Three and Me - Smoke and Mirrors

LCM Song Of The Day: ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ - Three and Me

‘Smoke and Mirrors’ is the sultry new single and video release from alt-folk band Three and Me.

The song explores the uncertainty and fragility of relationships, but ultimately conveys a message of freedom and independence. Featuring the smoky, whiskey-infused vocals of Daisy Chute, the song is an unusual mix of folk, jazz and ambient elements, creating an atmospheric, haunting yet inspiring track.

Three and Me filmed the accompanying music video in New York while gigging there.

Meet three and me

Formed in the lofty heights of a south-London attic, Three and Me are a band of eclectic urbanites with an original and un-traditional sound.

A veritable cocktail of distinct yet complementary spirits, they are made up of vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Daisy Chute, fingerpicking her way through guitar, banjo and ukulele riffs, bassist-to-beat and guitarist Matthew Davis, violinist extraordinaire Sarah Crisp and finger-bending chord-crunching pianist Luke Bateman. They collectively coin their signature sound Po-Mo-Fo or Post-Modern Folk and draw on influences ranging from the Brit pop and indie bands of the ‘90s to the more recent folk stylings of the likes of Laura Marling, Mumford and Sons and Moulettes. Trained in jazz, rock, classical and musical theatre, these musicians and writers combine their learning with a visceral instinct for emotionally-charged storytelling, rich harmony and soaring melodies.

Their collective experience makes for a lengthy read, but a short summary would include collaborations with the likes of Paul McCartney, Radiohead, Goldfrapp, Kasabian, The Divine Comedy, Young Marble Giants and more. Between them they’ve had record deals with major labels (Universal and EMI) and created music for international film, TV and theatre, with Luke’s musicals taking the West End and Broadway by storm.

If there ever were a band that defied definition, three and me would surely be they. As eclectic as they are eccentric, their multi-form sound world is born of a chemical reaction between folk, jazz, classical, indie and electronic pop.

Smoke and Mirrors video credits:

Daisy Chute (vocals), Luke Bateman (piano), Matthew Davis (bass), Sarah Crisp (violin) with Chris Brice (drums).

Filmed in New York by Laurence Dutton (www.laurence-dutton.co.uk), edited by Oh Kestrel films.

Engineered and mixed by Marcus Cormack, mastered by Neil Pickles at Reveal Sound.

Arranged & produced by three and me; music, three and me, lyrics, Matthew.

Thanks to Leigh Maynard.

Hollow Coves - Borderlines

LCM Song Of The Day: ‘Borderlines’ - Hollow Coves

We head to Brisbane today to meet Ryan Henderson and Matt Carins of Australian band Hollow Coves. We love this track from their debut album ‘Moments’ which was released in November last year.

Hopefully, you can see them both live at The Lafayette in London on June 3rd, 2021

Hollow Coves are an Indie Folk band formed in Brisbane, Australia. Delivering an earthy folk sound, the band meshes simple acoustic melodies, vocal harmonies, and impactful themes . After releasing their EP 'Wanderlust', in early 2017, the band quickly garnered an international following. Exploring new countries, making new fans, and writing new songs, Ryan and Matt have exciting new developments to share in the near future, as their once small acoustic project continues to reach more and more people.

http://hollowcoves.com/

In The Forest - Means To An End

LCM Song Of The Day: ‘Means To An End’ - In The Forest

Our LCM featured song today is the new title track from In The Forest. The band will be releasing their debut EP on June 17th. We think the song has a real Clannad vibe in its production and harmonies. We really like another song on their new EP, the LC inspired folk-rock ‘On The Run’ set for single release in July.

The 3-song collection was recorded in February 2020 at Rowley Barn, Borehamwood, produced by Rob Eveling. The idea of the video began as a personal diary of pictures and videos taken during lockdown, as a way of capturing such a monumental and unusual period of time. Becky and Alex are expecting their second baby (also due on 17th June) and wanted to show this to their children in the future. The song ‘Means to an end’ was the perfect soundtrack to the video and the lyrics felt like they could have been written for it.

In The Forest are an indie-folk band from Hertfordshire, featuring two sisters and two couples. In 2017, the four musicians escaped to Devon for a break from reality. Sat in a cosy cottage one evening, they wrote their first song ‘On the run’ which is featured on their debut EP.

Their natural ease of working together (and the fusion of styles) created a unique sound, underpinned by their natural and instinctive four-part harmonies and close chemistry. They spent most of 2018 experimenting. With four experienced singer song-writers each bringing different influences - from folk, roots, reggae to pop, they soon had material ready to share with an audience.

Breaking the traditional line-up, with each song featuring a different member on lead vocals, the variety in their live show has kept audiences intrigued as to what might come next. A range of influences, from sweet folk melodies, entwined with rootsy undertones and melodic keyboards, led them to composing and releasing their first single ‘Tired’ in 2019.

