Aliso Viejo’s Pedestrian recently released Healthy Ways to Die, an album that gives new meaning to the phrase "freezing-point depression". Nine songs draw from solitude and capitulation, transmuting the propulsion of Brand New and Explosions in the Sky with the desolation of Deathconsciousness. It’s austere, boundless, and cold as the deserts of the South, with thick sheets of Luke Feilberg’s and Logan English’s guitars that arrest their solemn and soft-spoken lyrics. Hypothermia never sounded so sweet.
Listen to Healthy Ways to Die, released on Sun Terrace Records on Bandcamp, iTunes, and Spotify. Pedestrian celebrates their record release with The Swan Thief, Conheartist, and Ridgeway this Saturday, more details here. – Ryan Mo
If there’s a DC band that’s found the staples of punk, it’s definitely Brick Top. Featuring raspy, yet clear vocals and a messy harmony between guitar and drums, these four guys have nailed a familiar, but distinctive sound that’s exciting and is reminiscent of the 90s, recalling greats like Jawbreaker and Bad Religion.They just put out their very first EP and you can find the sweet title track below. There are only six tracks, but they explore a nihilistic sense of being and futile view of modern existence. It may be pop-punk, but that doesn’t make it any less dark. -Jonathan Goodwin
Pairing a singer-songwriter loaded with creative ideas and a multi-instrumentalist recording/mixing engineer is a formula that more often than not produces winning results. This is precisely what you get with Brooklyn’s Citris and their recently released album “panic in hampton bays.” Lead singer Angelina Torreano impresses with an alluring blend of come-hither bravado and lyrical nihilism, while do-it-all musician Chris Krasnow contributes drums/bass/guitar/synths/horns/percussion and backing vocals along with recording, mixing and mastering the tracks. Album opener “On The Sidelines" channels Daydream Nation era Sonic Youth and the way Steve Shelley’s tighter, more controlled drumming locked in with the single-note guitar riffing of Thurston and Lee. The chorus vocals change all that with harmonizing far more evolved than anything SY ever put out, moving things closer to the ear pleasing fourths that Drew Citron and Frankie Rose did so well with Beverly. Universally relateable lyrics “maybe we’re just rejects, force fed concepts all the time” progress to a coping mechanism of how “maybe we can be friends, see through the same lens on the sidelines.” “Burn Into The Sun” has almost a jazzy feel to it, which fits nicely around the wordy, impassioned vocals and busy drumming. Clocking in at over five and a half minutes, “Little Scars” ambitiously combines 90’s grunge Courtney Love angst with bombastic choruses and even a prog-rock tandem guitar interlude. “Here I am with the poison. I’ve given up, I’m not disappointed. Not looking for love, just want to hang out with you.” There are times when that’s all you need. – By Dave Cromwell
We are excited to premiere the debut self-titled EP from Captiva!
The four-piece group has its origins in a unique setting. Guitarist/vocalist Patrick McQuaid and drummer Hank Wiedel met in 2013 during a high school detention sentence. “That same day,” notes Wiedel, “Captiva and I were featured on the same page of the high school newspaper.” The drummer was invited to sit in on a practice session, and the rest, as they say, is history. Soon after Wiedel joined, they began recording Captiva’s debut album Basement Creations.
The collective has since garnered attention in and around the Kansas City area, combining a youthful pop zest with top-notch musicianship and grooves. The guys have found themselves appearing at a number of notable music festivals (including Middle of the Map, Boulevardia, Backwoods Music Festival, Audiofeed Festival) and have earned coveted opening spots for touring acts like Twenty One Pilots and The Lonely Biscuits.
Captiva’s latest effort features four tracks, beginning with the lead single “Road To Ruin.” An upbeat, infectious indie pop song, it sets the scene for the band’s more sophisticated musical direction. “After venturing out of our individual comfort zones, and opening our minds to new ideas, we’ve found our stride in the writing process and have become so connected with one another when developing our music,” says Wiedel. The songs reflect the group’s varied musical influences and the sense of cohesiveness they continue to develop.
Captiva was recorded at Temple Sounds—produced, mixed, and mastered by Jeremy Wilson.
I was listening to one of the staff members at White Oak Music & Arts as he told me about a ska show that broke capacity and a restroom sink.
That was mayhem compared to Wake Up, SFV, which floated upwards of 100 occupants shuffling between main stage and the lobby. On Sunday, the almost-nondescript music store, nestled with mechanic shops and powered by the will of 818, was host to a plethora of bands that not only called attention to the Valley’s diversity, but more importantly its spirit. From 5 p.m. onwards, neighborhood youth shared cigarettes and sipped on tallboys as homespun vendors displayed their arts and crafts with decorum, beaming with a confidence and sincerity rarely felt in Los Angeles.
And I moved with the crowd through the different phases that claimed my musical adolescence — the genres that waxed and waned in popularity, but never lost their tenacity. From Tone in Georgia‘s well-groomed freakouts to The Aeons‘ feel-good maximalism, 100 Once‘s acapella cover of Evanescence and R!OT‘s dextrous remix of Shia LaBouef. The Unending Thread‘s toe-tapping emo-soul and those cathartic shivers of COEX, down to the fog-heavy end of the Fever The Ghost‘s glitched-out mecha fantasy. Every band brought their all, and the spirited youth gave back tenfold.
