Clutch is the the latest solo release from Matt Oleksa (St. Peter’s Dog). The vivid, movement-inducing “Confetti” sets the stage for these new batch of recordings. Mercurial electro-synth create a sense of ominous tension within an on-the-go flow. Those haunting grooves grip in a manner befitting a cinematic score.
Portland
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Amulets
A while back I had a friend ask me why I listen to ambient music. For a bit, I rambled on about the way ambient music can be a soft place to mentally curl up in. It provides you room to think while also gently guiding the direction of those thoughts. However, if I had been asked the very same question today, I would have just made my friend listen to Amulets‘ Future Fog. Each song creates a vastly different mood, but it’s done so subtly and gracefully that you don’t pick up on it unless you’re paying close attention. You don’t get lost in his music, it gets lost with you.
Amulets, who also goes by Randall Taylor, has most recently released Mountains Past / Immortal Yeller. Created in conjunction with fellow drone artist Bus Gas, the album explores the relationship between cause and effect. It does so beautifully. “Mountains Pass” in particular stands out. The song maintains a balance between emotional distance and bare-bones vulnerability. Not too mention this doesn’t even touch on live performance. With the use of handmade cassette tape loops and live guitar loops, Amulets focuses on recontextualizing his soundscapes to produce unique and immersive experiences for every audience.
Amulets’ next show will be Saturday, April 6th at the High Mark. Slow Crush, Holy Fawn, and Long Hallways will also be performing.
-By Avril Carrillo, photo by Thomas Fang
L.A.
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Photo Ops return with radiant new single, “July”
Bask in the radiant optimism of Photo Ops’ "July." The latest single by singer-songwriter Terry Price, who performs under the name Photo Ops, is a response to all the negativity that has surrounded his personal life. He sounds clear-headed, even there’s a tinge of resentment in his words – "I did you right/ You just won’t know it for a while," he says to himself with woeful practicality. But look at "July" as Price’s self-cleanse, as he delivers his quietly-powerful subtext through a soft layer of sparkling guitar chords and precise, Sea and Cake-recalling drum work.
"July" is the first reveal off of his forthcoming third album, Pure at Heart, which is expected to hit later this year. Juan Rodríguez
Austin
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Cheeky Orange Derives Pleasure From Visceral Angst
Like many great partnerships, Xavier Sanchez and Thom Valles despised each other when they first met during their Freshman year of highschool in El Paso. Thanks to a perceptive teacher who forced them to work together, we now have the thrash punk duo Cheeky Orange, albeit many years later. Valle’s vocals have a hypnotic, psychedelic quality that suddenly erupt into primal screams and raise neckhairs in the best way possible. Distorted, staccatto guitar riffs interweave through pulsating drums to draw listeners in. The tempestuous instrumentation sways like a metronome and evokes equal parts Sabbath and At The Drive In. Cheeky Orange seems to have absorbed elements from the El Paso post-hardcore scene as well as Austin’s deep psychedelic roots, but their violent and mesmerizing sound is uniquely infectious and unto itself. Having recorded their first demos on an a basic 8 track recorder, expect them to release an official debut in the next year, and definitely catch their live shows that they’ll be playing regularly in Austin.
Chicago
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Good F**k
They say love can make you do crazy things and perhaps calling your new music project Good Fuck maybe one of the craziest. This is the new collaboration between Tim Kinsella (Joan of Arc, Make Believe, Cap’n Jazz) and Jenny Pulse (FKA Spa Moans), and as the press photo above shows, they are clearly in love.
All of that aside, musically this project is a fantastic blend of these two musician’s styles, merging electronic music and rock. You can currently stream the first two singles, “Jenny Dreams of Pies” and "Secret Meetings”, from the duo’s self-titled debut which is out February 22nd via Joyful Noise.
You can catch Good Fuck at Open House Contemporary with Windbreaker, Mayor Daley, Whitney Johnson & Ben Lamer Gay, and Water Ritual on February 22nd.
