Author: William Ruben Helms

William Ruben Helms is a Corona, Queens, NYC-born and-based African American music journalist, freelance writer, editor, photographer and founder of the DIY, independent music and photography site, The Joy of Violent Movement. Over the course of the past two decades, Helms’ writing and photography has been published in Downbeat, Premier Guitar Magazine (photography), Consequence, The Inventory, Glide Magazine.com (words and photography), Publisher’s Weekly, Sheckys.com, Shecky’s Bar and Nightlife Guide 2004, New York Press, Ins&Outs Magazine, Dish Du Jour Magazine, Aussie music publication Musicology.xyz (photography) and countless others, including his own site. With The Joy of Violent Movement, Helms specializes in covering music with an eclectic, globe-trotting, and genre-defying perspective that’s deeply inspired by and informed by his birthplace and home, arguably one of the most diverse places in the world. Since its founding back in 2010, The Joy of Violent Movement can proudly claim readers across the US, Canada, the UK, The Netherlands, France, Australia, and several others throughout its history. https://www.joyofviolentmovement.com https://www.joyofviolentmovement.com/shop https://www.instagram.com/william_ruben_helms Twitter: @yankee32879 @joyofviolent become a fan of the joy of violent movement: https://www.facebook.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement support the joy of violent movement on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement hire me for headshots, portraits and event photography: https://www.photobooker.com/photographer/ny/new-york/william-h?duration=1?duration=1#
Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Icelandic Duo Hugar Releases a Brooding and Gorgeously Cinematic Single

Hugar is an up-and-coming indie duo, comprised of longtime Seltjarnarnes, Iceland-born friends  Bergur Þórisson and Pétur Jónsson. Meeting when they were children, who played in a number of local bands,  Þórisson and  Jónsson quickly became friends. Back in 2013, Þórisson had collaborated with internationally acclaimed Icelandic artist Olafur Arnalds and was working in a local studio while Jónsson studied architecture. And as the story goes, when the owner of Þórisson’s studio went on tour, the duo started casually writing material together for fun. During these largely impromptu recordings sessions, the duo eventually wound up writing the material that would comprise their 2014 self-titled debut, which was independently released. 

Initially released as a free download on the duo’s website, their self-titled album quickly attained buzz across social media and the blogosphere:  The album quickly averaged over 430,000+ monthly listeners on Spotify, as “Inngangur” amassed over 20 million Spotify streams globally and “Felt” amassed over 12 million Spotify streams. The album received praise from the likes of The Line of Best Fit and The Independent — and as a result of their growing national and international profile, the duo have made appearances at festivals including Iceland Airwaves. 

Slated for an August 23, 2019 release through Sony Masterworks Records, the duo’s highly anticipated sophomore album Varða translates to English as “cairn,” a tiny rock tower that heralded the way as the next cairn would always be visible from its predecessor. Historically, such markers wound up signaling process for Icelandic travelers heading towards the country’s National Parliament — known as one of the oldest existing legislatures in the world. In fact, as a result of the country’s geographic location, which often meant extended daylight during the solstice, travelers used varða to help them find their way rather than the stars. 

Interestingly, the duo began quietly working on the material that would eventually comprise Varða as early as 2014, which they created out of their own studio. “There was never a plan to make our first album; it just happened,” Þórisson says in press notes. “This time around, we set out to make a record that functioned as a whole piece where everything was related. It’s more polished from beginning to end.” Jónsson adds, “The studio enabled us to experiment and explore. We had the freedom to do everything we wanted without barriers. Under normal conditions, you have to rent a studio. We moved at our own pace and learned a lot about being patient and how to work together.”

Sonically, the duo began using an increasing amount of electronic flourishes, which wound up expanding their sonic palette. And with the majority of the recording sessions taking place at night, the material wound up being imbued with a nocturnal vibe. “We’re obviously very affected by our environment,” Þórisson admits in press notes. “Recording at night in the summertime when it’s bright is an energy that doesn’t make sense. As a human being, you’re supposed to be awake when it’s light and asleep when it’s dark. When the sun is out all day, you get this weird energy. You’re tired, but you want to keep going. Iceland is an anomaly in general. We have earthquakes, glaciers melting, and avalanches. It’s a ridiculous place to live for man. At the same time, it’s so beautiful that you can’t escape it.”

