As you can tell if this isn't your first time reading this blog, I'm all over the place, and this post is no exception. Empty Houses is made up of Adam Mercer and David Mackinder of the band Fireworks and singer Ali Shea, and the band plays beautiful upbeat Motown inspired songs that you honestly can't dislike, and if you can just leave now.
The band teased a 5 song ep last year and are currently about to release their first full length record, Daydream, on Sargent House in June. The band released the first track "Falling Away" off the record and it's wonderful. Ali Shea's voice is so beautiful and could easily be mistaken for that of a 60's era pop group singer. The music is upbeat and impossible to sit still to. Accompanied with claps, a bubbly guitar line, and tambourine. Mercer tells Noisey that the song, "deals with the realization that what you're looking for may not actually be what you want." For a theme that is pretty heavy, the song delivers on such a light, fun note. I honestly can't wait for this record.
Empty Houses will be hitting the road in June with Good Old War.
Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers played an amazing and emotional show last night in Portsmouth, NH at 3S Artspace. I am ashamed to say I didn't hear of Phoebe until I saw she was touring with Julien. Well lets just say I'm very happy that the two toured together not only because the show was incredible but because Phoebe is an amazingly talented artist. The two could have been sisters or close cousins, and are cut from the same cloth. Listening to their voices there are a lot of great similarities but enough differences in their approach and song writing to keep you fully invested in both equally.
Bridgers opened the show and played some songs alone before bringing out a friend on drums whose name escapes me (sorry dude but sweet drumming and your voice harmonized really well with Phoebe's). The singer songwriter, dressed all in black and sporting purple hair told of her and Baker's adventures in a cemetery and the Portsmouth salt flats before singing through a good chunk of folk and indie inspired sad songs including a cover of a song the punk band she's also in wrote. Songs like the single "Killer" off her debut 7" under the same name, which was put out by Ryan Adams' label Pax-Am, and "Georgia" were mesmerizing. Bridgers contains herself on stage with not a ton of moving around, and it's hard not to be completely sucked into her performance. I really look forward to more releases from her in the future, and at 20 years old I'm sure there will be a plethora of them.
Baker came out not to long after Bridgers ended her set and by that point the stragglers in the back of the room had all moved in. I saw Baker perform back in January in Boston and that show had a lot of energy in it. The crowd was more energetic. This show felt stripped down, but in a good way. It felt more personal and it appeared that Baker felt the same way. It was an emotional course for both her and the audience. Baker played through a slowed down, intimate version of "Blacktop" that was bursting with emotion. Songs like "Rejoice" and "Everybody Does" were explosive with Baker singing at the top of her lungs and getting lost in the performance. Two new songs were played with Baker being at her most vulnerable. Singing below the mic, and being visibly over-run with emotion, it was beautiful and inspiring.
Baker closed her set with the entire attending audience singing "Something" along with her and it was a moment to hold on to. The group became one with the artist we were all there to see. It's different then attending a punk show or even a large venue concert where everyone is belting out tunes. This was personal. A quiet choir singing together crammed in a small venue and leaving it all out there.
A quick break and Baker and Bridgers came out together to perform the Elliott Smith cover of "Ballad Of Big Nothing" she recorded for the Say Yes! Tribute album. A wonderful collaboration of two amazingly talented artists singing undoubtedly one of their biggest influences. A perfect ending to an incredible show. If you missed it, you missed it.
You can see more of my photos from the show here and here.
See Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers play tonight in Cambridge, MA at The Sinclair and check out one of the few remaining dates on their tour.
Atlanta rockers, Omni, are made up of members of both Deerhunter and Carnivores and are releasing their debut LP, Deluxe, on Trouble In Mind Records in July. The band released their first single and first song off the record the other day along with a sweet video featuring a heavy 80's influence. Geometric shapes, neon colors and signs, and a lo-fi home video quality filming style.
"Afterlife" is the musical embodiment of that description of the video. Make sense? Well think Devo inspired, minimalist, indie rock and you pretty much got it. And yes, it;s as good as it sounds. Upbeat, poppy with a lo-fi basement recording vibe. Think about death. Afterlife.
Check out the video below.
Deluxe is out on July 8 on Trouble In Mind Records.
See the band at one of these shows:
FRI 4/29/2016 The Earl Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta Mess Around SAT 4/30/2016 The Earl Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta Mess Around FRI 5/6/2016 Aisle 5 Atlanta, Georgia La Luz, Massenger SAT 5/21/2016 529 Atlanta, Georgia Henry Chunklet’s Stand Up Special
Sorority Noise's It Kindly Stopped For Me comes out Friday on Topshelf Records but it's streaming now in its entirety over at The Fader. To call the record vulnerable would be an understatement. Singer Cam Boucher told The Fader that after the songs were sent off to the plant that he thought maybe they shouldn't be released.
