I caught an amazing show from A Place to Bury Strangers and Iceage that almost cracked my bones. (Sidenote about APTBS’s soundcloud soundwave for “I Lost You:” maybe it’s my dirty mind me, but it’s quite phallic, like a…solid shooting rocket of sound. Totally why I chose that song for the mix. Whoops.) Bambara opened that show, who I just caught the last flash of light and drum thud of, but after checking them out after the fact I now know I can’t miss their next set. In other live reviews, Katrina caught a rare twinkling hypnotic set from Chrome Sparks. She also interviewed Kate Eldridge of garage pop band Big Eyes, who talked about life on tour, moving from New York to Seattle, and albums that made her want to make music. While being inspired to listen to Of Monsters of Men by Kristen’s live review of the Icelandic folk pop band, I found this groovy little remix of “Little Talks” by Bombay Bicycle Club. And in album reviews, Brigit got ahold of the new Surfer Blood that was about three years in the making, and I wouldn’t mind hearing more of “the band’s new approach to edginess,” like when JP Pitts starts to scream on “Demon Dance.”
Other fresh goodies: I also missed Chicago garage glam band Twin Peaks during Northside, but they are an up and comer to watch, with a debut LP on the way, and a newly released video for jam “Fast Eddie.”
The Garden is a drum and bass duo of twin brothers, who are trashy, svelte and give zero fcks. They basically declare that with no apologies made in “What We Are.”
Copenhagen’s When Saints Go Machine have announced their first ever American tour dates, as well as a remix of “Iodine” by Robin Hannibal of Rhye. This is chill.
Holy Folk is a Los Angeles based collaboration between a trio of artists from other bands that I haven’t heard, but their collectively created single “Time Lapse” is feeling good to me. They recently released their debut album, which you can stream in it’s entirety on their website.
Porches is the moniker of songwriter Aaron Maine, who creates what he describes as “booty clap” and “sad rock.” I’m interpreting this as heavy bass with beats, with melodic, languishing vocals and synth on top. Definitely groove-able.
Composer and artist Alexis Georgopoulos has been thriving in the NYC underground for over ten years, but his solo project ARP is relatively recent, and about to release his first full length material, MORE. It’s a unique amalgamation that pulls from “70s art rock, autumnal baroque pop, musique concréte, minimalistic piano epics, narcotic gospel, sound library atmospheres, and delicate space folk.” Just have a listen.
Tracklist:
Big Eyes – “Nothing You Could Say”
Twin Peaks – “Fast Eddie”
Surfer Blood – “Demon Dance” Bambara – “Nail Polish”
A Place to Bury Strangers – “I Lost You”
The Garden – “What We Are”
When Saints Go Machine – “Iodine” (Robin Hannibal Remix)
Of Monsters and Men – ““Little Talks” (Bombay Bicycle Club Remix)
Chrome Sparks – “Marijuana”
Holy Folk – “Time Lapse”
Porches – “Franklin the Flirt”
Arp – “More (Blues)
