MAITA Covers Elliott Smith

Photo via Facebook

To celebrate the twenty fifth anniversary of Elliott Smith's 1995 self-titled album (and the deluxe reissue, of course, Kill Rock Stars has asked MAITA to cover Smith's "Coming Up Roses." MAITA's version is an obviously faithful cover, albeit a little more grungey than Smith's original. She absolutely nails the "... and I don't need your permission" line in a goosebumps producing way. Our favorite covers are the ones that balance staying true to the original while still adding something unique, and MAITA does that perfectly here. 

You can listen to MAITA's take on "Coming Up Roses" below. Elliott Smith: Expanded 25th Anniversary Edition will be out August 28 on Kill Rock Stars. You can pre-order a copy here. For more on MAITA, check out the artist's website.

King Buzzo with Trevor Dunn - "Delayed Clarity"

In a better world than ours, King Buzzo's latest acoustic album would have come out back in June, I would have gone to see him at Great Scott (RIP Great Scott), and we'd all be filled with the joy from both experiences. Instead, Gift of Sacrifice was delayed until August 14, and we're just hearing the third song off the album. "Delayed Clarity" is a six and a half minute song that goes about three minutes before there are any vocals. And (in a word that may never have been used with anything Melvins related before) it's beautiful. Granted, King Buzzo's vocals could never be described as beautiful, but once he starts singing, the menace you get in his voice complements the beauty of the music surprisingly well. And then the song ends in thirty seconds of electric squall to cleanse the palate of any Melvins fans listening.

You can listen to "Delayed Clarity" below. Gift of Sacrifice, the upcoming album from King Buzzo with Trevor Dunn, will be out August 14 on Ipecac Recordings. You can pre-order a copy here. For more on King Buzzo, check out The Melvins's website.

Tricky featuring Marta - "Thinking Of"

Photo by Erik Weiss

By now we should all know the sound of Tricky. He's been making some of the world's finest trip hop for multiple decades, and he's a living legend of the genre. His newest single, "Thinking Of," moves back towards his classic sound than the previous single's ("Fall Please") more pop leaning sound. This isn't quite Tricky's dark trip hop of the 90's, but a lighter, more positive sound. Like "Fall Please," "Thinking Of" also features vocalist Marta, who Tricky discovered before a concert in Poland where he was left without a vocalist. The promoter suggested Marta, who was working in a nearby bar.

You can listen to "Thinking Of" below. Fall to Pieces, the upcoming album from Tricky, will be out September 4 on False Idols. You can pre-order the album here. For more on Tricky, check out his website.

Castle Rat - "It Isn't Clean"

Photo by Savannah Lauren

Recently Riley Pinkerton popped up in my mind. It's been a couple of years since we heard any new music from the unique roots artist, so I went to her Facebook to see what she's been up to. The most recent post, dated August 15, 2019, said "Riley Pinkerton will be continuing forth for the foreseeable future as the frontwoman of Castle Rat..." Intrigued, I checked out Castle Rat.

According to Castle Rat's Bandcamp, the band isn't fronted by Riley Pinkerton but by Rat Queen. She's joined by The Count, Dr. Mouse, and Sgt. Young. To say Castle Rat presents a departure for the now Rat Queen is to put it mildly. Their debut single, "It Isn't Clean," is a Black Sabbath meets early Alice Cooper style metal. It's heavy, but in that 70's style, with some glam thrown in for good measure. It's an unexpected sound, but one that we aren't arguing!

You can listen to "It Isn't Clean" below. The song is currently available via Castle Rat's Bandcamp. For more on Castle Rat, check out the band's Facebook.

First Listen: New Releases for 24 July

Artist: Taylor Swift
Album: folklore
Quick Description: Surprise folkish release from the pop megastar.
Why You Should Listen: It's either good to be on the pulse of popular music, or good to hear a nice change of pace from one of the world's most famous singers.
Overall Thoughts: It's difficult to listen to Taylor Swift in a vacuum. Her star power is so bright, and the weight behind everything she produces so strong, that it's hard to just take something she puts out on its own. From her shift from pop country to straight out Top 40 music, combined with her very confessional and in-your-face lyricism, it's hard to just let go, but folklore tries, in a pandemic setting, to put some distance between Taylor Swift the star and Taylor Swift the songwriter. Here's the thing: this album is the real deal, and is arguably some of the best music she's put out (with the understanding that she has produced some superlative pop and country songs in the past). The tone here matches the confessional nature of her songwriting, and it remains interesting not only because Swift is such a singular entity but also because this is a great songwriting effort. It's hampered a bit with the high production value (it feels way, way too polished and sterile), but the reality is that if someone not at the level of Swift put this album out, we'd likely be falling all over ourselves to proclaim her the next big thing in folk. So don't let your biases get in the way of a really good album - you'd only be doing yourself a disservice.
Recommendation: Mandatory this week.

