by Meredith Schneider | Apr 17, 2019 | Uncategorized
To many, April is truly what the first weeks of Spring are made of. New beginnings, fresh flowers, allergies abound. But for myself – and a good amount of our contributors – it symbolizes new beginnings because it is also birth month. (Shout out to all of my Aries comrades!) Though the fire of nw beginnings burns bright in other aspects of my life, never before have I witnessed such a jam packed month of new music releases.So, here are a host of our favorites released over the month of April. With new tracks from Uppermost, Ramonda Hammer, Calexico, daste, MARBL, Simon XO, Don Cherel, and more, this is a soundtrack you won’t want to miss out on. Check back for more over the course of the month, and be your friend group’s most influential music suggester!
by Meredith Schneider | Apr 17, 2019 | premieres, singles, wolf tracks
Electro-pop artist Nix is coming at all of our emotions with new track “Playing With Fire”, which premieres right here with iF. From the first stream of lyrics, her incredible and vibrant vocals draw you in, the instrumentals only holding up her vocal range as she croons about a toxic relationship. Incredibly relatable and full of soul, this is the type of song you’re going to want to belt when you’re ready to establish your own boundaries. Now is the time.
Keep up with Nix here.
by Meredith Schneider | Apr 16, 2019 | videos, wolf tracks
Scott Lavene‘s latest video for his track “Broke” is quite the theatric accomplishment. The song itself has its quirks – as Lavene seems to be known for his tongue-in-cheek references already -, comprised of spoken word over ridiculously calming layers of instrumentals. If it were up to us, it’s your time to get lost in the fabulousness of this new visual. Check it out below, and let us know what you think! (Then perhaps down some champagne in a top hat in a park somewhere?)
Keep up with Scott Lavene here.
by Meredith Schneider | Apr 16, 2019 | 5 to 7, Featured
Today, we get the unique pleasure of sitting down with Arleigh Kincheloe, the brainchild of Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds. We talk her latest solo album GOLD, growing up in a musical home, and family. She was so much fun to speak with! Trust me, you don’t want to miss this one.
0:00 Intro
0:11 EZVisibility.com
0:22 Dbl-take.com
0:33 imperfectfifth.com/merch
1:02 Arleigh Kincheloe Intro
2:14 Emmy Lou Harris | Bonnie Raitt
5:04 Growing up in a musical home
6:31 Tour life
8:27 Pre show rituals
12:13 GOLD recording process
16:31 “You’re My Party”
17:51 “Ghost”
19:48 Superpowers
23:04 Spring Tour
Keep up with Sister Sparrow here.
by Meredith Schneider | Apr 15, 2019 | albums, review
On Friday, singer/songwriter duo doubleVee – comprised of Allan & Barb Vest – released a new 5-track EP, titled Songs for Birds and Bats. From the initial lines of first track “Map the Channels” – which establishes the energy of the release – through the even more fast paced and staccato-driven “Ladder for the People”, you get the gist that this musical act just does not quit. “Goldstar Redux” begins very layered, and then simplifies as it builds up the vocals.
If you haven’t had the pleasure of witnessing doubleVee until now, you get a sense by that third track that they could create music together in their sleep. The theatrical soundscape alone of “Goldstar Redux” brings you into an invigorating space, driven by the couples’ chemistry, going strong musically since 2012. “Goldstar Redux” explodes into a cacophony of sound before layering into “Landlord of the Flies”, a title which is another nod to “gold” — however, this time it’s more Golding than anything. The duo artfully completes the EP with “Last Castaways”, a twinkling and optimistic soundscape that will keep us reeling this spring.
Keep up with doubleVee here.
by Karina Marquez | Apr 12, 2019 | albums, review
The musical duo Mrs. Greenbird have created a deeply soulful sound with lyrics to match in their latest album Dark Waters. The folksy harmonies of Steffen Brückner paired with Sarah Nücken’s unique voice are what makes this a truly beautiful record. It’s reminiscent of another duo’s sound — Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová of The Swell Season and Once fame. While Mrs. Greenbird has a similar aesthetic, they manage to create something that is entirely their own. Their voices, along with the gentle guitar and melancholic lyrics, result in the kind of music that is brutally honest as well as poetic.
