The acoustic quartet of Kaytronalia that includes Rebecca Zimmerman, Deb Gilmore (Busy Bee), Sage Forte, and Syd Schollenberger recently released a new song/video. “Talk to Me” simmers in a delicate, innately cohesive groove as the semi-hesitating vocals stick, while the candid/scenic footage provides unassuming imagery. It’s a simple, tightly woven track that sweeps one into the band’s slow-burning honesty.
NYC
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Parlor Walls release debut LP “Opposites” at Sunnyvale on 03.09
Experimental art punk trio Parlor Walls are set to release their debut full-length “Opposites” through Northern Spy records on March 10. Recently released single “Birthday” (streaming below) initially presents a simple percussive pattern in disguised waltz tempo, underneath strummed trebly electric guitar, brass and reed woodwind pads and soft droney vocals. All of that changes with an angular skronk cadence taking over to deliver vocals declaring “you wanted everything – everything, everything.” Including saxophone as an integral sonic element suggests jazz influences, however the phrasing and jagged rhythms positions the instrument closer to John Zorn’s often dissonant avant-garde. The percussion becomes more nuanced as instrumental segments progress up until vocals break in with the phrase “don’t you know I’m perfect!” A fuller version of the opening progression returns before one final launch into an intensified stomp where the song’s meaning (and title) is ultimately revealed. The band will play a release show at Sunnyvale on 3/9 with The Dreebs & Arian Shafiee (of Guerilla Toss). – Dave Cromwell
Nashville
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No Ritual Hones Minimalist Bedroom Rock
No Ritual is the kind of act you’ll brag about seeing in someone’s basement ten years from now. Their lo-fi bedroom rock flows through the same sonic vein as Beach Fossils or early Sonic Youth. The songs are hook-heavy, pushing catchy little guitar riffs that meander and branch off in different directions. Being a three-piece band, their arrangments are decidedly minmalist. They’ve honed the skill of doing a lot with very little, patching song sections together with subtle accents that serve as satisfying variations. Sometimes setting limitations can open up undiscovered creative pathways, little artistic rabbit holes into which the trio dives without reservation. They know how to create high energy yields with low energy inputs, which is why No Ritual is a band we can all have faith in. Their artistic process is sustainable.
-Andrew Strader
Chicago
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Faux Furrs
Sofar Chicago recently released a new video featuring Faux Furrs performing their song “Cycles”.
Last month the band released a great stop motion video for their single “Moon Farm”.
NYC
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March 3rd: Ace Cosgrove at Tropicalia
Fresh beats and an unusual cutting edge flow define the appeal of politically inclined Gaithersburg native Ace Cosgrove. Drawing from the beats and flow of both trap and chillhop, Cosgrove’s versatility shines through on songs like “Making Moves” and “Righteous Views”. In turn lyrically boastful and politically charged, the most consistent thing about Cosgrove’s music is the quality of the tracks.
After a tour in New Zealand, Cosgrove will take the stage at Tropicalia March 3rd to headline DC’s Sounds of the City Festival.
-Written by Michael Dranove
Toronto
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TED EVANS BAND – “PEDAL” PREMIERE
Ted Evans is a wild n’ crazy guy from Kingston, Ontario. He’s a busy fella doing work with various bands and solo projects . Now his latest release as the Ted Evans Band is set for release this Friday called "Pedal". The title track is an excellent blend of pop and rock from various decades. It’s like Buddy Holly playing with the Odds. Very catchy tune for real. Follow Ted Evans Band on facebook and get ready for the "Pedal" EP comin’ out this Friday March 3rd. See them live at the Mansion in Kingston on March 10th! – Kris Gies
San Francisco
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Xiu Xiu Play The Chapel in San Francisco – 3/19
San Jose’s Xiu Xiu performs live at the Chapel on March 19th. This legendary Bay Area will be playing all over the country in support of their new album, FORGET.
FORGET was recorded during a period of epic productivity for Xiu Xiu. While writing FORGET, they released the lauded Plays the Music of Twin Peaks, collaborated with Mitski on a song for an upcoming John Cameron Mitchell film, composed music for art installations by Danh Vo, recorded an album with Merzbow and scored an experimental reworking of the Mozart opera, The Magic Flute. All of this frantic, external activity lead to a softly damaged dreaminess and broadened intent that has not been heard before in other Xiu Xiu works. The album was produced by John Congleton (Blondie, Sigur Ros), Greg Saunier of Deerhoof and Xiu Xiu’s own Angela Seo.
