041 ALTER.NATION: weekly favtraX 15-06-2019

ALTER.NATION #41

Stef Chura, Palehound, Knife Wife, The Mattson 2, French Vanilla, Brandt Brauer Frick, Dumb, Naytronix, Bat For Lashes, Joan Shelley, Wear Your Wounds, Sleater-Kinney

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ALTER.NATION #41 on DEEZER

Michigan-based indie singer/songwriter with a distinctive fingerpicked guitar style and twangy voice. 
Stef Chura - Sweet Sweet Midnight from Midnight
... the follow-up, Midnight, finds Chura working with another champion of intense guitar song, Car Seat Headrest's Will Toledo, who both produced and performs on the album. More assertive on average but stylistically similar enough to the debut to hearten fans (it returns drummer Ryan Clancy), Midnight offers a mix of fiery, hooky rock ditties and longer, sometimes episodic ruminative rants...

With a sound rooted in '90s D.I.Y. indie rock and grungey low-key folk, Palehound emerged in the mid-2010s as the project of Boston-based singer/songwriter Ellen Kempner
Palehound - Stick N Poke from Black Friday
Ellen Kempner continues to engage more deeply with themes of love and compassion on Black Friday, the third long-player from her Boston-based combo Palehound. Originally launched as a solo bedroom project back in 2013, she spent a few years making Palehound into a sturdy indie rock trio, though it's still her voice and vision that comprise the heart and soul of each release. Without introducing any dramatic changes to her approach, Black Friday continues to lean toward Kempner's more contemplative side, eschewing some of the rowdier fuzz-pop tendencies of earlier releases...

Knife Wife - Dogs
Knife Wife are a trio from DC ...they’re sharing “Dogs,” the closing track from their first EP. It’s a queasy weave of sighing melodies, stacked on top of each other and building off the surrealistic refrain “all the little dogs in the fridge.” The band cuts through it with a thick guitar line, which twists into a feverish knot.

Expansive instrumental duo featuring guitarist Jared Mattson and his brother, drummer Jonathan Mattson. 
The Mattson 2 - Naima's Dream from Paradise
...Paradise is a much more laid-back and pop-oriented production. Cuts like the opening "Naima's Daughter" and "Moonlight Motel" are sparkling groovers built around Jared's bright-toned arpeggio's and lyrical guitar leads, all of which bring to mind a vintage late '60s/early '70s vibe that falls somewhere in between George Benson and the hippie vocal group Free Design...

Angular yet danceable art punk band from Los Angeles. Taking inspiration from jagged post-punk and subversive performing arts, Los Angeles band French Vanilla brought energy and guile to their saxophone-heavy art punk.
French Vanilla - Move Along, Move Ahead from How Am I Not Myself?
Los Angeles art punk quartet French Vanilla wrapped sociopolitical threads in high-impact dance grooves on their 2017 self-titled debut. With sophomore album How Am I Not Myself?, they raise the bar on both songcraft and production, sharpening their sound on ten tracks rife with tension, energy, and unhinged fun... Expanded production highlights the band's razor-sharp playing and smart reworking of the more exciting and lively side of post-punk. Never drab, How Am I Not Myself? sounds like a party even when railing against outdated societal norms or describing a panic attack.

Berlin-based trio who, like the Moritz von Oswald Trio, play a form of lean techno that is primarily acoustic. The Berlin-based Brandt Brauer Frick make what they call "emotional body music," or lean techno with supple and primarily acoustic instrumentation...
Brandt Brauer Frick - Fuel from Echo
The title of the fifth studio album from instrumentalists and producers Daniel Brandt, Jan Brauer, and Paul Frick refers to the trio's return to their original approach a decade earlier, when their objective was to make "techno without the technology" while applying Frick's background in modern composition.

Sharp, arty, yet unpretentious Vancouver punk band whose music belies their name. 
Dumb - Some Big Motor Dream from Club Nites
Vancouver-based punk band Dumb established there was a large amount of irony in their name when they released their first album for Mint Records, Seeing Green, in 2018, and that hasn't changed a bit on the follow-up, 2019's Club Nites. Clever, energetic, overstimulated, and amiably intense, Club Nites suggests Dumb are evolving into the 21st century version of the Embarrassment, a band who bent punk orthodoxy to their own wiry purposes...

Alias of tUnE-yArDs bassist Nate Brenner, who assembles sundry experimental electronic pop. 
Naytronix - Following a Pattern from Air
The follow-up to 2015's Mister Divine, Air is the third album from Naytronix, the solo project of tUnE-yArDs bassist Nate Brenner. Though largely the effort of Brenner alone, its dense textures include contributions from guests such as tUnE-yArDs' Merrill Garbus and Mwahaha's Ross Peacock, both of whom co-produced some of the album. Leaning into darker, bolder sounds, it slides along the spectrum from whimsical, experimental electro-pop toward nightclub-ready synth pop without fully arriving at the latter...

