Pop Matters

“If Adam Silvestri channeled elements of Springsteen as Radiator King when he first graced PopMatters with “So Long (Charlie)”, now the NYC Americana artist is looking to 1970s pop-rock this side of Elton John. Centered on a wistful piano progression, Radiator King’s “Madame Marie” is a gorgeous ballad that looks back on the innocence of childhood. Shining through the understated anthem is a sweet sentiment of childlike wonder. Looking ahead through younger eyes, there’s a clean slate to be filled with one’s wildest dreams. The clear skies that Radiator King uses as his canvas effortlessly capture this feeling through sepia-tinted lenses, longing to keep that zest for life kicking into adulthood.

Available on 21 July, “Madame Marie” is available to pre-save now. “Madame Marie” is featured on Radiator King’s upcoming LP, Unborn Ghosts, due out on 21 August. It, too, is available to pre-save.

Radiator King tells PopMatters, “The central instrument of ‘Madame Marie’ is the piano, which is played by Shaul Eshet. We recorded this one with Don DiLego at Velvet Elk Studio in the Poconos. He had this really old upright piano from 1898 in the studio. I knew the minute I heard it that it was a perfect match for the song. It looked and sounded like it could have been in a saloon or a brothel in the wild west. It was oozing with mystique and mojo.” READ MORE…

While the San Fernando Valley is just a 30-minute drive from the glitz and glam of Dominique Pruitt’s Los Angeles dreams, the windswept suburbs can often feel like a lifetime away from that bustling metropolis. This sort of lamentation lies at the center of the singer-songwriter’s first new single in just around five years, “High in the Valley”. Washed by sun-drenched reverb and country-toned, jangling guitar and pedal steel, Pruitt confidently struts between the realms of Americana and vintage pop to deliver a tune that in itself strides between the high life of LA glamour and the supposedly parochial western landscapes of the valley. It’s a feel-good rockabilly number possessed by an infectious amount of self-confidence, showcasing Pruitt as an indomitable artist primed for a comeback.

Directed by Dana Boulos and styled by Shana Anderson, Pruitt carries this empowered performance over into the song’s visual, classically shot and designed in a way that evokes an earlier, vibrant era. On the music video, Pruitt tells PopMatters, “The day we shot the video (Friday, July 13th) I was fostering this sweet little angel dog named Joey (I named him that after the Concrete Blonde song of the same name, of course). Because we shot the video in my house, he was obviously with us the whole day. He was super attached to me and couldn’t bear to be anywhere but RIGHT next to me. So in almost every single shot, he was with me, just out of frame!”…READ MORE

Running the gamut with ten self-contained stories of deep inner reflection, Nick Dittmeier & the Sawduster’s new album, All Damn Day is a sturdy collection of authentic, blue-collared Americana. More than the usual drone of love and loss, Dittmeier’s colorful songwriting pervades every inch of the LP with a meticulously-woven, straight-shooting life story. It’s music that feels like an earnest living room conversation set to a soundtrack, each character represented blooming to life in vivid color almost tangibly before intent listeners’ eyes. In between are melodies and rhythms crafted evenhandedly with sincerity and passion. Like the dog on All Damn Day’s cover, Dittmeier and the crew are no strangers to handling things head on. They are approaching their art with a no-frills approach that sets meaning at the forefront, but alongside a well-rounded, ebullient musical performance while they’re at it, laden with soul……..READ MORE

Out on 5 October, singer-songwriter Lindsay Kay’s debut LP, For the Feminine, By the Feminine, was crafted from the bottom-up entirely by a team of women and female-identifying professionals. Across the album, Kay blends her gentle, lilting vocals with a melange of soft-spoken instruments. Kay and company’s efforts produce something strikingly vulnerable and sincere, opening up on ruminations regarding women and the expectations that a heteronormative society unfairly places on their shoulders. The songs are individually and collectively poignant, having been written following Kay’s return from a French artist residency in 2016 just as the Women’s Marches and #MeToo movement began to emerge from the fires of political disarray.

Ahead of the full release of For the Feminine, By the Feminine, Kay is premiering her newest single, “How Much”, with PopMatters. Throughout the song, Kay’s ethereal vocals nimbly navigate an atmospheric melody while she reflects on what she is looking for in relationships as she moves forward. It’s a subdued arrangement with plenty of room for Kay’s vocals to stand front-and-center as piano, classical guitar, upright bass, accordion, and a horn section subtly wrap around them…..READ MORE