Sassyhiya – Kristen Stewart

We need this, an irresistible bouncy love letter to queer icon, Kristen Stewart. Helan Skinner and Kathy Wright do a lovely job with Kristen Stewart from their upcoming LP, Take You Somewhere. Helan says she is a long-time Kristen Stewart fan, “I wanted to do a song about her as a queer icon/pin up. She’s proud of her queerness plus she’s really cool and fun.” A charming animation video that accompanies Sassyhiya’s single available from the always on-target Skep Wax imprint. Do not overlook this one!

Particle – Focus (w/ Javeon)

New well-crafted drum and bass always catches my attention. Here is South London producer, Particle with immaculate silky vocals from Javeon on Focus from his debut album, Pyro. Considering how long drum and bass has been around, I’m still astonished how many “serious” music aficionados tend to overlook this genre of electro music. This long-player is a “must have”. Very satisfying.

Arky Waters – We Ain’t Like Dem

With an intoxicating blend of electronica, breaks and techno-house rhythms, Australian producer Arky Waters says We Ain’t Like Dem via the always top-notch Mammal Sounds label. “This is a little track I had sitting on my hard drive for a while. I made it really quickly and I always wanted to take it further, but every time I pushed it in a different direction it always lost its essence in the process. I showed some friends, and they gave me the idea to just release it as I made it, super stripped back. Sometimes simple really is best.” Says, Arky. A new album is planned for later this year from this artist.

Lola Demo – Paranoid

OK, let’s begin with a full disclosure. We here at LE Tower are big fans of Lola Demo. When she sends us a new sound-file we already know it will be included in the next available volume. As Lola says she hails from the eclectic underground scene yet has carved out a niche that’s entirely her own. We suggest that her brooding tones of goth and alt-rock have evolved her sound into something that transcends genres. Curiously, Lola splits her time between Athens, Greece, and the idyllic island of Ithaca yet somehow she manages to summon up dark, if not despairing images with her music as heard with Paranoid. This is her fourth release this year, all building up to her much-anticipated album Red, set to drop at the end of 2024.

The Revolutionary Army Of The Infant Jesus – The Road Home

The Revolutionary Army Of The Infant Jesus – Equinox

Their new album, The Dreams We Carry is gorgeous. This experimental collective formed in Liverpool back in 1985 by Dave Seddon,Jon Egan, and Sue and Paul Boyce, later they were joined by Leslie Hampson. You are advised to search out their past releases. And, in case you were wondering, their name is a reference to the terrorist group in Luis Buñuel’s final film, That Obscure Object of Desire. As expected, a beautiful if not slightly disturbing sleeve artwork. Available via 9×9 Records.

Emily Magpie – Rose Petals

Oh, yes, here is a beauty of an album. I will admit I’ve had Emily Magpie’s LP, There Are Other Forms Of Strength staring at me on my desk for a number of weeks before I took the time to take a serious listen. I’m so glad I did, I had to share my enthusiasm for Emily Magpie’s music. She says, “My lyrics will take you on a journey of self-reflection into the subconscious.” Then she adds, ‘There are archetypes akin to yin and yang in so many cultures- the feminine and masculine. I felt I’d been focused on the masculine, I committed to spending more time in that internal, feminine, dreaming space which felt like a radical act for myself and within our society.” Do as I did, listen to this superb album in its entirety and listen very carefully. It’ll be well worth your time. Emily is out of Bristol where I’m sure creativity permeates the ether. 

Hence – I Woke Up In Northampton

Take an experienced musician with a long involvement with such luminaries like Depeche Mode and The Cure and team up with an advertising strategist, bring in the occasional producer, remixer and vocalist and you have Hence. Daryl Bamonte and Knuth are the mainstays and their unconventional method of creating music has resulted in cuts such as I Woke Up In Northampton. Daryl and Knuth found a compatibility coupled with an unbridled passion to make music that asks questions and inspires. Danish singer Kenny Ousted  and Knuth are the vocalists on I Woke Up In Northampton. Their music is on Cosmic Cassettes. To learn more about Hence be sure to hear my conversation with Daryl and Knuth coming soon on LEM.

