Tag: Emily Daly

TRACK REVIEW: all boy/all girl “Glitters”

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So, you take an ukelele, cello, viola, and stand-up bass, along with the usual guitar and drums. Maybe put some horns in there, too. Then throw in two female vocalists who sound like they’re challenging the limits of sound. This is all boy/all girl’s new single, “Glitters:” Pop music that’s been completely burst open.

“Glitters” is just one of the new tracks the band has finished recently, and will be releasing their new EP Trophy, their follow up to 2013’s Tiny Inglesia on March 3rd. They’ll also be playing an EP release show at The Studio at Webster Hall on March 16th.  

Listen to “Glitters” below:

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TRACK REVIEW: Ava Luna “Billz”

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Ava Luna, that soulful quirky five-piece from Brooklyn, are releasing a new album on April 14th via Western Vinyl. Wow, that’s a long ways away, isn’t it? Well, you can stream one of their new songs right now, on Bandcamp. 

“Billz” is the ninth track on Infinite House, Ava Luna’s latest release since 2014’s Electric Balloon. Typical of the band, it mixes the old-school sound of Carlos Hernandez’s passionate crooning and eclectic, jazzy pop with modern life. Putting words to what we’re all thinking as we go about our lives, he sings “Will it elevate me? Will it educate me?/ But is it gonna pay my bills?”

When the time is right, you can download Infinite House here. In the meantime, check out “Billz” below:

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Track List for Infinite House:

1. Company

2. Tenderize

3. Steve Polyester

4. Roses and Cherries

5. Coat of Shellac

6. Infinite House

7. Black Dog

8. Best Hexagon

9. Billz

10. Victoria

11. Carbon

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VIDEO REVIEW: Courtney Barnett “Pedestrian At Best”

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Courtney Barnett is one busy Australian. She’s a record label owner, visual artist, and of course a singing, songwriting, guitar-playing musician. If her 2013 release The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas left you in desperate need of an official album from the Melbourne musician, the wait is nearly over: Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit will be released via  Mom + Pop Music on March 24th.

Barnett has also released the album’s first single, “Pedestrian At Best.” The accompanying video is a hilarious, self-deprecating portrayal of fame and the anxieties it produces, revealed in lines such as “What are we going to do when everything falls through?” and “Put me on a pedestal, and I’ll only disappoint you.” Barnett plays a sad clown at a fair who wears a “Clown of the Year 2013” badge, and just can’t catch a break. She’s ignored by the crowds in favor of 2014’s Clown of the Year and jipped by an unimpressed ticket-taker. The members of her band appear in the video as well, booing her as she makes balloon animals, crashing into her on a go-kart course, and stealing her money. “I must confess I’ve made a mess of what should be a small success,” she sings in her signature, composed ramble, over crashing cymbals and crunchy power chords.

Even if her time in the spotlight hasn’t been so easy, at least it inspired some killer songs. Check out “Pedestrian At Best” below:

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ALBUM REVIEW: Ghastly Menace “Songs of Ghastly Menace”

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When I looked at their band name, I expected Ghastly Menace to be some kind of punk group, or possible a metal or grunge outfit. But you can’t always judge a band by its name, and I didn’t hear anything ghastly or menacing. Instead, what came through my speakers was a debut album from a lo-fi pop band, reminiscent of Grizzly Bear or The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.

Ghastly Menace is now a six-piece band from Chicago. After members Andy Schroeder and Chris Geick released their 2010 EP Pitcairn, they added Kody Nixon, Michael Heringhaus, Pat Lawler, and Clint Weber for their first official album, Songs of Ghastly Menace, released through The Record Machine on January 27th.

For a band’s debut, it’s impressive. Ghastly Menace has figured out their own style, but even within it, they show range and depth. The album starts out strong with its first two singles, “80s” and “Closing,” full of catchy and layered with infectious drums, well-placed guitar hooks, keyboard melodies and bass that glides along beneath it all. The record changes pace with the next two tracks. “You let me do too many things without you/ Know I don’t know how to do them with you,” is sung in harmony on the quiet, “Living Together,” which builds up slowly but always returns to its original tone. In “While You’re Here,” the vocals are laid bare, with only light shakes of percussion and occasional background noise before the track builds up. The only song that sounds out of place on Songs of Ghastly Menace is the seventh track “She Won’t Stay Long,” a piano ballad that breaks the tone of the rest of the record.

Ghastly Menace is able to find a perfect balance with their first album- music that’s low-key without being lazy, vocals that are sleepy without putting you to sleep, and the ability to keep calm without being emotionless. There’s also some interesting sound effects scattering through the record. The band has said that they use “non-instrumental sounds and techniques” on the album, which left me unable to guess what some cool sounds were, but I’m pretty sure someone sacrificed a glass or two while recording “On Our Way.” Whatever sonic experiment Ghastly Menace is conducting, it’s a success.

