by Meredith Schneider | Oct 30, 2017 | wolf tracks
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.
by Meredith Schneider | Oct 30, 2017 | wolf tracks
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.
by Meredith Schneider | Oct 30, 2017 | wolf tracks
Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jared Saltiel is spending his days laying the groundwork for his upcoming album Out Of Clay, which is set to release on February 2nd, 2018. The album will be the second chapter in a four part series he has created titled Caught Beneath the Wheel. New track “Wayward Queen” sets some of the tone of what’s to come.
Slow, light, simple. Saltiel sings with a bittersweet note to his voice, almost mourning the loss of the “green” in warmer months alongside the idea of leaving his significant other “for the sea.” It is only after we learn that he wrote the song in the Pere Lachais cemetery in Paris that we understand where the melancholic yet beautiful composition – which mirrors the cemetery itself almost directly – came from. The lyrics evoke a respect and intense desire to serve this “queen” figure, painting a picture of the man as her subservient knight. As the track builds, its tempo changes dramatically several times. Once we reach the climax of his tale, percussion takes the front seat as it builds into a rock ballad before fading out.
Out Of Clay is available February 2nd. Keep up with Jared Saltiel here.
by Meredith Schneider | Oct 27, 2017 | 5 to 7, soundtrack
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.
___
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?
We felt 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.
___
Endless is available now. Keep up with this vivacious duo here.
by Meredith Schneider | Oct 27, 2017 | wolf tracks
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.
Keep up with Sego here.
by Meredith Schneider | Oct 27, 2017 | wolf tracks
Perhaps one of the most charming acts we’ve ever become acquainted with, Chicago-based lo-fi indie pop duo Zigtebra – comprised of “Zebra” Emily Rose and “Tiger” Joe Zeph – has been releasing a new single every single month during the year 2017. Their latest – the video for trance-inducing single “I Can Dance” – was cut together with archival footage setting a vibrant foreground for its audio counterpart. The track feels mellow – yet danceable at the same time – and captivating for reasons still not entirely clear to us, though perhaps Emily Rose’s ethereal, calming vocals have something to do with it. Her light words almost counterbalance the harsher electronic nature of the instrumentals, creating a quirky and fun dynamic we don’t always get to see in pop music.
It’s time to get inspired to dance with “I Can Dance”.
Zigtebra’s favorite recordings will be compiled into a full-length release next year. Keep up with the band here.
by Meredith Schneider | Oct 27, 2017 | soundtrack
In celebration of my favorite holiday, Halloween, and my upcoming Album Release Party, I give you Romeo Dance Cheetah‘s Boogieman Dance Party Playlist.
1. “Boogie Nights” – Heatwave
2. “Night is on My Mind” – Oliver
3. “Dead Man’s Party” – Oingo Boingo
4. “I’ve Been Watching You (Move Your Sexy Body)” – Parliament Funkadelic
5. “Girl Loves Me” – David Bowie
6. “Moonlight” – The Gold Web
7. “Windowlicker” – Aphex Twin
8. “Idioteque” – Radiohead
9. “Fatty Boom Boom” – Die Antwoord
10. “Meat Quotient” – Big Dipper
11. “Gotcha Good” – Celine Neon
12. “Dare” – Gorillaz
13. “Don’t Get Captured” – Run the Jewels
14. “Black Cat” – Janet Jackson
15. “I Would Die 4 U” – Prince
16. “Somebody’s Watching Me” – Rockwell
17. “Give me the Night” – George Benson
18. “Boogie Wonderland” – Earth Wind and Fire
19. “Oh Sheit It’s X” – Thundercat
20. “Sympathy for the Devil” – The Rolling Stones
___
by Meredith Schneider | Oct 27, 2017 | wolf tracks
On October 23rd, Greek electric artist May Roosevelt released an 8-track enchanter of an album titled Junea via Inner Ear Records. The album is named after a fictional character in Junea’s world who acts as a “heroine of the modern digital world, where reality meets fiction through bridges made of electronic sounds and pixels.” Junea seems to be an extension of May Roosevelt herself – an alter ego almost – but either way, she has been unleashed and is receiving an immense amount of attention. We can see why, as we’re thrown into another world within each individual track.
