Off-kilter art rock shoegazers, Ablebody, are sharing a new tune with us. Where their debut release was covered in a veil of gloom and unsettling dissonance, this new single, "After Hours," is a gutsy Britpop suckerpunch. Skillfully accentuating offbeat syllables, Hochheim creates musical punctuations with his words, matching the driving beat underneath it all. Spacey synths, dreamy reverb-drenched guitars, and the atmospheric layers we’ve come to know from Ablebody are all still intact, but this slightly new direction is a welcome one. Stream "After Hours" below and catch them on their tour with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart tomorrow night May 7 at The Troubadour. – Jacqueline Caruso
American Diamond Recordings Announces Launch
Ron Gallo just announced the launch of a new record label. Named after the intersection where it is located, American Diamond Recordings is comprised of a collective, who aside from Gallo also includes Marley McNamara (manager of The Districts & Levee Drivers), Brian Dale Allen Strouse (The Lawsuits), Dan Bruskewicz (TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb), and Reed Kendall (Up the Chain). The label’s lineup of artists will include the aforementioned Gallo, The Lawsuits, Levee Drivers, TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb, and Toy Soldiers.
Gallo’s solo debut entitled Ronny (scheduled to drop June 24) will serve as the initial release for American Diamond Recordings. It will be commemorated with a free show June 26 at Spruce Street Harbor, which will also include The Lawsuits and Up the Chain.
Brooklyn’s Nancy rocks the way rock should always have rocked
Anyone concerned with the state of rock and roll should maybe shut up and check out Brooklyn based duo Nancy. Rock doesn’t get much more earnest, or flat-out bold than these guys – nothing but unadulterated attitude in every strum of their barebones, no-nonsense bangers. A glorious combination of punk-infused driving rhythms and punchy singing that calls to mind the likes of The Ramones, Bad Brains, The Misfits, and maybe even Meatloaf, make Nancy a force that you can’t fight. You’ll be unknowingly nodding in satisfied agreement, or wiling out entirely while they bridge the rock-n-roll gap between then and now. – JP Basileo
Tuesday Tune-Out w/SGNLS & Dangerbird Jr. at PhilaMOCA May 6
Tuesday Tune-Out returns this evening at PhilaMOCA after a brief hiatus last month so that the multi-purpose art space could host another successful year of Cinedelphia Film Fest. May’s series will be curated by WKDU‘s Yoni Kroll, and this inaugural event will feature the heavy synth-punk of SGNLS, who will be releasing a new LP via FDH Records very soon, and Dangerbird Jr., who will be a stripped-down version of psych outfit Dangerbird. (They were kind enough to be a last minute replacement after The Bad Doctors dropped off the bill.). Tonight’s film will be "a 70s rock music horror cult classic." PhilaMOCA, 531 N. 12th St., 7:30pm, $5, All Ages – H.M. Kauffman
Resurrected NYC band Dog Society announces third record ‘In The Shade’
Most bands could take a lesson from Dog Society: no matter how long you wait between records, it’s never too late to get back together and make a new album. After a 19 year hiatus, Dog Society in the next few days 2012 released a follow-up LP to their 1993 record ‘Test Your Own Eyes’ – which was released under Atlantic Record’s wing. ‘Emerge’ is a catchy, droning, jangly thing that puts the band right back where they belong: wIth buzzing mellotrons (‘Pink Sun’), epic rock (‘A Good Friend’) and meandering acoustic jams (‘Aleja’). Fans of the group will hear the Beatlesque harmonies the group got them used to, but the band isn’t stuck in a time capsule either. There are places here Dog Society has never gone before: like the psychedelic madness of ‘Spaceboots,’ or the Jovi-inspired anthem ‘Daymare.’ Listen to track ‘Salt’ below, and stay tuned for new record ‘In The Shade’ dropping later this year. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)
This band submitted their music for coverage here.
