We’re huge fans of Power Animal, a.k.a. Keith Hampson, who has performed multiple times at our anniversary parties and Deli-curated showcases. He bravely just posted a piece over at Impose, about his struggles, with Tourette syndrome, depression, generalized anxiety disorder and ADHD, and how he copes with mental illness on a daily basis. We are also very happy to hear that he is doing better, and has been working on a whole new album. It’s been way too long that the world has gone without a new Power Animal recording, and his latest track "Unkept" certainly didn’t disappoint – so dope! The powerful, glitched-out number was written a few months ago during a spell of bedridden illness. Hampson will be returning to the stage this Friday, May 2 at Bourbon & Branch opening for former Power Animal bandmates Worshyper and local dance-pop outfit Dream Safari.
Show Alert: Bobby Bare Jr. Album Release Show at Mercy Lounge 5.3
Bobby Bare Jr. released his 7th album, “Undefeated,” on April 15th, after 4 years of dormancy. Recorded with Lambchop’s Mark Nevers, it’s everything you can want in a Bobby Bare Jr. album: sharp pop sensibility fortified with distortion and the bracing bite of good ol’ rock and roll, visitation of grave subject matter with his congenial sense of humor. In short, Bobby Bare Jr. feels your pain, and can articulate it in a way that will make you smile. He nails the universal longing to flip the bird to the daily grind in “The Big Time.”
The release show will be at Mercy Lounge this Saturday, May 3rd. Bobby Bare Sr., Cory Branan and Birdcloud will be joining in to make it a night as irreverent as it is heartfelt. If you need more Bobby Bare Jr. immediately, check out this trailer for “Don’t Follow Me (I’m Lost),” a documentary on Bare Jr. created by William Tyler and Reelhouse. –Terra James-Jura
Video: Cassandra Violet, “Beyond The Fray”
LA native and singer-songwriter, Cassandra Violet, has been quietly building an army of devoted followers with her catchy and clever folk pop tunes. Her 3 song EP, ‘Beyond The Fray,’ was funded through a kickstarter campaign. She also made a video for the title track. Hand claps and stomps make up most of the instrumentation, along with Violet’s powerful harmonies. The song’s sparse arrangement matches the wide open deserted landscape chosen for the setting in the video. While the song has a pretty quality, it’s just a guise luring you in like a black widow calling you into her web. She creates a spooky, ghost town, chill-inducing atmosphere. Reminiscient of The Civil Wars if they were produced by Kimbra, Cassandra Violet is certainly one to watch. Peep the video below and get caught in her web. – Jacqueline Caruso
Too Much Rock Singles Series Vol 2: Rev Gusto – Still There
–Michelle Bacon
NYC Record of the Month: Passenger Peru’s Self Titled LP
Most artists who call themselves sound designers – those solitary musicians seeking to place aural oddities from their surrounding environments into their music – usually go about it in the most serious ways imaginable (think Eno or Peter Gabriel). Not so with Passenger Peru. These Brooklyn based sound sculptors use everything from train sounds and bird tweets (‘Tiger Lily’) to cult preachers talking backwards (at least that’s what it sounds like to us in ‘Heavy Drugs’), and end up with a quality record celebrating planet Earth, but without ever forgetting to serve up fun old indie rock while at it.
In this self titled debut LP, Justin Gonzales and Justin Stivers share vocals and instrumental duties, conjuring up tracks that are at once pensive in tone and eclectic in form. With their internal understanding of how much better the world sounds inside of a green cassette tape (that’s the format of choice), the duo winds up with something resembling at times a fuzzier, crazier version of XTC, at others Animal Collective taking Beck out to the prom and keeping him up way past curfew. Truly an exciting and one-of-a-kind experience, the record abunds in sonic eclecticism, but manages to sound uniformly produced, which is a noteworthy achievemt for what seems like a mostly self-recorded effort (Stevers mixed and mastered the album). Even though it is missing a truly explosive single, we recommend Passanger Peru’s debut LP to anyone on the hunt for sonic surprises. Check out epic jam "Haelth System" below and see what things sound like on the other side. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)
This band submitted their music for coverage here.