Beginning with the light – almost watery sounds – the track “Air” evokes a feeling of being alone right off the bat, witnessing the track build slowly around a lonely echo. The pace picks up and you are thrown into a largely instrumental dance track, exposed to the mellow yet upbeat sound space that will captivate you throughout the majority of the album. “Pa” provides more quirky instrumentals, while “Flowers” has an elegance about it that its predecessors don’t, though the larger instrumental theme holds them all together like a thread. The percussion in “Flowers” is standout, as the lyrics layer ethereally over each other and provide an earthy and tranquil sound. And while “Be” has a lightness that innately encourages you to be present in the moment, “Let’s” begins with a similar sound but travels into a darker sound space than the album has quite allowed yet.
“In Your Eyes” opens with an otherworldly – almost alien – feel to it, enticing its listeners into a hip swaying, belly dancing type of mood. It’s sultry, mirroring its title in a way that makes it entrancing. “Ta” disrupts with a more immediate electronic, computer-like feel to it, sending us back into that tranquil mindset as it explodes into a cacophony of glittery sound before slowing down and resting briefly to prepare us for the last track. “Tides” comes in slowly, somehow more delicate than she has yet introduced a song. It’s as though her whispers have become whispers of whispers, drawing you into her abundance of mellow and beautiful energy. It’s the most interesting way to bring you out of your Junea-induced trance, as it picks up immensely and you have to almost fight yourself not to dance.
Overall, we’re pleased with the way May has made her mark on the electronic sound space. Junea seems effortlessly – yet flawlessly – produced, an album that should be celebrated widely across the festival circuit next summer, if given the proper chance. With it, we have seen another facet of her work and are equally inspired and motivated from it as we are with her previous releases.
Tracklist:
01. Air
02. Pa
03. Flowers
04. Be
05. Let’s
06. In Your Eyes
07. Ta
08. Tides
Junea is available now. Keep up with May Roosevelt here.
by Meredith Schneider | Oct 26, 2017 | 5 to 7
Canadian-based artist management company and record label Forward Music Group has had quite the year. Celebrating 10 years of helping artists bring their music into the world, they’ve taken it upon themselves to release an official 2017/2018 sampler – which is phenomenal, by the way – amongst some other really fun celebratory things, including a mess of live dates in October titled the “10th Year Anniversary Revue.”
And we’re totally on board, as this company certainly has a lot to celebrate. Their discography is extensive and includes artists like Michael Feuerstack, Gianna Lauren, Paper Beat Scissors, Sleepless Nights, and many more, while the amount of artistry they’ve brought to the world out of Canada makes them a standout for the country at large. Luckily enough, we stole a few minutes to chat with Owner/Operator Kyle Cunjak, who has quite the view of the industry, and a little bit of insight on the last ten years.
___
What is the first album/song you remember hearing, and who introduced it to you?
I’m going to approach this two ways and cheat a bit by giving you two experiences and three albums:
1 – Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense was a constant throughout my childhood. My dad loved this album and would play it non-stop. We’d both sing ‘Burning Down The House’ together and I was transfixed by David Byrne’s dance moves and style.
2 – The first albums I remember REALLY hearing, and I mean they had a profound influence on me, were Rancid’s …And Out Come The Wolves and Beck’s Mellow Gold when I was around 10-11 years old. They both blew my mind. I had no idea music could sound like these records. The former my aunt Cathy gave to me for my birthday because my older cousins were into them and I’m sure she had no idea what the music was like. The latter I heard at my friend Victor’s and remember BEGGING him to dub me a copy before a family vacation. When he wasn’t able to do this fast enough, I convinced my folks to drive me to the record store so I could buy Stereopathetic Soulmanure.
Of course I had been heard music prior to these and been to concerts (Bob Dylan, quite boring to an 8-year-old but also when I first remember smelling marijuana and likely got contact-high) but nothing stands out like those three, quite polarizing when put back-to-back, albums.
Any fun anecdotes or interesting memories from Forward Music, as you celebrate 10 years?
