Lotsa Lotsa sonic action this past week. Brigit was taken in by the Americana rock stylings of Futurebirds in Seattle, even though they made her “regret more than ever before turning down an invitation to attend a lap steel guitar convention years ago because the subtle power of this instrument was immediately apparent.” One day, Brigit was nearly seduced by Toro y Moi’s smooth as hell voice and dance beats at a House of Vans Party. Texan singer songwriter Shakey Graves was Artist of the Week, to recognize the need for more recognition of this “troubadour mystique that’s totally beguiling as he sings songs of the road and of roaming that can make you all too eager to simultaneously hit the road yourself or just pack and settle in Austin to hang out with this guy.”
Classic country-influenced Charlie Green is the great-grandson of a front-porch, Georgia banjo player, but he also pulls from Harry Nilsson, Ornette Coleman, and Charles Bukowski. With tracks like “I’m Going Inside” it’s only a matter of time before he’s on a True Blood soundtrack.
If Mississippi John Hurt, Buck Owens, and Kurt Vile all melded into one reincarnation, it would sound like Zachary Cale. He just released his lead single “Hold Fast,” off Blue Rider, due out in September.
Greece electronic duo Keep Shelly in Athens (shown above) premiered a new track off their debut album, At Home. “Recollection” is what summer sounds like.
Swedish dream pop band Shadow Shadow shared new single, “Riviera,” an enveloping synth-laden track that’s smooth like creamy peanut butter floating through space.
Young Galaxy’s latest album Ultramarine has been included on the short-list for this year’s Polaris Music Prize, and single “New Summer” gives us a good idea why.
“Elevator” is the new single from TV Ghost, a psych post-punk band from Indiana. This is an atmospheric jam that reveals influences from some of the best darkwave bands of the 80s.
Noisepop five-piece Joanna Gruesome shared their first single off their forthcoming debut album, “Secret Surprise,” a kinetic oscillation between punk spats and melodic dreampop.
The new incarnation of Hunx & His Punx pairs Seth Bogart with Shannon Shaw of Shannon and the Clams. Latest single “You Think You’re Tough” is a contagious snarl of their new album Street Punk, out now.
David Liebe Hart is a musician, artist, and puppeteer, and you may know him from Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job! Well, he’s about to put out his debut album, and it may be the best pairing of comedic lyrics set to garage rock ever.
London-based Barbarossa (who also plays with Junip) released new track “Pagliaccio,” which means ‘clown’ in Italian, and is influenced by a bunch of good bands as well as Vincent Gallo’s cult ’90s film Buffalo 66, especially “the end scene which features Yes’s Heart of the Sunrise and the scene with Cristina Ricci dancing to King Crimson’s Moonshine at a bowling hall.”
Lastly, Yuck shared first single as a three piece, tellingly titled, “Rebirth.”
Tracklist:
Futurebirds – “Virginia Slims”
Shakey Graves – “Roll the Bones”
Charlie Green – “I’m Going Inside”
Zachary Cale – “Hold Fast”
Keep Shelly in Athens – “Recollection”
Young Galaxy – “New Summer”
Shadow Shadow – “Riviera”
Toro y Moi – “Say That”
TV Ghost – “Elevator”
Joanna Gruesome – “Secret Surprise”
Hunx & His Punx – “You Think You’re Tough”
David Liebe Hart Band – “Santa Monica Pier”
Barbarossa – “Pagliaccio”
Yuck – “Rebirth”
BONUS Vid: Washed Out with The Creaters Project
A global arts and technology initiative, The Creators Project does some cool collaborations. The one they recently did with Washed Out is one of them.
