#Ventipop Songs 2018

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July Song 3: "Everybody Rise" by Amy Shark

“Everybody Rise” by Amy Shark

Amy Shark has an infectious voice. Ventipop was a huge fan of her 2018 record LOVE MONSTER; every song on there deserves a listen. “Adore” was #11 on our 2017 Top 100 Playlist. “Everybody Rise” is her latest single and another standout.

Amy Shark Bio: Born and bred on the Gold Coast of Australia, Amy Shark is the alias of singer songwriter Amy Billings. Her breakout single ‘Adore’ released in 2016 including reaching going 3 x platinum in her home country. She released her debut EP, Night Thinker in early 2017 garnering 2 ARIA awards, an APRA award and numerous other accolades as well as sold out tours and a support slot with Sia in Australia. Her debut album Love Monster was released in July 2018 and debut at #1 on the ARIA charts with lead single I Said Hi going platinum within a month of being released.

“Everybody Rise”

Everybody, everybody (Everybody) Everybody rise (Everybody rise)

One day I'm just gonna walk up to you Say it how it is, I'm in love with you Been thinking 'bout this for a month or two God help me, I've been so scared to I'm gonna reach out say "Hey" (Hey) Been thinkin' 'bout you all day All these years I've been a ghost to you Put your hands on me, they'll go straight through

I get it I'm not in your league, too hot Help me make it stop God, have mercy on me

Everybody, everybody rise for you Everybody, everybody cries like I do We all wonder what it's like To be with you, with you Everybody rise (Everybody rise)

So maybe it's better if I never know Put my head down and just let it go The world keeps spinning and the rivers flow While I scream all night into my pillow

I get it I'm not in your league, too hot Help me make it stop God, have mercy on me

Everybody, everybody rise for you Everybody, everybody cries like I do We all wonder what it's like To be with you, with you Everybody rise

And now my heart's on the floor When you push back your hair And I love you from way over there Everybody, everybody rise (Everybody, everybody rise) Yeah, everybody, everybody rise (Everybody, everybody, everybody rise)

Oh, what a wicked world I'm just a little girl keeping my heart to myself And you could've had it all We could had it all Take my whole life, better hold tight Wanna fly away with you, like a red kite I just wanna know, gotta know, what it's like to be with you

Everybody, everybody rise for you Everybody, everybody cries like I do We all wonder what it's like To be with you, with you Everybody rise

And now my heart's on the floor When you push back your hair And I love you from way over there

Everybody, everybody rise (Everybody, everybody rise) Yeah, everybody, everybody rise (Everybody, everybody, everybody rise)

-xxx-

Upcoming Amy Shark Shows

Ventipop July 2020 Playlist

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Song of the Day: "Waltz" by Katie Gately

“A dizzying, spiraling in a circle descending into madness kind of song.”

That’s how I described this song to the passenger/prisoner locked in the car with me as I blared it at volume level 26. “Waltz” is one of the standout tracks off Katie Gately’s new release Loom.

Loom is dedicated to Gately's mother who passed away in 2018 due to a sudden onset of a particularly aggressive form of cancer. 'Waltz' itself came about after spent an entire day listening to Gately her late mother's favorite artist Leonard Cohen's track 'Take This Waltz' on repeat.

DISCOVER KATIE GATELY :: “WALTZ”

Katie Gately Bio

Following remix work for Björk and Zola Jesus and productions for serpentwithfeet, American experimental musician and producer Katie Gately moves to Houndstooth for her forthcoming album ‘Loom’, dedicated to her mother, who passed away in 2018.

Where her debut album Color (Tri Angle, 2016) deployed fractured rhythms, fierce licks, bold samples and her signature paintbox pop hooks, ‘Loom’ reveals more crepuscular textures. Her voice is more forward in the mix, densely layered in choral laments above a coarse foundation of hard and brittle sound design.

