Long Live Record Stores!

Suddenly it was there. Wiggled itself into our hearts and built the backdrop to oh-so-many unforgettable nights in its music venue part. Offered must-haves as well as rarities in its retail space and special editions and want-haves on Record Store Day. And then, seemingly just as suddenly as it had appeared on the scene, it was gone again. Not exactly yet another victim of the pandemic but more like the ever spiraling out of control New York City rental situation. What goes for us residents goes for retail, too, and unless you cater to the super-rich and can demand fantasy prices - like some restaurants or boutiques can do - you have to look for a new home.

Interestingly, Rough Trade Brooklyn found a new home in Manhattan at Rockefeller Plaza on 6th Avenue, albeit a much smaller one. The sprawling, gallery-like atmosphere is gone, but some of the old, long-time staff are still on board and with the same spirit of featuring cool stuff.

During those seven years of Rough Trade on North 9th street in Brooklyn's Williamsburg, I remember many Northside Festival shows. Another Brooklyn summer staple that's forever gone, and concerts at Prospect Park are not really a substitute. Or the fantastic in-store concerts Rough Trade offered: performances of up-and-coming bands, sometimes just on the floor of the sales room, where we saw IBEYI, for example, but also BANKS or Little Dragon. For a good deal of those seven years, I also can not remember a store visit where we did not leave with at least one but, more often than not, two or three pieces of vinyl in tow. A good portion of our record shelf is filled with vinyl acquired at Rough Trade BK. Since the space's closure, we only occasionally added new vinyl bought directly from an artist to our music shelf. And glamglare has its own little Rough Trade moment too. How you ask?

When Oliver and I decided to found a music blog or morph our nydiscovery.com blog into a more music-oriented one, we envisioned a name as cool as 'rough trade' and came up with glamglare. One word, all lower case, instead of two words, capitalized. But hey, that's what we were going for.

To this day, we still feel connected to Rough Trade: to the (newish) store and its staff in Midtown and to the flagship store in London, which we'll hopefully visit one not-so-far away day.

Song Pick of the Day

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

Low Island - Can't Forget

British quartet Low Island announce their sophomore album Life in Miniature with their gorgeous new single "Can't Forget." The track is effortlessly smooth and transports me right back to the early 80s when I was young and most of the time unhappily in love until I found The One. The sensual and artsy band video plays with light and shadow, showcasing the band perfectly.

Asked about "Can't Forget," singer Carlos Posada provides:

It’s a reflection on the headyness of youth and a fear of growing up. Verse 2 is a nod to the day I left home; as I drove down the street, I caught my Dad crying and waving me away in the wing-mirror of my car. It’s one of those memories that gets printed right onto the front of your mind and that you never forget.

The track comes with artwork born out of a collaboration between Low Island, creative director and sculptor Freya Douglas Ferguson, photographer Brian Rankin and floral artist MOS, alongside a live video directed by the band themselves.

Pre-order Low Island's album, Life in Miniature, out November 4th via their own label Emotional Interference Records.

Listen to "Can't Forget," our Song Pick of the Day:

Connect with Low Island here.

Cloud Cukkoo - Alice

Jori van Gemert writes and produces music in Berlin under the name Cloud Cukkoo. Her new song "Alice" takes cues from the Lewis Carrol novel and turns it into a "metaphor for society and the holes in it." Written for a queer friend, the track is a warm, danceable synth-pop track so comforting that you wish it would go on forever.Listen to our Song Pick of the Day, "Alice," on your favorite streaming service or below on YouTube:

Aggressive Swans - Dream Manipulation Program

We haven't heard from Munich indie-pop duo Aggressive Swans in a while, ever since we featured their gorgeous singles "About You" and "Every Teardrop" to be precise, but here they are with the beautifully catchy "Dream Manipulation Program." Behind the moniker Aggressive Swans are the classically trained musicians Janko Rašeta and Matija Chlupacek, who use their knowledge and skills to create music that's infused with a clear 80s vibe, combining modern pop, electronica, and guitar rock. We asked Janko to provide some context about the alluring, nostalgic track, and he says:

There is a strange hotel whose staff has an unsettling habit of altering guests’ dreams. This is not a new David Lynch script but the first installment in a series of unorthodox musical stories by the band Aggressive Swans.

Does this mean that we can expect more music soon, without having to wait another five years? Excellent news then; bring it on!

Listen to "Dream Manipulation Program," our Song Pick of the Day:

Connect with Aggressive Swans here.

Madi Diaz - Hangover

"I thought this would be easier by now," sings Madi Diaz in her new song "Hangover," about the emotional and practical hurdles after a breakup. Things should be ok, but the other person lingers in her mind like the gritty guitars the song is built on.

Madi says about the song:

“I wrote ‘Hangover’ with Jesse Thomas and Drew Pearson when I was still feeling the lagging throws of heartbreak—the waking up in withdrawal, aching, reeling over a person and all the things that come after it’s over. Sometimes it feels like you’re just stumbling around a city and in every corner there’s a memory. At every table in every restaurant some argument, on every street corner some kiss, at the 7 eleven some melt down. ‘Hangover’ is about bumping into that old feeling and reliving the less appealing side effects of not being in love with that person anymore.