The album is quite well-rounded in terms of theme. The darker, more cynical sides of life and love are highlighted in songs such as “Careless Heart,” “1965,” and title track “Dark Waters,” while others like “One Day in June” and “Learn How To Love You” are more idealistic and romantic. One of the stand out songs is called “The Simple Things.” While every song is hauntingly beautiful, something about this particular one struck a chord in me. It’s about experiencing loss and trying to find yourself afterwards, how we tend to forget the pleasure of simple things in life.
Dark Waters is a feat of folk indie pop with a hint of country and a splash of blues, yet it works to form a great record. It’s perfect for almost any mood — a scenic walk, a long drive, a rainy day, a time to let out a much-needed cry.
Be sure to check out their latest album on April 12th, and keep up with the latest on Mrs. Greenbird here.
by Meredith Schneider | Apr 12, 2019 | singles, wolf tracks
In anticipation of the May 10th release of Shadows in The Shallows, Gold Light + Snakemusk have just released an easygoing new track titled “One Thing After Another”. Beautiful twangy vocals agains the backdrop of slow, practiced instrumentals paired with immense amounts of reverb, this song is just the southern gem we’ve been craving. Check it out below!
SPRING DATES
04.12•New Belgium Brewery (Asheville, NC)
05.10•Harvest Records – 3:00 PM Duo In-Store (Asheville, NC)
05.10•Static Age Records – 10:00 PM Full Band (Asheville, NC)
05.11•8th State Brewery (Greenville, SC)
05.14•Go Bar (Athens, GA)
05.15•El Rocko (Savannah, GA)
05.17•Pablo (Clemson, SC)
05.18•White Mule (Columbia, SC)
05.19•The Royal American (Charleston, SC)
06.13•The Pour House Music Hall (Raleigh, NC)
06.15•Little Amps (Harrisburg, PA)
06.16•O’Brien’s (Boston, MA)
Keep up with Gold Light here.
by Meredith Schneider | Apr 12, 2019 | albums, review
Philadelphia-based MiNKA – comprised of Ari “Dick” Rubin and friends – releases their brand new 7-track collection titled Reincarnation today. “Dark” starts us all off with a slow, entrancing soundscape, leading into the quirky and far more vibrant “Rain”. Third track “Gone” has a feeling of desperation dripping from its instrumentals, a slightly more theatrical soundscape than its predecessor, while “Dawn” brings guitar chords that will truly invigorate you.
Once you put into perspective that Reincarnation is MiNKA’s updated interpretation of notable 19th century vocal pieces by Schubert, Schumann, and Strauss, things start to make that much more sense. As the third and final chapter in a string of 2019 releases, it feels like a notable and beautiful way to round everything out. The simplicity of the song titles – each track is a single word, the majority existing at four letters and one syllable – is refreshing, and helps to bring the listener back to the songs’ original intent. With the final additions of “Hope”, “Hours”, and “Sirens”, MiNKA has provided us a well thought out, entrancing performance that we won’t soon forget.
Keep up with MiNKA here.
by Ian Schneider | Apr 11, 2019 | albums, review
With the single “Spelling Lessons” garnering over 15k plays on SoundCloud, artist Birch is ready to take the indie pop landscape by storm with her debut album. She has been making noise in the Brooklyn music scene for a couple years now, but the NYC-based feminist is ready to break out nationally. Producing, songwriting, and singing come naturally to Birch, something that is rarely said about any artist these days.
With echoing vocals and the perfect amount of synth, Birch is able to hone her indie pop sound over the course of the nine track record. femme.one is full of impact statements that are motivated by the feminist movement. As stated on her website, Birch is “Incredibly motivated by raising the female voice in society, Birch brands her music as feminist synth-pop. Female empowerment and gender equality are two causes very important to Birch. She often participates in marches, donates to Planned Parenthood, and strives to use her platform to make a difference.” With this being said, Birch’s music is not only for those who believe in these righteous causes, but also for those who truly enjoy indie pop. It is for those who may not necessarily know how to express themselves. Also, it is for those who may not want to share their incredible talents with the world, similar to how Birch was early in her music career.
femme.one comes to us at the perfect time. When activism and controversy are at the forefront of our society, Birch stands out as an artist who stands for what she believes in, expressing it through beautiful music. Birch is of a dying breed, artists who will not conform for stardom, but she might just get that for being herself.
You can listen keep up with Birch at her website http://www.birchmusicnyc.com/.
