Laura-Mary Carter - "Ceremony"

The upcoming solo release from Laura-Mary Carter (one half of Blood Red Shoes) is being called "... more contemplative... than her usual guitar-shredding anthems," but "Ceremony" is anything but a quiet acoustic solo song. "Ceremony" is a huge rock song. It reminds me a lot of Kristin Hersh's louder solo work. It has loud, tribal sounding drums with a swirling sound of feedback looping around everything to help keep it all together. At the center of it all is Carter's vocals which sound like a mixture of Hersh and Tori Amos fronting an all-eras-encompassing Sonic Youth. Yes, that's a lofty comparison but it will hold up when you hear it. If you're unfamiliar with Blood Red Shoes like I am, this one is going to have you diving straight into their catalog.

In a press release, Laura-Mary Carter says of the new song:

"The song is about my career. It’s about being in debt to someone and trying to break free. It's about the feeling of not having a choice but to make music because that's who I am but that sometimes comes with a price or with massive sacrifices. It's about making peace with the choices and decisions I have made over the years and moving forward."

You can listen to "Ceremony" below. Town Called Nothing is due out December 3. The album can be pre-saved/pre-ordered here. For more on Laura-Mary Carter, check out the artist's website.

First Listen: New Releases for 5 November

Artist: Hana Vu
Album: Public Storage
Quick Thoughts: In one of the more unsettling album covers in recent memory, it gives off abrasive vibes to what's actually a pretty solid poppy listen. This was unexpected in many different ways, and I didn't want to lose this one in the shuffle. A good record on a whole, with a lot that makes me think it's going to be a true grower.
Songs of Note: "Keeper," "World's Worst"

Artist: Recognize Ali
Album: Underground King II
Quick Thoughts: We dig Recognize Ali here, and this effort continues along the same lines of his previous work: a great flow with some great beats. I don't know how to talk about rap music, really, but I do know that I really enjoyed this album and wanted more of it. A true highlight.
Songs of Note: "Murder in Daylight," "Giant Steps"

Artist: Georgia Train
Album: Needles and Pinches
Quick Thoughts: I didn't know Georgia Train prior to this week, but I've since learned she was formerly of a folky/torchy duo, and this solo album is absolutely phenomenal. The songs here have a ton of passion behind them, and each part of the whole shows a level of musicality and emotion that isn't always present in many of the singer-songwriter efforts. This is a tremendous listen.
Songs of Note: "Needles & Pinches," "I'm Coping," "Knew Me Too Well," "Summer Song"

Artist: Salt Ashes
Album: Killing My Mind
Quick Thoughts: A love me some darkish pop, and Salt Ashes delivers. Hooky melodies reminscent of Meg Myers, and a presentation straight out of the 1990s? Sign me up.
Songs of Note: "Lucy," "Power Play"

Artist: Aimee Mann
Album: Queens of the Summer Hotel
Quick Thoughts: Aimee Mann is legendary in many circles, including ours. While much of her more recent output has been hit or miss, this collection of songs (originally pulled together for an aborted musical) is some of her best work in decades. A lot of great songs here in a definitely different tack for Mann, but it all works. Don't miss out on this, especially if you've missed out on her work for a while.
Songs of Note: "Robert Lowell and Sylvia Plath"

Artist: Snail Mail
Album: Valentine
Quick Thoughts: Snail Mail is another act we really like around these parts, and this new album is a little bit of a change of pace for Lindsey Jordan on a whole. There's a definite poppy angle here that is different from the indie rock we're used to, but it's still very compelling and has a lot of great moments. Don't miss out on this.
Songs of Note: "Madonna," "Glory"

Artist: Margo Cilker
Album: Pohorylle
Quick Thoughts: This is an album that literally came out of nowhere for me, and only because I was flipping through an NPR playlist and this popped up. WOW - comparisons to another Margo would be both apt and unfair, because this is the purest of pure old-time Americana, but it's also got a little bit of edge and a lot of heart. I love love love this album, and I am very excited to get back to it.
Songs of Note: "Flood Plain," "Kevin Johnson," "That River, "Brother Taxman Preacher," "Wine in the World"

