NYC

Cuchulain Kelly touches on the soulful side of the daily grind in latest music video

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It’s easy to get lost in the day to day hustle, grinding your way through the work day, getting caught up in petty squabbles, forgetting that this city is filled with millions of complex human beings each with their own hopes and aspirations.  It’s this more soulful side of working drudgery that Cuchulain Kelly touches on in the music video for the song "Torn In Two".  Using a company meeting about "quarterly revenues" as its backdrop, the video shows us Kelly expressing his inner frustrations to his co-workers, only to be shown the door.  Of course we can all relate to the struggles of the Kelly in the video, doing the daily grind while suppressing the desire to grapple with and openly express our internal conflicts. 

All in all a charming song gleaned from the trials and tribulations of DC’s buttoned down culture.  

 -Michael Dranove

 

New England

New Dream Pop Duo, We Saw Lions, Releases Debut Single “Skeletons”

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Boston dream-pop duo We Saw Lions may be a new name to you, but singer/songwriter Hannah Lou Woods is no stranger to the New England scene. Winner of the Great American Song Contest, among other achievements, Woods has teamed up with producer Dave Chapman to create something different and meaningful. Of their debut single, "Skeletons", Woods says: "I wrote this song…about the challenges that one can face in relationships; when you really love someone, you start to let them see more and more of who you are. Sometimes that brings up fear, but if you can face that fear and allow it to transform you, you can ‘bring it to light’ and see it for what it is, another place within you that wants to be seen and loved."

The song is an impressive debut, both vulnerable and optimistic. Woods’s vocal performance is pitch-perfect in tone and character, and Chapman’s production is present and supportive, without ever being heavy-handed. Check out the DIY video for "Skeletons" below, featuring an original artwork from Woods herself. -Brian Varneke

Nashville

Multi-instrumentalist Julian Dente debuts chill alt rock outfit YØUTH

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Nashville’s Julian Dente has endured the difficulties of the ever-changing music industry to finally release his years-in-the-making project Blame under the moniker YØUTH. Ascribing to the post-pop-punk aesthetic of groups like Brand New, YØUTH reminds listeners of the mid-2000s after it grew up, matured, and mellowed out a little. Dente plays almost all instruments on the album, an ambitious (and successful) feat for a debut. – Chris Thiessen

Philadelphia

Weekend Warrior, October 27 – 29

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We know. What to do? What to do…this Halloween weekend? We love the all hallow-est of eves! And Philly does not have a shortage of diverse things to do. If you find the idea of swanky surroundings with the echo of groove-oriented experimental beats flowing through your ears and tarot card readings blowing your mind, Final Friday’s AfroFuturist Affair Costume Ball at the Philadelphia Art Museum this evening with locals Moor Mother, Sammus, and Fholston Paradigm is a no-brainer. And since things will be wrapping up relatively early, you still have plenty of time to catch Dark Thoughts at the LAVA Space benefit. On Saturday, the 8th annual TJ Kong Halloween Murdershow will be doing debaucherous things in the below ground lair of Underground Arts. The familiar faces of Levee Drivers and Tutlie will be joined by sexified newcomers OOLALA and Shy Boyz. And if you don’t really feel like leaving the Fishtown/Kensington/NoLibs area, tomorrow will be a nice evening to take a buzzed walk to your favorite neighborhood DIY space Everybody Hits for Hurry’s 2nd Annual Halloween Spooktacular, with pals Shannen Moser, Cave People, and Anomie. All proceeds will go to The Humane League of Philadelphia. For those who really haven’t had enough this Halloween weekend, you might need to chill out at Union Transfer, where Petal will be performing a solo set, opening for the always captivating Julien Baker and Half Waif. Wherever you find yourself, enjoy that you are there – cheers! – Alexis V.

