by Meredith Schneider | Dec 5, 2017 | wolf tracks
At the end of November, Polish avant-pop duo Legumina released their debut album, a 11-track collection affectionately titled Something Pasty and Probably Yellow. But this album comes from a different place than many others come from, and it’s something we definitely took interest in right off the bat. Legumina is the marriage of two stunningly vibrant personalities who, as it just so happens, chose to end their romantic relationship quite some time ago. But in 2013, the pair of Mon Sadowska (vocals, lyrics) and Marcin Gręda (guitar, ukulele, electronics, laptop, earlier Letdown Dept.) chose to reconcile those differences enough to form a duo, and to create an album that seems to serve as both closure on their romantic past and as a new beginning for their artistic futures. It’s unique, well-written, and beautiful to a point that we have to make it known.
Beginning with light, staccato notes accompanied by strangely contrasting lines of voiceover, “(Not That) Yellow” makes you feel like you’re in a futuristic lullaby. Pair that with the slow, ethereal notes of “Berlin” and the twinkling sounds of “Probably June”, and Something Pasty and Probably Yellow starts out in this quirky, beautiful space that you would assume a She & Him album might steer toward. Once Sadowska’s vocals hit a track, even if it existed in another soundscape altogether, she immediately brings a fairy-like presence to it all. A fact that comes to us as incredibly quirky and endearing, especially with fourth track “Song of the Northern Pole” which – instrumentally, at least – does perfectly capture the way you assume being in the North Pole would feel. Fifth track “Swim Safety” plays a little more with dissonance in the intro, swirling into this impossibly gorgeous track.
As you reach “Parking Space Inequity”, you’re so used to the upbeat feel of its predecessors that you don’t quite expect the melancholic twinge to kick in at that point. With the pace of the lyrics versus the instrumentals, it almost feels like Legumina found their inspiration in aughts emo and punk music, but it’s been updated with an electro pop feel that slightly resembles trance music at a rave. While “Sink Sank Song” makes you feel like you’re actually inside a video game – which makes the song that much more fun -, “Short Guide to Palm Reading” is considerably less witchy than what we would assume from the title. We are 100% on board with the bizarre title of track 9, and totally agree with the sentiment that “Happiness Isn’t Happiness Without a Violin-playing Goat”. The name of the track itself made us feel like we were wandering back into that punk/emo inspiration, a la the long titles that Fall Out Boy and Panic! at The Disco have become known for. “Elementary” slows things down to a crawl – really returning to that lullaby feeling – and the band expertly rounds out the album with the track “Farewell Captain” (ft. Edyta Glinska) which audibly insists on the closure of the album. The audience feels a finite energy in this track, bittersweet in its delivery, much like the closure the duo found through the production of this album.
Check it out below, and let us know what you think in the comments!
Something Pasty and Probably Yellow is available now. Keep up with Legumina here.
by Meredith Schneider | Dec 5, 2017 | wolf tracks
Today, New York-based musician Ryan Egan unleashes his latest single – a slow burner titled “Swarm” – unto the world. Compelling in its simplicity, the track is driven into existence by simplistic instrumentals and soft, persistent percussion. As the instrumentals layer in and blossom, Egan asks the existential questions like “Am I close to the edge, or am I stepping out?” and “How does it feel to be free when I let it go?” He recognizes the “dangerous ground” that he’s walking, utilizing lines in his lyrics that add a dimension of mystery and flare to the easy-listening, fun pace of “Swarm”.
Admits Egan of the track:
In many ways, this song is a perfect representation of the sound I’ve been digging for over the years as a composer. At a certain point, I knew there was a very organic, common ground between my biggest influences from Bjork to Radiohead to D’Angelo. Of course I don’t think that any one song can capture this sentiment entirely, but hopefully when listening to the various things I write and release, people can start to connect these dots and will find something unique that resonates with them.
