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The Burning of Rome are one of those bands… One of those bands that has been compared to Abba and the Misfits… and Oingo Boingo… and Mike Patton… but that’s not a bad thing… The So-Cal outfit’s sophomore effort, Year of the Ox, hit shelves this May. The album...
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Rodrigo Amarante, of Los Hermanos, Orquestra Imperial, and Little Joy is currently on a US tour and will be playing a very intimate gig this Tuesday, July 1st, upstairs at World Café Live. However, it’s opening act Jenny O., that I’m most excited about. The indie pop singer/songwriter churns...
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Jon Crary’s Weekly Sound Off 6/23-6/29: 1. Gold & Youth – “Time to Kill” (Arts & Crafts) – Vancouver, Canada indie electronic band turns up the dance able melancholy with an ode to New Order in this tune. Pick of the week! 2. The New Pornographers “Brill Bruisers”...
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Of all the summer’s tours, I suspect that which true music snobs have been most excited about are the two exceptionally short strings of dates at exceptionally intimate venues that will have Everything But The Girl’s Ben Watt accompanied by original Suede guitarist and producer extraordinaire Bernard Butler. After...
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Nikki Lane is yet another lovely installment in PHILTHY’s obsession with Nashville musicians… an obsession that has come at a time when the city seems to be more on the cultural map than ever, but which has little-to-nothing to do with said map of the masses. Nikki Lane, who...
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Off the top of my head, I can’t think of a cooler or more credible artist to gain the majority of their critical acclaim from cover tunes than Kawehi (She also pens her own songs, which are even better.) Kawehi hails from Honolulu, but is currently located in Lawrence,...
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Woodstock, NY-based indie folk duo Trummors have gone through some substantial changes recently, both in terms of their sounds, instrumentation, and even their interpersonal relationship (well, at least in a “technical” sense”). Trummors are Anne Cunningham and David Lerner, who are about to release their sophomore LP, Moorish Highway,...
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I have a bigger crush on Potty Mouth than any other band in 2014… by a lot. They are an amalgam of all of the catchiest trends of subversion to come out of ‘90s alt rock. They’re all about the fight to re-write the genders of our society. And...
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Jon Crary’s Weekly Sound Off 6/12-6/19: 1. Katie Frank and the Pheromones- “Tunnel Vision” (BITBY Music) – Katie Frank is from Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. With her band the Pheromones, they play the tastiest, dreamiest roots rock today. It rocks with huge hooks and melodies and excellent instrumentation. Their beautiful new album is out:...
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Jon Crary’s Weekly Sound Off 6/2-6/8: 1. Merchandise “Little Killer” (4AD) – Wow, this is such a great song by this Tampa, Florida based band. I’ve always been a fan. This one is hook filled, dreamy and ethereal yet has a bit of Bowie-glam to it and reminds me a...
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Streets of Laredo are an indie-folk outfit, yet they rock and rollick just enough to gain the attention of more indie pop audiences than those who reside in dinner theatre venues. They’ve released two EPs and are currently on tour, with an upcoming stop at Boot & Saddle on...
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Sydney’s The Jezabels are an incredibly hard band to put into words. Their tastes would seem to be an amalgam of the headiest pop, classical, Americana, and a bit of hardcore… However, they come out sounding like the glossiest kind of post-punk act… as they transition into new wave…...
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I first met Brooklyn trio Old Monk last year. They intrigued me because they have a very aggressive and slightly abrasive take on pop music… They’re not exactly a punk band… but they’re not exactly a pop band either… They’re like if a punk band decided to do a...
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I remember ten years ago going to The Black Cat in Washington DC to see the remaining members of Detroit proto-punks the MC5 reunited for their first tour in more than three decades. I was wearing a chopped-up-and-safety-pinned-together Alice Cooper T-shirt. The MC5’s tour manager told me that she...
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Last year, upon meeting Swedish avant-garde pop musician Anna von Hausswolff, I said of her second album, “It rings of the soundtrack to a text exploring the sacred and profane… to put it mildly.” Well, less than a year later and she seems to be continuing in that very...
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Jon Crary’s Weekly Sound Off 5/26-5/31: 1. Rush Midnight “Fix Me Up” (Last Gang Records)– This is one of the most exciting releases of the year so far for me. It’s Russ Manning, former bass player for Twin Shadow. His new LP release is Tuesday, May 27. This single “Fix Me...
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I first became smitten with Unicycle Loves You upon the release of their sophomore LP, 2010’s Mirror, Mirror, a fuzzy and glammy take on indie pop. However, I must admit that I became over the moon about the trio earlier this month, with the unveiling of their latest music...
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Emily Ritz and Kacey Johansing have recently returned to nature… Okay, that might be a little melodramatic, but the two Bay Area musicians and best friends have relocated from San Francisco and Oakland to beach towns north of the city, which is currently the home of their latest, shared,...
