Back at it again with another week’s worth of new music and videos. We’re getting ready for that push for the Holiday Season so keep close and check in often as to what I think is the best out there in the Neo-Folk, Indie and Alternative music world. Let’s take a look at what was worthy this week.

I got the show kicked off with Larsen B. They are a charming trio out of the UK, which I believe are named after an ice shelf located on the Antarctic Pennisula. They have been compared to Fleet Foxes and British Sea Power, with the big melodies and highly emotive lyrics. Their new album is MUSKETEER, which is their debut, full-length release. The song I picked to play has been out for close to eighteen months, having been released on an EP in 2008, but it’s a good one and it makes sense to include it on the new disc. It’s called “Marilyn.”

I closed off that opening set with the latest from KT Tunstall. I played “Fade Like A Shadow,” which is the lead off single to her upcoming new album TIGER SUIT. The album is due out September 27th. It’s been three years since her last album, DRASTIC FANTASTIC, and it seems like they’ve glammed up KT for this release. The music feels like a slicker hand has been on the boards; and even KT’s appearance seems more posh. She still writes the material though, so the essence of her writing style is still there.

Changing musical direction here with Kelli Scarr. I just found this performer because I found out she was touring with Moby, which made me curious as to why he would pick such an unknown artist. On her new album, PIECE, Kellie moves between R&B influenced material to Neo-Folk and she also slips in some Alternative. I ended up becoming drawn to the R&B side of things with track number eight; it’s called “So Long.”

I paired that song with “Zorbing” from Stornoway. This folky indie pop quartet takes its name from a town in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, but two of its members come from Oxford, England, and two, who are brothers, are from South Africa. This digital single was released earlier this year but the album, BEACHCOMBER’S WINDOWSILL, just came out, so I thought I’d re-introduce it; because it’s such a good song. I did find out that the band named the song “Zorbing” after the sport of rolling down a hill in a transparent sphere. I never new that was a sport.

Let’s keep things moving here with the latest from a band called The Thermals. They are a lo-fi, indie rock trio out of Portland, Oregon. They call themselves the “purveyors of post power pop.” You can get a feel for what they mean on this track, “I Don’t Believe You.” It has that “anthemic” feel to it with a little bit of Cake thrown in. It’s from the album PERSONAL LIFE.

I had new music from Chris Difford; you might remember him as one half of the songwriting team from the Eighties band SQUEEZE; along with Glen Tilbrook. The track I had was, “1975,” which is a pre-release single from the album, CASHMERE IF YOU CAN. However, Chris is offering a track-by-track free, via download, from his website. It’s an interesting marketing plan. I think he’s planning to make it up on the backside by ticket and merchandise sales when he tours.

My lineage subject was Imelda May. She sounds old-timey, although she is anything but. She’s a modern, rockabilly artist from Dublin, Ireland. I found her about two years ago and have been playing her music on my other show, The Uptown Blues Party. Anyway, Imelda got a huge lift in her career when she was chosen to appear at this year’s Grammys along side Jeff Beck. In fact she sang the song I played for part two of this feature: but let’s fill you in on what she’s done since that big Grammys night. Imelda just released her “major label” debut disc entitled MAYHEM. She signed with Decca. It’s not out yet but I think it comes out in September. This track I had was “Sneaky Freak.”

The follow up track was from her 2008 release, LOVE TATOO, I played “Johnny Got A Boom Boom,” which is a great tune.

This week’s re-issue song was from Rickie Lee Jones. She often got compared to Joni Mitchell when she first came on the scene in the late Seventies. She also achieved early commercial success, like Mitchell, but dreaded fitting into a set genre, as suggested by the Record Labels; just like Mitchell. She’s released twelve studio albums over her career and it seems right to start re-visiting her early work; it STILL holds up. The album that’s been re-released is FLYING COWBOYS, which was originally released in 1989 and the song I played was the “very popular” single from the album; “Satellites.”

I did get to play a new tune from David Rotheray. David was one of the key players for the very popular UK band, The Beautiful South, which he did for nineteen years. He also chose a theme for his debut, solo release. It is a “bird concept album.” That’s a first for me. The album is THE LIFE OF BIRDS, and I premiered “The Sparrow, The Thrush & The Nightingale.”

“Once More I’m Put To The Test” is the latest single from Alex Cornish. It’s from his second album, CALL BACK. The album is due out in September and what he’s doing with it on line is interesting. He’s making a special advance edition of the new disc, which is available now – on line, with three songs that won’t appear on the final version. Check it out for yourself on his website: AlexCornish.com.

I closed off that two-song set with the latest from Shiny Toy Guns. I played an interesting cover of Blue Oyster Cult’s “Burning For You.” I’ll have to recycle that for my “Cover Me” feature. That track was released as a single so I’m assuming that a new record is in the works but I have no confirmation of that yet.

Next is the latest from British, singer/songwriter, James Yuill. He dabbles in what is being termed “Folktronica.” It’s a fusion of Indie, Alternative and Folk and adds some digital enhancement. His latest installment of this new sub-genre is called MOVEMENT IN A STORM and a deeper track; “First In Line.”

Let me slip in one more from Kami Thompson. She’s the daughter of Richard and Linda Thompson. Obviously, she comes from a musical family. Her brother, Teddy, is doing quite well in the field too. She just released her first official recording; it’s a three-song EP entitled BAD MARRIAGE and I played “Don’t Bother Me.”

Join me every Tuesday from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM to hear the show live. But if you miss it, you can now listen to it anytime through WMFO’s archives. Just log on to wmfo.org and click on the ARCHIVES link, which is just below the big WMFO Banner. Select the day the show aired, and click on the “Music You Might Otherwise Miss” show title. You’ll be able to download the show in one-hour increments. So you never have to miss the Music You Might Otherwise Miss.

Links is BOLD are to videos of that song. ;^)