OUT NOW: Dust from the Stars [ALBUM] by Team Smile and Nod
Thinkroot Records invites you to time travel to 10 years ago when Team Smile and Nod (Kara Square and Rich Ratvasky) created this electro pop rock album.
Team Smile and Nod released their sophomore album in 2011 and immediately began writing their 3rd album. After a mysterious 10 year band hiatus, Team Smile and Nod is pleased to present the album they promised way back then: Dust from the Stars.
Dust from the Stars is an electro pop album blending elements of rock, folk and experimental music throughout. The lyrics range from proclamations of love to contemplations on the power of words, and even a chilling murder ballad. The album is a thought-provoking collection of songs from a band that constantly evolves their sound.
You can buy or stream the album on Apple Music, Spotify, and all other major digital music sites.
OUT NOW: Full Moon, Starry Night
Staring up at the night sky with tears in her eyes, Kara Square wrote this lullaby for her father. It is the last thing she sang to him.
Piero Peluche’s arrangement features the Turkish kemençe and the Indian bulbul tarang, powerfully supporting the emotional lyrics with a mournful, yet celebratory world music timbre.
The instrumental version is a dreamy ukulele folk rock lullaby that reflects on love and loss. It can be licensed on Thinkroot Records.
*This song is dedicated to William J. Sherman with love.*
“Full Moon, Starry Night” is available to buy or stream on all major digital music sites:
OUT NOW: Gloom and Doom
“Gloom and Doom” by Kara Square and Piero Peluche is an 80s style electro pop song with political undertones.
Sometimes if you sing about something, it helps chill out the feelings.
“Gloom and Doom” is available to buy or stream on all major digital music sites:
OUT NOW: Black Cat (9 A.M.)
“Black Cat (9 A.M.)” is an acoustic world music folk song that celebrates the magical, feel good moments of life. Paulina Stolarczuk and Viper ITB, two musicians from Poland, composed the cheerful music and reached out to their friend across the North Atlantic Ocean to collaborate. As soon as U.S. folk singer Kara Square heard the happy track, she was excited to sing along and play harmonica. Paulina pinned the lyrics in Polish for the first verse and chorus, then asked Kara to translate them to English for the second. Viper ITB expertly integrated the vocals and music for a polished production. The trio invites you to experience this joyful moment where they believe “the world is full of wonders around every corner.”
“Black Cat (9 A.M.)” is available to buy or stream on all major digital music sites:
OUT NOW: Perfect Storm
Utilizing the juxtaposition of feel good alternative folk rock paired with piercing political lyrics, Kara Square and Piero Peluche’s “Perfect Storm” is an anti-racism anthem for monumental societal change. When black lives matter, everyone is free.
“Perfect Storm” is available to buy or stream on all major digital music sites:
You can license “Perfect Storm” for your projects here.
OUT NOW: Stayin’ at Home
“Stayin’ at Home” by Kara Square and Piero Peluche is a tongue-in-cheek post-punk, new wave track about the day to day life of those of us sheltering in place through the COVID-19 pandemic. The days are blending together as the weeks turn into months, but this is how we keep each other safe. Human lives are worth it.
If you’re one of the many brave essential workers who keep physically going to work, you are an amazing human being who deserves hazard pay, free health care, protective equipment, paid sick leave, massive respect, and far more. Thank you for all you’re doing to keep society going.
“Stayin’ at Home” is available on these sites+:
You can license “Stayin’ at Home” for your projects here.
OUT NOW: Numbers with Piero Peluche
Full of compassion and love, “Numbers” by Kara Square and Piero Peluche is an alternative folk rock anthem for the time. The bulbul tarang, lap steel guitar, and guitalele add an unique sound to this trippy and absorbing arrangement. The message is one we all need to keep in our minds: together we will get through this.
We are all just people
Seeing charts and numbers
We are all the people
Behind the numbers
When numbers represent
Sickness and death
Trust the scientists
Trust the evidence
“Numbers” is available from the following sites+:
OUT NOW: Numbers
You can now listen to “Numbers” on all the digital music sites. Here’s my favorite line (inspired by a conversation with my wife, Katie):
With warm hearts and cool heads
With compassion and kindness
Together we will overcome
Together we will get through this
I process things by writing songs… the purpose of this song is to inspire courage, compassion, and kindness in us all. I hope you find it inspiring and uplifting.
“Numbers” is available from the following sites+:
OUT NOW: Roses & Thorns DOUBLE ALBUM
‘Roses & Thorns‘ is a double album release by Kara Square and Piero Peluche. It is an anthology of their collaborations since their 2014 album ‘Square Meter.’ All of the tracks have been meticulously remastered by Piero Peluche.
‘Roses‘ focuses on the personal side of their songwriting, while ‘Thorns‘ puts a spotlight on the political. Of course, the personal is often political and the political is very much personal, so there is a natural thematic overlap album to album.
‘Roses & Thorns‘ is available from the following sites+:
Numbers: Covid-19 Coronavirus Song to Inspire Courage, Compassion, & Kindness
I wrote this song with the intention of inspiring courage in us all. With compassion and kindness, we will get through this together.
Thank you to Katie, my kind, supportive, brilliant wife, for speaking poetically in our daily conversations. She said my favorite part of the lyrics: with warm hearts and cool heads we will get through this.
You can download the full version of the song on Bandcamp. It will be available everywhere on March 30, 2020 (Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play, etc.).