At the time of her mother’s diagnosis, Katie was near completion of an entirely different album, but quickly realized she didn’t have the bandwidth to finish that record. She returned from LA to her family home in Brooklyn and started again, completely rebuilding the album around the track ‘Bracer’, which was her mother’s favorite. She made it while she couldn’t sleep, and the result is a record she says is powered more by heart than mind, with sucker-punch richness and keening vocals that are more unflinching than on previous recordings.

Previous to Loom and Color, Katie released 12”s and a cassette on a number of notable underground labels – Public Information and Blue Tapes, as well as the critically acclaimed FatCat Split Series. She is currently living in LA and teaching at CalArts.

See Katie Gately Live

Katie Gately Website & Social Links

VENTIPOP FEBRUARY 2020 BEST SONGS

-xxx-

[popofventi]

Ventipop #229 :: A Glimmer, The Study of Dreams & Windex Tears

THESE ARE THE MOST INTERESTING, HUMOROUS AND INSPIRING THINGS I FOUND ON THE NET THIS WEEK. IF YOU ENJOY, PLEASE SHARE WITH A FRIEND.

Laugh. Think. Feel.

2 Patrons…and Counting

You may have noticed, I removed all ads from Ventipop when I rebooted the site last month. So…the only revenue I receive is from “Buy Me A Coffee” link on the homepage and the “Become A Patron” link on the top of every page of Venti. Last week, I received a coffee and gained my 2nd Patron which is a monthly contribution. (Thanks Lisa!) I don’t expect it, but it sure is appreciated and good people affirming when it happens. If you can click one of those links and give even a little, it helps offset the costs associated with the site.

"Working in a mirror factory is something I can totally see myself doing."  -- Anonymous

Ask For Rick Astley…and Ye Shall Receive

Recommendations

"Charlesgate Confidential is terrific."  -- Stephen King

Book Recommendation - Charlesgate Confidential by Scott Von Doviak

A breathtakingly clever, twist-filled narrative that moves from 1946 to 1988 to 2014 and back again. Charlesgate Confidential is a tremendous modern-day pulp story that combines fact, fiction, legend, and baseball. It reads like an unassisted triple play and is so fun.

I’m not usually attracted to this genre, but even the Wall Street Journal gave it a good review so I decided to check it out. Read it in almost one sitting. Von Doviak does a fantastic job of creating setting, tone, dialogue and characters for each distinctive decade. From the 40’s rat-a-tat-tat rapid fire made-guy dialogue to the 1980’s record shop, big hair-trying to get laid in college narrative to the present day detective looking for treasure storyline, Charlesgate Confidential is a throwback and a flashforward joy of a read all-in-one.

Album Recommendation - There’s Always Glimmer by Gia Margaret - Official Site, Featured Song “Groceries”

…The Best Tradition of All

Giving the Gift of Gift Guides

I used to put out a Ventipop Gift Guide, but then I decided my gift to the world would be to stop putting out another gift guide into the world. There’s already way too many of them. But here are my favorite go-to Gift Guides:

Ventipop’s Favorite Things

I had to buy one of these for my son from the Kikkerland Gift Guide

Books, Books, Books Gift Guide by Penguin Random House

Finnish Design Shop offers a list of “Pieces of Nordic Happiness”

Canopy curates Amazon into a single hub for easy gift giving

The Best Gifts for men who have everything gift guide by The Manual

Tom’s Guide offers gifts for the techies in our lives

The Kottke.org Gift Guide

Travel & Leisure share their best gifts ideas for travelers

Refinery29 offers up a very unique index of alt Gift Guides

The Guardian offers a nice Culture Gift Guide

Daily Nous offers a unique Philosopher’s Gift Guide

And a few more: Buzzfeed, Engadget and A Cup of Jo

Tom Cruise & Christopher McQuarrie Explain The Proper Way To Watch Action Movies On Your TV

Movie Trailer of the Week

Inappropriate Non-PC Comment of the Week

This little gem ran through my brain as I was attending my daughter’s choir concert tonight: “I'd like to start a choir that stars only kids with speech impediments.”

