by ImperfectFifth | Nov 19, 2018 | perspective
One part June Carter sassing Johnny Cash along with two dashes of Itzhak Perlman on a midnight hayride, Mad Crush’s songs contain theatrical, back-and-forth performances between their singing protagonists Joanna Sattin and John Elderkin. Complete with humor and heartbreak, their songs are in fact bright little dramas about fussing, fighting, and occasionally making up—universal truths sprinkled with brand-new magic dust. Below, Elderkin discusses his first musical influences, which are readily apparent upon listening to Mad Crush’s recently-released debut LP.
I have a habit of dismissing great albums on my first listen. I had friends with an advanced copy of Nirvana’s “Nevermind” who freaked out when they heard it, but when I listened, I thought it sucked. Later, I gave it another try and realized I was way wrong. Like the rest of the world, I ate it up. I had a similar reaction to R.E.M.’s first EP, called “Chronic Town.” Friends I respected said that it sounded unlike anything they’d ever heard anywhere. I listened and shrugged. It was different, but what was it? But when I pulled the record out again a few months later, I was flabbergasted. Those guys were speaking my language!
The one time I got it right came before these albums, on my first listen to The Clash’s “London Calling.” I was a teenager but I’d never heard of The Clash, and I bought it because I liked the cover picture of the bass player smashing his guitar on stage. I turned on my record player and by the end of the first song I was jumping up and down on my bed like a maniac. When my younger brother came in to ask what the hell was going on, I pointed to the record player and sure enough, he jumped on the bed, too. The only time I got down was to turn over the sides. I didn’t own a lot of records yet, and afterward I probably assumed that most albums would knock me out this way, that life would be one “London Calling” after another. Maybe that’s why I wasn’t so impressed later with other records that were supposed to bowl me over. Or maybe it’s just that great…
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Keep up with Mad Crush here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 16, 2018 | albums, review
Chicago-based shoegaze/pop collective Lightfoils releases new five track EP Chambers today, and we’ve got your first listen below! (Or fourth, or fifth, or twelfth… who’s counting?) The five-piece – comprised of Zeeshan Abbasi (guitar), Jane Zabeth (vocals), Cory Osborne (bass), John Rungger (drums), and Neil Yodnane (guitar) – wastes no time getting into the psych feels with the kaleidoscope intro to first track “The Bitter Over”, which layers into a cacophony of sound that seems to envelope your senses. “Duende” brings the same level of otherworldly vocals to it, a little more depth to the guitar parts than its predecessor. While “This Time Is Up” brings with it a punk garage band instrumental soundscape, we’re still left wondering how Zabeth can reach such insane places with her vocals. But I digress.
“Summer Nights” might, at first, make you feel a little bitter about the warm evenings being long behind us, but it also provides that whirring nostalgic feeling that makes it feel like summer might not ever end. (And it doesn’t have to if you don’t want it to!) Last track “Honeydew” brings with its title the same lust for warmer months, though we know we can relive those nights with this as the backdrop any time we damn well please.
Pick up this EP. It’s well worth it.
Keep up with Lightfoils here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 8, 2018 | albums, review
New Orleans-based Sexy Dex and The Fresh – comprised of Dexter Gilmore (Guitar, Vocals), Gabrielle Washington (Vocals), Andrew Landry (Bass), Evan Cvitanovic (Drums), and Ben Buchbinder (Keys) – has been winning awards left and right in the south, and we can see why. As a young band, their technique – and, truly, pure chemistry – is undeniable. Not to mention the alluring genre they’ve almost created unto themselves. You can witness this in their new EP Don’t Play My B-Sides.
Though you’ll hear some psychedelic influence amidst the funk in “SDTF”, hip hop makes its way in there, as well as some interesting pop-infused dance breakdowns. We could see ourselves dancing to “Play Me Birdie” at a sock hop, but there’s an 80’s flare to it as well as a quirky, fast tempo that is a total earworm. “These Young Charms” exists in a more quintessentially 80s soundscape, while “!Wait!” presents a cacophony of sound that is otherworldly in its disposition. Last track “Fotographs” begins with a speaking part that truly captures the otherworldly, as the song blossoms into another 80s-inspired dance track.
Check it out below!
Keep up with Sexy Dex and The Fresh here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 7, 2018 | singles, wolf tracks
Los Angeles-based musician Jordan Vincent released an alluring, intense beauty of a track in latest single “Sister Jill”, which seems to be his version of a soulful rock ballad. Vincent displays his gorgeous, multi-faceted vocals while crooning, a hint of 50’s sock hop sauntering in while the guitars whir with bravado. Soft, endearing, without ever losing its rock roots.
We’re impressed, and you will be too.
Keep up with Jordan Vincent here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 7, 2018 | singles, wolf tracks
Grand Rapids-based rock quartet The Legal Immigrants – comprised of Boots, Ben Taber, Kevin Kitsch, and Marcus James – has created a pretty substantial fanbase since 2015’s Drugs to Roses, and rightfully so. Latest track “Hang On” tells the story of a band that has only gained momentum and broadened in talent since then, as the toe-tapping beat and whirring guitars get you moving. After yesterday’s election especially, this track should be on everyone’s soundtrack, as it is a call for unshakable perseverance.