In the forest have made numerous radio appearances in 2019-20, most recently BBC Three Counties - showcasing their new EP.. In the forest have worked hard on the live circuit since their formation. A diverse array of performances (from festival and support slots to in-store appearances) has led to a buzz within the local music scene, interest from the music industry and a growing loyal fanbase.

On May 28th 2020, independent record label Last Night From Glasgow added In the forest to their stable of artists. The band and label look forward to the releases they are planning together in the very near future.

https://bandintheforest.com

Rhiannon Giddens - Better Get It Right The First Time

LCM Song Of The Day: ‘Better Get It Right The First Time’ - Rhiannon Giddens

Our LCM featured track today is very powerful and timely. It’s taken from Rhiannon’s 2017 ‘Freedom Highway’ album

For every triumph, every leap, there are 10 Philando Castiles to remind us how long the highway to true freedom really is. Rhiannon tackles this on “Better Get It Right the First Time,” a tale of police brutality laced with punishing harmonies, urgent horns, and a reflective and powerful rap. “Better Get It Right the First Time” is a loaded phrase, a word of warning to a Black man who has no room for error when it comes to the police, a mournful recognition of how there are no second chances once bullets fly, and a shameful call to humanity which has had so many damn chances to just get it right. But Rhiannon didn’t call this album Freedom Highway, after the legendary Staple Singers’ civil rights anthem of the same name, because she’s ready to give up hope. We evolve, highways go on, and, eventually, that first time will finally be our last.

Photo credit: David McClister

https://www.rhiannongiddens.com/

Courtney Marie Andrews - It Must Be Someone Else's Fault

LCM Song Of The Day: ‘It Must Be Someones Else’s Fault’ - Courtney Marie Andrews

We love this new single from Courtney taken from her forthcoming album ‘Old Flowers’ set for release on July 24th.

Courtney comments “This is a song rooted in taking ownership of our own story and pain. I wrote this in Washington state one spring afternoon, and the message was something I'd tried to put to song for a long time. The video embodies the power of sisterhood, and our ancestral trauma through the power of movement. Through these movements, I hope to embody the strength of our lineage, and overcome this old pain. Shoutout to my incredible choreographer, Marlee Grace, and inspiring director, V and cinematographer Adam.”

http://courtneymarieandrews.com/

Xavier Rudd - Storm Boy

LCM Song Of The Day: ‘Storm Boy’ - Xavier Rudd

There are touches of Paul Simon in Xavier’s latest animated video and title track from his 2018 album ‘Storm Boy’.

‘Hand in hand with the one you love feelin’ blessed by the magic of the moon above’

Xavier Rudd is one of Australia's most iconic voices. A multi-instrumentalist, surfer & activist, Xavier's ability to connect with people is astounding.

Shawn James - Brother

LCM Song Of The Day: ‘Brother'‘ - Shawn James

We love this reflective, powerful and personal new acoustic track from US singer-songwriter Shawn James. It has a real Hozier vibe. The video was filmed by Michelle Mavrides & edited by Luke White The song was written by Shawn James and produced by Jimmy Messer Records at Parts + Labor Studios, Los Angeles, CA

Shawn James’ voice is a force of nature, a musical preacher to a flock that accepts everyone, a combination of the gospel choirs he sang with as a youngster and his training in classical music and opera. Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, James’ timeless sound is steeped in blues legends like Robert Johnson and Son House, forever at the crossroads of damnation and redemption, the two inextricably woven into the fabric of his songs.

https://www.shawnjamesmusic.com/

Echosmith - I Don't Wanna Lose My Love

LCM Song Of The Day: ‘I Don’t Wanna Lose My Love’ - Echosmith

We head to LA today to meet Sydney, Noah and Graham Sierota of sibling multi-platinum Southern California trio Echosmith. We love the atmospheric ‘I Don’t Wanna Lose My Love’ taken from their latest album ‘Lonely Generation’ which was self-released back in January.

A family comes of age together as does a band, weathering life’s trials and triumphs as a unit. Comprised of three siblings, multiplatinum Southern California trio Echosmith —Sydney Sierota [lead vocals], Noah Sierota [vocals, bass], and Graham Sierota [drums]—transpose their collective growth into vibrant, vulnerable, and vital alternative pop anthems upheld by lush guitars and analog synths. Their personal songcraft blossoms to its fullest potential on the group’s 2019 second full-length and first independent release.

“We are a band, but we’re family first, which is a special and rare gift,” comments Noah. “We get to learn and evolve together. The album is about trying to care for each other, grow, and experience joy and heartache in the internet age. It’s like a diary. You’re meant to hear every instrument being played. We pushed ourselves to try new things and reflect our experiences in a fresh way. From the beginning, our music has been a discovery and continued coming-of-age story. The new record is a completion of that. We’re showing a piece of who we are that we’ve never shown before.”