Chicago
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Black Sites
Progressive Metal band Black Sites has released the first single, “To The Fire”, from their forthcoming LP, Exile, which is due out April 19th via Hoove Child.
This is the work of former Trials members vocalist Mark Sugar and guitarist Ryan Bruchert. They are joined by José Salazar of Satan’s Hallow on bass, and Garry Naples (Novembers Doom, Without Waves) on drums. This is the band’s first album with its current line-up and first since 2017’s debut Monochrome.
Nashville
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Maxwell James releases indie-folk single “The Violence Close To Home”
Side note before we even begin: As I started writing this post, I smelled vape smoke. And truth be told, that’s what Maxwell James‘s latest single "The Violence Close To Home" feels like. The lyrics have darkness to them, and James delivers them with a smoky voice that has a deceiving chill tone to it. The instrumentation feels like something to which you’d sway rather than brood. It seems strange for a song with such depth to feel so blissful, but James — who released his debut EP last year — has a knack for creating music that catches you off guard and makes you go "Wow." Take a listen to "The Violence Close To Home" below, and stay tuned to James’s Facebook page for upcoming show dates. – Will Sisskind
Philadelphia
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New Track: “Change” – Bungler
Paul Hewes, a.k.a. Bungler, recently shared the track, “Change,” which is featured on his upcoming album Moon. It also appears as the B-Side to The Sun Shines From Very Far Away, due out on February 23 via Super Wimpy Punch. Solemn somewhat formal keys usher your ears in. However, with a twinkle and drum kick, just close your eyes, and prepare to enter a meditative dreamstate. The song acknowledges the malleable nature of existence, which is countered by the stabilizing force of those around you.
NYC
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Future Punx to release forthcoming album at Alphaville 03.09
Sure, you could tweak your sound any which way to fit into the requirements of a genre… but why do that when you could make up your own genre? That’s what Future Punx, the Brooklyn based self proclaimed “post-wave” band, decided to do. Drawing on the oddball sound and stage antics of bands like Devo and The Talking Heads, Future Punx bring new wave to 2019 with a terse, yet energetic, sound that walks the line between synthpop and post punk. It’s a mix that can only be described as, well, “post-wave” – and it’s definitely addicting. Future Punx will bring their waves to Alphaville on March 9th to premier their album The World is A Mess – stream the single “Want To Be Wanted” off their upcoming LP below. – Sunny Betz
Chicago
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CCDM “The Door Opens”
CCDM is the moniker of experimental music producer Chris Persson. Earlier this month he released his latest project, “The Door Opens”, and the follow-up to his 2018 EP, “Forest of Hair”. This 23 minute piece spans an array of electronic genres from drone to ambient to EDM while telling a story through sound.
NYC
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Pezzettino Debuts Soothing Music Video for New Single “Home”
The music video accompanying Pezzettino’s new single “Home” is an ASMR-inducing mix of images and sounds. There’s soapy handwashing, a slow ladeling of sauce over cheesy noodles; images of ginger and leaves and tacos and twinkling lights and it’s all accompanied by the gentle crisp voice of Pezzettinos’ Margaret Stutt. Stutt’s compositions are infused with similarly soothing sounds: twinkling piano, magical percussions, warbling reverberating synth that gives songs a roomy, powerful sound. It’s no surprise Pezzettino’s newest album is enriched with such relaxing feels. After dealing with depression for years, Stutt is an advocate for mental health with the Stability Network and speaks frequently about “the need for fierce hope”–which is exactly what this album brings to the table. Her single “Home” was just released into the world and we welcome the release of her full album, Resin, on February 8th. –Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor
Chicago
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Thin Swimmer “The Menacing Choir”
Thin Swimmer is melodic indie rock of Jared Olson. Back in December he released the first single, “Connection”, from his forthcoming album, The Menacing Choir. The second single from the album is “100 m.p.h. (I Speak for Myself)” and can be streamed below.
The Menacing Choir will be released tomorrow, February 8th, but can be pre-ordered here.