Watch the video to "Hangover," directed by Joey Broadnax, a "full immersion light therapy," here:

Andrés Alcover - Where Did We Go Wrong?

Andrés Alcover's double single "Where Did We Go Wrong?," and "Resigned" remind me of a flurry of favorite sounds from my early teenage years in the late 70s. I hear John Lennon vocally and a bit of a Ringo Starr rhythmically, paired with a bit of Gary Rafferty warmth and Elton John piano. Beautifully nostalgic, yet with a crisp, contemporary production. Written, produced, and arranged by Andrés himself, the artist says about the track’s production:

I wrote the song a couple of years ago, my time split between Spain and the UK, and recorded it at my flat in London. However, the drums were recorded in an old abandoned theatre-turned-studio in Majorca by Spanish drummer and good friend Tomi Solbas. He created the perfect sound to accompany the rest of the instrumentation, and you can really hear the room’s texture.

This explains why the drums caught my ear, an instrument I often only give an afterthought. The feeling of the song is simply magnificent. But what about the lyrics? The gentle vibe is about to lull us in; however, there's quite the story behind the song. Alcover explains:

I lived quite fiercely through my early 20s; somewhat blindly in pursuit of a dream, an end-goal that I was convinced would just land eventually. I felt like that time flashed before my eyes and I suddenly collided with my own existence. So much had happened but I felt like I had nothing to show for it, just a crippling sense of emptiness and detachment from reality. It seemed delusional, even irrational, to feel hopeful but somehow the feeling still lived inside me along with the ragged remnants of whatever dream I’d had for myself. I think the song was inspired by this realisation, and also by the realisation that I’m still young and it’s better to keep chasing something than nothing at all.

I couldn't agree more! Never stop chasing, even when the thing or the idea you're after might change over time. In essence, this is about never giving up your dreams. As for the B-side, "Resigned," sounds for me a bit as if Jeff Buckley was flirting with surf-rock - such a great, beachy vibe!

Listen to "Where Did We Go Wrong?," our Song Pick of the Day, and continue with "Resigned:"

Connect with Andrés Alcover here.

Blu DeTiger & Biig Piig - Crash Course

New Yorker musician Blu DeTiger and London-based singer/songwriter Biig Piig meet in L.A. and have much fun. On the way, they do "Crash Course," a high-energy song that could become your favorite summer anthem. Blu is a bassist by trade, so expect driving rhythms that will make you want to move.

Blu says about the song:

“It’s dirty bass, high energy, fun. We had the best time making this and I think that comes through when you listen to it. I’ve been a big fan of Biig Piig for a while, she has a really unique voice and sound. It was really cool to collaborate with her on this.”

Listen to "Crash Course," our Song Pick of the Day, on your favorite streaming service or atch the video, directed by Jeremy Reynoso, here:

Pixey - Recycled Paper Planes

Liverpool-based performer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Pixey offers us an incredibly delightful gift in form of her new single "Recycled Paper Planes." The single can be found on her upcoming mini-album Dreams, Pains & Paper Planes, out in September via Chess Club Records.

Pixey grew up loving and making music, yet the catalyst for her musical coming of age was the near-fatal viral illness that put her in a hospital in 2016. She says about this pivotal time:

When I thought I was going to die I thought of all the things I wish I’d done and music was the first thing I thought of. As soon as I started recovering I started learning to record and produce.

She taught herself Ableton, and went on to learn guitar and eventually drums and bass after her previous (and current) boyfriend(s) left their instruments lying around to prove she could learn it quicker and play it better. That's such an inspiring story!About her new song, she explains:

"Recycled Paper Planes" is a track I wrote, recorded and produced in one day in my bedroom. The whole thing flowed so quickly - I started with the bass line and quickly wrote the corresponding guitar parts. The song is about everybody trying to relive & recreate other people's dreams, that nothing is ever really original. We’re all just a recycled, repackaged version of the past trying to make a living.

Her sound is beautifully upbeat with a unique yet also relatable vibe and she cites The Verve, The Prodigy, and De La Soul as sonic inspiration:

I particularly like the idea of using samples/making my own riffs sound like samples which was heavily inspired by the [De La Soul] album 3 Feet High and Rising. Starting out initially though Grimes was a huge catalyst when I realized she wrote, recorded & produced herself.

It'll be exciting to listen to the upcoming album, and see where her talent and determination take her. "Recycled Paper Planes" is effortlessly cool with a clear summer vibe, something to go on an imaginary mini vacation to, or to enhance an already good mood.

Listen to "Recycled Paper Planes," our Song Pick of the Day:

Connect with Pixey here.

We are listening to

• Kathryn Williams - Night Drive
• Spring Summer - T.E.A.R.S

Covers to remember: Odina - Love Will Tear Us Apart

What makes a good cover? It certainly helps if the covering artist has a unique musical style, like London-based Catalan musician Odina. Her version of Joy Division’s legendary “Love Will Tear Us Apart” shows respect to the original, while still being undoubtedly her own.

Listen here: