New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
Progressive Metal group Fire Garden has released the lead single, "Idiot Brain", from their forthcoming EP, "Point Blank", which is due out April 28th. This is primarily the work of Zee Baig, but on this EP he has enlisted the help of legendary keyboard player Adam Holzman.
Waterford, Connecticut’s Anna May, takes her time, she allows the full sonic embrace of her new record I’m still thinking of you to grip, to heal. “I believed” is the long track that welcomes you to a world formed by Anna’s light acoustic guitar strums, rich vocals, and heartfelt, succinct lyrics. Tracks like “Velvet and gold,” tell through upbeat folk music stories of people you may want to know, precious individuals, as precious as they are described. “Where I belong” is the type of country-style song that is as sincere in its storytelling as it is pleasant in sound. There is a soothing nature that exists in the picturesque tales Anna presents; in times of uncertainty, music, and tales are exactly what we need. Stream the title track below for a glance at the imagery the music elicits. – Rene Cobar
Experimental Punk group Sad Dragon recently release their debut full-length album Through the Fire & Pain.
This is punk with a thick layer funk running through out this group lead by Ember (vocals) and Citlally (drums).
The group recently released a video of the song "Starchild" and last year they appeared live on WHPK.
Alt Rock band Conway is back with the lead single, "Missed Me", from their forthcoming album, Something Wicked. This is the first new music from the group since the 2018 single "Forbidden Fruit" and first album since their 2017 debut EP "Last Chance to Dance".
This is the work of Aidan Hargis (Lead vocals, Guitar), Riley Allen (Backing vocals, Guitar, Synth), Mitch De Biase (Backing vocals, Bass), Jake Dillon (Guitars, Keys, Backing Vocals), and Austin Johnson (Drums).
Background Characters recently released the lead single, "Minor League Alcoholics", from their debut album, The Garden of Gethsemane, which is due out on April 18th. The single is accompanied by the video that Jon direct below.
This is the duo of Jon Robledo (Drums, Vocals, Keyboards) and Ryan Kiolbassa (Vocals, Guitars, Bass).
Background Character was scheduled to perform at Subt on April 18th, but that show has been postponed.
The aptly titled “Social Distancing” by Brooklyn-based outfit Monster Furniture captures the feelings inherent to our new lives indoors — a lofi metronome beat, anxiety-adjacent walking bass lines, and lyrics detailing our new “curious days” convey well the inertia of sheltering-in-place, outlining both the few joys of staying home (like feeding baby carrots to the dog [as a treat]) amidst the various long sighs that fill our impossibly long days. Moreover, Monster Furniture’s inclination towards occasional melodic resolves and sweet falsetto reprieves from a predominantly downtempo, minor offering embeds the track with a sense of yearning, which paired with a lyrical grocery list of indoor-friendly activities that occupy time as we wait for the pandemic to end, seems to cautiously look on the bright side, while accepting the less-than-ideal nature of our current, sickness-stricken reality. It’s a kind, deeply human tune, and recommended listening for days spent doing the same tasks, over and over again — stream it below, alongside the other thematically similar tracks on Shred City Presents’s Quarantine Compilation.
Synthpop multi-instrumentalist Christian Carpenter (a.k.a Trivial Shields) excels in the field of sad bops — tracks where the vibe feels lighthearted and dance-forward, yet marked by subtle, lachrymose undertones. Case in point, new single “For The Best” provides a groove-focused atmospheric jam, with a sensitive vocal performance from vocalist and producer Angelica Bess that adds a recollective, sometimes wistful energy. Such a pairing of melancholic lyricism with indie pop instrumentation isn’t new, but Carpenter and Bess’s collaboration enables to take in both sweet and sad in equal turn, laying down a bop well-suited for hopeless romantics and club kids alike, the type of jam that makes you cognizant of the friends (and possibly lovers) who are no longer in your life, but whose impact is still felt and appreciated in the present. Give it a stream below as you dream of your eventual return to the dance floor.
Listening to “Lay Out in the Sun,” the latest single by New York post-punk band Fair Visions, feels like a daydream had while staring out the window of a cramped three-bedroom apartment. Tightly compressed drums and hazy, analogue keys vibe alongside easygoing acoustic strumming, as singer and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Work envisions a sunny afternoon in greener pastures, “away from everyone.” Avoiding getting caught in the claustrophobia of bedroom pop, the song expands outwards, providing a verdant, minimalist synth solo and lush chorus harmonies, pining lyrically for a new start, a contrast to the perpetually overcast nature of quotidian routines. While most of the city remains anxiously stuck indoors, Fair Visions encourages us to dream, if only for a moment, about a better life that’s just over the horizon — give it a listen the next time you find yourself requiring a brief escape. —Connor Beckett McInerney
Fess Grandiose dropped his latest Phasing Out via ETC Records today, April 3rd. This is the first new music from Fess since his 2018 album Front Room Methodology.
This album is uptempo Afrofuturism filled with synths and beats that will get you off the couch and make you dance.
Julian Daniell of Elk Walking has released a new single, "Only Lonely", from his forthcoming EP which is due out May 23rd.
Daniell blends Americana with elements of vintage rock and soul on this highly anticipated solo debut.
Artist Arturo Fresán has put a much needed project into the world today called "Shards of Light". On the surface this ambient music built upon field recordings that include the following; CTA announcer, "L" train, Boing 737, O’Hare Airport, Col. Letran-Valle Knife sharpener, Benito Juarez Airport, Petco, Brewing Process, Street Preacher, 4th of July Fireworks, Freight Train, Metra Train, and a Dollar Tree Cashier.
However, when exploring this album through the lens of shelter-in-place it becomes a meditative look back a what day to day life was like a month ago. It is a slowly shifting dream of what once may have been mundane, but now is a highly anticipated return to normalcy.
The latest album from Experimental Electronic artist RXM Reality, Blood Blood Blood Blood, will be released tomorrow, April 3rd, via Hausu Mountain. You can currently stream the album’s lead single, "B4", below.
What is always so impressive about RXM is his ability to constantly walk that line between beauty and chaos and he builds addictive sonic collages.
Below is video footage of his recent set at Subt that you can watch in lieu of an actual live release event at a place like Subt.