Sway bells wing, aw you wistenin’?

In da wayne, snowis gwistenin’…

Pause-vertising

Pause-vertising is the latest attempt by advertisers to get tv viewer’s eyeballs and ears on their commercials. Ads that only run when you pause a tv show while streaming. "Imagine an ad for soda or beer that comes on the screen just as you decide to stop the action during a run of an episode of Black-ish on Hulu to go to the kitchen for a snack, or a pitch for toilet paper that begins to move in the moments before you choose to halt the video stream for a bathroom break," reports Brian Steinberg. "And yet, there’s no guarantee viewers will welcome 'pause-vertising' any more than they do the current crop of 30-second pitches." Read more about Pause-vertising…here.

Snaps & Buckles & Japanese Things…

It’s the most busiest time of the year, so if your’e in need of some nature-based relaxation, check out these live 24/7 nature streams.

Fashion Policia - If you don’t want to support “fast fashion” and cheap, exploitive clothing labor, read 14 Expert Ways To Tell If Clothes Are Well-Made Or Super Cheap.

Blue lights in Japanese train stations have played a huge role in suicide rate reduction since 1984. This interesting tidbit is explained along with a ton of other really interesting things in Tom Whitwell’s infatuating article “52 Things I Learned in 2018”.

More Japan, please. For my brother, Top 10 Books About Japan.

And one more for Japan. The Michelin Guide recognizes fine dining, was started by a tire company and is now awarding a used car dealership in Totttori Japan…for its Ramen noodles. Makes perfect sense.

Science, Bitch!

Gross: Man coughs up a giant blood clot. Grosser: Man coughs up a giant blood clot in the shape of his lung.

Luxembourg will be the world’s first country to make all public transportation free.

Japan’s Planned Space Robotics Lab Looks Like an Asteroid Suspended Over a Crater

Every single time anyone on the news or in the movies fires a gun up in the air, I know the next words coming out of my wife’s mouth, “Those bullets are gonna come down and kill someone.” Turns out, she’s been right about this the whole time:

A new study says, “There’s no right thing to say to someone in need.”

The science of studying dreams in a lab.

The best table tennis shot of 2018:

Interview of the Week

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel started season two this week. Here’s an interview with the starring actress Rachel Brosnahan. “[Frances McDormand] said something to me that I will never forget, that there seem to be 27,000 new products a day out there to alter your face… but that your face is a road map to your life and to everything that has made you who you are up until that point. And why would you ever want to erase any part of that? That every line on her face is every smile she’s ever smiled and every tear she’s ever cried and frown she’s ever frowned. And she wears them with pride.”

Fall Asleep In Two Minutes

This military secret formula for falling asleep in two minutes is said to work for 96 per cent of people after six weeks of practice.

Here’s how to do it:

Relax the muscles in your face, including tongue, jaw and the muscles around the eyes

Drop your shoulders as far down as they’ll go, followed by your upper and lower arm, one side at a time

Breathe out, relaxing your chest followed by your legs, starting from the thighs and working down

You should then spend 10 seconds trying to clear your mind before thinking about one of the three following images:

You’re lying in a canoe on a calm lake with nothing but a clear blue sky above you

You’re lying in a black velvet hammock in a pitch-black room

You say “don’t think, don’t think, don’t think” to yourself over and over for about 10 seconds.

A Beautiful Thing

Can a Windex ad move you to tears?

Nah.

Um.

Maybe.

"In a world that has decided that it's going to lose its mind, be more kind my friend. Try to be more kind."  -- Frank Turner

-xxx-

[popofventi]

December Song 15: "Mine" by Byland

"Mine" by Byland

December’s song 15 is “Mine” by the band Byland. It builds and builds and by the midway point they have you.

