After announcing the future release of their LP Full of Snakes (due out in 2014 via Fleeting Youth Records), Mumblr just posted a new six-song EP entitled Bang Bang that you can stream in its entirety below. They’ll be performing next in Philly on Sunday, December 29 at The Fire as part of Kat Kat Records’ Phest Two. Enjoy!
New England
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Blackwell releases “Revival” album on iTunes
Blackwell may be one of the hardest-rocking bands to come out of Eastern Mass in the past few years. The band’s sound harkens back to the classics of 70s and 80s hard rock and metal, as well as newer acts in that vein such as Richie Kotzen and Joe Bonamassa. These influences show on their debut album, "Revival," released on iTunes earlier this year. Guitarist Nate Adelman and singer Nate Burket vie for the spotlight on the album, with Burket’s operatic range and Adelman’s walls of guitars and cocksure solos working in tandem to convey the swagger that this genre necessitates. Drummer Steve Snow and (former) bassist Marc Apesos also lay down some sweet rhythms to underpin the pyrotechnic show put on by the Nates. Standout tracks are album opener “Welcome to Hell,” the Bad Company-ish “Animal Man” and the hooky “Sellout.” Make sure to see them live at JJ’s in Northborough, MA, on December 27, opening up for Tribute This! – Ben Bosco
New England
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Vundabar surfs the east coast on new tour
Vundabar is set to make a wave on the east coast when it brings its chilly surf rock on tour. Starting December 27 in NYC, the Boston locals will be hopping all around, with Massachusetts stops in Allston and Easthampton in addition to shows in Danbury, CT, and Biddeford, ME. There is a heavy surf rock influence in these guys’s tunes, and yet a coldness in the vocals that fits this New England winter. Hopefully they are headed your way with this tour – check out the full schedule below. – Paul Talbot
12/27 Shea Stadium, Brooklyn, NY
12/28 The Gutter, NY
12/29 Kat Kat Phest, Philadelphia
12/39 Haus, NJ
12/31 University of Maryland, MD
1/1 Mamaroneck, NY
1/2 The Seed, Lancaster, PA
1/3 Heirloom Arts Theatre, Danbury, CT
1/4 Roggies, Allston, MA
1/5 Flywheel Arts Collective, Easthampton, MA
1/6 The Oak and Ox, Biddeford, ME
L.A.
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Video: Castle Kids, “What You See”
Get lost in the kaleidoscopic trance-inducing images for Castle Kids’ latest video "What You See." The music of Castle Kids mixes elements of trip hop with ambient, chilled out psychedelia, creating both a relaxing and engaging aural experience. In the same way, the video mixes elements from what seems to be an obscure 80s movie – which also appears to be the source of the audio samples in the song – and abstract, DMT-inspired imagery. The visual aesthetic reinforces the musical sampling effect washing all your senses simultaneously. Watch the video below, and wait for that detuned synth melody to be introduced. That’s when things really get interesting. "What You See" is the lead single off the band’s recently released full length, ‘Are You Even’ streaming on soundcloud. – Jacqueline Caruso
Philadelphia
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New Music Video: “Bag of Bones” – The Ghost In You
Billy Polard, a.k.a. The Ghost In You, created one of our favorite music videos ingeniously using a Nintendo DSi for the beautiful, tear-jerking track, "Losing Light." In the video for his new single "Bag of Bones," he bikes a different path that once again captures the feelings of isolation and loss found in his music (as well as his explanation behind the production below). Also, The Ghost In You’s version of John Lennon’s "Oh Yoko!" will be featured on an upcoming double-CD Wes Anderson tribute album entitled I Saved Latin!, which is due out this spring via American Laundromat Records with contributions from Black Francis, Mike Watt & the Secondmen, Juliana Hatfield, Kristen Hirsch, Telekinesis and more.
"i really wanted to make another music video, but not having anyone else to help me out, i came up with this simple idea. aside from shooting typical scenery and putting music on top of it, this is pretty much all i could do on my own…. i hope you enjoy it."
Philadelphia
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New Track: “Dad” – Roof Doctor
As we learned in our Featured Artist(s) Poll Winner interview with Roof Doctor‘s Mark Harper last year, the band’s name is an homage to his father, who owned a roofing company with the tag line "the roof doctor" and had passed away when Mark was fourteen due to a heart attack while working on a roof. We can’t help but feel some of the weight of the tragic event in the group’s latest single "Dad," which you can stream below. Roof Doctor will be performing live tonight at a "super last minute party show" being hosted by Univercity City DIY space Michael Jordan with acoustic sets by Winthrop "Throp" Stevens from The Hundred Acre Woods, Jeremy Berkin and Pittsburgh’s Fun Home. And if you have trouble finding your way there this evening, then you can also catch them fully plugged in on Saturday, January 4 at The Boot & Saddle.
