Trivial Shields is the moniker of songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Christian Carpenter for sonic exploration. Now, he drops a collaborative EP titled Levity, featuring vocalists from Bells Atlas, Body Language, and Lip Talk. Levity follows the release of Carpenter’s debut EP Peripheral (2018) and precedes the release of his debut album due out this fall.
Levity centers around the clarity that can be found in the midst of a bad breakup, and does so in three different vignettes. “For the Best”, which features Angelica Bass of Body Language, is a joyful break-up song that recognizes and celebrates the end of a relationship. “Rejection Therapy”, which features Sandu Ndu (vocals) and Geneva Harrison (percussion) of Bells Atlas, is a track that looks at the process of getting over a relationship and working through what it means to let someone go.
The EP features 3 tracks both with features from stellar musicians along with the instrumental versions of the same tracks. This choice allows listeners to hear Carpenter’s words and his instrumental together and separate. The words paint the picture but the instrumentation garners the feeling.
Portland metal rockers Gaytheist have just returned with the release of their 5th album, How Long Have I Been on Fire?, set to release April 10th via Hex Records. The record is the band’s first on the label as well as their first release in 3 years. Following several years of living on opposite ends of the country, the band reassembled in Vancouver, Washington and delved into a writing frenzy to create their newest body of work. The record blends metal, punk, hardcore and noise rock with a good sense of humor, proving that you can still make good metal music without having to take it so damn serious.
The band impressively recorded the entire album in one summer weekend in 2019 under previous collaborator and master engineer Stephen Hawkes, resulting in thirteen songs of “KABOOM rock, depression anthems, and various attempts at communication”, according to a statement. Full of feedback, rhythm and speed, it is an amalgamation of punk, hardcore, metal, and wild rock.
Gaytheist had planned to play a handful of Pacific Northwest shows around the release date this month, but these have now been cancelled. They were to be followed by more extensive North American dates in summer, but, due to the current situation, these dates are also up-in-the-air.
Lead single “The Dark Deep” is full of wild and untameable riffs and a wailing vocal delivery from frontman and namesake Jason Rivera, the band’s OG gay atheist. The song kicks off with a bang and doesn’t stop moving from there, only picking up the momentum that continues on and relentlessly propels the record forward.
If the name “Hornswoggled” wasn’t good enough in itself, the content continues to hold up its end of the bargain. Heavy drums and aggressive guitar rage along with a clunky bass line while the lyrics take on those who are easily confused and don’t always operate with their best interests in mind: the easily tricked, bamboozled, and, of course, hornswoggled.
“hashbrownsblessed” is in keeping with that keen sense of humor we mentioned. This firecracker of a track is laden with big riffs and no bullshit packed into less than a minute and a half, consistent with the type of energy only a band named Gaytheist could pull off. And to those not down for it? We’re breaking up with you. It’s not you, it’s me.
John Ross of Wild Pink is releasing his second album of instrumentals under the moniker Eerie Gaits. Holopaw, much like the area it was named after, is united to a traditional label. These nine instrumental tracks live somewhere genre-less, free of rules that tie them down.
The compositions can float and transition between upbeat guitar strums, bristly fingerpicking, and pensive sections of dense misty synths.
Each track on the record holds a complexity all of its own, setting it apart from each other making it seem that they themselves are untied from the album itself. “The Rainbow Trout and The Wicker Creel” is a somewhat placid indie-rock piece featuring a bobbing baseline, reverb-laden guitar leads, and pockets of synths that accompany the other instruments like beams of sunlight creeping through a window.
Ross attempts to create a place of country peace in Holopaw but will sometimes shift dramatically into foreboding gloominess. Not just in the tracks but in the flow of the album itself. Holopaw starts with “What’s Eating You”, a more upbeat indie-rock sounding track, but as your travel deeper into the record this upbeat vibe slowly starts to fade and appears in little glimmers.
LA indie duo Carrousel continue an incredible year with the release of their new album Magnificent Desolation. This 10-track album examines the dystopian direction of current life and the spiraling process of depression, both in ourselves and the world we live in.
Joel Piedt (songwriter, vocals, production) and Sharon Piedt (songwriter, vocals) craft pop melodies that are more futuristics and lean towards the prophetic. Carrousel’s music seamlessly lives on the plane of several genre styles cohesively.
Standout track “Exile in NY” focuses on the feelings of depression and its toll on the individual and how that affects those around them. By playing with echo and atmosphere, this track feels like it’s being pulled straight from your inner thoughts. With a slow build up by the middle of the song all sounds and feelings overlap to create a state of unrest. Ending the track with recorded voicemails help show separation between the two subjects of this track, as we know see them drift away from one another.
Consistently, the duo creates music that looks to disorient the understanding of the present, and the over-digitization of knowledge, and does so in a way that does not hold back.
Brett Newski’s fourth studio album Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down centers around regaining control, and we only have to wait until April 17th to experience it in its entirety. At a time of high depression and anxiety because of the current global health crisis, Newski’s newest album sheds some much needed optimism.
Newski creates a call to arms against the destructive forces one may find themselves battling, which pertains to individual struggles with toxic relationships, low self-esteem, loneliness, and apathy to the global challenges we are already facing in 2020.
Newski and collaborator Spatola blend Newski’s lyricism with Spatola’s up-beat tempo and guitar-driven alternative style to create the sound of this record. Tracks like “Last Dance” lay out the challenge of trying to stay informed and engaged while trying to not consume too much that it negatively affects one’s mind. Meanwhile tracks like “Lousy T-shirt” describes the traps of social comparison in the wake of social media.
Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down is a reminder to not let outside forces negatively affect you. Keep up with Brett Newski here.
Chicago singer-songwriter Anna Holmquist formed Ester back in 2017 with the help of friends and collaborators, and now they’re about to release their first full-band LP, Turn Around. The record is a meditation both on major life changes and looking back at the past to help you understand your own growth, and Holmquist, possessing a rare vein of talent in both songwriting and singing, expertly guides their band through this task.
Most of the songs were written within the 6 month window around the beginning of Holmquist’s Saturn Return, which is psychologically viewed as the time that one reaches full adulthood and is faced (often for the first time) with adult challenges and responsibilities. The album’s exploration of adulthood is vulnerable and introspective, presenting a lot of moments for personal reflection.
Turn Around pieces together folk and rock elements around the centerpiece of the album: Holmquist’s honest and confessional lyricism and sensitive and emotional vocals. The songs are well-crafted, with the words written just as artful and important as the music.
“Little Shadow” is draped in haunting strings and gently plucked guitar. The ominous track builds to great heights with Holmquist’s quivering voice pulling mysterious melodies across the night sky.
“Holy Daze” feels like a float down a lazy river, with warm, slow bass coating the track in thick golden honey. Holmquist shows off her control and flexibility, easily flipping into their head voice before landing skillfully back with both feet on the ground. They sprinkle themself over the calm and breezy instrumentation like a colorful candy coating before tapping into their stock of emotionally-charged vocals, the intensity of their feeling evident to even the most casual listener.
“John’s Car” starts off sounding like a simple yet ominous indie-pop track, but Holmquist stuns, expertly building the song’s intensity with precise and attentive skill before it naturally peaks in a cathartic explosion of emotion. Holmquist is not only a powerhouse, but one who is smart enough to form important moments by holding back just the right amount before laying all of her cards on the table and damn, it’s a good hand.
“Thirsty” is reminiscent of a modern Fleetwood Mac while tracks like “When You Wake” channel the power and authority of Florence Welch. “Wildflower” is a breath of fresh air, providing even the most stressed out soul with a breath of fresh country air.
