New Phosphorescent!! "New Birth In New England"

This year continues to be an amazing year for music - and now, all the more so, as a new tune from Phosphorescent was released this morning! Check out "New Birth in New England":

Been waiting five years for new music from Matthew Houck aka Phosphorescent! This upbeat, sunny tune, with a nice little space out break in the middle, heralds the return of an amazing entertainer - means he's going on tour, too. You should go see him. I've seen him live a couple of times - he's a compelling, charismatic, and mesmerizing performer.

If you haven't heard Phosphorescent yet, get his last one, 2013's Muchacho. You'll love "Song for Zula" - a majestic piece with strings that got some exposure. The entire album - which is an album, so I love that - is a stand out. Magical!

Here's the Press Release. With Tour Dates!
##

Phosphorescent’s Matthew Houck has announced his new album ‘C’est La Vie,’ to be released October 5th on Dead Oceans. Houck’s first new Phosphorescent release in five years chronicles a life-altering period which saw him fall in love, start a family, leave New York for Nashville, and build a studio from the ground up.  With a focus on translating these profound experiences to music as intuitively as he could, Houck pushes the boundaries of what a Phosphorescent record can sound like, balancing the earthy and the incandescent, the troubled and the serene, creating his own musical cosmos in the process.

Nowhere is this more evident than on the new song “New Birth In New England” from ‘C’est La Vie,’ a deceptively breezy snapshot survey of some of those life-altering events, condensed to five genre-defying minutes. 'C’est La Vie’ was produced by Houck and recorded at his Spirit Sounds Studio in Nashville, newly built specifically with these sessions in mind. The album was mixed by Matthew and Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton, Arctic Monkeys).

'C’est La Vie’  follows the 2013 Phosphorescent album ‘Muchacho,’ Houck’s best-reviewed and best-selling album to date featuring the undeniable standout track “Song For Zula.”  Hailed by Pitchfork for its "beauty and profundity" and Consequence of Sound for "striking gold at every turn," 'Muchacho' saw Houck top multiple year-end lists, perform on Jimmy Fallon, tour extensively as a headliner and also alongside the likes of Father John Misty and The National, play Glastonbury, Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza - and record 2015's three-LP, career-spanning 'Live At The Music Hall' set in Brooklyn.

PHOSPHORESCENT TOUR DATES

8/3-8/4 Happy Valley, OR – Pickathon Music Festival
  11/08 New Orleans, LA-  One Eyed Jacks *
  11/09 Austin, TX – Emo’s *
  11/10 Dallas, TX – Granada Theater *
  11/12 Phoenix, AZ  – Crescent Ballroom *
  11/14 Santa Ana, CA  –  Observatory OC *
  11/15 Los Angeles, CA – Belasco Theatre *
  11/17 San Francisco, CA  – The Fillmore *
  11/21 Seattle, WA  –  Neptune *
  11/24 Denver, CO  –  The Oriental Theatre *
  11/26 Lawrence, KS  –  Granada Theater *
  11/27 St Louis , MO – The Ready Room  *
  11/29 Madison, WI  – Majestic Theatre *
  11/30 Chicago, IL  –  Vic Theatre *
  12/01 Minneapolis, MN  –  First Avenue *
  12/02 Milwaukee, WI  – Turner Hall Ballroom *
  12/04 Detroit, MI  –  Saint Andrew’s Hall *
  12/05 Columbus, OH  – Newport Music Hall *
  12/06 Toronto, ON  – Mod Club *
  12/07 Northampton, MA  –  Pearl Street *
  12/08 Boston, MA  – Royale *
  12/11 DC  –  9:30 Club *
  12/13 Brooklyn, NY–  Brooklyn Steel *
  12/14 Philadelphia, PA  –  Theatre of The Living Arts *

* = supported by Liz Cooper and The Stampede

##

New music from Phosphorescent!! This makes me so happy!

A Science Fiction Ghost Story?

A science fiction ghost story? Check out Alibi Jones and the Hornet's Nest – written and read by host Mike Luoma. Independent SF audio adventure each week on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio! Hear a free, serialized audiobook with Chapter Three of Alibi Jones and the Hornet's Nest this week as The Adventures of Alibi Jones continue!  



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Our Free Science Fiction Audio Book Is On!

Our free audio book is underway! Mike Luoma – host, narrator and author – reads from his novel Alibi Jones and the Hornet's Nest. A science fiction ghost story? Maybe this will all make sense, eventually... maybe not! Check out Chapter Two of Alibi Jones and the Hornet's Nest! Independent SF audio adventure each week on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio – The Adventures of Alibi Jones continue!    



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Your Free Audio Book Starts Now!

Your free audio book starts now! Join Mike Luoma, your host, narrator and author, for independent SF audio adventure each week on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio – this week we begin the novel Alibi Jones and the Hornet's Nest. High-tech can seem like magic – does that explain the appearance of a giant ghost ship in deep space? A science fiction ghost story? Listen and find out – The Adventures of Alibi Jones continue with Chapter One of Alibi Jones and the Hornet's Nest on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio!    



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The Blurred Line Where High-Tech Works Like Magick...

Want free, independent SF audio adventure? Join host, narrator and author Mike Luoma each week on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio! Sample us this episode - hear the stand-alone short story Alibi Jones and the Wishing Stone – a tale tip-toeing up to the blurred line where high-tech works like magick, as a strange assignment brings Alibi Jones face-to-face with a phantom from his past! Adapted from a comic book short in The Adventures of Alibi Jones #2 with art by Meisha, Inks by Bill Nichols, and colors by Ken Lateer.   

Mike also explains why you're hearing this short story instead of the beginning of the next Alibi Jones novel, as promoted last week and even earlier this weekend. Evidently, there was a timeline error. We blame The Devrizium... Always free to subscribe, download and listen –The Adventures of Alibi Jones continue with Alibi Jones and the Wishing Stone on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio!    

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The Last (Time) Battle

Time traveling aliens try to remove Alibi Jones from the timeline – find out if they finally succeed as Alibi Jones and the Time War of The Devrizium ends this episode with the stand-alone short story Alibi Jones: The Last Battle! Free, independent SF audio adventure with your host and author Mike Luoma. Always free to subscribe, download and listen - The Adventures of Alibi Jones continue on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio!  

BONUS MATERIAL AFTER THE STORY! The four stories in Alibi Jones and the Time War of The Devrizium were originally intended for the Alibi Jones comic books. Only the first, "About Time", actually made into a comic book – The Adventures of Alibi Jones #1. As Mike has been promising, he spends almost 20 minutes revealing the Alibi Jones comic books' "sausage making" in this behind-the-scenes account. Mike goes into details on how what came out as the Alibi Jones comics wasn't exactly what he'd intended going in, in terms of story content – and why it took so long to put the issues together.   