Varða’s later single is the slow-burning and brooding “Logn.” Centered around a composition featuring gently arpeggiated keys and a gorgeous string arrangement, the new single manages to be cinematic while hinting at acclaimed countrymen Sigur Ros, as it possesses a similar yearning quality. 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Up-and-Coming British Act Second Hand Poet Releases an Intimate and Playful Visual for “Honeycomb”

Jamie Tipson is a Surrey, UK-born singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and co-founder of Pretty Thing Records, a label and promotions company, specifically created to help other like-minded artists — and he’s also the creative mastermind behind the up-and-coming British indie rock project Second Hand Poet.

Last year, Tipson released his Second Hand Poet debut Songs for the Pyre, and he quickly followed that up with the January release of “I’ll Be Yours,” a track that received airplay from BBC Introducing, Amazing Radio and BBC 6, and was featured in the Unsigned Guides Spotlight and Richer Sounds Artist of the Month.  Building upon a growing national profile in his native UK, Tipson’s latests ingle “Honeycomb” is a hook-driven and  anthemic track that recalls 120 Minutes-era alt rock, The Silversun Pickups and others, as its centered around jangling power chords, a propulsive rhythm section and Tipson’s plaintive vocals. 

Interestingly, Tipson’s new Second Hand Poet is a decidedly upbeat track that finds him straying a bit from his self-described band of gloom folk. In fact, the track finds Tipson employing the use of a full band — and it required a much more collaborative creative process than much of his previously released work. “‘Honeycomb’ is a weird one,” Tipson explains in press notes. “It’s completely the opposite sound and style to my usual work but I just had to get it out in this way. I still play it acoustic when live but the intention was to almost sound as if I was singing over a Smashing Pumpkins’ track on the recorded version.” “The song itself is about people, about connecting material things with feelings or certain memories in time, soundtracking moments,” Tipson says of his latest single. “After all, that’s what music is isn’t it?” 

Edited by Alex Thomas, the recently released video for “Honeycomb” stars Tipson, his backing musicians for the song’s creation and a series of friends, loved ones and supporters from around the world. “I just wanted to create something a bit immersive, music is relatable regardless of taste and opinion and the idea of bringing people I care about in all senses of the word felt really special to me,” Tipson says of the video. “I’ve never met some of the people in the video, and some of them that are featured even helped fuel the need for me to create in the first place. ”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Singer Songwriter Kris Kelly Releases an Intimate Solo Acoustic Performance of “Cracked Porcelain”

Kris Kelly is an Austin, TX-born, Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist  and composer. Kelly relocated to the New York metropolitan area, when he attended my alma mater, NYU, where he studied classical vocal performance and music composition. For years, he performed his original compositions for guitar, vocals, flute, violin, bass and percussion at a number of venues across town.

Kelly then spent the next five years traveling through South America, primarily living in Argentina and Brazil with just his guitar and a suitcase. And while in South America, he met his husband. As a songwriter, his experiences traveling and falling in love have deeply inspired his forthcoming, self-produced album Runaways — and the album thematically touches upon finding pure and lasting love, loss, discovery and personal growth.

Upon returning to the states, Kelly spent time in studios in NYC and Los Angeles recording the album, which is slated for an August 29, 2019 release with an all-star casts of musicians including Todd Sickafoose (bass), who’s a member of Ani DiFranco’s backing band; Brian Griffin (drums), who has played in the backing bands for Lana Del Rey, Brandi Carlile and as a member of The Lone Bellow; Dave Levita (electric guitar), who’s a member of Alanis Morisette‘s backing band; Benji Lysaght (electric guitar), who’s a member of Father John Misty’s backing band; and Dave Palmer (keys), who’s played in the backing bands of Fiona Apple and Lana Del Rey.  The album also features string, wind and horn arrangements by John Philip Shenale, who has worked with Tori Amos. 

