NYC

Engaging post-grunge from Arlington’s Milo in the Doldrums

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Richard’s Glasses is the first album from leading Phantom Tollbooth inspired Arlington indie-rock-post-grunge outfit Milo in the Doldrums.  High-level songwriting and musicianship shine through on this engaging blend of Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and other 1990s/early 2000s rock.

The key to this album is its variety, with the music being well-thought out and attention grabbing at all times. The touching ballads mixed in with the high-energy grunge make sure this album is well-paced, and at no time does the band allow the listener’s attention to wander.  

A well produced first mini-album from Milo in the Doldrums.

-Written by Michael Dranove

Chicago

Noname Tiny Desk

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NPR posted their Tiny Desk Concert with local musician Noname last week. She has turned her recent debut mixtape Telefone into upcoming festival appearances at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Roots Picnic, and more.

NYC

Elbows drops genre-bending new track, “Think Twice”

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Elbows is a fitting name for producer Max Scheible. The Brooklyn-based artist crafts music that flexes through genres, bending tastes and traditions and creating something that sounds totally fresh.  Scheible, also a multimedia artist, is no stranger to cobbling together influences from different channels and spaces, and his music reflects this by expertly melding together EDM, jazz, and old-school R&B vibes. Keep your eyes peeled — Elbows is slated to release The Courdory EP this coming May, but in the main time you can stream new single “Think Twice” below. – Olivia Sisinni

Toronto

TALK SHOW HOST – LIVE AT SMILING BUDDHA!

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"Two recovering punks and an indie rocker walk into a bar"….and according to the bio that’s how Talk Show Host was created. Their latest release is an EP "Perfecty Competent" released in May 2016. I can be picky with my punk rock taste and these guys have nailed it. They have catchy pop punk tunes reminicest of the early movement like Face to Face and Millencollin as well as early Blink 182. Chords are tight, basslines take off for a spin of their own from time to time, rippin drums and nice harmonies. Go see Talk Show Host at Smiling Buddha on April 21st. – Kris Gies

Philadelphia

New Mysteries EP Available for Streaming & Purchase

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Philly’s The Mysteries continue further down the Doors rabbit hole with the group’s new EP New Age Psychedelic Experiment. Anthony Marchione and company keep things loose as they explore the bluesy music terrain, finding solace in organ work that brings the retro, psych-pop sound to life again. So light up a doobie, and "ride the snake"! 😉

Nashville

Monograms unveil singles from EP “Silencer,” play Alphaville on 04.19

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The latest release from new wave garage outfit, Monograms, is heavy hot mess of distortion, expansive vocals, and tactful, driving percussion. The EP, ironically titled ‘Silencer,’ has already yielded two tracks. The first, “Sharp Teeth” (streaming) is a number that borders on ’90s grunge, while the second, “Ok Promises” offers a sound reminiscent of some post punk bands of the late ’80s, with guitar tones that sound like synths, extra percussion and random intervals of noise. Monograms is four-piece that refuses to stick to one sound or genre, pushing their own sonic envelope as a rule. Be sure to catch their next show at Alphaville on Wednesday, April 19th. – Andrew Strader

Nashville

Hot Curl take their psych pop to Alphaville tonight (04.17)

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Hot Curl is a psychedelic surf rock outfit that nicely weaves together catchy, jangly guitars riffs in the style of bands like DIIV or Beach Fossils. They offer the kind of groovy instrumental template – round bass, two reverb soaked guitars, and tight, tom-heavy drums – that acts as sonic unit to be manipulated in a million different ways. In their debut EP ‘Beached,’ the band has a number of classic surfy formulae they tend to return to after forays into into the psychedelic unknown, and single "Walk Away" (streaming) perfectly examplifies that. The instruments work around a centered guitar hook, deviating into dissonance only to drive themselves home at just the right moments. Hot Curl will be performing at Alphaville tonight (April 17th). – Andrew Strader

Philadelphia

New Track: “Tiny Tethers” – OhBree

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Exuberant, oddball troupe OhBree will release their forthcoming album, Burn Bridges, Burn Pies, on May 19. “Tiny Tethers” serves as our first look behind the musical curtain. Kicked into drive by omnipresent keys, the song flows as feverish horn blasts pop around twists of harmony-backed flashes of tongue-twisting lyrics. It’s a playful carnival of sound that brightens one’s day. You can catch OhBree as part of On The Water’s EP release show this Saturday, April 22 at Eris Temple Arts, with Dominic, Dear Rabbit, and Baby & Shylow. (Photo by Emily Dubin)

Austin

Sweet Spirit Keep Spilling The Hits With Latest Single “Pamela”