“Swarm” is out now. Keep up with Ryan Egan here.
by Meredith Schneider | Dec 4, 2017 | wolf tracks
Just ahead of the release of his new album Magic Boy, Bartees & The Strange Fruit (Bartees Cox) has released a music video for his drop dead gorgeous track “IDK”. Even though we’re not big on acronyms, we are incredibly happy we gave this one a shot. Bartees’ voice is voluptuous almost in its delivery, beautiful and far-reaching in its range. But even without the accompanying guitar, his voice holds its own and essentially drives the entire track, something that brings us back to the beauty and simplicity of utilizing the voice as an instrument. The slow motion, precise movements in the video just really allow you to focus on the bittersweet, heart-driven lyrics as you gaze at the Manhattan skyline behind Bartees.
We love everything about this.
Magic Boy is out December 8th and is available for preorder now. Keep up with Bartees & The Strange Fruit here.
by Meredith Schneider | Dec 4, 2017 | wolf tracks
Denver-born, NYC-based electro pop musician Becca Krueger recently released her entrancing new single “We All In It”. The first single off her debut EP – expected out in early 2018 -, the song is quite the departure from the covers on which she established her career. But her wherewithal in the industry didn’t just stem from her studies at NYU, it came from years of experience at some of the most incredible venues on the east coast, as well as from the success of her first feature “Ceasefire”.
Becca’s lyric video for “We All In It” just premiered with PopCrush. Set over a dark blue, textured backdrop – something that beautifully resembles the night sky – the lyrics appear in a handwritten font while the patterns on the backdrop change ever-so-slightly. The song itself is tranquil, so the feeling that we are watching cloud formations change feels like the perfect way to translate this song into a visual. Becca’s vocals are low, raspy, ethereal in their delivery, and we know a voice has been developed that will help lead “the wounded hearts” to a serene feeling of camaraderie.
Keep up with Becca here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 30, 2017 | wolf tracks
Solo musician Stephen Rubinosky might just be starting out with his craft – his debut release is a fun acapella cover of Niall Horan’s behemoth of a soulful pop song “Slow Hands” – but he’s showing he’s got the chops to support a long-lasting career. He recently released the cover as music video depicting several screens of acapella recordings, and it’s absolutely mesmerizing. Working with contrasting colors – white backdrops with blocks of color made of black, red, and gray shirts – the video is simple, but easy to watch, as Rubinosky’s dancing and choreographed movements entice the watcher to dance along. Plus, it lets his new audience really get to know him, as we are exposed to 16 frames of Stephen as he serenades us.
Stephen Rubinosky will be opening for Drake Bell at Club Diesel on December 3rd. Tickets are available now. Keep up with him here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 30, 2017 | wolf tracks
Austin-based experimental musical collective Thor & Friends – comprised of Thor Harris (multi-instrumentalist), Peggy Ghorbani (marimba), and Sarah “Goat” Gautier (marimba, vibraphone, xylophone, organ, and more) – released the next chapter in their musical journey – an entrancing 9-track full-length titled The Subversive Nature of Kindness – just this month. Taking us on a musical journey that feels enticingly primal and exotic, Thor & Friends puts its unique blend of talents to the test – and passes with flying colors – to capture an ambiance that isn’t quite describable.
Whether the entirety of the material in this album was created as a source of relief or distraction from feelings of political unrest following the 2016 election – Thor is a very lively activist and often takes to Twitter to discuss politics and controversial topics – there are songs that we know to be directly inspired by recent events, some of which boast titles as obvious as “Standing Rock” and “Resist”. We choose to believe – after enjoying this album uninterrupted, from start to finish – that it does provide some of the peace necessary during this time of social and political unrest. Tracks like “Creepy Carpets” and “Dead Man’s Hand” set the pace with percussion, developing into almost eery soundscapes – the latter slightly more soothing, as though in the presence of death there’s nothing left to fear – before falling into oblivion. Our favorite track on the album just might be “An Escapist Theme”, as there are aspects in the soundscape that make you feel like you’re wandering through a sparsely populated dystopian society, and equally as though you’re adventuring through Neverland with Peter Pan and his Lost Boy cronies. But perhaps that was the intention, as any type of escapism is caused by a stressful situation in which you feel abandoned or alone in some way, driven by the lust for adventure.
In that way, if the experimental themes and confines within which Thor & Friends delivers their art provide existential questions or unsolved mysteries, the trio takes the time to find and provide closure with that thought. The songs themselves are these questions and answers, making the release feel complete in a very real way.
