Part of the fun of having a job like this is being able to write about tiny local bands you know personally or might have a friend or two in. It gives you the opportunity to give their work some exposure and you also get to count it as part of your hours. This brings me to Newport News’ own indie rock band Space Fish (or “Spish” for short), who recently released their new single “Ringtone”, which came out just this April.
The band comprises Alex Arena (lead guitarist/vocalist), Joey Bartoo (rhythm guitar), Kemari Effiong (keyboards, backup vocalist), Lauren Tudahl (bass), and Matthew Conner (drums), each of whom met while studying at Christopher Newport University. They have been releasing music since 2020, with “Ringtone” being their third single after 2020’s “It’s Never the Same” and 2021’s “The Warm Up Legend”.
In a way, “Ringtone” is a new beginning for the band as it’s the first single with its current lineup. With two years between this single and the previous one, there are immediate signs of improvement. The lead vocals are stronger and more confident, the already strong guitar work is even better, and it just has a fuller sound overall with clearer bass and drum fills. Space Fish’s sound was already built out of folk and indie rock, and here it’s a perfect blend as a focus on driving guitars and drums doesn’t overpower the emotions and confessional storytelling present in the lyrics.
It’s a good song, especially for a young band still finding their voice. As of now, the band is working on a new single and eventually plan to release an EP containing “Ringtone” and other new tracks.
Talking Heads is easily my favorite band. They were the first band that really got me into being a massive music geek, and I can’t imagine where I’d be today without them. So, when I heard A24 was planning a large-scale tribute album of Talking Heads’ iconic Stop Making Sense concert film with a different artist covering each song, I got excited but also quite cautious. I loved the band was getting more exposure to new audiences, but who would A24 pick to cover each song? Would they choose artists that honor Talking Heads’ material but still do their own spin on it to keep it fresh?
I’ll go out and say immediately that many of the musicians featured on the album aren’t necessarily ones that would be on my shortlist for a covers album, but that’s not at all a bad thing. Part of Talking Heads’ appeal is the way they respected and performed countless music styles—sometimes multiple at once. They created a unique sound of punk, funk, dance, and art rock and still had room for inspirations from world music or hip-hop made them so forward-thinking. Choosing artists of a variety of styles complements the multicultural palette Talking Heads had worked with.
(Okay, but if I had to choose who I’d want on the album, I’d choose LCD Soundsystem, St. Vincent, HAIM, and a more contemporary post-punk band like Squid or black midi… I can dream.)
However, there was still another big concern I had with the announcement: it was a covers album. A known, respected artist doing a cover of a song is a tricky balancing act. You must honor the source material, but not too close to where it just sounds like you’re doing karaoke. But, if you divert from the original too much and go somewhere too new, it makes your cover just seem like a pointless exercise and you won’t make fans of the original happy. It’s difficult, but it’s totally possible to accomplish this mix.
With that said, the easy standouts of the album were the ones that got this balancing act down the best. Paramore’s cover of “Burning Down the House” kills with Hayley Williams’ stage presence and irresistible vocal performance, and “Crosseyed and Painless” done by Chicano Batman and Money Mark captures the original’s relentless, nonstop energy. It’s hard to recapture the feeling of such a soulful, heartwarming song, but the version of “This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody)” by BADBADNOTGOOD and Norah Jones gets damn close. I’m a fan of the former’s lush 70s soul inspirations and using that with Jones’ comforting presence just makes their cover feel like a warm hug in all the same ways the original did. And, if Talking Heads’ cover of “Take Me to the River” equally combined them with Al Green, then Lorde’s cover of the same song is a satisfying blend of both her sound and Talking Heads’.
Some of the other covers closer to the originals can depend on your tastes. I liked The National’s version of “Heaven” which works well with their atmospheric indie folk sound, and quite like some of Aaron Dessner’s produced work for that one super famous rich white and blonde woman who I won’t name*. (*Forgive me, Meredith.) The Linda Lindas and girl in red do acceptable versions of “Found a Job” and “Girlfriend is Better” respectively without changing much, and I enjoyed seeing an African group represented on the album through highlife band The Cavemen’s version of “What a Day That Was”.
The problem with many other covers is that they’re too different from the originals, and it makes them difficult to judge. I love “Psycho Killer” and I’m fine with Miley Cyrus covering it, but why do it as a Lady Gaga-style EDM song? “Thank You for Sending Me an Angel” isn’t one of my favorite Talking Heads songs, yet it’s hard to get behind Blondshell doing a slow burn grunge version of it (albeit with a pretty rad guitar solo at the end). Then there’s some of the out-there covers like DJ Tunez performing “Life During Wartime” as an afrobeats-inspired trap song or Kevin Abstract going as far away from “Once in a Lifetime” as possible.
None of these songs are necessarily bad in terms of their sound or how they changed the originals, but they’re hard to appreciate in contrast to the other songs that try hard to honor the spirit of the originals. It’s not to say some covers work despite being too close to the originals (i.e. Teezo Touchdown’s “Making Flippy Floppy” or Toro y Moi’s “Genius of Love”), but perhaps the album could have functioned better with more direction as opposed to letting the artists run completely free.
