Oliver Bouchard

Music

Excited About: Birch - Not Human (EP)

There is something remarkable to the way Michelle Birsky, singer and songwriter in the Brooklyn duo Birch delivers the songs on their latest EP “Not Human”: the four tracks feature bright, soaring vocals and synths, yet the lyrics speak of disorientation and social dysfunction. That increases the the impact of

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VIDEO PREMIERE: Sera Eke - The Space Between Us

Sera Eke is a new artist from London and we have covered her debut song “Space Between Us” as our Song Pick two weeks ago. Now she complements the track with a completely self-produced video, which adds a gripping, sad story to the already dramatic music. Even though it is

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SONG PICK: Tawiah - Queens

We recently moved to the New York borough of Queens, so alone from that perspective “Queens” resonates with me. Of course, this is not at all what London-based singer Tawiah has in mind with her latest song, which features a piano, a Spanish guitar and polyrhythms. There is a lot

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SONG PICK: Woodes - Run For It

The Australian singer/songwriter Woodes was my favorite discovery of this year’s SXSW. I saw two shows of her in not the best environments and still her performances were magical. The combination of tasteful, subtle electronics and her clear, intimate vocals invite to immerse deeply into her songs (song

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Q&A with Natalie Bouloudis

The London-based singer/songwriter Natalie Bouloudis has a way to transport you into a different world with her songs. Be it that she brings in influences of past decades or her beautifully expressive vocals or the stories she tells with her music, you can close your eyes and have a

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SONG PICK: Siobhan Sainte - Burn it Down

“This house is burning, I’m ready for more” sings New Zealand singer/songwriter Siobhan Sainte and it sounds like a declaration of war. “Burn It Down” is Siobhan’s first single and she shows a strong musical vision with merging different styles and genres into one piece that never

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SONG PICK: Erin Rae - Like the First Time

Singer/songwriter Erin Rae has had a good job in Nashville singing harmonies for pretty much everybody. On her own she sounds raw and emotional and in her new song “Like the First Time” she sings about the often futile attempt to of going out of your way to appease

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NEW MUSIC: Ibeyi - Away Away (Video)

The French-Cuban twins Ibeyi are back. “Away Away” is their new song and the video shows mostly the Díaz sisters having lots of fun making new songs. Not too much has changed in their music: The auto tune may raise an eyebrow, but it is not really disturbing. And after

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SONG PICK: Resin - Lie

If there is something like future R&B, “Lie” by L.A. singer/producer Resin would qualify as future rock. Distorted sounds and raw vocals dominate the track and generate a dark, menacing vibe. Niko Antonucci hails originally from Prague, Czech Republic and has been doing music since the

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SONG PICK: Sorcha Richardson - 4 am

Brooklyn via Dublin singer/songwriter Sorcha Richardson has a wonderfully intimate way to interpret her songs. But for her latest track “4 am” she changed direction and added a decisively electronic production. Sorcha explains: In the past my records have been introspective and apologetic and I think the production and

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Northside Festival Day Two: Wet Leather, Obliques, Dead Leaf Echo

The innovation leg of Northside came to an end on Friday and we got a glimpse of it at the Happy Hour sponsored by the Dutch Consulate and a startup called membit, who demonstrated a super-cool augmented reality app to us. The first music of the day came from a

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Northside Festival Day One Roundup: Kamasi Washington, Noveller, She-Devils

Since 2009, summer in Brooklyn starts with the Northside Festival. Literally this year: after a long gruesome streak of rain and coldness it seems that the sun is finally out for the the weekend. But even with the chillier temperatures on Thursday, the festival got off to a hot start:

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PHOTOS: glamglare presents: Ekurtis, Hopper Race, Birch, åMBe

Electronic music by new artists was the focus of our May showcase. Singer/producer turned ballet dancer Ekurtis opened the night with his catchy elegant pop songs. He then stayed on stage to play guitar for Hopper Race who adds big, Broadway-style vocals to dark electronic textures. We will surly

