Kate Foster

Kate Foster is a hodgepodge of seemingly unrelated titles: writer. Blogger. Beauty and fashion junkie. Cat devotee. Art history buff. Harry Potter nerd. Cheesy 90's television fan. Sometimes-gamer. Seasonal sculptor. Mostly she’s a music enthusiast. While her heart and soul belong to 50's and 60's crooners like Etta James, Sam Cooke and Elvis Presley, one shouldn’t be surprised to find her listening to Lady Gaga or Jay-Z. Most days, though, she’s in an indie-punk mood somewhere in between - she counts the Pixies, the White Stripes, M83, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs as a few of her favorites. And while you’ll typically see her bobbing her head calmly at concerts, occasionally she pulls out all the stops for bands like the Black Lips. She treasures her bruises like a child. After graduating from the University of Georgia with degrees in Journalism and Art History, Kate aspires to move to New York City. There, she hopes to continue to write. She also plans on pretending to understand the art at MoMA and stuffing her face with cronuts and one dollar pizza. Kate’s heroes range from Oscar de la Renta and Mindy Kaling to Ernest Hemingway and Rupert Giles. She practically inhales iced coffee on a daily basis. Her favorite color is yellow, and like Buddy the Elf, she considers candy a major food group. She has dreams almost every night involving the coolest architecture and interior design, and has no idea what it means. Seriously, what does that mean?!

Kitten: Like A Stranger

Posted on by Kate Foster

Unless you’re Lady Gaga, it’s damn near impossible to harken back to early Madonna and 80s glam rock in a totally modern way. Enter Kitten, the youthful, L.A.-based electronic group fronted by 18-year-old Chloe Chaidez. Having already toured with the likes of Paramore and The Joy Formidable, it’s no surprise that Kitten’s new EP, Like A Stranger, is as mature as it is totally addicting to dance to.

The EP’s title track, with an unabashedly Madonna-esque title and “Vogue” kind of vocal interlude, is also reminiscent of modern acts like the Eurythmics and Metric. Booming over old-school electronic beats, Chaidez’s voice shakes you to the core with its indescribable mixture of power and warble. “Yesterday” works in a similar way, but there’s an undeniable hip-hop flair to the glam instrumentals of the track. Clashing with the chorus’s moody, 80s goth air, Kitten successfully incorporates two distinct genres to create one of their very own.

The album slows down a little with “I’ll Be Your Girl”, in which Chaidez exhibits her voice’s adaptability. Truth be told, the instrumentals of the track would be a little cheesy without Chaidez’s bellows and whimpers, something the group is undoubtedly tuned in to – again, this fivesome has mastered the art of toeing genre lines. Next up, “Doubt” has a totally primal, animalistic feel. For the first time on the album, one of the male members of the group takes the mic alongside Chaidez, a fact that doesn’t go unnoticed; right as we were beginning to think the songs on the album were all a bit too similar, that extra voice kicked the EP into a third dimension.

“Graffiti Soul” is one of our favorites, perhaps because it seems like something Marina & The Diamonds would write. It’s catchy and entertaining, and the perfect song to lead into the EP’s more serious, ballad-like final track, “King of Kings”. Kitten cap off the album with each member showing off each of their respective instruments – the track is awash with guitar solos, drum interludes, and Chaidez belting at the top of her lungs. Is it too much? Of course. But does Kitten pull it off? Absolutely.

Check out Kitten’s new album Like A Stranger out today!  And be sure to hit her up on her current tour with Charli XCX (dates below)!

KITTEN on TOUR
*8/2 headline dates
8/30-9/29 supporting Charli XCX
 
8/2 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour*
8/30 – Vancouver, BC @ Venue Nightclub
8/31 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
9/3 – San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s
9/6 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
9/7 – Las Vegas, NV @ Vinyl – Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
9/9 – Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue
9/12 – Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club
9/16 – Toronto, ON @ The Hoxton
9/17 – Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rossa
9/18 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
9/20 – Asbury Park, NJ – Wonder Bar
9/21 – New York, NY – Gramercy Theater
9/23 – Columbus, OH @ The A&R Music Bar
9/24 – Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge
9/25 – Atlanta, GA @ Vinyl
9/28 – Austin, TX @ The Parish
9/29 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada

 

Sirah: Inhale

Posted on by Kate Foster

You’re gonna love Sirah.