If you haven’t gotten a chance to experience Thor & Friends live, check out their upcoming tour dates. They take the time and make a concerted effort to really speak with their fans, hug and greet newcomers, and make the entire audience feel like they are a part of the show.
Upcoming performances
12/1 Austin, TX , Lemon Lounge w/ Bill Converse
12/8 Rennes, FR, Les Rencontres Trans Musicales, Parc Exposition, Hall 8
12/9 Rennes, FR, Les Champs Libres
Born! Music presents
12/11 Castellón, SP Teatre del Raval – Sons Castelló
12/12 Barcelona, SP Fabra I Coats
12/13 Madrid, ES, Centro Cultural Galileo – Ciuda Distrito
12/14 Lisbon, PT, Galeria Zé Dos Bois
12/15 Vigo, SP, Museo Marco – Sinsalaudio
12/17 Zaragoza, ES, Centro Civico Delicias – Bombo y Platillo
The Subversive Nature of Kindness is available now. Keep up with Thor & Friends here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 30, 2017 | wolf tracks
Vocalist Nona Hendryx and guitarist Gary Lucas – delightfully known as Hendryx Lucas – have combined forces to create a tribute worthy of the indelible Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band. A band that achieved cult status after their rise to existence in 1966, Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band was led by the great musical mind of Don Van Vliet and released 13 albums before its retirement. They focused on a blues and jazz, yet somehow always had a punk rock flare and the ability to produce brilliant, poetic lyrics.
Taking a variety of songs from different areas of his extensive catalogue, Hendryx Lucas has somehow seemed to perfectly capture both the expanse of his musical prowess and the simplistic way with which his music could profoundly enhance your environment. And they waste no time, a “start at the top” with “Sun Zoom Spark” – buoyant and entrancing in its delivery, much as its original – adding in a bit of punk flare to differentiate it just enough. They continue through the remaining eleven selected tracks in the same fashion, putting their own unique mark on each song just obvious enough to let you appreciate the individual musicianship of the two incredible artists who are doing us this fine service. What is perhaps the most endearing aspect of this release, however, is how you can begin to see how Hendryx’s funk/soul background actually enhanced her vocal abilities to be able to cover such range as Don Van Vliet. Add in the fact that Van Vliet was a huge inspiration to later generations of punk rock and those musicians are now recreating that same music with a more progressed punk sound, and it almost feels like kismet.
The World of Captain Beefheart is out now via Knitting Factory Records.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 29, 2017 | wolf tracks
Earlier this week, London-based 19 year old singer/songwriter Chloé Bodur released her debut single, a glowing track by the name of “Glory”. Slowly and steadily, the track unwinds into this incredible, soulful experience, from the robust singing chops of the stand-out up-and-comer, to the smooth intensity of the lyrics. Her vocals have a delicate rasp to them, just enough edge to allow the track to blend equal parts rock, funk, jazz into its peaceful and enticing soundscape.
“Glory” is out now. Keep up with Chloé here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 29, 2017 | wolf tracks
On Friday, Brooklyn-based art-pop quartet Milan to Minsk – comprised of Daniel Rote, Ran Livneh, Eyal Hai, and Uri Zelig (with noted “auxiliary members” Hot “John Stanesco” Juan and Peli Grietzer – is set to release their new EP Welcome to Hitler. And while The Deli just got the premiere of their incredible music video for the title track – which we highly suggest checking out, by the way – we’ve got the full 5-track EP streaming premiere a full two days in advance of its release. And it’s epic. We mean that in all sincerity, and you’ll see what we mean as soon as you press “play” on the fiery and theatrical title track. Welcome to Hitler doesn’t stop at one sound, either. Milan to Minsk has made what seems to be a very strong – yet natural – effort to take you on a musical journey that includes sexy horns, fun 80s sound effects, and very beautifully woven social commentary.
Get your ears on this now. You won’t regret it.
Welcome to Hitler is out Friday. They will be playing their EP release show at Trans-Pecos on December 6th. Keep up with Milan to Minsk here.
