Jack Anderson

Kelly Finnigan: “To Be Young At Christmas”

When it comes to the Christmas genre, ’60s soul is a clear standout. But you can’t make new ’60s soul…right? L.A.’s Kelly Finnigan begs to differ and given his track record for vintage production with his group Monophonics, we’re inclined to keep listening.

Just for the holidays Finnigan stretched out in front of that proverbial open fire to roast eleven songs on A Joyful Sound, shared universally last Friday. It’s got all the flavors of classic R&B-soul you’d expect from Finnigan’s twinkling keys, seductive vocals, and captivating production, not to mention a rejuvenating take on the Christmas style with slow burners like “To Be Young At Christmas”!

Half Dream: “Christmas All Alone”

Love it or hate it, Christmas music is in season. So before Song of the Day takes a two-week vacay (from Tuesday, December 22nd to Monday January 4th), we’re holding the mistletoe over some yuletide tunes you might’ve overlooked.

Since their 2018 origins, Austin folk outfit Half Dream has typically operated as a four-piece, but it’s no secret that the group’s musical direction has always been under the command of lead vocalist Paige Berry. A self-admitted Christmas song connoisseur (particularly the melancholy sort sung by Joni Mitchell, Nat King Cole, and The Carpenters), Berry wrote her first sad Christmas composition in 2019, tiding her over for what would prove to be a most rancorous year. And not too long after releasing Half Dream’s debut LP Monster of Needing around Halloween, Berry’s gone solo and acoustic for another entry into the festive genre with her pertinent take on Winter isolation amplified by quarantine conditions, “Christmas All Alone”!

Foxtales: “One Life”

Having lead the pack for his eponymous band for years, singer-songwriter Jonathan Fox began shedding that scent on a new path under the handle Foxtales. Foxtales dropped two singles and a debut EP within months of first appearing, but with the way 2020 has treated us, it shouldn’t surprise us too much that Fox has flipped the script once again.

This Friday Fox perks up out of his alt-pop hole to track elements of hip-hop and chillwave (with his trusty synth in tow) for Foxtales’ third EP, Shifting Planes. The four songs on Shifting Planes seem pretty comfy at the bushy tail end of this year, particularly on its languid but lush lead single, “One Life”!

Desolation Horse: “A Little Freaky”

Throughout this tumultuous year, you may’ve been checking your bingo sheet for which Horsemen of the Apocalypse have shown up. But ultimately for the better, Desolation Horse has burst out of the gate, cantering and galloping with talent. Desolation Horse is the solo steed for seasoned session drummer Cooper Trail, who began recording his debut album in 2018.

After overcoming his own traumatic set of trials and tribulations and enlisting the help of some close collaborators, Trail’s ready to let listeners saddle up on Desolation Horse‘s eight tracks. It’s a heck of a journey that puts Trail’s songwriter skills up there with Mac Demarco, perhaps heard best on the album’s crawling closer “A Little Freaky”!

Dave Madden: “Can I Borrow Your Love” [PREMIERE]

Having trained at Berklee in Boston and mastered several instruments, Austin songwriter Dave Madden‘s built up quite the reputation over his career, not only as a songwriter but indeed as a thoughtful arranger and synthesizing music theorist. Madden made his studio debut in 2007 with Anything Goes, and has since been nabbed to play with the likes of Fastball, Steve Miller, and Mark Mothersbaugh.

This Grammy voting member’s standing as a “musician’s musician” helped him corral a whopping twenty-one collaborators for his newly released single and music video, featuring Houston’s Ray Smith and Fayettes members Akina Adderley and BettySoo (among nineteen notable others). Complete with a horn and string section, “Can I Borrow Your Love” is an impressively orchestral undertaking that navigates across several styles with ease, and its visual counterpart goes to show the unifying power of music even when we can’t jam in person.

Samm Henshaw: “All Good”

Though Gospel in pop music seems to have hit its peak back a half century back, elements of the sound has been creeping back up into modern music more and more in recent years. And I’m not just talking about Anderson .Paak. Born to Nigerian parents and raised in South London, Samm Henshaw started learning the basics in the same church that his father was a pastor while expanding his palette with everyone from Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson to Usher, Lauryn Hill, and D’Angelo. By 2015 he had begun releasing solo records and just one year later Henshaw was personally selected to support Chance the Rapper on his Magnificent Coloring world tour by the man himself.

It pretty much goes without saying that this soul-R&B singer will fill your spirit with joy, even at the tail end of this trying year, and the proof has come today with Henshaw’s aptly-titled music video and single, “All Good”!

grandson: “Dirty”

KUTX listeners are likely familiar with Grandaddy, but what about grandson? Raised in Toronto and now based out of L.A., Jordan Benjamin’s been showcasing his outspoken activism and aggressive alt-punk-hip-hop-electronic style for the past half decade, earning him support from guitar god Tom Morello and even politician Bernie Sanders.

grandson’s kept his disciples satisfied with his episodic Modern Tragedy EPs, and made his full-length debut last Friday with Death Of An Optimist (via Fueled By Ramen). DOAO finds Benjamin donning a Joker aesthetic on its cover, encapsulating the record’s societal reflections on this almost-over year, and though three of the four tracks fall somewhere in the spectrum of intense electronic-hip-hop, “Dirty”upbeat punk style makes grandson sound like an unheard mix between Portugal. The Man and Jake Bugg.

