Eyes wide open and hands in the air, I, Alexander brings back some of the best parts of numerous Justin Vernon projects in his new song and music video "Sturdy Thoughts." You can hear the Bon Iver and Volcano Choir influences right off the bat, in the sweet, tender vocals and lucid, folksy acoustic guitars. But unexpectedly and impressively, orchestral textures meander in, lifting the song into exquisitely stunning territory. A beautiful string and flute arrangement weaves through the song, helped by a gentle piano. The video itself is mystifying, with a haunting silhouette of the artist projected on top of leaves and sparks flying. I, Alexander’s self-titled debut is out January 12th on Susan Records. –Geena Kloeppel
Philadelphia
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New Track: “Capricorn” – Capricorn Rising
Chris Are & Buddy Leezle combine forces to form Capricorn Rising. Featured on their self-titled debut EP, “Capricorn” taps into its zodiac origin. Injecting fragments of instructional/informative recordings as triggering transitions, the track rolls in over the snap and chime of a retro beat. Juxtaposing the quick-witted confidence of the rhyme with the computerized contextualization, it’s a grimy guide. Sit back, listen and learn.
Portland
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Get a post-Christmas punk cure from Xurs tonight
The day after the Christmas is like a hangover from joy; hours upon hours spent entranced in a material or substance induced high can grow exhausting after awhile. If the cheerful spirits and gift-caused joy were a bit too much to handle yesterday, there’s a bill of the most furious punk to help quell that overdose on annoyed happiness.
Prepare to have your face melted later tonight, as newer "weirdo-punk" outfit Xurs take over the High Dive along with the gruff vocality of New Bloom and Meridian‘s noisiness. It’s the best way to gain back all the energy that was sucked out of your soul by too much family time and mass food consumption yesterday. For under $10, it’s a small price to pay to feel again.
NYC
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Lawrence, Raycee Jones and Scruffy Pearls headline NYE party at Rockwood
Rockwood Music Hall is one of the best places in NYC where you can enjoy what we call "the unpretentious musical genres." The three-room venue specializes in folk, soul, Americana, pop songwriters and rock with a classic/southern flavor. The majority of acts they book is local. Their two New Year’s Eve line-ups are a perfect reflection of this, featuring soul pop collective Lawrence as a headliner for the (sold out) night on Stage 2, with pop-soul songwriter Raycee Jones and upbeat pop band Scruffy Pearls (pictured). The smaller Room 1 will host performances by a series of emerging local artists, mostly local. We put them all in the playlist below, check it out!
New England
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Get lost in the solemn landscape of BAERD’s newest single, “Out Of The”
BAERD is a seven piece progressive-folk outfit most known for their expansive arrangements and chilling atmosphere. On their newest single, “Out Of The”, the celestial atmosphere of the song hovers gently above the group’s traditionally Americana foundation, while utilizing breathy orchestral arrangements reminiscent of Radiohead’s In Rainbows. The result is a fresh, transcendent revitalization of new age folk music. Stream the track below. -Charley Ruddell
Philadelphia
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New Blood Sound Compilation Available for Streaming & Download
"Dark prom pop" purveyors Blood Sound plan to release their debut EP, as a duo, in 2018. However, before that happens, they wanted to share a collection of their favorite recordings with Chris J., who has decided to ride off on his new motorcycle towards the next phase of his life. Sink into your own stratosphere with Everything Is Always in the Past, as the sleek synths and pulse-pacing rhythms demand for you to dance in the dark. Before turning the page to a New Year/new beginning, embrace the memories of this sonic snapshot.
NYC
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THICK and Plastic Picnic play Rough Trade’s NYE with Diarrhea Planet
It’s always a good sign when a local medium size NYC venue like Rough Trade books two local acts to play on new year’s eve. This year the Williamsburg venue/record store picked garage trio THICK and atmospheric indie pop quartet Plastic Picnic to perform as openers for Nashville’s Diarrhea Planet on Sunday December 31st, check out two of their videos in this YouTube playlist!
P.S. Fellow NYC psych garagers Stuyedeyed will open for that same band on the 30th.
Philadelphia
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New Pet LP Available for Streaming & Download
From frantic fuzzed-out stampedes to more subdued, emotively laced moments of melody, Ten Thousand Years, the new album from Pet, strikes a personal note. Jostling between mellowed exposures and friction-fueled fury, the collection is reassuringly unpredictable. Rollercoasting in a volatile vibrancy, it exhibits smoldering self-reevaluations, leading to tension/pressure-releasing ends.
NYC
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Great Woods kick off 2018 with show at Elsewhere on 01.07
Eric Ryrie of Great Woods has had a busy year, having recorded and mixed his latest EP Strange Lives and playing shows to support it. He won’t slow down going into 2018, as he and the rest of the band will play the eclectic Zone One room at Elsewhere in Brooklyn on January 7th. They’ll play plenty from Strange Lives, a record that blends the soulful pop songwriting of Peter Gabriel with a sound that’s borderline emo. Check out single "Married to the Tide", streaming below. – Will Sisskind
NYC
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Clairo opens Brooklyn New Year’s Eve show with intimate bedroom pop
Clairo has become one of the year’s most unanticipated but delightful success stories in music, with her top tracks, “Pretty Girl” and “Flaming Hot Cheetos,” racking up millions of plays on Spotify. There’s no sleek production or gimmick in her tunes: Clairo makes vulnerable and intimate music, like a loving voicemail made without ever leaving bed. Her voice is muffled and cozy, nuzzling into the pillow made by warm beats like blankets. On December 31st, Clairo will play with Diiv, Hoops, and Chorizo at Baby’s All Right’s New Year’s Eve celebration in Brooklyn. – Cameron Carr
Portland
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Swamp Boys ring in the new year in Portland
Young dudes with an affinity for old songs, Swamp Boys have a delightfully nostalgic sound that calls back on a keen sweetness that dominated airway sounds back in the 60s and 70s. A little bit surf, psych and alt-country, the foursome are from a fairly small town not that far from both Portland and Seattle called Ridgefield, but they’re making their efforts to put their homebase more on the map.
Swamp Boys just released the first six songs they’ve ever written on an EP called Bahked, an obvious nod to some of the best greenery the Pacific Northwest offers. Each track on Bahked makes a good accompaniment for a smoking sesh, like the catchy garage tune of "I Don’t Know What I’m Doin’" to the ballad-esque "Love So Dear."
Those still local during this holiday week can see Swamp Boys play twice, on 12.27 at the Tardis Room with Freemans Dead from Long Beach, Ca, Rosebud and Major Arcana, and again hosting the American Legion Post 134’s New Year’s Eve show with Holy Smokes & Godforsaken Rollers, Weehawk, and New World Aviation Committee.
Philadelphia
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Krust Toons: “Merry X-Mas” by Tedd Hazard
Krust Toons: "Merry X-Mas" by Tedd 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.