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Memory, Yet Green

Free, independent SF audio adventure – a mind-bending, twisty, time travel tale this week read by your host and author Mike Luoma from his collection Alibi Jones and the Time War of The Devrizium – the stand-alone short story Alibi Jones: Memory, Yet Green! Alibi wakes up an old man. Only... he doesn't remember growing old. He has memories, somehow, but something isn't right! The Adventures of Alibi Jones continue on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio! Always free to subscribe, download and listen. Now on Spotify! 



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Best Album of 2018 So Far - The Moondoggies "A Love Sleeps Deep"

My nomination for the Best Album of the first half of 2018 - The Moondoggies - A Love Sleeps Deep. 

I'd like to thank God, Serendipity, the Powers of the Universe, our Benevolent Overlords, Lords of Karma or whoever pretends to be running the cosmos for pulling The Moondoggies out of my lifelong dreams of the perfect band, lifting them right out of my subconscious or unconscious, very kind of you.

You see, when I was a kid I used to draw this band, all long hair and shaggy beards - think I called them High Castle, and this was when I was young, before I was even aware of Philip K. Dick... My ideal configuration - A singer & rhythm guitarist, lead guitarist (playing some ethereal slide as well, preferably), bassist, keyboardist and drummer, with at least two of the other musicians singing backup vocals. Later, when I tried to start a couple bands, that was even the lineup I'd try to get together.


The band of my drawings bears a great resemblance to The Moondoggies! 

Easy Coming opens A Love Sleeps Deep, introduces the band and sets the tone. This is what's to come - a chiming slide guitar and organ hint at an early Floyd influence, yet the harmony vocals, powerful and layered, owe more to Bruce, Clapton and Cream. Organ fills the spaces while the slide guides the ear through shifting changes, beautiful, melodic riffs, repeated phrases and soaring choruses. They're not afraid to be majestic.

Given my references to those classic bands, know that The Moondoggies are more than the sum of their influences and parts. They mine the past for fuel to power the future - figuratively ingesting and digesting the greats to then bring forth their own beautiful musical constructions.

For A Love Sleeps Deep is a frikkin' ALBUMS! I still get CDs because I still like ALBUMS.

If some kind of definition is needed, I'd classify an Album as a musical work about 45 minutes long with some unifying principle. The "Unifying Principle" could be as simple as all songs by one band. A double album is about 90 minutes. Note: the 70-minute capacity of the CD led some artists to over-indulge - I'm looking at you, Sting! - and bloat a 45-minute work up to 70 to fill the format. Luckily, this did not last.

Although determined itself by the configuration of a vinyl LP, one could argue that the 45 minute album format has some sort of intrinsic form, some Platonic ideal, as after a short period of bloat, released musical works fell back into the traditional 45-minute long configuration.

Oh. And singles were there all along, though their strength and appeal of course grew with the explosion of mp3 downloads. Singles are snack food. The best Albums are meals.

The weakest albums - in "coherence" - are compilations of singles - compare early US releases by The Beatles and the Stones vs. their later complete album works and you can see what I mean. Or any Greatest Hits collection by a band to one of their complete album works. The intention reflected in the art of creating and organizing an album sets it apart, to greater and lesser degrees, the extremes perhaps being the Hit Singles Compilation and the Concept Album.

Ahem.

Digression done.

A Love Sleeps Deep is a great fucking album - don't mind the F-bomb, needed to get back to rock n' roll! Clocks in at 44 minutes - ding! There is intent, and cohesion - it's not (apparently) a concept album, yet opening song Easy Coming and closer Underground (A Love Sleeps Deep) are woven from similar musical cloth - a beautiful tapestry of influences and originality! They run 6+ and 8+ minutes, respectively, allowing the listener to submerge and get lost in them.

And in between? There is a satisfying flow - in fact, track 2 Cinders segues right into track 3 Match. Each tune stands out for different reasons. Sometimes a change in keyboards sets it apart, as when the piano opens Promises, or the more Farfisa-esque organ sound opens Cinders. The opener and closer are the longest tracks, everything else is around four or five minutes.

This is an album - you put it on and leave it on. The only thing that would make the CD more like a classic vinyl release would be if you had to get up to flip it over halfway through. There is a variety to the tunes, yet a unity to the work. The flow here does satisfy. You know... you might find you have to leave it on when you play it!

Soviet Barn Fire is another stand out track. The bare naked guitar riff opening proclaims the six-string's dominance of this one. By the time the lead rips out, another classic heavy rock outfit is recalled, as the tune has the feel of classic Leslie West and Mountain epics like Theme For An Imaginary Western or Nantucket Sleigh Ride - which also share a Cream influence.

Now, I'm calling these older bands "influences", but I don't know how aware of Pink Floyd, Cream, Mountain or other classic rockers The Moondoggies themselves are. Haven't had a chance to ask them. This is what I'm hearing in A Love Sleeps Deep. There's also much that is pure Moondoggies!


The CD packaging is quite Album-like. Released on Sub-Pop's "sister" label Hardly Art, the labels' trademark oversize cardboard sleeve opens to reveal lyrics superimposed on a band photo. The CD inside is protected by an inner sleeve, like a vinyl record, a beautiful sunset photo on one side, a few album credits on the other. And on the CD, some crazy manipulated photo art.

2018 has been a great year for new music so far - setting a high bar for The Moondoggies A Love Sleeps Deep to rise above to become my Best Album of the year to this point. It's one of those albums I want to play for everyone I know - not that many people know the band outside of their native Pacific Northwest. Makes me want to turn more people onto this amazing release - go listen!

The YouTube link is above - or check out The Moondoggies A Love Sleeps Deep on Spotify:  

A Glow-in-the-Dark Radio Music Extra with Matt Hutton & Sean Toohey

A special Music Extra! Just heard on WBKM.org... Mike Luoma welcomes musicians Matt Hutton and Sean Toohey into his living room for a conversation about their 25 years of making music together in Spray 9, Envy and The Red Telephone. It's in honor of a special gig Matt and Sean play at Radio Bean in Burlington (VT) this Saturday night, June 23^rd, from 7p until 9p: The Hutton – Toohey Disaster: 25 Years of Songs and Sounds – where the two of them will play a set of music from throughout their career. 

From their days in Burlington as students at UVM, through local fame as Envy's popularity increased, to their move to Boston, forming The Red Telephone and signing to Warner Bros. - on to leaving the label for indie success, and up through recent reunions, Matt and Sean share a look back in words and music on a special Glow-in-the-Dark Radio Music Extra!   




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Remember Two Things?

Join us this week for Free audio science fiction adventure and the stand-alone short story Alibi Jones: Remember Two Things narrated by host and author Mike Luoma on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio! Alibi Jones and the Time War of The Devrizium continues, as Alibi tries to figure out why he has two sets of memories of a single event – how can he remember something happening two different ways? It's a great time to listen as The Adventures of Alibi Jones continue! Subscribe and/or download Mike's original, independent SF for free – now on Spotify! 



