Philadelphia

The Bad Doctors LP Release Party at Goldilocks’ Gallery

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The Saint March Collective is hosting a reunion art exhibit at Goldilocks’ Gallery followed by an after-party with local post-punk outfits The Bad Doctors and Psychic Teens. The art gallery will showcase the individual works of members from the collective, as well as one of their first group efforts. In addition to the great artwork being displayed, the after-party is also a record release celebration for The Bad Doctor’s latest 12” LP Distractions. The new wave/post-punk band out of West Philly has had an increasingly growing fan base since the summer due to their relentless appearances on the DIY basement scene circuit and a string of singles (that you can check out HERE) such as the Joy Division-esque “Sisyphus and The Gate.” Dark and noisy power trio Psychic Teens are also on the bill. The group released their debut LP Teens back in October to favorable reviews throughout the blogosphere. Teens is filled with gothic post-punk tracks delivered with the urgency of 80s hardcore which makes for an exciting combination of sounds for a debut record. More recently, Psychic Teens are releasing a split CD-R and digital download with Hulk Smash entitled Halo, which features the band covering five Nine Inch Nails songs with guest vocalist Jeff Browne. So be sure to make it to Goldilocks’ Gallery to check out some local art and two Philly acts who’d like to rip you to shreds this evening. Goldilocks’ Gallery, 723 Chestnut St., $7, 7pm (Art) & 10 pm (Music), All Ages – Dan Brightcliffe

NYC

NYC Artists on the rise: Rubbing Alcohol plays Glasslands with Rewards on 03.07

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Fans of the dark electro-pop sound of the 80s don’t want to miss 2 Brooklyn based bands that are obviously inspired by the slightly robotic scene that expressed rad bands like Eurythmics and Depeche Mode. The bands in questions are Rewards (led by ex Chairlift guitarist Aaron Pfenning) and Val Loper ‘s young brainchild Rubbing Alcohol, which released a debut 2 song EP streaming here last December.

Philadelphia

Debut Live Performance of Resistor at MilkBoy Philly March 2

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After droppinging his latest album The Flood culminating with its release party a couple months back, Steve Goldberg surprisingly announced that he would be putting his Arch Enemies project on hiatus. But just as quickly as he made that announcement, he revealed his newest musical venture Resistor, a synthpop project that features enchanting melodies and just a dash of 8-bit chiptune influence like in his debut track “First World Problems” or cover of Lana Del Ray’s “Video Games.” Resistor’s debut live performance will be tonight at MilkBoy Philly, and it will also mark Arrah and the Ferns last Philly show before they pack up for their spring tour. MilkBoy Philly, 1100 Chestnut St., 9pm, $10, 21+ – Bill McThrill

Philadelphia

Psalmships Opening for Purples at KFN March 2

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One line can only truly describe Pslamships’ sound: Sunlight cutting through the trees, washing the dusty sky of an early morning Sunday drive. Sure, it’s a description heavily reliant on visualization, but it’s entirely appropriate, especially when you hear the sparse rural folk that comes out of Pslamships’ fingertips. Listen to "Cannon" off of their EP, HYMN OF LIONS, which will be released later this month, and you’ll understand perfectly (preorder the physical copy now and receive an immediate digital download of the EP. Yay!) The slow-burning melody is eerily beautiful in its dreary but hopeful typology – a desperate longing cut by searing moments of anxious optimism. You’ll have chance to experience all that tonight at Kung Fu Necktie when Pslamships open for the ever-evolving Purples (former members of the Teeth) (BONUS: the Spinto Band’s Nick Krill will spin after the show). And if you can’t wait for tonight or for HYMN OF LIONS to drop, visit HERE and pick up not only Psalmships’ latest album, Dark Marches, but their two recently-released "Best Of" collections, Manipulator and Pastures, which both feature tracks from out-of-print or unavailable records. Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 8pm, $10, 21+ – Annamarya Scaccia
 

NYC

Dead Leaf Echo releases single “Kingmaker” + tours to SXSW

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On Dead Leaf Echo‘s most recent single "Kingmaker," (streaming below, now out via Custom Made Music) you can almost feel the spirit of 90’s dreamgaze bands like Chapterhouse flowing through this modern updating of that classic sound. This shouldn’t surprise, since DLE was hand picked by that legendary band to open their reunion show in Brooklyn last year. Other similarities may be evident due to the hiring of legendary 4AD producer John Fryer, who added his ethereal mixing touch to the track. The song is more complex than much of that era’s simpler compositions, and showcases the band’s evolution towards a more personal sound. The track will be included on their forthcoming album titled "Thought and Language." The band is also is planning another 7" split single, coming out on the California based Green Fuse Records this spring/summer. Two new videos are also in the works as is a March tour, which will take them down to the SXSW Festival. – Dave Cromwell

Chicago

Xoe Wise

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Xoe Wise has completed her new album, Archives of Illusion, which will be released on May 1st. On March 6th she will be releasing her first single for the album, "All You Gave". She was kind enough to let us stream the single for you in advance of its release. Archive of Illusion is the follow up to her 2010 release Echo.

Chicago

Joe Pug “The Great Despiser”

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Joe Pug’s new album The Great Despiser will be released on April 24th through Lightning Rod Records, and this week he posted a track from the album on his facebook page. Below is a preview video for the album.

Pug will be headed to SXSW month, and will be playing two shows here at Lincoln Hall on May 18th and 19th.

Chicago

From our Open Blog: White Mystery Head Out On Tour

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White Mystery kicks off March with a 3 month tour including SXSW! White Mystery is the ferocious rock’n’roll sibling duo of Miss Alex White and Francis Scott Key White from Chicago. Named an MTV Top Act and Best Video, Top Ten Album by The Chicago Tribune and Austin Chronicle, the two-piece shared stages with Weezer, the Gories, and Mavis Staples in 2011. White Mystery returns in 2012 with a North American tour and new releases! Do yourself a favor and catch a White Mystery show. Five Penn Films, filmed their TMK Schubas Performance in January and have begun releasing tracks to give people an idea of the energy they bring live. More cuts from that show, including a new song are to follow!