It’s not that her new EP, Inhale, is all that groundbreaking in a technical sense. It’s not because her five-foot frame and candy-colored hair make the guttural raps emerging from her throat even more shocking. It’s not even the fact that she shares a Grammy with Skrillex for “Bangarang”, a collaboration between the two.

It’s because her music – notably the tracks on Inhale – makes you feel like you really can drop everything and just dance.

Take the EP’s title track. If M.I.A., Santigold, and Nicki Minaj collaborated for a day (a girl can dream, right?), this is what they’d come up with. My only question? Why, oh why, wasn’t this song released at the beginning of the summer? Heavy pop beats pair with lyrics that are already making me nostalgic for flirty summer nights. And there’s no way to talk about this track without mentioning that voice – it’s primal, deep, and powerful, a welcome change in her genre.

“On To The Next” is the standout track in my eyes. It’s catchy and danceable, but in less of a Miley Cyrus, Top 40 radio kind of way. It’s slower, which I prefer, but I can easily envision the hundreds of remixes that will warp this track through and through. Mark my words: the rave kids are gonna eat this one up.

A few more tracks follow in a similar way, but I’m more interested in the EP’s final two songs: “You Know You Want It” and “First Impressions”. Here, Sirah sheds her fairly obvious desire for pop fame and bares her rap skins. Between slow, electronic piano riffs, Sirah croons lines like, “I’m not the prettiest but I do spit pretty hard.” Sirah, I can’t say I disagree.

*Be sure to snag yourself a copy of this EP, out now!

REVIEW: of Montreal premiere first single off new album

Posted on by Kate Foster

of Montreal is the kind of band that wanders in and out of its time. At the height of fame for Kevin Barnes and crew, around the Hissing Fauna era, their sound was modern and fresh. By Paralytic Stalks, the band propelled into the future, prompting the loss of a few unprepared fans.

With the release of the single “fugitive air”, we expect that lousy with sylvianbriar – to be released October 8 – will force the listener into a time machine set to the 1960s. It’s even apparent in the album art, a psychedelic swirl of intense colors and type.

As much as we hate to make this cliché reference, it’s impossible not to hear the Beatles in this tune. The opening guitar riff screams Harrison, while the sweet ooh-ahhs at the chorus harken back to McCartney. And, much like a Lennon signature, the track feels entirely lyric-driven. This retro sound is no surprise though, considering of Montreal ditched digital embellishments in favor of a 24-track tape machine.

That’s not to say that today’s listener won’t adore this single, and, ultimately, lousy with sylvianbriar in its entirety. In fact, the track fits comfortably into 2013, considering the rise of surf-punk bands like Wavves, FIDLAR, and Bass Drum of Death. Finally, it seems, the past, present, and future have collided for of Montreal.

P.S. Pre-orders available NOW HERE!

REVIEW: Heard In The Mountains’ Will To Well

Posted on by Kate Foster

In 2011, Vancouver-based band Heard In The Mountains got together and began shattering the windows of a local church – metaphorically speaking, that is. As their casual jam sessions began to morph into the beginnings of an actual band, their sound transformed into a rock-meets-pop-meets-indie powerhouse, and frankly, we’re surprised they didn’t blow that church’s roof clear into the night. Take a listen to their debut EP, Will To Well, and you’ll see what we mean.

The EP’s first track, “Sills”, is undeniably reminiscent of Fleet Foxes, but only for a moment. Mitchell Walford’s delicate, beautiful piano opens up the track, but quickly ushers the listener into an intense, slightly electronic moment. This provocative pattern continues for the entirety of the song, and through it all, we are swept up by Walford’s irrefutably sweet voice, feeling every high and low he hits. “Raccoon Hands” shows another dimension of the band’s sound. Walford’s vocals are paired with those of guitarist Daniel Baxter, and the effect is irresistible. What really perfects this song, though, are its lyrics. For example: “Memories, like bricks, to my feet, become tied, down into oceans you like to call eyes.” Convinced yet?

