The search is on in Shelf Life’s new LP Everyone Make Happy. The album, which is being released today via Lefse Records, has a confidential sound as if Scotty Leitch has subtlety unlatched the window to his inner workings. What one finds inside is a group of songs that are touched with a rain-soaked sadness, while still radiating a positive outlook. There is both a feeling of lonely wandering and an exploratory freedom. Solitary acoustic guitar and dark incisive twists of the lyrical pen strike a deep chord, yet there remains a twilight sensation. Lavender Town hosts the record release show which also features the fuzz-fueled, grungey ebb and flow of Blue Smiley, who measure calm valleys with frenzied peaks. The mercurial flashes and open-diary sounds of Anthony Leitch’s musical vehicle About A Million gets things started. Lavender Town, (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.), 7:30pm, $3-$5, All Ages (Photo by Ethan Holland) – Michael Colavita

While we patiently wait for the follow-up to Madalean Gauze‘s debut EP American War, we can now listen to the thunderous title track from her upcoming LP Sing. The majority of the album was recorded with Jeff Zeigler (Uniform Recording), and the additional final tracks were laid down with Brian McTear (Miner Street Recordings). You’ll also find guest contributions from former Roots bassist Owen Bindle, Hoots and Hellmouth‘s Todd Erk, Pat Berkery (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The War on Drugs, Danielson, etc.), and other seasoned Philly talent. You’ll find Gauze performing next on stage at Boot & Saddle on Friday, October 2 supporting Bird Watcher‘s record release show.

We’ve been watching/hearing Purples work on their sound for a while now, ever since the demise of beloved indie-rock outfit The Teeth. As of late, with the addition of Mike Quinn (And The Moneynotes), it seems that they are finding their pocket and moving forward in the direction of a band that we always knew they could be again. Below is their latest journey into the recording studio with Craig Hendrix of Agave Studios at the helm, called "Get Hurt." Purples also recently announced that they’ve been added to The Districts‘ headlining bill on Friday, November 6 at the E Factory with Lady Lamb. 

Contemporary music has benefitted from the world’s all-encompassing interaction with technology. With an increased focus on production and a burgeoning obsession with the limitless manipulations available with audio engineering, more and more people have been able to get involved in the music industry in its ever-expanding territory. In terms of the actual musicians, a new definition of artistic skill has been developed aimed to accommodate this new musical terrain, where groups can be credited for interacting with production in addition to their vocals or instrumentation. While this inclusivity is great, there is something immutably and uniquely resonant about a powerful vocal performance. Vita and the Woolf, Downington, PA native Jen Pague’s glimmering electro-soul project, exemplifies this brand of mesmerizing sonority. Pague’s wistful lyricism and commanding vocals pack a unique punch – drawing obvious connections to foundational soul and rock elements. The pervasive use of an organ-esque electric piano, however, modernize and complicate her songs, bridging the gap between Janis Joplin and Florence Welch, between rock purism and Pague’s peers, layering the classic with the millennial age. You can catch Vita and the Woolf tonight at Johnny Brenda’s with Legs Like Tree Trunks and Aphra. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9pm, $10, 21+ – Blake Oetting

A gentle, meditative Americana rustle with a timeworn twang – Oldermost presents mollifying tunes that pass over one’s mind as a gentle mist. Steered by charming passionate vocals and sneakily swift instrumentation that doesn’t force the pace, the band captures an unassuming atmosphere, artfully crafting songs that on the surface retain a simple pleasant folk air, but that simplistic sound is the end game of precise compositions. These are the type of the songs that calmly echo in a timeless manner, steady while wistfully reinforced by harmony. However, the scales occasionally tip, and a momentary flash of unrestrained, combustible sound occurs. Tonight, Oldermost open for the slightly adrift rock of San Diego’s The Donkeys, whose lyrically pensive nature is balanced by refreshing wafts of sea breeze. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9pm, $10, 21+ – Michael Colavita

Below is a new music video from Spill (featuring members of the defunct band Placeholders and We Are Skeletons) for the track "Sucks Either Way," off their debet self-titled EP. Most of the footage was filmed at the group’s record release show at the Chameleon Club in Lancaster, PA, and the video was directed by Bernard Downey. The band will be performing next in Philly on Monday, September 21 at Boot & Saddle.

Shelf Life, a.k.a. Scotty Leitch, is releasing his LP, Everyone Make Happy, on September 18 via Portland, Oregon indie label Lefse Records. You can stream the album in advance below. Leitch will also be celebrating its release this Friday at Lavender Town with Blue Smiley and About A Million.

Vita and the Woolf‘s Jen Pague has a voice that demands your attention. You can hear this truth in the latest Out Of Town Films video capturing a stripped-down performance of the yet-to-be-released "Springtime Foxes" at Fishtown’s Reanimator Coffee. It’s merely a glimpse of what you’ll be in store for when she headlines Johnny Brenda’s this Thursday, September 17 with support from Legs Like Tree Trunks and Aphra.