New Kite Party LP Available for Streaming
Here’s the new full-length album from Kite Party entitled Come On Wandering, the follow-up to their well-received 2011 debut LP Baseball Season. It was recorded at Philly’s Headroom by Kyle Pulley and Joe Reinhart, and will be available via Anaheim-based indie label Animal Style Records. They’ll be celebrating its release this Thursday, May 8 at PhilaMOCA with a stacked lineup of friends that includes Three Man Cannon, Gunk, Thin Lips, and The Spirit of the Beehive. (Photo by Gabrielle Elizabeth)
Sound Cards at Dino’s 5.19
On May 19th, Sound Cards will be playing a show at Dino’s in East Nashville. This three piece band from Franklin, TN is a little pop/rock, and a lot of energy. They have lyrics of love and life, and the song “Get Me High” may do just that. It is fun, electric, and downright catchy. Their entire album "Keep the Filter Off" is available for free download here. They will also be playing at 12th and Porter on May the 30th, if case you can’t catch the one on the 19th. Or go to both, we won’t judge. –Amanda Aydelott
Album of the Month: Wild Ones ‘Keep It Safe’
After having overcome some recent life challenges, last month Wild Ones re-released their debut album Keep It Safe through Topshelf Records.
Danielle Sullivan’s writing reflects some of the tensions leading to growth, tapping into lucid thoughts of pure connection and how letting go is easier for some than others. Her vocals are high and clear, and the formula of each song is still sweet and synthy. But what stands out most from the instrumentation of their previous EP, You’re A Winner, is the breadth of electronics, the new drumming of Seve Sheldon, and the guitar styling of Nick Vicario who transitioned from bassist to guitarist in the band.
This album is bound to narrate upcoming summer excursions. Slower songs like “18 Mile Island” carry intricate guitar solos behind breezy soundscapes and lyrics of “make believin’ is the only thing i do.” “Lion Heart” begins beefed up with a heavy riff over drum beats, then hops and skips lightly into pop and intricate keyboard, before finishing with a rock guitar wail. There is a lot of crystalline electronic looping as well on tracks such as “Row,” and the final, title track “Keep It Safe,” which is perhaps a promise to stay wild, stay strong, and let all that hard work pay off.
– Brandy Crowe
Congratulations to Royal Jelly for Winning the Deli Magazine San Francisco’s Artist of the Month Poll
Congratulations to the insanely talented San Francisco based gypsy soul band, Royal Jelly for winning The Deli Magazine San Francisco’s Artist of the Month Poll. The fans and voters have spoken and Royal Jelly has come out on top! This innovative vintage band has been playing speakeasies and jazz/soul venues all around the Bay Area, reaching crevices of the city that are not as adorned as they should be. RJ dares to be authentic with their brand of swing music that stands out from the local scene’s status quo! We’re into it.
We wish them all the best on their future endeavors!
Young Magic celebrates release with a free party at “Sleep No More” on 05.08
"Sleep No More" (playing at Manhattan’s McKittrick Hotel) is an immersive theatrical adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, taking place inside a five or six storey building, where actors interact with the audience, which is (almost entirely) free to choose where to go or who to follow. That’s where atmospheric electronic duo Young Magic, on Thursday May 6th, will be celebrating the release party of their sophomre full length "Breathing Statues." It sounds like the perfect ambiance for a band whose music constantly flirts with mystery. The show will be at the Manderley Bar and it’s open to the public so it’s a great opportunity to check out an event that promises to be different. Check out the new single ‘Holographic,’ streaming below.
Stolen Silver @ Hideout
Stolen Silver are self-releasing their new full-length album, We Have Everything We Have Nothing, this week. The band has released three singles from the album over the last nine months to built the excitement. The most recent and my favorite is "Prefontaine" which focuses on holding on to a relationship you feel rapidly slipping away.
You can catch Stolen Silver with Julie Meckler and Brian McSweeney celebrating the release of their album at The Hideout on May 10th.
New, unapologetic Brooklyn bands: SLAVVE
When we first played "Pity Party" by SLAVVE – a new Brooklyn via Florida duo involving ex members of Surfer Blood and Weird Wives – our mind(s) traveled back in time to the days when Swiss trio The Young Gods was rocking our world with cascades of (sampled) electric guitars and and magnetic, desperately epic vocals. Even though these NYC punks (from what we can tell) don’t use electronics, the comparison kind of works, at least musically. SLAVVE is all in sonically and emotionally, and even though their music sounds like a violent storm, it still maintains a musicality that makes all this turbolent tension enjoyable. Their debut, self titled EP will be out in late June.
We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best Punk/Guitar Rock songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!