New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
Parallel Synchronized Randomness is the title of the debut album from Eight Bit Tiger. They’ve the style, the sound, the look, and even the Hugo Boss. These boys are going to be big!.
The album is dropping soon, but you can check out Eight Bit Tiger at Tonic Room on September 23rd.
Think of slightly less composed vocal harmonies, yet more endearing lyrics, and the general girl group panache of The Vivian Girls but with a more punchy, punky edge, and you get TacocaT. The band has been together for several years now without garnering the recognition they deserve to separate themselves from the milieu of their contemporaries, but they’re a very solid band who put on an up-beat, fun show. Definitely my strongest recommendation for a live event in the next couple of weeks. Anybody notice how the Rendezvous has been selecting some great bands to play their venue recently? 8:00 pm, Wednesday, September 7th- be there!
We’ve been waiting for the videos from The Black Cab Sessions to be posted from when they made a visit to the States in November. Below are the sessions from Strand of Oaks with Pattern Is Movement’s Chris Ward performing “Sterling” from Pope Killdragon and A Sunny Day in Glasgow doing “How Does Somebody Say When They Like You?” from Autumn, Again via Babelgum.com. Other Philly artists that we’re hoping for their footage to surface soon are Reading Rainbow, Grandchildren, Freeway, Spank Rock, Meg Baird, and Plastic Little. Enjoy!
Spank Rock premiered another track called “Nasty” (which was produced by Le1f and features Big Freedia & Tyette) from the upcoming album Everything Is Boring and Everyone Is a Fucking Liar via The Fader. You can stream the raunchy cut below as well as check out upcoming dates that Spank Rock will be joining on the Check Yo’ Ponytail tour. (Photo by Rahav Segev)
These are two songs which, although also about experiences in Russia, they just don’t fit with the other music. Sonically, they’re a little different, instrumentally, they’re on a guitar. There’s a possibility that they’ll appear on the full length we’re to be recording this fall, I’m not entirely sure yet. If they are, they’ll appear somewhat differently.
One was written while holed up inside a Siberian apartment in the dead of winter. The other was written prior to moving to Russia, but guessing what the experience of the first would be like. So they’re both about the same thing, only the first is the preconception and the second is the reality. This is different than I originally released them, but upon consideration, I think they’re better in this order. Sorry if that messes up your tracks in your digital music player.
Washington to Brooklyn, 20 year old Brad Oberhofer (whose band placed 6th in our 2010 Best of NYC poll for emerging NYC artists) is one of the NYC scene’s brightest hopes. The "kid" stunned critics and fans in 2010 with a series of songs that went beyond Brooklyn’s trend of surf-influenced lo-fi, showing uncommon songwriting skills and imagination in the arrangement department. Powerhouse label Glassnote – also home to Mumfor & Sons, Phoenix and Two Door Cinema Club amongst other – just announced the signing of Oberhofer. While waiting for the new release under that label though, White Iris Records is putting out the band’s latest single "Gotta Go / Mahwun". Don’t miss the band at Music Hall of Williamsburg, opening for NYC scene mainstays Les Savy Fav on 09.06.
French, Brooklyn based songstress Julie Peel has the rare ability to pen beautiful and touching songs – and she does it with enviable consistency. Here’s a dreamy, rather sad gem from her debut album "Near the Sun". Julie just announced she’s nearing completion of a new record, shceduled to be released before the end of the year.
Mainland – ex Mainland Fever – on September 5th will be releasing a new EP entitled "Summer Sick". The band is also launching this rather beautiful video of the title track, which has a peculiar square format.
Mainland – Summer Sick [Official Video] from Ian McClerin on Vimeo.
OK, can we get back to enjoying live shows again? I hope so. Tonight be prepared to be mind-fucked by the meticulous compositions of Moon Bounce (a.k.a. Corey Regensberg). Blending samples, acoustic instruments, found sound percussions, and vulnerably dramatic vocals, his glitched-out, dub-esque beats can create moody, orchestral ambience that often veer into hallucinogenic stratospheres of otherworldly musical realms. Weird and wonderful – you should definitely download his FREE debut EP Darn Your Best Frock HERE. Moon Bounce will be opening for Miami synth-pop duo ANR (who used to go by the poorly thought-out band name Awesome New Republic). Also on the bill is new Philly experimental pop act from LA Tygerstrype. Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 8pm, $10, 21+ – H.M. Kauffman
Below is a new music video for the track “Fallen” (featuring West Philly’s Chill Moody) from Young Gliss’ latest mixtape Dealing with the Pressure 2. The jam was produced by Twizz, and the video was directed by Sil “Spike Jordan" Beyah.
Gliss ft. Chill Moody "Fallen" from Sil ‘Spike Jordan’ Beyah
We were totally looking forward to seeing Break It Up’s debut performance tonight at Kung Fu Necktie, where they would’ve opened for London’s noise-pop trio Male Bonding. After all, the new trio features Wigwams guitarist Dan Morse and former Conversations with Enemies keyboardist Jen Sperling on dual guitars & vocals, so we know Break It Up would have been killer on stage today. But, alas, because of Hurricane Irene’s bucketing tour through the city, the show was cancelled, and it’s not the only one, either. Other cancelled Sunday gigs include World Café Live’s The HYPE’s (Almost) End of Summer Bash, the Rivers of Nihil/Snake Road/With Life In Mind show at the Barbary, and Making Time Forever (under) 21 with Far-Out Fangtooth. We know it’s bummer, so we leave you with Break It Up’s first single, “Excavate” – an infectious stripped down tune with post-riot-grrrl appeal.
And while we’re on the subject of Irene, it was no joke, even if it seemed like a letdown around some parts. Apartments above a Chinese food joint in North Philly collapsed, a large tree in the Northeast fell and crushed a car while in motion (the driver is thankfully OK), the Schuylkill River crested at record levels, flooding Lincoln Drive, and thousands of local residents lost power. As for the rest of the East Coast, in addition to flooding, road closures, and tornado touchdowns, Irene claimed 14 lives in six states. So we hope everyone is safe and hasn’t experience too much of Irene’s damage and devastation.
