by Meredith Schneider | Dec 27, 2018 | albums, review
Songstress Sophie Strauss recently released a new 8-track album filled to the brim with poetic intensity, a sense of self shining through that we have been craving lately. From Americana-tinged “Drive Down Mama” to the pop-infused “Aphids”, through the smooth atmospheric sounds of “Dog Fight”, Strauss’ work maintains an ethereal, playful soundscape that improves the mood of the room, regardless of the title and topic. “Text” gets slow and sensual, while “Sweetboy” contains primal percussion that would make anyone swoon. “I Was” is filled with reverb, a tinny effect that reflects the leading and ending quote.
“Joan of Arc” gets a little more military-feeling with regards to its percussion, apropos to the fact that the song is named after one of the greatest women warriors in known history. Listen closely to the lyrics, as it gets a bit vulnerable and we emerge with our hearts aching, though in a fulfilling and intensely emotional way. Sophie ends the album in “Aphids (Solo)”, a beautiful tribute to a picturesque and incredible memory.
Keep up with Sophie Strauss here.
by Meredith Schneider | Dec 21, 2018 | albums, premieres
Even though that one unavoidable holiday is right around the corner, you may have to wait until December 28th to feel like it’s Christmas. That day will yield the official release of Last Crush‘s EP SUPPORT C.E.N.T.E.R. The project – which is the brainchild of Mitchell Todorov (KLOZAPIN) – is synth-led, bursting into glittering cacophonies of sound in many of the tracks, as the vocals fluctuate from 80’s-inspired, to a yelling volume, to absolute scream-o. Displayed vocal range is impressive, each of the six tracks leaving a true impression.
Well, it looks like Christmas came early. You have to wait to add the collection to your music log for a few more days, but we’ve got your first listen in its entirety to celebrate all weekend long.
by emily burke
Keep up with Last Crush here.
by Meredith Schneider | Dec 18, 2018 | albums, review
Chicago-based art rock trio Arthhur – comprised of Mike Fox, Matt Cian, and Luke Dahlgren – released their fourth record on December 14th, and we’re really digging it. The 6 track tape is titled Lost In The Walled City, and is packed to the brim with attitude and a certain, unexplainable je ne sais quoi, if you will.
The title track hits hard, revving us up for the disco-laden rhythm of “Kinky Post-It”. (Yes, that’s the name of a song.) “Astral Fortnight” speaks to our higher beings, upbeat and ready to party, while “Choc Electronique” is something we would totally enter a dance contest with, as it would seem a little out of left field though the instrumentals are insanely catchy and could inspire a new line dance, if we’re being honest.
“Large Party” kicks it off with a series of sound effects and continues in the same artsy, experimental way, something we would definitely mosh to at a live show. Arthhur rounds it all out with “Get Fermented!” which is a track we’re into just from the mention of the title. Its smooth, enticing soundscape lures you in to a night of – if you’re lucky – consequence-free bad decision-making.
Keep up with Arthhur here.
by Meredith Schneider | Dec 12, 2018 | albums, review
Folk pop duo Fox and Bones – comprised of Sarah Vitort and Scott Gilmore – lays the groundwork for a fun, adventure-filled album from the very first lines of Better Land‘s initial track “Little Animal”, which boasts the feeling of a mid-album track, tempo having already had time to build. But this duo hits the ground running with every track, establishing its energy and diction separately than its predecessor. While “Love Me Like a River” brings the album into a deeper soundscape, “Roots” has a soulful anthem feel to it. “Roads” slows everything down exponentially, poetic in that fact, as they focus on the little details of spending life on the road.
“Reckless” sets a very different tone than “Tricky Love”, which happens to be one of our favorite tracks on this collection. The title track brings the tempo back up, definitely a staple on the album. “Strange” takes on ballad form, while “Pin Up” brings more twang to its instrumentals, setting a simple, beautiful tone to it. “Any of it With You” brings the positivity back in, establishing a sense of energy to work hard with what time you have left. Eleventh and final track “Welcome Home” is a head bobber, absolutely your next staple on long road trips as you search “for that spark.”