Philadelphia

The Deli Philly’s March Album of the Month: Be The Void – Dr. Dog

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From the distant, tinny starting countdown of opening track “Lonesome,” one could tell Dr. Dog feels particularly at home with the songs on Be The Void, the 7th album by Philadelphia’s currently most popular rock-revivalists. The band in no way ditches their “sound” on the new album, but they do embrace new aspects of the group and its sound. Most importantly, the lineup shifted, adding Eric Slick – one of the best young drummers in the country. Slick has been widening eyes since his early teens, and now brings both his youthful flare and eclectic percussive influences to an already storied band. The other new member, Dmitri Manos, is responsible for basically every sound on the new album that you are not used to hearing from the Dr. Dog camp. He has been called the “Mad Scientist” of the band, and looking at him tucked in the corner of the stage with his multitude of pedals and knobs (the obtuse comparison would be Geologist from AnCo), the nickname doesn’t seem too far off. 

 
Since the beginning, the band has not shied away from their influences, but while sounding like some of the most influential bands of all time normally wouldn’t seem like a negative, the constant comparisons to the Beatles and Beach Boys (Pitchfork calls it a “McCartney-indebted,” but we get it) has pigeon-holed the group. While they have found a good amount of success, critically they have been fighting an uphill battle to prove that they are more than just a copy-cat act. If this new album doesn’t prove that assessment false, I don’t know what will. 
 
After “Lonesome” gets the listener comfortable, the restless lead single “That Old Black Hole” kicks the album open. The track is catchy, conjectural and evolves into a sort of carnival tune on amphetamines. It is a delightful track and a great introduction for the newest members. The dichotomy of Scott ‘Taxi’ McMicken songs and Toby ‘Tables’ Leaman songs is still present; Scotty providing the poppier, more “accessible” songs, and Toby adding the grit and spit to the mix. This balance has always been an endearing part of the band, especially when they blur the line. An example of this is “These Days,” which actually sounds like a song written by McMicken and sung by Leaman. With the churning bass, staccato lead guitar and lines like, “I hate when people say those were the days/well what are these then,” it is one of the more rewarding tracks on the album both lyrically and musically. 
 
A well-timed respite in the album comes in the form of the sullen lovelorn ballad “How Long Must I Wait,” and the harmony-laden “Get Away” completes a bridge that sounds eerily similar to the vocal work that made Fleet Foxes so popular. As a lyricist, Scott is at once romantic, abstract and charming. He deals with heavy topics with an air of candor and restraint that conveys complicated emotions while avoiding sentimentality. This is the case in “Do The Trick,” which is one of the poppiest tracks that Dr. Dog have created to date. This is not a knock on the band. In fact, the song is easily one of the best crafted songs on the album. It ebbs and flows on a fairly simple melody, without ever sounding stale. Similarly, the albums strongest song, “Heavy Light” is built on a sparse keyboard part that blooms into a lush, Bhangra-infused climax. 
 
The back-end of the album has a relaxed, conversational feel with songs like the trippy, T-Rex influence “Warrior Man” and the rollicking “Big Girl,” which I can’t listen to without being reminded of this. The hazy, antique sounding “Turning The Century” closes the album not with a slam, but a peaceful sigh. 
 
Dr. Dog have been constantly pushing themselves and their listeners; each album attempting to better themselves. These days everything musical has already been borrowed and recycled. That being said – one would expect being called a “copy-cat” band would be invalid given that most bands are copy-cats, but Dr. Dog were ostracized for being so good at replicating a sound that it somehow became a negative. The truth is though, and Be The Void is the best example of this to date, that despite their tendency to harken back to earlier rock styles, Dr. Dog is an incredibly creative, intuitive and trendsetting band that have sculpted a timeless sound that is fully their own. Be The Void is a rousing success of an album (their best to date) that will influence and progress music for years to come. You can purchase Be The Void via Anti Records or any distribution outlets that you enjoy using. – Adam G.
 
L.A.

Artist to Watch: Lee Noble

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Lee Noble is quite the anomaly. First of all, he is an ambient drone artist, which in today’s epitomized caffeine-fueled dance party rage lifestyle, isn’t something that would immediately catch on. But it’s clear that he’s not trying to appeal to the fast-paced masses; he wants you to slow down. Slow down and take a minute to listen. His bandcamp page features six albums, but his latest one, entitled Horrorism, is the one I listened to. The album oozes empty church vibes to me, with the analog synths he uses imitating a organ doused in reverb. This is especially prominent in the second track "Goes Sentimental," and on that note, I’d assume that church was haunted. Ambient is not a synonym of lazy, rather it probably takes more effort to create engaging music that is so soothing and haunting at the same time. On his last.fm page, it reads that Noble is a multi-instrumentalist, which means he uses more than synths to create this music. He’s playing a show at the Home Room on March 1st, and I can imagine it will be quite fascinating to watch him recreate these sounds live. – Taylor Lampela

Philadelphia

The Deli Philly’s Featured Artist(s) Poll Winner: Ghost Ship

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While the members of post-punk outfit Ghost Ship are spread out across the world, they still managed to rally their fans and friends to win our recent Featured Artist(s) Poll. The four young musicians Ben Walls (guitar/vox), Adam Downer (drums), Matt O’Connor (guitar), and Davis Alianiello (bass) are looking forward to reuniting this summer to play a bunch of shows and to work on new material. In the mean time, you can check out our interview with Ghost Ship HERE.