Former US Marine and world class drummer, Jacob Summers, took a break from the glitz and the smog to hide away in the frozen tundra of Alaska. It was there that his ruminations simmered unencumbered into what has become Avid Dancer. Lucky for us, he brought this new project back to LA for our aural pleasure. Last week, SPIN premiered the first single, “Stop Playing with My Heart.” Summers’ haunting vocals have an endearingly heartbreaking quality. Perfectly paired with the vintage-style production that evokes 60’s psych in a lost bedroom tapes kind of way, his time away from the unrelenting sun and sand proved worthwhile. Stream the track below, and catch Avid Dancer live at The Echo on January 21 for Pop Shop West. – Jacqueline Caruso
NYC
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Nat Osborn Band – Rewriting Genres One Song at a Time
One half music soundtrack, one half arena anthem, The Nat Osborn band has a rare knack for existing simultaneously in several different places at once. Track ‘The King and the Clown’ (from the record of the same name) picks up as piano bar soundtrack, only to then remake itself loud and large, as the band joins in a shared and scathing criticism: ‘let it burn.’
It’s a band that can be smooth enough for any cocktail hour, but perfect to keep the evening dancing to whatever kind of international style this quartet puts their minds to. Check out ‘The King & The Clown’ below. Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)
L.A.
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Stream: De Lux, “Better At Making Time”
The highly anticipated project from 22-year olds Sean Guerin and Isaac Franco is finally available for public consumption. It was announced a few months back that the duo were set to release their debut LP on Innovative Leisure next year, but without any clue as to what they were up to sonically. Well, now we have the preemptive EP to keep on repeat while we wait for the full length. Released by Scion AV (yep, the Toyota owned company), the five song EP is an impressively dense and unpretentious glimpse into the world of De Lux, which I’m sure we will become more acquainted with in the coming months. The first single, “Better At Making Time,” is a post-disco groovy dance tune rife with catchy synth lines and an uncanny David Byrne influence. I first saw them live at The Echo when The Deli LA presented the last night of the Haunted Summer Residency. They had a seven piece band pulling off every element from these recordings in a way that stunned the crowd. De Lux is the new wave of the future. – Jacqueline Caruso
Philadelphia
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New Levee Drivers Live Studio EP Available for Streaming & Purchase
It’s been nearly five years since we’ve gotten any type of official recordings from the Levee Drivers. They just released Live Studio Session – East Coast Recordings, a four-song record of old and new tracks that was captured during a live studio session on August 24, 2013 at Grammy award-winning East Coast Recordings Company in Warminster, PA with producer Matthew Phillips. They’ll also be celebrating the release of their long-awaited official studio EP entitled Speakin’ Bourbon Coated Blues on Friday, December 6 at Kung Fu Necktie with The Lawsuits and Ron Gallo so now you have plenty to look forward to before the year ends.
NYC
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Weekly Feature: Johanna Cranitch Goes Electronic in White Prism
Having arrived in New York as an aspiring audio engineer, Johanna Cranitch instead made a name for herself in the city’s broad indie-pop scene under the guise Johanna and the Dusty Floor. Since recently repackaging herself as White Prism, the Australian is now investigating a long-standing interest in more electronic-based instrumentation, and has already cut one of the most accomplished releases within the genre to come out of NYC in recent memory with the project’s smooth, soulful self-titled debut EP. – LINKS: Read Dean Van Nguyen’s interview with White Prism.
Philadelphia
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New Music Video: “I Was Born on Christmas” – Killer Bangs
Call us Scrooges, but we generally hate Christmas songs. However, when they come with a music video featuring Jesus Christ and Santa Claus dancing, limboing, drinking and smoking pot, we guess that we can make an exception. Here’s a new one from Killer Bangs, the latest project from Shakey Jake (ex-Cold Fronts), for the band’s single "I Was Born on Christmas." Their third official video was directed by Roe Jennings. We guess that it’s never too early to celebrate the Son of God’s bday.
Chicago
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The-Drum Rework Mirror Talk
The-Drum have released a remix of the LA band Mirror talk’s track "Don’t". The duo released their debut album, Contact (Audraglint), earlier this year.
Chicago
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MTVGhosts
The dreampunk trio MTVGhosts recently released a new EP, Dystopio. I’m not sure I’ve heard of the classification of dreampunk before, but it does seem fitting for this trio. Their sound combines elements of surf rock with new wave or even electro-pop elements. The result is pleasantly rhythmic, melodic, and compelling.
Philadelphia
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New Track: “The School Of Athens” – The Bad Doctors
Below is the opening and standout track, "The School of Athens," from The Bad Doctors‘ latest EP Re Animate, which was released digitally via FDH and P.Trash Records. The four-song release is a precursor to the band’s upcoming full-length album, Burning City, currently slated for release in spring 2014. (Photo by Mattias Nilsson)
NYC
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Remixing Science with Party Supplies
Having made his name collaborating with husky Queens rapper Action Bronson on last year’s aural idea factory Blue Chips, Justin Nealis has fleshed out his Party Supplies guise for the release of his debut album "Tough Love." Adding multi-instrumentalist Sean Mahon to the mix, Nealis opts to move away from the sampled-layered beats of his hip-hop collaborations towards a dinky electro-pop sound loaded with plenty of taut drum machines, sharp hooks and throwback New Wave vocal lines. – Dean Van Nguyen
Nashville
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Orthodox at the Owl Farm 12.13
Underneath the fashionably burgeoning Nashville rock scene lies a community of pissed-off kids. Luckily for us all that hate is being channeled into songwriting. Although local hardcore bands only receive a fraction of the media buzz that more “marketable” acts get, Orthodox is on track to put Nashville back on the map for heavy music. Orthodox’s relentless grooves and growling vocals mesh into a powerful, energizing assault on their latest LP "End of My Wit" (which is available for free download at their bandcamp). Imagine the in-your-face tenacity of XBishopX stirred in with First Blood’s unforgiving animosity. I’ll admit, Orthodox had me reminiscing on the days of being dropped off in front of The Anchor or The Muse to see some of Nashville’s old reigning hardcore heavyweights like Contender and Hollywood.
If you’re getting bored with the swelling tide of singer/songwriters or pseudo-psych bands, you can delve into the undercurrent and catch Orthodox at The Owl Farm on 12/13. -Michael Perry
New England
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Hello Shark on the right track with HS
HS, the most recent offering from Burlington,VT trio Hello Shark, is simply a pleasure to listen to. The guitar work on the album is very Built To Spill-esque, with vocal melodies reminiscent of Noah and the Whale/Casiotone for the Painfully Alone. I suppose the latter comparison is fitting since I saw Hello Shark open for Advance Base (the new project of Casitone’s Owen Ashworth) and Skinny Bones in Cambridge last night. The songs on this record are very cohesive, all woven together with a soothing fabric of what I can only describe as post-breakup depression mixed with just the right amount of wine to make you introspective. Whatever his real influences, frontman Linc Halloran’s vocals are the perfect compliment for the indie rock/slightly overdriven jazz tunes on this record.
Be sure to check out their Facebook page for more details about upcoming shows and other band news/updates.
-Dan McMahon (@dmcmhn)