The Nashville, TN by way of South Africa four-man band’s video for “Holy Dove” hit this week, premiering on the indie-prestigious pages of Nylon. Directed by Daniel Gomes, a long-haired dancer moves fluidly and unassumingly in parallel to the band through the dark, deep and dank tunnels of a subway platform to the LACMA’s Urban Light installation. Of the story’s plot and theme, Civil Twilight notes, “’Holy Dove’ is that of seeing things from a completely unique perspective and seeing something that few others see. You may look crazy, but are you really? In this video, we are playing around with the idea of being possessed by freedom and being unafraid to express it in the world. It is not safe or popular or common, but it is liberating.”

Civil Twilight’s latest album, Story of An Immigrant, hits July 10th, and you know I’ve been doodling Steve’s name all over my notebook in anticipation.

They’ll be LIVE across our river at Bowery Ballroom July 22nd — come join for a night of whiskey drinks and dancing, and witness me falling deeper in love with the group’s intellectual and delicate rock — I’ll be the one in the front row, unable to wipe a stupid smile from my face. Full tour schedule after you press play.

July 12 at Radio 104.5 Block Party (with Nate Ruess and MS. MR.) in Philadelphia, PA
July 16 at 3rd & Lindsley in Nashville, TN
July 21 at Jammin Java in Vienna, VA
July 22 at Bowery Ballroom in New York, NY
July 23 at LC Pavilion (with Cake, Matt & Kim, Bear Hands, and more) in Columbus, OH
July 24 at Upstate Concert Hall (with The Gaslight Antehm, Cake, Airborne Toxic Event, and more) in Clifton Park, NY
July 25 at Canalside Buffalo with WLKK (with Cold War Kids) in Buffalo, NY
July 27 at Rivoli (with Delta Rae) in Toronto, ON
July 28 at Grog Shop in Cleveland, OH
July 31 at Turf Club in Minneapolis, MN
August 1 at Shank Hall in Milwaukee, WI
August 3 at Slowdown (with Lord Huron) in Omaha, NE
August 6 at Black Sheep in Colorado Springs, CO
August 7 at Larimer Lounge in Denver, CO

*You and your eyes got me on a high
And it’s a good feeling, to feel this way.

Full disclosure: I dropped everything the moment I heard this track, overwhelmingly overcome by an urge to share with you. I haven’t felt like this in a long time… and luckily for you and I, that feeling doesn’t have to stop here. Steady does it: Mountain Of Youth is going to be fucking massive and without question, is my top remix artist find of 2015.

And, to make it all the better, they are fucking hysterical….

Alison: First things first: thank you for taking the time to sit down and chat with us. It’s 1pm in NYC on a Friday, and I’m still slugging my morning coffee. I know it’s well past cocktail hour in Norway, so have to ask: how does your bar tab look right now?

The Lionheads: Here you go.

Alison: Oh my cocktails, that’s impressive..

As much as men might try to hide it, us ladies know you too have a beauty regimen. And you’re a good lookin’ bunch. Who will be hogging the mirror before you hit the town tonight? Or who always needs an extra squirt of hair gel before stepping on stage?

The Lionheads: Thanks! Yes, we have to put in a lot of effort to be stage-ready. Nicolai’s mustache needs a careful brush, and we give Knut Magnus a fresh shave before every show.

And about the hair gel… Rudi and Oistein always need that extra squirt.

Alison: Rudi, you share a striking resemblance with Adam Levine. Born heartthrobs. If you could steal away one thing from Adam, what would it be? Things to consider: Behati Prinsloo.

The Lionheads: Behati Prinsloo is an obvious choice, but I heard he is crazy good at doing handstands and difficult yoga positions. That would be cool. Can I steal his money as well?

Alison: If you get his money, share with me?

You guys must have a lot of fun together. Tell us about the band dynamic. If you were to play a game of ping-pong, how would you separate into teams? Is there a natural set of twosomes in the group, or just one big bromance?

The Lionheads: Absolutley, we try to keep our band dynamics as similar to the vibe in the sit-com Full House. In other words, one big happy bromance. Ping-pong tends to bring out our darkest sides so we stay away from it.

Alison: Your music is genius. I am completely obsessed with your sound and your lyrics. Both are so powerful. Tell us about your creative process: do you take a collaborative approach? Or does each member have a specific role?

The Lionheads: Thanks a lot! There is no recipe for how we write song, but usually Rudi comes up with a riff or a melody and we work together from there. Sometimes things tend to fall into place instantly and other songs need much more care before it blossoms. Each song has its own unique process.

Alison: Is there a special someone you each sing your love songs to? In “Everything Will Mean Something,” whose face do you see as you sing, “I wish that you were home again / I stand here waiting ‘til the end / ‘Cause I don’t want to go?”