Artist: Old Time Relijun
Album: Musicking
Quick Thoughts: I also found this on the NPR new release playlist, and Ken described it best: "It's like Tom Waits meets James Chance." This is definitely roots-informed, but it's really and truly its own thing and really needs to be heard to be understood. I really enjoyed this, and I'm looking forward to going back to their older stuff, but if you like the more left-of-center stuff we showcase here, make some time.
Songs of Note: "We Start the Fire," "You That Is You"

Of note:

* ABBA - Voyage (Reunion album, it's what you expect it to be.)
* Jonsi - Obsidian (A solid ambient work.)
* Legendary Shack Shakers - Cockadoodldeux (Plenty of fun.)
* Hayes Carll - You Get It All (Might be his best effort since KMAG YOYO
* Wendy Eisenberg - Bent Ring
* Lee "Scratch" Perry and New Age Doom - Lee "Scratch" Perry's Guide to the Universe
* Sloppy Jane - Madison
* The Liassez Fairs - Curiosity Killed the Laissez Fairs?
* Postage - Postage
* Rogue VHS - I Am: Rogue VHS
* Chime School - Chime School
* Emma Ruth Rundle - Engine of Hell
* Hard Feelings - Hard Feelings
* Joan as Police Woman, Tony Allen, and Dave Okumu - The Solution is Restless
* Foxx Bodies - Vixen
* Courtney Hartman - Glade
* Brian Fallon - Night Divine
* Houndmouth - Good For You
* Attacca Quartet - Of All Joys
* Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats - The Future

EPs:

* Ultramarine - Interiors
* Madge and Moon Bounce - xR 1
* Godcaster - Saltergasp
* Kito - Blossom
* Hyd - Hyd

Live albums/Compilations/Reissues:

* Travis - The Invisible Band Sessions
* Dorian Electra - My Agenda
* Radiohead - KID A MNESIA

Also out:

* Bitch Queens - Custom Dystopia
* The Verve Pipe - Threads
* Glassing - Twin Dream
* Bent Knee - Frosting

Bar II - "Let You Down"

If Belgian stoner alternative rock sounds intriguing to you, you'll want to check out Bar II. The mysterious duo have recently released the single "Let You Down." Since it does land in the alternative/stoner category of music, it's going to have some comparisons to Queens of the Stone Age, which are more than fair. "Let You Down" doesn't quite have the hard rock edge of QOTSA songs, although it does have some similar guitar sounds. Bar II have a more alternative rock/pop feel to it than metal. It's more of a mix between a band like The Kills and QOTSA than just pure stoner rock.

In an official statement, the band says:

"In our present urban times, over-saturated by electro and hip-hop, dominated by show-offs and pretenders, Bar II keeps their mysteries to themselves. They won’t abide by the dictatorship of imagery only to focus on pure, raw, dark deranged rock music. May they raise the bar, too."

You can watch the video for "Let You Down" below. The song is available as a single here. For more on Bar II, check out the band's Twitter and Instagram.

Plumes - "Autumn"

Photo via Facebook

About two years ago we brought you a single from Plumes. I had described "Bobby Blue & Connie Sue" as a folk-adjacent song and "fun and quirky without being cutesy." The Boston band is back with a new single, "Autumn." While the fun and quirky without being cutesy is still there for the new single, "Autumn" moves a little away from being folk adjacent. There are still some folk elements in the new song, but it's more like if a band like Vampire Weekend decided to do a set at Newport Folk Festival. It's the kind of indie rock that we haven't heard regularly for roughly a decade, and is making us oddly nostalgic for a time we're too old to be nostalgic for. "Autumn" is a wonderfully meandering song that is going to become completely infectious after its four minute run is done.

You can listen to "Autumn" below. It will be included on Plumes' upcoming EP. For more on Plumes, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram.

Mandy, Indiana - "Bottle Episode"

Photo by Holly Whitaker

Where do I even start with the latest single from Mandy, Indiana (formerly Gary, Indiana)? The Manchester, UK band's newest song, "Bottle Episode," combines elements of post punk and industrial into this wildly new sound. It opens with a drum beat that sounds like the funkiest marching band. It goes on for what seems like too long until it's joined by Valentine Caulfield's vocals, which are beyond compelling. Everything drops out except for a club beat until the music kicks back in, truly launching the song off. "Bottle Episode" is this odd mixture of punk, industrial, 90's electronica, and more all swirling around each other into one of the most exciting singles we've heard in years.

