With panic-inducing beats and wistfully chilling vocals, Marit Rose Stafstrom, a.k.a. Nymphaea, lures you into a world of forever night, where nightmarish, cinematic soundscapes seem to always be lingering just over your shoulder. It can be an uncomfortable yet thrilling feeling with surprisingly beautiful, tranquil moments. However, that tranquility rarely lasts for long on Shang Bronze; you’ll soon be running/dancing for your life once again.

Krust Toons: "Closed Mic" 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.

Post-hardcore supergroup Open City, which is made up singer/lyricist Rachel Rubino (Worriers, Bridge and Tunnel), bassist Andy Nelson (Dark Blue, Paint It Black, Ceremony), guitarist Dan Yemin (Paint It Black, Lifetime, Kid Dynamite, Armalite), and drummer Chris Wilson (Ted Leo & the Pharmacists), just released a new, limited 7" vinyl. The four-piece has teamed up with producer extraordinaire Will Yip (Studio 4) once again for the follow-up to the group’s debut self-titled LP, which was released at the beginning of this year. The band also shared that the “City of Ash” b/w “A Condition Worth a Mention” single “has been in the works for a long time, but as it would turn out, in the meantime the world has done us the courtesy of entirely falling apart around us so that these tunes function as an even more fitting soundtrack to the oncoming apocalypse.” 

We hope that you had a chance to enjoy your Thanksgiving vacation. And though, like us, you might not be quite ready to start the workweek, we do have some new tunes from A.M. Mills to help ease you back into reality. Led by the gentle croons of Drew Mills (formerly of Blood Feathers), you can now listen to the surprise six-song EP, Window Box, that was recently dropped by the band for your listening pleasure. Let the languid instrumentals wash over you in this AM, and catch Mills and the gang, performing next in Philly, on December 16 at Bourbon & Branch. (Photo by Serge Levin)

This Sunday, a congregation heads to the First Unitarian Church, celebrating the bounty of beautiful music that local imprint Lame-O Records has curated in its first 5 years. Jake Ewald’s Slaughter Beach, Dog creates a sense of melodic ease, whilst working through the humbling hurdles of day-to-day living, via thoughtful perspectives. Cutting directly to the core of emotions with songwriting spun out of sincerity, Shannen Moser establishes an inviting folk proximity, drawing one in with blankets of relatable harmonies that ache and simultaneously provide room to breathe and process. Fuzzily rekindling mementos of the past with a clean-slated set of eyes, Cherry is freshly familiar, while No Thank You brings the tangle of guttural pensions to the surface, demonstrating a cathartic grit. They’ll also be pre-partying in the Side Chapel with a pop-up acoustic show that will feature "Lame-O and friends". Congrats to Eric Osman and the Lame-O family! – Michael Colavita

More places to hang this Thanksgiving weekend…

First Unitarian Church (2125 chestnut St.) SUN Lame-O & Friends Acoustic Party at the side chapel (2pm)/Lame-O Records 5^th Birthday: Slaughter Beach, Dog. Shannen Moser, Cherry, No Thank You

Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) FRI Deadfellow, Sixteen Jackies, SAT Secret American (ex-Cheers Elephant), Satellite Hearts, The Mysteries

Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) SAT Brother JT

Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI DJSC/Sean Hearn, Jesse Tyler, M//R, SAT Matthew Rineer, Nick Cove & The Wandering, Cory Paternoster, Tim Osborne/Poppy, Mt Vengeance/Diamond Girl, Sean Thomas, Elvin T/Fame Lust, SUN E-Dubz

PhilaMOCA (531 N. 12^th St.) SUN Mhysa

Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) FRI Hardwork Movement MCs, Kuf Knotz, Attic Tapes

The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.) SUN Surreal Nation, The Boardwalk Kings, The POF, Centrifuzed

TLA (334 South St.) SUN mewithoutYou

Electric Factory (421 N. 7^th St.) FRI Circa Survive, Balance and Composure, SAT Circa Survive, Balance and Composure

World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) FRI Flightschool, Matt Kelly, SAT (Upstairs) Mardi, Hub & the Sprockets/(Downstairs) Beru Revue, SUN (Upstairs) Manatawny Creek Ramblers

The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Apex Predator. Nasuta, Infant Mortality, Syberia

MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut St.) FRI Nik Greeley & The Operators, SAT Soraia, Cold Roses

Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3^rd St.) FRI Sublaymen, Thee Idea Men, SAT Suburban Living (DJ Set), SUN Kirby & The VibeTribe, Ali Wadsworth

The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave.) SAT Dominy, Tigers + Thieves

Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2^nd St.) FRI Peace & The City Grease, Chet Williams, The Captain The Pilot The Driver, Static Flow, Apple Juice Jones, SUN Daja

Silk City (435 Spring Garden St.) FRI Ed Christof, SAT DJ Deejay, SUN Jay Ortiz

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

Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9^th St.) FRI Breaklite, Forever Vista, SAT Mr. Unloved, Gibbous Moon, Blessed Muthas, Slagmatter.

Voltage Lounge (421 N. 7th St.) SUN Kaonashi

The Grape Room (105 Grape St.) FRI Uncle Dan, SAT Trap Rabbit, Zoidzilla, Max Seidman, Jonny Drucker, Wolf Accent

Ardmore Music Hall (23 E. Lancaster Ave.) FRI Cabinet, Mason Porter, SAT Stanley Clarke Band, Dave Bakey

The Pharmacy (1300 S. 18^th St.) SAT Moonstriker, Hand Me Downs

Booming bass beats set the stage for A Matter Of Time, the new EP from Sean Valy x BASA of the YK Collective. Contemplating the right moves on the path to success, the emcees express their fears yet manage to push forward with their inner confidence shining through. Circling back to a 90’s sonic foundation, the duo allows the simplicity of the beats to serve as a springboard. That dramatic roll with the bouncing narrative is personal and powerful.

“Mockingbird” closes out The Friday Matinee, a new concept EP from Operation Soundtrack. Released on the anniversary of JFK’s assassination, the song weaves in a plethora of sound clips, creating a multifaceted, genre-bending plot. It’s an intriguing, playful approach to musical storytelling. At the same time, catching all the cues may take a few spins, so be it.

Disposition, the forthcoming EP from Lunacy, will be released on December 19 via Funeral Party Records/Mental Healing/Black Verb Records. Its first single, “Road To Foil,” etches a repetitive industrial beat into one’s head. Magnifying the menace, the vocals echo and reverberate off the walls of one’s mind. You can experience the lunacy at his EP release celebration on Wednesday, December 20 at Kung Fu Necktie, where he’ll be supported by IXVLF, Sacramence, and Child Of Night.

Baby’s First Strawberry is the latest full-length album from Gorgeous Porch, a.k.a. Chris Wood (Grimace Federation, Orbit to Leslie), and boy, does it sure taste sweet! Enchanting, ethereal vocals glide over the groove-generating combination of keys, bass and percussion. Cultivating a cruising sense of calm, within a slightly space-age discovery meets devotional dance floor vibe, there’s a magnetism to these jams. Step inside the cosmic cathedral, and escape all your worries in these trying times.

Patetico Recordings recently released a charitable compilation, Rock Back: Stronger Than the Storm, aimed to support victims of Hurricane Harvey, Irma, and Maria. “Strangled By Stars,” the new single from The Skating Party, a.k.a. Gregory James, is one of 50 songs included on the collection. Reverberating guitar provides an electrical storm to the head that lingers in a cloudy daydream haze, while the ascending vocals demonstrate a hopeful resilience.

Kidhood, the debut EP from Stoops, was co-produced with Keith Abrams (Pine Barons, Tremellow), who also recently worked on The Districts‘ latest LP Popular Manipulations. Warping keys and a rhythmic bass, "Flashlight" shines through the darkness with its existential love song sound, while “Loser Denial” wants to break loose from its opening, but you get a sense that its protagonist feels trapped. There’s a tight, melodic, storytelling quality with a hint of instrumental force that makes one wonder where the next recordings will go.

We’ve been enamored with the production abilities of Keith Hampson, who records and performs under the moniker of Power Animal, for years now. We remember receiving his early demos on CD-R (remember those!), and obsessively listening to the beautifully textured tracks on our headphones, in awe of the recordings’ creativity and originality. We highly recommend that you grab yours and take Hampson’s long-awaited, new album, Good Wind, Part. 1, for a spin below, and grab yourself a copy while you’re at it because 50% of its Bandcamp sales will be donated to The Emergent Fund, "an organization launched in the wake of the 2016 election to support grassroots movements in marginalized communities." Enjoy!