New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
Last week The Inventors released a new EP aptly named Alone Together. The band has made it available for purchase for whatever amount your feel compelled to give them, but have vowed to give all money received to a few of the establishments listed on Chicago Service Relief.
This is the work of Joe Mango (Vocals/Guitar), Ray Skamay (Guitar/Vocals), Nick Kieta (Bass/Vocals), and Tommy Mendoza (Drums).
Take an ambient drive in your mind with My Empty Phantom by viewing his “Quarantine Meditation Music Sessions.” Like many, this artist lost his upcoming tour dates overnight due to the upending effects of the coronavirus. The artist is hosting at home sessions to continue creating music and disseminating positive vibes. Music is an essential magic that connects in these strange times that require our separateness.
“These trying times call for the healing power of music. I have decided to bring an intimate bedroom version of my tour to you all via the internet! I will be performing a video series of my most ambient works for you to meditate, read a book, breathe, do slow body movement, make art, sleep or to just sit back and relax.” – Jesse Beaman
Press play, and allow the ambient sounds to attach themselves like molecules to the atmosphere of your room. The calming, haunting reverberations gently wash over you as the sound waves trigger a trance, confusing real noise with white noise, but altogether drowning out the mental noise. As the whole world is paused, this time welcomes reflection and introspection. Thank you, My Empty Phantom, for blessing our restless ears.
His first home session is about 12 minutes – the perfect length to induce deeper meditation, light up and smoke one, or set up your space for a creative project. Now, that half the world is under some order to stay at home, join me in looping this track and inviting the sweet notes to drip drip into our watery collective consciousness. We have hope that we will be together again one day, we will see live music, we will throw our sweaty bodies on strangers, we will accidentally spill beer on our new shoes again. Until then, we show our support for artists by listening to their home sessions, buying their merch, washing our hands, and shining lights in our hearts for our loved ones and our communities around us.
-Mel Green
You may not be allowed to go outside now, but you can live vicariously through A.O. Gerber and her new track "In The Morning". The songwriter’s spirited voice and layers of airy instruments will make you feel like you’re walking through the city at dawn. In the music video for the song, Gerber does just that; she meditates above the water before taking a dip, takes a stroll down the street to greet some dogs, and grabs breakfast at a local hole in the wall. The song and video together are a testament to freedom, which right now seems in short supply. "In The Morning" comes from Gerber’s debut album Another Place To Need, which drops on May 22nd. Take a look at the music video for "In The Morning" below. – Will Sisskind
Techo Producer/DJ Patrixia has released her debut single "1541". Her music and DJ sets tend to explore the darker elements of EDM, and both "1541" and it’s B-Side "X" fit that mold perfectly.
Patrixia is currently scheduled to perform at Simone’s Bar (960 W 18th St) on May 30th.
The BLK Cinema dropped their self-titled debut album on April 1st. This is the experimental Hip Hop of Kelvy and Lenny Virgo. The album’s lead single is called "Thoughts" and find Kelvy going all in on some heavy topic while maintaining a laid back flow that is sure to hypnotize the listener.
Progressive Metal group Fire Garden has released the lead single, "Idiot Brain", from their forthcoming EP, "Point Blank", which is due out April 28th. This is primarily the work of Zee Baig, but on this EP he has enlisted the help of legendary keyboard player Adam Holzman.
Waterford, Connecticut’s Anna May, takes her time, she allows the full sonic embrace of her new record I’m still thinking of you to grip, to heal. “I believed” is the long track that welcomes you to a world formed by Anna’s light acoustic guitar strums, rich vocals, and heartfelt, succinct lyrics. Tracks like “Velvet and gold,” tell through upbeat folk music stories of people you may want to know, precious individuals, as precious as they are described. “Where I belong” is the type of country-style song that is as sincere in its storytelling as it is pleasant in sound. There is a soothing nature that exists in the picturesque tales Anna presents; in times of uncertainty, music, and tales are exactly what we need. Stream the title track below for a glance at the imagery the music elicits. – Rene Cobar
Experimental Punk group Sad Dragon recently release their debut full-length album Through the Fire & Pain.
This is punk with a thick layer funk running through out this group lead by Ember (vocals) and Citlally (drums).
The group recently released a video of the song "Starchild" and last year they appeared live on WHPK.
Alt Rock band Conway is back with the lead single, "Missed Me", from their forthcoming album, Something Wicked. This is the first new music from the group since the 2018 single "Forbidden Fruit" and first album since their 2017 debut EP "Last Chance to Dance".
This is the work of Aidan Hargis (Lead vocals, Guitar), Riley Allen (Backing vocals, Guitar, Synth), Mitch De Biase (Backing vocals, Bass), Jake Dillon (Guitars, Keys, Backing Vocals), and Austin Johnson (Drums).
Background Characters recently released the lead single, "Minor League Alcoholics", from their debut album, The Garden of Gethsemane, which is due out on April 18th. The single is accompanied by the video that Jon direct below.
This is the duo of Jon Robledo (Drums, Vocals, Keyboards) and Ryan Kiolbassa (Vocals, Guitars, Bass).
Background Character was scheduled to perform at Subt on April 18th, but that show has been postponed.
The aptly titled “Social Distancing” by Brooklyn-based outfit Monster Furniture captures the feelings inherent to our new lives indoors — a lofi metronome beat, anxiety-adjacent walking bass lines, and lyrics detailing our new “curious days” convey well the inertia of sheltering-in-place, outlining both the few joys of staying home (like feeding baby carrots to the dog [as a treat]) amidst the various long sighs that fill our impossibly long days. Moreover, Monster Furniture’s inclination towards occasional melodic resolves and sweet falsetto reprieves from a predominantly downtempo, minor offering embeds the track with a sense of yearning, which paired with a lyrical grocery list of indoor-friendly activities that occupy time as we wait for the pandemic to end, seems to cautiously look on the bright side, while accepting the less-than-ideal nature of our current, sickness-stricken reality. It’s a kind, deeply human tune, and recommended listening for days spent doing the same tasks, over and over again — stream it below, alongside the other thematically similar tracks on Shred City Presents’s Quarantine Compilation.
Synthpop multi-instrumentalist Christian Carpenter (a.k.a Trivial Shields) excels in the field of sad bops — tracks where the vibe feels lighthearted and dance-forward, yet marked by subtle, lachrymose undertones. Case in point, new single “For The Best” provides a groove-focused atmospheric jam, with a sensitive vocal performance from vocalist and producer Angelica Bess that adds a recollective, sometimes wistful energy. Such a pairing of melancholic lyricism with indie pop instrumentation isn’t new, but Carpenter and Bess’s collaboration enables to take in both sweet and sad in equal turn, laying down a bop well-suited for hopeless romantics and club kids alike, the type of jam that makes you cognizant of the friends (and possibly lovers) who are no longer in your life, but whose impact is still felt and appreciated in the present. Give it a stream below as you dream of your eventual return to the dance floor.