Micah Shalom: “Baltimore Ska”

Reggae is one of those genres with a rich history and a whole lot of sub-genres. And though Austin might not be especially renowned as a hub for Caribbean styles, trumpeter Micah Shalom‘s found a comfy home for all of his reggae subsets. Last year Shalom premiered his first release “Peace Rights Love” to critical acclaim and plans on continuing the saga of singles throughout 2021, which’ll ultimately culminate in his debut record.

Just before the weekend Micah Shalom shared a sunny instrumental that, although lacking in lyrics, does a bang-up job of contributing to the ongoing split-personality-portrayal of “Charm City”/”Mobtown” with “Baltimore Ska”!

–Jack Anderson

–Photo: Michael Weintrob

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Sports: “Never Know”

You might not think of Oklahoma as a hub for indie pop, but synth-enthusiasts Sports has definitely put OK on the genre map. Sports stepped up to the plate in 2015 with their debut record Naked All The Time and knocked it out of the park with their funk-stuffed sound on the 2018 LP Everyone’s Invited but have, for the most part, been conspicuously absent since.

Rest assured, this duo still specializes in surreal sonics that stretch between stank-faced and stoic and you can expect Sports to start their next season strong with the first installment of their upcoming double album. So keep an ear open for Get A Good Look Pt. 1 in February, and launch yourself into a carefree mode for the weekend with Sports’ just-released single and music video, “Never Know”!

Van Mary: “Hug” [PREMIERE]

When you want to connect to listeners, honesty is obviously a pretty good trait to have as a songwriter. And for Austin singer-guitarist Emily Whetstone, coupling lyrical candor with a cavalier delivery has proven a surefire way to touch her steadily growing fanbase. Backed by a carefully selected crew of close friends and talented players, Whetstone’s alt-rock quartet Van Mary sounds like a rawer, more sincere version of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but having only shared a couple singles late last year, they’ve left us itching for more.

Today Van Mary premiered their sole studio offering of 2020, written by Whetstone at the top of the pandemic as an expression of conquering depression in the day-to-day monotony of self-isolation. Produced by Walker Lukens and crowned with woodwind performances from horn-for-hire Sterling Steffen, “Hug” simultaneously captures Van Mary’s knack for dynamic arrangements and overt emotionality in a four-and-a-half minute package. Van Mary celebrates the release with a performance (and subsequent DJ set) at 8PM tonight via Hotel Vegas’ livestream Hotel Free TV and even if you can’t check it out in the comfort of your home, you can still enjoy a sweet embrace that’ll touch you in more than one way with “Hug”.

–Jack Anderson

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The Paranoyds: “Hotel Celebrity”

“In these uncertain times…” we’ve all experienced our a fair share of paranoia. But if there’s anyone to take a rocky situation and, well, rock with it, it’s L.A. four-piece The Paranoyds. These self-admitted garage punks and horror connoisseurs released their debut LP Carnage Bargain last year and returned just last week with their succinct 7″, Pet Cemetery.

Where the EP’s title track captures a gloomier shoegaze aesthetic, Pet Cemetery‘s B-Side (and corresponding music video) “Hotel Celebrity” has just enough riot grrrl ferocity and upbeat energy to get you through hump day and beyond!

Angus1: “Bound” (feat. Elizabeth M Drummond)

Unlike his similarly named Aussie counterpart Angus Young, Sydney producer-songwriter Angus1 opts for a different kind of electric energy, ditching the distortion and duckwalk in favor of slick, futuristic indie electronica. But just like the cut of beef, Angus1’s arrangements come packed with flavor, making listeners salivate for seconds and thirds.

Angus1’s only been at it for a bit over a year now, but with each single his skill seems to have grown stronger and stronger. On his final single of 2020, Angus1 relinquished his typical spot as lead vocalist to give former Little May singer Elizabeth M Drummond the spotlight, making “Bound” a track that’ll replace your current earworms in no time.

Nick Garza’s Get Along: “Denial” (feat. Kelsey Wilson)

Historically, singer-guitarist Nick Garza’s been known as co-founder of Austin’s premiere “stomp-folk” group, Hello Wheels. But amongst the bevy of revelations that’ve unfolded in 2020, you might’ve missed the launch of his eponymous country project, Nick Garza’s Get Along this past summer. The Get Along came out of the gate strong with a collaboration between Garza, Augie Meyers, and Los Texmaniacs, showing off the songwriter’s penchant for classic country composition, rooted even deeper by his rich baritone.

