Librarians With Hickeys: "Mirror" video

Power poppers Librarians With Hickeys have made a video for Mirror, a track from their new full-length How To Make Friends By Telephone: "Latching on the perennial themes like falling in love, heartbreak and road trips, the duo have managed to add a fresh layer of paint to melodies that sound familiar. It is a trip to memory lane, but there a plenty of sights along the way to keep listeners entertained and in awe of their guides".

» Librarians With Hickeys on Facebook

HCTF review of How To Make Friends By Telephone.

Dancer / Whisper Hiss: Split

Post-punk quartets Dancer (Glasgow) and Whisper Hiss (Portland) have joined forces for an album called Split, with both band having one side to showcase their raucous, rambling take on guitar-driven off-kilter danceable rock. The Scots lean heavily on bands like Talking Heads and X-Ray Spex, while the Americans are in thrall of the catchy weirdness of the B-52s.

This is a leftfield party album that will be fully embraced by indie lo-fi loving kids of all ages. It will clear the room of any lingering jocks and sorority girls, who can't make hay of the skewed rhythms and tempo changes.

Johnny Dowd: supporting The Mekons

Alt-country outsider Johnny Dowd will be supporting The Mekons in July next year. Quite an interesting combination that hopefully will involve some sit-ins at each other's sets. More details TBA.

Live date:

• 01/23 Ithaca, NY @ The Downstairs

» johnnydowd.com

HCTF review of Is Heaven Real? How Would I Know.

Geiger von Müller: "Radar Truck" video

London based acoustic slide guitarist Geiger von Müller has posted a video for Radar Truck, a track from his Slide Sonatas II album: "His blues-based instrumentals honour the less-is-more approach of a musician who is set on discovering limitless possibilities within the space of a couple of choice notes". The clip was made Boldizsar CR.

» geigervonmuller.com

HCTF review of Slide Sonatas II.

Myriad's Veil: Pendant

Dutch neo-psychedelic folk duo Myriad's Veil play with light and shade on their debut album Pendant. Singer-songwriter Ismena and Temple Fang guitarist Ivy van der Veer bonded over shared love for the neverending cycle of seasons, when nature goes into hibernation before coming back to life again.

With an acoustic guitar and vocals as the focal point, the couple walks around in wonder, but they are also aware that their environs are quite fragile. Things can can fall apart pretty easily, a metaphor for their previous relationships maybe. For now, beauty trumps anxiety, and the future is full of promise.