Category: Single Review

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

With the 2010 release of a lo-fi folk project, Talking Machine, North Carolina-based multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter Stephen Warwick first caught local attention as the album landed on Shuffle Magazine‘s top 10 list that year. By 2013, Warwick sought out a new musical outlet and when he went into the studio to write and record material, he enlisted friends to join him, including The New Familiars’ Justin Fedor, with whom Warwick set out on tour as Ancient Cities, a project that derives its name from a childhood dream. After recruiting a rotating cast of musicians including Justin Faircloth (organ, synth) and Matt Curl (drums), the band has spent time touring up and down the East Coast while working on their sophomore effort Supermoon Blackout which will drop tomorrow.

With the release of the album’s latest single “Marmalade,” the band has expanded upon the sound that has first caught the attention of the blogosphere — while sounding as though it were inspired by The Black Keys as the members of Ancient Cities pair layers of buzzing guitars, propulsive rhythms, an anthemic hook that you hear a packed house yelling along and a swaggering self-assuredness that gives the song a larger-than-life feel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Over the past 18-24 months or so, New York-based electro pop duo Sofi Tukker have become blogosphere darlings while becoming JOVM mainstay artists. Comprised of Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern, the duo can trace their origins to when the duo were students at Brown University . Meeting and a local art galley, the duo began writing music around their shared desire of crafting accessible, pop-leaning world music that could reach a wide audience. And much like a number of artists across the country, the duo upon their graduation relocated to New York, where over the next year they began working on material — including the material that would wind up comprising their soon-to-be released EP Soft Animals, which is slated for a July 8 release. 

Earlier this month, I wrote about “Deja Vu Affrair,” a single that drew from 80s s New Order and house music as angular guitar chords played through gentle washes of reverb and delay are paired with four-on-the-floor drum programming, cascading layers of wobbling synths and Hawley-Weld’s sensual cooing. The EP’s latest single “Awoo” is a mischievous collaboration with vocalist Betta Lemme that pairs propulsive and tribal drum samples with samba-styled keys. Lemme and Hawley-Weld’s contribute sultry vocals and gleeful, child-like shouting — as though they were losing their minds to the song in the club.

Sofi Tukker is embarking on a lengthy series of tour dates — some opening for M83 and a number of headlining shows, including a hometown set at Baby’s All Right  at the end of July. Catch them at a music venue near you.

Tour Dates:

Supporting M83*

July 1 – London, UK @ British Summer Time @ Hyde Park (w/ Massive Attack) (TICKETS)

July 1 – London, UK @ White Heat at The Lexington (TICKETS)

July 2 – PITCH Festival Amsterdam (TICKETS)

July 6 – Cesme, Turkey @ Burn Electronica Festival (TICKETS)

July 7 – Milan, Italy @ Festival Moderno (w/ Grimes & Blood Orange) (TICKETS)

July 9 – Zamardi, Hungary @ Balaton Sound Festival (TICKETS)

July 15 – Salacgriva, Latvia @ Positivus Festival (TICKETS)

July 17 – One Love Festival Istanbul (TICKETS)

July 20 – Portland, ME @ State Theatre (w/ Chairlift) (TICKETS)*

July 21 – Boston, MA @ Blue Hills Bank Pavilion (w/ Chairlift) (TICKETS)

July 25 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant (TICKETS)*

July 27 – Council Bluffs, IA @ Stir Cove (TICKETS)*

July 28 – Chicago, IL @ The Vic Theatre* (SOLD OUT)

July 30 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right (TICKETS)

August 19 – San Francisco, CA @ Popscene at Rickshaw Stop (TICKETS)

August 20 – Los Angeles, CA @ Pershing Square (w/ Todd Rundgren) (FREE SHOW)

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

If you’ve been been frequenting this site over the course of the last several years, you’d be extremely familiar with JOVM mainstay Rhythm Scholar. And over the years, the wildly prolific New York-based DJ, producer and remixer has developed a reputation for a continuing series of genre-mashing remixes packed with both obscure and recognizable samples in a way that’s reminiscent of Paul’s Boutique-era Beastie Boys. Last year, Rhythm Scholar released an incredible Girl Talk-like mashup of Herbie Hancock‘s “Rockit” and Michael Jackson‘s “Bad,” that the producer, DJ and remixer has dubbed “Bad Rockit” and sonically the mashup possessed a club-banging, retro-futuristic feel with a larger-than-life, I’m going to kick ass, take names and kick more ass-like swagger.