Nick Garza’s Get Along’s debut record Heartbreak and Enchiladas still needs some more time before its ready to come out of the oven, but last week we were treated to a Thanksgiving appetizer featuring Sir Woman, Glorietta, and Wild Child vocalist Kelsey Wilson. “Denial” is a pretty straightforward two-step tune, but the chemistry between Wilson and Garza as they trade bars is something that’ll make you want to revisit the single several times over, and maybe even try it out with a karaoke partner in the future.

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Pahua: “Vayayó”

As an internationally-seasoned DJ, host of her own online radio show, and eponymous frontwoman of the globetrotting Mexican group Sotomayor, singer-songwriter Paulina Sotomayor’s artistic appetite seems insatiable. Sotomayor’s latest endeavor was announced a little over a month ago, an electronic-leaning solo project Pahua whose momentum culminates early next year with her debut EP, Ofrenda.

The guiding six originals on Ofrenda offer a sense of empowerment and connections to both folklore and Earth’s natural energy. You’ll pick up on all that pretty quickly while watching Pahua’s just-premiered video for the record’s glistening and pulsating lead single, “Vayayó”!

Chico Mann: “Fighting”

Born to two heavily-music-inclined parents, Chico Mann was raised with a real understanding of production techniques, sound design, and making tiny tweaks to achieve the perfect mix and arrangement. Mann’s recondite knowledge of piano boleros (inherited from his radio DJ mother) gave him a springboard to multi-instrumentalism and Latin stylings, all of which have remained close to Mann’s musicianship. Fast forward to the past couple decades, where Mann made a memorable name for himself in New York’s bustling scene, eventually landing him a spot in Brooklyn Afrobeat connoisseurs (and KUTX favorites) Antibalas.

Never one to settle, Mann now calls L.A. his home and has just exposed the excellence on his latest LP Double Life, soaking in psychedelia and loyal to his Latin-leaning upbringing. Rest assured, Double Life will rile you up across its fourteen tracks, and you won’t need much more convincing after checking out its sophomore song, “Fighting”!

–Photo: Anna Azarov

Mamalarky: “Hero”

Austin-to-L.A.-to-Georgia four-piece Mamalarky is no foreigner to fuzz, instead a savant of psychedelia. Going back to 2017, Mamalarky has been trickling out a steady stream of organic-minded singles but just last week pulled back the curtain on their debut self-titled full-length.

Mamalarky is a ten-track trek through a diverse landscape of sounds, seemingly lackadaisical and mottled at times, but clearly calculated. And nearly a full two years ago, the quartet treated us with a Studio 1A performance of one of Mamarlarky‘s most infectious originals, “Hero”!
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–Sara Catherine

Hypoluxo: “Night Life”

Compared to its angsty, distortion-heavy predecessor, the genre post-punk tends to be pretty introspective and often so self-examining that its legitimately therapeutic. And for Brooklyn quartet Hypoluxo, they’ve sheared off any connection to the Florida beachside with their candid yet thoughtful take on the post-punk formula.

Hypoluxo tapped deep into undertones of despondency on their just-issued self-titled third album but that doesn’t mean the sound strays far from aggressive. Hear for yourself on Hypoluxo‘s B-side opener about trying to find your footing in the Big Apple once the sun goes down, “Night Life”!

–Photo: Henry Archer

Hong Kong Wigs: “Discopop!”

Made up of Sweet Spirit singer-guitarist John Fichter, Black Basements bassist Anastasia Wright, and Ex Romantika dummer Adam Galvan, Austin three-piece Hong Kong Wigs truly fulfills their status as a power trio. HKW’s been around for a bit now, but have only just today released their debut LP, LOIS.

LOIS is an outstanding stepping stone for Hong Kong Wigs and a phenomenal first full-length entry into their still-growing art rock discography. They’ll be celebrating LOIS with a virtual release show 6PM tonight via Bud’s Live and Direct and even if you can’t check that out, we’re pretty sure that one of LOIS‘s late contenders “Discopop!” will keep Hong Kong Wigs close to your head throughout the weekend.

–Jack Anderson

–Photo: Travis Lilley

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Phabo: “LNF”

Like many lyricists based out of L.A., Phabo started cutting his teeth on juvenile yet formative freestyle rap battles while still in high school. Jump to 2014 where Phabo’s four-part mixtape Ratchet & Blues proved that this singer-rapper was nothing to be overlooked, and ought to be put in a salacious pantheon that includes early Weeknd and Usher.

Following a slew of promising collaborations, today Phabo dropped an undulating trap-R&B single ahead of his upcoming LP and we can assure you, “LNF” is nothing short of sultry.

Synthemesc: “Nighttrap”

With the pandemic continuing at its current rate, working on a solo project is obviously more feasible than practicing with a full band. And for those that remember Austin psych-noir six-piece The Halfways, former frontman Daniel Fernandez has been churning out electronic music under the handle Synthemesc.

Synthemesc has a new home base in Medellin, where he’s released the latest installment into his arsenal of minimalist yet lengthy, psychosomatic house instrumentals, “Nighttrap”! Its best enjoyed on the dancefloor or behind the wheel, so remember to wear a mask, socially distance, and drive responsibly!