Alice Gerrard - "Sun to Sun"

Photo by Libby Rodenbough

Not many eighty-nine year olds tackle social issues, but most artists aren't Alice Gerrard. The folk music legend just released a new single, "Sun to Sun," about the ongoing (and never ending) gun control issue in this country. It's a surprisingly upbeat sounding song despite the fact that it's about how children keep getting killed over and over and over again in the US with literally no action being taken. It's the type of song that could easily be heard in the background as a happy folk ditty if you're not paying attention to the lyrics. But when you do, the song becomes both heartbreaking and infuriating. 

Alice Gerrard says of her latest single:

 “It’s infuriating that politicians won’t take the steps they should. It may be the person, but it’s also the damn gun.”

You can listen to "Sun to Sun" below. Sun to Sun, the album, is due out October 20 on Sleepy Cat Records. For more on Alice Gerrard, check out the artist's website.

Smoke Fairies - "Vanishing Line"

Photo by Annick Wolfers

The latest from UK alt-folk duo Smoke Fairies is inspired by feelings of loss and grief, but that doesn't mean the song isn't an enjoyable listen. Loss is audible in "Vanishing Line." It's not a cheery song by any means. But Smoke Fairies have filled the song with a warmth that is almost able to be physically felt. There is a sense of loss, but also the feelings involved with coming out of that loss with loved ones. It's painful, but also hopeful. "Vanishing Line" is an absolutely gorgeous, if painful, song that is going to end up on more than one best of the year lists.

You can watch the video for "Vanishing Line" below. Carried In Sound is due out November 17, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Smoke Fairies, check out the artist on Facebook and Instagram.

Live Shows: Crow Follow, Tysk Tysk Task, and Sapling, Electric Haze, Worcester, MA 9/17/23

As easy as it is to mock Worcester, MA, it is a city that is rebounding. It's the home of the Worcester Red Sox, a bunch of new restaurants, cool shops, etc. The one thing I'm hoping for more of is live music. Central Massachusetts has always been cover band country, but that is slowly changing. Sunday night Electric Haze, which is a venue I've been hoping would start booking more shows, hosted the fantastic triple bill of Crow Follow, Tysk Tysk Task, and Sapling.

Electric Haze seems to host a lot of jam bands, and that was evident as the three bands Sunday night were given up to seventy-five minutes to play. These three are more used to a tight thirty minutes, so some experimentation was very welcome. Sapling opened the evening and had time to go back into their catalog a bit more than usual. While their set did include plenty of favorites from the recently released (and excellent!) amor fati, the trio broke out "Nice Guys" for the first time in a while, and even played a song off 2021's The Apocalypse Musical. Sapling seemed to have a little more fun playing than usual, and songs like "A Fox Upon the Tomb," "Mata Hari," "11:37," and "Snake Charmer" had a little extra room to breathe. The usual end of set instrument swap/noise clusterfuck was a little extra clusterfucky and turned into sheer chaos, in the most fun way.

Samantha Hartsel is the type of artist that wears her emotions on her sleeve whenever she plays, and halfway through the first song of Tysk Tysk Task's set, you just knew she was going through something and needed to get it out of her system. Between that and a shockingly tight performance by a reconfigured Tysk Tysk Task and this was one of the better sets I've seen them perform. The band just had this desire to play Sunday night, and the sound seems to be shifting from the pure fury of indie-grunge to a slightly more psychedelic version of the genre. In the year and a half that I've been going to Tysk Tysk Task shows, I can safely say that no two shows have been the same, even if the setlist has been. Sunday night's show gave them time to play a new song they've been working on along with going back to 2020's Everybody's Worried About You for one. As always, I'm looking forward to whatever they have coming next.