The Lionheads: Behati Prinsloo. And of course, if we open our eyes while singing that line, hopefully we’ll see her in the crowd.

Alison: We can’t wait for the US release of your debut album, Human Walk, later this Spring. As a Norwegian band, what does entering the US music arena mean to you? If you could sell out a show in one city, which would it be?

The Lionheads: We can’t wait either! It has been a long dream for all of us to release our music in the US. It’s very exciting to release our music to the world’s biggest music market. The feedback we have gotten so far has been overwhelming. To get recognition from the US listeners keeps us working our butts off to come over and play for you guys. To choose one city is very hard. There are so many cities we would like to play, but if we have to choose one, New York would be it.  

Alison: Guys, this has been fun. Thanks for hanging with us. Close it out with whatever comes to mind first – GO!

The Lionheads: Thanks for talking to us! We couldn’t afford our bar tab so we need to run! Bye!

Maybe it’s because the end, well, right now it’s “Unknown,” and what is known is the present still breathes a sense of tolerance and enough hope for something — though you’re not sure what that could be. Milky Chance sings it heartfelt and true in their newest release that has me dancing to cry, and crying to dance:

Will I ever learn
How to catch control?
Will I ever know?
You go into my soul.

Don’t be surprised if you catch ’em in the streets before you catch ’em on a stage. I hear now that the city has turned to Spring, these guys are out to play — literally:

April 29th: The Living Room, BK [10pm]
May 2nd: The Elbow Room, Chicago
May 23rd: The Knitting Factory, BK [11pm]

And this time around, there was something even more than the brilliance of his music I was eager to share. It was the story he had written to introduce his song; I grabbed to it tight.

Joel wrote,

“To me, it’s a really interesting project because we are quite literally opposites. He’s a 6’3″ teenage scholar, studying several grades ahead of his age in University. And he’s from the Ukraine, which is currently quite troubled by Russia influence and separatists, which he doesn’t like to highlight because it’s quite sad. On the other hand, I’m over 30. I have a graduate degree and work as a marine biologist. I live near the ocean and have no worries. I surf and am mostly concerned about choosing the dankest vegetables and most gourmet beers… and from these opposite directions we reach this middle ground of bright poppy music.”

The Most Definitely as a collective has a strong surf-culture ethos, and I find Joel’s outlook and mentality to fit-in with this so well. Even more, his story is as unique and inspiring as his sound. His words painted his eloquent picture perfectly, so I asked him to more formally introduce himself to you:

Music is a destination. It’s a place to gather, nod your head, and revel in community. For Cloud Grazer that destination is clear, but each musician took very different paths to get there.  This duo meshes intimate melodies with a bright, open style, washed in a beachfront surf culture.

Cloud Grazer is a group comprised of  San Diego-based guitarist and marine biologist, vanNorte, and Ukrainian teen, DJ, and producer, Skylined. Instead of somber reflections of artillery, urban decay, and the threat of occupation that have come to characterize aspects of contemporary Ukraine, Skylined brings a vision of hope and buoyancy that lift these melodies and kicks them along with a steady snare and drum. Together, they cast off these dramas, whether that’s the harsh reality of war or the vapid concern of a crowded lineup, exaggerated rent, drought, or ecological demise, and meet at the ocean’s edge with an eye to the horizon.

So, on these rainy days, the music that fills me the fullest is always slow and melancholic. It is reflective and touchingly depressive. I sink into the words, stopping to release the emotions I’ve bottled up too long. Because when I move so fast, I do without thinking or I think without doing. But when it rains, I rain, too:

I can’t help but love you
Even though I try not to
I can’t help but want you
I know that I’d die without you.

I can’t help but be wrong in the dark
‘Cause I’m overcome in this war of hearts
I can’t help but want oceans to part
‘Cause I’m overcome in this war of hearts.

Hauntingly moody, the sound and words of Ruelle perfectly portrays the bittersweetness of the raindrops rolling off my windowsill today.

PS: make sure you are following along with me on and off The Most Definitely page!

Twitter: @missmostdef
Instagram: @missmostdef

It was our last night in town. We were still high after hosting 22 bands over 2 days at The Yard, mesmerized by how incredible it all was. It was on an intimate stage and in an even more intimate setting when frontman Steve McKellar peeled open my heart. His vocals were poetic; thrilling and pure. His sound was unmistakable; unique and unmatched. His looks, well, they made my heart sink to my feet. It was love at first sight.

It was a month ago this week that I first found that love, and I’ve been chasing it since. It couldn’t feel better to find it again.

“In the night I have bad dreams
Close my eyes and there you are
You say time makes it easier
You move on, I never get far”

These repeated words are easy to sing along to, and — who are we kidding? — undeniably relatable. Blame it on the rainy weather or on my tendency to slip too far emotionally, but this song just feels right today. You think so, too?