Sometimes, the Los Angeles-based musician Lael Neale makes chiming, hazy psychedelia that gives me that old Stereolab/Broadcast feeling. Sometimes, she takes things in a very different direction. That's what she does on her new single "Some Bright Morning." It's a bright, chirpy rock 'n' roll song with a few lightly spaced-out touches. A press release mentions the Velvet Underground's "Train Comin' Round the Bend," which makes total sense, but the first thing I thought of was the Grateful Dead covering Buddy Holly.
"Some Bright Morning" is an outtake from Altogether Stranger, the new album that Lael Neale released earlier this year. I can see how it didn't fit into the arc of that record, but it's too good to remain unreleased, so I'm glad it's out now. Neale recorded the song with longtime collaborator and Entrance Band mastermind Guy Blakeslee, who plays a sick-ass guitar solo. Neale and Blakeslee directed the song's video together, and it shows Neale driving a tractor around her father's farm. Here's what she says about it:
My dad is a farmer, and as I watch him working, day in and day out, I realize being an artist is very similar. Both are tending to work that is never done, in service of a broader life-long vision. There's always more to do, new approaches to take, and leaps to make in the midst of mundane everyday tasks. You have to be motivated by a belief in what you are doing without attachment to the results. There's a quiet satisfaction in the daily steps.
Below, check out the "Some Bright Morning" video and Neale's upcoming tour dates.
TOUR DATES:
9/25 - Toronto, ON @ Wavelength at St Anne’s
9/26 - Montreal, QC @ POP Montreal
9/27 - Providence, RI @ AS 220
9/28 - New York, NY @ Nightclub 101
11/03 - Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern
11/04 - Portland, OR @ White Eagle
11/06 - San Francisco, CA @ 4 Star Theatre
11/07 - Santa Cruz, CA @ Crepe Place
11/09 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room
11/18 - Rome, Italy @ 30 Formiche
11/09 - Milano, Italy @ Arci Bellezza
11/20 - Torino, Italy @ Spazio 211
11/21 - Geneva, Switzerland @ Les Créatives Festival
11/23 - Annecy, France @ Le Brise Glace
11/25 - Barcelona, Spain @ VOL
11/26 - Madrid, Spain @ Mazo, Sala Juglar
11/29 - Lisbon, Portugal @ ZDB
12/05 - Margate, UK @ Where Else?
12/06 - London, UK @ Ivy House
"Some Bright Morning" and Altogether Stranger are both out now on Sub Pop.
