Blondie

Blondie was a Lower Manhattan band that was active from 1974 to 1982. You probably know them well because they had four number one hits that still receive regular radio play, depending on what you call radio.

For me, Blondie is one of the earliest band names I can remember, together with the mostly forgotten Smokie. Blondie’s hit Call Me was also the first song I have ever listened to on an off-brand walkman, which included a demo cassette with only that song.

40 years after their apparently amicable breakup, Blondie has just released the ginormous box set Against All Odds with lots of previously unreleased material. For more casual fans, they fortunately also made it available on streaming services (Apple Music | Spotify). There is also an New York Times article around an interview with the two core members, Debbie Harry and Chris Stein.

With that, Blondie wants to establish their rightful place in music history. Because, as the Times article states, “the band was not taken as seriously as its peers.”

One reason for this was calculated: Blondie deliberately and successfully deviated from East Village punk music and adopted other popular styles like disco and reggae. Another one was probably pure sexism: how can a serious rock band have a female front person? Maybe a woman on bass like with Talking Heads, but front-and-center and even profoundly involved in the creative process?

I admit that for a long time, I was also convinced that Blondie was a somewhat artificial music industry product. But reading their story and listening to the old recordings reveals that their trajectory from underground to superstardom went very similar to other bands of this era.

And it was a genuinely fascinating era in music. In Blondie’s 1980 hit Rapture, Debbie Harry name-drops the two hip hop elders, Grandmaster Flash and Fab Five Freddy, who were part of a different musical revolution in other neighborhoods of the city. The song went number one and was probably the first encounter with the now ubiquitous rhythmical speak-singing for many.

At 77, Debbie Harry is still active in the scene, and you can run into her in East Village music clubs. And one cannot help but asking if these kinds of biographies are still possible in music today.

Song Picks of the Day

Listen to all our daily song picks on our playlists on Spotify and Apple Music.

Melody’s Echo Chamber – Unfold

Melody’s Echo Chamber is the project of Paris-based musician Melody Prochet. In 2013, she released her self-titled debut album with the help of Tame Impala mastermind Kevin Parker. But it turns out that she recorded more music then, which has been “lost” – whatever that means – until recently. Melody now releases those songs as her second album and an anniversary edition of her first one on September 30.

Our Song Pick of the Day is the title track, “Unfold,” a short and sunny track with the most unusual ending.

Melody says about the song:

“To me, this song captures the emotional ambivalence of a crossroad, like a child finding a special seashell hidden in the sand but the ocean’s creature still lives inside, I guess it’s the sound releasing of the beloved.”

Pre-save the album here “Unfold” here. Listen to the single on your favorite streaming service or watch the video below:

The Forum – Honeypace

Passionate and irresistibly catchy indie-rock gets not only made in Manchester or New York but in Florida too, as The Forum are proof. The trio’s newest single, “Honeypace” ebbs and flows on a brilliant bed of lush synths and stellar guitar work, held together by the charismatic vocals of frontman Michael Higgins. We asked Michael to provide us with some background to “Honepace,” and he kindly offers the following insight:

Every song has an interesting process but this one was probably our most unique yet. We started with kinda a half-song that we took to the studio, optimistic that we’d figure it out along the way. It wasn’t until 2 months after our studio sessions that Jake and I really sat down and fleshed out the rest of the work. Producing by ourselves was new to us, and it brought a pressure that was thrilling. It started and ended in my apartment – Nick and I wrote the initial chime-like guitars last winter in my room, and Jake and I finished it there this summer. We leaned heavily into the influences that helped us start the song – 80s pop, mainly. It still has that signature feel of ours we think, so we’re excited to see what our friends and supporters think when we release it and take it on the road.

Well done, I love it, and hopefully, the road leads The Forum up northeast soon too!

Listen to “Honeypace,” our Song Pick of the Day:

Connect with The Forum here.

Caroline Romano – Chopstix

It is still some time to celebrate this year’s carefree season, and Nashville-based singer/songwriter Caroline Romano has a wonderfully upbeat song for you. Her new single “Chopstix” is about a summer fling with all the happy, unforgettable, and crazy moments, but also the suspicion that nothing lasts forever.

Caroline gives us some context:

“‘Chopstix is kind of that beginning stage of infatuation and heartbreak but it’s also really just a happy song. It’s finding things to reminisce on once it’s all over, and falling for the smallest, most specific things about a person. I write a lot about the aftermath of songs like ‘Chopstix,’ but this song is the prequel to the best and worst of romance. It’s young and clean and feels like childhood summers combined with late-night dinners following a day full of swimming.”

Listen to “Chopstrix,” our Song Pick of the Day, on your favorite streaming service or below on YouTube:

Alex Lahey – Congratulations

Alex Lahey is one of Australia’s most exciting young artists, and she’s back with the highly satisfying “Congratulations,” capturing the all-too-familiar feeling of when your ex (or in Lahey’s case, exes), moves on and settles for someone new. Alex made herself a name with her uncanny knack for creating catchy songs, delivered with her beautiful alto vocals, and spiking them up with confessional lyrics. Here’s a taste:

There’s no mistaking // That I’m shaken // By your lightning // Change of heart.

