New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
Bow & Spear is a thunderous trio featuring John Bergman, David Ritter, and Megan Edgin. They are releasing a 12" LP on the 29th called Into. Their sound is aggressive is the most fun way possible and with fuzzed out noise. You can preorder the LP here.
You can catch Bow & Spear for a free show at Empty Bottle on July 20th with Sleep Kitty, Beat Drun Juel, and Beastii.
Dogs on Acid, which is made up of former Algernon Cadwallader members Peter Helmis, Joe Reinhart, and Nick Tazza and Snowing‘s Nate Dionne, just premiered their new single "The Prick," over at SPIN. It’s off their upcoming debut self-titled record, which will be release on August 28 via well-respected indie label Jade Tree. The foursome will be doing a Northeast run of shows this week with Spraynard, capping things off back home in Philly on Sunday, July 19 at PhilaMOCA.
Once again I have the priviledge of unveiling a new video from Boston’s Molasses Jones, and once again I am extremely impressed by the tunes from these three guys. I was initially drawn-in by the unique location, a tunnel beneath the Eliot Bridge in Cambridge, MA. I enjoyed the stripped-down live performance, complete with cyclists interrupting the first few seconds of filming.
"Smoke Screens" has a warm, low-down blues swing, but polished enough to sway more to the pop side of the spectrum. Perhaps most impressive about the whole thing is Cory Fein’s playing–drums and harmonica at the same time is complex business.
Enough of my mindless comentary–click the image below and watch for yourselves.
Molasses Jones’ debut album is due out in the fall. Until then, check out their Facebook page for band updates.
-Dan McMahon (@dmcmhn)
Photo credit: @lystenboston
In their newest single, Doubting Thomas Cruise Control are switching things up. The Brooklyn based band’s self-labelled "debt punk" (a term that captures life in New York more than we’d like to admit) crosses over into new territory with the single, "Lillehammer" (below). The EP they released this year, ‘Moonchild/Jailface’, is a lo-fi slacker rock with ’90s influences, while "Lillehammer" – without losing the slacking – showcases a more modern and cultivated indie rock sound. This single is the first from a new album to be released August 14th, through Austin’s Fleeting Youth Records, and we’re curious to hear Doubting Thomas Cruise Control sonic evolution in what we believe is their first release under a record label. The band will be leaving for a two week tour in August. – Sam O’Hara
We stumbled upon Brooklyn’s electronic duo Tripletrain while browsing the Palisades listings (they’ll be playing there on 07.25) and were immediately intrigued by their tunes, which have the rather unique feature of blending trippy, R’n’B and loungy influences. In 2014 the band released a very consistent EP entitled ‘Lights of the City,’ that offers a variety of well crafted electronic jams, from the jungly opener ‘Git to Love‘ to the soul sample dominated downtempo ‘All That I can Do.’ Check out below the loungy title track, featuring Chiara Noriko at the (sampled) vocals.
We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best electronic songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!
If soothing space-age synths with a percussive bounce that teleports to a futuristic place is what you’re looking for, Skydive Dubai has got you covered with their EP SOFAR. It’s relaxed yet refuses to stand still, finding electronic frequencies that you’ll naturally sync up with. Breathe in that calming atmosphere, and you’ll quickly adjust to these exploratory surroundings.
It’s common knowledge that to really make it as a songwriter in Nashville, you have to write at least one good song about a train. Alex Vucelich is more than satisfying that prerequisite with his lastest single, "Johnson City."
Originally from Hawaii, The Fourth Wall is a Portland based indie quartet with a sound swimming in post rock and psychedelic influences. Their melancholic melodies and soaring songs are a little reminiscent of a less orchestral version of late Mercury Rev. The band recently announced they will release their new LP, ‘Lovely Violence,’ on July 31st via Bug Hunt Records. You can catch them live at Mississippi Studios on August 2nd.
We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best songs by emerging Portland artists – check it out!
The latest release from Brooklyn based Indie Pop group Bellows, entitled “May 5 to 12 Songs,” is a collection of delicate folk-pop tunes that will stick with you long after they’ve ended. Singer and songwriter Oliver Kalb’s voice floats dreamily across the albums eight tracks, accompanied by minimalistic drumming, strummed guitars and simple synth lines. But do you want to know the real kicker? The entire album was completed in only seven days as a part of artist collective The Epoch’s ‘Song a Day for a Week’ exercise, with one track being written and recorded each day. Currently, Bellows is the only participants in the exercise to have released their contributions as an actual record. Maybe because… writing a song a day for a week ain’t that easy! Bellows will be performing at Baby’s All Right on August 13. – Patrick Wolff
There’s something oddly romantic about Ryan Duncan’s musical history. The San Bernardino-raised man traversed an audio engineering background and befriended fellow noisemaker Lawrence Lindell: the latter’s DIY label Noise Met Sound released Gypsy Eyes‘ single "REM" and his debut full-length The Escapist in 2013.
These pieces were colorful and ludic, combining elements of jungle with Duncan’s fascination for idiophones, raising candles to the likes of B12 and Autechre. His time spent working with the autodidactic musician echoed sentiments of a creative marriage between seemingly polar opposites. Duncan’s past suggests that he is capable of manifesting pop in the avant garde, finding balance between cold sounds and hot beats. He takes a pass on this new EP.
"Whispers, Stitches, Catacombs, Fear" marks the first physical release and pronounced shift toward musique concréte, perhaps a return to his engineering roots: it’s a collection of six improvised vignettes that study textures abrasive and gentle. Ambient noise, wind chimes, and field recordings coalesce into a surreal atmosphere, bereft of rhythm. It’s a work that could stand among notables of the genre like Daniel Menche and David Lee Myers, obscure as they might be. But even for the unitiated, "Whispers, Stitches, Catacombs, Fear" is magnetic, challenging listeners to question the essence of song and communicating ideas conventionally left alone.
Stream Gypsy Eyes’ "Whispers, Stitches, Catacombs, Fear" on New Normal Label‘s bandcamp or buy the cassette for just $5. – Ryan Mo
DCRadaR only has one single out so far, "GUN (Give Up On The Now)", and already you can pinpoint their interesting play on genres (listen below). Their self-proclaimed sound is "electro-shoegaze," but there’s also hints of pop-punk, making it surprisingly easy to dance to. They’ve got more singles to come, and they’re playing July 19th at Metropolitan in Annapolis.
Red Flannel Hash, the latest record from Burlington, VT’s Black Rabbit, is bursting at the seams with enough hard, fast guitar riffs to keep your head bouncing for weeks. My favorite track off the record is "Sayonara", with its catchy chorus and rowdy guitar solo. The song is over so quickly that by the time it’s finished, you’re left wondering: "what was that and why was it so incredibly awesome?"
For more info about the band, check out their Facebook page.
-Dan McMahon (@dmcmhn)
