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Showing posts from February, 2019

Lady Lamb - "Deep Love"

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Photo by Erica Peplin We're just over a month away from the release of Lady Lamb's new album, and today we have a new song to salivate over. "Deep Love" might be Lady Lamb's most accessible song yet. It's still a Lady Lamb song (not quite indie rock, not quite folk), but towards the end it almost takes on a groovy 80's power ballad feel. Well... not quite, but maybe the demo for an 80's power ballad. If that sounds like your kind of thing, you're guaranteed to love this. Even if it's not, you probably will love it any way. Spaltro (aka Lady Lamb) has this to say about the song: I had just gone into Manhattan and I felt like an alien seeing all the workers on their lunch break.  I spent my train ride home to Queens, wondering if we’d lost our purpose.  I started singing the first line, ‘I’m not convinced we should strive for midtown,’ and by the time I got to the chorus refrain I was full of a deep, volcanic kind of love which poured out o...

David Wax Museum - "Big Sur"

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Photo via Facebook Obviously this isn't the album version of a new song from David Wax Museum's upcoming new album, but any time we have a chance to share new music from them with you we definitely will. This version of "Big Sur" is a duo version recorded in David and Suz's kitchen. It's a quiet, beautiful song that's pretty standard folk, but we mean that in the absolute best possible way. The harmonizing between the pair has never been better than it is here, and it ends with an instrumental part that you just wish could hang on a little bit longer because the vocals at the end are just soul crushingly sad. You can watch the live in their kitchen version of "Big Sur" below. Line of Light , the new album from David Wax Museum, is available for pre-order with multiple tiers for four more days at IndieGogo . For more on David Wax Museum, check out their website .

Alexia Avina - "Attitude"

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Every so often we encounter an artist that fits into the folk category but is doing their own thing. Quebec's Alexia Avina is one of those rare artists. "Attitude" is definitely folk, and despite being an acoustic song, it's not very traditional. Avina uses voice and guitar loops to create this almost ambient sound, but with standard song structure. I really hate overusing the terms "ethereal" and "delicate" with female musicians, but those terms work perfectly with "Attitude." It's a heartbreakingly gorgeous song combining folk with the extreme mellow side of 90's electronica, and with maybe the tiniest bit of Stereolab thrown in. You can listen to "Attitude" below. All That I Can't See , the upcoming album from Alexia Avina, will be out on March 22 via Never Content. You can pre-order the album here . For more on Alexia Avina, check her out on Facebook . All That I Can't See by Alexia Avina

Mountain Man Covers John Denver

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John Denver has never exactly been my jam, but we've been loving Mountain Man here for years, so when Mountain Man announced they were releasing a two song single of John Denver covers, I had to at least check it out. (We do love covers...) As the band announced on Facebook: " WE love John Denver so much we gave Alex his haircut, and recorded a few of his legendary tunes too. Have a listen! They are so sooooothing, we promise." The songs definitely are soothing, but to me they feel more Mountain Man than John Denver (I think?). "Take Me Home, Country Roads" is exactly what we love about Mountain Man: quiet, almost delicate, perfect folk with beautiful harmonies. "Around and Around" is more of the same, and both songs have me debating if I'm really a non-fan of John Denver. Probably not, but let's not take any chances here... You can listen to Mountain Man's take on "Take Me Home, Country Roads" below. You can order your vinyl ...

The Thing in the Spring Announces 2019 Line Up!

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Peterborough, NH is a surprisingly fun little town in south central part of New Hampshire. One of the things that makes it cool is the annual music festival The Thing in the Spring. Every single year it's shocking how diverse and huge the artists they get are. 2019 is no exception. Running June 5-9, they're bringing such artists as indie rock/electronica artist Dirty Projectors (performing solo), shoegaze/post-rockers Bardo Pond, folk artists Suzzy Roche and Lucy Wainwright Roche, Ryley Walker, Boston legend Thalia Zedek Band, actor/comedian turned singer Noel Wells, blog favorite The Huntress & The Holder of Hands, experimental rockers Sunburned Hand of the Man, Trinary System (featuring Mission of Burma's Roger Miller), and many more. Shows happen over multiple venues, including the UU Church and a free show on the roof of the Toadstool Bookshop to close out the weekend. For more information on The Thing in the Spring, check out their website . You can get a weeke...

Hate Club - "Unpredictable"

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Photo by Katrina Flynn-Robinson I really expected to dislike Albany, NY's Hate Club. Just being called Hate Club could be enough, but they also describe their sound as "tweemo." Luckily, they happen to be on Five Kill Records, who I've learned to always trust on every release over the last year or so. Fortunately I ignored my old man grumpiness and actually listened to the music. Their latest song, "Unpredictable," is not at all what I expected a band described as "tweemo" to sound like. Instead of The Get Ups Kids meets Belle & Sebastian, it's more 90's slacker rock like Pavement meets Jawbreaker, which I think we can all agree is an outstanding combination. The song is full of this droning, fuzzy guitar until it gets replaced by piano plinks. This quickly went from something I expected to strongly dislike to a new favorite of the year. You can listen to "Unpredictable" below. A Clear Mistake , the new album from Hate...