Philadelphia
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Free Download: Daytrotter Session – Rosu Lup
Daytrotter posted their session with Rosu Lup earlier this month, which also features two unreleased songs – "Lonely Plain" and "Blackbird." You can stream and download their performance for free HERE (w/membership). (Illustration by Johnnie Cluney)
San Francisco
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Creepers Wreck and Reference and So Stressed Play the Hemlock Tavern TONIGHT
Creepers are a band to watch. Formed out of members of fellow Bay Area bands Deafheaven, White Cloud and Golden Drugs, the group sounds like psych rock with a progressive rock twist. Formed in 2011, the band recently released its first EP in October 2013. The recent self-titled EP contains two songs – Forked Tongues and Drug Vision. With shallow vocals and instrumentals that gravitate between blistering and subdued speeds, the first (and longest) song Forked Tongues is an epic, and is more reminiscent of psych rock. Drug Vision is an up-tempo tune, where Creepers’ prog-rock influences are more apparent. In the end, the two songs come together to create a cohesive and dynamic release. –Erin Dage
Be sure to catch Creepers at the Hemlock Tavern with Wreck and Reference and So Stressed December 22.
Philadelphia
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The Weaks EP Release Show at PhilaMOCA Dec. 22
As the week draws to a close, PhilaMOCA hosts an evening with The Weaks, featuring a pair of ex-Dangerous Ponies in Chris Baglivo and Evan Bernard. The band releases their debut 7” EP The World is a Terrible Place & I Hate Myself and Want to Die today, which includes the single “Nietzsche’s Harvest Song.” While the EP’s title suggests that the group won’t shy away from serious emotional topics, they still have the potential to deliver joyous, guitar-ripping power pop. The lineup will also include the scatterbrain musical styling of Mumblr – part garage-fuzz, part pop, part pure aggression, and to make matters even more interesting, add an air of unpredictability as songs take unexpected turns at undefined moments. The dreary emotive minimalism of Queen Jesus (formerly King God) and Dogs on Acid, with former members of Algernon Cadwallader and Glocca Morra, round out the bill. PhilaMOCA, 531 N. 12th St., 8pm., $5 – $10, 21+ (Photo by Daniel Lidon) – Michael Colavita
Philadelphia
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Faux Slang Finding Equilibrium at The Boot & Saddle Dec. 21
Faux Slang serves as this evening’s opener at The Boot & Saddle. The group doesn’t confine itself to a singular genre. Rather, they find equilibrium amid a blending of styles and in many ways that blending creates a hybrid that one might not expect, capturing a well-rounded sound. There’s a raw “take it as it is” garage grit guitar and bass that’s balanced by clean snap and pop percussion and vocals with layered pop sensibilities. Throw in their fully capable tendency to drift toward elongated heady territory, and you’ll find a band that can cover a lot of ground from heavy and distant to clear and catchy or somewhere in between. Faux Slang will be followed by another group that truly falls under the definition of “eclectic” in Weird Hot, with their scattered art-pop sound that leaves no musical influence/possibility unturned. Reinvigorated local math-rock quartet Lefty’s Deceiver will headline the bill. The Boot & Saddle, 1131 S. Broad St., 9pm $10, 21+ – Michael Colavita
L.A.
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Video: Diamonds Under Fire “Everything Fades to Red”
Diamonds Under Fire are a female trio that write exhiliratingly raw music, best exemplified on the video for their latest track "Everything Fades to Red". The squally rocker is fronted by singer Vanessa Silberman, healing her mangled emotions alongside heaps of fuzzbox distortion that rattle with an impenetrable force. The track can be found on their recently released EP Hearts of Hiatus, a five-track collection of demos, B-sides and remixes that serves as a gift for their fans until they unveil their next full-length in 2014.
Portland
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Tender Age at Rontoms 12.22
There’s something entrancing about the dream pop sounds that surround the songs of Tender Age. Between the reverb heavy guitar leads, intricate vocal harmonies and steady, near hypnotic drumming it’s easy to get lost in the sounds they create. Their latest single, “Velvet”, balances dynamic structures reminiscent of a post-rock group with an ambience that ties them into the shoegaze genre. Catch them this weekend at Rontoms with Fringe Class as part of the venue’s always-awesome Sunday Sessions. You won’t be sorry. – Benjamin Toledo