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The Lovely Eggs are an amalgam of all the best things I remember about being a youth in the 1990s. They have a knack for writing wonderfully sloppy and sunshiney power pop anthems, but they also appropriate the rambunctiousness of riot grrrl and the sugar-coated fuzz of lo-fi indie...
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Belgium’s Melanie De Biasio’s aesthetic is at a very bizarre intersection that has her drawing comparisons to jazz vocal legends, trip hop pioneers, and even the hyper-moody dream pop of This Mortal Coil. The singer/flautist’s sophomore effort, No Deal, has already gone gold in Belgium and silver in France,...
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Jon Crary’s Weekly Sound Off May 19-May 24: Chromeo “Jealous (I Ain’t With It)” (Atlantic) – I can’t stop listening to this cool and funky/ danceable track from this neo-funk duo from Montreal. This album “White Woman” is catchy and an 80’s vibe going on. This song is tasty...
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There are a lot of great Americana acts out there in 2014, but North Carolina’s Mandolin Orange write tunes that strike me as especially existentially profound. The indie country duo seem to be honor students at the Townes Van Zandt school of balladry, and even when they veer toward...
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This past Tuesday English electropoppers Metronomy showed an unfortunately sparsely-packed Union Transfer the meaning of a “show.” However, it was openers, Cloud Control, who proved to be the evening’s highlight. PHILTHY MAG first met the Aussie indie rockers last summer, when we discussed their sophomore effort, Dream Cave, which...
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Like our recently profiled Haley Bonar, Jolie Holland recently side stepped slightly from the Americana she’s best known for. Jolie Holland’s latest, at times, puts a rambunctious, aggressively punk spin on country and the blues, and at others, a delectably primal and raw spin on soul. But it can...
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Haley Bonar is best known for her moody/atmospheric take on the Americana singer/songwriter genre, but her brand would seem to be more inspired by post-punk and shoegaze than the kind of artists who haunt dinner theater venues (When discussing the year’s best new music, she’s certainly kosher to mention...
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Amy Lynn & the Gunshow are a seven-piece neo-soul outfit, based out of NYC, led by Amy Lynn Hamlin, a chanteuse classically (and thoroughly) trained in sass. Last month saw the release of their debut LP, the brilliantly titled, Don’t Trip on the Glitter. I recently got a chance...
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1. The Horrors “So Now You Know” (XL) – Expansive, full, atmospheric, lots of chiming guitar and synths. What is not to like about this new song from The Horrors from their brand new album “Luminous”! It has a danceable spacey quality a full and satisfied feeling! This is...
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“I’ve always been an explorer, which translate to always leaving,” says Mirah. The indie pop singer/songwriter (best known for her work on K Records) is referring to one of the reasons for the five year gap in-between her fourth studio LP, 2009’s (a)spera, and her fifth, Changing Light, which...
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Philthy has seen a lot of noisy sonic revolutionaries in recent months, from the hardcore of Perfect Pussy to the avant-garde acid punk of Bo Ningen, but arguably the most prolific “sonic revolutionaries” of the twenty first century, Swans, are coming back next week with their new album, To...
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Built to Spill, indie guitar rock pioneers from Boise, Idaho, pour into The World Cafe Live at the Queen in Wilmington, Delaware on Friday, May 16, 2014. This promises to be one of the hottest indie rock concerts coming to Wilmington this quarter. They will be with opening band, The Warm...
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I identify with Brighton’s Fear of Men to a degree that borders on both comedy and tragedy. They began as the art school film project of guitarist Daniel Falvey and vocalist/guitarist Jessica Weiss (I moved to The City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection eleven years ago to attend...
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Rarely are the coolest bands to listen to the same as the most fun bands to listen to… However, Norway’s Highasakite manage to float gracefully down to that intersection. I first formally encountered the band, led by vocalist and songwriter Ingrid Helene Havik, a year ago, when I wrote...
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Jon Crary’s Weekly Sound Off May 5-May 12: 1. Hercules & Love Affair – “ I Try To Talk to You”- One of my favorite albums of the last quarter century was Hercules & Love Affair’s eponymous self-titled 2008 classic, and now, here is a new single which is no...
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Howls are an LA-based duo that write subversive, synth-heavy pop songs… but less in an ‘80s, Depeche-Mode-driven-realm, and more of a style that would find its way onto the soundtrack of The Crow or to a spot supporting Garbage in 1996… I could also picture them sharing a stage...
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Nashville’s Suzie Brown is a name you’re most likely at least a bit familiar with. She’s a singer, songwriter, Harvard-educated cardiologist, mother, and, until recently, a fellow-215er… I think she also fights crime at night… actually, I don’t think I’m supposed to mention that… In just over half a...
