jordan bolton: love was always cruel…

Jordan Bolton - Love Was Always Cruel, It Just Wasn't Cruel To Me
Jordan Bolton - Black And Grey

Manchester’s Jordan Bolton makes indie-pop with an adult contemporary sensibility. That opening statement may sound like a backhanded compliment (or a downright insult if you’re super snobbish), but it’s an accurate description for his catchy, highly-hummable tunes. They sound like classics from the late nineties or early aughts. After a few listens, you almost feel like you’ve known these songs forever.

I kept thinking of Jack Johnson‘s “Flake” every time I listened to “Black And Grey”, while Bolton’s latest release “Love Was Always Cruel, It Just Wasn’t Cruel To Me” gives me a bit of a Joseph Arthur vibe. You can decide for yourself whether these comparisons are in any way accurate. Most likely, they are not! But at least I got you to listen to Jordan Bolton, and (hopefully) you will love it.

y la bamba: court the storm

Y La Bamba - Squawk

Good news! Y La Bamba is giving away their latest release Court The Storm for free. Bad news! It’s only available until 11:59pm PST, so you’re shit out of luck if you came across this post after today, March 1st. Thankfully, you should still be able to download the album’s lead single “Squawk” above, and stream one of the band’s favorite tracks “Ponce Pilato” below.

Did either of those strike your fancy? Fantastic! To claim your free copy of Court The Storm, follow @YLaBamba on Twitter and send out the following tweet: “Follow @YLaBamba and retweet this to get the new album #courtthestorm feat @NekoCase for free. exp 11:59pm PST Listen: http://snd.sc/AhS8ik”

Oops! I probably should have mentioned earlier that indie goddess Neko Case is a featured guest on the album’s title track. You can listen to it below. Of course, before you do so, please take note of the following tweet from Neko Case: “Just so you know @ylabamba are THE BALLS.”

THE BALLS! That is all. Thank you for your time, dearest readers.

Photo credit: Ingrid Renan

cancer killing gemini: big queer rock show

CANCER KILLING GEMINI – IN NINE MONTHS I’M FUCKED

There’s a great post on Cancer Killing Gemini‘s blog called “5 Reasons Why Straight People Should Come To The Big Queer Rock Show”. The fifth reason is quite simple, but particularly important when deciding whether to attend a rock show—”The Music Will Be Amazing”. Here’s what the band had to say on that matter:

“From Grygiel’s stripped down acoustic set, to Oilhead’s dance-rock assault, to the rock/electronic clusterf*ck of Cancer Killing Gemini,  to the high-octane rock of Full Body Anchor, it’s a one-time music collection that can’t be missed.”

Beyond helping an amazing non-profit organizaton (and the awesome raffle prizes), this is, perhaps, the most exciting thing about the BIG QUEER ROCK SHOW. The artists involved are all producing such diverse sounds, and some of them are even doing it within their own set list. “Rock/electronic clusterfuck” is an apt description for Cancer Killing Gemini. The band has been releasing a new song through their website since January 2011, and you never really know what to expect. The last two, which currently includes “In Nine Months I’m Fucked”, are always available as a free download.

Rumor has it that March’s track “Homosexual” will be making its official debut at Friday’s show. I will confirm or deny those rumors shortly after Cancer Killing Gemini (and the rest of the bands) have finished rocking my face off.

PS: You can get advance tickets to the show here. If you are unable to make the show for whatever reason, you can still make a donation to BAGLY at the very same link (or make plans to attend the Out For Youth Event at the New England Aquarium on March 23rd).

Click through (or look below) for one of my personal faves from Cancer Killing Gemini:
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