Test the new album out for yourself below!
Keep up with Fox and Bones here.
by ImperfectFifth | Dec 7, 2018 | albums, premieres
Hailing from Oakland, indie rock/experimental pop project We Is Shore Dedicated – the brainchild of Sam Tsitrin – has a bit of new magic to share with us this holiday season. New album No Ski Here Ogi Sap is here, boasting 9 instrumentally mellifluous tracks that will keep you dancing gracefully around your home all day. Though the lyrical edge to the album – politically and emotionally-driven – can be found outstandingly in tracks like “Sorok Sapogov”, it’s still a bit of a masterpiece, to be shared regardless of background or belief. Check it out in its entirety below!
Keep up with We Is Shore Dedicated here.
by Meredith Schneider | Dec 7, 2018 | albums, review
Pop-punk collective The Travoltas – comprised of Perry Leenhouts, Erik van Vugt, Jochem “Skokie” Weemaes, Wouter “Woody” Verhulst, Michel “Mikk” Meeuwissen, Daan van Hooff, Tim van Doorn – is coming at us hard this holiday season with their self-titled, 14-track full-length. With their quintessential pop/punk sound, the quintet has taken on a 60’s pop flare – much like that of The Oneders – that will get your toes tapping from the very first lines of “I Can’t Say No”, through to the very end of fourteenth track “Thing”. And though “Snowball” clearly nods at the cold weather of the days upon us, the soundscape feels very island-vibey, and we’re all for it. While “Work of Art” continues at a similar clip, “Ghost of Your Love” is slightly darker instrumentally, mirroring its name. They up the jazz factor with “Mail Ya To Australia”, and then get back to a pop/punk, Weezer-y vibe with “If You Could Be the Star”.
Seventh track “Making Out” once again occurs at a pretty quick pace, a notable love song, while “Blame My Baby” slows it down, and has a very Fountains of Wayne feel to it (in only the best ways). “Crying Shame” has a misleadingly upbeat instrumental piece, though the vocals tear through you and evoke the emotion fitting of its title. From the low lows to the very highest of highs, “Tower of Strength” comes next to bring the party levels back up. “I Was Dancing in a Lesbian Bar” and “Did I Lose You at I Love You?” have, perhaps, the most insightful titles, boasting catchy hooks that will easily get trapped in your head. “Hurry up!” has way less energy than you’d expect from its title, but that fact doesn’t detract from its endearing nature in the slightest. The Travoltas round out the album quite well with their quirky, hit single-worthy track “Thing”.
If you aren’t a fan of the band after reading our positive thoughts on their self-titled work, you might try giving it a spin. Actually, do that anyway. It’s quite the experience, and we’re big fans.
Tracklisting
01. I Can’t Say No
02. Snowball
03. Work of Art
04. Ghost of Your Love
05. Mail Ya To Australia
06. If You Could Be The Star
07. Making Out
08. Blame My Baby
09. Crying Shame
10. Tower of Strength
11. I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar
12. Did I Lose You At I Love You
13. Hurry Up!
14. Thing
Keep up with The Travoltas here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 21, 2018 | albums, review
Kansas City, Missouri-based garage rock psych pop band Eggs on Mars – comprised of Brad Smith (vocals, guitars, keys), Justin Longmeyer (bass), and Mason Potter (drums, percussion) – recently released a 10 track album titled Mama Pancake. As absurd and wonderful as the title is – and the name of the band – the album itself is so much more. First track “Sod is Good” is all types of amazing, from the realness of the track’s name to the calming mood that passes over us as we dwell in its slow, mellifluous glory. While “Placeholders” speeds up a bit and gives us a very 60s psych punk vibe, “Many Minds” brings more of a 90s feel to it. “Red Haired Darling” slows it all down a bit, a love song for all of the red headed beauties in our lives.