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Indie folk songstress (perhaps this generation’s quintessential indie folk songstress) Priscilla Ahn recently took a trip to the desert all on her lonesome. The result of this trip is This is Where We Are, her latest LP, released in the US this February. Priscilla was drawn to this journey...
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So the majority of PHILTHY’s recent live highlights have been a bit (maybe more than a bit) on the abrasive and subversive side, from the post-riot Grrrl of The Coathaners; Dennis Lyxzen’s new, new wave outfit for spouting highly-danceable radical leftist propaganda; or hardcore critical darlings’ Perfect Pussy’s 15-minutes...
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Jon Crary’s Weekly Sound Off April 28-May 4 is as follows: 1. Quilt -“Tie up the Tides” (Mexican Summer) – From their new album “Held in Splendor”, this tasty tune serves up a creative bit of psychedelic indie folk rock with a retro-60’s feel. There are tons to like in...
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“Revolutionary” hardcore at the Church is fine. And postmodern performance art at KFN can be nice. But sometimes on a Saturday night you just want some big time Rock’N’Rollers to kick your ass with some ultra-groovy riffs. Fortunately for us, English rockers Band of Skulls will be taking the...
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You can blame it on the romance coursing through my veins, but it would seem as though many of the greatest works of art are those that nearly didn’t happen. Both are true for London duo Smoke Fairies’ eponymously-titled fourth album, which is due out May 20th on Full...
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Garage Funk Jammers Little Barrie are a decade and a half into their career, yet May 27th will see the release of just their fourth LP, Shadow… Although that can fairly be chalked up to mainmain Barrie Cadogan’s gig stomping alongside Bobby Gillespie on guitar in Primal Scream (not...
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The last time I spoke to Run River North vocalist/guitarist Alex Hwang was last summer. The LA-based indie folk rock sextet were currently recording their debut LP with legendary producer Phil Ek (best known for his work with the likes of Built to Spill and Fleet Foxes.) Well… the...
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Bo Ningen are probably the hippest band that you’ve never heard of. They’re a pretty big deal for the in-the-know in places like Japan (from where they hail) and England (where they currently reside.) They’ve been making records since 2009 and have collaborated with the likes of CAN’s Damo...
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Jon Crary’s Weekly Sound Off April 16-April 23: 1. Woods- “Moving to the Left” (Woodsist) – This amazing piece of retro folk psych rock is cool and blissful, a bit lo-fi and spacey. The singer has a melodic falsetto which all feels like it floats along while head-bopping beats...
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Rob Zombie once said that the greatest thing about The Ramones is that they were always around and that they were always great. I think a similar sentiment applies to all-female Atlanta punk rockers The Coathangers. In the past half dozen years they’ve played at least a dozen shows...
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Minnesota’s Cloud Cult has been kicking out organic jams for nearly two decades now, penning experimental baroque pop tunes, churning out 100% organic merch and album packaging, and greening up the music industry in general with Earthology Records, a nonprofit music organization that’s currently operating out of a building...
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“So I guess we’re kind of like U2-meets-Depeche-Mode-meets-My-Bloody-Valentine. My favorite band is U2, but we have a ton of electronic influences and a lot of shoegaze, as well.” Ryan Daly, is explaining the origins of Parade of Lights’ sounds, the anthemic dance rock band he sings and plays guitar...
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Last month Heineken put on a mind-blowing interactive theater show at New York’s The McKittrick Hotel. It was part play, part choose-your-own-adventure mindwarp, with an eclectic cast of characters who encouraged the audience to become a part of the show. When guests arrived,...
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Jon Crary’s Weekly Sound Off:April 7-April 12 1. Night Drive- “Drones” – This electro-dance track pounds along and takes you back. It’s a journey that reminds you of great times on the dance floor in the 80’s with it’s hypnotic/ robotic vocals and steady keyboard synths that are irresistible and...
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Most people are a big fan of free candy (see: Halloween). I, personally, don’t have much of a sweet tooth. However, I find, Free Candy, the third LP from Edmonton’s The Wet Secrets to be quite appetizing. The album blends garage psychedelics with the most organic kind of soul...
The Burning of Rome are one of those bands… One of those bands that has been compared to Abba and the Misfits… and Oingo Boingo… and Mike Patton… but that’s not a bad thing… The So-Cal outfit’s sophomore effort, Year of the Ox, hit shelves this May. The album...
Rodrigo Amarante, of Los Hermanos, Orquestra Imperial, and Little Joy is currently on a US tour and will be playing a very intimate gig this Tuesday, July 1st, upstairs at World Café Live. However, it’s opening act Jenny O., that I’m most excited about. The indie pop singer/songwriter churns...