“We want to give people hope through our music,” adds Noah. “It’s a wonderful thing to know you’re not alone. That’s our message.”

“If somebody feels better after hearing the record, that’s amazing,” concludes Sydney leaves off. “Echosmith is a huge part of my life. It’s an outlet. It’s a bonding experience for all of us as a family. It’s like therapy. It helps all of us go through life better. This is a safe place we’re welcoming everyone else into.”

Please order your copy below >>>

Passenger - London In The Spring

LCM Song Of The Day: ‘London In The Spring’ - Passenger

A perfect new song from Mike. We love the sentiments. Enjoy!

Blanco White - Mano a Mano

LCM Song Of The Day: ‘Mano a Mano’ - Blanco White

Another excellent London based singer-songwriter to explore is Josh Edwards aka Blanco White, Mano a Mano is Josh’s latest single taken from his debut album ‘On The Other Side’ set for release on June 5th, We love the South American feel to Josh’s music coupled with wonderful vocals and songwriting.

Josh comments ‘It was written whilst I was living in Tarifa on the southern tip of Spain last year. It was the first time I found the courage to write a song fully in Spanish, something I had wanted to try for a while, but had always been nervous about. I'm very grateful to Marga and José Zavala for helping me find my confidence with pronunciation, as well as my good friend MAVICA who also sang on the record alongside Malena Zavala. It's the final release from my album ‘On the Other Side’ until it comes out in full on June 5th.

Huge thanks to everyone involved, including additional production by Lucas Zavala, the drum and percussion boys, Fred Claridge, Matt Ingram and Pilo Adami, and Charlotte Schnurr for her beautiful performance on the violin.’

It was engineered by Dani Bennett Spragg. Mixed by Jake Jackson and mastered by Alex Wharton.

Sarah Jarosz - Orange and Blue

LCM Song Of The Day: ‘Orange and Blue’ - Sarah Jarosz

Our LCM featured track is the great latest single from the wonderful Sarah Jarosz. It’s taken from her forthcoming album ‘World On The Ground’ set for release on June 5th via Rounder Records.

Gone West - Slow Down

LCM Song Of The Day: ‘Slow Down’ - Gone West

Slow Down is the latest single taken from Gone West’s wonderful forthcoming debut album ‘Canyons’ set for release on June 12th via Triple Tigers

Gone West is a new Nashville-based group featuring 2-time Grammy award winner Colbie Caillat, multi-platinum singer/songwriter Jason Reeves, 4-time Hawaii music award winner Justin Kawika Young and ACM and CMT nominated artist Nelly Joy.

https://www.gonewestmusic.com/

Brooke Annibale - Patience

LCM Song Of The Day: ‘Patience’ - Brooke Annibale

We love this wonderful stripped new single from Pittsburg based singer-songwriter Brooke Annibale. The song was recorded at The Smoakstack in Nashville, Tennessee.

Brooke comments “Patience” is a song that people would often ask me about after a live show. Now, it's one of my most requested songs throughout my recent live stream shows. It’s a song I wrote to overcome a period of time where I needed patience the most, and it’s a song I can keep coming back to, now especially more than ever. I hope you enjoy this reimagined stripped back version inspired by some especially trying times, and I hope you and your loved ones find patience and peace during this incredibly challenging time”

https://www.brookeannibale.com/

Fred's House - Looking Glass

LCM Song Of The Day:: ‘Looking Glass’ - Fred’s House

Our LCM featured track is a new live lockdown arrangement of a Fred’s House classic originally released in 2012 as the title track of their ‘Looking Glass EP’ The song was written by Lachlan Golder, mixed by Lachy and edited by Lachy and Emma Cann. Watch out for their new EP titled 'Walls and Ceilings' set for release in early July and they need your help. Please see their website for details.

http://fredshousemusic.co.uk/

The Highwomen - Crowded Table

LCM Song Of The Day: ‘Crowded Table’ - The Highwomen

Taken from one of our favourite albums from 2019, our featured track today is the latest single by the US award-winning supergroup The Highwomen. We love the sentiments in the song, as they are so timely.

https://www.thehighwomen.com/

Passenger - The Way That I Love You

LCM Song Of The Day: ‘The Way That I Love You’ - Passenger

Released in March this beautiful love song is Mike’s latest single. Please also check out Mike’s regular livestreams.

Gitta de Ridder - Man Of The Light

LCM Song Of The Day: ‘Man Of The Light’ - Gitta de Ridder

Our featured track song is the uplifting new single from Gitta’s forthcoming eight-track third album ‘To Our Children’’, which will be released in monthly installments to give the stories time to unfold.