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Mike plays music from Wolfhand on this show – find them on Bandcamp: https://wolfhandvt.bandcamp.com/     

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Wow... Wolfhand!

Wolfhand... Wow! It is kind of amazing to find a new band whose music you love, isn't it?

Was meditating in my room last night - you know, trying to figure out life and stuff - when the urge to see live music hit hard - the need to feel some bass, hear some shredding guitar, fall into entrainment with the rhythm, the beat. From an inkling through an urge it grew into action, and so I walked to The Monkey House in Winooski  to check out Wolfhand, A Deer A Horse, Father Figuer, and Greaseface.

Our Burlington, Vermont music scene is incredible, always has been - discovered that when I came up to St. Michael's College in the fall of '83. First two weekends featured crazy good live bands: Freshman "Dance", The Decentz, the Welcome Back "Dance", Pinhead. So tight! Great musicians and performers. Had to ask, "Where are they from?" Here. Really? Struck me then - guess great music has to come from somewhere!

Used to be, you'd see a line-up of bands in a club listing and, if you didn't know the bands, have to kind of guess at what they'd be playing, usually based on their names: "Screaming Broccoli? Huh. Punk? Maybe?" Now, you check the Facebook Event, follow links to band pages and Soundcloud and Bandcamp, you can listen to some tunes and maybe get some idea of what you might hear.

Arrived a little after 10, rather sure I'd missed one of the bands. A loud, loose young punk band was thrashing on stage, which I think was Greasepaint. It was a sparse crowd - easy to spot members of two other bands hanging together. The short-haired women were probably A Deer, A Horse, and it seemed a pretty safe bet the guys in black were Wolfhand. I'd missed Father Figuer.

The band on stage finished their fun. A Deer, A Horse ripped through a visceral set full of shredding leads, emotional to screaming vocals, and great globs of sustained bass. Felt good. But I was really looking forward to Wolfhand, based on the all of 15 minutes I'd spent checking out snippets of music deciding which live show to head out to. The little I'd heard of their stuff made me curious - sounded like dark, progressive rock. Which I kind of like.

Turned out to be just what I needed! To use some lazy musical shorthand, the music sounded like early, darker-edged, instrumental Pink Floyd. Definitely heavier in spots. Ambient in others. Very cinematic - a sense of epic scale, at times. They were playing before only a handful of us, but they poured themselves into it, and the small crowd was enrapt, and as appreciative with applause as we could be.

The way I'm wired, if I'm getting into a band and its music, I need to tell everyone about them. That's why I'm a Music Director. And, thus this blog post. Last night, it began with Instagram:

This is what you just happen across in our music scene - wow!! Wolfhand, I do believe... #amazing #darkprog #whatineeded

A post shared by Michael Luoma (@glowinthedarkradio) on Jun 15, 2018 at 8:56pm PDT

Spoke briefly with a couple band members after, expressing my love for what I'd heard. Don't know anyone in the band, which kind of makes it cooler, somehow? Adds mystique, in a way. Got home, bought their music on bandcamp, "Liked" their facebook page, sent them a facebook message telling them I'd liked their set, shared more posts on facebook and Twitter... can't help myself. When I get into a band and their music, this is what I do!

There's a looseness, still, in their recorded output available on bandcamp. They were a bit tighter live. They announced from the stage last night that they're going into the studio to record a new album - which I'm now very much looking forward to.

Downloaded what I could from bandcamp. Picked up their PLAGUELANDS EP, which came out in December - Bandit Cult (7:15), Plague Bearer (6:44), and Doomed Convoy (6:44). Also got the other tracks at bandcamp - the Doomed Convoy (Demo) (7:33) and Desert Altar (Demo) (10:23) from early 2017, and That Weapon Will Replace Your Tongue (9:24) from the fall of 2016.

Check out Doomed Convoy:


I'm so looking forward to seeing them live again! The next event I see listed is at Higher Ground on July 20th, supporting Voices In Vain at their record release show. There are a few bands on the bill - hope they get some time to play.

Their live set last night was exactly what I needed. Love it when the stars align!

"About Time" You Listened!

Get Free audio science fiction adventure narrated by host and author Mike Luoma on every episode of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio! Subscribe and/or download Mike's original, independent SF for free. And join us this week for the short stand-alone story Alibi Jones: About Time as The Adventures of Alibi Jones continue! 

Alibi's old lover Shirra seems to specialize in getting into deep trouble. When she shows up with a box stolen from the mysterious, time-travelling race known as The Devrizium, major consequences soon follow. Alibi ends up beside himself. Literally! Time travel, old lovers, hostile aliens – it's a great time to listen, a new start as Alibi Jones and the Time War of The Devrizium begins!  



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Escape Is At Hand?

Escape is at hand for the traveling band – Alibi Jones, his ex-girlfriend Katie Ramsey, and the Dakhur Kitrafgrundlerralkazh aka Kit. They've made it off the surface of the planet Kismet – have they really escaped? Maybe... it is the end of Alibi Jones and The Sunrise of Hur – Chapter Twenty-Nine and the Epilog – as The Adventures of Alibi Jones continue on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio! Your host, writer Mike Luoma, narrates his science fiction – you get free audio adventures every episode! Want to listen to Alibi Jones and The Sunrise of Hur all the way through? Head back to Episode 445, released back in August of 2017, for Chapter One. And join us next week as Alibi Jones and the Time War of The Devrizium begins!  



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Spotlight Song of the Day - Million Miles "Ice Cream and Cigarettes"

Hey! Been a while. Like... almost a month! Two reasons - hadn't heard anything that made me jump up and shout, "I must shine a musical spotlight on this!" And? I've been busy working on this streaming station you need to know about - WBKM.org! Join me live each weekday at Noon (ET), and check out the mix I help set up the rest of the time - we've put together an adult alternative radio station that doesn't insult your musical intelligence. You can listen on TuneIn, too: WBKM - Burlington's Kinda Music. Our app is in development now.

Maybe it was all the focus on my new gig, but nothing brand-new really grabbed my attention. Until last night - as I listened to a wave of new releases, there were several tracks that hit me - that demanded I pay attention. Which was good, as I was lining up music for Fresh Cuts. Which, as I write, is coming up in a couple of hours, Friday at Noon on WBKM.org. The new tunes lined up to take their turns in the spotlight, too - got some new Spotlight Songs of the Day on the way.

First, I'd ask you to listen to the amazing vocals of Sophie Baudry - Million Miles - on this new one "Ice Cream and Cigarettes" - man! She makes a statement here, establishes an immediate presence, blows you away with the pureness of her tone coupled with an emotional investment that shines through her talent and vocal prowess. She's good! Her PR makes her sound worldly as well - raised in Paris, lives in London, trained at the Berklee School of Music in Boston - and she wrote and recorded her debut EP in Nashville.

The EP - Berry Hill - came out back in November, but is only now surfacing and garnering attention. Sometimes, it takes a while. But a talent like Sophie Baudry's  can't long be denied - listen to "Ice Cream and Cigarettes" and see what you think. Check it out!