There are so many to mention – getting stranded by a “snowstorm” in England and inventing the most insane/fun songwriting game, arriving in Berlin for the first time without knowing anyone and with no place to stay but somehow ending up on Nils Frahm’s floor for a few magical nights, travelling Canada by train for free playing music in the lobby cars, etc…
One of the best parts about playing music is that you get to travel with your friends. So important for character building and life experience. It’s something like a free vacation and when you’re in your early twenties you definitely get up to some shit, even as alt-folk bands. However, the problem-solving, logistical, and organizational skills you develop are incredibly valuable. I’m confident that any musician could win The Amazing Race with ease.
Your 2017/2018 Sampler was curated quite excellently. Who was involved in the process, was it difficult to narrow it down? Was there an overarching theme?
When developing samplers, we reach out to our artists and ask for suggestions. This one came together quite quickly under a deadline. I really enjoy sequencing records and have a lot of fun trying to make songs from multiple genre songs make sense together.
There are a number of instrumental-heavy tracks here due to the growth of our sister label Backward Music that we started in 2012 and which features primarily instrumental music. It’s our outlet for releasing one-off projects with a minimal budget on various formats and with no pressure. Surprisingly, it’s been one of the most successful parts of our catalogue. Go figure.
What made you choose to go with the horse drawing on the front by Gianna Lauren? Was it commissioned, or was it something pitched to you?
That horse is so handsome how could I not have put it on the cover? When compiling this sampler and beginning to think about art, I asked all the roster artists to draw their interpretation of a horse. We had a lot of submissions, some better than others, but Gianna’s horse stood out.
Right now you have a ton of shows scheduled in Canada to celebrate 10 years of Forward Music. Any chance we might nab something in the states?
Unfortunately not at the moment. It’ll spare you the dull legalities but it’s extremely expensive and difficult for Canadians to play in the USA right now, especially without agent/label representation as is our case. It’s a shame because we’re SO CLOSE geographically and we’d be in Portland (Maine), Boston, and New York every month spending money on food, gas, hotels, records, etc… if the terms were reciprocal between borders. Unfortunately it’s easier for us to get to Europe to play music outside of Canada.
Dan Misha Goldman has a green card and performs in LA from time to time. We’ve also done development in America with a few artists in the past and have plans for a couple others but it’s all quite far in the future I’m afraid.
Please send more US bands over to us in Atlantic Canada though, we’d love to have them and I’m always game to help out with promoting shows.
Both the live and recorded version of “Onwards” (Paper Beat Scissors) are incredible. What made you choose the live version to highlight, specifically?I’m glad you enjoy these! Tim has a very captivating style and voice – intense, unique, and beautiful. This live version of Onwards is from a special orchestral show that Paper Beat Scissors performed in Montreal last April at
La Sala Rossa and will be released as a digital EP in the coming year.
Dan Misha Goldman always has some of the most inspiring instrumental work in his music. What made you choose “Hollywood, Jerusalem” to work its magic on the release?
Another thing we try to do when compiling our samplers is to highlight songs that may not have gotten proper attention. This song, off his Champion of the Afterworld album released earlier this year, fit into that category. It’s sonically so beautiful, subtle, and interesting.
There is such a quirky collection of artists included on this mix. How do you imagine people listening to it? (Holding a glass of brandy, driving under the night sky? You can get detailed here!)
It’s definitely a eclectic mix of music. I like to think there’s something for everyone here and that a compilation like this might challenge people to listen to a genre they’d otherwise not seek out.
What I hope at least one person does when listening to this compilation is ride a horse. That would make things come somewhat full-circle with our branding.
If you could get any celebrity to promote the Sampler, who would you choose and why?
Probably Neil Young. He’s a hero, major influence, and fellow Canadian who I think would actually dig the music.
What is the biggest piece of advice Forward Music has for us now, in its tenth year?
If I’ve learned anything in ten years it’s that nothing is predictable so I’d prefer not to offer any advice because I don’t think it’s relevant. However, I will offer my personal motto when working within music, both in the “business” and when performing, which has saved me so much time, stress, and money. NEVER RUSH!
Anything else you’d like to add?
Keep fighting the good fight, damn the man, enjoy breakfast, appreciate nature, and submerge whenever possible.
___
Keep up with Forward Music Group
here.