Acclaimed British/Pakastani singer/songwriter with influences that range from Steve Reich to Siouxsie Sioux. 
Bat For Lashes - Kids In The Dark
This Fall, Natasha Khan will release Lost Girls, her fifth studio album as Bat For Lashes. It’ll be her first new material since her last full-length, 2016’s The Bride. As promised today we hear the lead single, the gleaming synth-pop ballad “Kids In The Dark.”... “If her last album, The Bride, was melancholy and mournful, a tone poem of loss and regret, Lost Girls is her mischievous younger sister, widescreen in scope and bursting with Technicolour intensity,” the press release reads. “It’s an album for driving in the dark; holding hands at sunset; jumping off bridges with vampires; riding your bike across the moon.”

Kentucky-based singer/songwriter mixing both '60s folk and old-time country. 
Joan Shelley - Coming Down For You
(Feat. Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Nathan Salsburg, & James Elkington)
...Shelley has announced a fall tour and shared “Coming Down For You,” her first original song in over two years. She travelled to Reykjavik, Iceland to record it with a whole host of kindred spirits from the folk music scene — Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Nathan Salsburg, and James Elkington — and its cover art features a photograph of her mother.
The song “came to me while I was in motion and I couldn’t write it down,” Shelley says. “I was thinking of the rhythm of animals, of work, and of travel; the rhythm of someone riding into chaos to bring a loved one back out again.”

Originally founded as a solo project of Converge founder Jacob Bannon. The live band has grown to include Mike McKenzie (Stomach Earth, The Red Chord, Unraveller), Adam McGrath (Cave In, Nomad Stones, 27, Zozobra), Sean Martin (Twitching Tongues, Hatebreed), and Chris Maggio (Sleigh Bells, Trap Them, Coliseum).
Wear Your Wounds - Shrinking Violet
A couple of years ago, Jacob Bannon went solo. Bannon — longtime frontman of Boston metalcore greats Converge and founder of the consistently excellent heavy-music label Deathwish, Inc. — started up a solo side project called Wear Your Wounds... Wear Your Wounds have shared a surging, colossal rocker called “Shrinking Violet.” The new song has nothing to do with hardcore and almost nothing to do with metal. Instead, it’s a grand and majestic rock song, one with elements of goth and prog and grunge all floating through it. Bannon and his bandmates build the song slowly over nearly six minutes, starting with a quavering churn and building it into a raging inferno.

Arguably the most important punk band of the 1990s and 2000s, with feminist songwriting matched by taut melodicism and jaw-dropping sonic complexity. 
Sleater-Kinney - The Future Is Here
Sleater-Kinney released their last album, No Cities To Love, back in 2015. Soon, the legendary trio will return with a new St. Vincent-produced LP called The Center Won’t Hold. It will be out 8/16 via Mom + Pop Records, marking a move from Sleater-Kinney’s old home at Sub Pop.
They’ve already shared the forthcoming album’s lead single, “Hurry On Home.” That song ranked #1 on our 5 Best Songs Of The Week list a few weeks ago, and today, we hear the follow-up track, “The Future Is Here.”

Stef Chura, Palehound, Knife Wife, The Mattson 2, French Vanilla, Brandt Brauer Frick, Dumb, Naytronix, Bat For Lashes, Joan Shelley, Wear Your Wounds, Sleater-Kinney

029 ALTER.NATiON: weekly favtraX 06-04-2019

ALTER.NATiON #29

Lady Lamb, Sara Bareilles, Priests, Dumb, Big Eyes, Datura4, Lee Fields & the Expressions, Jimbo Mathus, Ratso, Nick Cave, Kiefer, Rozi Plain, Kendrick Scott Oracle
 

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06-04-2019

Beguiling and atmospheric blend of folk, pop, and indie rock from Maine's Aly Spaltro.  

Lady Lamb - Oh My Violence from Even in the Tremor

Lady Lamb (aka Aly Spaltro) lists her influences as “the universe” and “pecan pie.”

The great Stephen Hawking warned about sending space probes out into the stars with our specific zip code, because, well, aliens on the receiving end of our map might well have more sinister intentions beyond a weekend in Las Vegas, tickets to Disneyland, and a fifty-yard line seat to watch Super Bowl Halftime entertainment.

So, I think we should have just etched onto any deep space probe’s message that we are in the universe, and we also enjoy a good piece of pie. That may be all anyone needs to know. And then we should have included this record with our message to the stars.

