Inner Magic

Adam Miller project Inner Magic just dropped a couple of new dreamy tracks for our listening pleasure, and the A-side "Underground" finds him reunited with his former Chromatics bandmate Ruth Radelet on vocals.  Check it out below and get it here from the artist.

Ruth Radelet, Nat Walker, and Adam Miller

Here's another dreamy new track from the trio of Ruth Radelet, Nat Walker, and Adam Miller, all formerly of Chromatics.  "The Veil" comes from the game soundtrack "Lost Records: Bloom & Rage," and it's wonderful.  Listen below and get it here from Kid Katana Records.

Ruth Radelet, Adam Miller, and Nat Walker

I'm not really big on video games.  Sure, i played my fair share growing up, from arcades to Atari to Nintendo, Sega, Playstation, XBox, and beyond.  But it's never really been my thing.  If there's something else to do, i'll choose that instead every time.  Also, over the last decade, i've come to abhor the kind of people who refer to themselves as gamers.  I find there to be more toxicity in that particular brand of fandom than pretty much anywhere else.  Incel nation and whatnot.

All that aside, there's something to be said for the soundtracks that have come out of video games since...forever really.  The old 8-bit Nintendo music (which i love by the way) gave way to ambient music and synth wave (which i also love), on to actual scores and soundtracks to rival any film at your local cineplex.

Which brings us to a game called "Lost Records: Bloom & Rage" and it's accompanying soundtrack featuring alt-rock group Nora Kelly Band, electronic artist Milk & Bone, and former Chromatics members Ruth Radelet, Adam Miller, and Nat Walker making music together again for the first time since the band's dissolvement.

Until listening, i kind of forgot how much i missed the dreamy synth pop of Chromatics, but "Dreamers," "The Wild Unknown," and "A Place Like Home" bring it all back.  It's wistful and lovely.

Check out all three new tunes from the trio below and download them here or pre-order the vinyl here from Kid Katana Records.

Robert Ashcroft Featuring Ruth Radelet

Much like Sonic Youth, i don't think i'm ever going to get completely over the breakup of Chromatics.  All i can do is follow the solo releases and projects that come up over the years.  And the latest comes from photographer and artist Robert Ashcroft who is now tackling dreampop as his next endeavor.  So why not recruit the soft and starry vocals of former Chromatics member Ruth Radelet for his first outing?  "Faded Photograph" scratches that Chromatics itch ever so gently, but it's also a pretty and dreamy track all on its own.  Check out the "Barbarella" vibes of the video below and download the song here from Hand Drawn Dracula.

Daily Jam - Shadow

This column was originally published at the end of the summer in 2017.

So, I’m writing this column before the finale of Twin Peaks: The Return, but as it will air before I post this sucker online, I’m going to say that I’m sure I was riveted and will be talking about it for days…as I pretty much have with every other episode in the last three months. The consensus has been that getting a third season of the show has been a gift, and I concur wholeheartedly. Lynch and Frost drew me in hard this summer, and I’ll admit to maybe being a little obsessed. Okay, being totally obsessed. And now it’s over. And I’m going to miss getting a new installment every Sunday. And one of the things I’m probably going to miss the most is seeing my (almost) weekly music performance from The Roadhouse (aka the Bang Bang Bar).

So many great (and sometimes unexpected) performances were featured on the series, each feeling as much a part of Lynch’s soundscape as Julee Cruise or Angelo Badalamenti. I discovered some new artists, some new tunes, gained a new appreciation for some old bands I’ve listened to for years, and am now pumped for the upcoming new soundtrack albums coming out later this month. And starting it off was one of my favorite bands from the last decade, the dreamy and wistful Johnny Jewel project, Chromatics, performing the wonderful “Shadow.”

Originally surfacing a couple of years ago and intended to be on the band’s new album Dear Tommy, I kind of forgot about it, as that album’s release date kept getting pushed back farther and farther. We’re still not sure when (or if) we’re going to get it (we didn't), but seeing the band play the song on Twin Peaks got me anxious with anticipation all over again. Dreamy synths, poppy, subdued disco beats, Ruth Radelet’s angelic and haunting vocals, and Jewel’s airy and retro production aesthetic create a sonic environment that pairs all too perfectly with Lynch’s own audio and visual world. I want them making art together forever.

But now it’s ended. And maybe we’re sated, or maybe our hearts hurt, or maybe we’re cueing the whole thing up to watch and hear and love all over again, but at the very least, we got to experience something special, an intoxicating mix of experimental filmmaking, warped narrative, and pop art, a magnum opus that could very much prove to be a defining moment for all of the artists creating it. It was wonderful to visit this world again.

“…for the last time…for the last time.”

Ruth Radelet

Here's a new track from former Chromatics member Ruth Radelet.  "Stranger" is melancholy dreampop at its most lonesome.  Check it out below, download it here, and be on the lookout next month for the artist's debut solo EP "The Other Side."

Ruth Radelet - Crimes

New music continues to gradually come out from the now disbanded members of Chromatics.  And it really is testament to how good that band was that all of the solo efforts have been as great as they are.  The latest is the absolutely dreamy and melancholy (and somewhat cathartic from what i'd imagine) new single from Ruth Radelet.  Listen to "Crimes" below.  I'll keep you posted as to future releases.

Ruth Radelet Covers Elliott Smith

It's been a few months, but we're all still very sad around these parts about the end of Chromatics.  But, it appears the band members are slowly re-entering our ears via solo projects.  We already heard from guitarist Adam Miller, and now we've got a wonderful Elliott Smith cover from singer Ruth Radelet.  The song comes from "Stars Rock Kill (Rock Stars)," a massive compilation of covers celebrating the 30 years of the Kill Rock Stars label.  I'm unfamiliar with a lot of the artists on the comp, but we do get tracks from Xiu Xiu, Tele Novella, Mike Watt, Deerhoof, and more, as well a whole lot of Elliott Smith covers.  Check out Radelet's sweet and dreamy version of "Twilight" below and download the whole collection here.

Chromatics - These Streets Will Never Look the Same (Ruth Radelet version)

So long as Johnny Jewel keeps releasing these, i'll keep posting them.  Take a listen to and download the Ruth Radelet vocal version of Chromatics' "These Streets Will Never Look the Same" below.  I think i like it better than the "Kill for Love" album version.  The haunting, echoed vocals just work better for me than the vocoder.  What do you think?