On Saturday, June 15th, Hozier played as the sun set on the third day at Bonnaroo. His carefree style was plastered throughout the crowd, as people spread out at main stage to enjoy the relaxing soundscape. Into the set, he introduced special guest Brandi Carlile, who was scheduled to play her own set the following day. It was magical, and highlights can be seen below.
Keep up with Hozier here.
Bonnaroo 2019 was our favorite lineup so far. And we aren’t kidding about that. When you think about the comedy and energy integrated into different aspects of the event, it’s almost overwhelming. Take, for example, the incredible duo Princess. Comprised of Maya Rudolph — Yes, that Maya Rudolph! — and jazz vocalist Gretchen Lieberum, they have taken the time to perfect a stage presence worthy of PRINCE himself. Because they are a Prince cover band, and have been since 2011. (Yes, they have been acknowledged and approved by the man himself.) Their performance was the last we enjoyed at Bonnaroo this year, and it was one of the highlights. As the first lines of “Let’s Go Crazy” opened the show, Rudolph and Lieberum’s stoic glances around the crowd brought us so much joy, we actually started crying. (Yes. Both iF reps in attendance started crying from different areas of the crowd. Everything is fine. We have been validated. It was incredible.)
Keep up with Princess here.
On Thursday, June 27th, our emo/punk hearts rejoiced when Anberlin took the stage at The Truman. Energy, intensity, incredible lighting. These were just some of the effects this performance had on us. And don’t think we emerged from the event without our hearts pumping, an adrenaline rush for days. Highlights below!
Keep up with Anberlin here.
Bonnaroo 2019 — if you couldn’t tell already, from every post we’ve had or every gushy memory we’ve shared — was one for the books. Between sets from some incredible artists — Childish Gambino, The Lonely Island, PRINCESS, Bishop Briggs, Juice Wrld, Gucci Mane, Post Malone, Phish, and more — were sun kissed memories made of magic. High fives, glitter all around, and self love the topic of the event, there wasn’t an aspect of Bonnaroo that went unappreciated. See the people of Bonnaroo below!
P.S. Bananas… new fruit trend?
Mega Bog’s seventh album Dolphine gives listeners a ride through an auditory kaleidoscope with abstract and trippy sound coming out in every track. Get ready to picture yourself running barefoot through a field or swimming in a pool of seltzer water as singer Erin Birgy brings incredible vocal control with every song. This album could be played in a coffee shop or on a dance floor with its versatile and ever-changing melodies, giving listeners a hidden gem within the beat of every track.
Opening with “For the Old World” we are sent onto a mystic journey until the 30th second when the song takes a turn towards modern jazz. Then in “I Hear You Listening (to the Bug on My Wall)” we’re slowed down with an acoustic guitar strumming pattern that could leave you in a trance. “Diary of a Rose” is the longest track on the album, driven by the sound of chimes and lyrics dedicated to days of the past. The title track “Dolphine” opens with an upbeat and staccato electronic sound which moves the listener forward only to be swept up by Erin’s angelic and celestial voice. “Spit in the Eye of the Fire King” is the most unique song on the album, standing out among the rest as not only a duet with Ash Rickli but it also features a folk twang to it. “Truth in the Wild” tells a two-part story of a western style love that is broken up in “Shadows Break” where native whistling can be eerily felt next to the fading nature sounds and sad lyrics. In “Untitled (with ‘C’)” we’re transported back to the ethereal world of the tracks of the beginning. “Fwee Again” proves to be just as playful as its name being the only instrumental song on the whole album, and it doesn’t waste any time showing you. Finishing up with “Waiting in the Story” listeners can expect to enjoy a guitar-heavy vibe with harmonization in many octaves from singer Erin.
Saying to have written this album due to, “a myriad of overwhelming emotions” it’s no wonder we get so many different tempos and styles of songs. You can truly expect to be taken on a journey of self-discovery throughout this work. Let yourself float away and enjoy the dissonant and acoustic vibes given to us in this wonderful new album from Mega Bog.
Keep up with Mega Bog here.
For fans of Adrianne Lenker, Shannen Moser, Field Medic, Lomelda, Julie Byrne, Liz Cooper and the Stampede.
Daughter of Swords’ Dawnbreaker spins webs of stretching landscapes, intimate self-reflection, and the solace of a eulogy. Marked by gentle acoustic strumming, the faintest vocal harmonies, and folk storyweaving, the affect of this album soars most in its home-grown familiarity and faithful consistency.
Mountain Man’s Alexandra Sauser-Monnig paces her lyrics with intent, fully forming her own conclusions before speaking out loud. The characters that drift in and out of her stories (see opening track Fellows) could be people she knew, or mirrors through which she talks to versions of herself. Dawnbreaker feels like a faint memory being retold to you by someone else, and the sporadic flourish of gentle harmonies on Fields of Gold texturize Sauser-Monnig’s musings. It is this introspective exploration that distinguishers Daughter of Swords’ storytelling from that of Mountain Man.
Sauser-Monnig creates the perfect balance between indie folk and an Americana dream, be it resting in the tall brush on Grasses or careening through the evening air on a bicycle in Shining Woman. The occasional toned-down electric guitar and textured vocal harmonies lend their curiosity to the flowing breezes, pink clouds, and rising mountains painted on Dawnbreaker.
Undoubtedly, the grittiest Americana track Daughter of Swords delivers is Rising Sun. A classic and undulating electric blues riff peddles along behind a soulful harmonica solo and Sauser-Monnig’s sweeping notes that rise and fall like the Western mountainsides she seems to climb, not searching for anything in particular, but finding all along the way.
While Long Leaf Pine and Gem sparkle with optimism, tracks Easy Is Hard and Human portray the melancholy that heartache, a soaring soprano, and the peppered-in twinkling of a grand piano illustrate so well. The magic of Sauser-Monnig’s lyricism is that even morose moods never feel truly hopeless, rather, they are examples of folk storytelling at its finest: the story sits back, and, accompanied by the ever-reliable acoustic, tells itself.
Lastly, a perfect ending to a folky dream: Dawnbreaker’s title track is arguably the most pensive, featuring comparably deeper, earthier guitar tones than its predecessors. The topic is hazy, but this is where Sauser-Monnig’s heartbreaking warble shines. The final word of the album, a low, oaky utterance of the word “Dawnbreakin’”, invokes finality. The song feels like a eulogy, an acceptance, a forgiving.
Keep up with more to come from Daughter of Swords here:
daughterofswordsmusic.com
facebook.com/daughterofswordsband
Twitter @swordsdaughter
Instagram @swordsdaughter
TRACKLISTING
