Benjamin Booker - "LWA IN THE TRAILER PARK"

By -

Photo by Trenity Thomas

I was a huge fan of Benjamin Booker's 2013 self-titled album and his 2017 album Witness. The dirty, fuzzy, raw blues of his first album fit nicely with the more polished sound of his second. Now, Booker is finally back with new music after a seven year absence, and he's completely reinvented his sound. His upcoming album was co-produced by underground hip hop producer Kenny Segal, and the first single isn't quite hip hop but isn't exactly not hip hop. "LWA IN THE TRAILER PARK" is a noisy version of hip hop meets indie rock and possibly some industrial. Booker is crooning throughout the song in a fashion more like Prince than his previous work. The song is layered heavily in fuzz with a beat that almost hits too hard at times. The whole thing is impossibly trippy and dreamlike, while being fairly jarring at times. "LWA IN THE TRAILER PARK" isn't anything like what I expected when I saw new music from Benjamin Booker in our inbox, but this is a very pleasant surprise!

Benjamin Booker says of his new sound:

“I wanted to get to this sound, but I didn’t know how. At some point I decided I’m going to find it or die trying. Kenny was the missing piece I needed--he fills in all of my gaps. I don’t know what I’ll do next, but if I can imagine it, I can do it now.”

You can watch the video for "LWA IN THE TRAILER PARK" below. LOWER is due out January 24 on Fire Next Time Records/Thirty Tigers. For more on Benjamin Booker, check out the artist on Instagram and Facebook. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.


2/2 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar *

2/4 - Santa Ana, CA - Constellation Room *

2/5 - Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room*

2/6 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel *

2/8 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios *

2/9 - Seattle, WA - Madame Lou's *

2/10 - Boise, ID - Neurolux *

2/11 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge *

2/13 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theatre *

2/15 - Omaha, NE - Reverb Lounge *

2/16 - Minneapolis, MN - Turf Club *

2/18 - Chicago, IL - Subterranean *

2/19 - Detroit, MI - Magic Bag *

2/21 - Toronto, ON - Longboat Hall *

2/22 - Montreal, QC - L'Esco *

2/23 - Boston, MA - Crystal Ballroom *

2/25 - Brooklyn, NY - Public Records *

2/26 - Brooklyn, NY - Public Records *

2/27 - Philly, PA - Kung Fu Necktie *

2/28 - Washington, DC - Union Stage *

3/2 - Asheville, NC - Eulogy *

3/3 - Atlanta, GA - Aisle 5 *

3/5 - Nashville, TN - 3rd and Lindsley *

3/7 - New Orleans, LA - Siberia *


* with Kenny Segal

On Repeat...

Liam Kazar - "Shoes Too Tight"

By -
Image
Photo by Alexa Viscius This may be Liam Kazar's debut single, but the Chicago based musician already has an impressive resume, having worked with Jeff Tweedy, Chance the Rapper, Steve Gunn, Daniel Johnston, and others. "Shoes Too Tight" features childhood friend Spencer Tweedy on drums, Lane Beckstrom on bass, and Ohmme on vocals. It's an absurdly fun and groovy little song that is a party waiting to happen. What he gives us here is a timeless song that could truly have been released any time since the 1960's (ok... maybe not the 80's...) There are elements of classic rock, 60's crooners and R&B, indie rock, modern Americana... it's really just packed with everything in a cohesive song that maintains the vibe the entire way through. You can watch the video for "Shoes Too Tight" below. For more on Liam Kazar, check him out on Instagram and Twitter . He's also raising money on his Bandcamp for Constellation and The Hungry Brain. ...
Read more

The Freqs - "Witch"

By -
Image
Photo via Facebook When you're a rock band from Salem, MA, you have to have at least one song about witchcraft. The Freqs have fulfilled their obligation with a banger of a song. "Witch" is this giant monster of a song, filled with fuzz and strained, screaming vocals. This is the type of song that doesn't usually exist in this century. It's giving me some serious 90's flashbacks, like if Hum got aggressive or Alice in Chains decided to do some damage on the college charts. As great as the vocals are in "Witch," what's really drawing me in is the instrumental break down that takes over about halfway through. This is the kind of song to make the hipsters and the headbangers equally excited. You can listen to "Witch" below. For more on The Freqs, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram . The Freqs · Witch
Read more

Dutch ReBelle - "GOONIEZ"

By -
Image
How is Dutch ReBelle not a national superstar at this point? The Boston MC just released "GOONIEZ," and I know I'm a bit out of touch with current mainstream hip hop, but this song is absolutely killer. It's a stripped down hip hop song that has this futuristic space age sound to it. Plus, ReBelle's flow is unsurpassed. You can't listen to her and not be completely sucked in. The song has a feel reminiscent of classic Missy Elliott. As much as I love that we can still see Dutch ReBelle in smaller Boston venues, "GOONIEZ" proves she should be playing much larger venues nationwide very, very soon. You can watch the video for "GOONIEZ" below. For more on Dutch ReBelle, check out the artist's website . 
Read more