by Meredith Schneider | Nov 7, 2017 | wolf tracks
At the end of September, Austin-based indie/blues artist Jackie Venson released her dazzling five track Transcends EP. Starting it out with the upbeat track “Flying”, lines like “from the ashes something new grows” bring you into a more positive head space, more than adequately preparing you for the rest of the release. From second track “Fast” – which borders on 80s/early 90s synth rock with a Fefe Dobson-esque attitude to it – to smooth listening track “Mysterious” with its wider display of Venson’s range and exceptional use of ensemble vocals. “Fight” draws some more rasp from Venson’s voice, keeping an 80s sound to the instrumentals while singing about vibrational energy and – once again – looking forward to a positive existence and “the good fight.” Transcends closes out with its most completely rock track of them all – beginning with waning, rough guitar – the title track, which brings with it an edge to Venson’s voice that enhances the fact that not only did she come to play, she came to win.
Transcends is available now. Keep up with Jackie Venson here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 7, 2017 | soundtrack
Americana indie folk musician B.R. Lively recently released his eleven track stunner of an album, titled Into the Blue. Packed from start to finish with textured, alluring sounds and B.R.’s signature lackadaisical vocals meandering along, the album experienced conception during a moment of pure growth for B.R. an serves as an inspired departure from his past work. Check out the album below, then peek a little playlist B.R. curated exclusively for Imperfect Fifth in celebration of Into the Blue!
Into the Blue is the result of finding a lot of peace within myself. Here are some tunes that have brought a peaceful feeling to me over the years. There are themes of nature, love, loss… mostly slow-burners that are perfect for chasing down sunsets or a long meditative drive.
Check out the “This Kind of Peace” playlist made exclusively for Imperfect Fifth on Spotify.
Place To be, Way To Blue (Nick Drake):
– I put a lot of Nick Drake on here because he was the biggest influence on this record. We tried to capture the warm, mellow guitar tone by putting flat-wound strings on my guitar. He’s such a percussive player, which I feel I take from. Also, his use of strings prompted our similar approach to using them on ours, sweeping in an out giving it a 3rd dimension.
Simple Twist of Fate (Bob Dylan):
– My favorite track off this record. It’s one of the records that got me messing around with different guitar tunings, like “The Day That I Die.” Also, Bob’s style of storytelling found its way in my writing very early on, so I had to show him some love on here.
So What (Miles Davis):
– Definitely get my laid back feel from Miles on this record; the way he sits back in the groove behind the beat. I’ve always identified with slower tempos which is why I write more ballads than anything. Miles has also taught me a lot about the importance of using space in music; that most of the time not playing something is better than playing something.
Trapeze Swinger (Iron & Wine):
– I used to fall asleep to this song every night after I discovered it. It’s rolling stream of imagery has such a dreamlike quality to it. I love the progression of instruments, textures, and counter melodies that get introduced throughout the song. It keeps a steady consistent soft beat that is very meditative and pleasant to listen to.
Orange Sky (Alexi Murdoch):
– A tune we took direct influence from for the record sonically. It’s also got that meditative rhythm and constant beat with a myriad of instruments and textures flowing in and out yet kept very sparse at the same time.
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Keep up with B.R. Lively here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 6, 2017 | snapshot
On Tuesday, October 31st, The Used took on the Uptown Theater in midtown Kansas City, Missouri to party it up on the most spooktacular evening of the year with help from post-hardcore favorite Glassjaw.
Members of the audience moved about the theater dressed as Clint Eastwood, Batman and Wayne Campbell of Wayne’s World. Not to be outdone, lead vocalist Bert McCracken debuted his look as the Pope as he twirled his garments and hat through “Take It Away” and “The Bird and the Worm.” Bandmates Jeph Howard, Justin Shekoski and Dan Whitesides also dressed for the occasion as a banana, the grim reaper and the Kool Aid Man respectively. McCracken’s ferocious vocals and the eerie Art Deco architecture adorning the venue’s walls added to the sinister night.
