by Meredith Schneider | Nov 16, 2017 | wolf tracks
Polish alternative band Trupa Trupa – comprised of Grzegorz Kwiatkowski, Tomek Pawluczuk, Wojtek Juchniewicz, and Rafał Wojczal – released an eleven track collection titled Jolly New Songs at the end of October. Packed with intense attitude and reverb for miles, the album’s sound will keep you captivated as it trudges through first track “Against Breaking Heart of a Breaking Heart Beauty” until the last fourth, when it enters into an even darker soundscape and really thrashes into “Coffin”, which enters into the light, indie pop realm with its sound. By the end of it, you spiral into a feeling of falling, which is perfect because the third track is a frantic attention-getter that swirls into a dreamlike state-inducing trance track titled “Falling”. And while “Mist” is darker, led by percussion, the title track keeps a pleasant sound to the vocals, as though it’s staying on the polite end of the soundscape almost because of its title. That’s all well and good, until the song takes on an almost Tim Burton flare and spirals into a heavy instrumental cacophony that feels dangerous and inviting.
“Leave It All” is as melancholic in sound as the title would suggest, though the song itself leans more toward an off-kilter lounge band sound, though the theatrical nature of “Love Supreme” draws us into a Wizard Of Oz-meets-death march realm where Tim Burton’s antics feel slight and far away. “Never Forget” pulls us out of the darkness and plunges us into a dark alleyway, where we’re almost marching forward, decked out in combat boots and a leather jacket. “None of Us” reminds us of a dark and murky lullaby – perhaps for Satan’s children more so than anyone else – with guitar riffs that could swallow your ears whole. The tumultuous instrumentals in “Only Good Weather” remind us of the so-called reliability of the National Weather Service (ha!), replete with waning guitars and a swirling, psych rock bed of sound. And – if you ask us – Trupa Trupa did us a service making the crashing sounds of “To Me” the last track, as it, too, splinters into an uproar of crashing cymbals and intense rock vibes before leveling out and inducing a feeling of calm with its listeners.
Every emotion is palpable with Jolly New Songs. You just have to let it envelope you.
Jolly New Songs is out now. Keep up with Trupa Trupa here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 16, 2017 | wolf tracks
Just one day before the release of his new Newport Drive EP, Gaston Light (Dallas, Texas’ rock musician Jason Corcoran) is releasing his title track to tease your ears a bit. Slow and moody like a Brian Fallon song, Corcoran has really captured a robust, deep rasp that could entrance any human being. All that aside, the melancholic tone really makes you look inward as the words roll around in your head, building into crashing symbols and a grand, rock opera feel. We can’t imagine a person in the house not raising a lighter, or at least their phone flashlight, to enjoy “Newport Drive” to its fullest.
Newport Light is out November 17th. It is available for preorder now. Keep up with Gaston Light here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 15, 2017 | wolf tracks
On October 27th, New York-based experimental group The U.S. Americans – comprised of Jeff Weiss (Vocals/Guitar/Percussion), Emerson Williams (Drums), Daniel Deychakiwsky (Bass/Guitars), and Roy Abraham (Guitars) – released twelve track full-length Greatest Hits to what we are sure has been nothing but thundering applause. Those of you who have yet to witness what we’re talking about are in for a real treat, as the very beginning of the entire album includes that fateful quote from Miss Teen USA 20017 when Miss South Carolina made herself – and probably our entire country – look really, really intelligent. You can’t argue that a good punk song speaks to the establishment, and where better to start than with the lack of common sense displayed by the majority? Plus, add that killer guitar solo we’re not sure we’ve witnessed a better record intro.
“Money in America” comes in rough, dark, and brooding in its instrumentals, with attitude for miles in the vocals. “Dance Song 17” brings the sound back to a more pop space, while “Innocent Fools” makes you feel like you’re in a funk jam session. And while “Manolo” hits like a 70s rock track – and trust us, we’re totally into it – “Movies” slows everything down to progress into intense guitar licks and a real metal twinge to them, a rock ballad that could stand the test of time if we let it reach notoriety of any sort.
“Fade Out” meanders on at a crawl, a little more 90s grunge/rock feel of melancholia about it. But “Storytime” seems to lighten up the narrative, showcasing a short story of less than a minute, and bringing us into more of a lighthearted headspace. “King Someday” brings The U.S. Americans back to their attitude-ridden antics, though the otherworldly references are fun in a modern-alien advocate-type of way. “Lazy Suzy” hilariously picks up the tempo more than its predecessors, making us actually feel like we should get up and dance over really anything at present. “FCK THE KGB” is pretty self-explanatory, a hard-hitting, no-holds, barred, pure punk track that completely rejects certain aspects of modern history, and understandably so. The U.S. Americans end the album in the most American way possible… with the guitar-driven track “Dentist Street”. A light rock – almost folk – feel envelopes the listener in a familiar warmth, as the waning guitar increases the magic of it all.
