WE WANDER “Rock and Hard Place”
OMG I love this voice! The music is great too! It’s a folky indie blend with music that could be compared to Lumineers or Pinegrove but with vocals that I prefer. A tiny bit of country twang or Celtic flavor mostly because of the fiddle. I would say something like this could be in a category with somebody like Iris Dement, pure poetry in the lyrics and great delivery. This band was a pleasant surprise to come across and I think I’m a fan now. The single drops 4/16.
Spotify
EX-HYENA “Ultraviolet”
As the video starts with a contortionist I was expecting at any moment to hear her start to sing and then this odd mix of multiple voices doing a sing/talk thing comes in. I suppose it’s similar vocal delivery to David Byrne or maybe some other weird 80’s thing like because it’s partially goth. In a weird way it kind of reminds me of David Bowie and Trent Reznor’s collaboration on “I’m Afraid of Americans”. The whispering vocal tones layered with buzzy synthesizers. I kind of want some screaming to erupt as the synths make these dark tones but alas that does not happen.
THE STIRRINGS “Bottle Of Filth”
From the 80’s drum machine-ish beat and the punky powerful punchy bass and low sullen vocal this group screams of Joy Division, Bauhaus, Love & Rockets and Jesus & Mary Chain. That’s all good things and if you enjoy those bands you might really like this. The synth accents harken back to Joy Division tracks like “Isolation” or the ambient swirls possibly are more Mission of Burma inspired. The more modern synth tones in the bridge give it the jolt it needs to not be considered just a rehash. In a weird way this is kind of what I think the Misfits would sound like if they did new wave instead of punk.
MOLLY RINGWORM “Timmy”
Molly Ringworm’s newest single is very 90’s sounding, it takes me back to coffee house acoustic singer songwriters and reminds me of a cross between Lisa Loeb and Mazzy Star. Then as the track kicks in it has a very That Dog feel with really great vocals and powerful guitars for a crescendo at the chorus. The additional electric guitar work in a weird way during the mellow parts is very Incubus sounding, but possibly that’s just coincidence and not a conscious choice. Overall a great track which is off their Good Ol Boys EP. Why not send me the whole EP, it’s rare but I want more of this not less. Will be checking out more Molly Ringworm on Spotify.
SUNSHINE RIOT “Too Old For Love Songs”
Fuzzed up guitars announce this is a four piece punk band and the vocals kick in with a pretty decent Kurt Cobain impression. It’s a very Nirvana cadence and melody as the song starts with a chorus. The verse vocals are a little more subdued. I’m a big 90’s fan but I feel like if you aren’t going to use overdubs and try for a very live sound the songwriting needs to be a little more exciting and not just be a back and forth of verse and choruses. This was produced by Steve Albini and like all Albini recordings bands who write dynamic exciting songs sound that way and bands who could use some work in that department. Look at a band like Screaming Females for instance if you are looking for a model of how to take Nirvana’s angst and couple it with modern interesting songwriting. This song is fun and this band has the components to be really good but I would love to hear more of what this band is all about and less of the Nirvana sound. To be fair though, of any of the bands of the last 25 years that have tried to write a very “Nirvana” chorus, this chorus might be one that hits the mark.
- Sam Lowry