New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
Joyful Noise has released annual Holiday album, Holiday Party, Vol. 2, and this year’s album features our very own Ohmme. The duo appears on the album’s lead single “ Carol of the Tubular Bells” with Thor Harris & Dumb Numbers, and they contribute their own original “Jing-a-Ling, Jing-a-Ling”.
You can buy the album digitally below or you can order one of the limit 7” singles the label has printed.
You can catch Ohmme at The Empty Bottle on December 28th with Ryley Walker and Ben Lemar Gay.
Potion 200, which is comprised of Bill Fries (Drone Ranger), Jeremy Colonna (Clasp), and Zack Robbins (Superheaven, DARK MTNS, Flight Habit, Sun Organ), recently shared a trio of tracks from their forthcoming LP Oblivion Parade. A smattering of percusion pops like firecrackers in the distance, hushed secretive vocals, and ascending keys build a mysterious intrigue on “Ask The Angels.” The song branches forward in a breezy pleasant jangle. Bill Fries’s soft vocals lift as if floating on a daydream cloud. One steps into a fantasy world if only for a fleeting moment.
Dassit blends Funk, Hip Hop, and Jazz and they recently released their debut album called “What A Year”. This is the work of Keith Harris (vocals), Simon Dufour (sax, flute), Hayden Ashley (piano, keys), Jae Gentile (bass), and Reuben Garza (drums).
The album also feature contributions from Malcolm London, LEGIT, Meagan McNeil, and Dill Costa. Over the summer the band releases a video of them recording the track, “Voltar Pra Ti”, which features the talented Dill Costa.
You can catch Dassit at Martyrs’ on December 14th.
On December 14, Living Statue Records will release You Can Sing Me Anything: A Tribute to 69 Love Song, with a plethora of artists covering The Magnetic Fields’ classic album. Proceeds from the benefit compilation will be directed towards No More Dysphoria, a non-profit organization created with the goal of helping transgender individuals pay for major aspects of their transition. For their part, Worriers take on “Grand Canyon”. In lieu of the airy bounce of the original, there’s a reeled-in bareness to this version, which brings the emotive resonance to the forefront. Its forthright vulnerability is self-accepting, yet yearning for change.
The Cory Hotline is the new project from Cory Hance of Marina and The Intimate Machines. Last week he released his debut single and it is Christmas themed! If you have been struggling to get into the Christmas spirit you should take some tips from Cory and check out his single, “I Got High With Santa Claus”, below.
NYC-based artist Car Astor has given synth-pop a number of makeovers since beginning her solo career in 2016. Over the course of her two EP and two single releases, this singer/songwriter has displayed her talent as an emerging artist by mixing clean blends of synth-heavy electro pop. Her wide vocal range steers her sound, allowing her to deliver in formats ranging from poignant ballads to danceable hits. But it is Car Astor’s experimentation that pushes her music beyond the lines of her genre. Her most recent single, “Girlfriend,” (featured below) coolly executes a catchy pop melody, but is given depth with an electro-rock backbone and a defiant lyrical attitude. Though she may abide by archetypical pop song structures, this frontwoman’s darker style and killer vocal control is enough to give her sound a more sultry, polished edge. Her more touching songs, however, like “She Cries” and “Closed Eyes Open” off her first EP Ties, expose the softness around this artist’s edges with their rich arrangements and thoughtful substance. Check Car Astor out for yourself on Soundcloud or Spotify and catch her playing live at Mercury Lounge on December 23. – Rebecca Carroll
Fawns of Love celebrate the beautiful ties that keep us connected on "Mournful Eyes." The married duo of Jenny and Joseph Andreotti’s latest single expresses an almost subconscious antipathy in our lack of human connection, and how the possibility to change that mindset is always within our grasp. The darkly poppy track sounds like a long lost coldwave hit, where Jenny’s beatific vocals echo over a soft blanket of transfixing synth lines. On the accompanying video, a series of visually inventive animated images create a dark lit mood fit for a dance floor projection.
"Mournful Eyes" is the second single off of Fawns of Love’s forthcoming sophomore release, Permanent, which comes out on January 18 via Test Pattern Records. Juan Rodríguez
This lady is a force! We feel empowered just listening to Rose Droll. A genre-less wonder, Miss Rose gives us a little bit of a lot of things and we want more more more. Samples are interwoven in tasteful snippets, from Lou Reed baselines to “This Little Light of Mine” lyrics. There are parts we can only describe as coy-strong lady rap, interjected at the perfect moments (a poetic “…so baby, when you gonna give a fuck?” in the same breath as a line from “Ring Around the Rosie”…what the hell? Yes!). There are colorful bursts of instrumental delight–all her own doings–and to accompany it all, is that voice: fluid, lovely and nailing every pitch it tries to reach. Like we said, she’s a class all her own, but in an attempt to compare: if you enjoy Angel Olsen, Sharon Van Etten, Tune Yards and badass versions of your favorite nursery rhymes, you’ll probably dig this as much as we do. Come see her at The Independent this Thursday the 13th where she’s playing alongside Pllush, Pardoner and SOAR. – Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor
Phantom Atlantic is a 4 piece alternative rock band from Toronto. Their latest track “Beneath Your Moment” has a slower pace which leaves plenty of room for the “haunting guitars, swirling synths and hypnotic rhythms.” The song was produced by Juno Award Winner Dan Brodbeck and has excellent sonic quality. Their previous single “Lessons” had more of an upbeat, energetic feel to it so this track shows a unique versatility in both their writing and playing. Connect with Phantom Atlantic and be prepared for more music on the way in 2019. – Kris Gies
Frances Luke Accord has released a second single, and the title track of their forthcoming EP, “Silver & Gold”. The EP is set to be released on January 29th.
This is the lush and beautifully harmonic folk sounds of Brian Powers and Nicholas Gunty.
You can catch Frances Luke Accord on February 14th at Schubas with Liz & The Lovelies.
Krust Toons: "Rocky IV" 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.
Brooklyn dream pop duo Datachoir made its debut in late November with a three song EP (streaming below) and… a guitar pedal. For the stompbox-educated, the pedal in question is a reverse delay + modulation device built in collaboration with Old Blood Noise Endeavors – you can read and hear more about it in our pedal blog Delicious Audio. For those who only care about music, instead, Datachoir is comprised of guitarist Cathy Begien and keyboardist Summer Mastous, and their sound will resonate with fans of early dream pop and shoegazer artists like Cocteau Twins and My Bloody Valentine.