Artist: Liza Anne
Album: Bad Vacation
Quick Description: Indie singer-songwriter pop from someone we love here.
Why You Should Listen: This is a nice follow-up by someone clearly in the groove.
Overall Thoughts: I still sing "Paranoia" to myself on the reg, so Liza Anne is always in my head a bit. This is a fun diversion from a singer-songwriter who kind of gets it, and isn't afraid to be self-deprecating (say hi, "I Shouldn't Ghost My Therapist," I see you) at the same time. This is just very well-done and is an album I'm glad exists, especially in a summer where we're all sitting at home in our sweaty outfits waiting for things to get better.
Recommendation: A must listen.

Artist: Jess Cornelius
Album: Distance
Quick Description: Debut solo album from another indie songwriter.
Why You Should Listen: Her previous EP was great, and she knows how to make folk music work.
Overall Thoughts: Jess Cornelius comes from a synthpop background, and so hearing the more folkish angles on this debut after a superlative EP is promising. Cornelius is setting herself apart with some truly solid songs from start to finish here, and it's not one that should be missed by anyone.
Recommendation: Worth the time in the rotation.

Artist: Good Graeff
Album: Team Team
Quick Description: Surprise EP from a duo not heard from in years.
Why You Should Listen: Good Graeff has sneakily put out some killer songs over the years.
Overall Thoughts: To give and idea as to how long it's been, this duo hasn't posted on social media in ages, their website has been claimed by spammers, and the only notes I can find that this EP is actually real is thanks to Spotify, the producer of the EP tweeting about it, and one of the band members posted it as "long lost" on their Instagram. I don't know if this means the band is back together, whether we can expect more from them, or if this EP exists solely to clear out the backlog, but I'm glad it exists, and you should be too. Start here, then go listen to "Good Touch" and see what you've been missing all these years.
Recommendation: You'll be as excited about this existing as I am.

Of note:

* Red Shaydez - Feel the Aura (Solid local rap.)
* Winter - Endless Space (Between You and I) (Great indie/alt stuff here.)
* PJ Harvey - Dry - Demos (Will absolutely make you appreciate her debut more.)
* Courtney Marie Andrews - Old Flowers (The best folky album out this week not put out by TayTay.)
* Creed Bratton - Slightly Altered (Yes, Creed from The Office.)
* Kamaal Williams - Wu Hen
* The Yum Yums - For Those About to Pop
* Lori McKenna - The Balladeer
* Various Artists - It's the Taking Part That Counts: A Global Pop Sportsday
* Immaterial Possession - Immaterial Possession
* Cinder Well - No Summer

EPs:

* LoveLeo - Look At This Mess I've Made
* Holy Fuck - Deleter Remixed
* Cave States - The End is Around the Corner
* Lupe Fiasco - HOUSE
* Chris Hyson - Cuddle Kitchen, Vol. 2
* Palm Ghosts - Loop Arcade
* Devendra Banhart - Vast Ovoid
* Babehoven - Yellow Has a Pretty Good Reputation
* NVDES - Worldwide 24/7
* Skullcrusher - Skullcrusher
* Zach Jones and The Tricky Bits - Quarantine
* Eyesore and The Jinx - The Exile Parlour EP

Also out:

* Indonesian Junk - A Life of Crimes
* Katie Dey - Mydata
* Cambatta - LSD: Lunar Solar Duality
* Ronin Holloway and Devin Burgess - Excalibur II

Body Double - "The Floating Hand"

Photo by Ellis Martin

Oakland's Body Double are set to release their debut album, and have its first single for us to hear. "The Floating Hand" is a punk song. Us old fogies will have a hard time considering this punk, as it's definitely not the traditional blend of punk. Instead it's more of that harder edge dance-ish music the kids are calling punk these days, but if we're going to agree any of this is punk, "The Floating Hand" is it. Despite not being in-your-face, the song is dripping with attitude and has some of the most punk groove I've heard in a long time.

