Tragedy grease you up, La Armada do it to death, Dirty Sound Magnet go forth, Jamie Branch takes flight — and your Tuesday Roundup is ready for takeoff. Buckle up and enjoy the ride:
1 | Tragedy | You’re The One That I Want
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Prepare your air guitars and get the party started with the hottest metal tribute to The Bee Gees and beyond: Tragedy, The New York cover song reinventors are set to release Disco Balls to the Wall — a “best of” collection chock full of remastered favorites — on July 30. It doesn’t matter at all if you love or hate disco or metal — you will unabashedly love Tragedy and their bombastic, crazy mix of disco, metal, glitter and revelry, highly enjoyable on their incomparable powerhouse version of You’re The One That I Want, out today. Tragedy say: “We found the inner-metal spirit of Grease … and it runs deep. 1950s greasers, 1970s Travolta, 1980’s metal and 1990s grunge all come together in a new-millennium melting pot — creating a kick-ass high school for adults portraying teens. You better shape up!”
2 | La Armada | Death On Replay
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “La Armada released their ferocious single and video Death On Replay. The Chicago-via-Dominican Republic quintet have completed production on their next album Anti-Colonial Vol. 2, which is set for release later this year. La Armada’s focus is to leave their mark on heavy music. A punk band at heart, they utilize elements of Afro-Caribbean rhythms and metal to create a style as unique as their story. Influenced by bands ranging from the Bad Brains to Death, they take elements from their native island’s music to conjure a unique recipe; explosive live energy, and a clear cut narrative that highlights the effects of neo-colonialism on vulnerable communities.”
3-6 | Dirty Sound Magnet | The Sophisticated Dark Ages / Organic Sacrifice / Skull Drawing Rose / Hashtag Love
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Before Covid-19 kicked in, Dirty Sound Magnet had already made all necessary arrangements to record the live shows of their April 2020 U.K. tour. They felt that after having spent so much time on the road playing their albums Transgenic (2019) and Western Lies (2017), the songs had evolved beyond the album versions. Sadly, the European spring shows got canceled abruptly. The band took a few weeks to rehearse the songs intensively. Once they felt in top form and ready to record and shoot, they called their filmmaker friend Michael Maillard who filmed the entire session with his assistant Xavier Schaller.”
7 | Jaimie Branch | Theme 002
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Brooklyn composer, trumpeter, and singer Jaimie Branch shares second single Theme 002 (Live at Moods 01/23/2020) from her forthcoming album Fly Or Die Live, out May 21. Drummer Chad Taylor drops us into Theme 002 with a thundering solo. The rhythm section — which also features cellist Lester St Louis and bassist Jason Ajemian — floats on a groove before the trumpeter Branch busts in on muted trumpet. An electric piece of dance-inducing modern jazz!”
8 | Mike Casey | Dagobah
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Mike Casey is a melody poet. The New York songwriter, producer, and sonic alchemist is a multi-talented force whose soul-stirring saxophone sound and creative use of phrasing reach out with love and embraces your musical desires, one note at a time. A Star Wars fan since childhood, Mike composed Dagobah in 2015, equally inspired by Yoda & Star Wars as by his first training grounds in Hartford, Conn. Dagobah is an open-ended reflection on the rich musical landscape of the Hartford community, he says. “Much like Yoda hiding out on the swamp planet Dagobah, off the beaten path there are some great artists and mentors who either live in the Hartford area and/or who teach at JMI that I’ve learned a great deal from.”
9 | Gentle Giant | Just The Same
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Free Hand, the 1975 album by prog legends Gentle Giant, has been remixed by Steven Wilson and will be released on June 25. They have just released their video for Wilson’s remix of Just The Same. Free Hand was Gentle Giant’s seventh and most commercially successful album. It stands as the culmination of the band’s maturity, following the successes of In A Glass House and The Power & The Glory. Having toured non-stop in the years prior with artists like Jethro Tull, Yes, and Frank Zappa, the band had gone from strength to strength. By the time Free Hand was released, Gentle Giant had become a major headliner in their own right. All the members were multi-instrumentalists. The band were never afraid of surprising an audience with a four-part recorder ensemble followed by a vibraphone solo, all the while rocking out and thoroughly enjoying themselves at the same time.”