Runaways‘ latest single is the cinematic and hauntingly gorgeous “Cracked Porcelain.” Centered around a soaring string arrangement, strummed acoustic guitar, shuffling drumming paired with Kelly’s gorgeous vocals, the song — to my ears, at least — reminds me a bit of the late (and somewhat under-appreciated) Scott Walker, whose work was imbued with a similar aching longing and sense of loss. But at the core of the song is a narrator, who’s desperately trying to figure what his romantic relationship meant to him and on his own terms. And of course, it means maneuvering the contradictory push and pull we often feel as we enter romantic relationships with others. Recently Kelly released a live and very intimate, solo, acoustic session featuring “Cracked Porcelain,” that gently pulls and teases out the song’s gorgeous melody — and forces the listener to pay even closer attention to the song’s lyrics. 

“‘Cracked Porcelain’ is a story about two gay men who find freedom in defining their relationship in an unconventional, ‘open’ way but who end up getting lost in the revelry and ultimately drive each other apart,” Kelly explains. “I think the LGBTQ community has a unique opportunity to redefine our relationship with sex within our partnerships. Not having forced onto us the traditional ways of defining a healthy partnership gives us the freedom to discover it for ourselves, but it also comes with a great responsibility, and I think we often fail. I failed at least. And that’s ok, because I realized if I wanted to be happy, I had to make a change. I’ve been forced to reevaluate constantly my relationship with my partner and to figure out how to respect each other while maintaining a healthy individuality, and we’re still navigating it to this day.

“The song definitely has an element of the sacred vs. the profane in it. The spiritual vs. the carnal. Monogamy and commitment vs. free love and the expression of uninhibited sexual desire. Attachment (the couple) vs. freedom (the individual), which is a theme that runs throughout the album. In the song, the two men fulfill all their personal desires, and get lost with the help of alcohol and drugs, but forget to care about each other, neglecting the needs of their relationship. In that seductive lifestyle, it’s easy for them to use sex, drugs, and alcohol to cover up a lot of issues they just don’t want to deal with. And it feels like ‘freedom’ but are they really in control? What are the boundaries that protect the relationship? What is ‘good’ and what is ‘bad’ for them?

“In In the end, like everything, I find it all about balance,” Kelly adds. “Yes, gay men pride themselves on being able to separate love and sex, but do we slip into the trap of serving only the quick-fix, instant gratification of anonymous sex, sacrificing the part about ‘love’ and the fulfillment of a deeper, long-term relationship with someone? It’s easy to go unconscious and do whatever feels good in the moment, but without consciously, intentionally taking care of the relationship, it falls apart. There has to be a balance in order to nurture both carnal desires and the spiritual connection with another human being (if that’s something that you value). And when things are out of balance, suffering is inevitable. That’s what happens in ‘Cracked Porcelain’.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

I’ve managed to write quite a bit about the Los Angeles, CA-based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Justin Phillips, a.k.a Crywolf over the past 12-15 months or so. When Phillips started writing and releasing his own music. he was practically homeless, living in a room roughly the size of a closet and subsiding on food stamps. Since then, Philips has developed a growing profile that has included amassing several million streams across all of the various streaming platforms, a headlining slot on the second largest stage at Electric Forest and praise across both the blogosphere and the major media outlets, including Consequence of Sound, Alternative Press, Billboard, Nylon, Complex, as well as this site.