Stream: Zig Zags, “Brainded Warrior”
Our 2012 Year End Poll winners and off-the-wall garbage punk rockers, Zig Zags are at it again. Their rumored Ty Segall-produced album has become an official announcement. Due out June 3 on In The Red Records, the long-awaited debut full length has us bursting with anticipation. "Brainded Warrior" is the first single they’ve shared and it fully lives up to the hype. The trio creates a parallel world where their music is the soundtrack to the mythic shenanigans of glammed-out mutant warriors. While referencing 80s punk and metal, they manage to build something futuristic; a shredded wasteland that, through their lens, becomes a playground for tongue-in-cheek mischief. Zig Zags play two nights at The Church on York with Thee Oh Sees on May 28 and 29. – Jacqueline Caruso
Verma “Sunrunner”
Verma has announced the details of their forthcoming album Sunrunner which will be released on May 27th via Trouble In Mind Records. They have also released the album’s first single "Hologramm".
You can catch Verma on May 1st at Double Door as part of CIMMfest 2014 and at The Burlington on with Doug Tuttle on May 11th.
New Track: “Philadelphia Raga” – Peter Matthew Bauer
Here’s a delightful new tune from The Walkman‘s Peter Matthew Bauer called "Philadelphia Raga." It’s off his upcoming solo album Liberation!, which was recorded with Christopher Colbert and Quentin Stoltzfus (Light Heat, Mazarin). The record official comes out June 24 via Mexican Summer.
New Track: “Minnie the Moocher” (Cab Calloway Cover) – TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb
TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb recently celebrated the release of their latest EP KONG on April 18, 2014 at Johnny Brenda’s. The band closed out its set with a gritty, raucous, ten-minutes-plus version of Cab Calloway’s classic "Minnie the Moocher." If you missed out on catching it live, we are happy to be able to provide you with a recording of its rad performance below. Enjoy!
New Younger Me EP Available for Streaming & Purchase
Check out Younger Me‘s latest feel-good, five-song EP Coloring Book (below)! And yes, if you purchase their CD, you’ll also get an actual coloring book to fill in yourself. Younger Me will be performing tonight at Kung Fu Necktie alongside locals Jackie Paper, Darling Specter and Michigan’s Cave Needles.
Slothrust unveils two videos + supports Ben Kweller at Bowery on 04.06
Few bands these days succeed in spreading their sound over genres the way Brooklyn’s Slothrust do. At one moment, blues and folk-infused verses instill a mellow, dull ache; the next, a writhing whirlwind of metal jolts and throbs in agony. The trio embodies the Brooklyn grunge reinassaince, and stands out with their versatility. One thing remains constant throughout: the beautifully bleak and haunting vocals of front-lady Leah Wellbaum, creating soundscapes of depravity, longing and darkness.
Keeping with their diverse style, Slothrust already released two unnerving videos in 2014: paying homage to their roots, they went full metal with the cover of Black Sabbath’s "Electric Funeral," while with the claymated "No Eye Candy" (streaming) they explored the colorful world of limb amputation. They will be supporting Ben Kweller on a string of East Coast dates this May, landing at Bowery Ballroom on the 6th. – JP Basileo
Cloud Seeding releases new track featuring Alexa Wilding
We highlighted NYC guitarist Kevin Serra’s project Cloud Seeding a few years ago when he released this track with Marissa Nadler. Kevin has been working at his own pace on new material, using this outlet to showcase vocalists he admires (at this stage the list includes also Nadine Carina, Greg Hatem of Heart of Hearts, Sara Syms and Kris English). Even though Cloud Seeding isn’t not committed to a specific signature sound or style, new track Mirage, featuring Alexa Wilding (pictuerd), confirms Serra’s preference for dreamy atmospheres with a strong melody, in this case immersed in a backdrop referencing spaghetti western soundtracks. This same collaboration is working on another single to be released later in the year.
We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best mellow songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!