Singer and keyboardist of the band Au Revoir Simone Erika Forster has released the first track “Hidden” (streaming below) off her upcoming self-titled solo EP under the moniker Erika Spring. The EP will be out on July 10th by way of pop label Cascine. The song provides a dreamy landscape of keyboard melodies and distorted drum samples. Erika’s smooth crooning guides us through the composition, which is driven by equal parts sparse instrumentation and loaded with samples. Be sure to check her out while she’s still in New York on July 12th at the Ivana Helsinki Space in Manhattan. – Bob Raymonda

Apophenia creates music that surrounds you in every direction. It’s like listening to their lush and powerful orchestrations from the bottom of a canyon. Whether discussing the final steps before reaching the gallows, or the freedoms of the open road, singer Seamus Kerley and band bring a majesty to their stew that mixes their ingredients with hearty soul and pointed harmonies. Recalling groups from CSNY to Sunny Day Real Estate in their latest self-titled LP, the three-piece paints with a large brush to cover such a wide territory.

Songs like ‘To The Gallows (our green mile)’ and ‘Open Roads’ begin the record with an open invitation, and even when exploring rockier fields in later tracks ‘Serenity’ and ‘I’m Coming Home Soon,’ the Long Island group always keeps a large view on whatever situation they find themselves in. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

(photography by Todd Zimmer)

Overview:

The Latenight Callers’ latest EP, Easy Virtues, is a 21-minute exhibit of what you’ve been missing if you haven’t by now heard of them. It is full of noiresque, sinfully sexy music that will have you turning the lights down low in order to fully appreciate. Fill up your hip flask, dust off your fedora… it’s time for The Latenight Callers.

Track 1: "The Mad Season"

Ellen O’Hayer’s guitar intro is as unsettling as it is swank. It’s not until Gavin Mac’s painkilling bass line drops in like a velvet bomb, you know you’re going to be okay … or are you? “It’s over now. You had your mad season with me,” begins the tale of regret and revelation that lyrically hearkens to Nancy Sinatra. The patented Latenight Callers “Noir-a-Go-Go” sound enchants and hypnotizes. It’s like that distant radio, playing softly against your unwinding mind as you drift off to sleep after a couple gins too many. The track then shifts into a driving pop chorus that shows The Latenight Callers have a few more gears in the box than one might have expected. Krysztof Nemeth’s baritone guitar solo abducts your fear and bathes you with that rare sensation of letting yourself fall when you know it’s a dream. His seductive melodies, accompanied by O’Hayer’s sparkling hollow body strumming, could entrance a crazed gorilla. Julie Berndsen and Ellen O’Hayer’s harmonized vocals have the same tantalizing effect as a cobra swaying to his master’s flute. Except, with the femme fatales of the Latenight Callers, it’s no ruse.

Track 2: "Electric Park"  

"Electric Park” begins with a familiar-with-the-80s synthesizer loop that you might hear some Face Value in …  Suddenly, it slides into a smile inducing, hip swaying carnival rhapsody, showcasing more of Nemeth’s chiming, echoing, double agent guitar pangs—and another Latenight Callers trademark—the crooning of Julie Berndsen into a bullhorn. The trebly crackle of her amplified voice weaves a tapestry of lyricism, from stiletto heels to blushing schoolgirls. Graciously, The Latenight Callers know how to mix bullhorn vocals into their live and recorded sessions, pleasantly. No Al Jourgensen banshee wailings present here.

Track 3: "Calaveras"

Beginning with an old sample of Raymond Chandler reminding you that “anything can happen when the Santa Ana blows in from the desert,” saying “Calaveras” (“Skulls”) has noir soaked into it is like saying David Lynch makes strange movies. This track is the most serious in tone on the EP, though it remains ultra inviting. The hauntingly emotive vocal outro, harmonized between Berndsen and O’Hayer, is angelic; like the fabled capturing of a siren’s swan song. This is the 45 your subconscious spins while you drive down a lost highway during hours of darkness. Berndsen’s lusty vocals; Mac’s relentlessly groove-oriented bass measures; the patient hitman guitar arpeggios of Nemeth and O’Hayer; and the gentle backbeat conjured up by Nick Combs all would perfectly provide the score behind the iconic smoking ashtray scene in a black-and-white new wave film.