Byland by way of Albuquerque…

Albuquerque, New Mexico-based, BYLAND, the cinematic folk/indie-rock project of Alie Renee, released her first in-studio record, “GRAY” on October 2nd, 2020. Previously featured on outlets like American Songwriter, PopMatters, KUPR, Mystic Sons, Albuquerque Journal, among others, BYLAND went national with “GRAY”.

Departing from the reflective and sentimental nature of BYLAND’s earlier work, GRAY turned the focus inward with a vulnerable and unidealized approach. The album is driven by cinematic soundscapes, accompanied by timeless arrangements and distinct composition. The record has the masterful touches of producer and multi-instrumentalist Nathan Yaccino, along with additional mixing by Andy Park, and mastering of Ed Brooks. Notable contributors alongside Alie include a lineup of powerful females - Jessica Dobson, Meagan Grandall, and Abby Gundersen.

Raised under the Albuquerque, New Mexico sun, Alie has been playing music since she was a child and was on a stage by 13. But it wasn’t until 2014, after having moved to Seattle, that Alie began performing under the name “Byland”. In spring of 2018, Byland self-released her debut album, Desert Days, produced in a home studio with support from her co-writer, Jake. The record offers vast soundscapes, exploring enchanting memories of the Southwest as a tribute to Alie’s late Father. Along with several singles, Byland released her first music video, “Albuquerque”, garnering hometown love and recognition from afar.

Ventipop December 2020 Playlist

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December Song 14: "Hello Take Me Anywhere" by Night Shop

"Hello Take Me Anywhere" by Night Shop

Night Shop is the songwriting project of Justin Sullivan (Kevin Morby, The Babies, Flat Worms). Two recently released tracks are absolutely fantastic. “The Case of Eternal Youth” and the one featured here “Hello Take Me Anywhere” fill me with high hopes for an upcoming full length album.

Who is Night Shop, Alex?

Night Shop is the songwriting project of Justin Sullivan. Sullivan has worked as a touring drummer for the past twenty years, much of which was spent playing house shows, warehouses and art spaces with a half dozen punk bands. In 2009, he joined The Babies alongside Kevin Morby and Cassie Ramone of Vivian Girls. When the band went on hiatus in 2013, Sullivan moved to Los Angeles with Morby and continued working with him as a staple of the live band and performing on four of Morby’s studio albums until 2017. Shortly before starting to release music as Night Shop, Sullivan also formed the post punk outfit Flat Worms, with Tim Hellman of Oh Sees and Will Ivy.

Following a debut S/T E.P. in 2017, Night Shop released In the Break, his full length debut for Mare Records (Morby's imprint on the Woodsist label) in 2018, followed by a pair of singles ("Hello Take Me Anywhere" and "The Cafe of Eternal Youth") in 2020 on Dangerbird Records. In the Fall of 2020, Night Shop released an E.P. called The Fountain on Salinas Records.

Ventipop December 2020 Playlist

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December Song 12: "So Baby" by Ariel Beesley

"So Baby" by Ariel Beesley

“Goddamn coward. You’re such a baby.” Do you know how many times I’ve mumbled those words in frustration these past four years usually while CNN drones on in the background? Ariel Beesley is back with “So Baby” and damned if it isn’t a good one I’ve been singing all day.

What’s Ariel Beesley all About?

Honest, hard-hitting pop songs is what Ariel Beesley is all about. When most artists are making music with laptops, Ariel approaches her music in a completely organic way. Ariel fashioned her sound from the foundations of punk rock from her dad’s LP and cassette collection, as well as guilty pleasure pop and alternative rock songs. Fans of Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, Miley Cyrus, The Killers, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Florence and the Machine, Eurythmics, Lorde and Billie Eilish are finding space on their playlists and turntables for the young singer. The 80’s underpins Ariel’s sound in a way Blondie, New Order and The Cure would undoubtably approve of. Born and raised in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley, Ariel’s gets the hipsters nod of approval as a headliner in the east side indie scene and globally through her viral hits “Love Me Better” and “Slower Than Usual.” Ariel Beesley, the self titled debut EP (2018) was written in New York, Los Angeles, London, and Stockholm and touches on themes of love, heartbreak, girl power and whatever being in your 20s is all about. Ariel is finishing her full-length debut album that she will unleash in 2021. It’s a record that she hopes will help her fans get through hard times and live like there's no tomorrow.