Greatest Hits is available now. Keep up with The U.S. Americans here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 14, 2017 | wolf tracks
Last month, Brooklyn-based psych rock collective Ritual Talk – comprised of Alex DeSimine (Vocals, Guitar), Alex Tremitiere (Vocals, Bass), Tom Criblez (Vocals, Drums, Percussion), Dylan Gleit (Vocals, Guitar, Percussion), and TJ Alcala (Vocals, Keys) – released their simply beautiful debut five-track EP titled Rippled Glass. “Sense” takes advantage of its first slot on the EP, slowly layering in instrumentals after introducing smooth, harmonized vocals that implore you to “put away your phone and look me in the eye,” which provides a good jumping off point. (Because, why don’t you put away your phone to enjoy this release a bit? Unless you’re streaming it from your phone. Then keep your phone out.) It continues to crawl along, really displaying the vocal range the quintet is capable of. And while “Help, I’ve Been Dreaming” is an upbeat, almost glittering, it maintains verses that feel very 70s, with accompaniment that feels like 2000s pop rock.
“All in Blue” feels, once again, slightly more contemporary, but in a very easy-listening way. Add in the reverb-filled vocals, and you’re falling “deeper,” as the meaning of the EP’s title comes into full view, even as it “spills out of view.” “Follow You” almost makes no sense lyrically, and then you realize that the sentiment of the song is that of young love. If love is approached properly, neither of the responsible parties will end up following the other at all. Instead, it is important to meet your love interest where they are, and work together from where you are toward a life in tandem. It’s not easy, but the perspective with which this song has been written is beautiful and optimistic. “Dancing Still” rounds out the release, a more lyrically-involved track than its predecessors, layering in more of a pop sound as well. Simultaneously painting a picture of love – perhaps a twin flame type of take on things – and of the thrill of a love interest who enjoys dancing like no one is watching, the track has more than one place in your music library for its sound.
In fact, so does all of Rippled Glass. So get on it.
Rippled Glass is available now.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 14, 2017 | wolf tracks
If you’re looking for some easy listening with a lot of rough, beautiful attitude in the vocals, then Brooklyn-native and soul/americana/rock artist Christina LaRocca‘s “Child Of The Sun” might be your new thing. The singer is just about to return home from a pretty extensive fall tour, and we’re sure she’s ready for a little R&R. But we’re kind of ready to play her on repeat, so we hope she’s ready to tour again in the near future.
An intensely specific track, LaRocca audibly connects to nature and finds solace in beautiful outdoor atmospheres, such as the beach. You can tell she is strongly connected to her own roots, as she begins to spread her wings across the United States to bring her (long overdue) talent to the masses. As the “sound of [her] heart beats like a drum,” we’re nodding our heads along to that same beat, wishing desperately that we could maintain that same type of smooth/raspy balance in our own vocals. (Because belting it out in the car is an acceptable performance tactic.)
Keep up with Christina LaRocca here.
by ImperfectFifth | Nov 13, 2017 | 5 to 7, wolf tracks
Seattle-based psych-pop trio Spirit Award is in the throes of introducing their debut album to the world. The ten track full-length – Neverending – is quite clever in the way it was constructed, as a majority of the titles would fit comfortably into a phrase with the term “neverending” itself (i.e. “Summer”, “Women”, etc.). And the album was constructed during a time of loss for the band (the end of a relationship, the loss of a family member, a robbery, and struggle with anxiety), which has lent itself to the lyrics in a very real and extraordinary way. Check out the album below, then read what the band had to say about each song as they lead you through a track-by-track feature exclusively for Imperfect Fifth!
“Summer”
This was a song that came out of the chords from a old song we had scrapped called “Summer Comedown”. Chris (Bass, Keys) and I sat down and I put a lot of reverse delay and reverb on my guitar, and Chris started playing the beginning bass line.
The idea for the feeling behind Summer was to have this kinda floating slow motion feeling. Like if you smoked a bunch of indica weed, or haven’t slept and are feeling kind of in a daze. It was right after the “presidential” election happened, and it was hard for us not to be feeling like we were floating and concerned for our futures. That’s really what stemmed on the lyrics as well. It was a plea to keep pushing, to keep doing good, to keep making art, that this really does ‘all comes down to all of us’ to not give up, and push back.