More Halloween Weekend Fun…

Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) FRI Hezekiah Jones, DeadFellow, Ali Wadsworth, SAT TJ Kong Halloween Murdershow VIII: TJ Kong & The Atomic Bomb, Tutlie, Levee Drivers, Shy Boyz, Red 40 and the Last Groovement, OOLALA

Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) SAT Minka, Thrills

Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) FRI Street Stains, SAT Pink Slip Daddy, Dixy Blood, SUN Spent Flesh, Dumal, Mob Terror, Atomic Cretins

Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Throbbing Chakra, Rubber/DJSC/Duffy’s Cut, SAT Black Urn/Fame Lust, SUN Deathmonger AD, Mota, Plot/Erik Kramer, Maggie Mae

Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden St,) SUN Petal (Solo)

The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.) SAT Dead Milkmen, Green Meteor

TLA (334 South St.) SAT Tweed

The Fillmore Philadelphia (1100 Canal St.) SAT Baceface

The Foundry (1000 Frankford Ave.) FRI DJ Grotzy Versace

Electric Factory (421 N. 7th St.) SAT Pluto Era

World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) FR I (Upstairs) Dirty Dozen Dance Band/(Downstairs) Greg Sover Band

Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2nd St.) FRI Tektonic, Muscle Tough, Darla, SAT My Son Bison, Rosali, Oldermost, SUN Shon Goner

The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) SUN The Old Souls, Chalk and The Beige Americans, Gringo Motel, The Sideshow Prophets

The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave.) FRI Apex Predator, Mesmeria, Ketosis, SAT Secret Nudist Friends, The Pretty Greens, SUN Bad Luck 13, Eaten Alive, Gloves Off/Dirty Purple, Moonroof, Vague Advice, It Makes Sounds

Century (1350 S. 29th St.) FRI Conflict Theory, War Vomit

MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut St.) SAT Suburban Living (DJ Set)

Silk City (435 Spring Garden St.) FRI Francisco Collazo, SAT DJ Deejay

Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) SAT The Jersey Corn Pickers, SUN Rusty Cadillac

Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9th St.) FRI Pravda, Endless Taile, Tantra, SAT Stinking Lizavetta, Thorazine, Workhorse III, The End AD, Thee Minks, Mojo Machine

Frankie Bradley’s (1320 Chancellor St.) SUN The Roddenberries

The Grape Room (105 Grape St.) FRI Slomo Sapiens, Local Smokes, SAT Duke Brothers, Bonehead

Ardmore Music Hall (23 E. Lancaster Ave.) FRI Philly Bloco, SUN Philly Loves Petty: Low Cut Connie, Ben Arnold, Mo Lowda & The Humble (with Joe Reinhart), Smash Palace, Travel Lanes, Hinton Bower Jones, Big Jangle, No Good Sister, Nik Greeley Ross Bellenoit

Philadelphia Museum of Art (2600 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy.) FRI Afrofuturistic Affair Costume Ball: Moor Mother, Sammus, Fhloston Paradigm

Everybody Hits (529 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Italoween SAT Hurry, Cave People, Shannen Moser, Anomie

The Pharmacy (1300 S. 18th St.) SUN Matthew W. Charles, Side Pocket Louie, Everyone Except Me, Rasan Allbritton

LAVA Space (4134 Lancaster Ave.) FRI Dark Thoughts, Jenna and The Pups, Dialer

Sound Hole (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT LXV

Spank Banquet (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Ceramic Animal, Attic Tapes, Sixteen Jackies, Chifa

NYC

Queens’ Rapper Big Breakfast unveils new video + plays The Kingsland on 11.04

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Queens’ Big Breakfast, repping Brooklyn micro-label Smoker’s Cough, flips flows tight as He-Man’s loincloth.  He’s definitely a rapper’s rapper.  His punchlines are clever, but they hinge more on the rhyme scheme than on mainstream references.  This puts him in the realm of DOOM and Breeze Brewin, which is great if you really love dynamic lyricism.  It’s also great if you smoked too much of that blunt and need to duck into a corner and get lost in your headphones.  His Sports Plus EP is available as a limited cassette and zine via his bandcamp page.  He plays at The Kingsland in Brooklyn November 4th.

