Month: December 2023

Last Week’s Jam (12.4 – 12.8)

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I know you’re all anxiously awaiting our year end collection of favorite songs, but we’re just not there yet! We did run our excellent Top Albums of 2023 last week, and while that’s getting all the headlines, there were tons of great new tracks to enjoy. I was particularly enamored with the new BVs tune, as you knew I would be, not to mention some deserved adoration for the brand new Lamplight track. Local friends Psychic Seatbelt dropped a new EP, so they’re getting some love here, and throwing in a Get Wrong tune to celebrate their EP from a week or so ago. Glad folks still put out music throughout the whole year, not just up until List Week.

Pleased to Meet You: Rain House

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Rain House is a brand new band out of Boston that reached out to us with their first single, and I definitely hear tons of promise in the band’s craft, so I had to share it with you. They mention acts like Stone Roses and Doves in their bio, but for me, there’s these great guitar licks that remind me of the Church in a certain sense. As the song pushes forward, drums roll quickly, building the emotive quality, only to pull back so the melody can hang in the air of your room. Still, the circular nature of those chiming guitar riffs kept me coming back to play this tune over and over. Here’s to meeting a new band full of promise!

Bubble Tea and Cigarettes Share New Single

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Apparently my brain needs some space, as this mornings tunes are definitely all in a more pensive space, open and drifting, like this new tune from Bubble Tea and Cigarettes. While I’m not sure about the band name (I’m very anti-cigarettes in 2023!), I totally love the vibe they’ve created with “Emi.” On my end, it sounds like a less electronically crafted version of Radio Dept; the song’s filled with these huge swelling harmonies, with vocals that feel like a fog rolling in from the sea. You could certainly hear influences like early Beach House in here, but that voice just grabbed me, like some whispering voice from my past that I couldn’t escape. Soak up the warmth below.

Still Corners Ready Dream Talk

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It amazes me how Still Corners still seem to continue their musical progression, years down the road here; they’ve been at it for nearly 15 years, and while you hear a touchstone or link to the past, they manage to still turn your ear. The rattling tambourine is a nice touchstone between this record and The Last Exit, but Tessa’s vocals seem somehow mysterious; there’s something in the way the band have her vocals kind of teasing the listener, like a playful ghost beckoning you to follow. Honestly, I love the openness of the track; the guitar licks are minimal and sharp, but stay out of the way until they’re necessarily to texturize what’s in store. Then, just as you’ve settled into place, the duo lock into this sultry excursion that closes the tune out. They’ll release Dream Talk via Wrecking Light Records in April.

New Bop from Terry Venomous

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Somewhere in between the lines of King Krule and the Fall, you’ll find the work of Liverpool’s Terry Venomous. Thought his latest track from his forthcoming EP would be an easy way to slide right into Friday. This tune revolves around a steady little beat that stays locked locked in the groove. Light keys twinkle and guitars sway and swing all around the vocal delivery, which carries a bit of a heavy smoker croon. It’s a super casual way to kick your Friday right into gear, letting you get your playful best ready so you can go out and win today! Look for a new EP in April!

Top Albums for Nathan

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Honestly, I thought about foregoing a year-end list this year. I mean, if you read our site, you know what we love. But, list making can be fun, especially if you really really love music. My criteria was simple, and not based on what I think is “best,” but rather looking at the stuff I listened to the most, and eventually bought (or was gifted). Popular locals for my Nathan Wrapped have me living on an island in between San Francisco and Australia; label of the year would be Trouble in Mind (congrats to Bill and family!); genre would be: most awesome. Again, this is one man’s personal tastes, take it for what its worth.

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Psychic Seatbelt Release Hooky EP

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Austin’s Claire Hamilton has a pretty solid pedigree in our town, having played in Queue Queue and Thor/and Friends, among other projects. But, as of now she’s operating her own Psychic Seatbelt moniker, and I’d really love for you to indulge in their brand new Hooky EP. For me, it feels like a stepping stone to future projects, or perhaps Claire’s just eager to let the music out. On tracks like “Double Dare” or “Someone Let the Cat Out” you can hear some sort of old school New York sounds bleeding into the mix; I hear a bit of the Velvet Underground with maybe some later Sonic Youth tendencies tossed in for fun. But, you can go on down and listen to the EP’s title track, with “Hooky” operating as more of a cosmic folk ballad, stripped down to the vocals and guitar. Really excited that you all get to hear this EP, so check it out below!

Elephant Stone Celebrate Another Year Gone

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It’s your local Elephant Stone fanboy here, back at it with another fresh track from the band, furthering our excitement for Back Into the Dream. This new one’s a short and sweet number, with a pure pop bent, sounding as classic pop rock as you can get. Their video performance is an ode to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” though I’ll tell you that the track itself has Beatles written all over it…and that’s never a bad thing, especially when its done as well as this lot does it! Little Cloud Records will be dropping the LP on February 23rd, so go ahead, and get on it.

Itasca Returns with Imitation of War

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The last time I remember hearing anything from Kayla Cohen’s Itasca project was pre-pandemic, so it’s been a few years since we’ve gotten anything fresh. That all changes today with the announcement of Imitation of War, along with the title track from the LP. Cohen’s voice is a marvel, somewhere between a modern day chanteuse and a classic sixties folk troubadour (Baez keeps popping up in my brain!). Still, the song wouldn’t have as much impact without the delicate guitar sounds that twist and turn through your speakers; there’s almost an ethereal nature to it, allowing the song to drift in your subconscious. The video incorporates that hint of mystery, while also including all the players on the latest LP. Imitation of War is out February 9th via Paradise of Bachelors.

New Music from Lions of the Interstate

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I’m probably way off here, but Lions of the Interstate feel like the pop brethren to early Sonic Youth. If you listen to their latest single, they offer up that flirtatious noise element, working closely with a driving rhythm that’s continuously pushing the song towards its end. That said, the band seem to lean more towards the melodic center of the track than one might hear from Kim and Thurston. Even as the song’s driving forward, they’re fleshing it out with horns and softened vocals that beg you to come back again and again. If you’re enjoying the vibe, look out for Strange Empires, dropping this Friday!

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