Now, if you’ve been following this site over that same period, you might recall that Phillips sophomore album widow [OBLIVIØN Pt. 1]. Building upon the momentum of his sophomore album, Philips recently started a new series THE OBLIVION [Reimagined], which will feature reworked versions of tracks off widow [OBLIVIØN Pt. 1]. The first single in the series featured the Chicago-based producer Mielo tackling “DRIP” — with Mielo releasing an arpeggiated synth-driven, cinematic remix that recalled A-Ha’s “Take on Me” and Depeche Mode while retaining the urgency and frenetic feel of the original. Earlier this week, Seattle-based producer Levit∆te released a glitchy, murky and hyper-futuristic remix of “ULTRAVIOLENT Pt. 2” that retained Philips plaintive vocals.

widow [OBLIVIØN Pt. 1] album single “QUIXOTE [i am alone, and they are everyone] features Philips’ achingly plaintive vocals floating over a cinematic and glitchy production. Recently, SWARM, a dark, industrial metal-influenced electronic artist released his own take on the song — a take that places Philips’ plaintive vocals within a gritty and jarring, industrial production featuring thumping, industrial clang and clatter, aggressively arpeggiated synths and a soaring hook. Evoking the increasing automation and brutality of our contemporary world, the song manages to pull upon and tease out the dark, gritty psychological detail of the original, placing in a new context without stripping the emotionality or the intent of its creator.

“There is something about ‘QUIXØTE’ in particular that is deepening haunting to me,” SWARM says in press notes. “I could feel my own emotions in every aspect of it, from the cathartic atmosphere to the painfully raw lyrics. In my re-imagination, I wanted to bring the psychological grit to light in a more aggressive way by using my own background in metal and industrial music.”

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

Sophie Colette is an up-and-coming Brooklyn-based indie pop artist. Initially relocating to New York to pursue fashion design, Colette pivoted her ambitions to music after being scouted at a high school reunion by The Party Faithful‘s bassist. About month later, Colette wound up contributing vocals, keys and synth for the band, playing with the band at venues across the New York metropolitan area. Interestingly, during that time she met Degraw Sound producer Ben Rice, who she later presented with a stack of sketchbooks filled with lyrics and visual palettes, which eventually became the genesis of her solo work.

“Tonite,” off her debut EP Strangers and Lovers was featured at Jasmine Chong’s runway presentation to the editors of Vogue, WWD, Elle and others during 2017’s New York Fashion Week. Selected footage from her Stephen Dirkes-directed music video for “Get Close’ was nominated for Best Creative Concept, Art Direction and Visual Effects at the La Jolla International Fashion Film Festival. And building upon a growing profile, Colette supported Strangers and Lovers with a European tour with Berlin-based indie-folk project The Crystal Elephant.

Since then the New York-based indie pop artist has released a handful of shimmering pop singles that have caught the attention of the blogosphere, including my dear friends at Glamglare and elsewhere, as well as airplay on French radio station Déclic Radio 101.1FM. Her latest single “Would You Like It?” continues an ongoing run of dreamy synth pop centered around Colette’s plaintive and vulnerable vocals, a sinuous bass line and a soaring hook. But underneath the slick disco-tinged production, the song’s narrator is plagued by a familiar self-doubt — the self-doubt that comes about when you’ve fallen for someone and you can’t quite figure out if you should tell that person how you feel. Putting your heart on the line is nerve racking in itself; but the possibility of rejection seems like the end of your world. 

“I fell in love – again. It took me a while to admit that to myself, and even longer to figure out how to handle it,” Colette explains in press notes. “It’s such a vulnerable, intense, confusing, and heart-shaking experience, compounded by the risk of rejection. What if it’s just a fabricated mind game and completely unrequited? When should I say something, if at all? I was overwhelmed and having conversations with myself on what to do and how to say it, and writing this song was a way to get out of my head and connect with reality. No more hiding.” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sophie Colette’s single “Would You Like It?” – slated for July 19, 2019 release – explores the emotional dilemma of deciding whether or not to tell someone how you feel – namely, that you’ve fallen in love. Produced by Ben Rice (The Candles, Elliot & The Ghost, Queue) at Degraw Sound in Brooklyn, New York, the track builds from a simple chord progression to a dreamy holographic soundscape, supporting Colette’s lyrical love letter with layers of vocal effects, electronic keys, guitars, and a driving pulse. 