Ventipop December 2020 Playlist

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December Song 10: "Lucida" by Thomas Bartlett

INSTRUMENTAL SUNDAY?

Every Wednesday, Ventipop features a new instrumental track…but we’re breaking all the rules and going with an instrumental on a Sunday

"Lucida" by Thomas Bartlett

I really love this instrumental track by American pianist Thomas Bartlett. “Lucida” is the lead track off Bartlett’s album Shelter that he released in July. It’s a beautiful track perfect for losing yourself on a Mental Yoga Sunday…anybody remember those?

Thomas Bartlett Bio

Thomas Bartlett (born October 13, 1981), also known as Doveman, is an American pianist, producer, and singer, known for his work with Yoko Ono, St. Vincent, The National, Rhye, Norah Jones, and many others. He produced Sufjan Stevens' Carrie & Lowell, and three songs for the film Call Me by Your Name including "Mystery of Love" (nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2018); and for the final season of Game of Thrones he produced Florence + the Machine's "Jenny of Oldstones". He has released four solo albums as Doveman, four albums as a member of the acclaimed Irish band The Gloaming, and duo albums with the composer Nico Muhly and the hardanger d'amore player Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh.

Bartlett, who was born and raised in Putney, Vermont, studied piano as a teenager in London with the legendary teacher Maria Curcio, and has lived in New York City since 2000.

Ventipop December 2020 Playlist

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December Song 4: "Lighthouse Joe" by Matt McGinn

"Lighthouse Joe" by Matt McGinn

Irish singer / songwriter Matt McGinn is back on Ventipop with a new single “Lighthouse Joe”. Love the voice and the storytelling. Looking so forward to hearing his completed upcoming new album soon.

Matt McGinn Bio

Hailing from the foothills of the Mourne Mountains, in Co. Down, Northern Ireland, this is Matt McGinn. You can tell by hearing by his warm, rasping and powerful voice, by listening to his worldly wise lyrics and by seeing his wide shoulders broadened from carrying coal almost thirty years, that by no means is this Matt's first dance. Far from it, as March 2018 sees the release of his 3rd solo album and, by all accounts, an absolute belter at that.

Ventipop December 2020 Playlist

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November Song 19: "Monster Faladoré" by Joe Quartz

"Multi-instrumentalist duet, from intimate songs to tribal dance, "the group fearlessly pushed at the boundaries of genre and melody with irresistible charm."  -- Hot Press, Dublin

"Monster Faladoré" by Joe Quartz

Every now and then a listener sends me a song that’s not a new song but it’s a new song to me and that’s the case with this one from the band Joe Quartz. “Monster Faladoré” is from their 2018 record Self Afraid…so not new new but newish. Thanks to Carrie Dunnigan in Omaha Nebraska for suggesting this one. It’s the perfect lead in to the final song of November. Joe Quartz is a French duo comprised of Jeanne Susin and Olivier Schlegelmilch. Here’s to hoping they make a new record soon.

Joe Quartz Bio

Trained at the Paris Conservatory, these two improvising musicians decided to create Joe Quartz, a duo in which they never stop renewing their experiences. In 2018, supported by the Deux Pièces Cuisine, they recorded their first album "SELF AFRAID" (released in June 2018) in the form of a USB necklace. In April 2019 they released a 5 tracks "THE NEW WORLD", on which they invited accordionist Charles Kieny. The same year, they obtained the Arcadi "song" grant, which offered them the support of different SMACs in ile de France. In February 2019, they were spotted by Glen Hansard, Irish singer who added them at the last moment to the first part of his European tour.They performed in prestigious venues (Barbican Center, Kölner Philharmonie, Admiral Palast, Cirque Royal ...) They ended this tour with a concert at the Café de la Danse, in June 2019.

