Music to paint plates by

Maybe Means No by Jill Whit

"I Should've Stayed Home" out March 20, 2021

Music and lyrics by Lindsay Baffo

Vox/guitar- Lindsay Baffo
Bass- Gus Puga
Drums- Tib Van Dyke Jr.
Guitar- Carlos Marroquin

Music and Lyrics by Lindsay Baffo

Tracks 1-8 recorded, mixed and mastered by Danny Balistocky at Rev 9 Recording in Hollywood, CA

Track 9 recorded, mixed and mastered by Michael Keehan at Downtown Rehearsal in Los Angeles, CA

Artwork by Simone Arasimowicz

What's The Craic?

Allo Darlin’ are set to release their eagerly awaited new album We Come From the Same Place this October. The third full-length recording from the much loved Anglo-Australian four-piece is made up of smart, beautiful pop music, with lyrics that resonate with experience and melodies that chime, echo and soar.

The album combines the eagerness, urgency and immediacy of their 2010 self-titled debut with the contemplation, sophistication and ambition of their 2012 follow-up Europe, and yet it goes beyond either in both songs and sound. Lyrically the album fuses storytelling and conversational elements to ask questions of the listener, often flipping between time and location, external and internal. Sonically it's a progression too: the loud parts are louder, the quiet parts more stripped down, and there is more space in the music for everything to resonate, while rhythmically the band stray further from the indie dancehall and embrace other patterns. To quote guitarist Paul Rains, “I think of it as being high contrast. And it's sort of fleshy. And it makes me think of skin that smells really good.”

We Come From The Same Place was written at a time of considerable change for songwriter Elizabeth Morris, a time during which she fell in love, moved to Italy and got married - not that that seems to have hindered the songwriting process, as Elizabeth explains, “So many things have happened since I first wrote the songs that make up this album, it´s difficult to remember back to where it all began. The songs were written very quickly, during a period when I found writing songs very easy, whereas I often find songwriting very difficult. Some of the songs were written so fast I can´t even really remember writing them. The songs were a joy to write, and writing them made me feel better about lots of things.”

If the songs came quickly the recording of the album was a more considered process, with the band first testing out the new material at a series of small shows – christened the Compass Shows – in North, South, East and West London. They then returned to their spiritual home of Soup Studios, where they recorded their first album, to work with their long-term collaborator, producer Simon Trought. The intention was to capture a more instinctive and fluid live studio sound and to play as well as possible while the red button was on, a different approach to the more piecemeal recording of their previous two albums. Or as Paul Rains put it, “We've used three years of touring to try and get some of that sweat and grime and togetherness and sweetness and anxiety onto a record.”

One of the themes of the new record is new beginnings and things drawing to a close. ”Nothing feels the way it did before and I am grateful for that”, sings Elizabeth on "Crickets in the Rain", a song written after her move to Italy and which she describes as “anti-nostalgia”. Built along the same lines is the gorgeous “History Lessons”, of which Elizabeth says, “I guess at some point I became a bit tired of everything seeming better in the past, from music to relationships to buildings to societies. We´re a bit obsessed with it and it can become overwhelming. We don´t live in the present. This song is trying to express that frustration.”

Among the highlights of the album is “Bright Eyes”, a duet with guitarist Paul Rains. Elizabeth again, “I wanted to write another duet, but the only problem with doing that is that when you play live it´s very rare that the person you recorded it with can be there. So I thought it would be great to write a song with Paul singing the other part. I love Paul´s singing and I wanted to hear him do it more, so it´s quite selfish really!” Another standout is the Twin Peaks-referencing “Half-Heart Necklace”, based on a true story from Elizabeth’s hometown. “There had been some murders, and this girl who was my age was missing and presumed killed. It turned out she had been hiding for years in her boyfriend´s cupboard, and she was charged for wasting police time”. 
 
Other notable tracks include the rollicking “Kings and Queens”, inspired by a show they played in the USA with their friends and kindred spirits The Wave Pictures, and “Romance and Adventure”, originally earmarked for a film soundtrack and written in response to a challenge from Paul to write a pop song in a minor key. Bass player Bill Botting sums up Elizabeth’s remarkable songwriting ability by saying, “The key to Elizabeth’s songwriting appeal is that she’s so adept at pinpointing certain ideas and moods; leaving one city and finding a new one and realising that beginnings and endings have a lot in common.”

Allo Darlin’ were formed after Australian Elizabeth Morris arrived in London and bought a ukulele from the Duke of Uke shop in Shoreditch. She began writing music and was soon joined by fellow Australian Bill Botting (bass), Paul Rains (guitar), and Michael Collins (drums).  Their debut album attracted many plaudits including being named No. 2 record of the year by online retailer eMusic, and a glowing 1,200 word essay by Robert Forster of The Go-Betweens in the Australian critical magazine, The Monthly. Their second album ‘Europe’ scored 8.1 on Pitchfork, was made USA Today’s Album Of The Week, and garnered praise from Uncut, Q, NME, The Quietus and The Guardian. It was also named Rough Trade Shop’s Album Of The Month, where it went on to become the biggest selling album of the year. The band have been playlisted at BBC 6Music and have recorded sessions for Lauren Laverne, Marc Riley and John Kennedy (XFM), as well being Steve Lamacq’s personal pick for BBC Introducing. Their releases to date, along with their joyous and effervescent live shows, have seen them build an intensely loyal and ever-increasing fanbase.