Everyone’s Getting Involved isn’t bad, despite what some more closed-minded Talking Heads fans may say. However, it’s difficult to appreciate based on how different each artist approaches the original material. It has enough good covers to make the experience worthwhile, even if it may also leave you scratching your head at points. Still, nothing here stains Talking Heads’ enduring legacy as one of the best bands of its time.
Brooklyn’s own indie rock band Razor Braids just released Big Wave, their sophomore LP after 2021’s “I Could Cry If You Want Me To”. The new album is of a concept record about the timeline of going through a breakup, and lyrically it’s very personal. It goes into the narrator’s (which could be any of the members of the band, or multiple writing from shared experiences) feelings about their insecurities, self-doubts, and feelings of anguish within themselves. The lyrics are one of the strong points of the band, being clear, relatable, and easy to identify with as a listener.
Musically, the band’s style has its inspirations in 90s indie and alternative rock. There are many obvious comparisons like the lo-fi sound of Liz Phair, some Mazzy Star-style touches of psychedelia, as well as heavy grungy guitars that occasionally pop up. The production and guitar work on the album is consistently good, with a hazy but dreamy atmosphere composing many of the songs. Lead vocalist Hollye Bynum gives a lot of great performances throughout, showing her singing as more confident than the band’s earlier singles like “Nashville”. The backing vocals (contributed by rhythm guitarist Jillian Karande) are just as strong, though some of the best sounding parts of the album were when both vocalists harmonized, like on “B26” and “Windy Gap”. It’s an element of the band’s sound that I wish they used more.
My favorite track is the lead single, “She”, which is an upbeat pop-rock song that easily has the breeziest and most danceable groove on the album (with the drums provided by former member Sid Nichols). The band’s irresistible energy and chemistry here shines through, accentuated by brief giggles by the band as the song closes. However, while “She” is a great single, it differs a bit from the rest of the album in terms of its accessibility and focus on a pop chorus. Not that this is a bad thing, as mellow and downbeat songs like “It Goes Quiet” and the title track are still strong because of the earnest performances and lyrics, and especially from the lush guitars (from lead guitarist Janie Peacock) in the second half of the latter.
Big Wave is mostly a storytelling album rather than one that’s song driven. There’re points where the tracks can feel more about expressing emotions rather than structure and rhythm. This is most apparent on “JR”, which seems to explode with intensity as a musical emotional breakdown in the second half, as psychedelic guitars bury the vocals before they come crashing down on themselves. The vulnerability given from Bynum’s performances helps make this seem rawer and more effective.
All the songs are good, and the album is easy to recommend to fans of modern indie rock that are more into lyrically driven music. It’s not perfect, as I think it could’ve used another good hook or two and better pacing. Still, the album ends on a bittersweet but hopeful note on “There’s No Sound”, and I think the band still has a lot of talent and potential to build on based on the more promising parts of the album.
Big Wave may end up just being a steppingstone for a band that’s still evolving, but it’s captivating enough to look deeper into it.
Get ready to be blown away by The Lookout’s latest single, “I Know the Future,” an exhilarating ride through the heart of Montreal’s punk scene. Masterfully channeling decades of punk influence, “I Know the Future” is a track set to ignite your senses and keep you hooked from the very first chord riff.
Led by powerhouse frontwoman Martha ‘Rockhard’ Rodriguez, whose vocals embrace the raw, gritty spirit of Joan Jett, The Lookout brings a fresh, yet familiar energy to the punk genre. “I Know the Future” features fast-paced, energetic guitar riffs and driving rhythms that embody the essence of classic punk while infusing a modern, urban edge unique to Montreal’s vibrant music scene.
The song cleverly disguises its heavier themes with a fast-paced, energetic sound, making the emotional gut punch of its message all the more surprising. At first listen, the song is a thrilling and fun anthem that makes you want to move and shout along. But as the infectious energy pulls you in, the deeper meaning of the lyrics begins to resonate.
“I Know the Future” captures the frustration of knowing the outcome of one’s actions yet feeling compelled to repeat them, a theme that most of us can relate to. The line “It’s all so simple” highlights the paradox of life’s complexities; just “Try, try, and try again.” But the relentless pursuit produces only the same, known, less than desirable outcome, making this track not just a musical experience, but an emotional journey.
The Lookout’s connection to Montreal’s diverse punk community shines through in their authentic sound and poignant storytelling. Whether you’re a longtime punk aficionado or new to the scene, “I Know the Future” offers something for everyone: high-energy music, compelling vocals, and lyrics that linger long after the last note fades.
Part of the fun of writing about an artist like Le Destroy (aka Kristina Olson) is that using words like sleazy, grimy, and harsh are encouraging rather than not. Her politically charged songs mix the aggressiveness of punk and industrial with the loose, unchained spontaneity of dance music. Le Destroy’s work sounds like a late-night rave in a soul-crushing dystopia and that’s exactly the appeal.
