Happy Happy Birthday To Me Rock & Indie 9 Items

Destination Christmas by Fred Schneider & THE Superions is the perfect holiday party dance album every household needs. If the voice sounds familiar, yes it is that same Fred Schneider of the B-52s. Destination Christmas is equal parts disco bangers, sensual French pop, comedic holiday numbers, suggestive lyrics, and never a dull moment. An album that keeps the Xmas party going through new years. Hit the dance floor with disco party holiday anthems "Santa's Disco", 'Fruitcake", and "Teddy and Betty Yeti", laugh out loud to some of Fred's funniest Christmas tracks "Christmas Tears", "Laughter at Christmas", "Crummy Christmas Tree", don't forget the sensual French pop numbers "Santa Je T'aime", and "Under the Tree", then the more suggestive "Chillin' At Christmas", and "Jingle Those Bells", and don't forget the hi-nrg "Christmas Conga (Jungle Bells)" that answers the question what if Divine wrote a Christmas song. If your party is a bore and the guests are falling asleep or leaving early, just put on Destination Christmas and pull out the rum soaked Fruitcake and get the party in full swing. All the songs on Destination Christmas are all originals, so get ready for all new Christmas holidays classics.

Who wouldn’t want a break from planet earth after the past few years we’ve all had? Kenneth Close and Tracy Wilson have built themselves a new universe in the form of a home recording studio to transport themselves a galaxy away from the grief, fear, and worry the pandemic brought. The duo dubbed themselves Outer World and they blasted off into an entirely new to them corner of the musical universe to create their debut album Who Does The Music Love? Covid moved into Wilson’s lungs in February of 2020 and overstayed its welcome. It stole what she describes as “her big voice”. For those familiar with her previous bands Dahlia Seed or Positive NO, her trademark, no need for a microphone belt, was gone for good. The couple grieved for the literal loss of a primary instrument used in their art, but were determined to find a way back to making music again. Together, they began exploring the world of songwriting using a computer, samples, synths, and plug-ins. The goal was to create a new musical landscape where Tracy could find a new voice that wasn’t as focused on power, but still potent nonetheless. The next two years were spent wrestling with long Covid and finding ways to work around each new frustrating lingering side effect. Close and Wilson had spent the previous decade creating technicolor post-punk pop as the band Positive No. Their final cinematic album Kyanite dabbled with electronic sounds and hints that had they remained active through the past three years, their indie rock genre banner would have been torn down to make way for something more free adventurous. Their current home studio sits in the center of what they lovingly call the record womb, a computer surrounded by some 7,000 records and all their instruments/ recording gear. Tucked into the layers of Who Does The Music Love? is a century of recorded music from all over the world. We find the dynamic swing of a Swedish soul jazz singer on top of Bond worthy spy themes. We hear the sensuality of France in the ‘60s when in swaggers a wink to ‘90s house music. There is a tug-o-war between a ‘70s angular post punk and experimental Brazilian psych. Cosmic Jazz, noisecore, freakbeat breaks, space age bachelor pad Moog mayhem, and the treatment of the iconic retro-future group Broadcast as a genre and chosen family. This diverse blend is just some of Outer World’s psychedelic garage pop points of inspiration. It is music to make any crate digger's heart skip a beat. It would be tempting to call Outer World a pandemic project or assume their debut record carries the emotional weight of terrible times, but you would be wrong on both counts. Outer World is a band nearly 15 years in the making and Who Does The Music Love? is a blissful rainbow wrapped up in a giant silver lining bow. Problem solving around a tragedy has never sounded so curiously enthralling.

As we enter the fall season, the weather is turning cooler and grayer, but UK’s THE Primitives have something to warm your heart and get your feet moving. Hhbtm is proud to present the band’s latest single and first new material in five years. “Don’t Know Where To Start” is a three minute blast of pure pop perfection; with its organ-driven melody and vocalist Tracy Tracy's superb singing, we’re equally reminded of the late Ronnie Spector and The Muffs’ Kim Shattuck. In other words, “Don’t Know Where To Start” ticks all the Primitives’ pop charm boxes for those who know. It’s followed by the moody punk edge of “Till I’m Alive,” sung by Paul Court. Also included is a live recording of “Panic,” taken from the band’s 2017 Part Time Punks session. The single closes with a fuzzy acoustic version of “Don’t Know Where To Start.” The Primitives won hearts and minds in 1988 with their debut album Lovely and its Top Ten UK hit single, “Crash.” They would have more charting singles over the course of the next four years, releasing two further albums before disbanding in 1992. They reformed in 2009 and have since released two albums and a handful of singles. This single is something of a one-off, a single released because the band felt they had some good songs that deserved to be heard—and they’re right, it does deserve to be heard. While next year is still months away, but 2023 will be the 35th anniversary of Lovely, so you can expect some activity to celebrate that delightful album’s birthday.