YouTube:

Spotify:


And remember to listen in to WBKM.org at Noon (ET) on weekdays!

The Man in the Way

Standing in the way of Alibi Jones, his ex-girlfriend Katie and the Dakhur Kit's escape from the planet Kismet is the very man they're trying to escape from – Rene Laveillur! The crime lord unintentionally blocks their route – can they get past him? Or will they have to try something more desperate? The Adventures of Alibi Jones continue on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio - free audio science fiction adventure every episode! Host, writer and reader Mike Luoma sets the stage so you can enjoy this chapter even if this is your first time listening – the penultimate Chapter Twenty-Eight of Alibi Jones and The Sunrise of Hur!     



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Balticon this weekend! Details: http://Balticon.org  

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Life's Big Red Reset Button...

Alibi Jones' plans for rescuing his ex-girlfriend Katie and the Dakhur Kit from Kismet have died with Alibi's co-conspirator Brady Thomas. Alibi, Katie and Kit had to abandon their first escape attempt and return to the city. Can they get back to the spaceport and Thomas' ship, and get off the planet? Find out in Chapter Twenty-Seven of Alibi Jones and The Sunrise of Hur! Free audio science fiction adventure written and read each week by Mike Luoma - The Adventures of Alibi Jones continue on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio!    



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Spotlight Song of the Day - Gin Wigmore "Girl Gang"

One of the things I pride myself on as a Music Director is my "Ear" - an ability, based on years of listening, observation, training and instinct, to find music people will like. Sometimes, they're songs I don't even like myself... but I know a lot of other people will. I can hear a potential for mass appeal in a song - spot a "hit" - that's my "ear".

It's not something easily analyzed, reproduced or quantifiable, so bean counters find it hard to value, but my efforts speak for themselves. The kind letter of recommendation from my former Program Director credits me with helping discover Nathaniel Rateliff and the Nightsweats, Of Monsters and Men, SYML, and Lorde, for example. I hear stuff.

And? I just heard a hit.

I mean, it's not one, yet. But I figure a few women and girls hear this and start spreading it around, it's gonna catch like wildfire! I could be wrong. But this speaks to female empowerment in a fun and awesome way that - I think - women are going to dig. Even if I can't join, I'm still digging Gin's "Girl Gang" - it kicks ass! I don't even care if it's mine. It's on her new album Ivory - out now. If you like the tune, share it - let's make it a hit!

Song of the Day Spotlight - Kyle Craft "Heartbreak Junky"

Kyle Craft's new album Full-Circle Nightmare arrived back in February, with "Heartbreak Junky" - the lead single - appearing back in November. So this song has been out for a little while. This is one of those catch-up tracks I wish more people knew about. The "rule" in radio and music releases is that you can't go back - unless something is a new release, it can't gain the kind of traction it needs to take off. Therefore, a song can't get popular if it's already been out and ignored for a while.

Well, until one does. Because it does happen, the exceptions that prove the rule? I suppose so. Usually, it's because a song is used in some other context - a movie scene, a TV commercial or TV show. An effective "sync" - as they call those placements - can not only introduce a new song, it can also give life to an older one. And so, I'm ignoring the "rule" and telling you to check this song out!

Using musical shorthand, Craft's music sounds to me like Ryan Adams meets Mott the Hoople, riding the edge of chaos and raw emotion with an almost honky-tonk rock n'roll vibe. He played Higher Ground not long ago - check out my LIVE facebook VIDEO of him performing this tune! Unfortunately, the show wasn't well attended. We gotta get more people out to see him next time!

Check out "Heartbreak Junky". Maybe I'll see you the next time Kyle Craft comes our way!

The Getaway?

Alibi Jones has spirited away his ex-girlfriend Katie and his ex-friend, the Dakhur Kit, and now, with bounty hunter Brady Thomas, they're about to try to leave Kismet and the clutches of crime lord Rene Laveillur! See if Alibi and Brady's escape plans keep working in Chapter Twenty-Six of Alibi Jones and The Sunrise of Hur. The Adventures of Alibi Jones continue – written and read by host Mike Luoma. Free audio science fiction adventure on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio!   



Join the mailing list: http://eepurl.com/0_Z7z   

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Check out Mike's new radio home! http://wbkm.org  

Home(s): http://mikeluoma.com - http://glowinthedarkradio.com - http://alibijones.com

Song of the Day Spotlight - S. Carey "More I See"

Speaking of music... before we begin, a plug - please give a listen to my new radio home WBKM.org - I'm on weekdays at Noon!

Onward...

Ethereal. Love that word. Been getting a little too much use lately, however. It's not a rugged word, one must treat it delicately, like gossamer and meringue. I blame the New Age movement for its overuse! All the same, ethereal is the word that first comes to mind to describe the music of Sean Carey. Have to employ it. And on his new album Hundred Acres, released at the end of February, S. Carey has once again delivered a beautiful and, yeah - ethereal - collection of music.

Carey is also a member of Justin Vernon's Bon Iver. This is one of those cases where I like the "sideman's" work a whole lot more than the more famous group's. Not a big Bon Iver fan - find them too precious and overly self-indulgent, recent works so much so as to be unlistenable. Of course, some hail Vernon as an incredible innovator and artist. Music is subjective, and that's a beautiful thing.

I'm glad Bon Iver has an audience and support for the work - it just doesn't speak to me. Don't mean to belabor the point, just want to be clear I'm not a critic - please don't take my dismissal of anything as a judgement that something is BAD. As an independent creator, I know that what I make isn't for everyone. Neither is the work of any true artist - artistry is a blend of individual vision and universal message.

Fine art leans to the individual vision, mass art towards the universal. Too universal, one loses the art - sacrificing vision for mass appeal. Too individual, one loses the broader audience. However, with power in an individual vision, and some relation to the universals, an artist can still find their audience. And Bon Iver has. I'm not disrespecting Vernon. This world needs a whole lot more people realizing what they don't like isn't bad. It just isn't for them. Bon Iver isn't for me.

And I love Carey's solo work so much more! He leans more towards the universal, yet still explores the atmospheric soundscapes and employs the angelic, reverbed falsettos of early Bon Iver. Previous releases have been filled more with sonic meditations than traditionally structured songs. In fact, the Supermoon EP, his release prior to the new full length, was recorded during a Supermoon in 2014, and features some of his already sparse, atmospheric gems from his first two albums stripped down even further - just Sean on a hot mic to catch his breaths and breathy vocals, accompanied by his piano and occasionally a touch of strings.

I clued in to Carey's work with his last album, Range of Light, from early 2014, with the beautiful, haunting "Fire-Scene" - worth a listen, especially if you like the new track I'm about to bring you. And let's get to that, shall we?

