Lots of holiday partying going on at Dig HQ lately. Everyone else enjoying the festivities of the season? Catching a bit of a breather from the revelry, here's Weekly Roundup full of great new music.
-We start off our section on the latest NYC music with The Callen Sisters. As the name would imply, this band centers upon two sisters, Jessa and Beth Callen. They sing together and have a clean pop sound with an emphasis on piano and harp, as well as rockier complements from the drumming and electric guitar. As you might expect from sisters, they can harmonize together nicely. The forthcoming EP The Light Bringer Project should be a great listen, this catchy tune has me looking forward to hear more.
-Here's a cool video and track from Clementine & the Galaxy called "Crying My Whole Heart Out." This song might throw you for a loop in a good way, with its surprising transition from its Disney, lullaby-like beginnings to a seriously crunchy chorus. With its elements of electronic, rock, jazz, and pop, it's a very interesting listen. The video has a lot of neat visuals derived from a hand-made approach: construction paper waves, cotton clouds, glittery rain, and more. It's dynamically lit and there's even a pretty literal (and bloody) representation of the chorus. I dig.
-Had to wait a few days to post this, but I think it's worth it. The Pine Hollows are a band with a sound that is steeped in pop-rock classicism. It's upbeat, it's about love, and it's tight and catchy. The video just came out and is a light, fun, and visually interesting performance clip. I like the synchronicity between the singer and the dancer. They've got some nice moves! This tune comes from the forthcoming Something My Heart Understands.
-Moving on to some new artists from outside NYC that caught my ear, we first have the Atlanta post-rock band Loraine. I was blown away by their track "After Everything, More than Anything." It builds slowly to a huge crescendo and release. Powerful drums, amazing interlocking guitars, a bass to anchor it, this song will take you places.
-I am usually a big fan of split-screen videos, as well as any time one person plays more than one character at the same time, so it's not really a surprise that this clever, 1920s-themed video for "Two of a Kind" by Aimee Bobruk, is so good. It's very creative, and the aching, vintage sound makes the track really great too.
-Another cool video from an act new to me is this one from Dog Blood for "Next Order." If you live in a big city, sometimes you feel utterly overwhelmed. This video really captures that, then takes it into hallucinogenic directions. It reminds me a bit of Spike Jonze's video for "Da Funk," which isn't a terrible musical comparison either, though this is harder and more intense.
-Now let's catch up with some previously on the Dig acts. First is Woodpecker Wooliams with her video for "Gull." Lots of birds involved and perhaps one could describe her voice as warbly. The track has that same folk meets art-pop meets electronic mix I dig so much in Bjork. Good stuff.
-Here's the latest from Scottish indie pop band Olympic Swimmers, "Fallen Trees." There's a lot of great music that has come from Scotland, and this melodic, emotional, majestic tune easily joins that prestigious company. It comes from No Flags Will Fly, released earlier this year.
-LA dream-fuzz band Fonda will release a new album February 5th called Sell Your Memories. Here's the lead single "Seeing Stars." It is a buzzy, swirling rush. I like when a band can have a sweet, poppy vibe, but also rock hard at the same time. Definitely happening here.