The truism is that third albums are difficult beasts, but by remaining true to themselves Allo Darlin’ have side-stepped the pitfalls to produce a wonderful record - thoughtful and exciting and exquisitely played – that will please their existing army of fans and newcomers alike. On first reading the album’s title may seem enigmatic, but from the very personal nature of Elizabeth Morris’ finely drawn vignettes to the more universal connections between the band and their audience, its meaning will be obvious to all who fall under the spell of this magical band.

"Breezy rom-pop brilliance." 8/10, NME

“Classic indie pop... doesn't rewrite the formula for wistful bedsit charm as much as show that it can still be carried out masterfully.” Pitchfork

“A masterclass of modern cult pop.” The Guardian

“Terrific, witty and heartfelt, like a less moody Belle & Sebastian.” The New York Times


Allo Darlin' - Bright Eyes

Double Dutch Bus

Grab it on iTunes!

Frankie Smith - Double Dutch Bus

Better son or daughter by Rilo Kiley

drive away a different day

Feedback Over Talent

No Pocky for Kitty (Remastered)

Tie a Rope to the Back of the Bus

Helpless Huw - Baby We're Not In Love

Love is a Word is the second track taken from the forthcoming City Rock Dove from The Smittens.

Missy says: “This song came after I heard the buzz and learned personally, that love is and requires action. This one could potentially be written forever because the list of love metaphors is never ending. Love is potential, love is forethought, love can be cruel, exalting and regular and love is definitely fun to sing about!”

The Smittens are a 6-piece indiepop band that make upbeat and introspective tunes, tinged with vulnerability and optimism. While sonically the elements of multi-layered harmonies, countermelodies and ba-ba-ba singalong hooks still play a large part in The Smittens’ approach to songwriting, as each of the 4 main songwriters has grown, the overall perspective of the songs seems a bit moodier, and more serious. They’ve long since left behind the label of being a ‘cute’ or ‘twee’ band since their debut album 15 years ago.

City Rock Dove is instead an album of transition, ennui and nihilism; honing in on personal politics and gender queerness. The album contends with the turbulent changes of modern America serving only to cement the status quo - and it’s not just the outside world that’s changing either: The Smittens are also singing about the changes in themselves and taking a hard look inside. Gary Olson (Ladybug Transistor) returned to mix the new album, having been instrumental in helping develop the richer textures first seen on 2016’s Love Record Breaker EP.

The band is friends first and open-hearted indiepop revolutionaries after that. Max Andrucki, Missy Bly, Colin Clary, Dana Kaplan, Holly Chagnon, and David Zacharis switch up instruments, song-writing, and singing to create catchy, harmony-driven pop anthems and queer love songs—always brilliantly lyrical, and often brazenly political. They’re based in Burlington, Vermont and in New York City. City Rock Dove is their 6th studio album, and third release with Fika Recordings.

The Smittens will be in the UK late July playing dates in Cambridge, London and Sheffield before performing at the Indietracks Festival in Derbyshire.

“The vocal arrangements sound great, the reverb 1950s guitar sound wonderful. There will be no dancing at the indie disco to this and its all the better for it… Arguably their most important album to date.” Neon Filler

“each and every song they write is a rampant musical pleasure – they could force a smile on the sourest face.” Bearded Magazine

“To pull off diversity in sound is a feat in itself, but to do so with a coherent sound is pure magic. Somehow, The Smittens do just that without any sign of strain. May they continue with equal exuberance.” The Big Takeover

City Rock Dove

The Smittens - Love is a Word

Soft Blue Shimmer's debut album Nothing Happens Here out June 28th, 2019 on Disposable America.

Pre-order the album on digital and cassette @ https://disposableamerica.bandcamp.com/album/nothing-happens-here

Soft Blue Shimmer "Happier Than Mitsuru"

#SCFIRST

'Swear Jar' is the first single from our forthcoming EP 'Zero' out Friday 25 October via Dot Dash / Remote Control

'Swear Jar' is an optimistic tune about the dumb stuff we fight about in the heat of the moment, and having the patience to find out what the other person really means without judging them on the language they used initially, on the premise that hindsight is the mother of foresight.

____

Lyrics:

it helps to swear if you're hurt,
to scream, and kick, and curse
damning the hypocrites and liars
for what they call friendly fire
when it seemes no suture can make it better
just remember...
it helps to swear if you're hurt

even when you've done nothing wrong
the resentment is just as strong
don't punish yourself for painting fiction
for there's more to be seen in a narrowing vision

if you swear I can tell something's beating you down
we'll dig you out from your underground
it's less like a light switch and more like a dimmer
while the anger is fading, the room will get brighter
same with your language, I understand
there's a spectrum between words like fuck and damn
there's a spectrum between words like fuck and damn
there's a spectrum between words like fuck and damn
so remember...
it helps to swear if you're hurt

#indie #poprock #folk #folkpop #australian #newmusic #alternative

Swear Jar

Stream

Neon Ballroom

"This Is Not the Indie Rock I Signed Up For" can be heard on Girl Friday's 2020 album Androgynous Mary smarturl.it/girlfriday_AM

Follow Girl Friday on Twitter: https://twitter.com/girlfridaytm
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Androgynous Mary

Girl Friday - "This Is Not the Indie Rock I Signed Up For"

Sun June - Everywhere

Glow & Behold

Middle Sea (Demo)

Been blogging, music sharing, etc. for a while now (see blog under this name) & DJing since 1982. I like all kinds of music.

Most of my playlists are not organized & just hold songs I'm interested in, many of which I haven't listened to yet. The "freeform current listening" playlist is as it says & will be updated regularly. Many of my reposts were unintentional, they were just random tracks I was trying to add to a playlist using my phone & I've got clumsy fingers.

Allo Darlin' - Bright Eyes

Fortuna POP!

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