Coldwaver Marit Rose Stafstrom brings the horror-show vibes to the dance floor with Nymphaea‘s latest single "Bird of Paradise". Its the first of two unreleased tracks found on their forthcoming album, The Remastered Singles Collection ’16-’17 (Iris Obsscura)  – the other being "Via Superia". The seven-song EP will include recordings from their first two sold-out tapes, Countdown to Ecstasy and Abode of the Merciful. You’ll also find reimagined, lo-fi covers of New Order’s "Ceremony" and Billy Idol’s "Eyes Without A Face" to round out the release. 

If you’re looking for soulful, pertinent, lo-fi rock that simultaneously exhibits grace and grit, Las Vegas transplant Shamir delivers the goods. Bailey’s latest record, Revelations (Father/Daughter Records), traverses a diverse sonic spectrum. Digging into one’s introspective depths in free-floating fashion or meshing those smoothly sincere vocals with grimy guitar, there’s an innate combination of accessibility and raw power at play. With elegance and ease, the multi-talented artist delivers powerful messages, striking a chord with oh so many and creating a formidable force to be reckoned with. This Saturday evening, Shamir steps into the basement of First Unitarian Church, supported by the Canadian tandem Partner, whose bright brand of riff-laced powerpop cultivates a potently fun, “not taking yourself too seriously” relatability. – Michael Colavita

Brrrrr…
First Unitarian Church (2125 Chestnut St.) SAT Shamir

Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) FRI Muscle Tough, Minka, SAT DJ Delish

Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) FRI Something Like A Monument (Record Release), Chalk & The Beige Americans, SAT Work Drugs 7^thAnnual Holiday Spectacle: The City And Horses, The Chairman Dances

Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Scars Like These, The Famous & Fallen/Goddamnit, Wax Wav, I Am Not The Universe/Night Drive: DJ Paul T., Sean Hearn/Ekim Navillus, BeeTee Beats, Adam East, SAT Burnout Star, Chris Sneade, The Echogenic/Entellekt, A.Rob/Matthew Law, SUN Tulpa, Spellbinder, Heavy Harold/Louie Louie

Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) FRI Al-Tarik, SAT Marah

Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden St,) FRI Hoots & Hellmouth, Johnny Showcase

The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.) SAT Philly Hip-Hop Awards

The Fillmore Philadelphia (1100 Canal St.) FRI Graycale

The Foundry (1000 Frankford Ave.) SAT Chynna

World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) SUN The Peek-A-Boo Revue: Peek-At-Nite, a vintage holiday burlesque show

The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Step 13, Sub Sober, Felipe Pupo, SAT Bazmati Vice. Naps Past Noon

MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut St.) FRI Rad and Kell, SAT Boat House Row Band

Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3^rd  St.) FRI New Sound Brass, Mark Lanky, SAT St. James and The Apostles, SUN Graffiti Wisdom, Taylor Kelly, Orion Tango

The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave.) SAT Kingfisher, Will Brown and the Jamboree Band, Evan Scheerer

Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2^nd St.) FRI DJ Ricochet, SAT Teen Dads, A.M. Mills, 56 Men, SUN Reece Stacks

Silk City (435 Spring Garden St.) FRI Bo Bliz, Low Budget, SAT DJ Deejay

Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) SUN Rusty Cadillac

Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9^th St.) FRI Fitzwater, SAT The Prisoners, Decontrol, Missile Toads, Disoriental, SUN A Retrospective of The Artistic Works of Connie Tartaglia Fundraiser: The Spinning Leaves, Katie Barbato, Daniel Collins, Kelvin Cochrane, The Discount Heroes

Voltage Lounge (421 N. 7^th St.) FRI Mohican, SUN Left To Vanish (Record Release), Young Graves, Collider

Frankie Bradley’s (1320 Chancellor St.) FRI DJ Ben Aire, SAT Ed Christof, SUN Merry Christmas Or Else: A Holiday Cabaret

The Grape Room (105 Grape St.) FRI Under This Fire, The Jointer Blues, The Agoraphobix, Kalaedi, SAT Night Mission, Cowbell Superstar, P-Rents

Ardmore Music Hall (23 E. Lancaster Ave.) SAT Beru Revue 21^st Christmas Show & Benefit, SUN Whiskeyhickon Boys, Nik Greeley & Friends

The Pharmacy (1300 S. 18^th St.) FRI Weekend Athlete, Bungler/Sold, SAT Auburn Row, Dot.gov, Flounder Warehouse, Menace Canvas, SUN Rentboy. Thunder Thighs

Creep Records (1050 N. Hancock St.) FRI Sunchoke

The Tusk (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Faringwell

Tralfamadore (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Swim Camp, Busy Bee, Blushed

