Chicago

CD of The Month: Advance Base

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To say an album "returns to form" seems to allude to something being off or missing or in a deformed state in previous releases. With the new album from Advance Base (aka Owen Ashworth), Nephew In The Wild, it is more of a beautiful blending of two "forms". This album could have easily been the first Casiotone for the Painfully Alone album since 2009’s Vs. Children. This is a clear return to the sound and storytelling of the Casiotone persona.

The album’s open track and lead single "Trisha Please Come Home" in the perfect example. Ashworth spins tales of the everyday but tinges of sadness. His stories are sweet and sad, and always fully realized. Musically, the album is filled with familiar sounds from an array of instruments; Electric pianos, drum kits, drum machines, autoharps, Omnichords, Optigans, Mellotrons. All of this, blending with Ashworth’s skill, create a perfect late summer and early fall soundtrack.

NYC

Garage rockers Baby Shakes unveil video + tour North Europe

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New York City garage rock/girl-group Baby Shakes showcase the release of their second full length album “Starry Eyes” with the single (and accompanying video) “Summer Sun.” Though the warm days will soon give way to autumn, we can hang on just a bit longer by taking in this perfect slice of Coney Island atmosphere. Beach time fun is fully on display in both video and song, which captures the Ramones’ “Rockaway Beach” vibe with Ronnie Spector vocal harmonies. The three front-ladies make a solid case that brunettes are just as much fun as blondes at the shore. The band is currently on a European tour taking them through Ireland and Scandinavia, with a hometown show to surely follow that. –Dave Cromwell

Chicago

Video Premiere: Cold Country

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Cold Country have released a new video for their track "Siamese" directed by Matt Rice. The track comes from their recent full-length album Willow. The band is currently preparing an EP called Fall EP which will include b-sides from Willow including an alternate version of "Siamese". The EP is due out on November 17th.

You can catch Cold Country at The Hideout on Nov. 19th.

Philadelphia

New Track: “Sooner” – Petal

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With a heart-rendering honesty and a full-throttled, guitar–powered ability to erupt, “Sooner” draws you in close with its anecdotal tale of change and moving forward. The track is off Shame, the forthcoming debut LP from Petal, a.k.a. Kiley Lotz, which will be released via Run For Cover Records. What begins as a steady guitar riff fires away toward the song’s conclusion, gradually creating a distance and then rocketing ahead. Shame will be officially available on October 23, and Petal rolls into town with fellow Scranton brethren Captain, We’re Sinking on Friday, September 11 at Michael Jordan House. (Photo by Danielle Parsons)

Philadelphia

RFA Cruises In at WCL Sept. 3

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The four-piece caravan of Really Fast Automobiles, a.k.a. RFA, cruises into the upstairs of World Café Live this evening. The band toes the threshold of easily assimilating garage rock with vocals that maintain an even keel, but appear on the verge of breaking loose from control and blues-inflected instrumentation that comes loaded with smooth riding rhythms and tight riffs. They’re crisp and clean like a good drink, but have the capacity to throw in another shot to stir things up. Clean contoured guitar licks and steady-handed, harmony-centric vocals shape The Reflexes‘ pop-rock sound, while the breezy warm crooning of Mike Bailer Band gets things started. World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 8pm, $8, All Ages – Michael Colavita

NYC

Album review: New Baboons – New Baboons

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With twangy guitars, plenty of organ, and vocals dripping with reverb, it’s obvious that New Baboons are purposefully channeling the sounds of the ‘60s on their self-titled debut album. Influenced by The Beach Boys and Velvet Underground, their airy, melodic songs combine the California sound with catchy neo-psych, garage rock, and power pop, resulting in something not often heard in the local scene.
 
New Baboons consist of Elliott Seymour (guitar and vocals), Adam Scheffler (guitar and vocals), Tom Livesay (bass and vocals), Paige Newcomer (keyboards), and Josh Klipsch (drums). Seymour, Scheffler, and Livesay did the songwriting, and the album was recorded on an eight-track in Seymour’s basement. Despite the vintage tone and sound, it is far from one-dimensional.
 
Several of the 11 tunes unapologetically borrow from the past. “History Books,” “Dress,” “Man, They Just Don’t,” and “Velcro Underground” (a tip of the cap to Velvet Underground) all pass for songs that could have been drifting from the windows of a VW bus in 1968. This isn’t a bad thing, as they are solid tracks that will keep the listener tuned in.
 
“Oh God, You Phantom” and “The Victor” are darker and a bit strange, but remain very listenable, which may equal a more interesting musical experience. Two highlights are “Worm in the Apple,” a pulsating, bass-heavy song that is reminiscent of The Shins’ early work, and “If You Find Some,” a piano-driven, soulful gem with powerful vocals and an extended jam that could go on even longer.
 
Overall, New Baboons is a good, layered offering that should grow on listeners the more it is heard. Some may suggest that the sound is somewhat formulaic, but it is a formula that continues to work and is given a unique and refreshing spin by the band.
 
 
You can check out New Baboons a couple times in the coming weeks: they’ll be playing the dinner show at recordBar on Tuesday, September 15 (Facebook event page) and Harling’s Upstairs on Friday, September 25.
 
 
—Brad Scott
 

Brad loves music, Boulevard beer, and his family. Not necessarily in that order. 

NYC

Schwervon! explores its identity in Kansas City

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(Photo by Todd Zimmer)
 
Though Matt Roth and Nan Turner had already been a musical duo for over 10 years, the word “Schwervon!” didn’t infiltrate Kansas City’s vocabulary until 2012. In fact, their appearance at Ink’s Middle of the Map Fest that year took place the weekend they moved to KC from New York.
 