James Alexander Bright – Straight Line

If Mr. Bright’s first-rate music didn’t immediately catch my attention then this line from his bio certainly would have, “Straight Line is based on the memory of meeting someone you want to stay up all night listening to music with.” Ah, yes I remember that feeling. Of course, James’ music definitely had me listening attentively and pressing that repeat play button many times. The talented fellow performs on guitar, bass, keys, programming, percussion, production and myriad quirky effects on his album, Cool Cool. The topics of his songs cover searching for truth, imagining the distant future, teen nostalgia, relaxation exploration, aspirations of freedom, and classic tales of love and romance. My kind of chap. As it happens, James balances music alongside the creative duality of a job in illustration and the responsibilities and constraints that come with raising a young family. FYI, I checked out his work, well done, James. 

Goat Girl – Ride Around

Goat Girl – Words Fell Out

Below The Waste is the third album from Rosy Bones, Lottie Pendlebury and Holly Mullineaux who are Goat Girl. This London-based trio are fittingly stabled on Rough Trade, where I could easily imagine them putting out records circa 1979. That’s a compliment, not a rose-colored peek at the past. Rosie, Lottie and Holly are making music that is very much now. It’s the sensibilities from Rough Trade’s early days I’m reminded of. So, without getting to damn analytical about Goat Girl, let’s all agree they make important new music. If you wondered, their name was taken from the late, great Bill Hicks‘ character ‘Goat Boy’. I’m a fan, so there!

Tess Parks – Koalas

I believe I’m justifiably biased in raving on about the talent of Tess Parks. Listen to my 2022 conversation with this unique talent centered on her then new album, And Those Who Were Seen Dancing. Tess allows her engaging combination of earnestness, depth and vulnerability to glisten while being critically aware of just how much she is prepared to reveal. With her new album, Pomegranate, clearly a lot has transpired for Tess. There is much to discover and talk about. Her collaboration with multi-instrumentalist Ruari Meehan proves an effortless creative rapport, “Ruari and I met at a Neil Young concert ten years ago,” she recalls. “What a crazy beautiful way to meet someone.” Meehan adds, “Tess has a lightheartedness in sad situations and vice-versa, so if I bring a melancholic idea to her, she possesses the sensibility to make it more upbeat somehow. On the other hand, if I present her with something that sounds more celebratory on its face, she’ll inflect it with a gravity that gives it a more lifelike dimension.”  From a vocal perspective, Parks pushes her voice to new heights on this album. Her lyrics are sharp, ever-present, and imbued with strength, depth, and poetic purpose, which shine particularly bright on Koalas. “For me,” Tess explains, “it’s really important to touch on universal threads. We want this music to resonate and help heal people in some way. Ruari and I really tried to channel this music into something that sounds like now, but “all-the-time” now — something eternal that will hopefully always sound like ‘now’.” Tess Parks is making important music. Positively essential!

Holly Munro – Dead Ends

From Dublin, Ireland Holly Munro’s sophomore  EP, A Crescendo Ending delves into the complex dynamics of relationships, self-discovery, and sexuality, offering a nuanced exploration of Munro’s evolving identity. She says, “The EP reflects on the blurred lines that emerge as one navigates through youth to young adulthood, touching on themes of personal growth and maturity.” This EP is perhaps an existential journey, providing the most sincere and multifaceted reflection of Holly Munro’s evolving talent as a songwriter. 

Upau – The Creatures Within

On You Know Me Records out of Warsaw,  Poland, each track on the LP, The Creatures Within is a tale of a creature and a tale of transformation, with the titles of the songs being nods to works of prose, poetry, film, games, and myths. With a short sample of the title cut on this volume we promise to share more of Upau on an upcoming volume of LEM. Fascinating artwork by Aleksandra Ołdak.

The Podcast Is Available Here

The artwork is from a photograph by Norman B, summer 2024.