Put it on, play it loud, and amp up your day!
Keep up with The Legal Immigrants here.
by ImperfectFifth | Nov 2, 2018 | perspective
A lifelong resident of Jeffersonville, IN, Nick Dittmeier finds a needed reprieve from the looming presence of loss in his life with his new record All Damn Day (due October 26th). Fronting Nick Dittmeier & the Sawdusters, the singer-songwriter lingers on the omniscient Grim Reaper in a way that’s hopeful and uplifting as it is forlorn, harkening to the works of such literary giants as John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, Roald Dahl and Mark Twain. Read Dittmeier‘s story on his first musical influence below:
The first musical experience I had that really made me want to be in a band was watching the scene in The Muppet Movie where Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem are introduced at their rehearsal space. Although the band was comprised of Muppets, they looked like an actual rock n’ roll band and the song they played really grooved. But it was really the band’s attitude that made me wanna be in a pack like the Electric Mayhem.
If you don’t recall the scene, let me refresh you. Kermit and Fozzy, on their road trip to Hollywood, stop in an old church where they discover a psychedelic Muppet band playing music. Dr. Teeth, the band leader, has a strikingly resemblance to Dr. John and other members of the band had loose characteristics to other rock stars of the day. You could say Janis resembles Joni Mitchell and Animal resembles John Bonham. They lay out their long term plans for the church, which included a music venue and coffee shop with organic food.
What I loved about Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem was that everyone in the band was visibly weird and quirky but were completed accepted within the context of the group. They had invented their world and all lived in it. Part of the larger premise of the Muppets was racial and gender diversity, and that’s why many of the characters’ identity was fairly ambiguous. Some characters you couldn’t really discern if they were animal or human. Why they had bright green skin, if they were human, but that wasn’t important— all you needed to know is they looked different but were accepted.
The lyrical content of the song they sang was basically how great it was being in a band and helping people and each other. Also, everyone in the band sang. That scene didn’t make me go out and get a guitar, but it did plant a seed in my head about what kind of community I could be a part of if I learned an instrument.
All of those lessons in the scene are applicable to the current situation I have with my band and the people surrounding it. We’ve gotta manage quirks and personalities and realize we’re for the most part strange people, but those are the personalities that drive this business. It takes a certain kind of weirdo to stop band practice to help a frog and a bear paint their Studebaker psychedelic colors.
by Meredith Schneider | Oct 29, 2018 | snapshot, visual
imagine coming out of the haze induced by an hour long drive in the middle of nowhere Kansas after a long day at work and being met by Anthony Gomes‘ insane guitar skills. That type of energy can be a blow to your brain and your ego, honestly. But it’s true. And from the very first chords of his set on Friday, October 26th, members of the crowd were up and dancing. Gomes, his bassist, and his drummer went from one song to the next, just rolling through his catalog, almost to the point that the untrained ear might not notice the difference between one song and the next. In that regard, this was a beautiful journey, and a night that easily inspired our weekend.
Catch him on tour now!
by Meredith Schneider | Oct 26, 2018 | albums, review
To say Bets‘ new album Future Color plays with dark and light like crazy would be an understatement. With each track comes a new feeling, some eery and inescapable, others lift your soul to a place you hadn’t been in a while. The entirety of the album – all 10 tracks – entices its listener to feel something, and that’s what we’re so fond of.
“Another Night” starts us immediately with frantic instrumentals, the first line “dance with me” coaxing us into a frenzy while “Out of View” slows everything down a bit and darkens the instrumentals to an eery octave fit for October. Third track “Left My City” is the perfect anthem for anyone who has ever experienced a slight thrill at seeing someone leave their immediate vicinity, be it a former lover, an old friend, or someone who was bringing you down a bit. While “Da Da Da” has an experimental, robot vibe to it while Bets speaks simple truths, “Maybe” picks everything back up again and reintroduces the playful, light side to her vocals.
“The Daylight Beside Me” is slow, comprised of acoustic guitar and Bets’ mesmerizing vocals. It’s easily one of our favorites, though we’d take an argument for “All I Want” as it picks up the tempo – and transforms our mood – within seconds. “Fear Of” lurches us back into the darker side of Bets’ work, her vocals more mechanical, though no less appropriate at a club in Manhattan after 2am. The instrumentals of “Tunnel Vision” belong first in an action movie, then perhaps in a video game. The lyrics will play on in your ears for a while, though “Gold” will be the one that sticks with you, the instrumental layering something out of a gorgeous dream and Bets’ vocals more of an audible kaleidoscope than anything else.
Future Color is out now. Keep up with Bets here.
by Meredith Schneider | Oct 26, 2018 | albums, review
Nashville-based rock collective Taco Mouth – comprised of Erica Sellers (Vocals/Guitar), Shawn Hammer (Guitar), Flip Cooper (Bass), and Angela Lese (Drums/BGVs) – releases their new, hard-hitting, 10-track full-length A Deafening Silence today. We’ve been particularly excited about this release, as it ushers in an energy we’ve been ready for.
Keep up with Taco Mouth here.
