by Christie McMenamin | Jul 31, 2018 | show review, snapshot, visual
Frontman James Alex of Beach Slang brought his stripped-down project, Quiet Slang, to Brooklyn’s Rough Trade on July 9th.
It was a rainy Monday evening, and the show had been rescheduled from a prior date. Given those conditions, Alex was unsure, as he relayed to the audience between songs, how many people would show up. However, those concerns proved to be unfounded as the room was filled with fans hanging on every word.
Unlike Beach Slang shows, which are loud, clamorous, and brash, Quiet Slang is another entity entirely. As heard on Everything Matters But No One Is Listening, Quiet Slang’s debut LP, Alex has taken his work with Beach Slang and reimagined it, doing away with its thrashing, thunderous elements. Instead, Alex takes a sparse, orchestral approach: cello and piano, paired with his gritty vocals, give these formerly driving punk songs space to breathe, resurrecting them with new, balladic life.
This was reflected decoratively, as well. The stage set its own scene with flowers and strings of white lights with makeshift cotton clouds hanging in the distance. The rest of the venue was pitch-black save for a projector screen playing images of ballet dancers. Moving through the set, Alex was all heart from his honest vocals and earnest speeches of appreciation, thanking his fans over and over.
Quiet or loud, Alex delivered his audience an unforgettable night.
by ImperfectFifth | Jul 31, 2018 | snapshot, visual
On July 21st, Scotty McCreery made an incredible appearance at Summer Splash in Salina, KS. Photographer Rayne Schmidtberger was on hand, and we have some snaps of the evening to share.
by Ashleigh Lee | Jul 30, 2018 | snapshot, visual
On Friday, July 27, the indie rock scene descended on Providence Medical Center Amphitheater in Bonner Springs, KS yet again to celebrate 96.5 The Buzz’s annual Beach Ball. Photographer Ashleigh Lee was on site, and she nabbed some incredible photos of AWOLNATION, Portugal. The Man, lovelytheband, and Joywave for us!
by Christie McMenamin | Jul 27, 2018 | show review, snapshot, visual
On July 11th, TOMI rocked The Mercury Lounge.
Filing in through the front door, the immediate rush of air conditioning was a relief on such a muggy summer evening. Fans made their way first to the bar, then into the stage area, filling the room. As TOMI walked through the crowd, cheers rippled through the audience, making their way from back to front. A magnetic performer, TOMI took possession of the room from the very first note, packing an almost unprecedented power into her wide-ranging vocals. Her music provides the perfect combination of rock and pop: some songs led the audience to dance, others to head-banging. The joy and abandon in the air was just as palpable as the outside heat, and radiated off the talkative TOMI, who spent time in-between songs sharing the stories behind them. Some of these were heartbreaking; she spoke of crying in a locker room at a yoga studio after a breakup, and a former friend suffering from addiction (she doesn’t think he ever heard the song she wrote about him, but she hopes he does at some point and recognizes it). Then, of course, there were some funnier ones, such as working a day job as a secretary in which she had to smile all the time. For her very last song, she delighted the crowd by debuting a new, sparkly guitar named Pam.
It’s clear that for TOMI, the Mercury Lounge and her latest EP, What Kind of Love, is only the beginning.
by Aubrey Hanson | Jul 27, 2018 | albums, review
Chicago-based Lo-fi rock trio Clearance – a talented band with ample amount of music experience – released their highly anticipated new album At Your Leisure on cassette, vinyl, and digital music streaming platforms everywhere today. The incredible musicianship of Mike Bellis, Kevin Fairbairn, and Arthur Velez is on full display over the duration of the eleven tracks, with melodies that feel genuine mixed in with toe-tapping beats. Not only does this album exceed all of your expectations, but it also takes you back to the 60’s and 70’s with the band’s unique style of music with a classic rock twist.
“Rumored Sequel” and “Another Arrow” are the perfect songs to listen to in order to get you exhilarated and pumped up with the exciting upbeat tempo and great vocals. In many of the album’s songs, you can sense the band’s influence with folk-styled, traditional vocals. Clearance has the perfect style of music that sounds good not only on radio, but also sounds amazing on vinyl due to the beautiful instrumental sound and notable lyrics.
TRACKLIST:
Chances Are
Destination Wedding
Frozen Orange / No Wonder
Had A Fantastic
Rumored Sequel
Haven’t You Got the Time?
Another Arrow
Days Underwater
Gallery Glare
On the Doorstep
Bird’s-Eye View (Of the Back of the Room)
Recorded by: Dave Vettraino
Mastered by: Mikey Young (Total Control, etc.)
Album art and layout: Mike Bellis
Songs written by: Mike Bellis
Video by Alexa Viscius
At Your Leisure is available now. Keep up with the band here.
by Meredith Schneider | Jul 13, 2018 | albums, review
Cincinnati-bred indie pop collective The Ophelias – comprised of Spencer Peppet (vox, guitar), Grace Weir (bass), Micaela Adams (drums), and Andrea Gutmann Fuentes (violin) – drops their latest masterpiece today, and we’re so jazzed about it, we almost can’t explain it in words. Delicate vocals, overlaid with (largely) light percussion and mellifluous strings make this album what it is, and largely describe the band’s soundscape. Not only is there a delicacy in the vocals, but there are quirks that make the effect much more striking than the word “delicate” would lead you to believe.
From the elegant beginning of first track “Fog”, through the equally leisurely pace of “General Electric”, into “Lover’s Creep”, you come to find the entire album feels ethereal and intense in a very unique way. “Night Signs” slows the pace down exponentially, the instrumentals slightly lower, and paints a darker-feeling audio feed. “O Command” is different, in that the vocals rise to a higher octave, the instrumentals maintaining a low, luscious feeling. “Lunar Rover” and “Bird” continue into an increasingly experimental place, picking the pace back up again with eighth track “House”.
While you can’t expect the pace to pick back up again over the last two tracks of Almost – “Zero” and “Moon Like Sour Candy” -, you can expect to nab deep, meaningful vocals that make for an introspective night on your back patio, music playing softly over the sound of the trees rustling above you.
Get started below.
Keep up with The Ophelias here.