Crouch House (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Family Volleyball, Jawncarlo

All Night Diner (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI AllegrA, Ellen Siberian-Tiger, Corey Flood

Pink Blues is the forthcoming EP from Narcos Family Band, and is scheduled for a New Year’s Eve release via Brooklyn indie label King Pizza Records. Its lead single, “Leopard Stealth (I’m Gone),” lights a fuse as a raunchy guitar riff lays the groundwork. The full band soon kicks into gear as slithering lines of saxophone and a compact, locked-in groove serve as counterpart to the unrelenting vocal aggression. Balancing quick-hitting punk with a joyous, rock ‘n’ roll flare, you’ll find a family that plays together stays together.

The duo of Damn Right recently shared its new full-length album Zeitgeist. Relaxing, electro-dance rhythms wash over you as a dream state emerges. Transporting listeners to a stress-free environment, the collection of tracks produces a refreshing reprieve. You can catch Tom Bradel and John Fissinger performing live next Friday, January 19 at MilkBoy, where they’ll be celebrating the LP’s release, with support from American Dinosaur and Greg D.

Rain Wins Another Year!, the new album from Soft Idiot, recently arrived, and is available on cassette courtesy of Cheap Plastic Records. Saturated in emotive melodies, the record unites a series of diary-styled narratives. Invited into one’s personal space, these songs exude an effervescent warmth, while exposing an endearing interior. That pleasure and pain principle strewn across a lo-fi, folk platform is a domain that you’ll explore and escape within.

Sandwiching the zoomed-in lyricism of bedroom folk with the strange, space-dwelling setting of psych, The Hobbyist, the new album from Telyscopes (led by Jack Hubbell), aligns one on a pleasant trajectory. Light layers of instrumentation are compounded by the tranquilizing presence of falsetto. While the album is characterized as "A ‘tuna casserole’ with some new songs and old leftovers strewn together in no particular order,” the collection retains a sense of unity. Along with Jawncarlo, Georgey V, and Earthboy, Telyscopes will be performing on Saturday, January 27 at a Castle Productions billing.

Happy Place is the new EP from Dani Mullen, a.k.a. Danimakesmusic. “You’re Impressed” closes things out on the album, as a tormented, one-two combination of keys and percussion encircle. Mullen dictates a steady, spirited message, gaining traction. It takes on an isolated, folk/hip-hop hybrid sound similar to acts like Citizen Cope.

Bristling with emotive, etching energy, White Reindeer, the new LP from the trio of Lithuania, rained down on us from nowhere yesterday. Nestling unmasked, personal insights amid turmoil, while finding melodic, finishing points, the album steps into the current of chaos, but sees the potential of clearer skies on the horizon. It forecasts hope in the face of a treacherous storm of affairs, in catchy, pertinent, punk-pop potency. You can find Lithuania at Johnny Brenda’s this New Year’s Eve, where they’ll be sharing a billing with local pals The Districts and Pine Barons.

Deli faves Kississippi just dropped "Cut Yr Teeth," the lead single from their forthcoming debut LP Sunset Blush. It’s "about recognizing the toxicity of a relationship, and letting go of it along with your trust for the other half." Frontwoman Zoe Reynolds shares, "I wrote this song (and most of the forthcoming record) about finding my voice after having it taken away time and time again by people I thought were more powerful than me." "Cut Yr Teeth" also features Tombo Crush‘s Mary Allen on backing vocals. Sunset Blush is due out in April via SideOneDummy Records. (Photo by Megan Thompson)

Krust Toons: "The New Green Day Greatest Hits Album" by Tedd Hazard – please feel free to drop him a line at teddandthehazards@gmail.com if you dig or have any funny ideas. You can also check out more of his illustrations and animation shorts HERE.

The Bad Larrys are sending their fuzzy garage-surf signals from "Deep Space Radio". And we are locked in, and ready to rock! With venemous guitar grooves and a "don’t give a fuck if we wake the neighbors" attitude, the band just shared its latest rabble-rousing single, which can be found on the "Philly Phive’s" upcoming debut album Hodads (due out December 31). You can also enjoy some accompanying footage of the gang below, provided by producer/band member Davis M. Shubs, Matt Piko, and Benjamin B. Neate.

The Bad Larrys – Deep Space Radio from The Bad Larrys

In the span of twenty-four hours, University of Delaware student Minji Kong recorded the three tracks that makeup Thanks, I Appreciate It. Keys and percussion steadily open up, illuminating the bedroom-pop sound aided by Kong’s calming vocals. Lyrically, "Do You" relates the unhappiness produced by greed. Contrasting the setting with its context, the young artist is able to weave layers of introspective depth.