This year, Rhythm Scholar returns to his signature genre-mashing remixes — this time with a shimmering and dance floor-friendly remix of Tears For Fears‘ mega-hit “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” that also meshes “Mother’s Milk” “Memories Fade” and “Mad World” with an additional bit of funk from Locksmith while retaining elements of their beloved sound.

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Single: Check Out the Slinky, Seductive and Soulful Electro Pop Sounds of Michigan’s Daniel Wilson

  Up-and-coming, 24 year-old, Michigan-based singer/songwriter and producer Daniel Wilson much like a number of pop artists grew up in a gospel music-loving home. Feeling inspired to create by using file-sharing programs, the Michigan-based Wilson […]

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Initially known for his work in the Frail, Danny Lannon’s latest project Vacances can trace their origins when Lannon had begun writing material for The Frail and quickly realized that the material didn’t quite fit. Lannon began collaborating with Allen Davis on some additional material and then decided that to relocate from San Francisco to New York — and when Lannon arrived in Brooklyn, he connected with Nic Gonzalez (guitar), who was a member of The Restless Hearts; Dan Bindschedler (bass), who played in Robin Bacior; and Chris Heinz, who was member of renowned New York-based act Walking Shapes. Building on the buzz of their debut show at Bowery Ballroom earlier this year, the new quartet released a single “Runaway,” earlier this year and announced the forthcoming release of an EP this summer.

“Only You,” the quartet’s latest single pairs Lannon’s urgent and plaintive vocals with surfer rock-inspired guitar chords, propulsive drumming and percussion, layers of harmony, undulating synths and an anthemic hook and while meshing 80s-inspired New Wave with surfer rock in a similar fashion to Painted Palms and also drawing from 80s  U2. Sonically and lyrically speaking, it’s the sort of upbeat and earnest song that you can dance to — while making a large, dramatic gesture towards a lover; however, the song to me possesses a bittersweet undertone, as on a certain level there’s a sense of the narrator reaching for something and someone he can’t possibly have again.

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Perhaps best known as the keyboardist and guitarist of Twin Cabins, Los Angeles, CA-based multi-instrumentalist Drew Straus’s solo recording project Onsen recently released his full-length debut Earthquake Weather through Cosmic Dreamer Music. Straus’ solo project and debut effort was inspired by a major career change in which he went went from international police to music, a re-examination of sexuality and a relocation to another city — and as a result, the material captures an artist and a life in transition.

Straus’ latest single “My Own Advice” pairs shimmering and angular guitar chords, propulsive drumming and shimmering and ethereally atmospheric synths ad Straus’ plaintive falsetto in a song that Straus explains to the folks at Culture Collide is about “the end of first love. Written to myself from the perspective of the one I lost.” And as a result, the song possess a wistful “if I had known now what I had known then” vibe while the narrator also recognizes that the experience, despite the heartache, taught him something profound that he’ll take it on to his next relationship.

 

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: HEATERS Towering and Scuzzy, New Single

Now, if you’ve been frequenting this site over the better part of the past year, you’d likely be familiar with Grand Rapids, MI-based psych rock trio HEATERS have become a JOVM mainstay act for a sound that draws from 60s […]

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

Comprised of Trond Fagernes (vocals, guitar), Rune Øverby (guitar), Petter Gudim Marberg (bass), Ola Jørgen Kyrkjeeide (drums) and live contributions from Kenneth Ekes (synth), Olso, Norway quartet Mayflower Madame specialize in a moody and dark post-punk/darkwave/chillwave sound that immediately brings to mind 4AD Records heyday along with several contemporary bands, including Interpol, JOVM mainstay artists The Harrow and others. And since the 2013 release of their debut EP Into the Haze, the Norwegian quartet have developed a reputation nationally for their live shows; in fact, they’ve played two of their homelands biggest festivals Norwegian Wood and Oya Festival, as well as opening for a number of renowned acts including Crystal Stilts, Night Beats, Moon Duo and JOVM mainstay acts Disappears, Crocodiles and La Femme.