Ventipop November 2020 Playlist

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November Song 11: "Georgia Drumbeat" by Don Flemons

INSTRUMENTAL WEDNESDAY

Every Wednesday, Ventipop features a new instrumental track

"Georgia Drumbeat" by Don Flemons

I love this new album from Don Flemons who is an Arizona born “old-time music, Piedmont blues, and neotraditional country multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter”. Whew. He is a proficient player of the banjo, fife, guitar, harmonica, percussion, quills, and rhythm bones. And damned if this record isn’t one of the best I’ve heard this year. “Georgia Drumbeat” is just one of 35 tracks I could have chosen to feature off this lone record.

Prospect Hill: The American Songster Omnibus liner notes: “This album is a meeting of a lot of songs and arrangements I’ve had in my mind for the past decade. When I made this record I wanted to focus on producing an ensemble of talented musicians that represent traditional roots music as well it’s inroads into country & western, rhythm & blues, jazz, folk, bluegrass, and hip hop music. Visually, I chose to work with photographer and Music Maker Relief Foundation founder Timothy Duffy using his tintype photographs and images taken at the “Warren Store”. In a final note, I cannot finish these notes without mentioning the work of engineer Jason Richmond. I chose to work with Jason after hearing his studio work with a wide range of jazz and world musicians. Instead of treating the album like a folk “field” recording with one microphone in the room, I wanted to get a big, clean sound like a classic bebop jazz record. “

Don Flemons Bio

GRAMMY Award Winner, Two-Time EMMY Nominee, Dom Flemons is known as The American Songster since his repertoire covers over 100 years of American popular music. He’s a music scholar, historian, record collector and multi-instrumentalist. In 2018, Flemons released his critically acclaimed solo album Dom Flemons Presents Black Cowboys on Smithsonian Folkways in conjunction with the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Folk Album and peaked at number #4 on the Billboard Bluegrass Charts. He won a Wammie Award for Best Folk Album and received nominations for Best Acoustic Album at the Blues Music Awards and Best Folk Album at the Liberia Awards. Flemons had his solo debut on the Grand Ole Opry and was chosen to be a Spotlight Artist at the Soundtrack of America event curated by music icon Quincy Jones and EMMY Award Winning Director Steve McQueen. The Country Music Hall of Fame selected Flemons and his album to be featured in the American Currents Best of 2018 exhibit. In 2005, Flemons co-founded the Carolina Chocolate Drops who won a GRAMMY for Best Traditional Folk Album. He left the group to pursue his solo career in 2014. In 2016 they were inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Folk Alliance International, Music Maker Relief Foundation and is Governor on the Board of Directors of the Washington, D.C Chapter of The Recording Academy.

Ventipop November 2020 Playlist

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November Song 10: "Over The Wall" by War Is Over

"Over The Wall" by War Is Over

War Is Over released one of my favorite songs back in 2018 with “Friend of Mine” and now they’re back preparing to release a new EP in 2021. The first release from that EP is “Over The Wall”. If this track is a clue then the rest of the EP should be fantastic.

War Is Over Bio

War is Over is the Chicago-based indie folk project of longtime best friends Cameron Young (vocals) and Brycen Waitkus (instrumentation). Songwriters since 14, their debut singles were released independently during high school and quickly gained traction online. Combining their love of indie, pop, and folk (in the style of Ed Sheeran, Noah Kahan, and Mumford & Sons) their songs garner a striking, young, and powerful blend of emotions. Even after moving 2,000 miles apart for college, they have continued to formulate their debut EP for release in 2021.

Ventipop November 2020 Playlist

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November Song 2: "Bones" by Lone Kodiak

"Bones" by Lone Kodiak

Los Angeles rock trio Lone Kodiak just released their third single of the year titled “Bones”. After finally feeling a bit of hope and joy the past few days, been playing this song quite a bit. Looking forward to whatever they release next.

