New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
Al Scorch will be releasing his first album for Bloodshot Records, Circle Round the Signs, on May 13th. The label recently released the album’s second single "Lost At Sea". You can pre-order the album here.
Scorch will be touring the midwest throughout the month of May, but his next local show will be June 5th at Do Division Street Fest.
The video for “Caitlyn,” directed by Ian Neisser, finds the trio of JANK waking, baking, and then horsing around with their dog costume-adorned friend Shane Davidson. While the first half the footage is playful, the second finds the band performing the melodically-frenzied track in a basement. Awkward Pop Songs, which was released on tape via Honest Face Records/Funeral Sounds) is set for a vinyl release on May 20 via Creep Records. Also, keep your eyes/ears peeled for a new EP. (Photo by Chelsea Leese)
The Oakland based duo, Rogue Wave will release Delusions of Grand Fur on April 29th via Easy Sound Recordings, but starting today the record is streaming in its entirety. Rogue Wave’s first album in 3+ years and their sixth studio album, Delusions of Grand Fur is set to smash any preconceptions of Rogue Wave’s sound and is the most truthful, powerful, and urgent sonic blueprint of the band to date.
Delusions of Grand Fur – a title chosen as a riff on the tendency of fresh-faced musicians to misperceive the reality of band life – marks the reinvigorated return of Zach Rogue, his longtime band mate Pat Spurgeon, and their fellow band members. Recording and producing the entire LP themselves at their home studios in Oakland, Rogue Wave focused on storytelling throughout the album and worked without recording demos versions of songs—instead, the demos would simply become the songs. With this DIY approach, Rogue Wave has seized creative control of its identity and the end result is a clear snapshot of who the band is today.
Catch Rogue Wave Live in May:
5/5 – Oakland, CA @ Starline Ballroom
5/7 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
New Jersey’s avant-folk-poppers Stolen Jars must have put a spell on us last fall, when we decided to put them on the cover of the CMJ 2015 issue of The Deli, since, judging from this adorable video of their single ‘Kept,’ they have friends in the magic business. Don’t miss the band at Mercury Lounge on April 30th.
Dropping their official first music video, Blue Healer throws out a heater that feels so right to listen to on a warm summer day filled with swimming and partying with friends. They call their music, “pop with teeth,” meaning a mash of pop with a garage rock sound, and Blue Healer certainly delivers the bite with the video in question, which is for their track “Luminescent Eyes.”
Made up of members David Beck (bass, guitar and vocals), Bryan Mammel (keys and vocals) and Dees Stribling (drums and vocals), the trio’s chemistry is unquestionable, with a flawless playing style that meshes just so well and highlights the strengths that each brings to the table. Blue Healer feels fresh where other bands can seem like reheated leftovers, and they carry a sound similar to Local Natives infused with influences of Bob Dylan’s songwriting style, but taking that sound past the limits set by other pop artists.
Blue Healer shows their fun side and brings the raw energy from their live shows to the “Luminescent Eyes” music video, which they shot in a VHS-style fashion at the San Antonio Zoo. They start the song by laying down shimmering guitar chords that then pair with an injection of sun-bleached synth, both of which together set the tone of a song that rolls with a slow melodic pace. Tranquil vocals meld with the instruments like two clouds colliding, and overall it makes for a refreshing song to listen to when you want to relax and let the sunshine wash over you. The lo-fi video of the band exploring the zoo on just that kind of sunny day works well to give you a sense of chilled out good times, and it makes a nice match for the song’s summer vibe.
Watch the video below to get in on all the fun you’ve been missing out on, and keep your eyes peeled for their first album, releasing sometime this summer. It’s sure to be one of the records you’ll want on repeat for the hot days ahead.
—
Andrew Conroy
Brooklyn-based musician/producer Rena, set to release her debut EP ‘Rude Chick’ on May 6th, is not somebody you want to mess with: "Rock and roll was always what spoke to me the most,” she explains. "That’s what this record is for me- POWER!, I love the raw energy of the riot grrrl movement and female rock in general." The recently released title track showcases a sound that’s part hip hop and part industrial (the arrangement reminds us of the pervasive ditortion of NIN’s ‘Broken’ EP), whie first single ‘Symptom of Youth’ (streaming below) is a spoken word celebration of partying soon exploding into a chorus that blends shoegazer with noise rock – in the most pop way possible.
Krust Toons: "Slave (RIP)" by Teddy Hazard – please feel free to drop him a line at teddandthehazards@gmail.com if you dig or have any funny ideas. You can also check out more of his illustrations and animation shorts HERE.
The self-titled debut EP by Cheat Aqua is a collection of brooding, sentimental pieces recorded by a one-man band (plus drum machine) and brought to life by the wonders of tape and its warm lo-fi resonance. Not one to leave a quarter of his four track recorder unloved, Cheat Aqua’s main man Vaughn Walters fills out the sonic space with more harmonies than a Thin Lizzy guitar solo made sentient covering early Iron & Wine. The EP a wistful little gem, and we’d recommend you check it out on a cool, still night of your choosing. –Austin Phy
Post-punk trio Puff Pieces has a bouncy, hypnotic new LP Bland in D.C., the title is a play off hometown punk legends Bad Brain’s anthem "Banned in D.C." The record was recently released via Greensboro, NC indie label Lovitt Records, and is available on limited-edition translucent yellow vinyl. The album was recorded by Devin Ocampo at Treehouse Studios.
We’d like to send you and a guest to tomorrow night’s concert with Bob Mould (Hüsker Dü, Sugar) and Ted Leo at Underground Arts. To enter for a chance to win a pair of tix, just send an email to thedelimagazinephiladelphia@gmail.com with the subject line "Old Punks Never Die!" Please also include your cell number in the body of the message (in case of an emergency). Good luck!
‘My Art of Almost’ is a soon to be released record about Ben Talmi‘s personal failures and hopes – told through electrifying beats and dancing synths. Musically ubiquitous, Talmi has engaged in multiple genres, including impressionistic rock through his previous band Art Decade, alternative folk in the solo album named ‘For The Dreamers,’ and a number of string quartets and orchestral arrangements. He will be showcasing his enthralling melodic compositions tonight (April 25th) at The Bowery Electric and on April 27th at Pianos. – Amanda McCall
We’d like to ease you into your morning with the ambient, static drone of Mike Armine, who is best known as the frontman for Rosetta. His new full-length release Verse and the Cleansing Undertones combines works from his previous debut Cleansing Undertones of Wake / Lift and his latest production Verse. Feel free to zone out at work or school for a little while longer.