Mayflower Madame’s full-length debut Observed in a Dream was released earlier this year across Europe through Night Cult Records and was released across North America through Custom Made Music earlier this month and the album’s first latest single “Weightless”  consists of a tight motorik groove paired with shimmering guitar chords and Fagernes’ brooding baritone in a song that will further cement the quartet’s growing reputation for moody 4AD Records era post-punk — but in a remarkably hazy and ethereal song.

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Initially began as a solo recording project of Cincinnati, OH-based singer/songwriter Michael Oliva, The Harlequins became a fully-fleshed out band when Oliva met and recruited bassist Alex Stenard in 2006 and drummer Rob Stamler in 2008. Since 2008, the trio have self-released five full-length albums that revealed a band that specialized in a garage rock/psych rock sound wth elements of punk rock, surfer rock and krautrock — and  as a result, the Cincinnati-based trio have played sets at SXSW, Bunbury Music Festival and Midpoint Music Festival, as well as receiving praise from a number of major websites including The Onion‘s AV Club, Exclaim!, Performer Magazine, Vice’s Noisey and others. Additionally, the band has developed a reputation for energetic live shows paired with light displays; in fact, after the release and tour to support 2013’s Sex Change EP, the trio signed with Dizzybird Records and spent the better part of 2015 writing, revising and then recording the material, which would comprise their recently released label debut, One With You.

One With You‘s latest single “Hear Me Out” will further cement the band’s reputation for crafting noisy, infectious and anthemic garage/surfer punk as scuzzy guitar chords are paired with a propulsive and driving rhythm section, an uncannily mischievous sense of melody and howled and sung vocals fed through effects pedals. Sonically, the song bears an uncanny resemblance to Crocodiles‘ Crimes of Passion as it does to Raccoon Fighter, as it possesses a wild, unabated passion that almost takes the song completely off the rails — but while still remaining breezy.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Comprised of Paul Bancell (vocals, guitar), Ben Saginaw (bass) and Chris Samuels (synths, samples, drum machines), Detroit-based trio Ritual Howls have developed a reputation for a sound that possesses elements of industrial electronica, goth, rockabilly, and others — although when you hear “Scatter The Scars,” the latest single off the trio’s third full-length album Into the Water, the dark and foreboding single manages to sound as though it drew from Joy Division and Ministry as a throbbing bass line is paired with industrial clang and clatter, bursts of shimmering and twangy guitar chords, swirling and atmospheric synths and a  driving motorik groove with Bancell’s Ian Curtis-like vocals. The lyrically barbed song stings like a series of hurled rebukes, doubts and accusations from a lover– and  just underneath the surface the song evokes the sense of paranoia, self-doubt, uncertainty and fear that can naturally come about during those moments in which a relationship feels in doubt and there’s a part of you that can’t quit tell if it’s your perception of events based on past heartaches, if it’s reality or some completely fucked up combination of both. And interestingly enough, the trio manages to pair that tense and paranoid feeling to what may arguably be their most unintentionally club friendly song they’ve released to date.

The Detroit-based trio are currently embarking on a tour with POP1280 and YOU and it includes a couple of NYC area stops. Check out tour dates below.

 

Ritual Howls Live Dates:
06.24 Chicago, IL @ Burlington Bar *
06.25 Indianapolis, IN @ State Street Pub *
06.26 Cleveland, OH @ Mahall’s *
06.27 Columbus. OH @ Summit *
06.28 Brooklyn, NY @ Alphaville ^
08.02 Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop
08.12 New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
* w/ YOU.

