Singer-songwriter Sam Rodenwald released a new album that is inspired by the back covers of the “Paperbacks From Hell” series. These songs were indeed written in October, containing spooky stories of ghosts, kids’ games, auctioning your life, and Angelina from “Black Ambrosia.” While some songs are folk at heart, others incorporate additional elements such as rock (“Stage Fright”) and electronica
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Noise project Lucky Bone has a new album out, inspired by recent dreams. Each suite consists of collaged pieces of harsh noise, pop-sensible songs, and distorted samples that all make for a most surreal listening experience. Lucky Bone shares on Bandcamp what specific imageries are represented in each track, some fragmented while others vivid. Luther Price’s film “Warm Broth” and
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It’s simply mind boggling what The Real J Israel has achieved with his latest release, For The Sake of R&B.
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A few words come to mind immediately upon running through Chris Forte’s latest LP, the lilting Backyard Astronomy (lilting, quite obviously, being one of them).
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Psych-chamber folk band Social Caterpillar are gearing up for their new album “When You Woke Up To Dances of Light” due at the end of April, and they’ve got their first single and video out ahead of it. The video is shot by Chloe Cocoran and features the band playing in black-and-white shots with some added visual effects mirroring lyrics
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Dubstep producer Crysus teamed up with Maryland-based Rekoil for a new headbanger. Brace yourself for hammer time with all kinds of electrifying zaps and blasts that start heavy and slow but evolve into something melodic into the second half. If you feel like invoking godly powers to slay extradimensional invaders, this is your song to warm up. Crysus has a
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Alternative rockers 1956 dusted off an old instrumental track from a decade ago that never got finished. Clocking in at about four minutes, this tune juxtaposes cacophonous determination with patient delivery. There are noisy post-punk sensibilities that teeter with apocalyptic urgency. 1956 breathe fresh air into a shelved idea with “What Do We Know.”
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Singer-songwriter MMS Kaiser is out with his first album in four years. With a deep, resonant voice and acoustic melodies, Kaiser touches on the grim nature of loneliness, worry, and rejection over seven tracks. They were written over a three-year period where Kaiser said on Bandcamp he almost quit music; these songs certainly echo such sentiments of turmoil. “Songs From
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Hip hop artist Breonte has a new single and video out. Shot by Fredo Young while the song is produced by Eem Triplin, the scene finds Breonte having a smoke alone in the cold, channeling his self-doubt and outcast mentalities. He’s taking time to get his mind clear, reflecting on what he’s put his trust in to find meaning. It’s
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New coming indie pop band Pescetarian At Best released their debut single about a month back. Featuring a watery guitar melody, the song has assuring lyrics that seem to be about overcoming obstacles, eventually kicking into high gear like roaring rapids of encouragement. Pescetarian At Best kick things off infectiously with “Hey Winner”; we’ll be watching what they do next.
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At the tail end of 2021, experimental-emo rockers In Cursive released a new single. It’s an instrumental one where the instruments do plenty of the talking. With howling guitars and soaring melody, the song feels like the victory walk after weathering a storm. Stay tuned for In Cursive’s debut album to come soon.
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Indie pop project Ice Island is out with a new single. With a peppy beat and reverb vocals, there’s an energetic fantasy to this track, like you’re running through a colorful field of flowers in a dream. It’s a love song at that, but one with a unique combination of elements. We hope it’s the sign of more to come
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An intimate evening of live music took place at Circle A on Saturday night. Singer-songwriters Hallowtribe, Ellie Jackson, and Next Paperback Hero all played wonderful sets to a warm crowd. Hallowtribe is the project of John Justus. He’s originally from Australia but was raised in Nebraska, then lived in Arkansas and Tennessee before moving to Wisconsin. Hallowtribe started in the
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Mental Fracture, which recently dropped its Disaccord LP a week and some change ago, isn’t playing around.
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Reggaeton duo Gego y Nony performed at No Studios on Saturday night, where they premiered the music video for their song “Reloj.” Opening for them was R&B artist Trinity Grace. Gego y Nony are brothers that have been singing, rapping, and writing their own music since the mid 2000’s. With Puerto Rican roots, they mix both Spanish and English lyrics.
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The Cooperage hosted their third edition of their Midwest Music Showcase series on Thursday night. We talked to indie pop acts Barf Lord and Kat and the Hurricane; also on the bill were experimental-noise rockers Spoy and Stephanie Glyzewski of alternative rock band LO/ST. Barf Lord is the brainchild of Carter Voras. This was his first show with the full
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Hip hop artist Kia Rap Princess returns with the first visual for her forthcoming album “Chapter X.” Shot by Famous Motion Films and Photography, the video features memorabilia from Antonia’s Hip Hop Museum 360 here in town. Kia is joined by King Kamonzi in the museum, where they admire the vast hip hop culture before dropping bars of their own.
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Electropop duo REYNA are back with a new single and video today. Directed by Savannah Ziemman, the video depicts them fashioning a mannequin to take the place of a person who left without saying so. Eventually, the mannequin only brings sadness, so it is disposed of. The song itself is infectious, with feathery vocals and stylishly vibrant production to contrast
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Thrash-folk metal band Pillaging Villagers are out with their eponymous debut album today. Embark on a pitchfork-wielding, kingdom-conquering, madman-defying, fire-blazing medieval adventure with this band’s unique blend of crossover thrash and Celtic-tinged metal. There’s heavy antifascist themes from song to song, which certainly can be vitalized in a modern context. The tracks are chronologically sequenced from the tales of corruption
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Indie rockers Complex Machine released a new EP. There’s four tracks on this thing that have a touch of psychedelia and chock full of adventurous guitar solos. Love is a recurring theme – or, more to the point – feeling lost without it. With an appreciation for the classics but maintaining on a modern edge, Complex Machine yearn for meaningful
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Experimental electronic artist Rum Revere is out with a two-piece to preface his upcoming album. “Marbles” is a spicy dance tune with big beat sensibilities while “The Horror” is a bit more minimalist but with plenty of whimsical sounds. Rum Revere loves to sample random snippets from dialogue in a way that not only thematically fits the songs but adds
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Punk rockers Cutters have a new single out in which they critique social media. Whether it’s dealing with clout, uncivil discourse, FOMO or online creeps, Cutters aren’t having it. They air out their frustrations with a chugging riff that resembles the day-by-day glowing screen consumption. Cutters are certainly a new band to watch in the rock scene – catch them
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Dark ambient artist J. McCoy released a new album this past week. These five tracks consist of Modular drones that hover in darkness at times while grasping for peeks of light at others. It feels like a sci-fi space movie, where each piece is a new area explored. J. McCoy traverses a vast abyss through dense soundscapes with “The Deafening
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Experimental noise project Death Tape Super Bass released a two-piece last week. Think of these tracks as oddball dance cuts, with minimal techno sensibilities and industrial-esque textures that feel like footwork in a wonky dream. Thrifted keyboards and old samplers were used here, giving something of antique feel. It’s been exciting to follow the work of Death Tape Super Bass
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Indie rockers NeoCaveman have returned with their third studio album. With rippling melodies and assertive vocals, the band builds up a dense atmosphere with watery wisdom and earnest determination. There’s seven tracks laden with everything from mountainous guitar solos, prog-friendly structures, rivers of self-awareness, and synergistic grandeur. NeoCaveman shared that this might be their final album, and if so, it’s
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