Ben Crum doesn’t need to contend for anything; the leader of the long-running Great Lakes proved himself two decades ago on his very first outing. Contenders, the band’s seventh album, finds Crum basking in a keen sense of roots-y psychedelic Americana that recalls the fertile grounds of Upstate New York. Yet the music itself is a warm, sunny soundtrack that brings to mind road trips across the dusty Midwest and miles and miles of nothing in between. Fans of Built To Spill, My Morning Jacket, Luna, and Deserters Songs-era Mercury Rev will find much to love in Contender’s grooves. But don’t think that because the music ambles along dirt roads that the music isn’t cerebral; Contenders’ subject matter includes philosophical wonderings on love, sex, the temporal nature of man, the frustrations of creative partnerships, and the heady, hopeful times of your late teens and early twenties, where the world seems full of endless possibilities. Contenders offers up some of the finest songs you’ll hear that take inspiration in things such as The Band, the free youth of South Africa, and “The Gambler.” For Contenders, Ben Crum is joined by longtime collaborators Kevin Shea on drums and Suzanne Nienaber on vocals, with contributions from The Essex Green’s Chris Ziter (vocals) , Louis Schefano (drums), Petter Folkedal (piano), Ray Rizzo (vocals) and Dave Gould (synths). The album was produced by Ben Crum, mixed by Luis Leal, and mastered by Jen Munson.

Denver Diy Band American Culture Blend Punk, Dub, Afrobeat, College Rock, And Post Punk With Fuzz & Warble On This Lp.Denver, Colorado Diy Band American Culture Blend The Sounds Of Tape Warble From That Mix-Tape Your Best Friend Made You Way Back When, The One Who Knew All The Best Music You've Never Heard Before That Opened Up New Worlds To You With Traces Of Dub, Afrobeat, Post-Punk, College Rock, Stoner Jams With Touches Of Freedom Rock, And Endless Punk Sentiments, But Not About Destruction, But Community.

Fred Schneider & the Superions get spooky for Halloween with a seasonal 7" single "Bat Baby" on limited color vinyl. Only 750 copies pressed and sure to sell out in no time flat. Fred Schneider is also one of the vocalists in the band the B-52's. Enjoy this camp holiday season treat and get the dance floor pumpin' at your Halloween party. BOO Y'ALL.

The Wedding Present 24 Songs is a 3LP w/ DVD collecting all the 2022 7" singles in one spot. A. o. featuring a duet with Louise Wener of Sleeper, full lenght versions of songs, a bonus Utah Saints remix and more extra tracks! Throughout 2022, The Wedding Present's '24 Songs' series saw the legendary indie band release two new tracks a month as double A sided 7"s, ultimately creating a much-sought-after box set. David Gedge has now re-curated full-length versions of all twenty-four tracks for a new compilation album that will also comprise five bonus recordings including one featuring The Wedding Present's first guitarist, Peter Solowka. '24 Songs' was a doff of the cap to The Wedding Present's 'Hit Parade' project of 30 years previous. That series proved to be a real milestone for the band with them becoming only the second-ever artist to achieve twelve Official UK Top 40 hits in a calendar year - at the time something that only Elvis had achieved! David Gedge says: "When it came to compiling the '24 Songs' album, I decided not to sequence the tracks in chronological order. With six sides of vinyl, you have six 'beginnings' and six 'ends' to play with, and I felt that the opportunity to build some kind of a musical journey was too good to miss! Listening back to this collection, I have to say that I genuinely believe that, for this project, The Wedding Present have recorded some of the best tracks in our history." Classic black vinyl, the DVD includedThe Wedding Present playing live during the `24 Songs Launch' event in January 2022 plus a fascinating `fly-on-the-wall' documentary filmed as the songs were being written, arranged and recorded and the video for the December single.