As I write this, there are just 4 days to go before the presidency of Trump is over. Yes, we are jubilant that at last, he will be gone. Yet, there is no doubt his visage will remain oh so prominent in all areas of media. And, the dreadful vestige of the most corrupt and incompetent administration in history will be with us for a long, long time. So, we here at Life Elsewhere Towers will dutifully try to never ever mention his name again, and that’s a promise.
We begin Volume 216 with a jaunt over to France to hear from Paris-based, Tender Tones with, In Dreamed Lives a cut from their debut EP, Youth Retirement Club. Manon Deruytere & Maxime Pargaud made the smart decision to sign up with Shoredive Records who happen to be on our list of favorite labels. This one is a co-release with Somewhere Cold Records. Over in Brooklyn, you may spot Liberty Styles doing some fancy footwork around Park Slope or maybe Greenpoint. You see, Liberty says in her bio, first that she is a tap dancer, then vocalist followed by producer. Listen carefully to Roam Wide and you’ll hear the tapping of Liberty. She wrote and produced her EP which is conveniently titled, Roam Wide. Over in Norway Jez_Ebel aka Isabelle Aimee Johanessen says this about her song, In Her Eyes, “This is about a really turbulent relationship I had. In the song, I talk about how it is hard loving someone who won’t let you completely in. When we hurt, we can sometimes be hard to pity, because of our anger. What we don’t always remember though, is that anger often means hurt. But what do you do when the person you love keeps pushing you away? I wanted the music video to show a queer romance between two girls. I really wanted to put the emphasis on friendship, because I often feel as though we over sensationalize the romantic aspect of relationships, when in reality the most important aspect is the camaraderie. The music video basically an homage to my friendship with Vera (the love interest in the video). What you see on the screen, is who we are”. German trio, Lambs & Wolves say their album, No Party At All was recorded in the summer of 2020 with Julian Tröndle (vocals, piano, harmonica), Louis Groß (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo, drums, percussion) & Stefan ‘Joe’ Bercher (acoustic guitar, backing vocals). The cut we selected, Strange Ritual is an excellent example of the smart collaboration these lads use to create almost laid-back songs. The piano comes to the fore on a number of tracks while the banjo fits in perfectly when needed. Well-considered production and arranging. Do take note of the artwork by Berlin artist Eric Tiedt. A powerful piano introduces Katey Morley’s The Guy Who Breaks Things from her EP, Hearts & Heads & Thoughts & Deeds. The Toronto-based composer and multi-instrumentalist plays dulcimer, autoharp, keys, and percussion. The video for this cut makes for interesting viewing. Jane Rose along with her band, The Deadend Boys don’t mess about, you’ll get the idea immediately when delve into Over It their latest album. You can be sure when the Boss Lady tells you to get up and dance, she means it. Fucked Up explains why I’d pay good money to go spend a night in their company. The LP, Glen Echo was written, performed, and recorded by Azita Youssefi. Performing under the moniker of simply Azita, the Chicago musician takes us back in time with her references to good ol’ edgy rock, soul, and r ’n’ b. Good songwriting going on here. There is something genuinely enchanting about Oska’s voice. Honeymoon Phase from her EP of the same name will have you listening again. All of the songs here sound as if they must be based on real experiences. Listen carefully to this Wien, Austria-based artist. Next up, two songs, You’ll Never Know How Much I Love You and Queer Magic from Three Headed Elephant out of Toronto. This curio caught my attention on first listen, since then I will admit to having been trying to reason why I like it so much. That’s a compliment. Wolfgang Barbosa-Rocha, also simply known as Wolfgang strikes a pose on the cover in a lovely photo that only adds to the enigma of this LP. Rob, Reece, and Annabelle are also involved in this recording I encourage you to search out. Countryesque music has long been a fascination for UK musicians, Maz Corry I’m sure will agree. Her new album, Postcards Home displays a charming gift for exploring sounds that could easily have originated thousands of miles away from her home in England. We chose When The World Was Ours because you’ll hear Maz display a unique gift for capturing a poignant sound with her voice and musicianship. Detroit artist, Aura Zorba now located in Portland, Oregon offers us the original and five remixes of The Searcher. We chose the Orange Crate Art Remix. The upcoming album, Glitter Days will be out on Shoredive Records, and that’s a very good thing. Coincidently, we now go over to Detroit to hear from Clinic Stars with Who Will Stop The Rain from their EP 10,000 Dreams. Christian Molik is on vocals, guitar, bass, and drums, while Giovanna Lenski is on vocals, keyboard, and xylophone As much as I try to avoid genres, what should we call this one, whisper music? Listen to the whole EP in one sitting. Gorgeous. A good compilation is a wonderful way to get to hear a variety of music you may not otherwise listen to. From Germany, At Sea Compilations have released La Danse Macabre 9, and they say this, “La Danse Macabre 9 is a moody and melancholic compilation created within a few weeks during the second Corona lockdown here in Germany. The idea was to create nostalgic vibes and put the darkwave aspect into the center, introducing creative underground artists and newcomers. The result is a deep journey through the current Goth scene.” You’ll hear Logical Tears out of France with Ordinary Lies. Enjoy!
LEM Vol 216 Playlist
- Tender Tones – In Dreamed Lives
- Liberty Styles – Roam Wide
- Jez_Ebel – In Her Eyes
- Lambs & Wolves – Strange Ritual
- Katey Morley – The Guy Who Breaks Things
- Jane Rose & The Deadend Boys – Fucked Up
- Azita – Shooting Birds Out Of The Sky
- Oska – Honeymoon Phase
- Three Headed Elephant – You’ll Never Know How Much I Love You
- Three Headed Elephant – Queer Magic
- Maz Corry – When The World Was Ours
- Aura Zorba – The Searcher (Orange Crate Art Remix)
- Clinic Stars – Who Will Stop The Rain
- Logical Tears – Ordinary Lies
The artwork for this volume: Coleen Nettles 1949 – 2010 “Estate Drug #3” 5′ x 5’6” x 2” Automotive paint on laminated hardboard. Courtesy of Norman B’s collection
LEM Vol 216
Life Elsewhere 