Tag: Kill Rock Stars

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Atlanta’s Lesibu Grand Shares Anthemic and Incisive “Anarchy”

In their three year history, Atlanta-based outfit Lesibu Grand (pronounced Le-SEE-Boo) — Tyler-Simone Molton (vocals), John Renaud (bass), Brian Turner (guitar), Lee Wiggins (drums) and Warren Ullom (keys) — have quickly made waves nationally with a lush and intoxicating sound paired with a revolutionary message: They’ve released material that’s been praised by BrooklynVegan, Alternative Press and Under The Radar, and they’ve received airplay from KEXP, WEQX and more. The Atlanta-based outfit has also made the rounds of the national festival circuit with sets at Afropunk Festival, SXSW, Punk Black Fest and Hulaween.

Building upon a rapidly growing profile, Lesibu Grand’s highly-anticipated full-length debut, Triggered is slated for an August 16, 2024 release through Kill Rock Stars. Drawing from modern sounds like celestial pop, punk and surf rock, the album’s material reportedly sees the band weaving together threats of personal introspection and social commentary, delving into the raw emotions and visceral emotions that define the human experience, encapsulating the essence of our tumultuous society, while offering a melodic remedy for the soul.

Triggered‘s lead single “Anarchy” is a hook-driven, post-punk tune featuring angular guitar stabs, a propulsive drum pattern, a chugging motorik-like groove and atmospheric synths serving as a lush bed for Molton’s punchily defiant vocal. While bringing some fondly nostalgic memories of 80s post punk — think Billy Idol and Cyndi Lauper‘s “She Bop” — the song is anchored around some incisive sociopolitical commentary, specifically on workers rights and workers rights rebellions. Simply put, workers of the world, let’s unite and snatch back what the monied class have stolen!

Directed by Nathan DuCongé, the accompanying video is a vibrant mix of animation and live action set in the world of The Jetsons — but in this world, a fed up and overworked Rosie revolts against her cruel and lazy human owner.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

As a founding member of The B-52s, Cindy Wilson is a pioneer of the New Wave sound that redefined rock and pop music in the late 70s through much of the 80s. And if you love the legendary Athens, GA-based outfit as much as I do, you know that Wilson has one of the most distinct, melodic voices in rock — and that she’s known for her ability to deliver powerful emotions throughout her work.

Back in 2016, the New Wave legend stepped out into the spotlight as a solo artist. Since then she has released two EPs and her full-length solo debut —  Sunrise EP and Supernatural EP and Change, which saw her collaborating with electronic musicians and producers Suny Lyons and Ryan Monahan. The collaboration with Lyons and Monahan proved to be a decided sonic departure from Wilson’s best known and beloved work that also managed to stay true to Wilson’s alt rock, punk and New Wave roots: Her world famous vocals were paired with a backdrop of dreamy and ambient, dance floor friendly music. And as a result, the material subtly continues Wilson’s long-held reputation for being behind some dance floor friendly jams while establishing herself as a singular force in her own right.

Wilson’s forthcoming sophomore album Realms is slated for an August 25, 2023 through Kill Rock Stars. Realms sees the New Wave legend continuing her collaboration with Suny Lyons and features contributions from Sterling Campbell (drums) and Maria Kindt(strings). The ten-song album reportedly her most ambitious to date, with the material inviting the listener on a journey that peels back the layers of our common humanity — and digs deep into our minds and souls. Continuing upon the contemporary, electro pop of its predecessors, the new album is rooted in carefully crafted material that reveals that the New Wave legend has her fingers on the pulse of contemporary music, while being a new chapter in her already storied career.

Last month I wrote about album single “Wait,” a song built around an atmospheric production featuring skittering beats, glistening synths and euphoria-inducing hooks paired with chopped up vocal samples serving as a lush bed for Wilson’s yearning delivery.

Realms‘ third and latest single “Delirious” is a trippy, Gary Numan-like, dance floor friendly bop built around layers of fluttering synths and a retro-futuristic, motorik groove. Wilson contributes a yearning and desperate vocal turn, evoking our wildly uncertain period. It’s arguably the most New Wave-like single, harkening back to the early days of her own career — but with a mischievously modern sensibility.

“I’m so happy that ‘Delirious’ is up to bat!” Wilson told Flood Magazine. ” It reminds me of elements of the new wave music we started out doing. I think it has the desperate vocals of the time, with a psychedelic fusion. Terrance McKenna loved ‘Private Idaho!’ Maybe he would have liked ‘Delirious!'”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

As a founding member of The B-52s, Cindy Wilson is a pioneer of the New Wave sound that redefined rock and pop music in the late 70s through much of the 80s. And if you love the legendary Athens, GA-based outfit as much as I do, you know that Wilson has one of the most distinct, melodic voices in rock — and that she’s known for her ability to deliver powerful emotions throughout her work.

Back in 2016, the New Wave legend stepped out into the spotlight as a solo artist. Since then she has released two EPs and her full-length solo debut — Sunrise EP and Supernatural EP and Change, which saw her collaborating with electronic musicians and producers Suny Lyons and Ryan Monahan. The collaboration with Lyons and Monahan proved to be a decided sonic departure from Wilson’s best known and beloved work that also managed to stay true to Wilson’s alt rock, punk and New Wave roots: Her world famous vocals were paired with a backdrop of dreamy and ambient, dance floor friendly music. And as a result, the material subtly continues Wilson’s long-held reputation for being behind some dance floor friendly jams while establishing herself as a singular force in her own right.

