If you like some country mixed into your rock and roll, you're going to love the latest from Esther Rose. "New Bad" is almost the definition of the genres country rock, alt-country, or outlaw country. Recorded live to tape, this is a killer rock song with just enough twang in Rose's vocals to keep it on the country side. The song is filled with distorted songs and some of the catchiest lyrics we've heard so far this year. There's even a part where I can't tell if it's supposed to be a choir of voices or gang vocals, or maybe it's supposed to be both. Rose's vocals are truly the highlight of the song and will immediately draw you in. She just has something instantly compelling once she starts singing. "New Bad" is reminding me of a dream combination of Rilo Kiley and Drive-By Truckers, and if that sounds like your thing, get ready to have a new musical obsession.
Esther Rose says of her upcoming album:
“There are things that I have tiptoed around in my writing — and in my life — that I wasn’t ready to look at, and now I’m going for it.”
You can watch the video for "New Bad" below. Want is due out May 2 on New West Records, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Esther Rose, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
Feb 5 Austin, TX @ Sagebrush *
Feb 6 Fort Worth, TX @ Tulips *
Feb 7 Oklahoma City, OK @ Resonant Head *
Feb 11 Los Angeles, CA @ Gold-Diggers (sold out) *
Feb 13 San Francisco, CA @ 4 Star Theater (sold out) *
Feb 14 Ojai, CA @ Deer Lodge *
Feb 15 Phoenix, AZ @ Musical Instrument Museum *
Feb 16 Santa Fe, NM @ Tumbleroot Brewery *
Feb 27 Nashville, TN @ Blue Room at Third Man Records *
Feb 28 Little Rock, AR @ White Water Tavern *
Mar 1 Fayetteville, AR @ George's Majestic Lounge *
Mar 2 Columbus, MS @ Sunstroke House *
Mar 4 Chicago, IL @ Schuba's *
Mar 5 St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club *
Mar 6 Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon *
Mar 7 Newport, KY @ Southgate House *
Mar 8 Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar *
Mar 9 Asheville, NC @ Eulogy *
Mar 20 Richmond, VA @ Richmond Music Hall *
Mar 21 Vienna, VA @ Jammin Java *
Mar 22 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's *
Mar 23 Brooklyn, NY @ Baby's All Right *
Mar 25 Toronto, ON @ Garrison *
Mar 26 Montreal, QC @ Bar le Ritz PDB *
Mar 27 Burlington, VT @ Light Club Lamp Shop (sold out) *
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.
Earlier this week I was expressing sympathy for Limp Bizkit. Limp Bizkit just don't seem to be riding that surge of 90s nostalgia that all sorts of other terrible bands from that era are. Sure, they're terrible. But are they really that much worse than Filter, Alien Ant Farm, and other bands on those 90s nostalgia packages. And then this video is released. The first lyrics to the song are literally "Go fuck yourself." It then features Fred Durst sitting on a toilet, bikini clad chicks pretending to fellate garden hoses and leaf blowers, and Fred Durst talking about fucking bitches, all while wearing a hoodie and a backwards red baseball hat. Then Lil Wayne comes out. Please keep in mind Fred Durst is a 42 year old man.
Photo by Annabel Kean For their latest single, New Zealand's The Beths have released "Mother, Pray for Me." This is a heartbreaking ballad consisting of Elizabeth Stokes' vocals and guitar with just the slightest hint of organ. It's a deeply personal song for Stokes, made obvious with how intimately the song comes across. It truly feels almost confessional, and it's quite simply beautiful. The Beths are most known for huge little indie rock gems perfect for bopping along to, but "Mother, Pray for Me" is quite the opposite. Stokes' vocals and lyrics are right up front on this one, and I can't imagine it any other way. Elizabeth Stokes says of her latest single: “I cried the whole time writing it. It's not really about my mother, it's about me — what I hope our relationship is, what I think it is, what it maybe actually is, and what I can or can't expect out of it. “My mother is a first gen Indonesian immigrant, and very Catholic....
