NYC

Prince Harvey shines on – live at Shea Stadium on 12.19

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The struggle is real. When Prince Harvey’s computer broke down a couple years back, he recorded all the vocals for his album at the Apple Store Soho. His perseverance shines through in his work. In the video for “Sometimes,” he Bob Dylans his way through the subway system dropping placards of his lyrics like “pay bills during the day, dream at night.” He’s an everyman rapper keeping to the tenets of Sex, Drugs, and That Life. With a predominant ’90s vibe recalling acts like The Pharcyde and Digable Planets, he’s an easy addition to your headphone arsenal. If Hip Hop is about making it with what you got no matter the cost, then this dude is as Hip Hop as it gets. – BrokeMC

NYC

VeVe & Tha Rebels craft mesmerizing gangsta-folk

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Veve & Tha Rebels have a penchant for casting entrancing music that manages to be both soft and strong-willed. The self-branded gangsta-folk band blends traditional folk with elements of afro-beat, R&B and hip hop; crafting a sound that pays homage to roots rock but feels decidedly fresh and original. The instrumentals are paired with singer/guitarist VeVe Marley’s soulful and hypnotic vocals to produce a potent concotion that’s sure to reel you in. Check out "Sistars" off the band’s appropriately titled The EP streaming below.-Olivia Sisinni

NYC

Tessa Violet drops new electro-pop EP, “Halloway”

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Tessa Violet, the Nashville-based YouTube vlogger turned electro-pop artist, is known for crafting danceable, quirky songs with piercing lyricism and her latest EP, Halloway, is no different. Featuring 5 tracks worth of certifiable bangers, Halloway explores love, loss and the difficulty of navigating the spaces in between. In conjunction with the release, Tessa Violet also returned to her familar medium to produce several music videos that accompany the EP, and are just as stunning visually. Check out her lyric video for the song "Haze" below.-Olivia Sisinni


NYC

Trella drops new indie pop single, “Retreat”

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 With dulcet vocals, minimalist keyboard loops, and soaring choruses, indie pop artist Trella certainly has a firecracker of a song on her hands. "Retreat," the latest release from the Nashville-based artist, was written with her Jacksonville Florida roots in mind, and explores the places that we retreat to and can find respite, both physcially and within our minds. Check out the track streaming below.-Olivia Sisinni


Philadelphia

New Track: “After Me” – Louie Louie

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Louie Louie recently signed to Born Losers Records, a local label started by Suburban Living‘s Michael Cammarata and Chris Radwanski. Their full-length album, Friend of a Stranger, is set for physical and digital release on February 10, but you can take their new track, "After Me," for a spin below. With the quartet’s latest single, the stylish ladies of Louie Louie continue to delve into the retro sonics of 50’s/60’s girl groups, incorporating their penchant for harmonic interplay, while finding a touch of grit in the bare-bones rhythm section and jangle of electric guitar strums. We think that they’re definitely swoon-worthy. (Photo by Cassie Cummins)

Portland

Fit the Bill #3: Hurry Up and the Pylon Reenactment Society

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When members of two quintessential indie bands join forces, the resulting outfit can be one of immense influence. Having already dominated two of the three Pacific Northwest music hubs, Maggie Vail of Olympia’s Bangs linking up with Kathy Foster and Westin Glass of the Thermals to form Hurry Up quickly became one of the best things to happen during that era of local music. 

That shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, really. Hurry Up touched on many styles still popular at the time – indie rock, mild hardcore, and riot girl – in a way that highlighted all of the individual members’ strong suits while still remaining radically neoteric. Remnants of Hurry Up’s deeds have scarce online presence but those with lasting memories of their tracks and performances know they’re a perfect fit to open up for the Pylon Reenactment Society.

Even that name may seem unfamiliar, but this iteration of Pylon stays true to their jangley new wave post-punk without being EXACTLY the same. Singer Vanessa Briscoe Hay wanted to keep Pylon respectfully going after the loss of their guitarist Randall Bewley back in 2009 and the Reenactment Society has been the best way to go with it. They’re still going hard and Hurry Up on this bill, the show is sure to go even harder.