California singer/songwriter who melds pop savvy with powerful pipes and an indie rock edge. 

Sara Bareilles - Armor from Amidst the Chaos

...Appropriately, Amidst the Chaos feels as if it was born from the turmoil left in the wake of the 2016 election, wearing its scars proudly even as it hesitatingly offers glimmers of hope. Bareilles doesn't address politics directly, preferring to rhapsodize about the Obama era in the guise of love songs and donning metaphorical armor to combat the age of Trump, and such skilled obliqueness -- where the audience recognizes what's being said, even if the themes are never spoken out loud -- are a reflection of how Bareilles has sharpened her songwriting by writing tunes for the stage during the bulk of the 2010s. There are hints of theatricality on Amidst the Chaos, particularly when the tempo quickens, but Bareilles opted to cut the album with T-Bone Burnett, a producer who specializes in analog impressionism...

Frenetic post-punk quartet follows a long line of angular punk legends from its hometown of Washington, D.C. 

Priests - Control Freak from The Seduction of Kansas

When Priests' Nothing Feels Natural arrived in January 2017 -- just in time for President Donald Trump's inauguration -- it felt like it was summoned by a collective need for its outrage and contemplation. Two years later, The Seduction of Kansas reflects the changes in the band, and in America, since the release of their debut album. With the departure of former bassist Taylor Mulitz to play full time with his other group Flasher, Priests became a trio, a reconfiguration that allowed Katie Greer, Daniele Daniele, and G.L. Jaguar to experiment on their second album. To that end, they worked with producer John Congleton and multi-instrumentalist Janel Leppin, who contributed some of Nothing Feels Natural's distinctive sounds and textures. Where that album practically leapt into listeners' ears, The Seduction of Kansas is slower and more polished, telegraphing that Priests are in it for the long haul... It's a sentiment that captures the essence of Priests' music on The Seduction of Kansas -- while they're too nonconformist to be a traditional punk band, they continue to define themselves as something more challenging and encompassing.

Sharp, arty, yet unpretentious Vancouver punk band whose music belies their name. 

Dumb - Club Nites

You don’t go to a club without a goal, whether you’re looking to hook up, blowing off steam, or seeking social validation. We conceal these basic desires throughout the day and let them loose at night, in the company of other anxious humans. Collective hedonism is the fabric of the club. On “Club Nites,” Toronto rock outfit Dumb frantically wade through the crowd.

Lead singer Franco Rosino offers flashes of the evening: trying to buy someone a drink, witnessing a public make-out, seeing an old friend, tolerating a douchey pseudo-intellectual. “I get it you’re an artist, yeah you’ve got so much to say about the world and how it got here,” he intones over gnarling guitars. “Until I catch you dancing shut your mouth and take a seat, buddy.”

Armed with swaggering attitude and crunchy riffs, Big Eyes deliver a modern take on punk rock and power pop.

Big Eyes - Try Hard Kiss Ass from Streets of the Lost

2016's Stake My Claim was the first Big Eyes album to feature two guitar players, and it changed the band's direction. Kait Eldridge's group had a sound that was tough-as-nails garage punk with a nasty edge and a nice line in hooky tunes. Her guitar playing was whip-smart and left a mark. With the addition of Paul Ridenour on guitar, the duo began to explore the possibilities of having two guitars trading punches and ending up in a tangled heap...  Other bands doing similar things with AOR and hard rock may get more press or hype than Big Eyes, but Streets of the Lost shows that this band deserves to be in the conversation when kick-ass, non-ridiculous rock & roll bands of 2019 are discussed.

Blues, boogie, and hard rock in the classic lysergic fashion from this band of Australian rock veterans. 

Datura4 -  Evil People, Pt. 2 from Blessed is the Boogie

Dom Mariani says the goal for his third Datura4 album was "to just keep improving, really." And the veteran Australian rocker can certain make that case for Blessed Is the Boogie, whose title track is premiering exclusively below.

"I think the third album in we're probably starting to get a bit more momentum, songwriting-wise," Mariani tells Billboard. "I approach it song by song; I don't say, 'We're just gonna go down there and play boogie.' For me it's about songs -- as long as there's a riff or a melody that kind of makes us feel good, that's how we work. We don't have a preconceived idea of how we want to sound or how a song should sound. These songs really just come and we just enjoy putting them together. We have broad, very eclectic kinds of tastes in this band."

Veteran soul and funk vocalist and songwriter backed by the original house band of Truth & Soul Records. 