Lone Kodiak Bio

Lone Kodiak is an east-LA rock trio comprised of singer/guitarist Dainéal Parker, bassist Daniel Alden (both formerly of Portland’s tragedy-stricken emberghost), and drummer Josh Harris, and is loosely influenced by guitar-driven anthem bands like Hum, Explosions in the Sky, and We Were Promised Jetpacks. Prior to the pandemic, the band had become a staple of LA’s indie venues (some of which have now permanently closed) like The Satellite, Hi Hat, and Bootleg Theatre. They’ve been featured on Stereogum, Buzzfeed, and were among BuzzBandsLA’s “Bands to Watch in 2018," and their latest single, "PDX '97" premiered on American Songwriter.

After a nearly career ending motorcycle accident involving Alden which left everyone some time to reflect, Lone Kodiak refocused its vision for the future, consolidated their sound, shuffled their personnel with the addition of Harris, and got to work on their forthcoming collection, which debuted with the single “Make It a Weapon” in July 2020. Interestingly, the band wrapped guitars literally two days before LA’s safer-at-home order, and producer Kyle Mangels had to work with Parker remotely to help finish his vocals at his home studio in Highland Park.

Ventipop November 2020 Playlist

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October Song 14: "Living Life" by Steady Holiday

"Living Life" by Steady Holiday

Steady Life, aka Dre Babinski, has just released one of my favorite tracks of the year titled “Living Life”. It’s an uplifting unexpectedly moving song simultaneously filling me up like a balloon with emotion that feels like being inflated with happiness.

About Steady Holiday

After growing up playing in bands in and around her native Los Angeles, Dre Babinski began writing and recording songs of her own, always in secret, developing a body of work about hidden desire itself that ultimately formed under the name Steady Holiday.

Her debut LP was released in 2016 to immediate praise and shows with Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Mitski, Islands, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, with LA Weekly naming her the city’s Best Solo Artist. In 2017 she released the follow up EP , written immediately following the 2016 election.

In 2018 Steady Holiday signed to the legendary indie label Barsuk for her sophomore LP '', which explored themes like greed, fear and self-interest. Her first headline tours in North America, Japan, and UK/Europe followed, and in 2019 she plays both SXSW and Coachella.

Ventipop October 2020 Playlist

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October Song 8: "Around Your Room" by Kississippi

"Around Your Room" by Kississippi

Kississippi, aka Zoe Reynolds recently followed up her 2018 album Sunset Blush with a new single “Around Your Room”. Definitely has an 80’s vibe reinforced by a Cyndi Lauper mention. It’s the song of the day and Song #8 on the October Playlist.

Kississippi Spotify Bio

Zoe Reynolds, who performs as Kississippi, can turn a sweet song sour with a sudden, razor-sharp line turn. Harnessing self-empowerment to overcome hardship, Reynolds imbues her songs with hope in the face of grief and heartbreak.

She recorded her first acoustic demos — which became the 2014 EP “I Can Feel You In My Hair Still” — in her mom’s laundry room, and the EP’s online release received early attention from music publications. Together with guitarist Colin Kupson, Reynolds wrote and recorded her second EP, 2015’s “We Have No Future, We’re All Doomed” with Jake Ewald (, ) The album was named after a friend’s yearbook message, and ultimately became a memorial line after their passing. “We Have No Future” ushered in a dark, dream-pop that countered but didn’t overwhelm the act’s folk roots, and highlighted the impending sense of doom adolescents face at the cusp of adulthood. In 2016, Reynolds emerged once again as a solo artist occupied with self-love and healing. The result of these occupations was “Sunset Blush.” She recorded the album with Kyle Pulley of , who acted as a collaborator, at Headroom Studios in Philadelphia. The album was picked up by a label that later downsized, and Reynolds chose to self-release it on a vanity label she named Bug Crusher Records to stay true to the original April 2018 release date. Now, she’s turning her eye towards pop music as the ultimate catharsis.