Singer and multi-intrumentalist Candace Lazarou explains the song: 

""The Floating Hand" is generally about competition, and your options for reacting to it.  I grew up in a few different countries because my dad was a Marine, and each move felt interplanetary: the language changed, what was good and bad changed, even the bugs crawling on the ground changed.  I felt at odds with conservative military culture and run-of-the-mill high school viciousness, and fantasized about one day finding a safe haven in punk and underground music.  It turns out that even amongst weirdos you'll still see people undercut each other, and you might be a maladjusted alien regardless of scenery.  I wrote this song about a musician I thought was particularly nasty, and it ended up being about myself, which is what happens whenever I try to write a dis track." 

You can listen to "The Floating Hand" below. Milk Fed, the debut album from Body Double, will be out September 18 on Zum. You can pre-order the album via Bandcamp. For more on Body Double, check them out on Twitter and Facebook.

Rachel Angel - "Strapped"

The Americana thing is pretty huge right now. With all the neo-folk and alt-country artists out nowadays, it's nearly impossible for one to stand out and do their own thing. That's what's so great about the latest song from Rachel Angel. Her latest single, "Strapped," has that familiar country/folk sound that we all know and love. However, she tweaks it just enough so that it doesn't quite sound like anything else we've heard recently in the genre. It almost has a ramblin' troubadour sound to it, but there's a little too much here for that. It's almost impossibly stripped down even though the song has full instrumentation. You really need to take a listen to "Strapped," especially if you've been burned out on Americana lately.

You can listen to "Strapped" below. Highway Songs, the new EP from Rachel Angel, will be out August 21 on Public Works Records. You can pre-order the EP via Bandcamp. For more on Rachel Angel, check her out on Facebook and Twitter.

GA-20 Covers Jimmy Reed

This summer is undeniably horrible, but one thing we can look forward to every week is Colemine Records's Brighter Days Ahead singles series. Thanks to this series we've discovered some great neo-soul bands we had never heard of, like Dojo Cuts, The Harlem Gospel Travelers, and Thee Sinseers. Last week's single was from a band we do know: Boston's GA-20. Since GA-20 throw back to traditional blues, it's quite fitting that they're covering Jimmy Reed's classic "I Ain't Got You." How faithful is GA-20's version? Jimmy Reed's original is two minutes, sixteen seconds. GA-20's is two minutes, seventeen seconds. This isn't so much a cover as a loving tribute. It's the kind of cover that will make you immediately go check out the original and then fall into a Jimmy Reed wormhole for an afternoon. And, yes, I'm speaking from personal experience.

You can listen to GA-20's version of "I Ain't Got You" below. The song is available as part of Colemine Records's Brighter Days Ahead series with Karma Chief Records. You can get your copy here. For more on GA-20, check out their website.

Heather Valley - "Emily"

Heather Valley's 2019 album Desert Message came out of nowhere and won us over. We couldn't help but get sucked in by her timeless yet somehow unique blend of folk and country. Now, she's back with an upcoming quarantine album of covers (one of the only good things to come of this year) and one original. This original, "Emily," is a gorgeously stripped down folk song. Valley's slightly above a whisper vocals give this song an intensely intimate and personal feel, which fits everything about it.

Heather Valley explains "Emily" and her upcoming album:

"In March, I was on a writing retreat in West Virginia when the borders were closed. I drove home to Canada and quarantined at a haunted farm. It was lonely living on 200 acres alone, so I started playing covers of my favorite songs for comfort, and overcome by nostalgia, I remembered Emily.

When I was young, Emily cared for me one summer, and brought me to the lake in my hometown of North Bay, Ontario. She treated me with true kindness and it left a deep impression. When I couldn't find her online, I wrote this song hoping that it would find her instead."

You can watch the video for "Emily" below. Wildflower Radio, the upcoming album from Heather Valley, will be out soon. For more on Heather Valley, check out her website.

Marlowe - "Otherworld"

If you haven't been as excited as we've been for the upcoming album from Marlowe (the collaboration between L'Orange and Solemn Brigham), "Otherworld" will push you over the edge. "Otherworld" is perfect hip hop. Brigham's flow is effortlessly smooth, and has just enough of a unique delivery to set him apart from other rappers. And then there's L'Orange's production. I miss when hip hop had some discordant qualities, and L'Orange brings that back here. It has the noise of when early hip hop was bare bones and sounded like punk rock, but with a modern lush-ness to it. "Otherworld" does all of this while still being a banger (if the kids still say that.)

You can listen to "Otherworld" below. Marlowe 2, the upcoming collaborative album from L'Orange and Solemn Brigham, will be out August 7 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order the album here. For more on L'Orange, check him out on Twitter. For Solemn Brigham, check out his Twitter.