^ w/ Pop. 1280, YOU.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Video: The Wistful and Gorgeous Visuals for Charlotte Cardin’s “Faufile”

Cardin’s latest single “Faufile,” which translates into English as “to slip or sneak away” features Cardin’s gorgeous and aching vocals paired with the singer/songwriter accompanied by a sparse yet eerie piano accompaniment, and the single will further cement the French Canadian singer/songwriter’s growing reputation for crafting hauntingly eerie pop that owes a debt to jazz. And hot on the heels of the release of “Faufile,” comes the wistful music video, which features a brooding and seemingly heartbroken on the rooftops and streets of what appears to be Montreal after a devastating breakup.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Certainly, if you’ve been frequenting this site over the past couple of months you may know that with the release of his debut single “Color Decay,” Westman Islands, Iceland-based singer/songwriter Júniús Meyvant quickly received attention across Iceland, Scandinavia and elsewhere for an old-school soul, funk, pop-inspired sound; in fact, the single was a breakout single that hit number 1 on the Icelandic charts, and as a result of the single’s success, Meyvant wound up dominating that year’s Icelandic Music Awards with nominations for Best Newcomer and Best Male Singer, which he also wound up winning — all of which naturally led to greater attention both across Scandinavia and the European Union, including airplay on Radio X, BBC Radio London, Amazing Radio and the song being chosen by KEXP’s Program Director Kevin Cole as his Song of The Year.

Last month, I wrote about “Neon Experience,”the first single off the Icelandic singer/songwriter’s highly-anticipated full-length debut Floating Harmonies, a single that I think further cements the Icelandic singer/songwriter’s reputation for a sound that possesses elements of old-school soul, pop and funk in mid-tempo arrangement comprised of warm and soulful horn line, a gorgeous and dramatic string arrangement, twinkling keys, a sinuous bass line paired with an infectiously anthemic hook and a slow-burning sultry bridge. All of which are perfect for the silky falsetto. Also you have to add an uplifting and resilient message that could push even the most jaded and cynical through the doldrums in a song that sonically reminded me of the Daptone Records roster — while subtly nodding at the work of Simply Red and Chet Faker.

Floating Harmonies‘ second and latest single “Mighty Backbone” pairs a similar arrangement of horns, strings, guitar and bass with complex polyrhythm. And although the breezy song sounds as though it could have been written and recorded in 1963 as it possesses a careful and deliberate attention to craft — but with a subtly modern production sheen. Ironically, despite the fact that song feels remarkably upbeat, lyrically the song is actually quite bittersweet as the song’s narrator seems to be seeking something that he  may not be able to ever truly achieve.

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Initially formed in 1997 and comprised of Al Burian, Dave Laney and Ben Davis, the Chapel Hill, NC-based experimental/post-hardcore punk/new wave-leaning trio Milemarker quickly developed a reputation in indie music circles for explosive live shows and for material that frequently possessed adventurous arrangements and instrumentation. And with their 1999-2007 touring lineup featuring founding members Burian, Laney and Roby Newton (vocals, synths), the trio played over 1,000 shows across North America, Europe and Japan supporting 2000’s Frigid Forms Sell and 2001’s Anaesthetic, opening for the likes of Wire, Mission of Burma, At The Drive-In, The Hives, Thursday, The Blood Brothers, International Noise Conspiracy, High On Fire, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cave In, Les Savy Fav, Spoon and a lengthy list of others.