“I fell in love – again. It took me a while to admit that to myself, and even longer to figure out how to handle it. It’s such a vulnerable, intense, confusing, and heart-shaking experience, compounded by the risk of rejection. What if it’s just a fabricated mind game and completely unrequited? When should I say something, if at all? I was overwhelmed and having conversations with myself on what to do and how to say it, and writing this song was a way to get out of my head and connect with reality. No more hiding.” 

Sophie will support “Would You Like It?” with a music video directed by Karina Vidal, and performances at festival showcases this summer – Independent Venue Week in July in New York City, and Degraw Fest Unplugged at Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn, New York on August 2 at 6:00pm. 

“Would You Like It?” is the latest in a series of singles from Colette. Her most recent release “Version,” an intimate cinematic track inspired by a toxic relationship, premiered on Asymmetric Magazine for its “dreamy, lush sound [and] captivating vocals,” and has been compared to Tangerine Dream by Sound Thread Music Blog for its “gently pulsing, down-tempo atmosphere.” “Version” was added to TuneCore’s Spotify playlist, “TuneCore Presents: Music Made Me,” and aired on indie French radio station Déclic Radio 101.1FM alongside Dido, upon release. Her live debut at New York City’s Rockwood Music Hall cemented “Version” as “Colette’s most stunning work to date.” (glamglare) 

Colette’s former releases have premiered on influential blogs such as Popdust, glamglare and CelebMix. Her single “Run Around,” released in late 2018 about challenging lip service in relationships, was selected as glamglare’s “song pick of the day,” and lauded by Emerging Indie Bands as an emotionally intense track with a “wistful melancholic…romantic demeanour…a testament to both composition and vocal ability.” 

Her single “That Kind Of Love,” which Colette released to coincide with her summer performance at Degraw Fest 2018, has been featured by media platform ULTRA as the exclusive soundtrack for their videos. 

Previous tracks have aired on indie French radio station Déclic Radio 101.1FM and playlisted at New York Fashion Week, and her accompanying short films have received nominations and acclaim from fashion film festivals including the La Jolla International Fashion Film Festival.

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

Madison, WI-based punk act The Hussy formed back in 2008 as a duo fronted by Bobby Hussy (guitar, vocals) and Heather Hussy (drums, vocals). The duo quickly developed a reputation for a trashy and scuzzy take on punk and for a chaotic live show that wound up with the duo playing shows alongside a who’s who list of indie rock and punk — including Mudhoney, Ty Segall, Thee Oh Sees, Twin Peaks, Reigning Sound, Spectrum, Black Bananas, Black Lips, King Khan & BBQ, White Fence, The Faint, Tenement and countless others. All of that helped the band gain a cult-like following across the Midwestern underground scene.

During the incredibly prolific period of 2009 and 2015, in which the band released material material through over 20 different labels and in countless different formats, the duo relentlessly toured across the US and Europe, even playing Gonerfest after the release of their beloved sophomore album 2012’s Weed Seizure. Interestingly, also during that period, the band pulled double duty as the opener and backing band for NOBUNNY through tours of the States, Australia and New Zealand. And since then, the band’s founding duo have split time between The Hussy and other creative pursuits. Bobby Hussy has continued to tour with NOBUNNY off and on as his touring bassist.  He plays in Fire Heads with Tyler Fassnacht, who recently joined The Hussy to help further flesh out their live sound.  And lastly, Bobby Hussy is also a member of synth wave post-punk act Cave Curse, who released a full-length in 2017. Heather Hussy’s side project Proud Parents released their full-length album through Dirtnap Records last year.

At the end of last year, the members of the newly constituted trio began tracking their forthcoming full-length album Looming, the follow-up to 2015’s Galore. Galore saw the and moving into a much more focused direction with their songwriting that included much more complex arrangements paired with mid-fi production — and while this was  decided evolution in their sound, they managed to retain their knack for crafting infectious pop-leaning hooks. Looming however, finds the band thematically going in a defiantly darker direction as it touches upon death and sudden loss, divorce, addition and our depressing and horrifying political moment.

