New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
This year saw the release of the self-titled debut ep of Gag Order and they have been playing some great local shows ever since. This is definitely a band you need to hear live before the end of the year.
MP3: Gag Order "Late Night Train Ride"
Gag Order is performing at Beat Kitchen on December 8th with The Ultrasounds, Sexy Fights, and Holiday House.
If you’re looking for a new artist to listen to that just appeared on the radar, check out Harriet, the new band fronted by Alex Casnoff, a member of Dawes and Papa. He’s ventured out into his own songwriting territory and does so confidently. The single from their debut EP, Tell the Right Story, is called ‘I Slept With All Your Mothers," which instantly creates many interesting scenes on first thought. It’s a break-up song, but it definitely takes an unexpected trajectory with the idea of sleeping with all of their mothers. The song sounds upbeat and quite triumphant, full of heavy guitar lines and choral echoes that contrast nicely with Casnoff’s slightly edgy voice. It’s a great song, full of passion, which you can hear in Casnoff’s voice especially towards the end. With this amount of dedication, it looks like Harriet will be around for awhile. – Taylor Lampela
Work Drugs are celebrating their one year anniversary today with the release of a new track called “Dirty Dreams,” which is a collaboration with Dylan Sieh a.k.a. Tourz. You can download it for free below. Congrats to Ben and Tom!
"Resolved dissonance" is one of the very cool things about music – Sonic Youth mastered it to perfection. But honestly I have a hard time thinking about a "clean sounding" band that uses dissonance as purposefully as Brooklyn based super-obscure (but not for long) "The Hot Holy Mess". These guys only have two songs available online at this stage, but they are both satisfying my originality AND poppiness needs at once, which happens very rarely. Most importantly, they don’t sound anything like Animal Collective, which these days is a major plus for any experimental-ish indie band. The song "Focus Focus," streaming here, is some kind of zany experimental psych-pop collage that bounces from a beatles-y verse (circa 1967) to an atmospheric bridge reminiscent of French band Air, to a circusy chorus involving harp, violin stabs and almost comical falsetto parts. What’s hard to convey in writing is the band’s flair and overall smoothness of the operation. Bravo! The second song "Long Ride Down" develops in a folkier and more intimate direction, with acoustic guitars and hand claps. Dissonance again pays visits in the vocals and guitar parts, and later on in super-psychedelic distorted violin solos, adding layers of tension and alienation to an otherwise mellow song. These songs are part of a 7" called "Red Wild Eye", which will be released on 01.26 with a party at Rock Shhop. The songs are available for free download here.
Honky tonk surfers Boom Chick return home to NYC after a three month American tour, playing a homecoming show at Pianos Dec. 9th. This rabble rousing duo plays early 50’s inspired original rock & roll with a primal punk urgency. Lead singer/guitarist Frank Hoier sounds as if John Lennon were born a surfer in the 80s. Moselle Spiller may dress like Loretta Lynn at the Grand Ole Opry, but she’s a wild woman on the drums and will kick Meg White around. – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here). The Deli’s NYC Open Blog is powered by The Music Building and APS Mastering.
As an encore to his recent Laid Off Tour across the northeast, Danny Ross along with his 9 piece band and horns will headline Mercury Lounge this Saturday 12/10 at 8pm, followed by NYC favorites The Shake and The Parlor Mob (see following entry). This week’s New Yorker Magazine highlights Saturday’s performance as "a blast of good-time, R. & B.-tinged rock and roll." Ross recently played official CMJ showcases, and was NYC Deli Magazine Artist of the Month this time last year. – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here). The Deli’s NYC Open Blog is powered by The Music Building and APS Mastering.
It’s no secret that The Hush Now love the holidays. The Boston-based rock outfit treats its fans to a song for pretty much every major holiday. This season is no exception. Deciding that New Year’s was a lonely holiday when it came to songs, they sat down and penned their latest gift to us all: Happy New Year, Dear.
Take a listen to the track below and head over to their Bandcamp to download it for free.
–Chrissy Prisco
Neo-soul buzz band Pickwick will make their final live appearance in Seattle tomorrow night, before a New Year’s Eve show in Wenatchee and a three-date circuit in Oregon to start 2012. Along with Campfire OK, the band will play to a full house at the Neptune Theater. Coming off a free show at Easy Street Records on Dec. 6, and an a cappella announcement for Thursday’s event, the six-piece former folk band promises to fill the one-time cinema with the moody keyboards, minimalistic guitar and swinging rhythms that have made them one of the city’s bands to watch over the past year. Pickwick is set to head into the studio to record their first full-length album, following a successful year for Myths, a compilation of EPs that helped affirm the band’s growing popularity.
Doors: 7 p.m.
Tickets: SOLD OUT
-Kate Shepherd
The Crocodile will play host to a benefit for Northwest Center Kids tomorrow night, featuring a handful of local acts. Colonies, the Icarus Kid, Ghost Town Riot and Smile for Diamonds will take the stage in support of the center’s child development program, which helps kids between six weeks to 12 years old, both with and without developmental disabilities. Relative newcomers Ghost Town Riot, who are currently in the process of recording a new full-length album, and the Icarus Kid, who released his self-titled debut album in September, will be joined by established indie rockers, Colonies. The mix of electronic and instrumental artists should ensure that concertgoers with varied tastes can have a great time while supporting an even better cause.
Doors: 8 pm
Tickets: $10
21+
-Kate Shepherd
Expect a guitar-solo-scorched face or two at the Mercury Lounge this Saturday night, as Jersey’s hard rockers The Parlor Mob treat their New York City fans to a much needed return appearance. Currently touring in support of their sophomore album "Dogs," which was released this past October through Roadrunner Records, and anchored by the first single, "Into The Sun," this is a record without fillers. On that single, the lyrical subject matter combines both defiance and hope, while the muscularly heavy sound of the band leads you into a chorus that’s as catchy as hell. "Fall Back" comes complete with brilliant start/stop breaks that underscore the fluid rhythm section. "Practice in Patience" shows the gentler side of the band, with emotionally strong vocals paired against an uncommon piano sound. "American Dream" chugs forward on heavy twin-tandem guitar riffing, as the lyrics express this current generations confusion about "who to trust" in the government. "I Want To See You" finds the band exploring more exotic rhythms, as a slightly jazzy, latin-tinged undercurrent propels it all towards a bolder, more rock heavy chorus. A blistering guitar solo elevates everything that much higher. "Hard Enough" takes on those gut-wrenching feelings of loss, as the lyrics state that "it’s hard enough to walk this loney road without you – to miss everything about you." While "Take What’s Mine" playfully references Jimi Hendrix’s "Foxy Lady," the track remains true to an originalty – within the classic hard rock formula – that is woven through the entire album. – Dave Cromwell
Local lo-fi stoner-gaze outfit Cough Cool has a new full-length vinyl album entitled Lately coming out on December 13 via Bathetic. The LP is ready to be the soundtrack for your lazy winter days and nights while you hibernate from the cold getting nicely baked and chubby. You can check out an interview with Cough Cool’s Dan Svizeny while streaming Lately for the next week via Impose Magazine.
