Clone Age, the forthcoming album from Philly punk outfit Dark Web, will be released this summer via Erste Theke Tonträger, a record label based in Mannheim, Germany. “Robot Dreams” is a rippin’, sci-fi fantasy that playfully tears through to the future. The accompanying video by Linda Jean quilts together classic images of space and psych strangeness that may seem more like nightmares to most. Be afraid…be very afraid!
NYC
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Plain Dog brings ambient indie to Elsewhere 04.09
On their new album, All My Friends, released this past February, New York’s Plain Dog carries the DIY/indie torch while also managing to inject something fresh into their material. The seven-track album is at once buoyant and crackling with angst, with driving percussion and fuzzed-out guitars reminiscent of Modest Mouse and hints of Nirvana. With this release, Plain Dog delivers in droves and promises great things to come. You can catch them at Elsewhere on April 9th. Listen to "Cherry Cola" below! – Ethan Ames
Philadelphia
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New Track: “Easier to Love” – Kississippi
Kississippi, a.k.a. Zoe Reynolds, has shared the release date for her forthcoming album, Sunset Blush, due out April 6. Reynolds is currently on a hefty U.S. tour with Beach Slang and Dashboard Confessional. Below is her latest single "Easier to Love," which teeters between holding on to one’s independence and sacrificing one’s self to be with another. How much is enough, and how much is too much?
Austin
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Top 5 SXSW Band Discoveries
Swimming through a sea of bands and artists that have subjected themselves to the grueling SXSW experience, it becomes hard to keep an open mind and an objective ear. Thankfully there are always a handful of acts that don’t require further analysis, their brilliance and appeal are obvious, and we selected five of those gems to share with you.
1. Blackillac
A super group of sorts with local rappers Phranchyze and Zeale joining forces with Gary Clark Jr. as producer, Blackillac is a tour de force onstage. Stage presence and deft rhyme schemes made this duo a must-see at SXSW.
2. Neil Frances
Aussie upbeat electronica never felt so right as when Neil Frances played his funky fresh SXSW sets. The groove-centric band leader from down under made some new fans during his infectious sets.
3. Wake Island
No Wave meets dance electro with this Montreal-based duo. Philippe Manasseh and Nadim Magzhai are both strong songwriters who played the Canada house show and turned heads with their undeniable appeal.
4. Thandi Phoenix
With a sound that is equal parts raw and emotive, captivating Sydney songstress Thandi Phoenix, is set to carve a path for herself as one of Australia’s most promising female artists. Thandi’s SXSW experience only served to fortify her eventual ascendence.
5. DUCKWRTH
West Coast funk mixed with a lax Southern rhyme scheme, Duckwrth is a fusion of lyrical talent and unending charisma. While its a bold comparison, Duckwrth has shades of a young Andre 3000 in more ways than one.
NYC
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Still Woozy brings acoustic-influenced indietronica to The Constellation Room tonight (3.24)
Still Woozy is the passion project of the Oakland-based Sven Gamsky, who describes his own music as “electronic/acoustic wooz.” The fuzzy bedroom pop is reminiscent of other indietronica acts like Glass Animals (on their first album), but with his own twist. Gamsky’s brand of mellow pop is upbeat and melodic, but his lyrics are cool and, at times, even enigmatic. His effort to combine the sounds of acoustic and electronic music is paying off; with Still Woozy, he is making the type of pop you don’t mind hearing on repeat. – Lilly Milman, photo by Palmer Morse
Listen to his newest single “Lucy (ft. Odie)” streaming below.
L.A.
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Courtship. release video for “Bad Fun,” play the Troubadour on 3/31
"A little bit of fun never hurt no one," goes the pleasurable axiom by courtship. On their video for "Bad Fun," the indie pop duo of Eli Hirsch and Micah Gordon mix business with pleasure as a bouncy, piano-led beat takes them through an imaginary daydream.
"Bad Fun" is the latest single off of their still-unannounced forthcoming full-length effort. Catch them at the Troubadour opening for The Hunna and Coasts on March 31.
NYC
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Vlad Holiday brings thoughtful indie-pop to Elsewhere 04.03
New York’s indie-pop sensation Vlad Holiday is a force to be reckoned with. Just take his latest single, the ambient and melancholy "Children" – channeling the likes of M. Ward and The National; Holiday waxes nostaglic for simpler days and laments a certain loss of innocence that comes with the territory of growing up. Moreover, Holiday seems to long for the kind of blind optimism that drives so many of us to plunge headlong into life and love, for better or worse. "Lie to me and say goodnight/It’ll be all right/Lie and say this world is fine/That we will be all right." Vlad Holiday is playing a release show for his latest single at Elsewhere on April 3rd, with support from Des Rocs and Lip Talk. Listen to "Children" below! – Ethan Ames
Philadelphia
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Weekend Warrior, March 23 – 25
Sundays are usually a good day to wind down and reset for the workweek, but if you are looking to squeeze in some more sweet tunes before you return to your studies or that job you should have left months ago, head on over to Johnny Brenda’s! You’ll find the beautifully melodic garage-pop of The Vernes kicking off the festivities with a new batch of tunes, helping you to forget the trials and tribulations of life. However, if you are ready to delve deep into the corners of your mind, the contemplative tunes of indie darling Abi Reimold will surely help to stir up some emotions that you just might not have known were there. All this rad local support will be leading the way to the synth-pop concoctions of Nawlins duo Video Age. (Abi Reimold Photo by Bob Sweeney) – H.M. Kauffman
Other places where you can wait for spring to arrive already…
Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) FRI Philly Loves Phife & ATCQ, SUN Abi Reimold, The Vernes
Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) FRI Taggart, Thee Glitterbombs
Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Northern Liberties/Ramona, Tiny Hueman/DJSC/Trieves, SAT Earth Telephone, Tact/Shawn Kilroy/Fame Lust/Stateschoolgirl, Leo, Phil Yeah, SUN Blank Pill, Tim Motzer
Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) SUN Loverlorn
The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.) FRI Andrea Valle, SAT Heavens Edge
The Foundry (1000 Frankford Ave.) SUN In the Presence of Wolves
World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) FRI (Upstairs) Deb Callahan Band, SAT (Upstairs) DJ Rahsaan, (Downstairs) Echoes, SUN (Upstairs) Sistahs Attune
The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Wrong Planet, SAT The Parsnip Revolt, Civil Holdup, Zupang
MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut St.) FRI DJ HA
Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3rd St.) FRI Heavy Temple, High Reeper (Release Show), Hound, SAT Tioga, Vanderlyle, SUN American Trappist, Jackson Pines
The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave.) FRI Internal Rhyme, Tiani Victoria, Kohn, The Digital Crates, Balmour, OG Juan Shinobi, SAT The Rectors, RunHideFight, SUN Voltheque, The Dull Blue Lights/Knightlife, Los Festingos, Curtis Jr.
Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2nd St.) FRI Dave Joyce, SAT Possum Kingdom, Lithium, SUN Reece Stacks
Silk City (435 Spring Garden St.) SAT DJ Deejay
Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) SAT Dirty Soap Blues Band, SUN Rusty Cadillac
Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9th St.) FRI Ty Asoudegan, Paulette Branson & Mixed People, Chad Jenkins Band, Michaela DeBenedictis, SAT Primatives (Album Release), Andorra, Knightlife, At Best, The Good Mess
Century Bar (1350 S. 29th St.) FRI Resilient, SAT Clamfight, Goat Wizard
Voltage Lounge (421 N. 7th St.) FRI Left To Vanish, SAT DJ Mighty Mike Saga
Frankie Bradley’s (1320 Chancellor St.) FRI Philly’s Foxes/DJ Chris Urban, SAT DJ Brian Toll
The Grape Room (105 Grape St.) FRI Xpresidents, SAT Jac with no K, Easily Fooled, Tyler Asay
Ardmore Music Hall (23 E. Lancaster Ave.) FRI Splintered Sunlight, Control For Smilers, SAT Cabin Dogs, SUN The Whiskeyhickon Boys
Creep Records (1050 N. Hancock St.) FRI Heavensake, Midfield
Everybody Hits (529 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Dark Thoughts, Loose Tooth, SUN Mavis The Dog
The Pharmacy (1300 S. 18th St.) FRI Fred Beans, Tristan Kavanagh, SAT DJ-Sun, The GoAround/Slow Reader, Patches and Pins
Tralfamadore (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Rebecca Zimmerman
JJ’s Diner (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Coping Skills, Snakeboy
Hole Foods (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Slaughter Beach, Dog, Sleepy Freak, Greg Mendez, Moto Surf
NYC
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Death By Piano share EP title track “Countdown” + play release show at Elsewhere on 4/2
There is a slow burn soul that runs throughout the synth-pop created by Brooklyn duo Death By Piano. The six songs on their debut EP “Countdown” emerge at a measured pace with singer/keyboardist Kalen Lister and producer/instrumentalist Greywolf crafting a deliberate, moody feel. On the title track (streaming below) deep bass synths and electronic beats create a pulsating groove leading to the vocal hook “please – please don’t turn the lights out – give me space to shake off the in crowd.” A spacious ambiance emerges at the midpoint, where beat-less waves of sound pulse behind Kalen’s emotive vocals. With the beats returning, the ultimate declaration is to “look the wolf in the eye, don’t back down.” The EP is now available for pre-order, with the full release on April 6. To celebrate, the band will play their release show on 4/2 at Elsewhere. – Dave Cromwell
Philadelphia
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New Pulgas Album Available for Streaming & Purchase
Open to Most Things (Bolied Records), the second full-length album by Philadelphia’s Pulgas, a two-piece consisting of Simon Martinez and Zane Shields is a tundra of spectral delight. Its a sonic quest that is as cogent as it is unhinged. The record’s nine tracks contain multitudes, offering its listener new delights upon each return to their world. The compositions are complex yet surprisingly digestible, with dense atmospheres hovering over intricate rhythmic sequences and playful melodic components. – Josh Kelly
Nashville
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H.A.R.D team up with Nashville alternative heroes on “Bellyacher”
H.A.R.D (short for Have A Rad Day) were formed after the breakup of Light Beam Rider by Thomas Sweat, Daniel Sowards, Brady Gomillion and Zach Fierman. And they are now sharing their high-energy brand of anthem-y alternative rock with debut single "Bellyacher". Diarrhea Planet’s Jordan Smith and The Weeks’ Cyle Barnes feature on the song to bring the energy level to a whole new level as they chant, "I don’t give a fuck what I said." Check out "Bellyacher" below and be sure to be on the lookout for H.A.R.D’s EP coming this spring! – Chris Thiessen
Philadelphia
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New Track: “Type A” – Control Top
Post-punk trio Control Top just premiered "Type A," the first single from the band’s forthcoming debut LP, Covert Contracts, over at Stereogum. The project was founded by vox/bassist Ali Carter, who has recruited drummer Alex Lichtenaur (HIRS) and guitarist Al Creedon (Bleeding Rainbow, I IM EYE MY), to help her unleash a bit of noise and fury on innocent (and not-so-innocent) bystanders. They’ll be kicking off a run of shows with Empath at Space 1026 on Wednesday, March 28, along with punk outfit Dark Thoughts.