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Queen of Austin rock, Sabrina Ellis, elicits more shock and awe with her coquettish and racy lyrics than a Vietnam bombing campaign could ever hope for. Sabrina fronts the power pop band Sweet Spirit, who just dropped their sophomore album, St. Mojo, earlier this month. While Sweet Spirit’s local momentum is at a fever pitch, a national tour may bring the rest of the country up to speed with Austin. The latest single "Pamela" is a perfect ode to Baywatch goddess, Pam Anderson, and the slow motion video shoot is an apt tribute to a woman who is ingrained in our collective memory, running in slow motion on a beach wearing a red bathing suit. "I’ve been around the world and never have a found a girl like Pamela!…Anderson!" is the building chorus that Ellis repeats like a mantra, while the band crashes through the track with their signature exhilirating gusto. The song is an earworm, and the band doesn’t take themselves too seriously, allowing the listener to join in the fun without hesitation. Sweet Spirit’s trajectory has never had more acclivity, and songs like "Pamela" will continue to win the hearts and minds of all those deprived of having seen Sweet Spirit in action.

-Lee Ackerley

 

Chicago

Mutts

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Mutts released a new single/video this week called “Tin Foil Hat”. If the image above is any indication, it is a crazy (but great) video.

Philadelphia

Weekend Warrior, April 14 – 16

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Stinking Lizaveta commemorate their latest record, Journey to the Underworld (Translation Loss Records, with a release show this evening at Johnny Brenda’s. The well-oiled, musical machine of a trio reigns down on listeners with an adventurous heavy exactness. Under the shield of an ominous darkness, the band traverses the unknown obstacles that lie in its path. With a cold, calculated, white-hot laser tenacity, Stinking Lizaveta forge a route, trudging on the pace of the underlying heart-pumping instrumentation that is always ready to detonate. Sheena & Thee Nosebleeds and The Company Corvette will reinforce this hard-rocking, psych-tinged sonic stew.
 
 
Also, this Saturday evening, The Foundry hosts The MINKA Carnival. Insatiable, loose, funky grooves permeate from MINKA, it’s the type that dictates/demands one to slip subconsciously into the get down. Meanwhile, having recently uncorked their new EP New Age Psychedelic Experiment, The Mysteries implore a casual psych-pop framework, while the multi-genre-melding, seamless stream of beats from Attic Tapes, formerly known as Fishtown Beats, sets the night into motion. – Michael Colavita
 
Other places to be weird at this weekend…
 
Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) FRI Stinking Lizaveta (Record Release),
Sheena & Thee Nosebleeds, The Company Corvette
 
The Foundry (1000 Frankford Ave.) SAT The MINKA Carnival: Minka, The Mysteries, Attic Tapes
 
Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) SAT The Donuts, Morning River Band, The Stammer
 
Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI The Homophones, Pretty Girl/Dev79, Sideswipe/DJ Deejay, SAT Chris Sneade, Norton Scott Star Vehicle/DJ PHSH, DJ Royale, SUN Stroker, Deflector
 
Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) SAT Cardinal Arms Tribute to the Artist: A Multi Media Show To Artist Todd Marrone: Bevan McShea, John Flagler, Craig & Olivia, Reggie Cointreau, Vessna Scheff, Luke Cleary, Pie-Eyed Preachers, The Retinas
 
TLA (334 South St.) SAT Horrendous
 
The Fillmore Philadelphia (1100 Canal St.) SAT G-Buck
 
Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2nd St.) FRI Joshua Bation, Keely Sibilia
 
World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) SAT (Upstairs) Fostina Dixon/(Downstairs) Phantom of the Paradise with DJ Robert Drake
 
The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Seoul Machine, Bludborne, SAT Urban Shaman Attack, RootSetters
 
Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3rd St.) FRI Joy Riding, SAT Tarantino Night: The Whips
 
Silk City (435 Spring Garden St.) FRI Lee Mayjahs?, DJ Everyday, SAT DJ Deejay
 
Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) SAT White Cheddar Boys, SUN Rusty Cadillac
 
Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9th St.) FRI Cthulhu Martini, Gibbous Moon, S.R. Frost & The Sanctuary Band, Fenris, SAT Somethin’ Divine, Matt Kelly, Novyy Stil’
 
The Grape Room (105 Grape St) FRI Chad Jenkins Band, Wolf Accent, SAT Ridge Summit, Bazmati Vice, Josh Nussbaum, Justin Kerecz
 
Ardmore Music Hall (23 E. Lancaster Ave.) FRI Box of Rain, Broken Arrow, SAT David Uosikkinen’s In The Pocket
 
The Pharmacy (1300 S.18th St.) FRI The Snails, Skardians of the Skalaxy/Tall Friend, Teen Spaceship, Hello Shark, SAT Mauled By A Bear, Commencement/So Totally
 
HH Ranch (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Planned Parenthood Benefit: Power Animal, Son Step Impresssionist
 
Tralfamadore (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Resilient, Burned Out, Still Glowing, Alright Junior
 
Baird Mansion Atrium (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Mattox, Hygo, RIP Eternal
 
Trash House (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Slaughter Beach Dog, John Galm, Mike Space, Sleepy Freak
 
The Storefront (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT No Thank You, Dark Mtns