You can download Songs of Ghastly Menace here, and check out “Closing” below!

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ALBUM REVIEW: Stage Hands “Stage Hands”

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Stage Hands is a Johnstown, PA-based project made up of multimedia artist/producer Brandon Locher and drummer/producer Gerald Mattis. The duo started making music together in 2013, and are releasing their debut LP, Stage Hands, on February 10 through the PA music archive My Idea of Fun.

The self-titled LP is only 26 minutes long. It’s a quick listen, but hard to get out of your head once you’re done. The sound is hard to pin down; it’s busy, but also ambient, soothing, but energetic and danceable. Key tracks are “The Populating of Empty Space,” which builds up slowly into a catchy, funky melody, and the contemplative, keyboard-heavy “Adaptive Lines.” 

“It’s snowing styrofoam/ A drone in every home/ For the holidays,” and “Am I just imagining these variant rhythms/ Of antidisestablishmentarianism?”  The One and Only Matt Miller sings on the creeping “#unabomber,” the only track with vocals. Other musicians that appear on Stage Hands are Jon Livingston, who played piano on “Stage Hands,” Jon Beard, who contributed drum engineering for “#unabomber,” and Sean Jackson, who played synths on tracks “Adaptive Lines,” “Regardless,” and “#unabomber.”

If you’re wondering how they’ll be able to pull this sound off live, you’ll be able to see for yourself the day before their record drops. Stage Hands will playing at the Brooklyn DIY venue The Silent Barn on February 9, along with Tallesen, Jono Mi Lo, Middle Grey and Dean Cercone. For a preview, check out a video of Stage Hands below:

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TRACK REVIEW: GABI “Fleece”

If you’ve ever wondered what the perfect song for cloud-watching would be, this is it: “Fleece” by GABI is one of the track’s on the singer’s upcoming album, Sympathy. Gabrielle Herbst’s voice floats gentle by, sometimes as a whisper, other times soaring. A distant roll of percussion, droning strings, and the rustling of keys join her in a crescendo, before a chorus of horns swirl around the settling sounds. It’s quietly breathtaking, but only she knows: does “Fleece” represent a beautiful moment, or just the calm before the storm?

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TRACK REVIEW: The Midnight Hollow “Walls”

The Midnight Hollow.

Their name sounds like a spooky New England town, but The Midnight Hollow is actually a New York City rock band who recently premiered a new single.

“Walls” is an optimistic approach to their brooding psych-pop that singer Spencer Draeger describes as “more focused and colorful” than the group’s previous work. The single is a dense yet lively track, layered in synths and wavering guitar, and pulls off being both meditative and dynamic. They haven’t lost any of their edge that earned them the title of “Band To Watch” from Stereogum or “Best New Release” from Spotify. Like any great band that sticks around, their sound is just evolving into something different. For The Midnight Hollow, that means something brighter and more grounded. As Draeger has said: “It feels good to pull open the curtains and color up the darkness.”

The band formed in the summer of 2012, and released their first EP, Self-Titled in 2014 after contributing a track for a Zappruder Records compilation in 2013. Draeger writes the band’s songs and plays all instruments on recordings, except for the drums which are supplied by Andrew Segreti. On stage, they’re joined by Matt Leibowitz on bass, Vahak Janbazian on percussion, and Katie Campo on keys. 

“Walls” will be on The Midnight Hollow’s upcoming EP, For The People Inside, available in February. You can also catch them in person on March 6th, when they’ll be playing at the Mercury Lounge with The Bright Light Social Hour. In the meantime, listen to “Walls” below!

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EP REVIEW: Carmen Villain “Quietly/Let Go”

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Looking to get lost in a world of sound? Carmen Villain, aka Norwegian singer/songwriter and former model Carmen Hillestad, has released a new 7” single of dreamy pop music, Quietly/Let Go.

“Quietly” is an eerily ethereal soundscape of guitars and brooding background noise. While the music builds around her voice, Villain’s vocals remain tethered down, dark and dreamy. “Let Go” is a quieter track that feels as if you’ve gotten lost in a forest; it starts with chattering bird-like noises and swirls of synths and reverb. Villain’s muffled voice is only present for the last minute of the song, before the track fades quietly out.

Quietly/Let Go is available to download digitally on January 20th. For those of you who prefer a copy you can show off on your bookcase, you’ll have to wait until February 10th when the physical copy is released through Smalltown Supersound. 

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