Week Starter is our Monday column where we give you a new song to kick the working week in the ass & help you power on through.
This is the first week of February, the month of love, and so we can’t help but make today’s Week Starter “Last Call” by Mak Nova. Why? Because we love it. We love it as much as an entire aisle of Valentine’s Day cards and then some. On this track the Santa Cruz based rapper / performance artists navigates a territory somewhere between the steady lyrical flow and get low low low groove of Missy Elliott and the atmospheric production of Solange and FKA twigs. And holy hell does it work. It’s strong, it’s subtle, it’s something else. This one has been on repeat in our offices and now, just as sweet as an unexpected box of chocolates, we give it to you to do the same.
Week Starter – Mak Nova
Mike’s Monday Muse – Jason Wilber
“I just read this ole’ book. On phil-os-ophy. The nature of man. His will to be free. And now I can’t sleep. I just lie awake and worry all night.” Jason is a genius songwriter and guitar player and more people need to be paying attention. I’m humbled he’s headlining plus Postcard Editor is coming back to emcee the Bloomington Music Expo #3 on February 5th in Bloomington, IN. The expo is free for everyone. This shameless plug for bloomingtonmusicexpo.com is proudly provided to you by me. Delete your Spotify account and come buy some records.
Week Ender – Wodan Boys
We put a cap on this week with the revved up power pop perfection that is “So Damn Much” by Wodan Boys. Hailing from the Netherlands and sounding like the reincarnation of Cheap Trick, the boys named after either the variant spelling of the Norse god Odin (probably) or after a Stargate SG-1 character (less likely but still cool) bill themselves as “high energy loudmouth rock music,” to which we ask “is there any other kind?” There are of course, as rock is a many headed beast, but other styles within the genre will never be as instantly fun as this track. It’s a foot stomping, fist pumping sing along from the jump and that’s the type of weekend we wish for you all.
Friday 5×5
Today we have a handful of words for a handful of great tunes by ANGER MGMT., Dropper, Driftwood, GOON and Matt MacNeil after the jump.
Thursdays With J.R. – Skinny Dippers
Thursdays with J.R. is our new weekly column from lifelong musician and lifelong-er music fan J.R. McIntire, drummer of Arctic Char and multi-instrumentalist on more projects than we have bandwidth to list.
This week my ears were lucky enough to strip down and dive into the track “Through Tryin'” by Skinny Dippers. Though the title seems dire, the music opens quite optimistically. Cleanly picked guitars wind around the upbeat melody of the bass and tight poppy rhythm of the drums. Whether the vocals are doubled or not, they partner with the mix beautifully. Vocals these days are usually more front forward in the mix but these surround your headspace, drawing you into every word. The lyrics tell a story of someone who is fed up while also honest and relatable. He speaks of things we all have gone through or are going through currently while using descriptive details that put you there. It’s not you, it’s me but seriously I’m not good and we’re not good, so hence you cant be good for me. The tag line is beautiful but solidifies the idea that the storyteller is done putting energy towards this relationship. “Tryin'” is repeated as the bridge builds towards the finale chorus resembling the frustrating cycle of constantly forcing something that just isn’t healthy for anyone. This reminds the listener, hey in case you forgot, I’m done. The song slowly untethers to a beautiful acoustic outro chorus that shows the vocals ARE doubled and just as pretty sharing the mix with the one guitar. Where you may expect it to fade out, a resounding chord with the entire band is our ender. A very pleasing tune, thank you Skinny Dippers. Some great content on their Soundcloud as well, give it a spin, clothing optional.
The B-Side: Kenith
Usually when artists send us music to consider for the blog they give us some info to go along with it: their story, the song’s story, etc…. Often it can be too much, especially for our blog, where the focus is on short, postcard sized, write ups. Not Kenith though, Kenith sent us a song and only a song and while that might be foolhardy for some, was perfect for “Gifted.” Everything you need to know is in the song itself, a confident flow with just enough throwback flavor to catch the ear and give it a timelessness any true fan of hip-hop can get behind. Eschewing hook line and chorus, this is rap at its purest. Rhythm and lyricism at the highest level, and coming in just shy of two minutes it knows how to rock the party and leave the people wanting more.
The Midweekly – Go To Space Die
The Midweekly is our column from Mike Jeffers; lead singer of Chicago punk stalwarts SCRAM, music junkie and all around righteous dude.
Prepare your helmet and jumpsuit as you step into this inter-dimensional portal. Keep your senses tuned in as these cosmic waves fly past and through you. A new experience of space rock has arrived: Red Air Don’t Care, the debut album by Go To Space Die. In his human form, GTSD is known as Dagan Thogerson (Murder By Death), and it’s the first solo effort from this percussionist. But don’t let the sticks fool you, Thogerson handles every instrument adeptly. From the first clean notes, bright and cheerful, like a sunrise on the horizon, to the final somber riff as it fades into a twinkling night, RADC is a soundtrack for the stars. The two major elements that make up this flying rock are post and prog, but as it hurls its way towards your ears, don’t be surprised if it accumulates some doom and emo in its tail. The intrepid production and writing traverse different patterns and moods. You might find yourself lulled into a waltz by some big chords with a synth filling in the voids, then quick as a sci fi action scene, a riff with a dizzying time signature blasts you away. So, make ready your comet lasso, and press play on these 8 tracks…wait…isn’t 8 the symbol for infinity?! *sound of mind blown*
Tuesday Tip-Off: Night Crickets
Iconic alternative music pioneers. They really are just like us! Stuck at home during the pandemic and going stir crazy David J (Bauhaus, Love and Rockets), Victor DeLorenzo (The Violent Femmes, Nineteen Thirteen) and visual artist/alternative pop artist Darwin Meiners formed a supergroup for these less than super times: Night Crickets. But where you and I were staying connected via Zoom and online games, the Night Crickets did it by sending files back and forth, crafting A Free Society, their debut album. A Free Society seamlessly combines J’s dark romanticism with DeLorenzo’s dadaist jazz and Meiners’ atmospheric electronica tinged pop into an intoxicating blend of inventive yet oddly familiar sound. It’s a shades on in a darkened room groove that feels a bit like a minimalist jam breaking out at the late night spoken word performance. It’s cooler than cool and vibier than vibey and you need it in your life.
Week Starter – Lazy Queen
Looks like it’s gearing up to be another cold bleak week in the ol’ US of Ayyy-we-still-doing-this? Thank goodness we have this indie rock banger from Norway’s Lazy Queen to drive away the shadows both internal and external. Opening riffs seldom convey both the energy and uplifting nature of a song as well as the first few seconds of “Alcohol” does, and few songs of any genre have hooks as hooky as the vocals on the chorus. Throw in a mid-song break down breather before the late push rally and this is a by-the-numbers classic. Whether you prefer to warm up your body and spirits with spirits of a liquid kind or you’re like Postcard Editor and use black coffee for that extra motivation to keep moving on, moving on this is a song for you. For some a new party / morning after the party anthem and for the rest a good old fist pumping jolt of pop punk positivity.
Mike’s Monday Muse – The Delines
Can’t sleep. I’m up at 4:00 AM listening to The Sea Drift again. Counting Willy Vlautin’s novel soundtracks, The Sea Drift is record #6 from The Delines and “Kid Codeine” happens to be my favorite song on it. Willy said the song was inspired by an LA cougar with a big bouffant hairdo, a trip to a strip bar, and a junkie dancer crashing into his table.