This record hits home for me in so many ways. Being from the same hometown and experiencing my fare share of friends deaths and depression, these songs and Cam's honest approach to these situations gives me chills and the feeling that even the worst situations and feelings can turn into something beautiful.
It Kindly Stopped For Me is tragic and beautiful, and so honest and vulnerable, like I mentioned before. Songs like "Either Way," with that beautiful rolling guitar line and an honest look at suicide and death, and "Fource," which sounds as though Cam wrote the music and then went walking in the woods and recorded the vocal parts on his phone as they came. It's raw, it's real.
Honesty in music is something special. In an industry filled with recycled bullshit and trends that come and die in a single breath, Sorority Noise is sincerity.
It Kindly Stopped For Me comes out April 22 on Topshelf Records.
Small Circle kind of just appeared. Featuring members of Sorority Noise and Rozwell Kid plus newcomer Marissa D'Elia, the band just released this beautiful ep of emotional, subtly urgent songs with the chops of a band that's been together for years.
"We Belong Here," the ep's first track has this great distant sounding, twangy, Modest Mouse style guitar line throughout it. A song about love. Reminiscent of something I wrote about someone one time... That subtle urgency I mentioned reveals itself here. D'Elia sings, "It's so easy to write about you, there's just never enough words," and there's never enough time to do so. So listen to this again.
"Please Don't Touch The Moon," is wonderfully American Football inspired in the pretty guitar playing by Cameron Boucher, but the song has variety in it's approach to the middle of the song. It's darker and the darkness grows even as the song turns back inward to the softer playing. A nice fusion of sound is built up in the background and repetitive vocal melodies introduce this weird blend of claustrophobic open-ness. Like trapped in a glass box in a field.
The ep closes with "It's Just Not Realistic" that turns back to the Modest Mouse instrumentation of "We Belong Here." The dual vocals between D'Elia and Boucher blend so well and each have their own wonderful pieces they bring to the song. This song feels like it could explode at any minute. Like it's constantly teetering on the edge of somber reflection and an emotional breakdown. Vulnerable would be the word I would choose if I could only use one, both for this song and the ep as a whole. A very impressive first effort. I hope we get more, and what about a physical release? Tapes anyone?
Southern NH has had it's fair share of bands over the years, but I found that in my immediate location there has been a lack of good bands emerging. Insert Pleasure Gap, the indie rock unit from right down the road from me in beautiful, bright, and safe... Manchester, NH. The band just released its third full length release, Scatter, via Midnight Werewolf Records. A collection of eight unique indie rock songs that are a true breath of fresh air for the scene here in NH and for my ears.
The album opens with the slow burn "Therapist" with it's intertwining guitar and bass parts and vocals harmonies ranging from low and subdued to swollen and layered. The song is a great representation of what's to come. Singer Ryan Egan's Modest Mouse style vocal delivery and the bands delivery of soft melodic parts mixed with louder and noisier executions like those in "Merkle." It's noisey and there are some interesting chord progressions and changes with ever present emotional howls and croons from Egan. The heavier parts have Radiohead qualities while some of the slower, twinkly parts remind me of American Football.
Standout tracks are "9821*" "Rich." "9821*" is this subdued swelling interlude type track, only it boats an over four minute run time. A repetitive guitar line reminiscent of something from Band Of Horses and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs keeps the song slowly burning along, as it builds and builds with the addition of Egan's "I lost my mind, I feel fine," vocals and some distorted feedback which adds to the desperation of the track. "Rich" allows itself to get lost in this shoegaze inspired dream-like haze, creating a steady driving ballad and an atmosphere where the band can get into the dirtier corners of their sound.
Scatter, with the risk of sounding like an idiot, is a real Pleasure. It's always exciting to feel good about/get behind a band that comes from a place you know as home, and who are doing something refreshing and original with real talent.
Culture Abuse merge together raw punk energy with sunny pop elements to birth out the catchy, riff heavy, live your own lifestyle theme filled Peach.
The record, in contrast to their earlier releases, takes on a brighter tone. There are elements of shoegaze and reggae weaved in and out of blistering punk anthems, leaving the record a diverse and original listen. Tracks like the opener "Chinatown" feature David Kelling's slacker vocals and hard hitting 90's style riffs, and "Dream On," a standout punk anthem, mirror earlier Culture Abuse and are an exciting contrast to some of the brighter songs on the record.
Songs like "Jealous" with its crooning opening and surf styled riffs followed by an upbeat chorus, constant thundering tom work, and "I'm just happy to be here" vocals match well with the very diverse "Turn It Off." The track opens with riff driven power chords and crashing cymbals only to fall into this reggae styled break in the middle that shows the bands ability to incorporate all sorts of influences into their sound. The best part is it fucking works. It works really well.
