This is fine.
Is everyone else starting to pick up the SXSW fever? This time last week, I really wasn’t, but now I’m beginning to feel that itch, that desire for the week to get here already. Of course it helps that Nate Dawg and myself have the entire week off from work, so yeah… Anyway, I’m carrying the torch of SXSW interviews today with a quick and easy one from Washington D.C. based ATH faves Bad Moves. Strap in and check out the responses after the jump.
I had heard rumors of this album, but really happy that today Tracyanne and Danny have released their first single from their forthcoming self-titled LP. It’s strange, but just hearing Tracyanne (of Camera Obscura) again is something that immediately establishes nostalgia; she was a huge part of my 00s listening experience (and beyond). Hearing her pull off a duet with expansive arrangements behind the vocals reminds me just how much I miss her songwriting touch. Look for the new LP via Merge on May 25th.
I like the pace Shane Renfro is working at with RF Shannon, but I like it even more that he’s crafting these beautiful tunes with such consistency. After last year’s Jaguar Place, he’s back with Trickster Blues, his latest LP. Our first listen has the band harboring that far out Texas cosmic vibe, though still circling around classic folk balladry. The power of the guitar stretching out into horizon while the quiet piano steadies the tune, waiting for the cascading distortion to shoot off. Honestly, this might be one of the best tunes the band has written; the new LP drops on May 4th via Cosmic Dreamer Music.
I’ve been writing about Connections pretty much nonstop since I discovered them a few years back via a friend at the record store. They’re back with exciting news…a new LP and a new label; they’ve just signed up with Trouble In Mind. Our first listen has the group readying a steady rock number, heavy on DIY attitude, but filled with infectious hooks. The guitars and drums crash down emphatically, matched by the band’s vocal performance. Perhaps my favorite thing is that the group are just banging out rock n’ roll hits; there’s no pretense, no BS, just swagger and hooks. Foreign Affairs will drop on May 11th.
We don’t have too much info on the new project, Waves of Dread…we know they’re from Newcastle, and that they enjoy Brian Jonestown, Neil Young and Dinosaur Jr, though not necessarily in that order. We do know that this new single they’ve just dropped is a pretty special number, which hopefully means we’ll have more music tune. There’s an immediate fuzz emanating from your speakers as you press play, spliced with this beautiful harmonic performance on the vocals; they seem wrapped in the warmth of and underlying melody. Little touches of excess noise and vocal accompaniment pop in and out of the track, giving the song a fuller sound. Let’s hope there’s more on the way from this act.
Just about a week or so away from the release of the new Nap Eyes album, and they drop another great tune/video. Listening through this track, the structural elements are quite similar to the earlier singles we’ve heard, but I’m stuck on Nigel Chapman’s vocal performance; he stretches in charming fashion to reach high notes, then swings em’ back with a deeper crone. There’s even a nice little guitar jam near the end, but for some reason even that can’t distract me from Nigel’s voice; I keep wanting to call him the male Hope Sandoval…there, I said it. Whatever, I’m Bad Now is out March 9th on Paradise of Bachelors, and it’ll be great.
Admittedly, I’m a label stalker, and for the last few years, Lost and Lonesome is a label I repeatedly go back to each week to unearth new gems. They’ve quietly put up this beautiful new track from Great Earthquake…the project of Noah Symons who drums for Lost Leaves. This number is one of patience and restraint, slowly plodding along with lyrical content revolving around the song’s title; it’s a tune about appreciating the life around you. If you’re looking for like-minded acts, then perhaps travel back in time to the music of American Football, simplistic and rewarding. Your day will only get better with this song floating around in your world. Look for Thinking & Making to come out later this year!
We continue our SXSW interviews by catching up with Nassau, the duo of Justin Wilcox and Jeffrey Silverstein . Late last year they released the excellent Heron, and they’re riding that momentum all the way into Austin. They’ll be playing their official show on March 16th at 18th Over Austin at 8 PM. Stream their recent album below, and follow that jump for the interview.
Nothing makes me happier than the fact that Bill Baird consistently writes beautiful songs, and his latest single is just another in a long line of wondrous tunes. This time, Bill his joined by his friend (and ours) Jana Horn for a duet performance. It’s an airy affair, with the guitar notes almost coming across understated, sliding subconsciously into your mind. Jana’s voice comes in first, and it fits in perfectly with they hazy imagery of the video; she has this way of singing just above a whisper that’s absolutely intoxicating. Bill joins her for the chorus before taking on a short verse of his own…then they return together as the sun finally rises. This song will appear on Bill’s new LP, Gone, which is slated for release Friday, March 2nd.
I’ve spent quite a bit of time with Nihilist Cheerleader as of late, particularly the first few singles from their new album, Riot, Right?. This round you’re likely to adore the band even more than before, especially if you’ve spent anytime listening to the likes of Screaming Females or even Speedy Ortiz; I think I find them wading in the waters where the two meet. Guitar chords are sharp and jagged, and the vocal performance is a full-force emphatic punch to anyone willing to listen. Still, while strikingly brash, the group maintain a circle around pop sensibility, flirting with it, though never wholly diving into that pond. This is your new favorite band, I promise. Look for their new LP from Perfect Attendance Records on March 30th.
