There is an alt rock band located in Jersey City and Rahway, New Jersey that emerged quite recently onto the music scene. So recently, in fact, that you can judge its timeframe based on the band’s name and – if you need more proof – the title of the album they just released. y u u g e is comprised of Nick Afflitto, Alex Pergament, and Jerry Ramos, and their debut album Inauguration Day is out now. (See what we mean?)
Admits Pergament of the recording of Inauguration Day, “The album is wholly improvised in the studio. Our idea was to focus on the need for listening and accepting over performing and perfecting, as a response to the pressures of being right, winning, competing. To exercise a capacity for empathy and organic response.”
Beginning with the spoken track “Microscope”, y u u g e has created something that draws you in and makes you examine the world around you, with lines like “we’re not that different” driving the piece forward, and in direct contrast to what the overarching political message is and has been since that storied day. “Squirmy Worm” is immediately notable for its quirky percussion, a quick 45 second track that reminds us of the subject of its title, and also has us questioning what other minute details of the every day we should be paying attention to. “Captain Creepy” features Ariel Guidry, though the vocals are all high pitched, as though they inhaled helium before “talking about sandwiches” and other random things. Its follow-up – “Stinky Pants” – also features the vocal stylings of Ariel Guidry, though this time in a more soulful and fulfilling way. (Though we’re not knocking the laughter we got out of its predecessor.)
“Man Cave” is the first song on the album that begins like an actual rock track, really milking the amp on the electric guitar. Crashing drums ensue, and the band goes full metal with harsh, screaming vocals and a dark tone to the instrumentals. (Because, after all, isn’t that what a man cave is all about? Being as manly and loud as possible?) “Snow Man” is heavily characterized by the horns section, a purely instrumental track – until minute five, when calm and beautiful vocals add a layer of softness to it all – that is simplified to an acoustic guitar and trumpet.
The title track is heavy – even more so than “Man Cave” – literally evoking the gloom and doom feeling we had on that fated day in January of this year.Once again, it is only after minute five that any vocals come in, and they’re angry and loud and all-encompassing in their delivery. (Much like someone else we all know.) But meander on into “The Animals Who Saved You”, and there is a delicacy placed back into the music that makes it feel like a slow jazz type of afternoon. Ninth and final track “Grizzly Bear” begins with the trumpet, then percussion, slowly layering and building with softened, almost inaudible, and honest lyrics over the course of almost eleven whole minutes. During minute nine, everything kind of crashes into this distinct and intense cacophony of sound, and then dissolves again, perfectly rounding out this release.
While we wait with baited breath as progressive/alt metal project Ascending Dawn – comprised of Marlain Angelides (vocals), Mark Weatherley (drums/guitar), and Owen Rees (guitar) – prepares to release their new album Coalesce on December 1st, we’re thinking it might be a good idea to watch their new lyric video for single “Cannonball”. But on repeat. And while you might not necessarily know why, we’ve got the lyric video below for you to take a gander at so you can understand how we fell in love with the intricate natural details of it all.
Set largely with a faded black and white/sepia colored filter over landscape scenery (an ant crawling across a wooden surface, waves crashing over a beach, etc.), it is around minute three that color is allowed to shine through, as the camera then passes over the same landscapes with a soft, ethereal glow over brilliantly colored flowers, trees, bees, etc. The contrast is stunning – almost harshly so – but makes you appreciate the presence of color even more. And all the while, the crashing cymbals and fierce, all-encompassing vocals lent by Angelides make you feel – in a word – like a badass.
Coalesce is out December 1st. Keep up with Ascending Dawn here.
Seattle-based shoegaze/dream pop collective Ephrata – comprised of Skadi Von Reis Crooks (guitar, vocals), Brady Hall (guitar, vocals), Jules Jones (bass, vocals), and Ben Bromage (drums, vocals) – released their self-titled 11 track album just last month. The vocal harmonies they have been honing since their conception in 2011 are buttery smooth, with almost a kaleidoscope of personalized instrumental layers that make each song feel like an entire experience. We were big fans of the release, so we thought we’d let you in on why.