Track 4: "Wrecking Ball"

What would this EP be without a prominent organ part? You need not worry – here it is. “Wrecking Ball” downshifts into cerebral oblivion. By this fourth and final cut on Easy Virtues, you’ll blissfully feel like you have been doped by Jackie Treehorn. “It’s not about the way it tastes, it’s all about the way it feels…” This closing number begins to slip below the horizon and out of sight in the midst of a mournfully sustained violin, the distant whale song of a theremin, rich echoing guitars—and at the end of the tunnel—a few gentle finger snaps. Then it’s gone, leaving you all alone, where you’ll probably select track one, and start over.

Summary:

Few bands can convincingly create such ambience. The Latenight Callers pull you from the everyday sphere, and send you packing, into that smoky parallel reality depicted in art-noir; where characters walk among the dark, seedy side of society. The Latenight Callers have worked painstakingly hard in crafting their own contemporary brand. The members have only been playing together as a unit for a couple years but they have earned the respect of Kansas City, in spades. Their shows always lend to a night to remember – I highly recommend catching them. It adds to the appreciation you’ll undoubtedly have for their albums. With that said, Easy Virtues is a must have in the music collection of any lover of the avant-garde.

You can catch The Latenight Caller’s sultry noir live show at Nica’s 320 this Friday, June 22 at 8 p.m. with The Blackbird Revue and Kentucky Knife Fight.

–Christian Anders Liljequist

Christian is a freelance writer. He will graduate from UMKC in the spring of 2013 with a BA in Communication Studies (Journalism & Mass Communication).

The Sunday of Northside was not exactly your typical relaxing weekend day. For one, The Deli’s showcase at Cameo Gallery was in full swing. The peppy and preppy Spacecamp melded a geeky exterior with a rock interior and penchant for (beautifully performed) dance beats and catchy melodies, while Papertwin’s mellower psychedelic synth vibes enveloped the venue. A scurry to the basement of The Charleston brought me to happy- go-lucky pop rock bunch, Fast Years, who smiled more than any band I’ve seen (not counting Matt & Kim). A far walk took me to Warsaw, “where pierogies meet punk. “ However, two non-punk bands were creating dance beats for hoards of hipsters. Upon arrival, Chicago’s YAWN was onstage enabling the crowd’s excitement for headliners Starfucker (STRFCKR) with trippy synth-pop tendencies that were less sleepy than their name implies. Portland’s electro-dance pop quartet, STRFCKR transformed the venue into a nightclub, not only with their thumping rhythms but strobes and array of lights that burst out over the audience. My last leg of the night ended back at Trash Bar. Closing the evening and my festival weekend, 60s-inspired psychedelic rock quartet, The Living Kills (pictured and streaming below), hypnotized with organ drones and waves of heavy bass. Overall a fun-filled weekend of music, Northside showcased the thriving variety of emerging artists. –Meijin Bruttomesso

From June 14-21, Brooklyn hosted the annual, Northside Festival (organized by The L Mag) which involved over 350 bands, 50 films, and 120 panelists throughout 60+ venues. Although I got off to a late start, as the music portion began the 14th, I got my fair share of the offerings. A band from “just down the street,” Clouder, began the night at Trash Bar with their psych-garage rock formulations. Immediately following, W.A.L.N.U.T.S impressed with Dylan Robert’s powerful pipes and vocal range atop upbeat and feel-good styling. Power-walking to The Charleston, atmospheric Estrostratus and punky The Black Black blew out the venue’s basement ceiling with piercing guitars and rambunctious drums. Back at Trash Bar, The Gypsy West (pictured and streaming below), who also “curated” the show, stood out with intriguing melodies and harmonies of lead vocalist/guitarist, Alex Giorgetti, and bassist Andrew McCarthy’s nuanced vocals. Giorgetti’s elaborate guitar work carried the band into moments of psychedelia, jazz, grunge, funk, and heavy rock, creating an outstanding fusion and listening experience. The three piece will be at Bowery Electric on August 4 and should not be missed! The night maintained its high with the explosive and theatrical New Madrid, who kept the adrenaline pumping to the very last note with their “rock en Espanol.” —Meijin Bruttomesso