Not only does the couch I substitute for a desk chair twist a torturous knot in my back, but also it seems to be sucking the ambition and cheerful nature that I normally exhibit, right out of my asshole. Take last night, when I sat and listened to the new Sara Barielles album while my girlfriend did her review. Somehow I couldn’t muster the will to leave the repetition of generally underdeveloped happy music to go put on a video game. I was a lazy cat, basking in lethargy, lying right next to our lazy cat. I do not suggest being excited for this. If your into this chick-bop that has been a dominant style for the last few years, I suggest going for the young and ambitious, as I’m sure Sara, Regina, Ingrid, Colbie, Kelly, and Taylor were all that way once upon a time. I suggest getting a copy of Amory Sivertson’s EP, How to Run Away, a self-made masterpiece offering dexterous embellishments, a versatile voice, and some gritty songwriting. So be excited for this.
Now that I’ve started to make some sense, I can only say - look out! Electronic dude-bands from a past future are on a mission to infiltrate your playlist. They probably want you to buy their music first, but in return they offer a mixture of sounds that might first cause you to start dressing differently, and then start getting you laid.
!!!, a California-bred band, with a name that is a euphemism for any real-life onomatopoeia, is back after a year off, brewing a high-energy electronic raucous, with ingredients found at any high school keg party. Their music is sex and suggestion grinding closely to an earthy mixture of hip-hop and dance. Don’t be mistaken, this is NOT panty-dropping music, though lead singer, Nic Offer, may make you wonder. Check out their new album, Strange Weather, Isn’t It?, sporting the college radio favorite single, AM/FM,because I would suggest being excited for this.
I would also suggest getting out of your seat for The Pass, the next big thing out of weird ‘ol Louisville, KY, who recently opened for !!! at the Headliner’s Music Hall in the ‘ville. Why this town produces so much talent, I’ll never know. Maybe it’s the weed (Kentucky’s #1 cash crop); maybe it’s the presence of the late Hunter S. Thompson. Whatever it is, keep it up! The Pass will make you dance - simple as that. A year after their single Crosswalk Stereo brought a strong following, The Pass recently released their first full album, Burst, which is a dancin’ good time, and have been touring as far north as NYC, so get out there and get excited for these boys.
Lastly, I have to mention Younger Brother, originally a UK duo of notable electronic musicians Simon Posford and Beji Vaughn, who generated a well-deserved following for their first album, A Flock of Bleeps, and again after recruiting vocalist Ru Campbell on Last Days of Gravity. The trio built a band to perform their music, recruiting Disco Biscuits bassist Marc Brownstein, Brother’s Past/American Babies guitarist Tom Hamilton, and the hardest-working man in show business, Joe Russo on drums. The live experience cultivated a chemistry that has lead to the next chapter in the story of Yonger Brother as they are in the studio now working on their new album ‘Vaccine’, due in December.
Oh, and get excited for their pledge drive too – an independent way of distributing their music. Check it out here.
