Video Premiere: Neil Halstead – “Home For The Season”

Published on November 21, 2011 in Neil Halstead. 2 Comments

via pastemagazine.com:

Halstead – Home For The Season from Brushfire Records on Vimeo.

Tis the season for holiday albums. Brushfire Records released This Warm December, A Brushfire Holiday Vol. 2 on Nov. 15th. It features artists such as Rogue Wave, Matt Costa, Jack Johnson, G. Love and many more with versions of holiday classics as well as a few originals.

Various artists from the album are recording acoustic performances of the songs they contributed to the album. We are featuring the video for Neil Halstead’s original tune, “Home For The Season”.

To further spread some holiday cheer, 25% of the profits from the album will go to Little Kids Rock, Silverlake Conservatory and a variety of other charities benefitting children’s music education. Order the album and watch more videos here.

This Warm December, A Brushfire Holiday Vol. 2 track listing.

1. Zach Gill – Party Hard
2. Rogue Wave – Jingle Bell Rock
3. G. Love – Christmas Blues
4. Jack Johnson – In The Morning
5. Bahamas – Christmas Must Be Tonight
6. Neil Halstead – Home For The Season
7. Zee Avi – Frosty The Snowman
8. ALO (Animal Liberation Orchestra) – Let It Ride
9. Money Mark – Make Time
10. Paula Fuga – Winter Swell Blues
11. G. Love – Christmas Cookies
12. Matt Costa – I Bet On Flying High
13. Jack Johnson – Angel (Holiday)

Out Now – The Loose Salute’s new album ‘Getting Over Being Under’

Published on September 13, 2011 in Mojave 3. 0 Comments

Out Now – The Loose Salute‘s new album ‘Getting Over Being Under’

“the follow up to the critically acclaimed ‘tuned to love’, the loose salute are back with an album of splendid, rueful charm – a triumph of heart and soul. the music is still wearing it’s bubblegum heart on its sleeve but it’s bruised, tougher, wiser. produced and recorded by pritpal soor fresh from anna calvi. one side of ‘getting over’ is all about celebrating much loved influences, west coast, beach boys, nashville, they’re all there, but they venture further afield and conjure authentic delta boogie in ‘sister corita’, an almost bolan-esque stomp on ‘run out of morning’ and the folky fairport shuffle of ‘perhaps she’ll fly’. but all boast the detailed, original stamp of mccutcheon’s eclectic arrangements. pedal steel is joined by south of the border trumpets as well as the charm of a germanic chamber ensemble string section, all lending the album a warm, sumptuous production, while never staying into the saccharine.”

“Gorgeous, melodic little gems influenced by the lost summer sounds of the Free Design, Lee Hazlewood and John Phillips. We strongly recommend you add this to your playing list.” – LA WEEKLY

“Delicious dreamy pop…. custom built for the legions of Belle & Sebastian fans out there” – POP MATTERS

“A sugar-jangle affair with hints of rattlesnake acoustics, climatic trumpets and whispery phrasing” – MTV Hive

“Masterful pop music with a wellspring of chaos, heartbreak, and anger” – ALLMUSIC GUIDE

Here is the (amazing!!) video to the single ‘It’s a Beautiful Thing’

Buy The Album via:
GRAVEFACE RECORDS
BIG POTATO SHOP
ROUGHTRADE
iTunes

Live Dates:
Sep 14 – The Bullingdon Oxford, UK
Sep 16 – Phoenix Exeter, UK
Sep 17 – Falmouth Poly, Cornwall, UK

Chat About by Holton’s Opulent Oog (feat. Neil & Ian from Mojave3)

Published on September 13, 2011 in Ian McCutcheon and Neil Halstead. 1 Comment

Mojave 3 – live in Barcelona, 28th April

Published on March 25, 2011 in asides and Mojave 3. 6 Comments

just a quickie: Mojave 3 will be on the stage of the Plaça Odissea Festival, in Barcelona, the 28th of April. No other details right now – if you are in the area, make sure to check them out!

Holton’s Opulent Oog – Love In The Mist

Published on February 23, 2011 in Ian McCutcheon, Mojave 3 and Neil Halstead. 5 Comments

Love In The Mist by Holton’s Opulent Oog will be released on 7th February Vinyl, CD and DL. It features Neil Halstead, Joe Bennett, Robin Bennett, Ian McCutcheon, Tom Crook, Paul Blewett & Roger Proctor.

See them on the 2nd March at The Slaughtered Lamb in London.

For their second collection, Holton’s Opulent Oog gathered throughout last Spring/Autumn. They’ve dreamt up a spellbinder. Songs of mystery and imagination. Beatific, emotional, transporting, brimming with dreamy melodies and full of darkness and light – this is a special album.

The magic ingredients are Spanish guitar, violins, dubby keyboards and beautifully deft percussion. The album has a distinctive, carefully wrought sound, but it’s the variety within that sound, the sting and mystery of the lyrics that are so strong.

The album wears its contradictions on its sleeve. Confidant, ambitious tunes about fragilty and danger. Homilies to love and solidarity shot through with separation and melancholy. Here, a beguiling waltz, somewhere between menace and melancholy; there, a foray into psych-out chaos and back again; elsewhere joyful poppy sing-alongs. As if the Bonzos showed up to jam with the Beatles during the White Album. At times a moving, noble, trumpet-led melody should take it all to Mexico, but the album stays hovering over English landscapes, English hopes and dreams. This music couldn’t come from anywhere else.

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…… and in other Mojave 3 news, Ian passes us the following exciting titbit “btw the Band Of Horses tour was great and we’re now thinking of possibly recording some new tunes! will keep you posted”