Tough, rowdy, noisy and just plain raw, Liquor Store is New Jersey’s punk rock pride. Their debut LP ‘Yeah Buddy’ was a gritty affair (with a debatable cover), but the band seems to have cleaned up the edges for the better in their recent sophomore album ‘In The Garden.’ The first track "Satin Dollars" is reminiscent of Titus Andronicus with a soft touch of Blue Oyster Cult. They took their sonic noise punk to SXSW in Austin last week to play a bunch of shows (including two at Hotel Vegas Patio on 3/12 & 3/15), and they will keep touring the US until the end of the month. After that, look out for a show at their favorite Brooklyn spot: Shea Stadium of course! – Michael Haskoor (@Tweetskoor)
Philadelphia
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New Track: “Apocalypse Meow” – Omar
After the reported demise of Omar, the duo of Candice Martello and Nick Fanelli emerged once again, and started randomly performing out. And now, they just release a four-song EP entitled Omar Sells Out. Check out the album’s opener and standout (below) "Apocalypse Meow"! Martello shows off her pipes with a more polished sound reminiscent to vocalists like Linda Perry and Chan Marshall. The EP was recorded and mixed by Kyle Graham at Fresh Produce Studios and Mad Dragon Studios.
Nashville
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Phin at 3rd & Lindsley Tonight 3.20
Created less than a year ago, Phin is finding their identity in making big, slightly askew indie-pop songs. Their music rambles into some interesting corners, a lick of doowop here, a carousel-inspired keyboard riff there, as it follows in the high-flown footsteps of influences Wolf Parade. “Those Killers” is the title track of their EP, which is available for free download here. It shows frontman Toby Haydel’s keen instinct for striking songwriting, an attribute that will definitely drive Phin towards a long and successful career.
Phin joins The Whistles and the Bells, Albatross and Good Graeff tonight at 3rd & Lindsley. The show starts at 8, and tickets are $10. Phin is also in the lineup for 2014’s Music City Mayhem, facing off against Red Wine Hangover on March 25th for a spot in Live on the Green’s summer concert schedule. –Terra James-Jura
L.A.
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Stream: Kiven, “In The Fire”
Kiven are bringing a complex modern indie rock sound to the LA scene. Their genre is hard to pin down, but their influences are clear. The newest single off their debut self-titled album released last month, "In the Fire" is pop rock meets prog. The bombastic chorus cements them firmly in a pop realm, while their wailing guitars and hard hitting drums show their boundary-pushing examination of modern hard rock. Frontman, Tyler Demorest’s tongue twisting verses match wits with the math rock tendencies in the instrumentation. There is delicate nuance throughout the arrangement. At moments hushed, at others heightened, dramatic, and even cinematic, this song grabs ahold of your ears, giving them just the right amount of relief before shredding them to pieces. Kiven’s debut self-titled LP is out now. Catch them all month long in April for their residency at Hemingway’s. – Jacqueline Caruso
San Francisco
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Documentary Review: Our Vinyl Weighs a Ton
It takes quite a documentarian to truly delve into the heart of their topic while still maintaining a pleasing aesthetic. Jeff Broadway’s newest film, Our Vinyl Weighs A Ton, shoots a telescope into the fruitful career of artist and producer Chris Anak, better known as Bay Area bred, Peanut Butter Wolf.
Aided by cameos and testimonials from the likes of musical giants from hip hop and underground soul and alternative rock, the film cracks open the shell of Wolf’s wildly influential and coveted label, Stones Throw Records. Divided into chapters ranging from tales of Wolf spending his lunch money on records as an adolescent, to hip-hop royalty Madlib’s long time collaboration with Stones Throw, the movie follows the numerous stages of the label, including J Dilla’s career and tragic passing, Madlib’s transition to Madvillain, the inclusion of the eccentric Gary Wilson and PB Wolf’s manifestation of his alter-ego Falerio. The foundation of the film alludes Stones Throw’s success to the openness of its founder’s creative mind. In the words of Homeboy Sandman, "They don’t try to create artists, they try to find artists."