First Listen: New Releases for 22 February

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Album of the Week : Artist : Julia Jacklin Album : Crushing Quick Description : New album from a favorite around these parts. Why You Should Listen : If there's any justice in the world, Jacklin will be much more well-known by the end of this year. Overall Thoughts : While everyone was busy looking at the Dacus/Bridgers/Baker triumvirate of up-and-coming singer songwriters last year, Julia Jacklin was quietly pulling up in the left lane and is poised to own 2019 if her second album is any indication. I had an inkling that Phantastic Fernature, her more rocking side project, might be a little instructive, but I will say that this new album works in a lot of ways her already-solid debut album may not have. The first two songs grabbed my attention , and hearing lead single “Pressure to Party” in the context of the full album gave it some extra heft I didn’t hear in my initial listens. One of the best, if not the best, of the week, and is almost certain to make a number of yea...

Lenore. - "Thick Skin, Tender Heart"

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Photo via Facebook Back in 2017 we became enamored with the Gothic style folk from Portland, OR's Lenore. They're back with a new single that was recorded for the Ray Romano/Mark Duplass Netflix film Paddleton. Lenore. might seem like an odd choice for a film starring Ray Romano, but considering it's about assisted suicide, our favorite "witchy-folk" artists are the perfect choice. "Thick Skin, Tender Heart" is a bit more mainstream than their normal output. It's incredibly lush and gorgeous, but it's still Lenore., so the song has a dark feel along its edges. The string arrangements that take the place of the typical guitar solo are particularly glorious.  You can listen to "Thick Skin, Tender Heart" below. For more on Lenore., check out their website .

Carissa Johnson and The Cure-Alls - "Something Good"

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Sometimes you just need a big guitar rock song, you know? Boston's own Carissa Johnson and The Cure-Alls are always good for that, and their new single is no exception. "Something Good" is the kind of power pop we love her, and this song reaches completely epic levels. It's a little more melodic than what I expect them to sound like, and it does border on pop a bit, but this is the kind of rock that is supposedly dead these days. It's definitely not 80's hair metal, but it does make me want to see a video of them playing in front of an arena in slow motion, though. It's more late 70's/early 80's in the vein of Cheap Trick and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts. You can listen to "Something Good" below. For more on Carissa Johnson and The Cure-Alls, be sure to check out their website .

Marissa Nadler featuring John Cale - "Poison"

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Sometimes you don't know you need something until you actually have it. That's the case with Marissa Nadler's duet with The Velvet Underground's John Cale. It seems like the song was written by Nadler without the knowledge that she'd be joined by Cale. Nadler says of the song: “Sometimes it's best not to know in advance; that's what I continually remind myself about how this duet with legendary songwriter John Cale came together .  Had I known that Justin and Lawrence would arrange for Cale to sing ‘Poison’ with me before I wrote or recorded it, I cannot be certain I wouldn't have become frozen with hesitations and second-guessing. How do you even start to go about writing a duet with a member of the Velvet Underground?   Surely I might have nervously changed the lyric that accidentally namechecks a title of a Velvet Underground song (‘Run Run Run’), at the very least. For me, Cale is one of the most influential rock musicians, remaining admirably ha...

Priests - "Good Time Charlie"

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The last time we heard from Washington D.C.'s Priests, they had released "The Seduction of Kansas," which was almost pure pop. Their latest, "Good Time Charlie," continues their foray into pop, but not quite as far. The bad has this to say about the song:  “ I like to think of this song a little bit like the Gilligan’s Island Theme song, but for a Hollywood tale of Charlie Wilson. It’s also a little bit about 9/11 but much like Otessa Moshfegh’s My Year Of Rest And Relaxation, the character sketch is more drawn out in its absence rather than presence. I saw a documentary about the history of the United States’ relationship with the Middle East, and there was clip of an 80s lady who looked a little like Vanna White (who turned out to be Joanne Herring) saying how she wanted to get the Mujahadeen guns to fight the communists because she believed they worshipped the same god as her. So I got curious about how this story unfolded, but even more so, how the tale ...

Film Jacket 35 - "Something You Should Do"

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Photo by  Nikos Ziaz Being an American, when I saw that Film Jacket 35 is from Athens, I knew I had to listen to their new single. Athens has a long history of amazing music (R.E.M., The B-52's, Drive-By Truckers, Elf Power, etc.) and any band from Athens tends to be worth at least listening to. Well, turns out Film Jacket 35 is from Athens, Greece. Luckily for us their music is Athens, GA level good. "Something You Should Do" combines early British melodic punk like the Buzzcocks with mid-90's jangly alternative. It's an unbeat, fun indie rock song, that sounds old school and current at the same time. Film Jacket 35 aren't reinventing music here, but when you nail a sound this perfectly and make it your own, there is absolutely no reason to. You can watch the video for "Something You Should Do" below. The PR Foundation , the new album from Film Jacket 35, will be out in March. For more on Film Jacket 35, check them out on Facebook and Twitt...