“Doing Fine” gives off a bit of a melancholic feeling sonically for the first half, and the title isn’t quite convincing if you ask us. It gains momentum, though, and leads pretty nicely into simplified instrumentals with “Not to Regain”. The sentiment given off in the lyrics of “A Song” makes it feel a little more than “just a song”, while “Don’t Listen” speeds it up, giving us something fun to move our hips to. “Prayer for a Troubled Son” continues in that vein, a fun guitar riff to keep us on our toes throughout.
Eggs on Mars rounds out the album with “Meet Me in Hannibal” – Hannibal is a small town in Missouri where Mark Twain grew up, for those of you wondering – and anyone who has been carried away by a long(er) distance relationship can relate. It’s a beautifully bittersweet love song, slowly and carefully concocted to give us starry eyes as the music fades.
Mama Pancake is available now. Keep up with Eggs on Mars here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 19, 2018 | albums, review
At a very important time, Kansas City-based alt garage rock band The UK’s – comprised of Noah Bartelt (Lead Vocals/Guitar), Scott Combs (Guitar/Vocals), Katelyn Miles (Bass), and Tarquin Eugene Kellough (Drums) – has released a 5-track EP, affectionately and poignantly titled American Way of Death. From the very first, melancholic sounds of “Why Don’t You Go” – which hits a stride that makes you want to add it to your “walking the streets of the city like a badass” playlist – through the 60s punk-influenced soundscape of “Wake Up”, all the way through third track “AWOD” which follows suit, there is an electricity that makes you realize that incredibly underrated music comes from the midwest. (Hello, Holy White Hounds and Mess!)
Cut to “The Poison Squad” and you’ve got a track we could easily find ourselves barbecuing to on a chilly autumn day, dancing to at a sweaty basement party, or driving to down the Kansas City streets. It all comes to a head with fifth and final track “Other Team”, which brings in that fun, vintage, upbeat feel again. If you’re not careful, you just might find yourselves on the ceiling too…
Keep up with The UK’s here.
by ImperfectFifth | Nov 19, 2018 | perspective
One part June Carter sassing Johnny Cash along with two dashes of Itzhak Perlman on a midnight hayride, Mad Crush’s songs contain theatrical, back-and-forth performances between their singing protagonists Joanna Sattin and John Elderkin. Complete with humor and heartbreak, their songs are in fact bright little dramas about fussing, fighting, and occasionally making up—universal truths sprinkled with brand-new magic dust. Below, Elderkin discusses his first musical influences, which are readily apparent upon listening to Mad Crush’s recently-released debut LP.
I have a habit of dismissing great albums on my first listen. I had friends with an advanced copy of Nirvana’s “Nevermind” who freaked out when they heard it, but when I listened, I thought it sucked. Later, I gave it another try and realized I was way wrong. Like the rest of the world, I ate it up. I had a similar reaction to R.E.M.’s first EP, called “Chronic Town.” Friends I respected said that it sounded unlike anything they’d ever heard anywhere. I listened and shrugged. It was different, but what was it? But when I pulled the record out again a few months later, I was flabbergasted. Those guys were speaking my language!
The one time I got it right came before these albums, on my first listen to The Clash’s “London Calling.” I was a teenager but I’d never heard of The Clash, and I bought it because I liked the cover picture of the bass player smashing his guitar on stage. I turned on my record player and by the end of the first song I was jumping up and down on my bed like a maniac. When my younger brother came in to ask what the hell was going on, I pointed to the record player and sure enough, he jumped on the bed, too. The only time I got down was to turn over the sides. I didn’t own a lot of records yet, and afterward I probably assumed that most albums would knock me out this way, that life would be one “London Calling” after another. Maybe that’s why I wasn’t so impressed later with other records that were supposed to bowl me over. Or maybe it’s just that great…
___
Keep up with Mad Crush here.
