Week in Pop
Available now from Moon Glyph, we bring you the wonderful world of Minneapolis’s Adam Werven, aka Larry Wish & His Guys, who present the new three-years-in-the-making cassette Not From My Come From. Bringing all the strange yet cool fringe vibes, Adam developed the album via Organ Haus where he brought in the most talented of His Guys as he can, featuring guitar work from Nate Johnson. Strange things occur throughout, with highlights like “Mary Has a Wheelchair and Lots of Markers” where a marker armed paraplegic is depicted like a a character that wouldn’t feel out of place in a Ariel Pink, R. Stevie Moore or Gary Wilson cut.
Also enjoy the down-home vibe of Larry Wish & His Guys with “Calendar Year” that further illustrates the warmth of the cover art made by Adam’s grandfather Lawrence “Bump” Werven through fun with sound. Adam’s groovy organ’s coast serenely as the year is recall & recounted in tales that relive the events & experiences that can occur within a cycle of 365 days.
Making it’s way all over the interwebs; introduce yourself to what many have already discovered with wifisfuneral on the HenryDaher produced single “Luv Me Never” that offers vibraphonic flair that offers up a floating atmosphere for the emcee’s often distorted delivery to be raised up to turnt up levels. “Luve Me Never” is the mark of an artist well on the come up where his idiosyncratic spit moves in a motion that stays constantly in the mode of grinding.
Vancouver’s own ACTORS return with the new single “Hit to the Head” available via Northern Light Records. Jason Corbett joined by Jahmeet Russell, Jake Fox, Shannon Hemmett & Adam Fink deliver a head rush of inspired synths that buzz & swarm like an electric swarm of locusts & bugs making a bee line for black lit buzz & bumps of dissonance.
Chad Ubovich from Ty Segall’s band FUZZ & the former tour guitarist for Mikal Cronin commands the outfit Meatbodies, recording their second album (a concept record, mind you) Alice with Eric Bauer in SF, available February 10 from In the Red Records. Playing SF’s The Chapel December 20, they bring about all the vintage r & r fright night thrills & chills with “Creature Feature” that is more fun than enjoying a midnight horror movie matinee with a bunch of friends & 40s.
We bring you Naoise Roo’s Bob Gallagher video for “Whore” filmed at the former St Peters, Church of Ireland Drumconrath, Co. Meath & starring Aron Hegarty as an aberrated parishioner. Available via Little L Records, Naoise dabbles in a style of sensuality that retains all senses of autonomy that extend outside the rules & regulations of antiquated religious edicts & mandates.
Featured off his album The Local Cafe, Eric Biddines dropped the single “Peeuurrnn” that keeps the mood lively with the shaping of a cool, cartoon-ish universe. The “oh me, oh my, what’s up” chorus points toward animated & comic effects that are everywhere on a track that is named after an onomatopoeic noise heard on many a Merry Melody.
Soak in the lyric video from Adrian Underhill for “Not Good Enough” off the upcoming debut Indica Records album that pours out those inward withheld emotions with frank abandon. The smooth keys & confessional verses make this one for the side-b of your making-up mixtapes for former lovers. Adrian introduced the video with the following words:
I wanted to make something that tied in to the single artwork for Not Good Enough. Using layers, silhouette, transparency and bright color. I wanted it to feel human—flawed. I made the video using an overhead projector and colored transparencies. Using these physical materials helped give the video a more imperfect look that fits with the lyrics of the song.
Check out the Vision Twenty Films video for Nevelle Viracocha’s video for “Dirrrty Game” that rails & rages against the machines of media establishment & more with a Southern style that pushes toward greater truths. Emotions run high as the artist pushes against the chain linked barriers & televised static that obfuscates arts, truths & justice.
Those already in love with Yoke Lore’s “Hold Me Down” will find themselves swept away by the Gilligan Moss Remix that introduces more rhythms, chapters, sections & more. The emotion is offered new percussion arrangements to follow that will enrapture & intrigue all with ears & sensory systems of which to experience the following.
Post Malone’s A&R Dre London & Elliot Grainge have launched the LA based label Strainge who presented us with their new signing Reo Cragun with the single “Inconsiderate” that ponders manners in expressions of feelings that get deep. Considerations that are both sincere & careless are illustrated in a confrontational between two parties during the tearful dissolve of a bond heard in atmospheric slo-mo met with passionate sung deliveries that are hurled at rapid fire at times.