Three years later, the pair has become one of Kansas City’s most beloved indie pop acts. Since building a foundation in KC, Schwervon! has released two full-length albums and has performed hundreds of dates around the world, including a two-week European run with The Vaselines last fall. In addition to its clever, captivating ‘90s-influenced brand of rock, the band has also become known for its live show, chock full of playful stage banter and wacky show antics.
 
“We’ve done a lot of US touring and a lot of growing as a band since we’ve moved,” says Roth. “I don’t think we could have managed this while living in NY. KC has provided a soft landing for us to engage in, a vibrant local art scene, while at the same time motivating us to get out there and to grow.” For constant touring bands like Schwervon!, it makes sense to live in a central, less expensive locale with a smaller but thriving music scene. But being a band that is deeply rooted and established in a much larger city also presents its own set of challenges. “There’s great stuff to do in KC but we’re more isolated here, at least when it comes to the sort of DIY, arty, pro-feminist community that we love,” Roth mentions.
 
Regardless, Schwervon! has been able to carve out a distinct notch in local, regional, and national markets since moving to KC. In that time, Roth and Turner have had a chance to develop as artists, performers, and grow as a musical partnership. Their most recent LP Broken Teeth (released in 2014 on Haymaker Records; here’s our review on it) was their first acoustic album, which caused the two to examine the essentials of their songs. “As a two-piece band, you often hear the space in and around our songs. We’re not afraid of space. And clarity, which I really like,” says Turner, who shares songwriting duties with Roth. “But to play softer and acoustically—it’s even more eagle-eye focus on the song skeleton, and you notice quickly what works and doesn’t.” Broken Teeth showcases Schwervon!’s music at its most basic level, and it succeeds in remarkable ways. Even in a studio recording, the band’s unmistakable charm shines through in catchy, sincere songwriting.
 
The two have also honed their performance craft over the past few years. “The shows are so much better when people engage with the music,” says Roth, who writes and recites a Beat-style poem at each show, while Turner performs an interpretive dance. They owe this move to their theatrical background, as well as their desire to keep the audience engaged in their art. Turner says, “I think the cool thing for the audience is that if you haven’t seen us before—they’re watching this theatrical thing in the middle of indie rock songs and whether they love or hate it, it’s unexpected and just lives in that moment.”
 
If you haven’t had a chance to witness a Schwervon! show, you can catch them this Friday at Josey Records with The Cave Girls, Lauren Anderson, and The Sluts. They play at 6:15, and the show is free. Facebook event page.
 
 
—Michelle Bacon
 

Michelle is editor of The Deli KC and plays in bands. 

Nashville

Kid Freud, “The End”

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 For fans of: Vampire Weekend, The Kooks, The Shins

Local trio Kid Freud are bringing their quirky. uptempo garage pop to the Nashville scene, and we think we’re in love.

Their latest EP The End (which we certainly hope it isn’t) is 20 minutes of pure bliss. With obvious pop appeal, the 6-song release shows quality musicianship and thoughtfulness with each track, without leaving out the DIY-esque roughness East Nashvillians crave. The guys even include a Frankie Valli cover that will have you and your sweetheart cutting a rug.

Give The End a listen below and thank us later! -Caroline Bowman

 

NYC

Brooklyn hip-hop/neo-soul quartet Flyer Learning plays at The Living Room on 9.18

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Back in June, Brooklyn hip-hop/neo-soul quartet Flyer Learning released ‘The 457 Sessions EP,’ a feel-good yet bold offering. On early track "You Got It Good," for example, slightly sinister instrumentation reminiscent of early Gorillaz melds with chill-voiced rapper Ben Bennett’s admonitions of a whiny youth to form delightful mellowness. "Heads Bop" (streaming below), similarly, sets Bennett’s fearless emcee ambitions against drum taps and coiling electronics that, combined with singer Chandanie Orgias’ breathy vocals, culminate in potential hypnosis. While unfraid to speak its mind, Flyer Learning knows not to preach but to provoke and it does so intriguingly with aware yet immersive music. Flyer Learning performs at The Living Room on 9.18. – Zach Weg 

NYC

West coast tour begins for OC rockers Media Jeweler, tomorrow at Beatnik Bandito

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Get your rocks off with the rock band (full-stop) Media Jeweler tomorrow as they kick off their West Coast tour, saying and playing their goodbyes at the Beatnik Bandito in Santa Ana with Canyons, Slow Rose, and Rufrano. Sam and the gang will make a pit-stop in time for Pehrspace’s "First Fridays" 9/4 with support from Pregnant, Bloody Death Skull, and Madame Headdress, and then it’s off to the mystical lands of Norcal and beyond!

Unfortunately, y’all missed your chance at a free download of their debut album $99 R/T Hawaii, with songs that have recently been lauded by big-name tastemakers Pitchfork and Stereogum (we wrote some nice things about them, too). Media Jeweler had originally planned to self-release in August as we previously reported, but that’s all changed after a solid partnership with the Brooklyn-based label Fire Talk Records, whose roster includes acts like Dreamcrusher and Advaeta. Now, the album will be cut and released in limited quantites pink and black vinyl so you can get sensual with a physical copy on or before November 20th! And of course if you pre-order you’ll also get a digital download of the album, which is slated for a release September 18th on their Bandcamp. 

Because let’s be honest: that round-trip airfare isn’t gonna pay itself.

Check out their most recent collaboration with up-and-coming director Anthony Joseph Lucido in the music video for "Passport Invalid" below. – Ryan Mo