The album’s latest single “Coast” begins with a deceptive and upbeat intro featuring plinking and chiming chords before quickly turning into a scuzzy, power-chord based ripper — with an infectious, shout along worthy hooks and a playful melody underneath it all. Interestingly, the song is a perfect example of the album’s darker thematic concerns as it’s a pissed off tell off toward someone you want to just leave you alone.

The new album is slated for a September 27, 2019 release through Dirtnap Records and the band will be embarking on US and European tours to support it. Check out the current tour dates and be on the lookout for more.

Tour Dates

August 17th Madison, WI @ Crystal Corner (w/ Sweet Jap, Choke Chains, Dumb Vision)
September 13th Minneapolis, MN at 7th Street Entry
September 14th Madison, WI @ Mickeys (w/ Werewolf Jones)
September 21st Fayetteville, AR @ Backspace
September 23rd Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas
September 24th New Orleans, LA @ Circle Bar
September 25th Hattiesburg, LA @ House Show
September 26th – Memphis, TN at Hi Tone – Gonerfest 16
More Dates TBA!

 

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: JOVM Mainstays Warish Release a Menacing Mosh Pit Friendly Ripper off Their Forthcoming Full-Length Debut

I’ve written quite a bit about the Southern California-based punk trio Warish over the past 18 months or so and the act, which features founding members Riley Hawk (guitar, vocals) and Bruce McDonnell (drums) formed last year when its founding duo wanted to try their hand at something a bit more distinct than what they had previous done.“We wanted to do simpler riffs and a fun live show,” Hawk explains in press notes. “A little more punk, a little bit of grunge… a little evil-ish.” Their sound reportedly draws from a variety of things — early Butthole Surfers, Scratch Acid, Incesticide-era Nirvana, Static Age-era Misfits and others, and with the release of their first two EPs, the band quickly established themselves for crafting scuzzy, mosh pit friendly rippers with an aggressively sleazy Troma Films-inspired vibe.

Building upon a rapidly growing profile, the members of Warish will be releasing their highly-anticipated full-length debut, Down In Flames through RidingEasy Records on September 13, 2019. Down In Flames’ first single “Healter Skelter” isn’t a Beatles cover. but rather the title refers to the Manson Family’s misspelled blood scrawl at the site of the group’s second murder in 1969. Centered around thunderous drumming, scuzzy power chords and howled vocals — and while clearly recalling Bleach and Incesticde-era Nirvana, the song may arguably be among the most menacing of their growing catalog of mosh pit friendly rippers. 

indie rock by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Philadelphia’s King Britt Teams Up with Low for a Lovingly Subtle Industrial Remix of “Fly”

Currently comprised of founding members, and married couple Alan Sparhawk (guitar, vocals) and Mimi Parker (drums) along with Steve Garrington (bass), the Duluth, MN-based critically applauded indie rock trio Low initially formed back in 1993 — and although they’ve had their share of lineup changes, the trio have developed a reputation for being pioneers of a subgenre commonly called slowcore, which focuses on slowed down tempos and minimalist arrangements, centered around the gorgeous and achingly earnest harmonies of Sparhawk and Parker. While the band’s members have largely disapproved of the term slowcore, they’ve managed to eventually shrug off its strictures, recording a beloved Christmas album, as well as having a long-held reputation for a magnetic and powerful stage show. 

Last year, the band celebrated its 25th anniversary together and instead of comfortably going on a victory lap or even resting on the laurels of past accolades and achievements, the band released what may arguably be their most uncompromisingly defiant, brazenly abrasive, challenging and yet gorgeous album in their catalog to date, the B.J. Burton-produced Double Negative. The album, which continued their ongoing collaboration with the producer of Ones and Sixes found the band desiring to go even further with Burton’s aesthetic and sonic palette, to see what someone, who as Sparhawk has described as “a hip-hop guy” could really do with their music. 