"More I See" is representative of S. Carey's new work Hundred Acres and its more focused, structured songs. It still floats among the clouds - breathy vocals, strummed guitar... but there's maybe a little less reverb than in the past, and even a bit of a hook in the repetition of "...the more I see...". If you do enjoy this, be sure to check out more from S. Carey!

Spotlight Song of the Day - Lo Moon "All In"

I love this song... before I get into it, though - in case you haven't heard, or to remind you - I'm back on the radio! AND you can listen to me all over the world - on WBKM.org! Noon Eastern time every weekday. PLUS I'm helping program the station even when I'm not on the air, so aside from the many fine specialty shows on the station, you're hearing a mix I help create. Listen in!

You just might hear Lo Moon "All In"...

We were introduced to Lo Moon very slowly, beginning with the September 2016 release of the brilliant "Loveless", their first "single". Of course, a track that clocks in at over seven minutes isn't really a single... I didn't care. The majestic build, atmospherics, the tension and the release as the timpanic drums roll in created such anticipation - could not wait to hear more from this band!

But we would have to. They had a plan...and Anticipation was its name-o. They'd release a few more songs, and over a year would pass, before the album finally came our way, at the end of this February. We got "This Is It" in May of 2017, "Thorns" in October, "Real Love" in January of this year, "My Money" in mid-February, just before we got the album itself - the self-titled Lo Moon - on February 23rd. Almost a year-and-a-half between the release of the first track and the album!

I did get to see the band live, at about the halfway point - in August of last year, out a radio music conference in Boulder, Colorado. They were amazing - really moved me, in a brief outdoor performance, under a tent, outdoors, after lunch. Lo Moon is a band whose sound seems suited to dark clubs, cool lighting and fog billowing across the stage, but they managed to create the mood, the vibe, and the feeling even in almost diametrically opposed surroundings.

Give a listen to Lo Moon - you'll certainly hear echoes of Peter Gabriel and Talk Talk, both obvious influences on the band - but you'll also hear the sound that is Lo Moon, a fusion of those earlier inspirations which then goes on further, to become its own new thing. Check out "All In"

Join Me on WBKM.org!

OK - no new Song of the Day Spotlight today, but for a very good reason - I'm prepping for my first show at my new stomping grounds, WBKM.org! I'm getting into internet radio with a station that founder Tony Gallucci helped shepherd through the last 10 years, building an impressive musical entity.

Now, I'm joining Tony at WBKM.org to help build the future! I'll be on weekdays beginning at Noon (EDT) starting TODAY. Join us and find out what the future has in store...

Song of the Day Spotlight - Darlingside "Futures"

If you're a writer, you've no doubt heard the phrase, "kill your darlings." I've seen it attributed to William Faulkner. Whoever it originates with, the idea behind the phrase is that you have to edit yourself. You'll write sentences, dialog, scenes, which you love - your "darlings" - but which often must be edited out - "killed" - for the sake of the integrity of the work. Or just to make it better.

Loved the music of Darlingside for a long time before someone I was with asked them where the name of the band came from. I'd interviewed them on the radio several times, but the question never came up.  David Senft explained to us how the name originated with the literary phrase - and that they'd changed the "c" in "-cide" to an "s" so people would say it correctly.

Aha! It was a "light-bulb" moment - made so much sense! And made me love the band and their music even more. Informs the way some perceive the band, too, I think - NPR called their music "exquisitely-arranged, literary-minded, baroque folk-pop” - a quote you'll find on the band's Wikipedia page. Ironically, it's a nice turn of phrase, but a bit of a darling itself - doesn't really describe the band and their music with much specificity.

Darlingside is a four-piece based out of the Boston, Massachusetts area. Really got into their music with the release of their last album, 2015's brilliant Birds Say - we played the track "Go Back" a bunch on the radio in Vermont. Don Mitchell, Auyon Mukharji, Harris Paseltine and David Senft gather 'round a single condenser microphone on stage and let their harmonies flow - their voices work incredibly well together, with the harmonies indeed being "exquisitely-arranged".

The four switch between an array of instruments depending on the song, all seemingly adept on a few. Guitars, bass, a kick-drum, but also mandolins, violins, keyboards and other oddities - a few songs on the new album Extralife even feature a bizaare little hand-held synth called the Septavox, for example.

They're gifted musicians, talented vocalists, hard workers and genuinely nice people. Hard not to root for them, so... I do! As I embark on new adventures, I'm truly enjoying this new track from their album Extralife - the album came out at the end of February. The whole thing is beautiful - if you like this track, check out the rest. This is "Futures"

Song of the Day Spotlight - Jonathan Wilson "There's A Light"

Hey - do you like these Song of the Day Spotlights? Haven't seen a whole lot of reaction. I'm not sure I'm going to keep posting them. Please let me know, either with a comment, or by sharing/mentioning on social media, or shooting me an email at glowinthedarkradio -at- gmail -dot- com. There are other ways I can bring you new music you might enjoy - let me know if these spotlights have been working for you.

Today's spotlight falls on the second single from an album that arrived on March 2nd. The official video, and a new acoustic version, just came out last week. The fact it's a second single got me thinking...

Sometimes the first track - now, often, tracks - released from an album won't catch your attention. We in radio sometimes chide record companies for "picking the wrong first track" on an album project. But it's not an exact science, no matter how many metrics they bring in, with streaming spins, Shazams, shares, and such all now tabulated and collated and studied like numerical tea leaves - marketing magick attempting to predict listening. Doesn't always work. Surprise.

I love the inexactitude of music, its inability to be entirely accounted for by quantitative measurements. Sure, you can - and they do - research music. You can identify through auditorium testing what 200 old rock tunes you should play to keep 25 to 54 year old men listening to your classic rock radio station. For example. It's easy - and safe - to determine and play what people have liked.

Much harder to predict what people will like, in the future. That's the risk with new music, as seen from the bean counters' viewpoint - you can't test and predict consumer behavior toward the music product when it's new music - too many unknowns! Harumph! Once a tune starts spinning, you can gauge reaction, but how do you decide what to play in the first place? Can't really test for that. If you've ever wondered why more stations don't play more unknown or new music, that's why - the bean counters demand a mitigation of the risk - play safe songs that keep them listening.

But I digress... the reason I got into all of that in the first place was that I didn't "hear" the first track from Jonathan Wilson's new album Rare Birds. I mean, probably listened to it - try to check out as much new music as possible - but it didn't "stick" - didn't register. But the Laurel Canyon-meets-George Harrison-esque "There's A Light" grabbed me first listen! It has a deliberately positive message, and brings Light and hope for the future, even if the Light is only spotlights now, and not the brightness we might all desire. Check it out:

Do I know if you'll like this song? Heck no. But I know that I do, and I hear a certain something in it that makes me think others might, too. And that's how I pick new music to play - I listen for that certain something. What is that? Don't know. That is about as specific as I can get! Don't know how to define it, and I don't think I can or maybe should even try to... much as the bean counters might want it dissected, quantified and stickered with a price tag. Too bad for them.