The band is touring in support of their just-released seventh studio album, The Canyon. The 17-track analog record stretches 80 minutes and is the first in which Shekoski stepped in for former guitarist Quinn Allman. It is also written as McCracken recovered from the sudden loss of childhood friend Tregen Lewis. Songs featured during the show included the Kurt Cobain-inspired anthem “Over and Over Again” and the live debut of the self-aware galvanizing chorus that is “The Nexus.”
Inspired by Michael Jackson to dance at the age of eight, McCracken refrained from performing his version of the Thriller dance. Though he spoke to the healing abilities of music and power of expression. “Try not to escape your problems but face your fears and maybe you’ll walk out (of it) feeling better,” he said.
Photographer Ashleigh Lee nabbed some stills for us, and you can check them out below!
Keep up with The Used here!
**Copy by Chris Ruder.
**Photos by Ashleigh Lee.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 6, 2017 | wolf tracks
New York-based alternative pop musician/producer TRISTN recently released an acoustic recording of her well-received single “Nothing To Say (Nothin’)”, which came out as part of her ten track album January earlier this year. The album properly showcases TRISTN’s scrappy, intense persona while providing upbeat pop gold for you to latch onto and get carried away with. The new video – which was recorded simply with some percussion and an acoustic guitar – allows TRISTN to fully show off her vocal range when given a quieter situation to perform in, and, boy, does she deliver.
Keep up with TRISTN here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 6, 2017 | wolf tracks
Michigan-based indie folk rock trio The Accidentals – made up of Katie Larson, Savanna Buist, and Michael Dause – are heading out on the road to celebrate their summer release, an incredible thirteen track album by the name of Odyssey. By now, most of us have had the chance to listen to the album in its entirety. (If you haven’t, here it is.) But their most recent offering is a music video for the title track, and we want to make sure you get your eyes on it.
“Odyssey” as a track begins slower, with a simple acoustic guitar and soulful lyrics keeping pace and leading you through an ethereal sound space even before the additional instrumentals hit the track. The video begins with the trio in what looks like a hang space in a basement, bathed in warm colors to match the warmth of the song. They’re gathered in a circle, enjoying what seems to be a small jam session. We also get to witness them play in shallow waters under a beautiful blue sky, as well as a little glimpse into their live performance life on stage. The video is beautifully captured, with softened colors and slow motion applied in just the right places. We’re deeply moved by the track, and incredibly happy with the video.
Odyssey is available now. Keep up with The Accidentals here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 3, 2017 | wolf tracks
Experimental indie pop collective Babylawns – comprised of Ryan Egan, Davey Alaimo, Mike Phillips, Chris Tremblay, and Conor Powers – is headed out on an east coast tour this month in support of their brand new album Sorry it’s like this, with the first stop happening tonight in Providence, Rhode Island. The nine track full-length starts with heavy hitting “too big”, crashing guitars leading you into the thrashing feel of “heartbeat” before winding you down into “anxiety”, which happens at a crawling clip. The album meanders between genres, as its listener gets bits of americana, psych rock, alternative, goth pop, and more through the expert instrumentalism of a group that knows how to cohesively switch tempo at the drop of a hat, highlighting the composition of the music at the same importance as the vocals themselves. Sorry it’s like this adequately sums up a highly relatable but often inexplicable melancholic feeling in song. And it’s something you need to experience.
Tour Dates
11/3 – Providence, RI
11/4 – Philadelphia, PA
11/5 – Columbus, OH
11/6 – Ann Arbor, MI
11/7 – Harrisburg, PA
11/8 – Baltimore, MD
11/9 – New Brunswick, NJ
11/10 – Wilton, NH
11/11 – Goffstown, NH
11/30 – Brooklyn, NY
12/1 – Portland, ME
Sorry it’s like this is out now. Keep up with Babylawns here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 3, 2017 | wolf tracks
In October, Brooklyn’s americana rock trio Animal Years – comprised of Mike McFadden (vocals, guitar), Anthony Saladino (bass), and Anthony Spinnato (drums) – released the music video for their widely praised single “Caroline” in the lead up to the release of their new EP, Far From Home. The EP – which is made up of five soulful, intricate tracks – was produced by Ryan Hadlock (The Lumineers, Brandi Carlile, Vance Joy) came out on October 27th via eOne Records.