Make sure you don’t miss this show!
Philadelphia
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Krust Toons: “Geographycore” by Tedd Hazard
Krust Toons: "Geographycore" 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.
Philadelphia
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New NAH Compilation Available for Streaming & Purchase
Scattered, volatile, percussion-consuming beats with a defiant punk/hip-hop core, that’s only the start to describing the sonic production that comes from NAH. Now, a comprehensive collection of his output from last year (four cassettes + one 12" LP) is available for streaming and purchase in the concisely titled 2016 Complete Works. Get sucked in through the strangely hypnotic, sonic vortex, and lock into those relentlessly churning grooves. After returning from a stint of European dates, NAH will be performing at the First Unitarian Church on Sunday, April 23 with Wolf Eyes, TRNSGNDR/VHS, and Madam Data.
NYC
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NYC Soul & Blues Year End Poll Final Results: Breanna Barbara, Casey Hopkins Duo, Dakota Jones
The Soul & Blues Year End Poll results are finally in!
Overall Poll Winner (Combined Juror + Reader Poll Votes): Breanna Barbara
Dirty, brazen, and barefaced, Barbara Beanna is serving up old-style blues rock that’s not afraid to kick some ass and take some names. Listen below.
Reader Poll First Place: Casey Hopkins Duo
The Casey Hopkins Duo are our overall reader poll winners, and with good reason–the band is playing electrifying fuzzy blues rock that immediately demands attention. Check out "Teacher’s Pet" streaming below.
The Casey Hopkins Duo are our overall reader poll winners, and with good reason–the band is playing electrifying fuzzy blues rock that immediately demands attention. Check out "Teacher’s Pet" streaming below.
Reader Poll Second Place: Dakota Jones
The NYC-based band is crafts smooth soul rock that’s sure to make it’s way into your daily rotation. Take a listen to "Leave Me Alone" streaming below.
Here’s the list of all the finalists with their Readers’ Poll scores. As always, we’d like to thank all of our artists, jurors, and readers for participating in this year’s polls. Stay tuned and vote for all of our remaining genre polls!
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The Skins |
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0% | 3 votes |
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Eli Tyler |
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0% | 3 votes |
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Sean Mcverry |
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6% | 82 votes |
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Overcoats |
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0% | 2 votes |
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Dakota Jones |
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40% | 517 votes |
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Lawrence |
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0% | 7 votes |
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Danielle Grubb |
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0% | 7 votes |
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Breanna Barbara |
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2% | 27 votes |
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The Casey Hopkins Duo |
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49% | 640 votes |
Nashville
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Best of NYC Indie Rock: Readers’ Poll top scorers: Baby Acid and Rachel Angel
Our Best of NYC 2017 poll keeps rolling and last week, after you-the-people cast your vote, we had the results of the readers’ poll for he Indie Rock category to share with you!
Readers’ Poll 1st Place Winner: Baby Acid
Readers’ Poll 2nd Place Winner: Rachel Angel
Our yearly poll winner for Indie Rock, Baby Acid, blends and bends generic conventions to create entire sonic spaces. The accuracy of their self-described "grunge-gaze" immediately becomes apparent upon listening. They use the fuzzy, screechy, heavy-weight characteristics of grunge to layer sound, creating sonic atmospheres that eventually take on the qualities of psych and shoegaze. If you’re a fan of noise rock and grunge classics like My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth and Nirvana, Baby Acid serves as the perfect for vehicle for fusion.
Rachel Angel took second place in the readers’ poll this year. She’s the type of artist who makes music out of a sense of necessity. Her songs serve as a form of survival, something solid to hold on to in the overwhelming current of existence. The lyrics adopt the refined aesthetic quality of poetry while the content may as well be pulled straight from personal diary entries, offering a vulnerability that proves undeniably relatable. The sonic niche she occupies rests somewhere between fuzzy indie rock and alt country, with Frankie Cosmos-style guitars resting atop a cushion of atmospheric organ you might hear in the work of classics like Wilco or Phosphorescent.
Philadelphia
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New Music Video: “Drugs” – Moon Bounce
We probably need to do a copious amount drugs to forget some of the things that we’ve seen in Moon Bounce‘s latest creation. Corey Regensburg stars and hilariously bares all in the Peter English-directed music video, with beautiful animation and artwork by Raymo Ventura. We can only imagine the amount of effort expended to pull this off, and they succeeded tenfold. "Drugs" is the lead single off Moon Bounce’s forthcoming LP Clean House, due out on March 10 via Grind Select.