Time for one of my periodic New Music Revues. Overall, this one is mellower than most. 

From their press: “Established within the Midlands circuit, Learn to Lie pride themselves on energetic and dynamic live performances and accessible songs that sit between rock and pop. Channeling the energy of female-led alternative outfits such as Paramore and Marmozets and the melodic hard rock of Arcane Roots and Lower Than Atlantis, Learn To Lie provides its own unique sound.”

My own take on it is not only is it a good song but – at least to me – it has an Evanescence vibe. And that is a band I very much dig even though they’re kinda outside my usual sweet spot. But that’s a good thing:

Soundcloud link

Continuing my “outside my wheelhouse,” theme, here is an artist named Land of Trees. “Born and Based in Sweden, Marcus Friman, known as Land Of Trees, is a nature-inspired musician who, with each song, tells the tale of a small-town boy, lost between pine trees but finding his way in a strange world.

He cites The Tallest Man On Earth, Michael Kiwanuka, Ben Howard, Bob Dylan, Nick Drake, and Nathaniel Rateliff as his influences, while his style brings Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers, Vance Joy, and Novo Amor to mind.

Definitely a nice Mumford feel here with a captivating melody. One of those catchy songs you can’t get out of your head:

Soundcloud link

“Kelly Monrow found her voice during the lockdown that was 2020. A successful actor who has appeared (as Kelly Dowdle) on hit shows like Lucifer and American Crime Story, like the rest of the industry the Texas native found herself with an abundance of unwanted free time when the pandemic shut down television and film productions around the world. Then an enlightening experience on psychedelic mushrooms (!) led the artist to an epiphany and a long-lost passion.”

Not sure if Kelly considers herself a country or rock or blues artist. But there’s a little bit of all of that in “The Woman” from her Scars of Venus album.  Nice guitar solo in this as well. Just a nice vibe here as my son would say. And is it politically incorrect to say that she’s sexy as hell? Sue me:

Spotify link

You all know Mark Knopfler. “Previous Voice From Heaven,” is from a compilation album called Mark Knopfler the Studio Albums 2009-2018 and it’s the usual nice, plaintive Knopfler sound.

The collection is 8, a 9 LP vinyl/6 CD boxset & digital SD/HD which gathers together the second half of his solo songbook with his more recent studio albums, to add to last year’s ’96 – 2007 collection. It includes two previously unreleased tunes,  “Back In The Day” and “Precious Voice From Heaven.”

Lastly, I”m cheating here a little bit by calling this song ‘new.’ But it is the most recent song by Ida Mae and it was nice I felt I had to get it into a post somewhere.

Ida Mae is not a woman but a two-person male/female band. According to their Facebook page, “Now married, Turpin and Jean first met a little over a decade ago while attending university in Bath. The pair bonded immediately over their love for the sounds of bygone eras, and they quickly earned rave reviews everywhere from the BBC to the NME with their raucous first group, Kill It Kid.

Starting over fresh as a duo named for Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee’s “Ida Mae,” the first song they ever harmonized on, Turpin and Jean relocated to Nashville in 2019 and released Chasing Lights to similarly widespread critical acclaim.”

I stumbled on “Raining For You” and found its sound unusual and quite haunting. The harmonies are beautiful:

Spotify link