On Doc Robinson’s debut EP Golden Daze, you can spend the duration of the following four songs on a pop rollercoaster that feels like a sunny holiday happening during winter holiday season.
Siya delivered the single “Watch What You Say” ft. Sage the Gemini that issues a strong, stern & firm warning to all potential adversarial suitors. The artist goes hard while Sage provides further backup with some slight hedonistic pizzazz.
Toronto’s EMP (comprised of producer Eestbound, emcee Milly Manson & vocalist Pree) dropped the video for “Perfect Timing” that places you in weird places, weirder situations & the most ridculous of times. Wild times ensue.
MED, Blu & Madlib dropped the Joseph Paul Alvarado video for “Get Money” ft. Frank Nitt found off the album Bad Neighbor that illustrates the ins, outs & tenets of getting that green. From money dances to cash flowing to the point where it’s mixed up in a blender to make one heck of a big bill smoothie.
Behold the fun with balloons & improvisational/interpretive dance moves from Goan Dogs in their video for “Drifting Apart” that illustrates the rifts & drifts that occur between people in sincere, fun & heart felt manners.
Featured off Hood Rich 4, peep the video for Philthy Rich’s “I Might Just” ft. B.o.B., London Jae & Cool Amerika that showcases the emcees living that fancy Miami club night life of popping bottles & dropping bills while boasting about all the rad stuff they might just do.
Celebrating her twenty-seventh birthday and the one year anniversary release of her solo debut EP Free; Sarah P. presented us with the following birthday mixtape. With word that her debut album Who Am I will be available in May; look for her upcoming first single “Berlin During Winter” this forthcoming January 6.
Thieves Like Us will return with their self-titled dropping January 27 via Wien, Austrian imprint Seayou Records & distributed via Rough Trade & we have their new single “Jennifer”. The track moves like these December days where window observances & lazy days are desired more than the holiday hype where lo-fi, hedonistic vibes permeate with the warmth of a heated up hearth.
Ski Lodge x Dia teamed up on the remix of “Gambling Girl” featured off Dia’s Manimal Records EP produced by Joey Waronker. The result is an electro brew of feelings where sentiments shine with the digital intrigue of illuminated hills & valleys buried by layers of snow.
Take in the Josiah Hall video for Deep Cuts’ holiday insta-classic “Comatose Come Christmas” that brings about all the vintage, yuletide jubilation one could ever hope for. The Houston group’s infectious sounds are treated to an array of vintage commercials & other televised curios to help you spend your holiday season zoning out to all necessary media diversions.
We bring you Ian William Craig’s remix of Olivier Alary’s “Nollywood” featured off the Remixes release via 130701 / Fat Cat Records later in 2017 where we hear Ian & Olivier Alary re-work each other’s originals. IWC’s mix focuses on the melodic components that then are strewn into the extended reaches of the stratosphere where you can virtually feel your own mind expanding by simply listening.
Courtesy of Buzz Records, we bring you DIANA’s “Slipping Away” remixed by Bad Channels that slips into new dimensions outside of the static. Bad Channels courses the sound toward new realized arenas & heights where electric vibes percolate like fireflies in a digital hive of their own.
LA electro-head Autumn In June just dropped the post-post-disco club banger “Cocaine Eighties”. From growing up in South Central with a passion for percussive pop; Autumn In June illustrated for us the inspirations for the track as being:
A song about feeling numb and wanting to fall for someone who’s a player just for the creative inspiration of a [broken heart emoticon].
Tall Trees is Mike Savino who plays in Kish Bashi’s touring band and plays a mean banjo announced his first solo album Freedays available February 17 from Joyful Noise & shared the earth exploring single “Backroads”. Recalling the eight months recording out in the boonies of northern Georgia, get prepared to get lost in a world of pure natural imagination.
Spain by London’s Gizmo Varillas shared a listen from his forthcoming January 26 release with the single “Shadows of the Dark” that illuminates the mysteries of all things that linger & lurk in the unseen wings of life’s margins. With plenty of Spanish guitar, warm percussion & harmonies; GV explores the arts & shades of the unknown in an organic & inspired way.
Jarina De Marco dropped the Mikki Willis video for “Release The Hounds (Stand with Standing Rock)” that chants down Babylon in the face of the adversity that continues the DAPL drilling in a fight that feels far from over. Learn more about how you & more can get involved here.