Crow Follow closed the show, and they continue to be a band you need to see live to truly get. Oddly, as much as I enjoy them, I wasn't sure if they'd fit in on a bill with heavier bands like Sapling and Tysk Tysk Task. Somehow I forgot that Crow Follow are a wonderfully strange band that are just a blast to see live. When you see them live, they lean into the stranger, bluesier version of X than they are on their albums. Sunday night they seemed to slow the songs down half a step and thrust themselves into their own version of psychedelia. Of course, this is an edgier version of psychedelia that isn't punk but also isn't not punk. If you've ever wished you could combine X, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, The Velvet Underground, and Morphine into one band, that band would come pretty close to Crow Follow.

Milliseconds - "Fallingwater"

Photo by Evan Bowles

Considering Milliseconds includes Joe Easley and Eric Axelson of The Dismemberment Plan, and their debut album was produced by J Robbins, you owe it to yourself to give them a listen. Their latest single, "Fallingwater," is still a punk track, albeit a grown up one. It still has the attitude of punk, but in an older, more chilled out way. It even has some vocal harmonies that would make The Beach Boys jealous. According to the Axelson, Milliseconds were "... tapping into Husker Du and The Kinks when writing this," and that sums up the song much better than I could. It's an upbeat artsy punk song that is at the highest end possible for melody in the genre.

Eric Axelson says of his band's new single:

"On the third or fourth date with my now wife, she told me about her fantasy to head to the airport some Friday after work, buy a ticket for Paris, and spend a weekend exploring, eating great food, drinking wine, flying back for work Monday. Without skipping a beat, my overly-practical tour manager brain kicked in and before I knew it was spelling out how expensive it'd be buying a last-minute ticket, how you'd need to figure out lodging when we landed, how raw the jet lag would be on a short trip...completely missing the romantic point of the notion, killing any spontaneity at all. Not my best moment, and I've gotten a little better about being spontaneous and staying present, even if it's not natural.

"The verses of Fallingwater are loose ideas of of fantastical dates wandering the world together, like she'd want, then the chorus flips back to my brain struggling with tapping into emotions, being spontaneous, admitting that it's not what I'm good at."

You can listen to "Fallingwater" below. So This is How It Happens is due out October 13 on Spartan Records, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Milliseconds, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook.

The Only Humans - "Funeral Song"

Boston's The Only Humans formed in 2015 as a folk trio and have since evolved into a five-piece band that uses string arrangements and synth melodies. Their latest single, "Funeral Song," tells the story of a couple discussing what to do when one outlives the other. Despite the subject matter, the song is oddly upbeat and fun. It's a catchy as hell folk-pop song with plenty of quirky elements to keep it from being run of the mill folk-pop. It's a genre that can be quite cookie cutter at times, but nothing about "Funeral Song" follows the standard forms of the genre. The Only Humans are keeping things fresh and compelling.

You can watch the video for "Funeral Song" below. The Only Humans are playing a single release show at The Burren in Somerville on September 29. For more on The Only Humans, check out the band's website.

Laura Veirs - "Rocks of Time"

Photo by Shelby Brakken

Last time we heard from Laura Veirs (2022's Found Light) the artist was experimenting with a more rock based sound. Her latest single sees Veirs returning to her folk roots. "Rocks of Time" is Veirs solo with a guitar, and it's a completely captivating song. It's an almost painfully intimate song, complete with the sounds of Veirs moving her fingers along the guitar strings. It's the kind of song that feels like it's being sung directly to you, and not a studio recorded single from an upcoming album. But that's just the power of Laura Veirs.

Laura Veirs says of her upcoming album:

"It feels good, on my 50th birthday and after 30 years of writing songs, to bring these 'Phone Orphans' into the light. These songs have been hiding out on my phone, some of them for over eight years. They are about my family, my lovers and me. I recorded them alone in my living room into my voice memo app. I like their relaxed feel. These songs were mastered but we made no edits to the recordings. I hope you enjoy this intimate glimpse into my artistic process. All songs by me except “Up is a Nice Place to Be” by Rosalie Sorrels and 'The Archers' with lyrics adapted from a poem by Federico García Lorca."