NYC

Overlake tours the US, returns to NJ on 12.09 at WFMU’s Monty Hall

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Jersey City’s three-piece Overlake has been contributing innovative, intimate shoegaze to the local scene since forming in 2012, and their newest LP Fall shows they are getting better and better at it. The record is saturated with guitar-driven anthems of nostalgia, thematically focused on the transience of life. Each song encapsulates a moment in time, following no chronological order; instead, this album moves like an emotional catharsis complete with blooming guitar parts, driving percussion, and powerful bass lines. The band is currently on a US tour. They’ll return to their native NJ on December 9th with a show at WFMU’s Monty Hall. – Lilly Milman

Philadelphia

New Track: “No Memory” – Goldenaire

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The first impression and debut single from Philly trio Goldenaire, "No Memory," is a solid one. A buoyant psych-pop balloon dreamily drifts; however, the continuous, rhythmic push helps to ground the track, as swirls of guitar and vocals keep it afloat. A pleasant duality of focus comes to fruition.

NYC

Buzz Alert: Aisha Badru’s ‘Mind on Fire” + gets 4 million plays on Spotify

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We blogged about soulful NYC’s singer songwriter Aisha Badru earlier this year, after one of her songs was picked for a Volkswagen commercial. Aisha earlier this month  traveled to Bali, Indonesia to donate a portion of the income she received from that ad to rebuild a home for a local poverty-stricken family. In the meantime, her other single "Mind of Fire," a simple, a-cappella track dealing with how the needs of our daily lives end up killing our dreams and motivations, was racking up plays on Spotify (video streaming below). After completing a short October tour in the southern US states, Aisha is preparing to release her debut album "Pendulum," scheduled for early 2018. It will also feature single "Bridges," also streaming.

Philadelphia

New Dark Thoughts Halloween Tape Available for Streaming & Download

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A weary, ghostly element permeates throughout Dark Thoughts freshly released Halloween Tape. Meshing that cautiously, creepy aesthetic with the band’s infectious brand of exuberance, the four-song demo set is both befitting the season and a preview of what’s to come from the Philly punk crew. Dark Thoughts are scheduled to perform at the LAVA Space tonight, as part of a benefit for the venue that also includes Jenna and the Pups, Dialer, and a Germs cover set, before heading out on a Midwest Halloween run.

Nashville

Plain Dog Brings Renewed Simplicity to Slacker Rock

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While NYC may be abuzz with shoegaze, slacker rock, and grunge revival bands, there’s something unmistakably unique about Brooklyn-based Plain Dog. Their latest song, "Cherry Cola," features all the hallmarks of nu-grunge — fuzz-drenched guitars, driving rhythms and lo-fi production — however there’s something delightfully earnest in the song’s celebration of something so simple. Plain Dog effortlessly attaches longing and nostalgia to something as ordinary as a cherry-flavored soda and in turn provides listeners with a tangible means of connection that works in ways where loftier lyrics of abstractions fail. You can catch Plain Dog’s next show at Elsewhere on Monday November, 6th. -Andrew Strader 

NYC

Gabriel Kahane releases two new tracks, debuts concept live show at BAM

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NYC songwriter Gabriel Kahane has released two new songs online in anticipation of his coming performances at BAM’s Harvey Theater later this fall. Little Love includes the title-track and "November", both songs featuring only his lush voice and his bubbling piano. The release comes just over a month before the start of 8980: Book of Travelers, a live concept performance based on his November 2016 train trip across the United States. The songs in 8980 take inspiration from that trip’s experiences, Kahane’s conversations with the people he met, and ruminations on the body politic. 8980 runs from November 30th to December 2nd at BAM’s Harvey Theater; the show will hit Los Angeles, Ann Arbor, and Paris going into 2018. – Will Sisskind

Philadelphia

New Track: “.000125” – CBMC

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It’s been way too long since we’ve heard from CBMC (Cyberbully Mom Club). So somewhat naturally, a double take was in order when a new song, “.000125,” popped up on our radar. Delicately splicing and unraveling warm guitar with a simple drum machine backdrop, the soothing, solution-oriented lyrics seem to tip the instinctual scales, in whimsical bedroom-pop fashion. Hopefully this is an indication that more will be on the way from Shari Heck.