Better for us!

And again, please let me know if you like these Spotlights - should I keep posting them? Please let me know. Thanks! - Mike

Song of the Day Spotlight - Frank Turner "Be More Kind"

What the world needs now...

U.K. folk-punk-rocker Frank Turner's new album Be More Kind comes out May 4th. There's a great interview with Frank about it this week in The Sun. He was inspired by poet Clive James, who closes his poem Leçons Des Ténèbres with “I should have been more kind. It is my fate. To find this out, but find it out too late.”

From the article:

Turner says: “It really made me think and start with a new direction for my record. 

“Clive James is not the only person who has made that comment. (American writer) Kurt Vonnegut also said something similar. There are a lot of people who have said it. It tends to be people who are near the end of their life. It therefore comes with a lot of weight and wisdom attached to it as far as I am concerned. 

“Today it’s so tempting for everybody to get angry as your first response. There are times when we should get angry but I feel like we’ve forgotten how to argue properly or at least in a civil way."

Amen. Be more kind.

The lyrics are below the posted song, worth reading along. This title track was released as an advance track on February 23rd. The record company, however, is pushing "Blackout" as a single - a fine song, but not as substantial as this one. This one has power, empathy, and hope. It's also quite beautiful!

If you're not familiar with Frank Turner, you should be! He's one of the most authentic voices out there making real music. He comes from a punk background (in the band Million Dead), but the acoustic guitar is now his "weapon" of choice - thus the "folk-punk" label. That classification doesn't do Turner's music true justice - back before everything got classified down into micro-genres, his stuff simply would have been called "Rock".

My love for his music began with the release of his 2011 album England Keep My Bones through the track "Peggy Sang the Blues". I've gone back for his older solo work before that, and kept up as he's released Tape Deck Heart, Positive Songs for Negative People, and compilations of rarities, singles and EPs. Very much looking forward to his new collection - and maybe after you hear this title track, you will be too.

And I just love this message - Be More Kind.

"Be More Kind"

History's been leaning on me lately
I can feel the future breathing down my neck
And all the things I thought were true when I was young, and you were too
Turned out to be broken, I don't know what comes next

In a world that has decided that it's going to lose its mind
Be more kind, my friends, try to be more kind

It seems like everybody's raising walls now
Like hackles raised upon a cornered cat
On the borders in our heads between things that can and can't be said
We stopped talking to each other and there's something wrong with that

So before you go out searching, don't decide what you'll find
Be more kind, my friends, try to be more kind

You should know you're not alone
Trouble comes and trouble goes
How this ends no one knows
So, hold on tight when the wind blows

The wind blew both of us to sand and sea
And where the dry lands stands is hard to say
As the current drags us by the shore we can no longer say for sure
Who's drowning, or if they can be saved

But when you're out there floundering, like a lighthouse I will shine
Be more kind, my friends, try to be more kind
Like a beacon reaching out to you and yours, for me and mine
Be more kind, my friends, try to be more kind
In a world that has decided that it's going to lose its mind
Be more kind, my friends, try to be more kind

Words and Music by Frank Turner

Song of the Day Spotlight - Lord Huron "Vide Noir"

The first time I heard this song, with it's haunting keyboards and sitar-like guitar, it hooked me - so good! I was listening to the new Lord Huron album Vide Noir track-by-track and hit the title song second from the end - not a single, nor an advance track - but a plain, old, hear-it-when-you-listen-to-the-whole-album sort of deep cut.

Lord Huron bring a sort of landscape portrait quality to their music, with evocative and atmospheric tunes which might fit comfortably on soundtracks for aerial films or big sky Westerns. Some have a darker, brooding feel, still others rock with an updated Buddy Holly-influenced honesty. There's usually a variety of sounds.

This album is still atmospheric, but all kind of dark and downtempo for my tastes. Wasn't even making it all the way through every tune as I checked it out. But then, I hit track 11. And it hit me back - it's awesome! Best tune on the new album, and that includes the single and the advance songs.

I appreciate the experimentation and weirdness of the first tracks released, "Ancient Names (Parts 1 & 2)", but they didn't hook me. The "official" single, "Wait By the River", is a bit too plodding for me - that's one slow river. In my first listen to the full album, too many songs seemed slowed down, and it began to feel like the band took the success of their "The Night We Met" as an indication many tunes' tempos should be slowed to match their hit.

But that allowed a sort-of sameness to creep in, and I grew a bit bored... until "Vide Noir" itself lifted me back up! It's still a little slow, but in a good way - it's slinky, haunting - "staring into a pure black hole" - heading for the edge - may not come back... with snapping fingers, or clapping hands, soaked in reverb, a solid bass line, and that slinky, sitar-like guitar... it's fine Lord Huron music. And, while not fast or uptempo by any stretch, there's more going on here, and enough to sink your teeth into to be satisfying.

Check it out - in my opinion, the best new song by Lord Huron "Vide Noir":

Songs of the Day Spotlights

Been fun bringing you a new tune almost every day! Here are the past week's songs:

Song of the Day Spotlight - Damien Jurado "Allocate"

Song of the Day Spotlight - King Tuff "Psycho Star"

Song of the Day Spotlight - In the Valley Below "Pink Chateau"

Song of the Day Spotlight - The Record Company "Life to Fix"

Song of the Day Spotlight - The Moondoggies "Easy Coming"

Song of the Day Spotlight - Leriche "Nomadic Heart"

Song of the Day Spotlight - A Perfect Circle "So Long, And Thanks for All the Fish"

And, curiously enough, you'll find all of them on my Spotify playlist The New Good Stuff -



Enjoy! So much great new music coming out!

Song of the Day Spotlight - Damien Jurado "Allocate"

Have to say... Music is amazing right now!

So many great new songs, new albums - what an incredible time to be a music fan! There's too much good music to be contained by radio, really...

An Adult Alternative Radio Music Director makes qualitative decisions about music, judging - this is good, this isn't. Part of that judgement involves assessing a song's mass appeal - will a lot of people like this? For some reason, I hear that quality in a song. Sure, psychologically, there's probably something in my wiring about pleasing other people that's not exactly healthy in that, but - oh well - it's who I am, and makes me good at what I do. 

In the first quarter of 2018, on through this month, there were so many new releases that - to my ears - sounded like amazing, mass appeal, yet quality, crafted tunes, we couldn't play them all on The Point. We have music meetings in radio - the stack of tunes I was bringing in for consideration for airplay just kept growing, and growing... and growing. There was no "room" for them all on the air, given the restrictions of rotations and all. Now, "freed" from those radio rotation concerns, I can tell you more, each day, about all this great new music!

Some of these songs are brand new - like The Record Company's latest, earlier this week. But some of these may be tunes from a little earlier this year which have not yet have been discovered by a large audience. 

