Last year, avant-pop outfit Ava Luna made our list of Most Anticipated Albums of 2018. With their back catalog of diverse tracks across multiple LPs, the Brooklyn-based quintet were poised to create something great and boundary pushing. Their latest record, Moon 2, exceeds expectations, and it is one of the year’s most unique and captivating records. Moon 2 starts out with […]

The Matinee ’18 September 11th – USA Edition has a bit of everything. You’ll delight in some ’80s synth-pop and art-pop, gasp to an indie-rock ballad and an Americana fable, and be blown away from a couple of moving numbers. For more music, check out the Rest of the World edition over here.   Ariel Beesley – “Awake All Night” […]

The Matinee ’18 August 7th enchants, dazzles, rocks, and simply awes with nine fantastic tunes. This one is a more global affair than previous efforts, so get ready for a musical ride around the planet. ALCABEAN – “Getaway” (Copenhagen, Denmark) RIYL: The Hunna, SWMRS, The 1975 Just a few months since releasing their excellent new EP, Head Down, Danish firecrackers […]

The Melodic Tonic ’18 June 27th edition serves up six sonic cocktails with distinctly North American flavors. From indie dream pop to psychedelic roots-rock, these tunes will quench your new music thirst.   Ava Luna – “Deli Run” (Brooklyn, USA) RIYL: Chastity Belt, Frankie Cosmos, The Mystery Lights Before noise-cancelling headphones were de rigueur accessories, an interesting thing would happen while […]

The Melodic Tonic ’18 May 9th edition is a bit mellow but far from boring. These three pairs of tunes (a set from the USA, UK, and Australia) will help you chill out, de-stress, and defuse your mid-week stress. The Color Forty Nine – “I Will” (San Diego, USA) RIYL: Calexico, DeVotchKa, Fernando Viciconte “Tequila sunset music” is a term […]

With the long weekend before us, The Matinee ’18 March 29th edition features some several upbeat tunes, including some funky numbers, to get you through the workday. There are also some laid-back, easy-listening tunes in case you want some mellower fare. Enjoy your Thursday and have a safe and most excellent Easter break. Air Waves – “Warrior” ft. Kevin Morby […]

This week the Melodic Tonic ’18 March 21st edition serves up some mellow fare. Prepare to back in the gentler tones of six North American artists whose melodies will soothe you. Aisha Burns – “Must Be a Way” (Beverly, MA via San Antonio, TX USA) RIYL: Margo Timmins, Gillian Welch, Sara Watkins, Rhiannon Giddens Some songs are so powerful that you […]

The Matinee October 3rd edition has a throwback vibe with many of the songs channeling the sounds of the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. There are also some innovative, contemporary tunes, but for those who like the classics will enjoy many of today’s selections.   BEACHWARE – “Rip City” (Auckland, New Zealand) RIYL: Allah-Lahs, Ephrata, Ariel Pink While most of […]

Simplicity can be beautiful, exhilarating, and brilliant, and this is the theme of The Matinee August 29th edition. Even the most uplifting and exciting song doesn’t need a whole of instruments and textures to get the adrenaline flowing. We start things off with a band that has long perfected this art. The National – “Day I Die” (Brooklyn, USA) RIYL: […]

The Matinee August 14th has a nice sample of indie rock tracks that span genres including dream pop, amazing instrumental, singer-songwriter fare and moving  electro-synth pop. We hope you find a new favorite song or band. We have artists representing Denmark, the US and the UK today. The Attic Sleepers – “Berlin” (Copenhagen, Denmark) RIYL: Local Natives, Pure X, Cigarettes […]

The six new music cocktails on today’s Melodic Tonic are a tasty mix of indie tunes from the UK, US, Sweden, Canada, and France. From upbeat Americana to ambient experimental with hints of jazz, these tunes provide the fuel you need to help you through your mid-week slump. The Nickajack Men – “Running” (Denny, Scotland) RIYL: My Morning Jacket, Delta […]

The Matinee February 16th arrives with a six-pack of new music. Let’s just get to the music.   Girl As Wave – “Speed Of Light” (New York City, USA) RIYL: The Bangles, Belinda Carlisle, Moving Panoramas It’s been a month since she debuted her first single as Girl As Wave, and we still know very little about the former folk-singer-turned-indie-pop-starlet. […]

Welcome to this week’s serving of new music cocktails, featuring some upbeat California indie pop, indie folk/rock, a bit of psychedelic shoegaze, and a triple dose of girl power rock. Let’s get things started with a track that will jump-start your Monday.   Decorations – “Promise” (Los Angeles, USA) This single from LA-based, indie-rock outfit Decorations is so impossibly catchy it […]

On March 4th, Carter Tanton released Jettison the Valley, what he considers his first solo record, despite releasing Freeclouds, in 2011, which he considers a “mixtape”. He also has a long history of recording music, beginning with his band Tulsa, with whom he recorded some great EPs before legal troubles ended the band. Tanton was also a member of Lower […]

Do we have a six-pack of great music today on The Matinee January 28th Edition. There’s a shoegaze undertone to many of the songs listed below, but you’ll also find one stunning folk-rocker and an artist experimenting with electronic music in much the same way that a Manchester has done for the past 20 years.   Avante Black – “Imaginary […]

Welcome to your #NewMusicMonday fix – a.k.a. The Melodic Monday. This week we’re serving up some downtempo cocktails. December has been unseasonably warm in many areas, so we’ve been chilling out with some ambient and electronic tunes from around the globe. Let’s get things started in Iceland, a region where cool applies to both the climate and the music scene. Kiasmos – “Swept” (Reykjavík, Iceland) […]

Melodic Tonic, vol. 21 Welcome to another serving of new music cocktails. This week we’ve got some Americana and indie folk because…sports. Sports? Yeah, it seems fitting since mid-October is that time of year when America’s collective interest is focused on baseball and that other kind of football. And since the guitar is the musical equivalent of apple pie – quite […]

Now that summer is winding down, it’s only fitting that we squeeze in as much sunny music as possible. This week on the Melodic Tonic vol 15, we’re featuring a collection of warmer tunes to celebrate summer’s last hurrah. (And since it’s a holiday in the U.S. and Canada, some of us are hoisting drinks festooned with little umbrellas to […]

Let’s get Tuesday started on the right foot with some awesome new music spinning on The Matinee August 11 edition. There are three singles from the UK and one each from Denmark, Canada, and the US. Silver Shields – “I Wonder If You’re Thinking of Me Now” Kicking things off on The Matinee is Hertfordshire, UK band Silver Shields. Two years […]

Back in February, Erik Hall – a.k.a. In Tall Buildings – released the superb Driver (available at Western Vinyl store, iTunes, Amazon, and eMusic). His sophomore album was in some ways a labor of love, taking four years to create as Hall fine-tuned every detail and nuance. The result is an album filled with 10 gorgeous tracks, highlighted by the […]