“Major Change” truly allows the fivesome’s synth-pop influences to shine through. But while other acts allow such genres to overpower their sound, Heard In The Mountains layers the track with whimsical, simple indie-rock instrumentals and a theme we can all relate to: the onset of massive changes in our lives. All of these elements are perfectly crafted to inspire and enlighten the listener. Will To Well’s final track, “In The Meadow”, concludes the album in the most natural of ways, both literally and figuratively. We are reminded once again of the group’s knack for alternating between slow and fast, soft and loud, exclusively indie to powerfully pop-y. And herein is where this band’s potential lies. An uncanny ability to appeal to every set of ears time and again could take them from the pews of a tiny church to the world’s largest stages.

REVIEW: September Call-Up’s Air And My Sleep

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Christian Bitto, singer of the September Call-Up, is a lot like Leonardo da Vinci. How, you might ask? Quite simply, Bitto is a Renaissance Man of vocals, a jack-of-all-moods, you might say. From first track to last on his album with drummer Jesse Gimbel, Air And My Sleep, Bitto switches constantly and effortlessly from a soft, near whisper to a powerful shout, before retreating back into a passionate warble. Such a truly textural range is the focal point of this otherwise very calm, smooth indie record.

Its first track, “Negative Film”, is exemplary of the EP’s depth. As Bitto utters, “Gave you my word, it wasn’t worth a spit. Gave you a kiss, it tasted like shit,” the song has a very Ryan Adams, alt-country feel to it. Before you can even process that comparison, though, Bitto becomes a 2013 version of Michael Stipe, his voice loud and all-consuming through the chorus.

“Our First Fall” is a song everyone needs at some point in his or her life, for a lonely, heartbroken kind of night. Bitto’s cloud-soft voice paired with very angry, tearful lyrics sweeps you into a storm of emotions you can relate to. “Song No. 3” is probably our favorite on the EP, and is equally heart wrenching. Comparing Bitto’s vocals to that of Conor Oberst is inevitable, and only makes the track tug at your chest more.

Toward the end of the album, a sense of nostalgia begins to emerge, especially on “Burnt Orange”, a very pretty track about love come and gone. “Ghost” is a surprisingly upbeat tune instrumentally, raising the tempo of the album before a pleasant crash into Air’s final track, “9”. The September Call-Up couldn’t have chosen a more perfect track to conclude their album – it’s sensitive, dreamy, and thought provoking. And after listening to the record, you see that the duo’s intention, all along, was to get listeners thinking.  Job well done.

Air And My Sleep is due out June 25 through Wissahickon Records.

REVIEW: Valaska’s Natural Habitat

Posted on by Kate Foster

With the warm, lazy summer months ahead, what could be better than a pensive indie album with fantastic acoustic instrumentals? Enter Valaska’s new album, Natural Habitat. The brain-child of Chicago native Dave Valdez, this record will uplift you with its often cheery acoustic guitar, then force you into a state of reflection with its unabashedly meaningful lyrics.

Produced by Copeland frontman Aaron Marsh, the album is clearly the result of much introspection and a complete turnaround in musical style – Natural Habitat is far more raw and thought-provoking than Valdez’s 2010 EP. Also notable is how influenced Valdez obviously is by acts as diverse as Elliott Smith, Bright Eyes, Iron & Wine, and Of Monsters and Men. This mash-up, whether Valdez is conscious of it or not, gives the listener a positively chilling indie experience.

The Elliott influence is apparent – and incredibly poignant – from the first track, “On the Surface”. Vocal layering and an emotional acoustic guitar pave the way for the song’s insightful take on man’s tendency to only scratch the surface of things. The record ironically picks up a bit with “Spanish Needles”, a tune entirely about the inevitability of death. Another favorite is “Golden Age”, a track that reveals Valdez’s experience touring with pop rock bands for a large chunk of his life – it’s undeniably catchy, even sweet, whisking us away to a different time and place.

By “Wildfire”, we’re hooked. The song presents a situation that everyone is familiar with: the promising nature of a fresh relationship, but also the care involved in seeing someone new. The title track, toward the end of the album, provides a comprehensive summary of Natural Habitat and Valdez’s new musical direction. It’s all about being alone, thinking everything through, and the array of emotions that coincide with that experience. Raw and whimsical, the track helps to wrap up the album in a beautiful little bow.

SHOW REVIEW: Crystal Castles at the Tabernacle

Posted on by Kate Foster

A threesome of musicians swarmed the Tabernacle stage, awash in black, taking their places before a massive, eerie depiction of a cloaked figure embracing a naked human form. The waifish, platinum blonde front woman, Alice Glass, took a drag from her cigarette as the heavy beats reverberated around the room.