In fact, two songs competed in my brain to be today's song of the day - a brand-new tune, and one that's been out for a couple weeks. Was going with the brand-new one, an album track, and soooo good - will tell you about it tomorrow. Because I had to put it on pause - today's song popped onto my mental jukebox and wouldn't go away, insisting I hadn't yet told you about how good it is!

Damien Jurado isn't an unknown, but he does operate slightly below the popular music radar, often classed as a "musician's musician" or a "critics' darling" - usually that means hardcore music fans love a musician and can't understand why their catchy tunes aren't more popular. 

We want to be surprised by music, taken on new adventures, but sometimes an echo of familiarity draws us in - sounding a little like something we've loved in the past isn't necessarily a drawback. As I first listened to Jurado's new single "Allocate" there came a haunting familiarity - it definitely reminded me of something else, but I couldn't quite place it. 

Now, given what I've done for a living, there are so many songs in my head, I'm often reminded of other songs - but not necessarily songs I've liked. "Allocate" reminded me of... something. not a famous song, but a favorite (I've since figured it out, but I'll save that revelation for some future mix). And it's not exact - they're different tunes. There was just... an echo.

The heartbeat strum draws you in, the guitar's rhythm entraining, close as it is to your own heart's beating. Then, Jurado's lilting voice floats in over the rhythm, gliding over the top and lifting the listener into the air with him, an ethereal thing, out of body, soaring up into the sky. 

I'm not quite sure what all the lyrics are, so I'm not quite sure what they mean, but it does sound like a break-up song, of sorts. The word "allocate" itself means to give out, distribute, or, more archaically, to locate. I don't think it's the latter, so it may be what Jurado is asking for here is more attention, or more love. Or, maybe, I'm reading my own experiences into the song. The best songs let you do that - it's almost two-way communication, in that sense.

The new album, coming May 4th on Secretly Canadian, is titled The Horizon Just Laughed. I'm not sure that gives us any more clues to the meaning of "Allocate", but maybe it does. Or, maybe, we should just listen to a great song and not think so much...

Enjoy!

Song of the Day Spotlight - King Tuff "Psycho Star"

I know it's the right Song of the Day for the Spotlight when, after deciding on it, the song won't get out of my head! King Tuff's Psycho Star is now firmly lodged in my mental jukebox.

Vermonter Kyle Thomas makes music under the name King Tuff. He released his new album The Other on April 13th on Sub Pop. In advance, he released this track Psycho Star. Given King Tuff's past sound, a sort of raw garage rock-meets-glam psychedelia, the title threw me at first - wasn't sure what we were in for... another lesson in expect the unexpected, it seems!

King Tuff smoothed over the rough edges, found a cool, earthy rhythm, and turned to more universal themes. Thomas acknowledges the "Chaos and confusion" of the present and then offers vague hope, of sorts, in pulling back to appreciate nature's power and the big picture of the universe, where we're either nothing at all - or everything. And he does it in such a "Beautifully bizarre" way you can’t help singing along!

Psycho Star shows King Tuff heading in a slightly different, new direction. Haven't had a chance to listen to the rest of The Other yet - looking forward to it. This song certainly represents a solid maturation of his garage rock aesthetic. More than that, it makes me sing, and gets stuck in my head!

Get ready to sing along as you listen to Psycho Star. Here are some of the chorus lyrics, so you're ready (the rest of the lyrics are posted below the song): Watching the wind blow/Watching the wind blow/Watching the rain so hard/Watching the fire/Getting higher/On This strange little star...

Enjoy!

Lyrics:

Looking out my window
There's no doubt about it
We don't belong in this world
Be better off without us

Madness and destruction
Maybe that is just who we are
The universe is mostly made of nothing
Isn't it so beautifully bizarre
That here we are

Watching the wind blow
Watching the wind blow
Watching the rain so hard
Watching the fire getting higher
On this strange little star

We were always dreaming
Of castles in the sky
Dreaming of another planet
How could we be so blind?

Chaos and confusion
Maybe that is really all we are
The universe is probably an illusion
But isn't it so beautifully bizarre
That here we are

Watching the wind blow
Watching the wind blow
Watching the rain so hard
Watching the fire getting higher
On this strange little star

Chaos and confusion
Is that really all that we are
The universe is probably an illusion
But isn't it so beautifully bizarre
That here we are

Watching the wind blow
Watching the wind blow
Watching the rain so hard
Watching the fire getting higher
On this strange little star

Songwriters: Kyle Matthew Thomas

Psycho Star lyrics © Third Side Music Inc.

Song of the Day Spotlight - In the Valley Below "Pink Chateau"

Slinky. Sexy. Sensuous. Playful! All of the above, really... and it sticks in your head, too. "Pink Chateau" comes from the Elephant EP from In The Valley Below, husband and wife duo Jeffrey Jacob Mendel and Angela Gail Mattson . The EP was released last July, but "Pink Chateau" was put out as a single and video more recently.

Gail says the tune is "an invitation to sex." She's singing about her Pink Chateau in the valley below... hmmm. Not especially subtle, but not screamingly obvious, either. And as I said, incredibly catchy! This song has managed to lodge itself in my subconscious - it keeps floating back up into my mind, insinuating itself into my thoughts, until I find myself singing, "Simmer down, it's indigo..." or "I've got something you don't..."

If you're ready to get a song stuck in your head, give a listen:

You can read a little more about the band in the Atwood Magazine article that Gail's quote above comes from: http://atwoodmagazine.com/itvb-elephant-interview-valley-below/.

The Escape Plan...

Alibi Jones saved his ex-girlfriend Katie. He'll next try to free cat-like Kit. Then, they'll try to leave Kismet and escape the clutches of crime lord Rene Laveillur! See how far they get in Chapter Twenty-Five of Alibi Jones and The Sunrise of Hur! Free audio science fiction adventure written and read by host Mike Luoma - The Adventures of Alibi Jones continue on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio!   



Join the mailing list: http://eepurl.com/0_Z7z   
Listen to Glow-in-the-Dark Radio on RadioPublic! https://play.radiopublic.com/mike-luomas-glowinthedark-radio-podcast-WwYzZ8   
Home(s): http://mikeluoma.com - http://glowinthedarkradio.com - http://alibijones.com

Song of the Day Spotlight - The Record Company "Life to Fix"

First off, I just like these guys, personally. They're three genuinely nice and, well... genuine folks. The Record Company came in, played live and chatted with me on the air a couple of times when I was with The Point. They're for real - true - authentic in who they are and what they're doing. Felt a real connection with Chris, Alex and Mark. That's Chris Vos, singer, harmonica and guitar player, Alex Stiff, bassist and producer, and Mark Cazorla, drummer and percussionist.

If I can get real for a second? I'm a horrible purist - I'm not one. I like blends, mixes, hybrids, melanges - purist expressions kind of bore me. Can't take too much pure reggae, or pure bluegrass, for example... or pure blues. Sorry. I need music to transcend its genre, if that makes sense. Hope it doesn't sound too musically arrogant. Can't help it - I just need something more.

