Beyondify In The Heat Of Summer

 

Beyondify is our periodic feature which features new music before it hits Spotify.  As usual, we mine Bandcamp, Soundcloud, and YouTube for the goods. Here's what we came up with in the heat of the summer.

 

 
Father John Misty seems to be a bit divisive among our readers, but I feel like he's capable of making some great music that will stand the test of time.  "Real Love Baby" is the latest single released to SoundCloud.

 
My Morning Jacket recently dropped a very topical track via SoundCloud.  You can read all about the history and meaning behind it here, but in Beyondify, just appreciate it for the great slow-burn funk/rock jam that it is.

 

This track technically doesn't qualify anymore -- it's on Spotify now but wasn't when I started writing this post.  But, I feel like I'm always just a hairsbreadth away from converting this entire site to a Ryley Walker fan site so IT STAYS.  "The Roundabout" is the brilliant second single from his forthcoming album.

 
 
String Cheese Incident is changing the paradigm with their SCI Sound Lab experiment.  These tunes don't quite do it for me, but I love the idea.  Release small batches of recordings every so often for free -- creating constant buzz -- rather than build up to some anti-climatic album that flops.  These are not yet anywhere but Soundcloud, so have a listen if you're inclined.

What's a Beyondify without a check in from our favorites over at El Paraiso records? Label anchors Causa Sui offer this 10+ minute B side from a recent limited edition vinyl issue as a SoundCloud stream.  It's everything you want out of Scandavian psychedelia, with a utilitarian title if there ever was one: "16-01-16 B".

 

Yusuf (aka Cat Stevens) adds another topical song to MMJ's offering in this edition, and it is evocative of his early classics.  "He Was Not Alone" addresses the refugee crisis, and is paired with a narrative video and a campaign to raise funds linked to the hashtag #YouAreNotAlone.  

Hanni El Khatib has been plowing through EPs in 2016 and his latest hits Bandcamp, pre-Spotify.  It's a sparse, bluesy confessional in the mold of Black Keys.  Check out "Come Down".

Jamila Woods has a new song featuring Chance The Rapper and it's called "LSD".  So naturally it's about... "Lake Shore Drive".  

Actually, like some of the other topical songs in this edition, it hits home.  She tells Pitchfork, "A lot of people get Chicago wrong. I’ve developed this protective feeling about how we’re portrayed, and at the same time I’m acutely aware of the issues we face and the root causes of these issues. It’s important to me that there’s not just one story told about our city. LSD is an ode to Chicago, a song for the complicated love I have for my city."

 

Thee Oh Sees have a forthcoming album and they've unleashed "Plastic Plant" on the world in advance.  Better strap yourself in for this one.

 
Locals Bonzo Terks have been dropping a lot of goodies via their SoundCloud page.  Continuing their penchant for boundless, inventive jazz, I'm particularly fond of "For Elvis" but all of their recent tracks are worth checking out.

 

Back to El Paraiso for Monarch's  "Hundreds, Thousands, Millions" but we don't have to cross the pond this time.  Monarch is from San Diego, but fits right in with El Paraiso movement.  Not as intense and proggy as a lot of the label's acts, but they certainly bring some of the jazzier elements to their more classic rock style of psych.  Perhaps we'll get to see and El Paraiso artist here in Chicago sometime soon?

We close this edition with one last psych blast from Heaters.  "Elephant Turner" is a freak-out throwback straight out of a Michigan garage.