It's been an exciting week for many reasons, and there's plenty more excitement in store with CMJ coming up, as well some very cool TWD news to be announced soon. And to top it off, we have a brand new Weekly Roundup for you all to enjoy.
-You may not get to wear them now that we are into fall and shortening days, but you can enjoy Sunglasses year round musically at the very least. This duo started in Savannah and has made their way north to Brooklyn by way of the Maryland/DC metro area. Check out their track "Swim." It's psychedelic and dance-y and really cool. It's from their debut album Wildlife, which comes out November 13th.
-Tom Cascino makes music as Broke For Free. He released an album called Leaf in August and has a great video for his track "Like Swimming." The visuals are kaleidoscopic and a perfect match for the groove of the track. It's largely abstract, but there are some concrete images mixed in, such as the swimmer and the skateboarder. Both the video and the track are very immersive; it's easy to get sucked in and forget everything else.
Broke For Free – Like Swimming from Tom Cascino on Vimeo.
-I didn't really know what to make of an artist called Woodpecker Wooliams – the musical identity of Gemma Williams – before I listened and I perhaps still don't now that I have, but I do know I'm glad I checked this out. The song "Crow" has an almost built-in obsolescence, like things are in the act of falling apart and disintegrating over the course of the track. But that voice draws you in, even if it leads you to destruction. Very evocative atmosphere. Check out the album The Bird School of Being Human for more.
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-Here's a track from Zucchini Drive called "Come Hungry." I don't think that's supposed to be a pun, but then again, what do I know? Anyways, it's a languid track that has swirls of electronics and other instruments on the edges to push things beyond just a straightforward indie song to something with a little more intrigue. Intentional or not, the "Something like a phenomenon" line instantly reminded me of pre-NCIS LL Cool J, so it's got that going for it, too. The album No Food But Lots of Weapons came out September 25th.
-Another video I'm enjoying comes from Animal Parts for the song "King of Kings." In it, main AP man Joshua Cockerill finds himself trying on a few different outfits, changing out of them, and eventually starting to cover himself in red, blood-like paint. That probably doesn't sound as interesting as it is, and of greater importance, the song is awesome. I like the line about how "Some songs should rhyme and some songs should not," and the shift from a driving, catchy tune into something explosive and cathartic is pretty stunning.
Animal Parts- King of Kings (Official Video) from Adrian Vieni (Wood & Wires) on Vimeo.
-Here's a cool track from Bear Mountain called "Two Step" that is ostensibly electronic, but has a live band feel, too. It mixes samples of what sounds like a couple from an old film and something more harmonic for voice. The layers of the track include a really great beat and a variety of instruments that I can't begin to list. I most like the part with the simple little chords and the drums around the 2:10 mark, it just builds in a really satisfying way. The album XO came out in August, check it out.
-Catching up with some previously featured bands, we have the latest from Canadian band Royal Canoe, who just put out a new 7" Purple and Gold led by the song "Show Me Your Eyes." It has the tightness and swagger of Spoon, but it goes in other directions as well.
-And now a barrage of more videos, starting with "Moonbeams" from Family Band. It's a lovely tale of two skeletons. The song is amazing.
-We have a neat one-take, one-shot performance video by the Tontons for "Golden."
-Here's a studio performance video for "Arpeggio of the Cave" by Max and the Wild Things.
-And we close up this installment with the latest video from the sweet blues-rock band Herculion. It's got that grainy retro quality and it features quite the badass middle-aged man.