Peach is about doing what you want. Live the way you want to live, do what you want to do. Culture Abuse managed to create an album that both incorporates a warm, dream haze, and a raw, punk attitude that opens to flood gates for what is possible in punk music today, and shows what quitting you job, moving into your jam space, and doing what you love can accomplish.
"Let there be peace on Earth. Let love reign supreme."
Stream or buy the record on bandcamp.
Order the LP, CD, or cassette copy from 6131 Records or get a copy from the band on tour now!
04/05 Little Rock, AR @ Metroplex + 04/07 Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground + 04/08 Quebec City, QC @ Salle Multi * 04/09 Montreal, QC @ Club Soda * 04/10 Toronto, ON @ Mod Club * 04/11 London, ON @ London Music Hall * 04/13 Des Moines, IA @ Woolys * 04/14 Winnipeg, MB @ Garrick Centre * 04/15 Regina, SK @ The Exchange * 04/16 Calgary, AB @ Marquee * 04/17 Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Room * 04/18 Vancouver, BC @ Imperial * 04/19 Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory * 04/21 Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory * 04/22 Reno, NV @ Jub Jub’s * 04/23 Chico, CA @ Senator Theatre * 06/05 Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair ‡ 06/07 Toronto, ONT @ Lee’s Palace ‡ 06/08 Detroit, MI @ El Club ‡ 06/09 Cleveland, OH @ Now That’s Class ‡ 06/10 Chicago, IL @ Subterranean ‡ 06/11 Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club ‡ 06/12 Omaha, NE @ Slowdown ‡ 06/14 Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater ‡ 06/15 Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court ‡ 06/16 Boise, ID @ Neurolux ‡ 06/17 Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern ‡ 06/19 Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios ‡ 06/21 San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s ‡ 06/22 San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar ‡ 06/23 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo ‡ 06/24 Tempe, AZ @ Yucca Tap Room ‡ 06/25 Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Bar ‡ 06/27 McAllen, TX @ Yerberia Cultura ‡ 06/28 Austin, TX @ The Sidewinder ‡ 07/02 St. Petersburg, FL @ Local 662 ‡ 07/03 Orlando, FL @ Back Booth ‡ 07/05 Durham, NC @ Motorco Amphitheater ~ 07/06 Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter ~ 07/07 Washington DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel ~ 07/08 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer ~ 07/09 New York City, NY @ Bowery Ballroom ~ # w/ Self Defense Family, Strange Wilds + w/ The Story So Far, Elder Brother * w/ The Story So Far, Comeback Kid ‡ w/ Nothing, Wrong ~ w/ Nothing
Over the course of almost two decades, six albums, and a multiple soundtrack explorations, Austin post-rockers Explosions In The Sky have managed to create a signature sound that has positioned them as masters in their field. So it's no surprise that the band decided, that within the five years since 2011's Take Care, Take Care, Take Care, that they would tear down their signature sound machine and rebuild it. The result is a record of new exploration in sound, in structure, and an exciting breath of fresh air for the band. The one thing that remains is the fact that Explosions In The Sky know how to create an emotional atmosphere that with or without physical visuals forces us to create our own. Each record narrates our own individual film, and that will never change.
The Wilderness adds an element of electronic composition to the wide array of sounds the band already creates using just guitars and drums. The addition of the electronics turns the direction of the record inward instead of outward and vast. The soaring sounds are present but overall the record appears as moving inward, shrinking to the microscopic, to a whisper at times.
The albums first track and its title track "The Wilderness" begin with this electronic reverberation on the smallest level that later pushes up and out of its electronic chrysalis and into a blooming movement that fades and soars as the song progresses. "The Ecstatics" takes on a similar approach beginning with an electronic intro and building into something more full yet still subtle.
The songs don't build on each other like past albums have. Each song acts on it's own, narrating it's own journey while still keeping concise in the overall theme of the record.
Songs like "Tangle Formations" and "Disintegration Anxiety" are two of the more upbeat and open songs on the record. "Tangle Formations" has building constant snare hits with blossoming and growing guitar lines that create a brighter outlook while "Disintegration Anxiety," though still building up and outward bears a colder darker side. Opening with what I describe as an electronic orchestra, and then moving from a cold depth into a nervous bass and guitar driven experience. It's colder, it's longing, it's needy.
The Wilderness is emotional. Emotional for the listener as it demands remembrance of personal fault or victory, and undoubtedly emotional for the band. The album title itself is a testament to that. The Wilderness is unknown. It's vast, it's wild, it's cold and sometimes warm, it's new and different, it's welcoming and rejecting. It's a move into something new. It's stepping out of familiarity and safety and into a new journey.
It's a frightening and exciting transformation. It will separate and challenge. It will move and inspire. It requires attention to the finer details. It's meditative.
