KristeenYoung proves less is more, Weeping Icon are ripe for discovery, Possible Humans are above it all and more in today’s Roundup. Remember to keep your hands inside the vehicle until we come to a complete stop.
1 Some artists only need one name — like Cher and Bono. And KristeenYoung, I guess. Though I have to say that it sort of feels like the singer-pianist is cheating just a bit. Not that you’ll mind once you hear the stylishly edgy art-rock of her latest single < (Less Than), from her ninth album The Subset, due. Sept. 4. It’s definitely > (greater than). And in more ways than one. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “< is about how certain people prefer the status quo, and how they view people as “lesser” and not equal to themselves: “This isn’t only a rich, ruling class situation,” she explains. “I used to experience it as kid in my working class neighborhood and from my foster parents. They don’t want you to be different from them and certainly not (what they see as) rising above.” Do the math:
2 I don’t know about you, but the band name Weeping Icon makes me think of a doomy gloomy, goth-metal horde. Thankfully, nothing could be further from the truth — this female Brooklyn trio are a noisy punk outfit of the finest, fiercest order — with just enough rock in the mix to keep the headbangers on the hook. Hear for yourself on their anti-sellout single and video Ripe For Consumption, the first single from their self-titled debut album Sept. 27. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Ripe For Consumption provides a hint of the way the album captures the band’s mesmeric live performances, flashing Hawkwindesque bass turnarounds, waves of distortion and a vocal performance that falls somewhere between Christian Death’s Rozz Williams and Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna in a three and half minute squall concerning the cynical transformations frequently undergone by newly professional artists.” Ripe and ready:
3 Melbourne indie outfit Possible Humans weigh in on your love-hate relationship with your hometown — admit it, that’s exactly how you feel — while simultaneously strolling through a graveyard and staging a ghostly mid-air performance in the video for their single Lung of the City, a preview of their Aug. 2 album Everybody Split. I’m not sure what all of it means, but it sure looks meaningful. And that’s what counts, right? SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Lung of the City is the album’s leadoff track, and brings the bands driving rhythms and melodic guitars into full focus. The song’s writer, Adam Hewitt, has this to say of the song: “Resenting a home town is lazy and leaving it doesn’t make you cool, however correct. It’s a relationship worth understanding, because maybe it doesn’t want to see you either.” Take a hike:
4 What a difference an I makes. Case in point: Frankie is an indie-pop singer-songwriter from Los Angeles. Frankiie are a dream-rock group from Vancouver. Spot the difference? If you need a little more information, check out the latter’s latest lyric video and single Compare, a peek at their Sept. 20 album Forget Your Head. You’ll remember them after this. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “It’s human nature to compare yourself to others, but it’s important to be aware of how unhealthy it can be. Especially when it’s being thrust at you nonstop through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, whatever. We hope that Compare can remind you to just stop and celebrate yourself. We are all special and are all amazing.” Aye:
5 For a band that hail from the Sahara Desert, the Tuareg bluesmen of Tinariwen never seem to hit a creative dry patch. Nor do they lack for help on their upcoming ninth album Amadjar — the Sept. 6 release features cameos by Warren Elllis of Bad Seeds, Micah Nelson, Sunn O))) guitarist Stephen O’Malley, Cass McCombs and others. Though I doubt any of them can overshadow these Mali musicians and their trademark sound. Get a sample with their latest number Zawal. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Written by Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni, Zawal is about witnessing the first solar eclipse. Most people are terrified and believe it is the last judgement, but the narrator remains unconcerned and keeps riding his dromedary across the desert.” Here comes the sun:
6 Man does not live by rock alone. Not even the man known as Ty Segall. The prolific Los Angeles singer-guitarist takes a sharp left turn with his deconstructed, choral-based chiller Ice Plant, the latest appetizer of his Aug. 2 album First Taste. Segall’s music doesn’t get much prettier than this. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Ice Plant is a fever dream reflection of my childhood … A past no more. Was very fun to sing with the amazing Shannon Lay,” comments Segall. “My neighborhood in Laguna Beach was and still is covered in Ice Plants and Eucalyptus trees that would fall on our family’s car and stain the paint job. One winter we tried to surf down the Ice Plant hills.” Let your love rain down:
7 In Elvis Presley’s world, the warden threw a party in the county jail. In today’s dance-music scene, L.A. DJ Warden throws a party in your earbuds with his aptly titled single Massive. If you can’t find a partner, use a wooden chair. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “A driving 4/4 club single packed with frenetic rave sirens and a dirty lead synth, Massive follows Warden’s recent single Grief and last year’s critically-acclaimed Emerge EP. Citing influences as wide as drum & bass, hip-hop, house and techno, Warden brings a unique spectrum of sound to each of his releases.” Everybody, let’s rock:
8 Tony Joe White would have turned 76 years old today. So there’s perhaps no better day to share this belated birthday treat from the late, great bluesman: A new, slightly mellow version of his classic hit Polk Salad Annie, cut just a few months before his October 2018 death and featuring guitarist Robert Cray. If this isn’t the best thing you hear all day, I’ll eat a bowl of whatever the hell polk salad is. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Polk Salad Annie (50th Anniversary Edition) hews close to the original’s arrangement, although White’s commanding baritone voice has an even more Mt. Rushmore-like character, and there’s also a granite-like surety in the big tone of his 1965 Fender Stratocaster and 1951 Fender Deluxe amp. The groove has indomitable strength and depth, and the horns and Cray’s guitar fills and solo nod toward Memphis R&B and blues. Altogether, it’s a potent balance of soul, virtuosity, and humor, while sounding utterly unforced and natural.” Chomp, chomp:
9 Singer-songwriter Jamie Drake has been called one of L.A.’s best-kept musical secrets. That could change on Sept. 20, when indie folkster’s debut album Everything’s Fine arrives. But you can get ahead of the pack by checking out her single Redwood Tree, a sweetly quirky little number whose breezy whistle-while-you-work vibe would be right at home on a Disney soundtrack. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Redwood Tree is really a song about songwriting; it is a joyful homage to the musical collaboration and connection AJ and I have built over the years, and something very special that I am so excited to finally share with the world…Kind of like just swinging with our music / kind of like we’re dancing in the breeze / kind of want to stay here forever / kind of like a big redwood tree…” Chop chop:
10 As Oscar Wilde once quipped, “I can resist anything but temptation.” You might feel the same about Toronto band The Actual Goners’ new single Temptation — especially if you are partial to rootsy rock festooned with jangly hooks and melancholy melody. If not, well, it’s your loss. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “The song describes someone who is walking home through oppressive heat, wearing the prior night’s clothing, experiencing the aftermath of the decisions that were made while in an uninhibited state of mind. The refrain speaks to the conflicts we confront in knowing that indulgence goes hand in hand with consequence.” Resistance is futile:
