New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
Dream Cache released the debut single, “Feel Better”, from their forthcoming album, Becoming-Other (due out October 8th), this week. This is the dream pop project of DJ Johnson with the help of Jacob Schweitzer, Evan Pinter (Guitar), Julian Szuscik (Bass, Synth).
The track is a great introduction and lands somewhere on the Death Cab For Cutie, Owl City spectrum with out being overly produced or saccharine.
After the release of full-length debut LP Seen A Change (2017), Brooklyn-based group High Pony speedily returned to the studio to produce a follow-up record, Nothing Here Is Mine, released June 8. Merging the intensity and speed of punk with their core slacker rock style, this band’s gritty sound expresses their refusal to be bound by classic pop structures. Both the title and substance of songs such as “Off to Kill Myself” and “Drooling with Rage” illustrate these guys’ commitment to the rebellious, unrestrained nature of their genres of choice. Funneling rampant vocals and distorted guitar noise into each of their tracks, High Pony welcomes the world’s heaviness, channeling classic punk constructs of loneliness and delirium into their gnarled screams and introverted lyrics. Catch them shredding live at NYC’s Alphaville on October 15.
Foul, the sophomore LP from power trio Don Babylon, is out now via Medical Records. The record rocks & rolls through life’s everyday obstacles. Whether barreling through with a boozy, raw, rumbling tone, laying back and seeing things with a humorous spin, or coasting on a stoned-out groove, the band demonstrates an enthusiastic flexibility to go where the music takes them. It’s a release that addresses the daily grind and tears it up in the process.
Lava Mentality recently announced their debut LP, Cure The Common Cold, will be released on October 27th and will feature new versions of their first two single “Coffee Queen” and "Cleopatra".
The Art Rock trio also released a third single called “Orange Purple Skies” that can be streamed below.
John Isaac Watters keeps his eccentricities at a grounded state in "If I Were the Smoke." An introspective look into a debilitated relationship, Watters – who goes by Rainstorm Brother with producer Tyler Chester – explores the reasons why Watters keeps himself at arm’s length from someone he loves. The balladeer’s gruff, yet dextrous vocal delivery, which reminds me of a younger Tim Buckley, usurps his poetic sensibilities while a murky undercurrent of modular electronics and discordant chamber arrangements spread a tenebrous ambiance. Stepping away from his former solo project, his more experimental leanings once again exalt the vast possibilities of folk music.
"If I Were the Smoke" is featured of Rainstorm Brothers’ forthcoming EP, Pt. 1, which is out on November 9. Catch them perform at The Hotel Café on October 9. Juan Rodríguez
Given that it’s officially October, I think it’s safe to declare that it is now Halloween season. As such, you may find yourself in search of some good tunes to fit your ghostly mood. Look no further than Soft Butch. The band is, without a doubt, spooky. The synth is otherworldly, playing over the subdued purring of the electric guitar. The band’s lyrics are satirical and derisive, sometimes blasphemous. At the core of Soft Butch’s appeal is the glittery, infectious pop playing underneath the gothic overtones. Too many bands avoid using any sort of early-2000’s pop style in their music, and thus miss out on the delightful buoyancy it can inspire in the audience. “She’s Electric” especially stands out in regards to this. The ravenous growl of the song plays over a decidedly upbeat rhythm. T.S. (lead vocals) speaks in an exaggerated, at times near slurring, Valley Girl accent. Make sure you play it at your next Halloween party.