Alex Lahey - "Don't Be so Hard on Yourself"

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Photo by Callum Preston Alex Lahey's 2017 album I Love You Like a Brother  was beloved by both me and Jeff, which is surprising since it was more poppy than I normally like. Last week she started teasing new music, and we're thrilled that we now have "Don't Be so Hard on Yourself." If you loved I Loved You Like a Brother , we've got some great news for you. "Don't Be so Hard on Yourself" is more of the same, but possibly better. It's almost unbearably catchy, with these huge fuzzy guitars, and a saxophone solo that might be trying to outdo "Careless Whisper." Even if you hate music more on the pop side, you owe it to yourself and everyone you know to check out "Don't Be so Hard on Yourself." You can watch the video for "Don't Be so Hard on Yourself" below. The Best of Luck Club , Alex Lahey's second album, will be out May 17 on Dead Oceans. You can pre-order your copy here . For more on Alex Lah...

Skye Wallace - "Coal In Your Window"

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Photo by Sebastian Buzzalino The latest single from Toronto, Canada's Skye Wallace may be pure power pop perfection. "Coal In Your Window" imagines a world where The Donnas were more influenced by Cheap Trick than the Ramones, but with plenty of late 90's indie rock guitars. It has plenty of punk attitude and edge, but is more fun and playful than aggressive. Wallace says about the song: " I wrote this song in a building in Gros Morne National Park, Newfou ndland that used to be an old cottage hospital (Bonne Bay Cottage Hospital / Julia Ann Walsh Heritage Center). It was inspired by a story I heard about one of the young folks that used to work in the hospital and the boy that would throw coal at her window at night to beckon her down to their meeting place in the boiler room. ' Coal In Your Window' may be about a specific story, but it’s a truly universal concept of jittery, passionate love and doing whatever it takes to access that fire that anot...

Brass Against Covers Rage Against the Machine

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Photo via Facebook If you were to go back to the 90's and tell a young Ken that he'd be more excited about a brass band covering Rage Against the Machine than he would about a RATM/Public Enemy/Cypress Hill supergroup... Our love of covers is extremely well documented here. The best kind of cover keeps the spirit of the original while adding a band's own spin on a song. Brass Against are nailing the perfect cover with their version of Rage Against the Machine's "No Shelter." The band joins with singer Sophia Urista for the song, and she attacks the song with enough force that you won't miss Zack de la Rocha at all. Brass Against plays with more ferocity than you could think possible for a brass band. Sure, they also have a metal guitar player, but it's the horns (and Urista) that really bring the noise to this song. You can watch the video for Brass Against's cover of "No Shelter" below. We somehow missed their 2018 self-titled al...

Versing - "Tethered"

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Photo by Gordon De Los Santos Back in 2017, Versing came out of nowhere and blew me away when they played with The Courtneys and Weakened Friends, and their album from that year, Nirvana , ended up being my #5 album. Now they're back with a new song. "Tethered" continues the sound that we loved from their previous album. It's a mid-to-late-90's alternative sound, what I keep describing as early Superdrag meets The Dismemberment Plan. But "Tethered" brings a new sound, and a bit more aggression. There's also a little bit of emo (emo as in Sunny Day Real Estate) and an almost DEVO-like hint of New Wave? It's a really interesting addition to their sound, and we can't wait to hear what's next. You can watch the video for "Tethered" below. 10000 , the new album from Versing, will be out May 3 on Hardly Art Records. You can pre-order the album here . For more on Versing, check them out on Facebook and Twitter .

First Listen: New Releases for 15 February

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Album of the Week : Artist : Haint Blue Album : Overgrown Quick Description : A debut album from a fully-formed roots act. Why You Should Listen : This is great for fans of David Wax Museum or other more left-of-center roots/folks acts. Overall Thoughts : Ken was a big fan of this, and I don’t blame him. This is an independent act on their first full-length, and you’d assume upon listening that they have been at this for ages. There is an aged maturity to this, combined with a very palatable mainstream sound that mirrors some of the breakthrough roots acts of recent years, that really makes this stand out. A solid listen, and one that I would expect many readers here in particular to keep in rotation for a long time, myself included. Recommendation : My favorite this week. Artist : Ladytron Album : Quick Description : First album in a while from the indie synth act. Why You Should Listen : It's been too long, and Ladytron has been too good. Overall Thoughts : Ladyt...

Julia Jacklin - "Comfort"

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Photo by Nick Mckk The new album from Julia Jacklin will be out this Friday, but she's released one last single while we desperately wait. So far all three singles have been quite different. "Head Alone" felt like it could have been a lost track from her previous album, Don't Let the Kids Win , but with more confidence. "Pressure to Party" was more of a rock song. The third, "Comfort," is an almost painfully quiet folk song. It's only Jacklin's voice in its most delicate possible version with a just barely strummed guitar. (There's also a tiny bit of backing vocals, but just barely and used rarely). With all three of the previewed songs being so completely different from each other (but obviously from the same universe), we can't wait until Friday.  You can watch the video for "Comfort" below. Crushing , the new album from Julia Jacklin, will be out February 22 on Polyvinyl. You can pre-order a copy here . For more o...