Further Listening: Dazy Crown, Molly Nilsson, Health & Beauty,  Okkervil River, Wilco, Tom Brosseau, Agnes Obel, Ultimate Painting, Ty Segall, Julia Jacklin, Flock Of Dimes, Evans The Death, Lvl Up, TERRY, Doe, Beach Slang, Georgia Ruth, PJ Harvey, Hinds, Little Scream, Itasca, Pascal Pinon,  EZTV, Porridge Radio, Harley Alexander, Beyond The Wizards Sleeve’s collaboration with Euros Childs and a rather wonderful new EP from Daydreams.

5. Mothers Make It Look Easy

If we’re totally honest it’s quite rare that the deluxe edition of an album really adds anything new to the joys of the original. That said, with an album as good as Mother’s debut, When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired, we’re more than willing to test out our theory. This week the Athens quartet have confirmed details of a deluxe digital edition of their debut, which will feature five previously unreleased tracks.

Mothers have also shared the first of those tracks, in the shape of Easy As Possible. The home demo was recorded between finishing their debut record and the album’s release and is the first indication of where the band’s music may go next. Easy As Possible builds around a pulsing, plodding keyboard line, rich with complex echoing tones and gentle twinkling distortions, Kristine Leschper’s haunting vocal enters, as bassy synths and fluttering processed beats drift in and out of earshot. It feels rough around the edges as demos often do, but in its unpolished, almost unfinished mood arguably lies much of its charm. It shows a band willing to experiment with a variety of song writing methods and musical textures , and it’s utterly thrilling. Many of these new tracks were showcased on the band’s superb recent tour dates, and the deluxe album’s release will coincide with European dates at the back end of the summer. If you haven’t seen this band yet, you’ve obviously not been listening to us and we don’t know what you’re waiting for.

The deluxe edition of When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired is out July 29th via Wichita Recordings. Click HERE for details of all upcoming Mothers shows.

4. Hiss Like A Levee

Lateness Of Dancers, the fifth studio album by Hiss Golden Messenger, was one of 2014’s finest records. The first record MC Taylor and his collective of collaborators has released for Merge, it delved into Southern states musical traditions, but injected  them with enough fresh impetus to make it more than just another Americana record.

Not wanting to hang around MC began writing the follow up at the start of 2015 in a hotel room in Washington. Looking out the window at powerful storm, he admits he’d never felt more disillusioned and divided by the twin interests in his life his music and his family. The tracks from that writing session would go onto make most of his upcoming record, Heart Like A Levee which will be out on Merge in October and was produced alongside Megafaun’s Bradley Cook. This week as well detailing the release, Hiss Golden Messenger have also shared a new track, Biloxi. The track has something of Gold-era Ryan Adams about it, all bright acoustic guitars, gentle fluttering beats and warm twanging slides; and it might just be the most accessible single he’s written to date. MC Taylor has suggested since those recordings he’s realised both his music and his family lives can’t exist without the other, which for music fans everywhere might just be the best realisation he could possibly have come to, there’s plenty more songs to come from this increasingly vital songwriter.

Heart Like A Levee is out October 5th via Merge Records. Click HERE for details of all upcoming Hiss Golden Messenger live dates.

3. The Soaring Promise Of Basement Revolver

Today sees the release of the debut EP from Hamilton, Ontario trio Basement Revolver. The Canadian’s have been teasing the release via a series of ever improving tracks and earlier this week they shared another snippet of the record in the shape of new single, Lake, Steel, Oil.

Whilst the bands previous output had already shown they could do energetic, and somewhat introspective indie-pop; on Lake, Steel, Oil they showcase a completely different side to their music. With nods to the likes of Lanterns On The Lake or Waxahatchee’s more recent output, it’s a gentle swell of musical ideas. Building around a lone guitar line and pulsing bass-line, eventually singer, Chrisy Hern’s vocal enters with a heartbroken tone reminiscent of Alvvay’s Molly Rankin, joined latterly by echoing, grandiose percussion. Dramatic and expansive, without ever falling into clichéd “here’s our big song” territory, it’s far better than a band so new to this musical game have any right to be. Another string in the band’s bow, and one that suggests there’s far more to Basement Revolver than they’re currently letting on, a very exciting prospect indeed.

Basement Revolvers EP is out today via Fear Of Missing Out Records (click HERE for details)

2. Trevor’s Speaking Sense

There’s almost something a little old fashioned about Trevor Sensor’s approach to releasing records. While most bands seem in a rush to get their debut album out into the world, Trevor is apparently more than happy to slowly drip feed his music to the masses. This week he’s confirmed details of a new 3-track EP, Starved Nights Of Saturday Stars; the follow up to his rather excellent EP from earlier this year, Texas Girls & Jesus Christ.

Trevor’s new EP will be out early next month, but this week he’s shared the first music from it with his new video, When Tammy Spoke To Martha. The track is an upbeat, Rock’n’Roll tinged number, Trevor’s empassioned vocal accompanied by an almost honky-tonk piano and the steady rhythm of an acoustic guitar. Like the Kyle Craft record from earlier this year, Trevor’s almost reinventing Americana into something altogether more glamorous; less fingers of whisky in dark bars and more cabaret and razzmatazz. Trevor has spoken of both a desire to be sincere in his songwriting and being as influenced by authors as he is by other musicians; so it’s perhaps no surprise he’s also branching out into writing, all vinyl copies of the EP will be accompanied by a short story, All Your Pretty Drunk Words. A fascinating artist blurring the lines between writer and musician, it’s hard to be anything other than impressed by Trevor Sensor.

Starved Nights Of Saturday Stars is out August 5th via Jagjaguwar. Trevor Sensor tour’s Europe next month, click HERE for details.

1. Ready For The Blood

Cast your mind back to 2014, Glasgow duo Honeyblood were busy releasing one of the year’s finest debut albums. They were darlings of the music critics and fans alike, and the world was very much their oyster. Probably not the best time for a lineup change, and two years with little new music to show for it, thankfully this week Stina and Cat have not only shared a brilliant new single, but also confirmed details of their upcoming second album.

The album, Babes Never Die, won’t be with us until the, frankly far too long away, month of November, but the single, Ready For The Magic is luckily both brilliant and available now. Starting with a rather creepy, nursery rhyme like intro with an obvious Scottish brogue, when the track kicks in it’s an altogether more active sound, bright poppy melodies, meet crunching, scuzzy guitars with a touch of The Julie Ruin or Ash. In the “voodoo, voodoo, over you” chorus calls, it’s a remarkably good ear-worm of a single with real potential to propel them to new commercial heights. A welcome return from one of the UK’s finest young bands, and an enticing taster of what we can expect both from their new album, and their upcoming live shows.

Babes Never Die is out via Fatcat Records on November 4th. Click HERE for details of all upcoming Honeyblood shows.