“Odds” has a very “I Melt With You” feel to its initial lines – though delivered as though it were released in the 50s – bathing its listener in light, nostalgic feels right off the bat. “Tunguska” is characterized by whirring guitars, the beat setting in after a couple of lines and really kicking the energy into high gear. But the song feels upbeat and light, while the lyrics are actually quite terrifying as they repeat “Run, run, scream and cry / Run for your life.” (Comforting, we know.) “Breakers” makes us realize that we may have embedded ourselves in a deceivingly light – but innately melancholic – work, as first line “Don’t you know that things were better when they were bad?” throws us into an almost existential mindset. And while we aren’t entirely sure what it means to “die on a sea of straight faces,” “Sea Of Straight Faces” is a slow, 50’s doo-wop sounding track that mellows you out for a bit mid-album.
Fifth track “Fiend Folio” seems to play with dissonance early on, addressing perhaps the fact that your road through life is paved with temptation and intensity (“forked tongues and fangs showed me the way”). We might be misinterpreting the lyrics, though they are – as their predecessors – seemingly bittersweet in their delivery and intention. “1000 Things” begins with a grunge/surf bass guitar, exploding into a beachy track that hits Beach Boys status pretty quickly and effectively. And while “What Is Mine” is indie rock at its core – it feels as though it could have easily been included on the Juno soundtrack – “Consequence” rolls right back into some hard beachy nostalgia for us all.
“Pharaoh” is light and upbeat in delivery. In fact, deceivingly so, as they’re singing about being shot and “entombed,” though the overarching theme might just be found in the line “pot meet kettle,” something we have been examining intensely recently, especially regarding people in power. (But I digress.) “Evil Twin” is a track that really makes you think. Clearly, the person whose perspective we’re examining is in denial about a seemingly abusive relationship, as she is convinced she met her significant other’s “evil twin” because of the way he treats her. “But when he appears you’re always gone…” How sullen and beautiful, this perspective on unhealthy relationships. Ephrata ties their 11 track release together with “Sun Scenario”, keeping with the devastating, lugubrious theme by instructing “fill your head full of dread ’til you’re dead,” which – to their credit – when examined has the opposite effect. It’s as though they’re encouraging you to embark upon this dark path, hoping you might take it as a challenge and move, instead, into the light.
But however you tend to interpret the lyrics, move forward. Examine your world through the lens of Ephrata’s music and use it as a learning tool. It will come in handy.
Ephrata is available now. Keep up with the band here.
New York-based progressive/cinematic rock project Orissa – spearheaded by David Dodini, who arranged and wrote the entire album and received help on the recording from Jason Gianni (drums), Gary Pickard (flute, saxophone), and Raquy Danziger (dumbek) – recently released its single “Verse V” as one of the last pieces in the lead up to the release of debut album Resurrection, due out next month. The track – which is characterized heavily by its whirring electric guitars – is introduced slowly, each instrumental having its own sound space as we lead into the heavy bass of the track. It is within one minute of “Verse V” that a new listener realizes Orissa really is fully encapsulating that cinematic, almost rock opera feel in their work. With Dodini’s vocals comes a heavy, emotional introduction to a man who will not falter in his ideals. The guitar solo late in the game is absolutely off the charts, encouraging us to seek out Orissa live in concert to see how this immensely energetic track – that sits at just under eight minutes – is received. Because we’re enthralled.
Resurrection is out November 3rd and is available for preorder now. Orissa will celebrate their album release show on Friday, November 10th at Arlene’s Grocery. Tickets are available now.
New York’s alternative rock duo Black Satellite – from the talents of Larissa Vale and Kyle Hawken – have been creating music together for six years, their new ten track album Endless being the latest in their musical adventure. Packed to the brim with dark, alluring vocals and tortuous, cacophonous instrumentals, the album is something out of a profound, badass dream. Replete with crash cymbals to emphasize the intensity of the lyrics, Endless is a particularly moody masterpiece.
In honor of their new release, the band created a playlist titled “Forged In Fire” exclusively for Imperfect Fifth. Says the band, “We made sure to showcase our inspirations as well as include songs we are currently listening to. We also aimed to highlight slightly lesser-known tracks by our favorite artists that we’re sure listeners will enjoy.”
We also had the divine opportunity to throw the duo a few questions, and they happily obliged.
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What is the first song or album you ever remember hearing, and who introduced it to you?
Larissa: When I was in elementary school, my brother’s bedroom shared a wall with mine and I could hear him blasting his music every night. The funny part is he is 9 years older than me and I ended up really getting into Eminem in 3rd grade!
Kyle: When I was very young I sang “Kryptonite” by Three Doors Down acapella at a school talent show. I hilariously found the song because it was featured on the track list of this strange 90s compilation album called “Now That’s What I Call Music.”