After the release of 2005’s Ominosity, which featured drummers Tony Lazzara and Noah Leger, as well as arrangements from siblings Beth and Tim Remis, the band went on an extensive US and European tour in 2008 with founding member Ben Davis, which included appearances at SXSW and Fusion festivals; however, by 2009 Laney had relocated to Hamburg, Germany and focused his energies on his post-Milemarker project Auxes while Burian had relocated to Berlin to pursue a literary career. Interestingly, in 2015 the founding duo of Laney and Burian had started playing a series of live shows featuring Lena Kilkka (keys, vocals) and Ezra Cale (drums). Just in time to celebrate their reunion, Lovitt Records will be releasing a re-issue of the band’s seminal 2000 release Frigid Forms Sell and the re-issue is not only the first time the album appears on vinyl in 16 years, it’ll include 7 previously unreleased tracks, including one which was  premiered on Brooklyn Vegan. And the digital version will include demo versions of several album tracks. But interestingly, this year will be an even bigger year for the band as Overseas, the band’s first album in some time is slated for an August 26. 2016 release — while embarking on their first US tour in over 8 years (and you can check out tour dates below).

 

“Carrboro,” the first single off the band’s forthcoming, new album finds the band pairing a throbbing and insistent bass line with a quickly morphing song structure that alternates and meshes between dreamy psychedelia,  tense, angular post-punk, New Wave and prog rock — and they do so in a way that’s expansive and mind-altering.
Tour Dates:
08/11 Charlotte NC @ Milestone
08/13 Atlanta GA @ The Wrecking Ball ATL
08/14 Nashville TN @ The End
08/15 St. Louis MO @ Off Broadway
08/16 Milwaukee WI @ The Cactus Club
08/17 Minneapolis MN @ Triple Rock Social Club
08/19 Chicago IL @ Empty Bottle
08/20 Lansing MI @ Mac’s Bar
08/21 Cleveland OH @ Now That’s Class Lounge
08/22 Philadelphia PA @ The Boot & Saddle
08/23 Allston MA @ Great Scott
08/24 Brooklyn NY @ Shea Stadium
08/25 Brooklyn NY @ Saint Vitus
08/26 Washington DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel
08/27 Carrboro NC @ Cat’s Cradle
Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Quietly emerging from the breakup of The Black Crowes, the Chris Robinson Brotherhood played 50 shows over the course of nine weeks in California before officially releasing material or doing any extensive touring outside of the state. With the release of two critically applauded albums Big Moon Ritual and The Magic Door in 2012 and a staggering 118 date tour to support both efforts, the members of the Chris Robinson Brotherhood also quickly received a rapidly growing national profile — and in fact, many critics and media outlets considered the band one of the contemporary standard bearers of the old-school blues rock/psych rock sound. Plus, let’s not forget that Robinson is one of the most soulful white boys on the face of the earth.

The Chris Robinson Brotherhood’s fourth full-length effort, Anyway You Love, We Know How You Feel is slated for a July 29, 2016 release through Robinson’s own label, Silver Arrow Records. As the story goes, the members of the band relocated to California for the writing and recording sessions in a studio that was according to the members of the band located on the side of a mountain, overlooking the foggy Pacific Ocean — and naturally, the members of the band were inspired by the environs. Along with the change of scenery, the sessions were not only their first with their newest summer Tony Leone, who has worked with Ollabelle and the legendary Levon Helm, Robinson left as much open-ended as possible. Rather than coming into the studio with a finished collection of songs ad he had in the past, he presented his bandmates with rough sketches of songs — maybe a verse and part of a chorus, a chord progression here and there and allowed his bandmates the opportunity to improvise and let their collective muses push the material towards the direction it needed to go. As Robinson mentions in press notes the recording sessions for the album were “an opportunity to see where our expression could take us. For us, when it comes to making records, the looser it gets the better. It’s all about taking our intuition and following it to where our ideas can really manifest themselves. This turned out to be the most spontaneous record I’ve ever been a part of.”

Anyway You Love, We Know How You Feel‘s latest single “California Hymn” manages to mesh elements of county, soul, classic rock, gospel and folk music while sounding as though it was equally inspired by The Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers and others in a loose, shambling and shuffling song that possesses an easy-going pious joy over life’s small and intimate pleasures.

The band will be on tour throughout the next three months. Check out tour dates below.

