NYC

Music submisions: Kntrlr at The Gutter on June 1st

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When you listen to Kntrlr for the first time, you’ll probably already feel like you’re singing along to them. Swirling loops engulf otherwise driving rhythms, and vocals that shoot for the rafters. It’s like the way campfire jams probably sound on Mars. No matter how the textures differ, from the rapid single string interplay of Kush, to the dark textures running around Velveteen, the duo exudes a glossy sun-worshipping sheen that is always a welcome sight now summer is finally upon us.

Join Charles and Michael when they play Gutter tomorrow evening with HHR. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets) – Kntrlr submit their music to The Deli for review here.

NYC

From the NYC Open Blog: Modern Rivals release “Sea Legs at Pianos on 06.16

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After performing at Chappo’s LP release show at Dominion in early May, Modern Rivals will be hosting a release party of their own in honor of the "Sea Legs" EP – at Pianos on Saturday June 16th. Modern Rivals are five friends who have been playing music together since middle school. The Brooklyn-based quintet weaves whirling keyboard lines, lush loops, and dreamy guitar tones around balladic vocals and a hard-hitting percussive backdrop. – (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.

NYC

Sweet Tea Pumpkin Pie Benefit @ Black Cat June 1

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In support of DC’s Sweet Tea Pumpkin Pie festival, the Black Cat will feature benefit shows on the first Friday of June, July, and August with bands that will be performing at the fest as well. This Friday June 1, check out these acts:

DC’s Surgery Dot Com are self-described pioneers of “experimental dork punk” who’ve got an EP Live Surgery available now that was recorded live at DC9 in February.

RVA’s Kid Is Qual consists of two bassists and a drummer who recently released their gritty rock EP Ladies Choice, and were selected to Alternative Press’s "Top 100 bands you need to know in 2012."

Charlottesville VA’s rockers Corsair (pic above by Brad Day), featuring members from the Black Sabbath tribute band Mass Sabbath, joins the bill as well who will showcase rock anthems featured on their debut S/T LP that came out late April.

And Arlington VA’s alt rock band Koshari will start off the gig with tracks from their extensive discography that’s been growing since 2001, including their latest LP Light in Dark Places.

Black Cat, Friday 6/1 Doors @9 PM $10.

NYC

NJ rockers you should check out: Sleepless Saints

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Sleepless Saints makes note of their resemblance to ’60s britpop in much of their press, but after listening through to their debut LP ‘Sleep on It,’ I’m finding a lot more in common with a genre popular in their home state of New Jersey. There was a time in the ’80s when Bruce, Jovi and Southside Johnny rocked the Heartland just as well as that Australian Rick Springfield, and this quartet picks up right where these rockers left off.

And there’s nothing wrong with that. True, there’s a couple throwback rockers here. ‘The Last Time’ for instance, could have poured out of The Peppermint Lounge’s speaker system back in the day. But otherwise, the majority of these mid-temp rockers, like title-track ‘Meditate On It,’ has the driving momentum and sweet harmonies I usually associate with bands like The Heartbreakers and The Attractions. A powerful blend to be sure, and a task these guys are more than up to delivering – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Philadelphia

Album Review: Get Disowned – Hop Along

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A simple interwoven electric guitar riff accents rough, acoustic guitar strums, and then singer/songwriter Frances Quinlan’s wispy, lilting vocals enter the equation like a glimpse of sunlight parting the clouds of an overcast sky. Thus, begins Hop Along’s latest full-length album Get Disowned.
 
Opener “Some Grace,” a subtle bare-boned introduction, shares a bit of the fragility and vulnerability that can be found in Quinlan’s lyrics. The song morphs into faint electronic bleeps dissolving into a serene calm. However, the pending storm arises with the following track and the album’s lead single “Tibetan Pop Stars,” which cuts through the tranquility with boisterously dirty power chords and rolling thunder drumbeats. Once again, the vocals seem to play peacemaker, a calming force among the turmoil. That is, until the chorus takes flight, then falls to earth with the repeated lines “nobody deserves you the way that I do,” which gradually rises from the ashes of a broken heart. “No Good Al Joad” is paced by steady downhill bursts of acoustic guitar that is pierced by the interloping hammer of a pickaxe electric guitar. Quinlan’s vocals strain in an effect that expresses the emotive tug and pull of the narrative. This all comes to a head after a brief percussive interlude, which captures the ear signaling for audience participation. She reveals, “You are my favorite, because you are a long shot. You are my enemy, because you forgot.” This is just before pulling back into a corner to protect herself as she gathers the strength to share a bit of philosophical wisdom and universal truth: “Everybody is a little hard to love sometimes.”
 
With the precise production work of Algernon Cadwallader’s Joe Reinhart, Get Disowned is a balance between agitated artillery-style rock with intimate, late night confessional vocals that dig their nails into your skin while simultaneously whispering sweet nothings into your ear. Despite the constant presence of distinctly tenacious guitar thrashes, Quinlan’s lyrical message remains a priority. It is often aided by the fact that the vocals are directed at the listener. In this manner, Hop Along invites us into an emotionally turbulent household leaving no curtains drawn or door locked.
 
You can purchase Get Disowned via Hot Green Records. Hop Along will also be celebrating its release tomorrow night at The First Unitarian with Bandname, Little Big League and Mary Lattimore. – Michael Colavita

Philadelphia

The Sea Around Us Opening for Porcelain Raft at KFN May 31

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Philly four-piece The Sea Around Us is somewhat of an enigma when it comes to putting them in a genre. You could say they are reminiscent of the Beach Boys at times (most notably in “Walls”), and at other times, they start to sound Grizzly Bear-esque. Their name comes from a book written in the ‘50s by conservationist Rachel Carson. The band says that “the book includes deeply moving descriptions of astounding natural phenomena expressed in great poetic detail. We intend to live up to Carson’s enlightening ideal by presenting a sonic landscape that is challenging yet accessible. The Sea Around Us are more like their own island where many genres pass by and land on their shores for a bit. They recently launched a Kickstarter campaign last week to fund their first full-length album (which you can donate to HERE). They’ll be opening up for Porcelain Raft along with The Homophones tonight at Kung Fu Necktie. You’ll want to get there early for this one. Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 8pm, $12, 21+ – Maura Filoromo