You can watch the lyric video for "Rocks of Time" below. Phone Orphans is due out November 3 on Raven Marching Band, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Laura Veirs, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.

09/30 - Minneapolis, MN - Tackle HQ ^

11/05 - Portland, OR - Polaris Hall ^

11/06 - Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern ^

11/22 - Bath, UK - Komedia ^

11/23 - Liverpool, UK - Leaf Cafe ^ 

11/24 - Dublin, IE - Liberty Hall ^ 

11/25 - London, UK - Dingwalls ^

11/26 - Twyford, Winchester, UK - St Mary’s Church ^

11/27 - Milton Keynes, UK - The Stables ^

12/09 - Brooklyn, NY - The Owl ^

^ w/ Karl Blau

Katsy Pline - "Guess I'm Always Leaving"

Photo by Nathan Kosta

Katsy Pline is one of those artists that sounds completely familiar and completely unique at the same time, The Berkeley, CA based singer-songwriter just released "Guess I'm Always Leaving," which is a country-esque song in the style of Hank Williams and, well, Patsy Cline, but I couldn't say that it's entirely a country song. There is a definite sound akin to the singer-songwriter side of indie rock in "Guess I'm Always Leaving," combining vintage country with artists like Liz Phair and Elliott Smith. There's even a touch of classic torch songs here, making the latest from Katsy Pline an original sound despite mixing in many classic elements.

You can watch the video for "Guess I'm Always Leaving" below. Incandescent Fire is due out September 22 on Take a Turn Records, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp. For more on Katsy Pline, check out the artist on Instagram.

The Sextones - "Love Can't Be Borrowed"

Photo by Calvin Hobson

"Love Can't Be Borrowed," the latest single from The Sextones, is just pure vintage soul. It's the kind of song that doesn't sound like a modern neo-soul track, but instead sounds like it could have been released any time in the past sixty years. It's purely timeless, and is just a perfect smooth soul track. This is perfect for fans of artists like Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings or Durand Jones & The Indications. In fact, if you like any era of soul, "Love Can't Be Borrowed" is going to be irresistible for you.

You can listen to "Love Can't Be Borrowed" below. The album Love Can't Be Borrowed is due out September 29 on Record Kicks, and is available for pre-order here. For more on The Sextones, check out the band's website.

Double Star - "I Know U Said"

Photo via Facebook

It's been two years since we've heard from Double Star, a "Boston-based female-fronted pop-rock celebration," but now they are back with a new single. "I Know U Said" sounds exactly like that description. It's an absolute joy to listen to, and their Facebook page describes it as "a doo-wop surf spy mashup." If that even remotely sounds like something you'd enjoy, you're going to love this song. I can't remember the last time a band added this many fun elements to a single song and had it turn out to be this much of a sonic blast. "I Know U Said" is filled with horns, xylophone, and a killer surf rock guitar solo.

You can listen to "I Know U Said" below. For more on Double Star, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram.

shallow pools - "Golden"

Photo by Sarah Mentus

After being blown away by shallow pools at this year's In Between Days, I'm thrilled to bring you a new single from the Boston based indie-pop quartet. "Golden," which was co-written by Lynn Gunn of Pvris and Cameron Walker-Wright of Twin XL and The Ready Set, is right on the border of what would normally be too pop for my personal taste, but shallow pools just make it work. It's a chilled out pop song that resides in that mid-tempo area where it's a little too calm to dance but too upbeat to just chill out to. It's going to inspire you to move at least a little, and has an impossible to resist upbeat vibe.

shallow pools says of their new single:

“Living in the moment is hard when you know that the ending is inevitable. We’ve all experienced the feeling of being stuck between happiness and existential dread, and we wanted to convey that feeling in ‘Golden’.”

You can watch the video for "Golden" below. I Think About It All the Time is due out October 13 on Equal Vision Records, and is available for pre-order here. For more on shallow pools, check out the band's website.