Posts Tagged ‘S/T’

Sweet Lights // Ballad of Kurt Vile #2

Wednesday, March 9th, 2011

From the band who brought you the music video staring Bill Cosby & Cast, comes a “new” free track (one of four) off of their self-titled release. Unsure of the reasoning behind the Kurt Vile name-dropping (other than a Matador reference, I can’t glean anything from the lyrics) but regardless, this Sweet Lights track excels at being pleasantly simple and delightfully listen-able. You can stream/download the track below and head over to their bandcamp page to give some of their other tracks a listen!

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All Saints Day // S/T

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

Gorilla vs. Bear broke the news late this afternoon that the self-titled EP from All Saints Day has become available for stream via their bandcamp page — weird that I didn’t see this when I was surfing the site earlier today. Que sera, sera. For those who don’t know, All Saints Day is Kickball Katy from the Vivian Girls (pictured above) and Gregg Foreman from Cat Power (at the keyboard on this photo). A bit more dreamy than anything Katy’s done and a bit more fuzzy than what Gregg’s used to working with alongside Ms. Chan Marshall, the duo falls into the niche of slow-tempo bedroom-noise quite nicely. The metallic-sounding endings at the end of some phrasings due to heavy feedback get to be a bit much at times, but all-in-all All Saints Day’s debut is a pleasant enough listen.

You can check out the opener “It’ll Come Around” below and if you dig it, hit up the stream here. No word yet from the group’s label, the Vivian Girls’ run Wild World Records, on the physical release date.

All Saints Day // It’ll Come Around

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RxRy // S/T

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

It seems like mysterious musicians anonymously releasing stellar works are the norm these days: Burial (formerly), jj (somewhat), Sally Shapiro (half of the group), and iamamiwhoami all fall under this category. The new masked man/woman du jour is none other than RxRy who, with the scant info gleaned from his/her myspace page, I can probably safely say lives somewhere on planet Earth. However, after hearing some of tracks on their self-titled release, I’m unsure about even that.

I first heard about RxRy through the good gals down at BUTTERxFACE when they posted his (sorry for the gender bias, but that’s the pronoun I’m going with) album for free download on their site, prompting some to speculate that the musician is none other than Animal Collective member Noah Lennox and the released material are outtakes from a recent solo recording session. After a superficial listen, it’s easy to discredit this rumor, but even having the false notion that you’re Panda Bear is a testament on how strong your music is. RxRy also took the time to address the mistaken identity head-on by uploading the following picture to his myspace:

As for the album itself, it’s 37 minutes of ambient hypnotic sounds that are sure to leave you entranced with each listen. The majority of the opener “Baulkn Slihts” (I guess vowels are so 2009) left me imagining what it’s like to be trapped out on the open ocean, braving sea swells and relentless sun. Hell, if it had the word “wave” in the title, I know of a perfect compilation it would have fit right into!

Much how Mt. Eerie was able to harness the power of thunderstorms in his Wind’s Poem LP, RxRy seems to channel his inner Captain Planet and bust out his wind and water rings at a moment’s notice. The predominant sound of “Prestina Mewloh” are bird-like chirpings which gives the impression of wind rustles with shimmering synth lines floating in-and-out like clouds. On the other hand, “Prajhil Ryhtm”s prominently features a thumping bass line, albeit muted a bit, but wait, what’s that in the background? — none other than some sea-breeze fluctuations. And much of the album continues in the same atmospheric fashion.

Although keeping the head in the skies seems to be a reoccurring theme, that isn’t to say there aren’t any bumping tracks. Both “Eaurowi” and “Edvrd Rvrfy Guitr” make good use of fast tempo head-nodding beats that are sure to keep people dancing while “Convrtvbl Bvbes” (which is one of the few easily translatable tracks) is perfect for a more lo-key chillaxxxed party.

You can check out two of my favorite tracks below and if you like it, head on over to BUTTERxFACE for a link to a full download:

RxRy // Prajhil Ryhtm

RxRy // Baulkn Slihts

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Grass Widow // S/T LP

Saturday, December 26th, 2009

Adding another tally mark to the growing list of great bands that call San Francisco home, the all-girl Golden Gate garage group (inadvertent alliteration, I promise) composed of Hannah Lew, Raven Mahon, and Lillian Maring — aka Grass Widow — are the latest to invade my auditory canal. With some kick-ass tunes that will draw the inevitable comparisons to recently broken-up British alt. rockers Electrelane from some people (myself included), this trio of talented musicians are already making splashes outside their hometown. With a debut LP (whose cover looks a bit familiar), a 12” EP on label-of-the-year candidate Captured Tracks, and a couple of East/West Coast tours under their belt, they have already started building up a groundswell which, in my opinion, will lead to a big breaking-out moment in 2010.

Now I haven’t received a copy of their EP yet and I’ve only just recently purchased their full-length, but even with such little exposure to their music they have already won me over. Their debut, released on Make A Mess Records, is composed of nine-tracks of some of the best art-punk in recent memory.

(courtesy: alandickson)

The record opens strongly with “To Where” which features the three girls combining their forces vocally to create intricate harmonies while fast-paced finger picking bass (courtesy of Ms. Lew) bounces effortlessly around, giving the song the necessary locomotion. Thinking that you may have hit a ballad with their third track “Green Screen”, the song swiftly transitions from a capella to full-steam-ahead melodic rock — reminiscent of Electrelane’s “Bells” — in a span of a couple of measures. The A-side closes with the instrumental “Long Walk to the Beach” which, at times, could be the soundtrack to any video game that features a hero vs. boss level.

The B-side keeps up its share of the bargain by continuing the lo-fi garage punk feel established by its A counterpoint — showcasing spidery guitars on the waltz-y “Time Could Bend” and Le Tigre-like shouts (a la “What’s Yr Take On Cassavetes”) on “Cut It Out”. The record closes out with “Rattled Call”, which is arguably my album highlight. Rapidly switching between dreamy dulcet vocals and neck-breaking moshable percussion, the song is sure to keep you on your toes with every listen.

To give you a sample of what Grass Widow is all about, you can listen to an mp3 of “Green Screen” and, if you like what you hear, you can buy the record digitally from the website (unfortunately, the vinyl is sold out). Also, if you live in Portland, they will be playing The Artistry on January 7.

Grass Widow // Green Screen

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