Was there a moment that it struck you and you realized you were going to pursue music, or did it kind of slowly evolve?
Larissa: I was always very into music. I don’t have a specific memory of when I started, I just always did it. Whether is was piano lessons, guitar lessons, choir, cello lessons etc.
Kyle: When I was 15, my Dad bought me a guitar to make my Mom jealous on Christmas. That kind of started it all.
Your track “Valkyrie” got a lot of love, and understandably so. What made you choose it as your lead single?
Wefelt it was a strong introductory track that was really representative of our sound as a whole. We are super happy with the decision!
Endless is such a striking release. Was this a concept album, or something that just kind of fell together?
Some of the songs on Endless were written 5 years ago, although we also came up with many new songs for the album. It’s a conglomeration of our greatest work at the time and truly showcases our range.
What was studio life like?
We tracked our record 16 hrs a day for about 10 days. This meant a lot of long nights working until 4am! We relied mainly on delivery food and hardly left the building. We were so prepared with our preproduction that we knew exactly what we needed to accomplish for the day and actually knocked it out much faster than expected. It really came down to us taking turns with our engineer making cappuccinos for each other all day!
How do you imagine people listening to this album?
Our hope is that this album becomes a part of the listener’s everyday life.Whether it’s to pump them up or get them through a rough time. That’s the ultimate goal.
As a still relatively new act, what are your thoughts on the modern music industry?
There are a lot of new ways to do things in the modern age, which means you need to reorient yourself on how to navigate the constantly changing industry. It’s important to always be on top of things and be prepared for a good opportunity when one is presented.
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Endless is available now. Keep up with this vivacious duo here.
This week indie duo Sego – Spencer Peterson and Thomas Carroll – released a music video from their latest collection of tunes they’ve been working on with Dave Newfeld (Broken Social Scene). But we’re still enthralled by their second single release this time around – a track titled “Sucker/Saint” – that was recently released. So today, we share that with you.
Laced with swirling guitars, intimidating crooning vocals, and a bit of reverberant attitude, this track provides that frenzy, buoyant sound we have come to expect from the duo. The crashing cymbals give it an almost head-banging quality that ensures us this song will be insane to mosh out to live.
Danish indie rock singer/songwriter and producer Hans-Christian Søgaard Andersen – who goes by the particularly interesting name The Captain of Sorrow – is prepping to release his debut album at the beginning of 2018. The release, titled Racetrack Babies, is named after a band he used to play with that broke up while creating the album, so he kept the nickname Racetrack Babies drummer Henrik Svendsen gave him as his stage name and finished the project for the fans, crafting it to mirror the interesting sounds that Hans-Christian hears in his head. “Holly Empty Void” is one of the tracks off the upcoming release, and we have the exclusive American premiere right here, right now.
Beginning with a rough guitar bass line and “whooping” noises that almost resemble a police siren, Hans-Christian’s voice comes in almost immediately, almost soothing amongst the instrumentals. As he talk/sings a melancholic narrative, the drums become a defining factor of the track and you find yourself getting lost in a swirling cacophony of sound and vocal reverb before the song fades out with whirring guitars. Get your first listen below.
Racetrack Babies is set for an American release on January 26th. Keep up with The Captain of Sorrow here.
Detroit-based pop duo JR JR – Joshua Epstein and Daniel Zott – have been releasing their first music since 2015’s self-titled full-length. Though they do hone their sound in the pop genre, their last three tracks have been noted as darker lyrically, garnering them a host of attention. We’re most ecstatic about the latest single, a track titled “Control (Secretly Sorry)”, which was released earlier this month. Influenced by the emotions directly following the last Presidential election, a warning message is delivered amidst the upbeat, dance music vibe emitted by the instrumentals. But if you look past the reverb and into the lyrics, you might find that “Control” becomes your next favorite track.
Says Josh about the track:
“Control” was written on November 10th (2 days after the election) at the Masonic Temple in Detroit, Mi. I woke up late and was driving in our van–which has no radio anymore. Suddenly the melody and the lyric was in my head, “careful of who you let control the people that you know oh oh oh”.
I raced upstairs to sing it for the guys, and found that they were starting to write a song around a riff that Bryan Pope was playing on guitar.
Somehow, the song they were playing was the exact same tempo and key as the lyrics and melody that I was singing. It’s like we were all writing the song serendipitously in separate locations at the same time. It came fast, and to this day feels like a song that we didn’t write–it wrote itself through us.