“Fields”
It was a sort of spontaneous thing. We had a couple weeks before we were going back into the studio, and kind of stumbled upon writing this song. We like to switch instruments sometimes when we write, so I hopped on bass and started playing the riff and Chris hopped on the Juno. We got the basics of the song down and recorded drums and bass. We later wrote a lot of the synth parts in the studio. This was really fun to craft something so minimal and simple, and try to make it interesting along the way.
Like most songs we write, the lyrics came last. We we’re dealing with a lot of shitty life issues, and things that were a little confusing. The idea was kind of a mantra for me to let go of trying to have a “normal” or “perfect” life and enjoy being poor and all the randomness that life has to offer and do what makes you and others happy.
“Diving”
We wrote Diving in kind of the dead of winter I believe. Like I said, it was a super bleak and shitty time for all of us. I think that really comes through in this song, and the yearning for something good to happen, some glimmer of hope to go towards.
“Heavy Fog”
This was one of the earliest songs we wrote that we still play. We recorded it for an EP, but we went a little too crazy with it, adding strings and a ton of shimmery stuff. With this version we wanted to strip it down and streamline it a bit.
The basis for this song was written I (Daniel) while going through some depression and confusion that felt like a ‘Heavy Fog’ over me constantly. I was in a relationship that I felt like I couldn’t fully be myself in without judgement. I remember one day when I was waiting for a ferry to go to the San Juan Island and was feeling at peace and had this moment of knowing that if I kept confronting my fears and feelings and was honest with myself, I was going to be in a good place again, and that’s when the lyrics came to me.
“Las Vegas”
Kind of a turning point in our writing, and maybe the second song we wrote for the record. We were wanting to start writing with a more open and linear approach than we had been. This was one of the first songs we recorded for the record, and put out as a single. I remember after playing this song at a show a friend said “I could feel that man. That felt real. I like when you get aggressive”. We liked it too. I was focused too much on making something perfect before and writing melody and not just feeling it out and being authentic.
I was going through a lot of self doubt and an existential crisis while writing this song. This song is essentially about saying “fuck you” to anyone who try’s to paint you out to be something you’re not. You can’t control when people tell lies about you. All you can do is examine yourself and ask if you are being honest with yourself or if your ego is getting in the way. So the story for this became a mix of those feelings and a story I heard from a friend who was on a blackjack card counting team.
“All Desire”
We were selected by Converse’s Rubber Tracks contest, which meant that we got a free day at Avast Studio in Seattle with legendary Engineer/Producer Jack Endino (Nirvana). Usually it can take a half a day or more just to get the drum sounds you want, but we got to the studio in the morning and Jack had them all dialed in and sounding great in less than an hour. It was a really great feeling to be working with someone who’s been doing it as long as Jack and to hear all his stories about Nirvana, Hot Hot Heat, and other records he’s worked on.
One of the best feelings was when we got out a Fender Rhodes that we ran through some delay pedals to do some overdubs (which Jack was hesitant about, probably thinking we were just gonna dink around with it). When we started tracking Jack gave a big thumbs up and an approving nod.
We had reached the end of our session, so I said “Well, I guess our time is up” to which Jack replied “Fuck em, they’re not gonna kick me out, let’s keep tracking!”. So we did.
“Women”
This was a song that was really built around the idea of the lyrics I had in mind. I was tired of seeing men feeling like they own women. Like they can touch them, slap their asses, grope, and talk over them without any consent and without consequences. It made me incredibly sad to have friends and partners experience this. All I could do was feel this deep sadness for their experience and wish I could do something.
All I could do was write this song saying “we hear you, men are the worst, and I hope we can change that”. I want to encourage people to not tolerate this behavior from anyone. If someone doesn’t understand that what they are doing is sexist or hurtful, they never will unless you tell them. Sometimes it’s awkward but we need to change this norm that is hurtful and toxic. Everyone deserves love and respect.
“Running”
When we wrote this song it really felt like some sort of metaphorical baptism for me (Daniel) (hence the album cover). We had been through a lot over the last couple years and this was kind of an anthem to any negativity or backwards thinking to watch out Because I’m fucking pumped and I will destroy you (hopefully with peace, love and kindness?).
The idea for this song was to write another linear song like we did with Las Vegas. Not worrying about structure and just feeling out what’s next.
“Lost and Stoned”
When we wrote this song we we’re looking to write something big, loud and a little disorienting at times. For over a year the working title was just “Psych Jam”, which always felt appropriate.The idea for lyrics came about when I (Daniel) was angry and not a in a good place for a week and was getting stoned to escape the shit storm I had created.