“Caroline” begins the EP with an upbeat ring to it – despite the bittersweet, self-aware lyrics – allowing the listener to just about float over the country-tinged vocals and light, acoustic instrumentals. “Friends” slows everything down initially, but when it hits the beat it really gets your hips swinging as it addresses the importance of a warm and rich support system. And while “Give It Up” really gets you grooving, it paves the way for a slow down with “Corinth”, which is widely defined by its deeper guitar work, percussion, and flat out deeper vocals. Singing from a darker place (“I’m drowning in the deep end”), looking toward a silver lining (“I think I can win her”) will do that to you. “Home” is the perfect silver lining to it all, however, as the lyrics reflect on the darker times – perhaps in tandem with the flow of the album – while simultaneously appreciating any hint of good fortune. It’s the perfect place to land, truly tying it all together and making the sound space feel just like that. Like home.
Far From Home is out now. Keep up with the trio here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 2, 2017 | wolf tracks
Alternative power-rock trio Noiseheads – comprised of Nick Gray (vocals, guitar), Greg Nicholas (drums, vocals), and Joe Gray (bass, vocals) – recently released the official music video for the second single from their album Sitcoms for Aliens, titled “Ballad of Me, Myself, and I”. The video is comprised of footage of Nick singing, made to look like flat magazine collage art. Scenes of Times Square, outer space, a cubicle, and other miscellaneous places pop up behind him, his outfits and scenarios changing throughout. It’s a fun overlay to the song itself, which is a relatively mellow track that could be enjoyed in a head banging situation or at home with a small group of friends. It follows the rest of their work quite nicely, with fun, upbeat riffs and an aggressive delivery of vocals galore.
Keep up with Noiseheads here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 1, 2017 | snapshot
In the 18 years I have been going to live shows, I have cried less than a handful of times. In fact, I can only remember twice that I’ve cried at shows. And they both happened relatively recently. (But I digress.) And I’ll admit, I’ve seen Katy Perry several times and she had yet to pull even a single tear from me. But on Friday, October 27th, there were waterworks instead of fireworks, and it made for the feel good musical moment of the year, quite frankly.
Katy took the stage to a large crowd in Kansas City at Sprint Center that night. She dazzled, of course, dripping in diamonds while she sang hit after hit. This time around, she took an 80’s spin to a lot of her tracks, pulling out all the stops in neon outfits and touting ginormous props around like it was no one’s business. She floated on planets amongst the crowd playing acoustic guitar and captivating us with a particularly heartbreaking version of “Thinking Of You”, told her mom during a personal call on speakerphone that – to her dad’s chagrin – she was going to play “I Kissed a Girl” again, and pulled out all the stops for her “California Girls”. Props and dancers supplemented the evening, making tracks off of Witness bigger and bolder than anticipated, leaving quite the mark both politically and spiritually. Katy is about harnessing your own power, and it’s thrilling to watch her inspire generations at her shows. The woman is an entertainer, and you never once question that during a performance.
But the most magical part of the night was when Katy called a random girl up from the audience to make a wish on a giant, glittering prop star. She chose the girl because of her neon orange sweatshirt. (And the fact that she was jumping up and down maniacally in her seat.) And, boy, did Katy’s intuition prove to be correct on that decision.
Zoe Black is twelve years old and – while your pre-teen is losing phone privileges and struggling to figure themselves out – her one big wish was that the kids at her sister’s high school would stop bullying her for her autism. That’s right. A twelve year old wished for that, on stage, in front of an arena full of people.
And we all lost our shit.
I was sitting in front of a row of teenagers, and I turned to them and just exclaimed, “I’m not crying, you’re crying!” And Katy teared up, holding on to Zoe for a few long moments before we all yelled “NO MORE BULLYING!” at the star. It was goosebump-inducing, and really put the night into perspective.
Below are a few photos from Katy’s set, with photos of her opener Noah Cyrus to come.
Learn more about autism and how to make a difference at autismspeaks.org.
