We've been huge fans of Lucy Dacus here (as we all should be), and her Home Video from earlier this year is sure to be a strong contender for our album of the year. "Thumbs" is an incredibly strong song from that album with its ultra-bare bones sound and almost non-existent instrumentation. Dacus has just released a new version of the song, "Thumbs Again." This reworking is a full band version, but if this was the version we heard on the album we'd still be describing it as bare bones. The song is a little more fleshed out here, and is most likely closer to the current live version her Dacus' full band. Despite the added instrumentation, "Thumbs Again" doesn't lose any of the intimacy from the original "Thumbs."
You can watch the video for "Thumbs Again" below. You can get your copy of Home Video here. For more on Lucy Dacus, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
Thu. Feb. 10 - Detroit, MI @ Majestic * Fri. Feb. 11 - Newport, KY @ Ovation * Sat. Feb. 12 - Indy, IN @ Egyptian Room * Mon. Feb. 14 - Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Ballroom Valentine’s Day * Tue. Feb. 15 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall (Rescheduled Date) * - SOLD OUT Thu. Feb. 17 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave (Rescheduled Date) * - SOLD OUT Fri. Feb. 18 - Iowa City, IA @ Englert Theatre (Rescheduled Date) * - SOLD OUT Sat. Feb. 19 - Lawrence, KS @ Liberty * Sun. Feb. 20 - OK City, OK @ Tower Theatre * Wed. Feb. 23 - Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre * Thu. Feb. 24 - Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel * Fri. Feb. 25 - C-Ville, VA @ Jefferson * Sat. Feb. 26 - Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony * Tue. Mar. 01 - Toronto, ONT @ Danforth Music Hall (Rescheduled Date) * Wed. Mar. 02 - Montreal, QUE @ Corona Theatre (Rescheduled Date) * Thu. Mar. 03 - Providence, RI @ The Strand Sat. Mar. 05 - Baltimore, MD @ Ram’s Head Fri. Mar. 18, 2022 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club - SOLD OUT Sat. Mar. 19, 2022 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club Sun. Mar. 20, 2022 - Glasgow, UK @ St. Lukes - SOLD OUT Mon. Mar. 21, 2022 - Dublin, IE @ The Button Factory ** Wed. Mar. 23, 2022 - Manchester, UK @ Gorilla Thu. Mar. 24, 2022 - Bristol, UK @ Trinity Fri. Mar. 25, 2022 - London, UK @ Kentish Town Forum Tue. Mar. 29, 2022 - Brussels, BL @ Rotonde ** Wed. Mar. 30, 2022 - Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Noord ** Thu. Mar. 31, 2022 - Cologne, DE @ Artheater ** Sat. Apr. 02, 2022 - Hamburg, DE @ Molotow ** Sun. Apr. 03, 2022 - Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen ** Mon. April 04, 2022 - Aarhus, DK @ Atlas ** Wed. Apr. 06, 2022 - Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret ** Thu. Apr. 07, 2022 - Stockholm, SE @ Nalen Klubb ** Sat. Apr. 09, 2022 - Berlin, DE @ Lido ** Sun. Apr. 10, 2022 - Jena, DE @ Trafo ** Mon. Apr. 11, 2022 - Vienna, AT @ Chelsea ** Wed. Apr. 13, 2022 - Munich, DE @ Milla ** Thu. Apr. 14, 2022 - Zürich, SU @ Bogen F ** Fri. Apr. 15 - Paris, FR @ La Maroquinerie ** * = Indigo De Souza supporting **= Fenne Lily supporting
With this weekend's upcoming Newport Folk Festival, we thought we'd highlight some of this year's can't miss acts. We're focusing on the bands playing smaller stages and earlier in the day. I mean, you're obviously going to see Ryan Adams and Jack White. Instead, these are the acts worth getting there early for, and seeking out the smaller stages. Phox Friday, 1:50, Quad Stage Phox hails from Baraboo, WI, the winter home of the Ringling Brothers' Circus. I'm not sure if that is connected to their music or not, but Phox has an otherworldly charm and a magical feel. They come across as a more grounded St. Vincent or a less intense version of early Tori Amos. Their music is simply beautiful and uplifting. Reignwolf Friday, 2:55, Quad Stage Truly pushing the boundaries of what can be considered "folk" are Reignwolf. Reignwolf is Jordan Cook, who sounds like a mixture of The Black Keys and Queens of the Stone Age, mixed with just a lit...
Somehow Peter Prescott of Mission of Burma and Volcano Suns has another band that I never knew about. Minibeast already released an album that I completely missed back in 2012, and they are currently at work on the follow up, Free Will. Based on a track from the upcoming album, "High Sea," Minibeast shares some common sonic ground with Mission of Burma, but with an added emphasis on the groovy side of things. It's basically the noise and dissonance of Burma but heard through a 60s surf groove, as if Frankie and Annette were punks. You can listen to "High Sea" below. Minibeast currently have a Kickstarter to help fund the final production of Free Will. You can get more information on that here . It should be out sometime in June.
Photo by Rachel Cassels The Cairo Gang is mostly Emmett Kelly, who recorded most of their upcoming album, Goes Missing, on his own while travelling. "Be What You Are" is pure pop gold, reminiscent of British invasion bands like The Kinks and The Zombies. It features jangly guitars and some of the most infectious layered vocals you've heard in years. Luckily the beauty of this style of music is that it never quite sounds dated. It might sound like it's from a certain era that happened 50 years ago, but everything you've ever listened to since then borrows so heavily from it that it always sounds current. It's the kind of music you wish you hadn't missed, only now you haven't. Goes Missing is due out June 23rd on God? Records. You can pre-order the album now, and be sure to check out The Cairo Gang's Facebook . Listen to "Be What You Are" below, and below that are tour dates, many opening for Mikal Cronin. Sat. Sept. 5 - Portlan...