We bring you the Brian Vu video for Emily Reo’s “Spell” found off the 10″ available via Orchid Tapes. Reo’s electro-treated delivery serenades a nature stroll where interior sentiments are placed in settings of an enchanted forest where flashbacks create the sensation of the mental spaces that are the lens by which we are able to understand & interpret our own respective realities.
Baloji delivered us the Coely Remix of the energetic track “Spoiler” featured off the forthcoming 64 Bits & Malachite (Remixes) EP available January 13 from Bella Union where hosts of styles & rhythms keep our small world freely spinning together like one beautiful & influential global village.
New York’s Julie Byrne brought us the beautifully strummed serenity found on her single “Follow My Voice” that is the lead off song from her new album Not Even Happiness available January 27 from Ba Da Bing Records. Julie’s organic arrangements move from sparse & minimal acoustic executions to sometimes unfolding to an expansive array of strings that frame a vast, beautiful & earthy wilderness that flows out naturally before your very senses.
Check out the following warm b/w footage from Sandra Ciampone of Chris James performing live at The Forge in Camden where he offers up a gentle & subtly electric rendering of “Stairs Up To The Sun” from his Space In The Clouds EP played here by candle light.
Sallie Ford’s new album Soul Sick will be available later in 2017 from Vanguard Records and we bring you the anthem “Failure” that operates on the quick heeled flight of getting out of dodge when the deal goes south.
Two Tongues (featuring Max Bemis from Say Anything who has recently reopened his Song Shop, along & Chris Conley from Saves The Day) dropped the Israel Anthem video for “Azalea” that offers up impromptu sick dance moves out in the cuts that involves a pretty awesome fortress that you always wanted when you were a kid.
Introducing darkDARK, comprised of Genevieve Vincent & Chris James dropped the single “Fake It” that proves that the electro-pop duo are doing anything but feigning their electric atmospheres. “Fake It” buzzes & hums with all the digital deluges to overtake the sensations experienced during your weekend.
BETS are covering Violent Femmes’ 1983 self-titled in full this forthcoming January 27 and you can get a first listen with the Brooklyn group’s take on “Blister In The Sun” that draws out the song to accentuate the more evocative & sensual aspects of the song that bring about new meanings & experiences.
We bring you the debut single “Half Awake” from DYVE that brings electronic resonances that emulate the experience of awakening from golden slumbers. Synths gently wash over like a warm hot spring bathing session while being surrounded by the icy chill of winter everywhere. The Matt Harris produced single will be available January 20 from Veta Records.
Hot on the heels of announcing a 2017 tour, we bring you the Johannes Greve Muskat video for Sondre Lerche’s “I’m Always Watching Too” that dabbles in all the voyeuristic vanities & obsessions with some smooth & slick synths.
Fancey, oka Todd Fancey, will release Love Mirage January 27 and you can get an introduction to all those classic radio psych retro-grade vibes with the lyrical video glow for the lovely single “Baby Sunshine”.
Hear the latest from Yoni Wolf as WHY? returns with the single “This Ole King” featured off the forthcoming album Moh Lhean available March 3 from Joyful Noise. Wolf guides the track in a galloping beat like an old ancient tale of kings, workers, peasants & more that are ripped from a different time with parables relevant for today’s paradigms.
Serengeti & Sicker Man’s incredible album Doctor My Own Patience is out now from Graveface Records & we have a listen to the electro-raging slice of perfect future pop with “Impress a Girl”, along with a listen to the full magnificent album. David Cohn trades his rhythmic roads of spoken rhyme for what proves to be an ultra-keen baritone crooner. The particularities of getting done up provides a real time sense of the obsessive components one takes into a count before meeting up with a person of interest as Sicker Man pours those perfect glistening synth buzzing sparkles everywhere.
The title track bursts onto the scene with an illustrious vibrance, with illustrations of big synth glistening dance pop of gratitude on “Boy”, to the neon night lit club glow in slo-mo that shines like the brightest diamond on “Loose Control”. Haunted swathes of sound are heard on “Hotelroom”, carried over to the strange & surreal travels across “Hills”, to the humorous convertible backseat riding cool track “Top Up” that requests not to ride roof down as it gets cold at night. The crazed Eastern European bloc beat continues on the radical & wild motions heard on “Beltloop” right before David & Tobias leave the listener in the glorious electric haze of “Remember” that rounds out one of the year’s greatest releases.
