New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
Psalm One has released a new single called "Gas Lighters". The local legend has used this chaotic year to really hone in on her creativity and skill, and has released a ton of fantastic new music. She has teamed up with Brooklyn’s Optiks on three singles, and local Emcee Young Silky (aka Angel Davenport) to form Big $ilky for two mixtapes.
On her latest single, "Gas Lighters", she is flowing about those men that you just need to walk away from over a beat by Albany Park’s Custom Made.
Michigan’s May Erlewine has enlisted four of Chicago’s finest her latest album, Anyway. The album, which was released digitally last week (August 14th), is filled laid back, summer evening, cool breeze, Jazz. This is not the intense and unpredictable free jazz, but the more traditional piano-based vocal Jazz of Noah Jones or Diana Krall.
For this project May is joined by Woody Goss (Vulfpeck), Ben Joseph (Secret Bad Boy), Packy Lundholm (I Fight Dragons, Bethany Thomas), and Andrew Vogt.
Wyatt Waddell has released his latest single, "You", via Rosebud Allday. This track Waddell’s heartbreak song, focusing on the inability to move post break-up. Produced by Jsun Rose, this is a blend of gospel, R&B, and soul.
Cordoba has released their remotely recorded cover of Frank Ocean’s "Ivy". The Jazz-Influenced group, consisting of Brianna Tong (Vocals), Eric Novak (Saxophone), Cam Cunningham (Guitar), Zach Bain-Selbo (Keys), Khalyle Hagood (Bass), and Zach Upton-Davis (Drums), are preparing to release their debut LP, Specter, at some point this year.
Back in March, just as all of this was beginning, they dropped the first single from Specter, "Diluvian", and in June they released "Factory".
Yavin is not letting the summer heat go to waste, pouring every last drop of it onto his new single “Hot.” Like molten chocolate on ice cream, each verse drops to sweeten and melt the listener’s heart, exploring the summer passion one feels for another, the desires that feel endless as the longest days of the year. Yavin is no stranger to intoxicating beats and sleek production, but “Hot” is a step-up in that department, showing pristine sound and execution that preserves Yavin’s trademark sound so soft. The Boston artist is working hard and enjoying himself, harder; stream “Hot” below for something to groove to this week, and the rest of the summer. – René Cobar
T Star Verse released her debut album, Balance, last as a gift to herself and the world on her 20th birthday. The talented emcee included her two previously released singles, last year’s "Levitate", and the recently released "Tesla Music", along side a collection of new tracks featuring the likes of Jose Cornier, T.L. Williams, RubyGld Smoke, Sister of Element.
Below is the wild video for the album’s lead single, "Levitate", which was directed by AJ Spitz and was released back in March.
BBsitters Club has released the lead single, "Same As Before", from their forthcoming debut studio album, BBsitters Club & Party, which is due out via Hausu Mountain on October 16th.
This is the work of Doug Kaplan and Charlie Olvera on guitars and vocals, Max Allison on bass, and Paul Birhanu on drums. Kaplan and Allison are the co-founder of the band’s label and also perform as the duo Pepper Mill Rondo. The sound of BBsitters Club is a blend of Jam Band, Country, Prog, and straight ahead Classic Rock.
“Hello, I’m Johnny Cash” is as startling to read here as it is to hear on the opening of Bill Callahan’s Gold Record. Sparse guitar riffs and faint trumpet notes guide the listener through the Tejano lullaby “Pigeons.” Calahan’s description of the romantic saga is as elusive as his voice:
“Deep in the heart of Texas, life and love go sleepily on,” Callahan writes on his Bandcamp page. “From the wheel of his long white limousine, a man witnesses scenes from many lives. Musically commencing with Cash and rambling to Cohen suggests that whether the wedding rice explodes in your belly or you end up married to the whole wide world, there’s a place for you on this Earth.”
For the past seven weeks, Drag City has released a different single from the album, offering a preview and pre-order for the September release. Callahan offers Gold Record in multiple formats including cassette, compact disc, vinyl and digital. The current releases are as dense as a novel, allowing the listener to pick up on different insights of the characters with each listen.
It’s hard to know how many personal anecdotes Callahan includes with his work, as fictional characters take the place of himself. “Let’s Move to the Country” describes a blossoming relationship, the character leaving traveling behind to settle down and start a family. This may provide a link from Callahan’s characters into his personal life, as he married Hanly Banks in 2014 and became a father, and took a significant break in recording.
The seven released tracks are held together with a cohesive sound, forcing the listener to observe the lyrics. In an interview with Texas Monthly earlier this year, Callahan cited Willie Nelson as an influence for visual storytelling. Though Callahan was describing a line from his previous release Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest, the material on Gold Record f eels connected to the writing style of Nelson’s Red Headed Stranger.
Follow the release of Callahan’s Gold Record here: https://billcallahan.bandcamp.com/album/gold-record
-Andrew Blanton
We are proud to be able to premiere the latest single, "Don’t Let The Russian Bots Win", from the Glam Pop group The Steak House Mints. If the title doesn’t tip you off the single’s cover will, the band has seized the moment to get bluntly political. The single is officially out on Friday, Aug 21, one day after the U.S. Democratic National Convention wraps up and three days before the start of the U.S. Republican National Convention.
This single was recorded by Steven Gillis, who is known for his work with Los Lobos and Naked Raygun, at Transient Sound and was mastered by Ted Jensen (Talking Heads-Speaking in Tongues; Green Day-American Idiot) at Sterling Sound.
S.I.E is preparing to release her debut album, Practice Run, on August 24th. She recently released the first single from the album, "Come Through", which was produced by Naii, and is accompanied by a video directed by Shot by Scott.
She recently released a second single from the project called "Mr. No One", which can be streamed below.
Mock Nine has released their latest single, the Alex Motika, co-produced "Black Hole". This is the second single from the group since releasing their debut album, Leaving Solitude, last month.
This is work of Tommy Langford (Vocals/Guitar), Mac Campbell (Bass/Guitar), James Bruce (Guitar), Sam Grossman (Drums), and Miles Richey (Keys/Bass).