You can watch the video for "Bottle Episode" below. ... (yes, an ellipsis the EP title) is due out November 19 on Fire Talk Records. You can pre-order/pre-save the EP here. For more on Mandy, Indiana, check out the band on Facebook and Bandcamp.

Cola - "Blank Curtain"

Last week, Montreal post-punk group Ought called their nine year run over by and announced the formation of a new band. Cola features Tim Darcy and Ben Stidworthy of Ought and US Girls drummer Evan Cartwright. The new band's debut single, "Blank Curtain," is a blend of alt-rock and post-punk. There's something that reminds me of the meandering of Pavement without really sounding like Pavement. Maybe this is what Pavement would have sounded like if they started out in Washington D.C. and signed to Dischord. "Blank Curtain" is an exciting debut single that will have you waiting impatiently to see where this band goes next.

You can watch the video for "Blank Curtain" below. The song is out now on Fire Talk Records. For more on Cola, check out the band's Bandcamp and Instagram.

Salem Wolves - "Paraffin"

Photo by Sasha Pedro

We're thrilled any time we get to bring you new music from Salem Wolves! "Paraffin" is the first single featuring the now Rhode Island based band's new line up. The changes seem to have injected a new life into the band. "Paraffin" is louder and faster than anything Gray Bouchard and his band have concocted in the past. It's still that arena rock ready garage rock, but this time with a little more of a punk edge and a pop sheen. That may not sound possible, but somehow they've pulled it off. It's a sound that is going to instantly draw you in, and are only complaints are that it's just one song and at just over ninety seconds we need more.

You can listen to "Paraffin" below. The song is available on the 617 Sessions Sound of Our Town 2021 compilation, which you can find here. For more on Salem Wolves, check out the band's website.

No Captains - "13th Moon"

The latest single from No Captains is metal, but doesn't sound like what you consider to be metal. The San Francisco band have released "13th Moon," which "... was inspired by classic Halloween and monster movies with their characteristic werewolves, mummies and zombies, combined with the fact that, in 2020, there were actually 13 full moons instead of 12." That definitely sounds like a metal premise, but "13th Moon" is more of a mix of bizarro metal bands like Mr. Bungle, Primus, and Helmet. Sure, it's metal, but will your standard metalhead love this? This is a slow song without being anything close to a ballad. Instead, "13th Moon" plods along with a long, drawn out blast of feedback not so gently nudging Alex Shonkoff's vocals along. 

You can listen to "13th Moon" below. Friends Like These is due out December 2. You can pre-order your copy here. For more on No Captains, check out the band's website.

No Captains · 13th Moon

Apollo Brown & Stalley - "No Monsters"

There has been a resurgence of classic sounding hip hop lately that avoids the modern sounds of R&B choruses and autotune. We're fully on board, and if you are you're going to love the latest from Apollo Brown & Stalley. The duo's latest collaborative single, "No Monsters," is both stripped down and fully fleshed out into an epic sound. The beats and music is very sparse, but the production uses what sounds like a choir to fill out the sound. "No Monsters" is a fairly laid back song with a simmering intensity that is going to suck you in.

Stalley says of the new song:

"When you grow up in poverty around hustlers, killers and junkies the boogie man isn’t scary to you at all."

You can watch the video for "No Monsters" below. Blacklight is due out November 19 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order the album here. For more on Apollo Brown, check out the artist on Twitter. You can find Stalley's Twitter here.

Sarah Shook & the Disarmers - "Talkin' To Myself"

Photo by Chad Cochran

It's been almost four years since Sarah Shook & the Disarmers released their last album Years. The band recorded the follow up in early 2020, but... we all know what happened there. In that time, the band has moved to a new label, and Shook has come out as nonbinary. The first single off the upcoming album also shows off a new sound for the band. While Sidelong and Years were quintessential country punk and alt-country, "Talkin' To Myself" is much more straight up rock. Sure, there's a little twang to the song, but there's a lot more jangle to the guitars and maybe even a little New Wave thrown in there. It reminds me of early Tom Petty, which makes sense since it's combining straightforward rock with country and New Wave. It's the kind of tweaked sound that helps keep us excited to hear more from a favorite artist.

You can watch the video for "Talkin' To Myself" below. Nightroamer is due out February 18 on Thirty Tigers. You can pre-order/pre-save a copy here. For more on Sarah Shook & the Disarmers, check out the band's website.