Tour Dates

July 1 – Quincy, CA – High Sierra Music Festival
July 15 – Charleston, SC – The Music Farm
July 16 – Orlando, FL – The Beacham
July 17 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Culture Room
July 19 – St. Petersburg, FL – The State Theatre
July 21 – Macon, GA – Cox Capital Theatre
July 22 – Augusta, GA – Sky City
July 23 – Wilmington, NC – Greenfield Lake Amphitheater
July 24 – Norfolk, VA – The Norva
July 26 – Asbury Park, NJ – The Stone Pony
July 27 – Annapolis, MD – Rams Head Onstage
July 29 – Fairfield, CT – The Warehouse
July 30 – Beverly, MA – The Cabot
July 31 – Plymouth, NH – Flying Monkey
August 5 – Stowe, VT – The Rusty Nail
August 6 – Hartford, CT – Infinity Hall
August 7 – Newton, NJ – The Newton Theatre
August 25 – Arrington, VA – LOCKN’
September 16 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheater
September 21 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
September 23 – Pontiac, MI – Crofoot Ballroom
September 25 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
September 26 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
September 29 – Stroudsburg, PA – Sherman Theater
September 30 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
October 1 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
October 2 – Syracuse, NY – Westcott Theatre
October 4 – Grand Rapids, MI – The Intersection
October 6 – Cincinnati, OH – 20th Century Theater
October 7 – Nashville, TN – Cannery Ballroom
October 8 – Columbia, MO – The Blue Note
October 9 – Omaha, NE – Slowdown
October 11 – Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater
October 13 – Indianapolis, IN – Deluxe @ Old National Center
October 14 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
October 15 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre
October 16 – Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall Ballroom
October 20 – Louisville, KY – Headliner’s Music Hall
October 21 – Charlotte, NC – The Neighborhood Theatre

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

With the release of their 2014 full-length debut We Are Nots Memphis, TN-based synth punk/thrash punk/noise punk quartet Nots, featuring their current lineup of Natalie Hoffman (vocals, guitar) and Charlotte Watson (drums), Madison Farmer (bass) and Alexandra Eastburn (synths) have received a growing national profile and became JOVM mainstay artists for a sound that owes a great debt to 60s garage rock, punk, thrash punk, no wave and new wave — complete with a frenetic, unhinged and deeply visceral feel. Since the release of We Are Nots, the band has released a number of singles, including the “Shelf Life”/”Virgin Mary” 7 inch, which revealed that the Memphis-based quartet had been expanding upon the sound that had first captured the attention of the blogosphere, as well as focusing on deeper thematic concerns.

September 9, 2016 will mark the release of Nots highly-anticipated sophomore effort Cosmetic through Goner Records, and the album reportedly focuses on and attacks the rough edges between desire, deceit, appearances and reality. And as the band’s frontwoman Natalie Hoffman explains in press notes, the album’s first single “Entertain Me” “is a song in a constant state of movement and deterioration around one central, repeating part. No two live versions of it sound the same. Drawing influences from experimental no wave, postpunk, and psychedelic music, ‘Entertain Me’ takes its cues from the edges of genres, where one begins to blend into another, and nothing is easily classified. The lyrics reflect the cyclical, distorted nature of the song, addressing different facets of the grotesque horror show going on in American politics and how they are portrayed- the rise of Trump, the reality-TV-like nature of American news, the almost-forced compliance of the viewer, and the for-profit-constructed “right” of the viewer, the consumer, to require constant entertainment in order to participate, and to live.”

Clocking in at a little over 7 minutes, “Entertain Me” is arguably Nots’ noisiest, most frenetic and most sprawling song as swirling layers of guitar chords are played through wah wah pedal and other distortion pedal, furious bleeping and squeaking and squawking synths, howled vocals fed through distortion and propulsive drumming are held together (somewhat) by a a throbbing and insistent bass line in a song that structurally and sonically reminds me of The Church‘s “Chaos” and Disappears‘ “Kone”  — but angrier and much more abrasive, as though capturing the frustration, powerlessness of its narrator, a narrator who is struggling to find some footing in a perverse, fucked up world.