By Avril Carrillo
Dreampop is never out of fashion it seems, with selected members of each new generation embracing that classic 1990’s sound. NYC trio Isla Invisible have accurately captured the mood of this era on their recently released debut EP1 via Velvet Blue Music. With their obvious (and admitted) influences such as Slowdive, Cocteau Twins and next decade practioners The xx on display, the group delivers in single Pillow (streaming) a waltz with the pace of Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You,” a song that lulls you into a hypnagogic state where melody ultimately merges with an overwhelming cathedral of organs and guitars. It’s a potent formula, eliciting waves of emotional responses and feelings while immersed in this ethereal world. Second track “Outward” impeccably captures the male-female tandem vocals of Slowdive’s Neil and Rachel, emphasizing similarly styled minor key harmonies. Those harmonies go even further on third song “Frail Device” where soft female voices swirl around in the background and complement the centrally placed male vocal line. The 7” vinyl is now available for order, and accompanying download card comes with 2 bonus tracks. –Dave Cromwell
Storm Jameson is the Americana duo of Matt Gold (of Sun Speak) and Jim Tashjian (of Hood Smoke, District 97, & Miss Remember). They are preparing to release their latest album, The Year of Orbison, via Flood Music on October 19th.
Below is the video for album’s lead single “Green Boots”.
You can help Storm Jameson celebrate the release on Oct 17th at The Whistler.
“Dag’ron” is featured on Great Time‘s Great Album. Its video is a trippy, headspace-wandering simulation. As the lyrics are displayed as a place marker, the setting continuously evolves. Performing on a store shelf, rocketing off into space, exploring a lack of gravity, and as the undercurrent of the song suggests, always dancing, it locks you into that strange, hypnotic get down. Supported by Lauren Scott and Saajtak, Great Time will be performing next in Philly on Saturday, October 27 at Bourbon & Branch.
In the last few months since releasing the video for "You Were My Young", Nashville folk trio Maybe April have traveled the country playing festivals, opening for acts like Rhett Miller, and getting another Audiotree performance under their belt. But on October 19th, they’ll return home to Nashville for a performance at The Listening Room Cafe, a venue that has yielded the stage to Maybe April’s three-part harmonies and dancing guitars for years. Following that show, they’ll head to Black Mountain, NC to perform at the LEAF Festival; they’ll play on the last day of the festival before heading to DC and Pennsylvania to wrap up their fall tour. Don’t miss them in a couple of weeks; until then, watch the video for "You Were My Young" below. – Will Sisskind
Faux Co. recently released a video for the B-side, “Prozac Spaceman”, off their debut single “Set The Record Straight” which will be released this Friday. This is the ’60’s pop-influenced work of Ben Mackey, Trevor Pritchett, Alex Reindl, and Chris Lee.
You can help Faux Co. celebrate the release on October 5th at Cole’s.
Gabriel Royal’s sophomore album coheres more around its lyrics than did his debut which centered on the artist’s fine-grained cello and smooth soul vocals. Both remain here on Miss Once; yet the overall eclecticism of arrangement and rhythm makes this the more adventurous affair of the two. Lines such as “Ain’t gotta worry ’bout the facts” (from “Been a Minute”) and “I always seem to get caught up in troubled times” (from “About You”) echo current media slogans—albeit personalized via Royal’s inimitable touch. “Battle Hymn of the Lower East Side,” a doo-wop-meets-Gregorian-chant, closes the LP with an anthem of self-empowerment and escapism (e.g. “When I’m focused I can fly”). Memory looms largest on Miss Once, however, as in songs like “Tough Love,” which begins: “She said remember right now/Wanna always feel this way.” “Degoba,” a title taken from the fictional “Star Wars” home of Jedi/sage Yoda, laments the bygone days “when you were mine.” “Been a Minute,” by turn, looks back more fondly (“Running on the streets through my old town”; “Trippin’ on some old times”). Musically-speaking, the strongest numbers here are the ones that feel referential of older genres, such as opener “C Major Prelude,” which recalls early Rufus Wainwright and sixties Van Dyke Parks, or the hip-hop/jazz inflected “Indoors” (featuring beatmaster Matt Young at the mixing board). “Notice” is the best example of Royal’s ability to take source material and churn it into something entirely his own. It offers a sprightly rhythm of plucked cello triplets and hand-claps, which the artist then sings over, moving from simple chanted lyrics to full-throated crooning. The eighties-esque chorus “All of the things you say I know they are for real” is both transcendent and thoughtful, and exemplifies an album chock-full of melody, quirkiness, and heart. – Brian Chidester
Gabriel Royal will be performing live at Joe’s Pub on October 26th.
