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Demo-lished: Quincy LePalm

30 Apr

Not often can you catch my attention with a demo version of a track that I already love. Or even demos of things I don’t already love, really. (Sorry, Karen O.) But there is always an exception to the rule. Our exception this time is Quincy LePalm, a genuine songsmith. He is gearing up to release his debut EP, but has released several demos that are sure to catch your attention.

My personal favorite, “Mazinaw Blues,” channels the soul of Son House, with the songwriting reminiscent of Jack White’s ballads. This metaphor goes deeper though; White is conspicuously influenced by Son House- he plays a Son House LP during It Might Get Loud, and the Son House edition of the Heroes of the Blues CD series has a quote from White right on the back of the jewel case. I like to think that not only is LePalm influenced by both of them, he is their new form. Son House was the master of the blues, then Jack came and renewed rock and roll as we knew it with The White Stripes, then The Raconteurs, and then The Dead Weather. Okay, so I’m getting ahead of myself; LePalm has no interest in fundamentally changing the folk or blues music scenes as we know them. But he is interested in telling you a compelling story, just him and his guitar. The paradigm shifts will come later.

There is an EP in the works, due out this summer. For more information on Quincy LePalm, follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

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Spatially grounded, Astronauts, etc share new single, I Know

28 Apr

astronauts, etcThe first rays of sunlight provide a nascent glow for a few minutes before the sun fully rises. Those moments are like new cells, mimicking their environment, giving back the same emotion that surrounds them. Fresh and flowing, “I Know” from Astronauts, etc reflects the light newness of the dawn.

Vocals by Anthony Ferraro float near a falsetto, while the keys and guitar guide him. Ferraro is the main force behind Astronauts, etc, but you may be familiar with him as the keyboardist in Toro Y Moi’s touring band. He also has been getting some attention for combining cold, lifeless machines and life-giving art with his Hypothetical Beats algorithm. Talent abounds in this young classical pianist-turned-producer, but he won’t be bound to one path; he takes the tried-and-true and makes it all his own. That is to say, despite his recent knack for computer science, he recorded “I Know” with a full band on analog, and had it mixed and mastered on tape.

Astronauts, etc’s EP, Sadie, is out now on Hit City Records. For more information on Astronauts, etc, visit his Facebook, Twitter, and Bandcamp.

Mighty Medley: Cotton Claw, Hira King, and In Sonitus Lux

15 Apr

An eclectic electric mix for your hump day. Get to listening.

Cotton Claw – “GRAINY”

Though the title may contradict it, this track is crystal clear and silky smooth. Beats bleed into one another until the dimensions shift around you. An excited theremin pipes in, giving the song a story, grounding it. “GRAINY” is cosmically down-to-earth.

Find more information about Cotton Claw on their website, or find them on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Soundcloud.

Hira King – “Hummingbird”

Please ignore that cover art. For something that looks like it came from the last acid trip of a hippie before he was sent off to Vietnam, this track exemplifies the hip in trip-hop. I have no idea what vibe I’m supposed to get from this, but whatever it is, I’d like more please.

Find more on Hira King via their website, Twitter, and Soundcloud.

In Sonitus Lux – “Her Eyes in the Morning”

I’ll save you the trouble of googling it; “in sonitus lux” is Latin for “light in sounds.” Quite synesthetic. Taking a very prominent role in the spine of “Her Eyes in the Morning” is an obscure instrument known as a hang. It looks and sounds like an inverted steel drum, and gives this chilling ambient a little pizzazz. At thirteen minutes in length, this is an odyssey, but if you have some spare time to spend with it, you should.

Find more info on In Sonitus Lux on his website and Soundcloud.

Dancing with the undertow

8 Apr

All art comes from a thought, or more likely a series of thoughts. Though not all happy ideas turn into happy art, the new video from Idea the Artist doesn’t seem to worry too much about that. Teeming with pastels and watercolors, “Seafloor” takes “art rock” to a new level.

Idea the Artist is Inés Beltranena, a folktronica musician from San Francisco, though I wouldn’t limit her artistry to music. Yes, the slow pull of “Seafloor”’s rhythm is enchanting, but so is the watercolor and pastel sketches on which the visuals of the video are based. This is the title track to her newest album, a collection of songs meant to inspire in the wake of her own personal hardships. Though her struggles were hers to bear, she shares her feats with us; says Beltranena, “this is my expression about all struggles, and all triumphs, not just my own.”

Seafloor is out now. For more information on Idea the Artist, visit her website and follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

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Shake Your Bones

7 Apr

Trails and Ways (David Wallace)California is in the middle of a historic drought, with new water restrictions making national headlines. I bring this up because I live in California currently, and I am very nervous about how little water we really do have left. Water and energy conservation has never become quite so dire, and beautiful people like Trails and Ways want to help save our planet. They are proud supporters of Our Power Campaign, a noble organization that aims to fight the climate crisis while providing good jobs in vulnerable communities; learn more here.

Feeling like a sonic lollipop, “Skeletons” will instantly brighten your day. The song reminds me immensely of Cub Sport, particularly “Pool!” with those unmistakable falsetto hooks. Bourne of a dream, “Skeletons” describes the experience of dancing in a club only to have time fast forward to hundreds of years from now, showing a glimpse of the ruinous state the planet will be in due to the crises we currently face. Trails and Ways make impending doom fun, but ‘fun’ in the sense that feeling proud of yourself for helping to save the planet that we are still hoping to use for the next eternity is fun. Donate today.

“Skeletons” will appear on Trails and Ways’ upcoming album, Pathologies, due out 6/2 via Barsuk Records. You can pre-order it here. For more information on Trails and Ways, visit their website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

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