Brooklyn (via Massachusetts) based bedroom musician CHUCK (aka Charles Griffin Gibson) issued his acclaimed final album, Frankenstein Songs for the Grocery Store, on August 18 through Audio Antihero Records. Combining a lush classic pop sound with elements of ‘80s new wave, ‘90s alternative and ‘00s emo, it was a foggy, eclectic, emotional and lyrical LP. The album’s third single ‘Happy Birthday’ is the album’s most ambitious and conflicted moment. Accompanied by a stunning VHS-chic music video and backed by gorgeous non-LP B-Side ‘America’ and a new remix from Benjamin Shaw, this release shows CHUCK’s characters at their most desperate and their most toxic.

“This was initially written when I was in a weird situation with an ex. I think this was around 2012. We had dated a few years prior in a different city, and then one day we found ourselves both single and living in Brooklyn. We tried rekindling things, but it didn't work. As I wondered why, I sat down and cranked out ‘Happy Birthday’. The specifics of my situation were too sappy and abstract for a CHUCK song, so it morphed into something more sinister for this weird narrative.

For the video I tapped friend and filmmaker Chris Boniello. He listened to the song for a few weeks and came up with a concept. It's on point! The video is about searching through memories and moments in your mind for something or someone. It really synced up with the original inspiration for the song, and I think we can all relate to that journey on some level. Shout out to the legendary Benjamin Shaw for his fantastic b-side remix, and also, included in the single is ‘America’ - an unreleased track from 2009. It's the single that keeps on giving. Enjoy.”

‘Oceans’ is a single from Brooklyn musician Magana. Originally by CHUCK, from his Frankenstein Songs For The Grocery Store LP, Magana takes the ache and hurt of ‘Oceans’ back to its core. Loose and frail, the melancholic refrain of “Pretty young girls, oceans of sound / It’s so annoying when you’re not around” rings in your ears well beyond the song’s scant running time. It’s a post-modern romance, filled with long days, long distance, self-care, self-destruction and deep expression through impersonal means.

Born in Bakersfield, California, Jeni Magaña grew up playing classical music on clarinet and upright bass before a move to Berklee College in Boston, where she began writing her own songs. Upon relocation to New York she began working with a variety of bands and even found herself recording a number of commercial jingles and working as a session musician, all the while developing her own sound. This eclectic route has shaped Magana as a musician and a songwriter and these experiences shine through. Her gift for creative, layered and genre-bending composition is so apparent. Her voice, full of ghosts, slips effortlessly from a whisper to a scream.

Magana recently issued her debut EP Golden Tongue on South London/ NYC’s Audio Antihero Records: a brief but breathless collection of brittle and erratic guitar pop. These beautifully weary songs, found acclaim and support all across the blogosphere and independent music press and radio, as well as here at Musos’ Guide.