Our Vinyl Weighs A Ton is a captivating, historically potent and complete film. We recommend you check out this documentary to explore a true staple in Bay Area music history and culture. –Kat Collins
Philadelphia
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The War on Drugs Record Release Live Performance Available for Streaming
Hmm…you’ve probably seen us post live show recordings from NYC Taper, a.k.a. Dan Lynch, who we know was invited by the band to come tape last night’s sold-out War on Drugs release show at Union Transfer. Well, it looks like we now have live music archivist Phila Taper, a.k.a. Larry Sellers. You can take a listen to The War on Drugs’ entire performance below.
NYC
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Neighbors unveils video for “Wild Enough” + plays album release show at Glasslands on 03.29
The brainchild of Noah Stitelman, synth pop act Neighbors is set to release its sophomore album ‘Failure’ on March 25th. Over a year in the making (it sounds like Noah got caught in the over-analysis trap that makes artists constantly unhappy with their recordings), ‘Failure’ deals with overcoming the disappointments faced from day to day, yet still manages to stay optimistic, light, and bubbly. Listen to the first track and music video, “Wild Enough”. Neighbors will celebrate the release of ‘Failure’ with a show at Glasslands on March 29. – Sammie Spektor
Chicago
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Axons
Axons is the work of Adele Nicholas. Earlier this month she released her debut EP Inter Vivos on cassette and digitally. Her sound is filled with dark electronics and wonderfully haunting vocals. Her first batch of cassettes sold out quickly so I would recommend grabbing one of the second batch while you still can.
Photo by Rob Gaczol
NYC
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Austin SXSW winners (without even trying): Sh*t-Kickers
Searching for coverage of truly emerging bands that played SXSW, we stumbled upon the Hitfix’s "Band to watch at SXSW", where we were introduced to Austin’s own Sh*t Kickers, who played five shows at this past SXSW fest. The band plays some kind of slacker punk with noise accents that will surely excite many local students (and us). Their music seems to be coherent with their personality: they slack so much they couldn’t even get it together to create a Facebook profile for the band, not to mention a website. Press pictures, you say? Ha ha ha… Thankfully, Austin label Monofonus Press posted a couple of their songs on Soundcloud (even though they don’t seem to be on their roster). Check out brief single "Living Alone" below, and don’t miss their next live show for some loud slacking.
Philadelphia
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Bardus Opening for The Body at KFN March 19
Oh man – listening to Bardus is like getting a shot of adrenaline injected directly into your heart! The Fishtown power trio will then proceed to pulverize you into submission with its blend of hardcore, noise and sludge metal. They’ll be opening for Portland, Oregon experimental metal two-piece The Body at Kung Fu Necktie, and sandwiched in between the two acts for the night will be Perry Shall’s metal-influenced rock ‘n’ roll outfit Hound and Pat Troxell’s hardcore noise-rock project Heathen Reign. Only the strong will survive this evening! Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 8pm, $8, 21+ – Alexis V.
NYC
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Noteworthy NYC Metal: Castevet
The seemingly endless cold creates a force field which is anything but welcoming and warm. Castevet creates a sonic ethos worthy of these circumstance. Their darkness transcends typical metal music categorizations, leaving a wonderment among the chaos and dismay. ‘Obsian,’ the trio’s second release, presents itself beyond its own soundscapes and into universal plateaus, worthy of multiple listens.
Steering the ship is a technical power-house on the drums in Ian Jacyszyn. It’s as if the guitar and bass set a drone that’s just waiting for the beat to drive them straight through whatever immovable object is placed before them. Fans of Mastodon and Brooklyn’s own Sannhet will find familiar contexts in this latest collection, bringing some well deserved chops to our music scenes underbelly. – Joey Fish @squidterm
Philadelphia
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New Music Video: “Images” – Bleeding Rainbow
Below is a new music video for the blistering track "Images," off Bleeding Rainbow‘s latest LP Interrupt. The song features a pissed-off sounding Rob Garcia on lead vocals. (BTW: If you ever met the dude, the angst is certainly coming from the opposite end of the spectrum in comparison to his normal, nice-guy demeanor.) The video premiered earlier today over at Stereogum, and was directed by the band. Bleeding Rainbow also just announced spring tour dates HERE. They are currently scheduled to perform next in Philly on Sunday, May 25, but the venue has yet to be announced.