Sometimes you don’t even see it coming, and yet it happens, as Alex explains:

Two of my exes got engaged within an improbably short space of time of one another. What are the odds? I couldn’t not write a song inspired by it.

The lo-fi anthem is accompanied by a “deeply unhinged” video, Lahey’s words, written by herself and co-directed by Jon Danovic. She says about the creative process:

It felt like the perfect time to execute a long standing concept I had of making out with myself on camera. Now both the song and the video feel like a message about choosing yourself over anyone else.

It’s so much fun to see how Alex flips things on its head and turns the loss into a gain. I can’t help but smile when the clip ends. Well done, Alex! Listen to “Congratulations,” our Song Pick of the Day, and check out the lovely video:

Connect with Alex Lahey here. Catch Alex Lahey on tour while supporting Manchester Orchestra on some gigs of her UK leg.

Mayfly – Pretty Ending

Hoping for a “Pretty Ending” when things go downhill can prolong the pain. In their new song, Montreal-based duo Mayfly advise to cut it short, and the airy, shimmering track lets you feel the relief right here, right now.

Charlie and Emma of Mayfly say about the song:

“The inspiration for this song sparked from us listening to other female singers evoking this ‘girl power’ energy. The essence of ‘Pretty Ending’ is to encourage you to spare yourself unnecessary hurt by trusting your gut when you know something isn’t right.

Listen to “Pretty Ending,” our Song Pick of the Day, on your favorite streaming service or below on YouTube:

Connie Constance – Mood Hoover

I loved “Mood Hoover,” the new effortlessly catchy single by Connie Constance,from the spot but simply couldn’t understand what the British artist meant by the song’s title. Have you heard of a “Mood Hoover” before? Connie herself to the rescue, who explains:

The writing of this song came from one of my mum’s classic phrases… “mood hoover” she would call my adolescent brother when he would finally make it down to dinner to be around his (from his teenage point of view) out of touch parents and uncool siblings, and not really want to engage in our family chit chat. I was in the studio with Sam Breathwick and Sam Knowles and we were jamming through some ideas. Sammy K said to me that it would be fun if I wrote a song about me and my man but from more of a love hate perspective. All those bits about your lover that drive you nuts but you couldn’t live without. I had ‘mood hoover’ written down in my notes and Sam Knowles had ‘easy peeler’ written down under his band names. From there I dived into my little bit sarcy, little bit cheeky and a little bit moody perspective. This song is our “us against the world” song. Could be your lover, or your partner in crime. It’s saying that, in our unique bubble, we’re the most awesome people in the world – with all our jagged edges, baggage, dreams, and quirks… People just don’t know it yet, but one day they will.

The above all sounds very cozy, comfy, and intriguing, but I still had no idea what the phrase could possibly mean until I threw it into the translator, which made me smile. Hoover, the vacuum cleaner brand, ergo a mood hoover, is someone who sucks all the life and energy out of other people and infiltrates them with their own negative onset. Now, I not only learned a new phrase but have an ultra gorgeous song to go with it. Listening to Connie Constance’s previous singles, I think I just discovered a new favorite artist too.

“Mood Hoover” can be found on Connie’s forthcoming album, Miss Power, due out November 4th via” Play It Again Sam.

Connect with Connie Constance here.

Laveda - Surprise

“I’m not surprised that I’m not sober / Being alive is just getting old,” sings Ali Genevich of upstate New York band Laveda. That perfectly describes that sinking post-pandemic feeling that has probably washed over most of us at some point. But life goes on, so Laveda makes an upbeat indie rock song out of it and shoots a video that shows the romantic, fun side of being in a band.

Guitarist Jake Brooks says about the song:

“The lyrics are meant to juxtapose the happy sunshine feeling throughout the song. “Surprise” is about dealing with loneliness and loss in this modern age. The overall sound represents how bright and happy we present ourselves on social media. But in reality, everyone’s depressed and stressed over the rapidly devolving state of society.”

Ali adds:

“Sonically, ‘Surprise’ is the bright song on the new record. Lyrically it embodies a lot of my personal feelings that came after I graduated from college in the same year the pandemic hit. I couldn’t help but feel low for a while, and once I came out of my writer’s block everything I wrote had this big sad mood.”

Laveda will be on tour all over the States, plus Toronto, this month. Check out dateshere. Listen to “Surprise,” our Song Pick of the Day, on your favorite streaming service or watch the video, directed by Ali, here:

This video should have a million views: Eliza Shaddad - Wars

“Wars” is the debut song by London-based indie rocker Eliza Shaddad. The video directed by Jack Daly is intense and chills-inducing. It is definitely not a pick-me-up, so watch at your own discretion.