So I saw The Casket Girls at South by Southwest, and I kicked myself for not getting into them beforehand so that I could interview them there (dudes, you should see this band live. It’s quite an experience). Lucky for me, it wasn’t even two months later that they showed up in Athens to play at the Caledonia Lounge. I guess they believe in second chances.
I met up with CG member Ryan Graveface (yes, the same Ryan Graveface from Black Moth Super Rainbow), and we had ourselves a nice little interview (it is important to note that this interview took place in a stationary van that sits outside of the Caledonia Lounge and serves a backstage area…and the power was out, so we were completely in the pitch black dark for the duration…appropriate). So turn off your lights and have a listen.
Buffalo, New York’s own Lemuria is dropping their newest album The Distance Is So Big on June 18th, but prefacing that date, they have decided to release a few sneak-peaks from the album- the most recent being “Oahu, Hawaii”. Upon pressing play, I noticed Lemuria had strayed from the norm in certain aspects, but in other respects you still find the deadline Lemuria traits, such as the dramatic 15-second build to really get you amped on what your ears are in for. Alex Kerns takes on the lyrical lead for the song but is quickly met with Sheena’s bubblegum melodies.
In a recent interview [Vinyl Mag] conducted with Lemuria, Sheena spoke of Alex as a “man of many words”- this song being no different. That concept alone, paired with strategic lyrical repetition, make for the basis of almost the entire song. If you were already a fan though, the magnitude of their simplicity is probably something you’ve already come to love. As far as the intensity goes, “Oahu, Hawaii” tends to ricochet back in forth between about a 3 and 5- but don’t be fooled, these guys definitely have it in them (and will probably release that energy elsewhere in the album). It’s clear, though, that this song in particular holds a lot of meaning to the members, having named the album from a direct lyric in this song. Have a listen for yourself here, and be sure to check out the new album when it drops.
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.
It’s here. It’s happened. The Front Bottoms have released their second album, Talon of the Hawk, TODAY! So no one try to contact me the rest of the day. I’ll be too busy listening to this over and over. And over. Join me.
After about six and a half years of waiting, the Bluths could have had us thinking they’d never come back for us— but that’s why you always leave a note. Thankfully, they left us a few.
Here are the ones we’ve gathered at Vinyl Mag:
1. From the trailer, it looks like… Michael is moving, George Michael and Maeby are dorm-mates, Buster’s hook is bedazzled, and the series didn’t say goodbye to these Kitty.
2. Each episode will revolve around a different character
Luckily we won’t just see a single plot from fifteen different angles, though we will get to see the characters’ paths intersect. As Jason Bateman explained to GQ, “…the action across the episodes is happening simultaneously. If I’m driving down the street in my episode, and Gob’s going down the sidewalk on his Segway, you could stop my episode, go into his episode, and follow him and see where he’s going.” Which means…
3. You don’t really have watch the first episode first or the last episode last…
While creator Mitchell Hurwitz says the episodes are placed in their order for a reason, Portia de Rossi says the episodes can be watched in any order because they are filmed as stand-alones. Which for most other shows would mean not getting so hooked that you watch the entire season in one sitting… But it’s Arrested Development… stopping the season midway would be like going to jail without eating ice-cream sandwiches. But that’s okay, because we’ll be able to watch them all in one sitting since…
4. All the episodes will be released at once on Netflix
And Netflix has apparently been super awesome about letting Arrested Development stay Arrested Development. According to Hurwitz, they wanted to make sure everything was as he wanted it rather than making demands. Also…
5. The length of episodes, budget, and bleeping are pretty much the same
The closer to the Arrested Development nature the better, I say. Unfortunately, on the other hand…
7. New characters will include Blake Anderson, Seth Rogen, Ed Helms, Isla Fisher and John Krasinski
We may not know their roles yet, but we do know Rogen filmed his scenes with…
8. Kristen Wiig, who is cast as a young Lucille
Which has led to speculation that Rogen could be cast as a young George Sr. (he may not look as much like George as the pope does, but I could still see it). Also…
9. Conan O’Brien will be a guest star
Cast as himself, and…
10. Ron Howard (producer and narrator) and Brian Grazer (producer) will also be on-screen playing themselves
Supposedly the plot will include Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s production company, Imagine Entertainment, working on a movie about the Bluths. Also both acting and producing…
11. Michael Cera helped write the season
Apparently Hurwitz invited him to the writer’s room for what Cera thought was a one-time thing, but he ended up staying for the whole season and gained a producer title on the credits. Meanwhile…
12. Buster and Lucille’s relationship looks as near-incestuous as ever,
13. And Maeby is still the forgotten child
14. Somebody, at some point, is gonna be naked
The cat— or dead dove (do not eat)— isn’t totally out of the bag… but if anybody wants to place a bet, I’ve got mine right here:
Listen up. I got to hang backstage with Nashville-by-way-of-Detroit-based Deadstring Brothers at their show at the 40 Watt, and now you get to listen in and pretend you were there.
They’ve been compared to 70’s-era Rolling Stones. They have been called a country band. They’ve been called a blues band. Whatever they are – I’d say a cocktail of all of the above – it works, and we are ready for more.
I sat down with Kurtis Marschke (the original Deadstring Brother) and J.D. Mack to talk about their new album, Cannery Row, as well as Nashville’s influence on their sound, their experience at South by Southwest, and their upcoming album and tour. So have a gander, and then go stalk their music.
PacificUV’s “Russian” gets remixed by The Album Leaf and can be streamed below.
They also have a new album out via Mazarine Records, After The Dream You Are Awake.
Tour Dates:
05/16 Atlanta, GA – The Earl
05/18 Athens, GA – 40 Watt
05/21 Charlottesville, VA – Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar
05/22 Brooklyn, NY – The Rock Shop
05/23 New York, NY – Pianos
05/24 Philadelphia, PA – Ortlieb’s Lounge
05/25 Baltimore, MD – Golden West Cafe
Dead Confederate shares their new music video for “Vacations”
TOUR DATES
May 15 – Knoxville, TN @ The Bowery
May 16 – Winston-Salem, NC @ The Garage
May 17 – Washington, D.C. @ Black Cat
May 18 – Annapolis, MD @ Metropolitan
May 19 – Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s
May 21 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
May 22 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
May 23 – Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory
May 24 – Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse Music Hall
May 25 – Providence, RI @ Fete Lounge
May 29 – Columbus, OH @ The Basement
May 30 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
May 31 – St. Louis, MO @ The Old Rock House
June 1 – Nashville, TN @ The High Watt