10 | Bantunani | The Differences (ft. Shoty Ndjoli)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Immersed in an atmosphere between reggae and electrofunk, Bantunani wants to make an impression with a simple, deep and universal pop song as if to speak better to the world. With this metaphor of the wall which separates and which must be demolished, the clip joins this simple and almost primitive humanism illustrating the possibility of a society which integrates all individuals, whatever the age, the form, the country, the color … We wander a city with peaceful urbanity where different professions, types of individuals come together, work together, without animosity.”
11 | Flight Facilities | Lights Up (ft. Channel Tres)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Australian producer duo Flight Facilities deliver a single immersed in a feeling of West Coast cool imparted by collaborator Channel Tres. Lights Up is the first track in over a year from the live-electronic selectors, who have been working together for over a decade, creating timeless, genre-defying classics drenched in a sense of nostalgia. Flight Facilities’ Hugo Gruzman/Jimmy Lyell say: “We’ve always loved the sound of the early Detroit House scene that crossed over with the Paradise Garage era. Combined with our love for Channel’s voice, it seemed like a perfect fit. His voice has a magical ability to make songs that are made for strutting.”
12 | Jamie Steck | Touch
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Jaimie Steck oozes suave and a dance-pop personality that packs a punch with her latest release Touch. The video was inspired by musicals that she’s revisited during quarantine, particularly Chicago, while the song stylishly and playfully discusses the tension and teasing that occurs when you are kept away from that special someone for far too long. Jaimie explains: “I love Touch because it perfectly encapsulated what I was feeling at the time, longing for someone you can’t have in the moment. The road to finishing the song was a long one, and I couldn’t be more proud of the finished product.”
13 | Hard Feelings | Holding On Too Long
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Today sees the birth of Hard Feelings, the collaborative project between New York City singer-songwriter Amy Douglas and British producer Joe Goddard of Hot Chip. After Joe heard Amy’s work, their project started with one message from Joe reaching out publicly via Twitter: “Amy, can we make a thing?” That “thing” became Hard Feelings, the ultimate immersive cinematic experience for your feet and ears, seated fluidly at the intersections of new wave, synthpop, and full-on dance majesty. Today the band share their first single Holding On Too Long, drama in its purest form with a video starring Amy herself. Amy’s lyrics explore the pain and devastation from the demise of a romantic relationship, whilst the words are juxtaposed with Joe’s euphoric, driving bass, and addictive piano hook.”
14 | Queen Of The Meadow | The King And The Hoe
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The video for The King and the Hoe from French singer Queen of the Meadow is as beautiful and intense as the song itself. Queen of the Meadow lived for four years in Albuquerque and her daughters are Navajo. She came back to the place for the ceremony of the rite or passage of the eldest. “During two very intense days and a full night of singings and prayers, you have time to think about what’s happening, and about nice and the worst things your daughter is going to experience just because she’s a woman. With director Seb Antoine, I invented my own ceremony based on this souvenir but mixed with many other influences.”
15 | Phoam | Cold Blood
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Basel band Phoam are releasing their debut video with Cold Blood. Working with the director Brigitte Fässler, they came up with a concept video telling a story about human error and loneliness. The film talks about physical pressure and painful remorse. All these feelings are packed in staggering pictures showing the fight against inner demons. A story that is performed by the protagonist and singer of Phoam, Richard. Two personalities who are living in one and the same body. With Cold Blood, Phoam cover the listeners in a veil of mist of sensations. Synthetic sounds, brutalist architecture, atmospheric and complex, focused energie and overpowered emotions. This is Phoam.”