I still enjoy getting stoned, but I think for me it’s important to make sure it’s not escapism.
“Yesterday”
This was the last song we wrote for ‘Neverending’. Most of the songs for the record we had parts to and were mostly organized. Yesterday was put together super last minute. I have this old Wurlitzer Omni 6000 organ/synth in my house. I wrote the song on it, Chris came over and wrote a bass part, and we just started tracking it. Chris borrowed a Neve Sidecar to run mic’s through that we set up in a big room in our rehearsal space. We basically gave Terence some direction but told him to do whatever felt natural. I had to leave so I didn’t hear the full song until later that week,. When I heard it I remember laying on the floor of my house with headphones and feeling like we got exactly what we wanted, a big drum sound with some nice warm tones.
The song was ultimately about all the change that had been happening in my (Daniel) life, and ours as a band. It was the last song in this series of writing and we felt like it gave us, and the record, some closure and a optimistic look into the future.
**Material submitted by the band
Neverending is out
now via Union Zero. Keep up with Spirit Award
here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 13, 2017 | wolf tracks
Last month, we shared the stripped down version of The Naked and Famous‘ “A Still Heart“, just shortly after the release of their first simplified recording of their hit “Higher”. Like the original version, this song has a clear twinge of hope in it, though the original upbeat, electro-pop vibe has completely disappeared. The track in this form allows the vocals to truly take center stage, vocals that are naturally incredibly emotional and pure.
Give it a spin, because it might just be the soothing factor in your day.
“Last Forever” is available now. Keep up with The Naked and Famous here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 13, 2017 | wolf tracks
On November 3rd, Kansas City, Missouri native and contemporary blues artist Samantha Fish released her latest work, an album titled Belle Of The West. Riddled with catchy hooks, beautiful melodies, and a flare for the dramatic, Fish has pushed the envelope slightly more than with her previous work, challenging her own sound at times and really coming at us with guns a-blazin’ with attitude, fun, and intensity that is a surefire reflection of what the live performance of this album will be like. Admits Fish of Belle Of The West:
To me, this is a natural progression. It’s a storytelling record by a girl who grew up in the Midwest. It’s a personal album. I really focused on the songwriting and the vocals and the melodies and the emotion, and on bringing another dimension to what I do. I wasn’t interested in shredding on guitar, although we did end up doing a few heavier things. I love the Mississippi style of the blues; there’s something very soulful and very real about that style of music, so this was a chance to immerse myself in that. It’s definitely a song record and an emotional record, and I’m really excited to play these songs live.
And we’re excited to see them live, as each of the eleven tracks could stand on its own with personality and attitude to boot. Take first track “American Dream” for example, with percussion that drives the track into an uplifting sound space, a song that has more attitude than its followup “Blood in The Water”, but is less confrontational. In fact, when Fish belts, “there is blood in the water” it seems like she is coming to this realization in a soothing environment, or that’s the way her vocals make us feel. “Need You More” picks up the pace slightly, making your heart ache with loneliness as Fish sings about her desire for love with a certain someone.
“Cowtown” is more about escapism from the mundanity of the every day no matter where you’re at, while “Daughters” is a dark reflection of a push and pull relationship with your roots. “Don’t Say You Love Me” brings back more of the strong belting we have come to know and love from Fish, really emphasizing the need to have things done on her own terms while she’s “playing with fire.” The title track once again lightens up the mood a bit instrumentally – though keeps the tempo slower – a somehow positive ending in the melancholically-delivered lyrics “she’s southbound for glory.” But nothing picks up like the pace and the mood in “Poor Black Mattie”, which brings out more of a southern flare than its predecessors, something we’ve come to expect and enjoy from producer Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars).
“No Angels” feels devious from the start, and we imagine that if Sons of Anarchy were still being made, this song would get placement in a heartbeat. “Nearing Home” has a positive title, slowing the album down to a crawl that a good last song would round out the album at. But this bittersweet track is only second to last, the track “Gone For Good” painting a more finite picture for us amongst standout guitar and smooth as butter vocals as the final in an eleven-track stunner.
Belle Of The West is out now. Keep up with Samantha Fish here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 13, 2017 | wolf tracks
Earlier this month, trance pop artist PARKER released hypnotizing new track “Doubles”. With vocals that are incredibly smooth – peppered with a particularly alluring raspiness – PARKER gives off a Lorde-like vibe while progressing through a particularly dark and vibe-inducing track. Lines like “nothing really scares me at all” and “if we’re happy for a second, that’s fine” really stick out, as PARKER seems to be willing to settle a bit to make something – or someone – happen.
Check out the stunning new track below.
Keep up with Parker here.
