IGIF continues its war against Winter with the debut music video from Louisville, Kentucky trio The Debauchees. Their incendiary debut single “I’ve Got Energy” along with video’s drive-in movie setting are hopefully enough to combat the rapidly dipping temperatures with that nostalgic feel of long, warm summer days with nothing to do but whatever you damn well please. It’s fitting that the majority of the video features The Debauchees at play since that’s what they do oh so well. A couple visual effects and personality-establishing footage aren’t enough to distract from the fact that the intrepid young twenty year olds are laying down a good old fashioned Grade A shred fest. ”I’ve Got Energy” is classic cool, alternating between barreling forward feverishly and down tempo moments of understated but restrained grit. Pairing that with shots of fun loving youths enjoying themselves is a juxtaposition that just works oddly enough.
The Debauchees’ debut album Big Machines and Peculiar Beings is out now on SonaBLAST! Records. You can nab a digital copy on iTunes.
It’s hard to believe that German indie rock outfit The Notwist have been making music for the totality of my existence but yeah, they have. Not only that, the foursome have undergone a rather impressive period of re-invention/innovation covering a wide variety of genres.
New single “Close to the Glass”, from their upcoming album of the same name, sees the group continuing more or less right where 2008′s The Devil, You + Me left off as the group grew steadily more proficient in the digital. “Close to the Glass” is a far cry from the Notwist’s indie middle period, emerging triumphant with electronic elements on full display. But the remarkable thing about the jittery bit of experimental pop is how organic its sounds feel. True, there’s a more digitized slant in the way the glitchy skips and stutters but there’s still a very human presentation. Maybe it’s all in the hand clap-like percussion but it’s evident that The Notwist haven’t forgotten that they’re a band — they’re not about to hide behind their computer screens stitching together a set of unperformable effects (Ed. – “dancing” while pushing a button to trigger a sample is not a music performance). Underneath the myriad of programming, beneath the track’s digital architecture, there’s still a band at its core cemented by Markus Acker’s tender vocals and the telltale signs of experienced musicians unafraid to try something new.
The Notwists’ Close to the Glass is out February 25th on Sub Pop Records. Preorder the 2xLP here for just $18 »
No descriptor approaching anything resembling “summery” can be easily applied ’round these North Eastern parts anymore. I savor our fleeting 50-degree days the way an Alzheimer’s patient clings to fading memories, looking everywhere for some palpable signifier to catalyze my ass back to that warm dreamland mercilessly viced between June and August. My latest invention comes through world traveler Abram Shook‘s hazily buoyant single “Coastal”, which, just, sweet Jesus, is all Mai Tais and panting dogs and just take me, already:
Abram Shook‘s debut album Sun Marquee (beautiful album art above) is out on Western Vinyl on January 21st. Preorder here »
If you’re looking for a tune to get you over the hump this week, look no further than Ages and Ages. This Portland act is anthemic, melodic, and quite simply: fun. Once they hook you with alluring lyricism and a crescendo that doesn’t just build and build, but circles round-and-round like a ferris wheel offering different viewpoints, highs, and lows. They’ve got gang vocals that echo in your ears like Polyphonic Spree sans the oddball theatrics. The only thing remotely theatric about Ages and Ages sound is that it sounds like they recorded inside of a tree My Side of the Mountain style or up in a Swiss Family Robinson type treehouse. Dig in:
Way back in August, The Wild Honey Pie hosted an interactive music video shoot/festival called Summer Camp. Remember that? One of the coolest things about it was getting to see a bunch of New York based bands out of their element and the double-edged sword of that was many of them debuted new unreleased material that happened to be absolutely excellent. One of those bands was Brooklyn pop experimentalists Vensaire whose set was composed solely of new tunes that they promised soon would see the light of day. If the event hadn’t been fastidiously documented by the Wild Honey Pie staff for their video series Welcome Campers, it would’ve been a long, troublesome wait for Vensaire’s new tunes to arrive.
Last Friday, Vensaire self-released their debut album Perdix and unsurprisingly all of the tracks they played during their Summer Camp set are on there. “Finding It Found”, “Porteño”, and a curious little song only previously referred to as “6″ whose name is actually WAY more complicated. ”クロアシシャクケイ” is essentially the second single from Perdix and it’s translation escapes me. What I do know however is that many of the things that make Vensaire uniquely wonderful can be found completely within the confines of this track. It’s a veritable prism of technicolor and artful blend of folky dance pop. It makes subtle use of the Eastern elements that have no doubt inspired its name and has far more narrative depth than your standard dance track.
Vensaire’s debut full length Perdix is available on their Bandcamp now until it’s not so make sure to grab it if you enjoy the first taste, it’s well worth it.