This style carries over to her recently released album, Trashumanism, which was accompanied by a graphic novel that visualizes each song by chapter, taking the dystopian themes of the album into a fully cyberpunk environment. Olson is no stranger to cyberpunk, figuratively and literally, with her contributing songs to the hit video game Cyberpunk 2077. However, the graphic novel allows her music to become more atmospheric, set against a grubby high-tech science fiction landscape that the audience was clearly meant to visualize her work in from the start.
The music video for the song “Autonomy” was also recently released, and features anime-inspired animation courtesy of studio Ferr. It features the main character of the graphic novel, the Artist, dancing, flipping the bird, and lip-syncing to the song against a neon-lit future noir backdrop. The video is well-animated and visually striking and complements the song perfectly.
As for the actual song itself, it’s really exhilarating and seems inspired by hardcore punk with even some elements of thrash metal (I was reminded a bit of Bad Brains while listening to it) with distorted guitars and Olson screaming out her lyrics. However, Le Destroy builds on these genres by incorporating pulsing synthesizers and industrialism, showing the influence of co-producer Danny Lohner of Nine Inch Nails fame. It can still function in a dance setting like some of Le Destroy’s other songs, though it would fit more in a mosh pit at a punk club rather than something more EDM-focused.
The song is not only punk musically, but also politically. It’s deeply anti-capitalist with a focus on personal (ahem) autonomy in the face of political unrest, accentuated by its chorus of “fuck your system, let autonomy reign!” Even without the cyberpunk stylings of Le Destroy’s music, “Autonomy” and Trashumanism in general speaks deeply to modern social and political issues that can resonate with a disenfranchised younger audience, as well as being consistently enjoyable.
Direction / VFX and Compositing: Marx Ferreira – insta @ferranimation Character Design: Luiz Felipe Martins – twitter @lulohre Background Design: Bruno Tabor – insta @tabor.bruno Rough Animation / Tiedown: Maíra Colares – insta @colaresmaira.art, Gustavo Mochiuti – insta @ghakusho, Bruno Jordani – insta @jojordani, Giordana Medaglia – twitter @gimedaglia12, Ari Negreiros – twitter @ari_tooniverse, Daniel Santana – insta @danielsantana.ds, Ambrósio Pentú – insta @ambrosio_pentu Cleanup Animation: Guilherme Manzano – insta @manzart__, Gabriel Alves – insta @gabr1el_alv3s
SONG CREDITS Produced by: Danny Lohner, Le DestroyMixed by: Danny Lohner Mastered by: Howie Weinberg Written by: Kristina Olson
On May 15th, Kansas City favorite Local Natives made an appearance at The Truman alongside Uwade. Visual artist Jennifer Casida was on-hand to deliver some fun and psychedelic photos of the sold-out event, which took place on a gorgeous, temperate spring evening under a pink midwest sunset.
It’s already June, and if no one tells you how they can barely believe it in the next few days, then you got away with murder, essentially.
That said, it is June. And with June comes PRIDE. Big Hassle – one of our favorite companies in the otherwise questionable and interestingly chaotic music industry – has curated a playlist featuring some of their most prominent talents. We got our hands on it so that you can get to know the Big Hassle roster… and party down all month long.
imperfect Fifth really is committed to celebrating LGBTQ+ joy and rights every month of the year, and will do what we can to uplift marginalized voices where we can. Please email meredith@imperfectfifth.com if you have any brands or talent you’d like us to highlight, projects to talk about, or something else that can help us support and uplift our community!
In March, indie darling duo Byland – comprised of husband/wife talents Alie and Jake Byland – released their entrancing, 10-track full-length Heavy For A While. One of our favorites was a very emotional track for Alie, titled “Two Circles.” The music video was released today, and we are massive fans of the use of color to tell a story with the artful visuals.
Alie wanted to explore the idea of post-death limbo with this music video, which explains the stark contrast and richness in the colors chosen. “Chris Cunningham did a phenomenal job of imagining a weird, compelling visual concept and putting together an amazing team to bring it to life,” Alie says.
“As the protagonist (Alie) explores her home, she starts breaking through into this larger space that’s a little bit unfamiliar, but still populated with memories and objects from her past,” explains Cunningham. “She finds herself naturally searching for an exit, no longer content with just existing alone in her old familiar environment (perhaps unconsciously preparing to move on). Eventually, she finds an exit door that leads… well, somewhere else. Where the hell that is, I have no idea. Absolute death? A DMT fever dream in the final firework show of neurons in the brain? An afterlife? Who knows.”
The video has a haunting feeling to it, much like the song it was created to accompany. Check it out in full below.
VIDEO CREDITS: Music video for the Byland song, “Two Circles” off of the record “Heavy for a While.” Director: Dark Details Director of Photography: Dylan Priest Producer: Paul Breslin Gaffer: Matt Lindberg Photographer: Nick Ward Production Assistants: Ayla Cole, Brantley Duke, Marcus Chavez Special thanks to Kate Becker and Harbor Island Studios, as well as Chris Mosson and Retro Camera.
The Dandy Warhols’ album release week swept New York City in March. With shows at Elsewhere, Gonzos, and Webster Hall, the Dandy Warhols introduced Rockmaker to the world. The Warhols’ Webster Hall show was epic, and is captured in the pictures below.