Happy anniversary, White Oak Music & Arts. And thank you for wake-up call, Cesar Alas. – Ryan Mo
What do Rubblebucket, Bear In Heaven, and Delicate Steve have in common, besides being based in NYC? Each of these musical projects contributes to new "super-group" Alexander F with a band member. Thankfully, this new musical project doesn’t sound like a mix of those three break out artists, but rather like a devastatingly fun version of the loud/quiet/loud rock of the ’90s, updated in a direction that’s more modern and more punk at once. We are digging their two Bandcamp songs (streaming below), which bode very well indeed for a night of abandon and debauchery at Union Pool on December 18. Kalmia Traver of Rubblebucket will be DJing.
From the subzero depths of the Diamond Valley Lake, Shojo Winter premieres the title track to their upcoming EP release, "Somewhere Else", the first sign of life since their summer debut "Eternal Snow". Kevin McVey and Patrick Capinding, commonly associated with the ear-rending, emotionally destructive shoegaze band Crisis Arm, started on a new project to embrace glacial bleakness of coldwave and ethereal dreampop. Teaming up with Patricio Bautista, the three reimagine the glossolalic verve of Cocteau Twins and Lowlife in the wake of a post-Third Impact world.
Shojo Winter are holding a two-part release show, details below. – Ryan Mo
Rock’n’Roll, folks… will it ever get old? Not if keeps churning out bands with the attitude and chutzpah of Brooklyn’s Junk Boys, a garage’n’roll quartet that will be celebrating the release of their debut, self titled LP at Baby’s All Right on 12.16. Channeling at once rockabilly riffage and the fuzz-worthy sound of garage all New Yorkers should be able to appreciate, this is a band that can write and deliver punchy ol’ rock tunes without sounding passe’ and, at least on record, knows how to pull off the genre’s antics. If they can replicate this live (we bet they can), fun should be had in great amounts – you can experience this on your skin on December 16 at Baby’s All Right. Check out our favorite song "Sad But True," streaming below.
We stumbled upon Birch (not to be confused with songwriter Diane Birch) a couple of times while blogging about other artists (and that’s a good thing in itself), so finding the band’s debut EP among the digital NYC submissions allowed us for a more in depth exposure to their music. Led by singer-songwriter/synth player Michelle Birsky and her expressive alto, the trio plays an edgy brand of electro pop, where buzzy synths and fuzzy guitars contribute in equal measure to a sound that’s as full as it is articulated. Opener ‘Fighting Words’ (streaming) marries a Devoesque drum/buzzy synth pattern with Eastern sounding guitar riffs and Michelle’s saturated vocals, while featuring a structure that delays the pop explosion until minute 1’40". Fans of early Best Coast will enjoy the evocative second and third tracks "Carolyn" and ‘Halfway.’ Birch just released a cover song/video combo of Pixies’ ‘Where is my mind?"
Sometimes, random circumstances make a video, or a song, or a movie, particularly significant for the times we are living. Watching this simple, beautifully shot video for single "Aleph," by dark pop band Battle Ave, we immediately started longing for snow, while wondering if we’ll ever experience it again in NYC – after an insanely warm fall and a week in December with temperatures averaging 60 degrees. But the development of the video’s story line also introduced another extremely current, even more stirring issue, related to carrying weapons, the temptation to actually use them, and the endless regret coming after that. But then again, on top of these already powerful thoughts, came the realization that this is a song about solitude and the insanity it can potentially trigger: the track develops along comfortingly catchy electric guitar arpeggios and an orderly rhythm section, but Jesse Alexander’s subtly deranged vocal tone bears and almost announces the seed of madness, in a pop environment that, otherwise, almost exudes domestic tranquility. This paradox is eerily reminiscent of the strident familiarity screamed by the images of the house of the San Bernardino terrorists, and in particular the absurd and disturbing thought of a young couple, teaching their six month old "manners" from a book, a few hours before committing a mass murder…
As disturbing as art like this might be, when it’s this well executed, it’s certainly more powerful and intellectually rewarding than your average escapist pop – even though recent episodes certainly contributed in making this video more relevant (the song was released in May 2015, as part of the band’s debut full length "Year of Nod"). Our feeling is that our times require a renewed attention to reality, and that art should serve that purpose.
P.S. Battle Ave is mostly based in upstate NY, but their NYC based drummer makes them eligible for coverage in this blog.
As heard in the songs “How to Stop” and “Waste Time” (streaming below), Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Hannah Sumner’s November-released effort, ‘To the Almost,’ is stubbornly beautiful. Impressive in its graceful gathering of folk, minimilasim, and pop, these drum-based tracks ferociously blast the soul’s inner blues while providing uplift in their very passion. The elegance of such contemporary acts as Doe Paoro and Dirty Projectors may be an influence on Sumner but her ability to update Fleetwood Mac’s wildness is possibly more remarkable. While Hannah Sumner does’t currently have forthcoming shows listed, keep posted on her Facebook page. – Zach Weg
A rootsy quintet belting out their vivacious sounds from Charlottesville, VA, Lord Nelson has the crunch of classic rock with a trombone smoothly spread across their melodies. The band has fantastic stage presence and lead vocalist Kai Crowe-Getty’s voice distills the soul of Tom Petty with the charisma of Marcus Mumford. With lyrics heavily influenced by their Appalachian origins and harmonious band chemistry, their shows certainly aren’t worth missing. You can catch a peek at their wonderful performing below, tonight, 9pm, at the Silverback Distillery in Afton, VA, or at Dr. Ho’s in North Garden, 12/18. -Jonathan Goodwin