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SONG PICK: Sera Eke - Space Between Us

London producer & singer Sera Eke wants to fuse different expressions of electronic music into her own style. Her first single “Space Between Us” feints a piano ballad before it turns into a massive, cinematic piece with Sera Eke’s voice floating over it. Sera Eke produces the music herself

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SONG PICK: Joel Porter - St. Anthony

Joel Porter is a Nashville-based singer/songwriter originally from North Dakota, who creates atmospheric folk songs with an ethereal, electronic twist. His first single “St. Anthony” is simply beautiful in how it builds from a quiet acoustic song into multi-layered electro-pop gem. Joel has also an EP “Mountain Twin” with

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VIDEO PREMIERE: Shadow Monster - City in My Sailboat

Brooklyn singer/songwriter Gillian Visco goes by the stage name Shadow Monster and she plays her latest single “City in My Sailboat” to an audience of monsters, albeit cute stuffed ones. The video shows an intimate setting that moves from the meta-level of recording a live performance in an apartment

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SONG PICK: Holy Boy - Lay Your Hands

Helene Alexandra Jaeger aka Holy Boy is originally from Norway, but lives in L.A. Those two places mark different ends of the electro-pop spectrum and Holy Boy take cues from both of them. In “Lay Your Hand” a constant, heavy drum beat over a drone keeps an ominous vibe,

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Five Festival Questions for GIRL SKIN

Girl Skin is a Brooklyn band, led by singer/songwriter Sid Simons and multi-instrumentalist Bailey Blu, plus Sophie Cozine (vocals) and Alex Harwood (bass) and we were more than excited that we hosted their second show ever. Brimming with promise and vision, Girl Skin has already a few songs under

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EXCITED ABOUT: Mothica - Heavy Hearted EP

“Heady Hearted” is the second EP by Brooklyn singer/producer Mothica, who has created her own brand of catchy but edgy pop music that avoids the pitfalls of over-production and pop cliches. And then there are her unique, powerful but vulnerable vocals. Listen to “Heavy Hearted” on Spotify or Apple

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SONG PICK: Feels - Gates

Feels are singer/songwriter Sofi Meronen and keyboardist Michael Myrskog together with producer Joel Jons. their lush and moods electro-pop track “Gates” has been a highlight on my new music play list for a while, so I’m presenting it as our Song Pick of the Day:

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SONG PICK: Little Rêd - What Love Is

Little Rêd is a singer/songwriter based in Bath, England and “What Love Is” is the second song after her debut “Hell”. It is about the uncertainties early in a relationship and musically she translates that message into a multi-faceted, but catchy synth-pop piece. Listen to our Song Pick of

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NEW MUSIC: Elohim - Skinny Legs (Video)

L.A. producer and singer Elohim is a fascinating artist. We have already featured her latest track “Skinny Legs” as a turn into grittier territories after her self-titled debut EP. Now she follows up with visuals: a glimpse into some sort of inner struggle against some dark, seductive force which

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SONG PICK: Kylie Odetta - Stress

“Stress” is a killer, literally and figuratively as in Kylie Odetta’s new track off her just released EP “Undertow”. “This ship is going down down down” she sings and means a relationship consumed by stress and doubt. And by putting this message on top of sultry, jazzy music she

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SONG PICK: Maiah Manser - Sweet Hell

West Coast singer/songwriter Maiah Manser does big pop songs, filled with layers of sounds and noises. Listen to our Song Pick of the Day “Sweet Hell”, the dramatic opening track of her recently released EP “Second Skin” (Apple Music | Spotify).

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SONG PICK: Sister Speak - The Stand (Video)

Sherri Anne aka Sister Speak is from Canada, but she chose images from Peru for her beautiful, cinematic video “The Stand”. Musically she also elegantly connects two worlds: “The Stands” starts out as a quiet, acoustic song and then slowly morphs into an eclectic synth pop anthem. Check out the