Throughout this gorgeous collection of music Sykes’ voice crisscrosses the paper-thin rift between deep pain and true bliss, enabling songs to drift into the ether in between. Slower moments build with a creepy, meandering flow before bursts of swirling psychedelic rock attack that would make Comets on Fire proud. This is heavy.
The Errant Charm, Vetiver’s fifth full-length album (and second with Sub Pop) continues a process that began with Tight Knit, moving the band away from this unorthodox folk into more traditionally structured California pop. Overall, most of the album has a subdued and gossamer mood, but to its credit, there is also an eclectic mix of breezy, sanguine arrangements combined with robust moments like “Ride, Ride, Ride that recalls an A.M.–era Wilco.
In 2008 Ernest Green’s moniker, Washed Out, became a touchstone for the influential “chillwave” micro-genre, known for its tendency to morph lush and hazy atmospherics with 80’s synth pads, mournful vocals, and a hearty dose of modern R&B bump. With his new offering, Within and Without, Green proves himself capable of moving forward while the expected hype surrounds the release.
The Globes are from Spokane, WA, not usually thought of as a hotbed for fruitful musical collaboration. Young, having graduated from high school in 2007, band members dedicated themselves to pursuing a musical vision that first expanded into a seven piece orchestral and cinematic unit before contacting to the current quartet. Future Self is their first release and retains a certain murky drama that is both musically complex and emotionally accessible.
With LA based outfit Dawes about to release their second album, Nothing is Wrong on June 7th I was able to catch up with bassist Wylie Gelber while the band was in Georgia supporting Brett Dennen on a national swing.
With rock solid playing and a freshly melodic spin on 70's AM radio rock this young group shows of a rare ability to channel an older tradition but play it with a full slate of personal inspiration.
Buffalo Tom, one of the forerunners of 90’s “college rock” is back on the street with their new album Skins. While the band’s music, especially 1994’s “hit single” “Sodajerk”, may stir some achingly awkward memories of Angela Chase and Jordan Catalano making out in the boiler room, these Boston boys have maintained a steady sound over the years that will bring you right back to the days of “alternative” music.
When Taylor Goldsmith rips into a staccato-laced solo toward the end of “Fire Away” on Dawes’ second LP, Nothing is Wrong, the band emphatically declares their expansion. With more time to write and more attention focused on their efforts this time around, Dawes manages to honor their modern Laurel Canyon country folk by adding moments of increased muscle and bright new flourishes of their striking harmonies inside a wider palette of sound.
Ever since releasing records entitled I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child and Everything into Nothing, Manchester Orchestra has staked a claim as sensitively extravagant rockers. With the more mutedly titled, Simple Math, Hull has concocted a collection of simultaneously bombastic and intimate songs tracking the dissolution and reconstruction of his marriage and his life.
While Duff McKagan has always appeared far more open to a reunion than the iconoclastic and downright ridiculous Axl Rose, he has soldiered on since their mid 90’s breakup. The modern world of metal has been more than welcoming with his platinum selling work in Velvet Revolver as well as his longtime band, Loaded. Having always played a supporting role in his two other bands, since 1999, Loaded has afforded McKagan the opportunity to step to the fore, showcasing his song writing, guitar playing and singing.