Catch this show tomorrow at 9pm at Misssissippi Studios. Tickets run between $12-$14, which is a small price to pay to see some greats.

Austin

Trying Science Get Methodical on Debut EP

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The Austin four-piece math rockers, Trying Science, have recently released their debut EP, Vacation For Snakes, and it falls nothing short of impressive. The instrumentals on Vacation For Snakes are technically sound and inherently dramatic, leaving no void for vocals or excess. Their songs don’t take long to ramp up into full-blown masterpieces of winding guitars and deftly placed effects. Their sound can be compared to a less spacey God Is An Astronaut or a lyrically-devoid Mew. While songs like "Blowing Raspberries" and "Dad’s Other Daughter" are melodic and pleasant, Trying Science can also cross into prog-metalesque territory on tracks like "Sick,Sick 6" and "OFPS" where their technical skill shines brightest. Trying Science have a well-produced, clean, and intriguing debut that points to a promising future. Catch them January 5th at Beer Land for their next live performance.

-Lee Ackerley

 

 

NYC

NYC Record of the Month: The Shacks’ self-titled EP

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Feel like sending a chill through your old, mortal soul? Put on the eponymous, debut EP from The Shacks, which is our new, NYC Record of the month. Shannon Wise’s adorable, whispery voice and her simple but memorable melodies certainly charmed us to the core, but it was Max Shrager’s production, which updates the dream-pop genre in welcome ways, that brought the point home. Catch a cover of Ray Davies’ “Strange Effect,” which – slowed and stripped down – is the haunting opener. The more experimental “Orchids” – for which there is a music video, as shown below, follows lullaby "Left it With Moon," and shows off the musical variety and exploration for which The Shacks strive. More traditional dream-folk track “Tidal Waves” evokes dreams of summer, while the reggae-infused “Hands In Your Pockets” – with joyful bursts of slide guitar and innocent-sounding harmonies – bubbles with repressed youthful angst; a beat holding back a torrent of emotion. Least but not last, the collaborative track ‘Strange Boy (with instrumental NYC band El Michels Affair), offers a glimpse into the ways this band’s sound could evolve in the future with a more produced approach.

The Shacks just announced an early 2017 extensive tour in support of Chicano Batman – Will Sisskind

Philadelphia

New Thom McCarthy LP Available for Streaming & Download

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Thom McCarthy quietly released his album, 2088: The Jumbo-Cricket Landfill Incident, last year, under the moniker of his space-age rockabilly alter-ego Rocky Kaminsky. The record possessed a dark undertone, heavily influenced by fears of our decaying environment and its future effect on the world around us. And with Idiot-elect Donald Trump’s moronic views about climate change and the doubling down on such beliefs with his picks of key cabinet members, it becomes a more frightening yet ear-opening listen. Now, as the year winds down, the Philly artist has returned to share new material that still resonates his environmental concerns, returning, however, to his more traditional songwriting roots and surname on his LP Marvin the Giant, which you can now stream and download below. You can also celebrate its arrival with McCarthy this evening at Bourbon & Branch, where he’ll be supported by Joshua Park. (Photo by Andrea Poulsen)

NYC

Sonya Kitchell releases single ‘Funeral’ about 2016 US elections

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Since the appearance of Donald Trump on the US political scene, we’ve been receiving several submissions of protests songs, most of them filled with apocalyptic imagery and often also insults. We haven’t published any of them, maybe because… we felt Michelle Obama was right when she said "when they go low, we go high." Single ‘Funeral’ by talented Brooklyn songwriter Sonya Kitchell certainly raises the level of the conversation, analyzing the complicated swirl of emotions brought by the 2016 elections, appropriately compared to the ultimate ritual of loss. Not new to the scene, Sonya earlier this year released her third full length album ‘We Come Apart‘ after a long silence (her previous release is dated 2010), check out the video for single ‘Mexico’ below.