Crystal Castles provided an incredibly contradictory show in the best way on April 17. Though Glass and crew entered the stage to a near riot – the audience had waited over an hour for Crystal Castles to come on – the stall proved to be entirely worth it. Opening with “Plague”, the first track off their new album, (III), it was quickly clear that this set would be all about digital, electric glamour with a wash of old-school punk ideals.

Soon enough, the trio – consisting of founding members Glass and producer Ethan Kath, and touring drummer Christopher Chartrand – dove into tunes from their previous album, including “Baptism” and “Suffocation”. This is when things became truly rock ‘n roll. Between Kath’s impressive electronic instrumentals and Chartrand’s mind-blowing drum solos, Glass struggled to pull away from a security guard and crowd surf several times, and even began taking massive swigs of whiskey and spitting it over audience members.

We were most thrilled when we heard the first few beats of some of our old Crystal Castles favorites: “Crimewave”, “Alice Practice”, and a portion of “Vanished”, to name a few. By this point, Glass knew she held the crowd in the palm of her hand. She stood before thousands of energized fans, slugging from that same bottle of whiskey and twirling the microphone in her hand, as if teasing us to beg for more.

And “more” is what we got: among the trio’s encore songs was “Not in Love”, their undeniably catchy cover featuring Robert Smith. While we danced nonstop for the last minutes of the show, we couldn’t help but think how in love we were with Crystal Castles’ live performance.

REVIEW: Deadstring Brothers’ Cannery Row

Posted on by Kate Foster

Close your eyes and envision this: members from Ryan Adams’ The Cardinals, Willie Nelson’s band, Whitey Morgan and the 78s, and Poco get together to make an album. You’re probably drooling by now, right? Now, open your eyes, grab your keys, and go out and buy Deadstring Brothers’ newest album, Cannery Row. You’re welcome.

From the very first track, “Like A California Wildfire”, frontman Kurt Marschke’s voice paired with some very alt-country instrumentals draw undeniable comparisons to the Rolling Stones circa Exile On Main Street. Yeah, heavy compliment, but this is one group that’s earned it – by the time you get to the album’s title track, you’re hooked. “Cannery Row” is a slow, mournful tune that reveals Ryan Adams backbone whilst keeping a very “Wild Horses”, Rolling Stones sound. The female vocals really make this track pop, though – they’re a much-needed calm before the fun, danceable, country storm that is “Lucille’s Honky Tonk”. Trust us, you’ll suddenly feel like you’re in a saloon in the old west as you move and step to “I can hear her when she sings, and the beauty that it brings. Yeah, we’re swinging down at Lucille’s Honky Tonk.”

As you approach the end of Cannery Row, you’ll be struck by how White Stripes-esque “Talkin’ To A Man In Montana” sounds instrumentally.  It’s the perfect hit of country rock as the female vocals return once again to add dimension to the song. The record ends with “Song For Bobbie Jo”, a measured yet complex ballad in which Marschke croons, “I’m comin’ home for good, I’m comin’ down like no one ever should,” before escalating to nearly yelling, “You know, there’s times when I might need a friend.”

Cannery Row shares its title with a 1945 John Steinbeck novel set in California. Why is this even relevant? Well, yes, the album and the novel are both reminiscent of a very country-influenced era and region. More notable, though, is that, like Steinbeck’s novel, this Deadstring Brothers masterpiece will be put down in the books as irrefutably timeless.

Review: Luke Winslow-King’s ‘The Coming Tide’

Posted on by Kate Foster

Thank God for Luke Winslow-King. In a musical era in which simple beats and perverse lyrics reign supreme, and enjoying quality music puts you in the minority, Winslow-King brings back a feeling long forgotten: the way your hips can’t help but sway in an almost instinctive way when early 20th century jazz blares from your speakers.

This pretty-boy moved to New Orleans by chance in 2001, a fact that is quite tangible when you listen to his newest release, The Coming Tide. Jazz, Delta blues, Southern gospel, and folk collide in this 11-track masterpiece, which combines both earth-shaking LWK originals and creatively reworked covers.