Ventipop October 2020 Playlist

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August Song 10: "Chewing Cotton Wool" by The Japanese House

Chewing Cotton Wool EP. Available everywhere. Vinyl pre-order available now - https://t.co/drdliUh41V pic.twitter.com/0wGZa9RpZ5

— The Japanese House (@Japanesehouse) August 13, 2020

“Chewing Cotton Wool” by The Japanese House

Mesmerizing, dizzying and hypnotizing. Pick your verbage. It all relates to whatever it is embedded deep within “Chewing Cotton Wool” by The Japanese House. It’s been a while since I was so deeply moved by a song without completely understanding what it was about upon first listen. It’s a beautiful walk down a confusing hallway. Enjoy the journey and let the meaning unfold as you listen. This is one of four songs on the EP of the same name.

“Chewing Cotton Wool” Lyrics

She's the only one around And she's turning off the lights And she's inside every crack She's the only thing in sight She's the only one I see And she's flying through the air She's the dust upon the sill She's everywhere And she's breaking up the line And she's sitting in the rain She's the trailer for a film She's the curtain at the end She's the sound of your own voice She's someone else's drink She's like living in the countryside She's the whirlpool in the sink She's a memory I recall And she's waiting in the hall She's the monster in the fridge She's chewing cotton wool

-xxx-

The Japanese House Bio

The Japanese House is the solo project of London-based singer/songwriter Amber Bain.

Crafting a mix of lush dream pop and brooding electronica, the Buckinghamshire native worked under a handful of different monikers before using the Japanese House name in 2015. The name was inspired by a childhood trip to Devon, where she posed as a boy for a week, earning the affection of a neighborhood girl who was later heartbroken to learn Bain's true identity. Owned by actress Kate Winslet, the cottage was called the Japanese House and Bain's memories of her experiences there influenced the intentionally androgynous presentation of her musical work.

After signing with U.K. indie Dirty Hit Records, she released a pair of EPs in 2015, beginning with Pools to Bathe In followed a few months later by Clean. A new single, "Face Like Thunder," arrived in 2016. That track was featured on her EP, Swim Against the Tide. In 2017, Bain issued the languid pop single "Saw You in a Dream," which was later included on an EP of the same title. In September 2018, Bain offered "Lilo," the first single from her forthcoming Japanese House full-length debut. The album -- titled Good at Falling -- arrived in early 2019.

Ventipop August 2020 Playlist

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August Song 9: "Atoms At Me" by Liela Moss

"If you’re going to deconstruct the modern psyche, you might as well dance to it."  -- Liela Moss

“Atoms At Me” by Liela Moss

Less than two years removed from the unveiling of her excellent debut solo album My Name Is Safe In Your Mouth (2018), Liela Moss has revealed that her follow-up effort Who The Power. “Atoms At Me” is the first single from the album and I’ve stuck it on repeat all morning.

“So much of being a musician and live performer is about projecting energy outward, which can be a beautiful and powerful thing,” The Duke Spirit vocalist explains in an official statement. “I experienced a good round of that over previous years, and now wanted to explore my fears of tipping the scales the other way: why should I continue to re-enact the narcissistic habits of our generation, desperate for validation, desperate for space, for ‘a platform’?”

Liela Moss Bio

If My Name Is Safe in Your Mouth offered a haunting snapshot of Moss’ restlessly intuitive instincts, Who the Power repurposes and refuels those instincts, standing as fertile testament to the potential in Moss’ self-possessed yet receptive way of working. As she puts it, “My offering is only mine. It lacks ubiquity. Crucially, it doesn't seek to rob from others. In actual fact it only has to feed three mouths, under the shelter they need, and provide enough time to nourish their minds so that they can in turn be in the productive service of others. It doesn't need to win to succeed. Just to be understood for what it is, is enough.” Now that’s a beautiful and powerful thing, indeed.

Ventipop August 2020 Playlist