that the livelihoods of artists like Big Big Train and many others are still threatened. If your situation allows it, consider purchasing more in these tough times. Please, if you are physically able to do so, get the vaccine! –Vodka

[alittlemorevodka]

One of  Vodka’s favorite duos, Sinnober, is back to making music again! It has been quite some time since Projection (October, 2018). So what’s happened to the husband and wife team since then?  Well they started a family, got caught up in the pandemic like everyone else, and simply had life to contend with. Enter Ophelia (July, 2021) and you can already tell that the magic that these two create together is back 100%.

Sinnober weaves a web of jazz, pop, and folk fusion that is truly unique. Ophelia features Natalie Brice (keyboards, flute, fender rhodes) out front with lead vocal duties. She also provides part of the background vocals, and is the lyricist for this track. Sebastion Brice (bass, drums, percussion, electric guitars, and synths) contributes background vocals. 

The lyrics are tangentially related to Shakespeare's Ophelia. Remember that Ophelia is Hamlet’s love interest, but because of the actions of Hamlet, ends up in madness. Natalie sings: 

“You play your cards close to your chest Duck and dive and second guess Would it be so wrong to make a mess Tell me Sparring with my ego Holding back and letting go These fireflies are drowsy from the afterglow And now I know How Ophelia must have felt”

Sometimes navigating the messiness of relationships is like madness, and Natalie acknowledges this throughout these lyrics.

You can find more information on Sinnober by heading up to their website which includes all of the required social, streaming, and purchase links. For those unfamiliar with Sinnober’s other work, check Vodka’s past posts.

Pick up Ophelia as a single, or any of the duo’s excellent long players (LPs), on their bandcamp.com site. Sinnober is more than deserving of your purchase! Add their music to your collection now!

Note: It looked like we were heading for clear skies with Covid 19. The variants are making a comeback, which means that the livelihoods of artists like Sinnober and many others are still threatened. If your situation allows it, consider purchasing more in these tough times. Please, if you are physically able to do so, get the vaccine! –Vodka