The first track on the album, “The Coming Tide”, ardently displays Winslow-King’s talent in working with an undeniably gospel slide guitar. In addition, fellow singer Esther Rose’s harmonies add the final, perfecting touch to the track and the rest of the album – it’s as if you don’t even realize the music is missing something until her Lucinda Williams-esque voice leaks into the mix. “Let ‘em Talk” is another of our favorites. The sweet, melodious trumpets are the ideal contrast to LWK’s defiant words: “Let ‘em talk, I don’t mind. Don’t make a difference to me.”

You can almost taste Winslow-King’s and Rose’s affection for New Orleans in the Ida Cox cover, “I’ve Got the Blues for Rampart Street” – it’s an homage to their beloved town in both lyrics and musical style, from start to finish. Just a few tracks later, we hear the duo’s soft, breezy take on love with “I Know She’ll Do Right By Me”. Listeners are immediately transported to a more classically romantic era as Winslow-King croons about his favorite girl, who is “so fair, treats me right, she gets home by the end of the night.”

The Coming Tide concludes valiantly with a cover of the 1960s track made famous by George Harrison, “I’ve Got My Mind Set On You”. It’s classic yet entirely reworked and inspired, much like Luke Winslow-King as a musical force.

Q&A with A Rocket To The Moon

Posted on by Kate Foster

A Rocket To The Moon has been around since 2006, and the band is only just now dropping its second album. A little taken aback? We were too, until we gave the new album, Wild & Free, a listen. This band has matured a lot in their seven years, developing a very folksy angle to their usual pop punk sound – it’s no wonder that they needed a little more time to unleash their potential.

We caught up with ARTTM’s lead singer, guitarist, and founding member, Nick Santino, about everything from the group’s inspiration for the new album to touring with bands like fun. and Motion City Soundtrack. Check it out below!

VM: So, you guys have been a band for about seven years now. Where do you think you’re at right now in your musical career?

NS: I think we are still learning and still growing. There’ve been some changes over the last four years in our band, and I don’t think I could have predicted them if you asked me then. I think that’s the most exciting thing about music – and the most frightening. It’s always changing. You never know what’s happening next.

VM: Who are your major musical influences?

NS: Anyone from Tom Petty to Katy Perry. A good song is a good song no matter how it’s performed. I like to keep an open mind when it comes to music and try to not discriminate against certain types.

VM: What do you guys typically write about?

NS: We write songs about real-life situations. We want our music to be relatable to anyone who listens. We’re big on musical storytelling.

VM: You’ve played with some pretty big bands, such as the Maine, the Cab, Motion City Soundtrack, and fun.. What has that been like?

NS: It’s always great touring with people that enjoy what they do. Touring’s half of the band’s existence so you need to have fun with it. Every so often you’re on a tour where you don’t see eye to eye with another band or band member. But I always look at it like we are all here doing the same thing for the same reasons. And if you’re here for a different reason, go home.

VM: Your next album, Wild & Free, is set to drop March 26. How’d you choose the album title?

NS: Wild & Free was something that I typed into my notes app on my iPhone three years ago in the middle of the night while sleeping in the van on tour. I wanted our album to be very youthful and fun while keeping a mature side. When it came to writing songs for the album I remember digging through my notes and finding “Wild & Free” from a couple hundred days before. We wrote that song and it later ended up becoming the title of the record. I guess I kind of knew in the back of my head that it would be the title of the record before we even wrote it. The record reflects the title pretty well.

VM: To me, the new album has a more mature, almost country sound. What do you think caused such a shift?

NS: Natural growth and touring. We’ve been on the road for four years straight now. Our musical influences have changed and expanded. Our live playing has improved. We never set out to write a country album. I don’t think that is what we have here. But we just played from our hearts and what you hear on this record is the sound of live hearts beating.

VM: What do you think are the standout tracks on the album?

NS: They are all so different. That’s what makes our band “A Rocket To The Moon”. We will play a few pop rock songs then jump into a Garth Brooks cover. You never know what you’re going to get with our band and I think that’s what sets us apart. There’s a track called “Wherever You Go” that stands out most because it’s the most country-sounding song. But it’s also my favorite song on the record, both because of the story and because of the music.

VM: What are your touring plans concerning Wild & Free?

NS: We’re gonna hopefully be on the road all year. I can’t wait to play more of these songs.

VM: In your wildest dreams, which bands would you want to tour with?

NS: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for sure.

VM: Where do you guys see this album taking you?

NS: Hopefully, somewhere that I can’t even begin to predict. Fingers crossed.