The Record Company are the closest thing to pure blues rock that has moved me in a long time - because they do infuse the genre with something more, something extra - something original and purely them. I'm not exactly sure what that is - and that's okay. It just works.

Sometimes what elevates a deceptively simple band (what, a three piece?) is a bass player with a strong sense of melody, whose bass lines act as a sort of rhythmic lead. Mike Mills of R.E.M. is one example, often carrying the melody of the song while Peter Buck plays a rhythm part.

His production work on their recordings speaks to Alex's great ears - but it's Alex's bass playing that helps set The Record Company apart from so many of their peers. Kind of amazing something so solid, such glue holding it all together, can still be so damn fluid!

Don't mean to diminish Mark's contributions, either. A melodic bassist can't ride the melody if his percussionist doesn't give him a foundation he trusts and can rely on - Mark is solid. Yet he, too, plays with a sense of melody, as so many of the great drummers have, giving each piece in his kit its own voice. There's a certain funkiness within his precise timekeeping, too - not ostentatious but not, well... boring.

With this kind of foundation, Chris can then let fly - he knows the other two have his back. He can conjure up images, situations, free himself to sing about it all, knowing his brother bandmates are there to bring him in for a safe landing in the end. Doesn't hurt that he's got great pipes and can wail on both the guitar and harmonica, and knows how to work a crowd until they're sitting in the palm of his hand. His easy charisma draws you in, a humble shaman, not out to merely charm you but to rock your soul...

Their new tune "Life to Fix" - just out - encapsulates their dynamic beautifully, opening with Alex laying down the bass, Mark coming in on drums, and then Chris taking off on vocals and guitar. Not only does it highlight the band's strengths, it gives fans even more reason to look forward to the new album - sounds like they're both stepping it up, and staying true to themselves. And that sounds very, very good!

Actually, it sounds a lot like this:

The new album, All Of This Life, comes out June 22nd on Concord. It had been fun before talking with the band about how made their breakthrough album, Give It Back to You, in Alex's living room. In a new article in Jambase, Chris says, “After that first album, everything just got amplified.Our lives got crazier and bigger and more complicated in the best possible ways, and our sound and our songwriting just naturally grew alongside that. We’re the same people we always were, but The Record Company isn’t just three guys in a living room anymore.” (https://www.jambase.com/article/record-company-announces-new-album-shares-single-confirms-2018-fall-tour)

They may not be in the living room anymore, but they haven't lost their touch, their authenticity, or their ability to craft a kick-ass blues rock tune! Looking forward to hearing the rest of All This Life - here's hoping "Life to Fix" is a sign of great things to come.

Song of the Day Spotlight - The Moondoggies "Easy Coming"

The Moondoggies new album A Love Sleeps Deep came out last Friday (4/13/18). It's brilliant! Mesmerizing and perfect in so many ways... have to review the whole album soon. They are their own thing, have their own sound, yet follow in the footsteps of pre-Dark Side Pink Floyd and the psychedelic Bay Area bands of the late 1960's.

Do you love the sound of organ, piano, synthesizers, most keyboards, as part of a rock band? I gotta have the guitar, drums, and bass, but love the sweetening, the atmosphere, washes, and subtler backgrounds of the synths and organs - and the more foreground and percussive contributions of the piano as well. Gimme keyboards!

The Moondoggies incorporate a pretty sweet organ sound alongside their chiming lead guitar, noodly rhythm, and Laurel Canyon-esque harmony vocals, giving them a lush, full sound that recalls bygone eras, yet creates a haunting and beautiful moment in the here and now. The new album is hitting me in a big way only a few listens in - who needs a review? Just dive into A Love Sleeps Deep!

Check out the song that leads off the album, "Easy Coming" - hope you love it like I do.

A Love Sleeps Deep is out now on Hardly Art. And it's brilliant!

The Glow-in-the-Dark Radio Blend on Spotify

Exploring the many different ways to bring you music experiences... check out the new Glow-in-the-Dark Radio Weekly Playlist on Spotify!


There's a deliberate, artistic flow built into the playlist - please listen through at least the first time, before shuffling.Selections aren't restricted by radio format or music genre, though this is a rock-based playlist, and most selections come from the worlds of rock, alternative, adult alternative and progressive rock.

There are several new songs in the mix - The Moondoggies "Easy Coming" off their brand-new album A Love Sleeps Deep leads us into the mix and sets the initial tone - I love this song! Just started listening to the full album - pretty solid so far, a couple listens in, beautiful work.

The new songs in this mix that I haven't told you about before you'll probably find in my Song of the Day Spotlight soon.

Speaking of telling you about stuff, back in January, I told you how blown away I was by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard's Polygondwanaland. The three songs here are, in truth, three parts of one longer song - they run right together - the title track into "The Castle in the Air" into "Dunes..."

The rest, I'll let speak for themselves. At least for now.

Let me know what you think! Comment here, below, or on facebook or Twitter. Thanks for listening!

Song of the Day Spotlight - Leriche "Nomadic Heart"

Before I get to the song, a word about what I'm doing and who I am... I hope to shine a light on songs you might otherwise miss, less obvious discoveries the usual blogs and radio stations haven't clued into. There is so much new music being brought into the world every day. Streaming services, radio stations and the rest can only bring you so much. And sometimes, too much! They mean well. But they sometimes end up, in the interest of offering variety and depth, throwing too much at the listener.

Maybe we're entering a new era where people will look to voices they trust to recommend new music. Call us "Curators" or Music Directors or Critics - there could be more use for gatekeepers who refine the flow as the volume continues to gush out. Could just be wishful thinking. I'll offer this and we'll see. Actually, not as a Critic. I'd rather not be a critic - I've done that, and I don't like it. I don't like pointing out weaknesses and faults in music. I'm only going to bring you new tunes I can get behind.

That said... why should you listen to me? Well... I do have a track record (pun intended). Last eight years I was Music Director for The Point in Vermont, an Adult Alternative radio network. Found many a great tune for the radio, sometimes discovering of artists like SYML, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Nightsweats or Lorde. My "ear" is for music that tries for a certain universality, while maintaining its own identity and originality - songs with some mass appeal, with intelligence. Hopefully

All that said, check out Canadian artist LeRiche - the performing name of Brad Leriche, from Newfoundland and Labrador. As I've already written a bunch - granted, not related to the song, but still - I don't want to say too much else.

So, I'll cheat and use a shortcut - if you like Ed Sheeran, Noah Kahan, Passenger, SYML or similar sounds, you might really love this one. It's from LeRiche's X-Dreamer EP. Check out "Nomadic Heart". Think you'll be glad you did. If you like it, tip your friends off and look really hip... ;-)

Let me know what you think! Comment below or send email to glowinthedarkradio {at} gmail {dot} com. Or stop by http://facebook.com/MikeLuoma or http://twitter.com/MikeLuoma and say hello!