Wilson’s forthcoming sophomore album Realms is slated for an August 25, 2023 through Kill Rock Stars. Realms sees the New Wave legend continuing her collaboration with Suny Lyons and features contributions from Sterling Campbell (drums) and Maria Kindt (strings). The ten-song album reportedly her most ambitious to date, with the material inviting the listener on a journey that peels back the layers of our common humanity — and digs deep into our minds and souls. Continuing upon the contemporary, electro pop of its predecessors, the new album is rooted in carefully crafted material that reveals that the New Wave legend has her fingers on the pulse of contemporary music, while being a new chapter in her already storied career.

The album’s latest single “Wait” is built around an atmospheric production featuring skittering beats, glistening synths, and euphoria-inducing hooks paired with chopped up vocal samples serving as a lush bed for Wilson’s yearning delivery. “Though I love all of the tracks on Realms, there is something special about ‘Wait,'” Wilson explained to BrooklynVegan. “Its beautiful vocal melody; abstract love song about being in the right place at the right time.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: JOVM Mainstays TEKE: TEKE Shares Bittersweet “Doppelgänger”

Montréal-based collective TEKE: TEKE – Yuki Isami (flute, shinobue and keys), Hidetaka Yoneyama (guitar), Sergio Nakauchi Pelletier (guitar), Mishka Stein (bass), Etienne Lebel (trombone), Ian Lettree (drums, percussion) and Maya Kuroki (vocals, keys and percussion) — initially began as loving homage and tribute band of legendary Japanese guitarist Takeshi “Terry” Terauchi, featuring a collection of accomplished local musicians, who have played with Pawa Up First, Patrick Wilson, Boogat, Gypsy Kumbia Orchestra and others. 

2018’s debut, Jikaku EP saw the Canadian outfit come into their own highly unique and difficult to pigeonhole sound that features elements of Japanese Eleki surf rock, shoegaze, post-punk, psych rock, ska, Latin music and Balkan music. They then signed to Kill Rock Stars Records, who released their full-length debut, 2021’s Shirushi last year, and in the lead-up to the album’s release, I wrote about five of its singles:  

The acclaimed JOVM mainstays’ highly-anticipated sophomore album, the Daniel Schlettt-produced Hagata is slated for a June 9, 2023 release through Kill Rock Stars. “Hagata,” as the band’s Maya Kuroki explains “is a very deep word, something present but also something leftover from someone or something no longer there. It’s like waking up from a dream, or being connected to the other side of something. As a band, the Canadian psych pop outfit are intimately familiar with the duality of splitting reality between past and present, complex melodies and hushed interludes, intense action and lingering response. After building their genre-defying sound on Shirushi, the septet indulged in and learned from stretching out in free-floating experimentation both on the road and with Schlett during the recording sessions in Mountain Dale, NY.

“Doppelgänger,” Hagata‘s latest single sees the acclaimed JOVM mainstays pairing a cinematic arrangement that prominently features strummed guitar, a brooding horn line with Kuroki’s achingly wistful delivery. Part bittersweet ballad, part brooding meditation “Doppelgänger” speaks of the duality of identity: “Being of mixed Japanese and French-Canadian culture, I always feel like in some way I’m living two parallel lives…a big part of me is here in Canada, obviously, but another part of me is on the other side of the planet…this could be said about most of us in this band” the band’s Sergio Nakauchi Pelletier says.

The accompanying video created by the band’s Pelletier and Kuroki was shot during a recent trip to Japan: The pair took their camera all over Kyoto, Kamakura and Chiba, places, where they have family ties. The video features footage from that trip, along with childhood footage of the band members. It’s a deep care and low that at times overcomes distance, time and change — while pointing out that change is inevitable.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Alt Rock All Star Side Project Filthy Friends Release Their Most Straightforward and Anthemic Song to Date

Comprised of Corin Tucker (vocals, guitar), who’s best known for being a member of Sleater-Kinney and Heavens to Betsy; Kurt Bloch (guitar), who’s best known as the frontman of The Fastbacks and a producer and mentor for several up-and-coming Seattle-based rock bands; Bill Rieflin (drums), who’s best known for being a member of the legendary King Crimson; Scott McCaughey (bass), a studio musician, who’s also known for being a member of Fresh Young Fellows; and last but certainly not least, Peter Buck (guitar), who was a founding member of R.E.M., Filthy Friends is both a side project and free-flowing collaboration between likeminded, long-time friends, who happen to be among some of the most accomplished and influential musicians of the past 30+ years. 

The band has released two attention-grabbing singles this year, “Desiperta,” their contribution to the anti-Trump protest compilation 30 Songs For 30 Days and a Record Store Day release featuring “Any Kind of Crowd” and a cover of Roxy Music’s “Editions of You.” Building upon the attention they’ve already received, the band will be releasing their full-length debut Invitation through Kill Rock Stars Records on August 25, 2017 — and while featuring their previously released tracks, the album overall finds the band working through a series of different moods and styles, genre exercises and experiments; however, “The Arrival,” Invitation’s first single may arguably be the most straightforward, glam rock and alt rock nodding single as the band pairs bristling and chugging power chords and a rousingly anthemic hook around Tucker’s imitable vocals in a song that swaggers with the cool, self-assured confidence of old pros, who make it seem far easier than it actually is — and who can essentially play anything at will.