Gitta comments “For all those times you’ve thought ‘there must be a place I can go to, that will make me feel truly happy’, and the times in which you’ve wondered why life just isn’t on your side, this new track by Dutch singer and songwriter Gitta de Ridder attempts to employ a song-based navigational compass. She’s done some searching of her own, and yes, a ray of sunshine, a sea-view and a life of freedom can bring temporary solace. But that man, that brings the light from some external source, is forever elusive when we imagine him to be someone, or something, out there to find. Suggesting all the man might say is “it’s not all bad, even if you’re lonely, cold, or sad. There is a light, that shines for you. And I say in all honesty if I could make a wish I would set free, but all I can do is show you”. And then perhaps, this compass only ever points back inwards.“

The new album is an eclectic collection of songs she recorded during an eight-month adventure in a converted old-timer Mercedes truck, in which Gitta aimed to embrace much of Europe’s musical heritage. This tune enriched with French trumpets and ‘Fromage based’ breakfast chats. With each track, new collaborations enrich the songs that revolve around themes of childhood innocence, self-confidence, forgiveness and togetherness.

https://www.gittaderidder.com/

Gerry Cinnamon - Head In The Clouds

LCM Song Of The Day: ‘Head In The Clouds’ - Gerry Cinnamon

We head to Glasgow today to meet fast-rising Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Crosbie better known as Gerry Cinnamon. Known for his storytelling and brutally honest lyrics, Gerry’s music is well worth checking out. The wonderful ‘Head In The Clouds; is taken from his recently released second album ‘The Bonny’.

The continuing ascent of Gerry Cinnamon is one of contemporary music’s most outstanding stories. Rising from a self-released debut album, Gerry has become a stadium and arena-filling headliner. An incredible feat for the artist who has chosen to remain unsigned and forge his own way in the music industry.

Gerry Cinnamon’s music crosses generations in a way that only a handful of wordsmiths can - relatable, relevant and a true storyteller. His anthemic tracks, laced with social commentary have captured the imagination of audiences across the world. The inimitable live shows are infamous for their wild atmosphere and arena-wide singalong moments. Using loop pedal harmonies and pounding kick drums, Gerry makes a habit of whipping the audience into a frenzy that sees them leaving on a high and wanting more.

https://www.gerrycinnamonmusic.com/

Megan O'Neill - Ireland

LCM Song Of The Day: ‘Ireland; - Megan O’Neill

Our featured LCM track today is a love song by Irish singer-songwriter Megan O’Neill to her home in Ireland. We love this beautiful and reflective new song from Meg. Perfect for the lockdown.

Megan comments “Delighted to finally share this song with you all - 'Ireland' - a love song to my home! I feel like this is a really appropriate time to release this song given everything that we are all going through. I wrote it when I was still living in London and had been away from Ireland for 7 years. It took living abroad to make me realise how much I loved this country, the people, the music, the scenery, everything. I hope it makes you smile and makes you proud of your home too 💚”

Produced by The Dunwells / Mixed by Scott Halliday / Mastered by Stephen Ceresia / Video by Declan Creffield

Photo credit: Declan Creffield

HAEVN - No Man's Land

LCM Song Of The Day: ‘No Man’s Land’ - HAEVN

Our LCM feature track today is the last single from HAEVN’s latest album ‘Symphonic Tales’. Haevn are a Dutch band from Amsterdam, Netherlands, founded in 2015 by singer-songwriter Marijn van der Meer and film soundtrack composer Jorrit Kleijnen, who began writing music together in their studio in Amsterdam.

Receiving a piano from his grandfather had a great impact on Jorrit’s life. It was this piano that taught him to express himself through music. Following that passion has led him to pursue a career as a film composer, capturing emotions on the screen and translating them into film scores.

Marijn has always been inseparable from his guitar. Even during a long period of sickness which kept him in bed for 3 years there was nothing that could stop him from playing. This period made him discover and appreciate the healing power of music.

They quickly understood that Marijn’s soothing voice was a unique blend with Jorrit’s instrumental colors. In a short period of time, they developed a strong, intuitive ‘common sense’ to create their own musical world called HAEVN. In this universe, inspired by artists like LeonardCohen, Bon Iver, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Ray LaMontagne but also film composers as Thomas Newman and Hans Zimmer, they are constantly in search of melodies,colours and lyrics that comfort them. The duo made it their sole purpose to comfort with their music.

For the production of their debut album they teamed up with the acclaimed producer behind London Grammar, Tim Bran. Their debut album 'Closed’ evokes feelings of solitude, seduction, conquer/victory and remorse. It was an evident choice that HAEVN recorded a string orchestra for their debut album to represent the film score influences.

With creating the HAEVN universe a whole other world opened up for Jorrit and Marijn. It was the first time people could form their own images and emotions whilst listening to the sounds of Jorrit. And for the first time, the songs on the album could have the healing effect for others in a way Marijn experienced it before.

https://www.haevnmusic.com/