Instead of obsessively writing, revising and rehearsing in Duluth, as they normally would do before heading to the studio, the members of Low went down to Eau Claire, WI with rough ideas and sketches that they would work with Burton on in what may arguably be among the most collaborative writing sessions with a producer they’ve ever had. During those sessions, Burton and Low would spend their time building pieces up, breaking them up, breaking them down again and building up again until the material found its proper purpose and force. Although it took them two years to write and record, Double Negative may arguably be considered — by future generations — as a document of our current sociopolitical moment — loud, contentious, chaotic, abrasive, jarring. The material finds Sparhawk’s and Parker’s vocals desperately fighting against an overwhelming tide of noise, other times submerged beneath it. And while the material is a decided and radical sonic departure, the band maintains the gorgeous and achingly heartfelt quality that’s their trademark. 

One of the album’s many standout tracks “Fly” is an eerily atmospheric yet stunning gorgeous track in which Mimi Parker’s vocals float ethereally over a bed of gently swirling, fluttering and glitchy electronics, shimmering guitars and twinkling keys.  The members of Low are about to embark on a relatively short tour that will include two New York area dates, September 13, 2019 at Basilica Hudson and September 14, 2019 at Murmrr — and just before their tour, they released a remix by Philadelphia-based producer and DJ King Britt. Interestingly, the King Britt remix continues the abrasive yet ethereal quality of the original and Mimi Parker’s gorgeous vocals while adding a decidedly industrial electro pop quality to the proceedings It’s a loving take on the material that’s one part continuation of the original’s intent and purpose, one part loving conversation between the remixer and the band. “As a longtime Low fan, a huge amount of respect went into the mix,” King Britt says of his remix. ” I loved their new sonic direction, which spoke to my Fhloston Paradigm project. My mix was a response and continuation in a way of a magical space they already created. Mimi Parker’s vocals were some of her best. A true honor.” 

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Ghost Funk Orchestra Latest Single and Video Evokes the Awkwardness of Having a Crush

Founded and led by composer, arranger and producer Seth Applebaum, the New York-based psych rock act Ghost Funk Orchestra initially began as a lo-fi recording project in 2014. Since their formation, the project has grown into full-fledged, 11 member unit that has become an up-and-coming prescience in the city’s psych rock and soul scenes — and that shouldn’t be surprising, as their sound draws from an eclectic array of sources including salsa, surf rock, Afobeat, stoner rock and others. 

Slated for an August 23, 2019 release through Colemine Records, the up-and-coming soul acts forthcoming full-length debut, A Song For Paul was conceived as a tribute to Applebaum’s late grandfather Paul Anish, a figure, who played an immense role in the Ghost Funk Orchestra founder and bandleader’s life. While the songs reportedly don’t address Paul Anish directly, the creative process for the album and the decisions made during it were meant to convey what Anish’s presence felt like for Seth — a stern yet loving, native New Yorker. For Applebaum, accurately capturing his grandfather’s essence meant expanding the arrangements much further than what he has done in the past, including crafting more comprehensive horn arrangements, as well as working with a string section for the first time in his career. 

A Song For Paul’s latest single “Seven Eight” is an angular and awkwardly lurching song that’s centered around an unusual time signature (7/8 time), a looping Tropicalia-like guitar line, ethereal vocals, an explosive and expressive horn arrangement, which gives the song a quirky yet cinematic air. And while bearing an uncanny resemblance to Radiohead’s “15 Step” and to Gorillaz “5/4,” the song evokes the drunken swoon of having a crush. As the band’s Seth Applebaum explains “Seven Eight is a song about having a crush. When writing the song, we chose an awkward time signature because having a crush will make anyone feel a little awkward.” 

Starring Romi Hanoch, the recently released video for “Seven Eight” relies heavily on found footage from old medical films, liquid light projections from Drippy Eye Projections thrown into a visual that has a decidedly film noir-ish feel. “The music video relies heavily on found footage, specifically pulled from old medical films that depict the beauty and chaos of the human body and its internal functions,” Seth Applebaum explains. “In addition, we were fortunate enough to have our friends at Drippy Eye Projections provide us with some incredible liquid light visuals to further the narrative of chemistry.”