Lee Fields & the Expressions - It Rains Love from It Rains Love

He first made his name as a James Brown-inspired soul shouter in the '70s, but since Lee Fields became one of the leading figures on the retro-soul scene in the 2000s, he's subtly been evolving into a more nuanced performer, one who can still sing with grit and force but also brings the heart and passion of a Bobby Womack or a Wilson Pickett to his material. 2019's It Rains Love shows just how good Fields has gotten at putting a thoughtful lover's heart behind the expressive fire of his delivery, and it ranks with his best work, a combination of great songs and sterling performances that bring out their best qualities...

Co-founder of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, this Mississippi guitarist, singer, and songwriter carries the torch for Southern music traditions. 

Jimbo Mathus - Incinerator from Incinerator 

"Introspective" is generally not the first word people think of when they talk about Jimbo Mathus and his music. Much of his best and best-known work has been dominated by a bluesy stomp and a willingness to throw caution to the wind, both musically and lyrically. Although the swampy grit that won Mathus his reputation can certainly be found on 2019's Incinerator, most of the time it's overshadowed by more thoughtful material, late-night laments in which he ponders love gone wrong or decisions made poorly. While Mathus has never sounded less than passionate on his recordings, this time he wears his heart on his sleeve in a whole new way... 

The New York author, songwriter, journalist, screenwriter, and cult figure became a recording artist at age 70. 

Ratso feat. Nick Cave - Our Lady of Light from Stubborn Heart

Who is Ratso? Why is Nick Cave on his debut album? Ratso is the nickname for author, journalist, screenwriter, songwriter, New York persona, and septuagenarian Larry Sloman. He earned his bones penning On the Road with Bob Dylan, which documented the Rolling Thunder tour (where Joni Mitchell nicknamed him). A close friend of Leonard Cohen, Dylan, and many other songwriters...  "Our Lady of Light," with Cave, is the set's finest moment, with pillowy guitars in a vintage rock & roll waltz; it could be a companion to one of Cohen's own songs of unattainable amorousness (think "Suzanne"). Alternating with Sloman's reedy nasal instrument, Cave's croon adds balance, poignancy, and emotional heft...

Los Angeles-based jazz keyboardist and producer with a hip-hop and R&B-influenced sound. 

Kiefer - Sunny from Bridges

Los Angeles beat music maestro, Kiefer, has delivered two worthwhile LPs in as many years. Now, to follow-up 2017’s Kickinit Alone and 2018’s Happysad, Kiefer has announced the April 5th release of Bridges through Stones Throw Records.

Whereas his first two releases consisted primarily of piano-driven improvisations, Bridges hears Kiefer incorporate several new instruments, including a range of analogue synth, while also focusing on a structured approach to composition and more intricately orchestrated moments, according to a press release.

Indie folk musician with an intricate, quietly off-center approach to her often collaborative electro-acoustic recordings. 

Rozi Plain - Conditions from What a Boost

Collaborative U.K. musician Rozi Plain finished writing her fourth solo album, What a Boost, during a yearlong world tour as bassist for like-minded collective This Is the Kit. The leader of that project, Plain's friend and longtime collaborator Kate Stables, appears on the record, as do guests including but not limited to Sam Amidon, Joel Wästberg (aka sir Was), and members of such experimental groups as Zun Zun Egui and the Comet Is Coming. It's Plain's second consecutive album to be recorded at Total Refreshment Centre, a London club and rehearsal/recording space popular with local jazz musicians at the time, and her intricate, folk-inflected indie rock has a more conspicuous, gentle jazz presence here...

The all-star drummer's longstanding post-bop-cum-spiritual soul-jazz-cum-contemporary jazz quintet that has appeared on all but one of his albums. 

Kendrick Scott Oracle - >>>>The Catalyst from A Wall Becomes a Bridge

The second offering from the Kendrick Scott Oracle on Blue Note may be motivated by a different inspiration than its predecessor, 2015's wonderful We Are the Drum, but shares its aesthetic. The "we" in the earlier album's title connects with Scott's motivation on A Wall Becomes a Bridge: his stated intention is to confront the fears and insecurities that hold us back individually and keep us from engaging collectively. In the run-up to the album, Scott was initially frustrated, unsatisfied with the dearth of ideas he had for new music. Producer Derrick Hodge, one of Scott's oldest friends and collaborators, cannily suggested documenting that struggle musically, confronting the subterranean emotional issues by creating art in direct response to them... "Catalyst" is melodic post-bop with Scott double-timing the band on snare and dropping breaks as Moreno delivers an elegant solo followed by the extrapolated, expansive chords of Eigsti, Ellis' tenor break, and a pulsing bassline. 

Lady Lamb, Sara Bareilles, Priests, Dumb, Big Eyes, Datura4, Lee Fields & the Expressions, Jimbo Mathus, Ratso, Nick Cave, Kiefer, Rozi Plain, Kendrick Scott Oracle