Wharf Cat Records recently released Guitar Dream, the new LP from David Vassalotti (co-founder of 4AD’s Merchandise). The daydreaming, personally adrift singer-songwriter disperses tunes in airy sonic vapors. A haunting beauty steeped within lonesome, suspenseful stories that circulate and surround. You can catch Vassalotti along with Palberta, as part of Buck Gooter’s record release on Friday, February 22 at Johnny Brenda’s.
Portland
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Lili St Anne Album Release + Show
This coming Friday pop-folk ensemble Lili St Anne will be releasing their album, Bone Marrow. The first single, “Eveline” has generated plenty of buzz around the album, and there’s a reason why. In it, vocalist Elizabeth Fagan sings with a fluid, languid tone. She sings the way two lovers would dance in the moonlight; intense but unhurried. The song is passionate but is layered with a strong desire to stop and enjoy each moment as it passes. The accompanying drums and trombone turn her voice into a distant memory, both comforting and confusing. Each instrument is played with a gentle tenderness that is hard to produce with louder instruments. It melts into you, as calmly and smoothly as day turning into night.
If you want to check out “Eveline” live, Lili St Anne will be playing a release show this Friday, February 8th. It will take place at The Hallowed Halls, with doors opening at 7pm. Indira Valey and a special guest will be performing as well, which means you have all the more reason to go. You can find out more information on the event’s Facebook page, or buy tickets here.
-By Avril Carrillo
NYC
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Pecas to premier single & video this Valentine’s Day at Alphaville
It’s easy to get lulled into a false sense of security by first impressions – even as the painful truth is staring you right in the face. That’s what’s remarkable about the music of Pecas – behind tranquil synths lie words of fear and uncertainty so subtle they could easily get washed away, like a whispered confession to a friend after midnight. However, Sandy Davis, the mastermind of Pecas, holds command over the impact of her music, and lyrics like those from her 2018 track "Tuesdays" stick with you long after your last listen: “Do you ever just fall apart on Tuesdays after dark?” Pecas has been working on music with record label Broken Circles, and on Valentine’s Day, she will be premiering a new single and music video at Alphaville – but in the meantime, check out her 2018 EP After Dark, below. – Sunny Betz
Chicago
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Andrew Bird “Sisyphus”
Andrew Bird has released a Matthew Daniel Siskin video for “Sisyphus”, the latest single from his forthcoming LP, My Finest Work, which is due out March 22nd. This is the second single from the album following up “Bloodless” which dropped back in November.
You can catch Andrew Bird at Green Mill on April 2nd and 3rd.
NYC
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Nighttime to bewitch audiences at Alphaville tonight (02.06)
While other genres toy with imaginary futures for sources of inspiration, those writing folk music today still find endless lyrical material in the traditions and sounds of the past. But more often than not, a "new" sound is simply a forgotten one, reimagined. Perhaps that is what makes the music of Nighttime so special: listening to her 2018 LP Hand in the Dark takes us back to a soundscape that’s vaguely familiar but almost entirely forgotten. In the record, Goodman relies on influences dating back to the middle-ages, with drum-less acoustic arrangements, droney harmonies (in a church choir kind of way), and a voice deepened with conviction and more than a little sadness. The results are mesmerizing.
Nighttime will play at Alphaville on February 6th – have a listen to the haunting Hand in the Dark below. – Sunny Betz
Chicago
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Slow Mass @ Thalia Hall (4/23)
Slow Mass announced a Spring tour this week which will find them opening for La Dispute and Gouge Away. The tour kicks off April 13th in Michigan and will find them back home at Thalia Hall on April 23rd.
The band also announced a second pressing of their 2018 album On Watch via Landland Colportage. This is a 12” vinyl pressing with both standard and deluxe editions. The deluxe features a hand-printed and hand-assembled sleeve over the offset jacket.
Photo by Madi Ellis Photography
Chicago
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Even In Blackouts
Even In Blackouts is back from a ten year hiatus with album called “ROMANTICO!” which will be released on February 21st. Below you can hear the album’s first single, “Doubt Part I”.
This is a supergroup of sorts lead by John Jughead of formerly of Screeching Weasel, Lizzie Eldredge, Gub Scott Conway formerly of Gauge, Nathan Bice of Hey Zeus, and John Szymanski of SSM, Detroit Cobras, and many more.
Philadelphia
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New Track: “Jasmine Seeds” – Boon
All of Us Laughing is the forthcoming album from Boon, and will be released on March 29 via Glass Orchard Records. On its lead single, “Jasmine Seeds,” the steady march of percussion maneuvers forward as overlapping and intersecting vocals lines create a complex psych-pop harmony. Depending on which perspective one chooses to hear from, the song morphs into different shapes. It is as if multiple and at times, conflicting angles converge in a moment of clarity.
Philadelphia
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New Grandchildren Album Available for Streaming & Purchase
Grandchildren are known for their eclectic, intricate sound that flourishes in expansive, stacked, sonic layers. Now, with Shari Amanda in the fold, the band recently shared a self-titled album released via Ernest Jenning Record Co. Threaded with vocal harmonies, there’s a buoyant/grounded approach, harnessing a radiating, earnest warmth, while shining a light on the thoughtful details. Johnny Brenda’s will play host to the group’s record release show on Friday, March 1, where they’ll be supported by Stereo League and Vessna Scheff.
L.A.
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Justus Proffit lays down surreal indie-rock on “Hole,” plays at Zebulon on 3/7
Justus Proffit can’t get a dream he had out of his head. Following an EP with rising indie darling Jay Som, the singer-songwriter proceeds to follow the solo route with his latest single "Hole," a nineties-informed indie rocker whose blend of tuneful guitars are affixed with a slight tinge of dissonance. As the song progresses, his headspace teeters between dreamlike delirium and curious internal logic. He finds some clarity within the song’s robust, mid-fi range, possessing a fullness and a warmth reminiscent of Stone Temple Pilots’ more tender grunge ballads.
"Hole" is taken from Proffit’s forthcoming full-length album, L.A.’s Got Me Down, which is out on March 8 via Bar/None Records. You can catch him at Zebulon on March 7. Juan Rodríguez
NYC
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Slut Magic to play Planned Parenthood benefit concert at Trans-Pecos 02.14
With a name like Slut Magic, from the get-go it’s obvious this quartet makes no bones about being straightforward and political. “Slut” is such a loaded word, but for band founders Lauren Riucci and Emma Sky, it represents the assurance and indomitability that they want to reclaim through music. That music more than lives up to its aspirations; recalling the loud-soft-loud dynamics of grunge bands like Hole, Slut Magic knows how to balance every thrashing punk scream with moments of structural refinement (and vice versa). Slut Magic will play Trans-Pecos on Valentine’s Day, and will be donating all proceeds to Planned Parenthood – so if you’re looking to mosh for a cause this holiday, this might be the perfect opportunity. -Sunny Betz