Tag: Stellar Young

Best of NYS Music 2015: Staff Picks for Albums by New York Artists

The NYS Music team has voted and these are what we chose as the best albums released in 2015 by New York artists. Turkuaz’s Digitonium, Lettuce’s Crush and Consider the Source’s World War Trio Parts II & III each received multiple votes from the staff.

Turkuaz’s Digitonium is “the future of retro pop funk.” Turkuaz has been quite busy lately, having recently completed an extensive fall tour that spanned the continental U.S. Featuring great tracks like “Nightswimming,” “Percy Thrills the Moon Dog” and “Doktor Jazz,” the album is “the ideal listen for any pre-party or when you are just ready to share in the groove.”

From our review:

The 23 track album is a mature testament to the bands growing sound that continues to push the boundaries of funk with heavy ’80s influences. The album is full of instrumental segues of experimental melodies that set the stage for evolutionary funk tunes with classic, raw Turkuaz energy. Digitonium is built upon layers of exploratory themes, characters and repetitive lyrics that get the listener to pause, rewind and think outside the album.

The latest release from Lettuce, Crush, is the first album in three years from the seasoned funk band. Jeremiah Shea calls it their “most aggressive, ambitious, and funkiest album to date.” With highlights, such as “Phyllis,” “Trilogy” and “Pockets of Change,” this is a must-hear album.

From Shea’s album review:

If you’ve never had the opportunity to dive into some Lettuce head first, now might be a better time than ever. Crush is the convergence of road tested and polished material, musical exploration, deep pockets of groove, and a band that is simply on top of their game. With a discography full of hits, this album somehow stands above them all.

Sticking to the funk theme of the other albums is Consider the Source and their latest effort, World War Trio Parts II & III, the follow-up double album to last year’s World War Trio Part I. In reviewing the album, Shea says “If pop music is reading at an elementary level, World War Trio Part II + III, is at least a 400 level college course.” The Middle Eastern sci-fi psychedelic funk fusion trio has been quite active in recent years. This album was no small undertaking. Of its 20 tracks, “This Dubious Honor,” “Up to, But Not to Exceed… Whoa,” “I’ll fight for the Imp” and “You are Disappearing.”

Of the album, Shea says:

Never before though has the band done it this masterfully and with such vision. This isn’t just food for thought, but a feast, with such lush sonic depth that can’t simply be explored in one pass. This is music that commands focus in a time when fans are more flippant than ever. You could say the band is fighting a natural progression, but I applaud the effort and what they force a willing listener to listen to. The continuity between songs is beautifully orchestrated and only possible with an overall delivery being kept in perspective from the onset.

Among the many albums released by New York bands this year, others receiving additional accolades included Johnny Cummings’ Radiate, Misery Kills’ My Ugly Insides, ShwizZ’s My Good Side/My Bad Side, Sean Rowe’s Her Songs EP and Stellar Young’s Vessels. It’s been a good year for New York artists. These were just a sampling of all the great music released in 2015. Here’s to an even better 2016!

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December 19, 2015
Stellar Young: Unassuming Kings of Lark Fest 2015

Navigating through the crowd on Lark Street during Saturday’s LarkFEST festivities was a real challenge, but a welcomed one. A large, enthusiastic, and surprisingly eclectic mix of attendee’s flooded the street, enjoying art, music, food and drinks (a lot of drinks). For patron’s of LarkFEST however, the event is largely about the music. To be more specific, if you were anywhere near the Madison Avenue stage, it was largely about five piece indie rock group Stellar Young, mainstays in the Albany music scene, and their eclectic appeal makes them a perfect headliner for an event like LarkFEST. At their 4 p.m. set, it was standing room only around the Madison Avenue stage. LarkFESTer’s were packed in as far down the street as the eye could see, and we have these guys to thank for that. An energetic crowd sang their song lyrics back to them, danced, and fully engaged in a power hour of Stellar Young.

Stellar Young’s LarkFEST 2015 Setlist: Amity, The Universe Is A Bully, Crumble At The Fault, As You Go, Keep Up, Playing With Guns, Over All Over, The Reunion, Hitting Reset, Animals, Box Of Echoes, Nomad

Encore: We Own Nothing

September 22, 2015
Hearing Aide: Stellar Young ‘Vessels’

Known as one of Albany’s most distinct rock acts, Stellar Young are back with a new effort, Vessels. With great tracks such as “Helen, I…” and “We Got Away,” one would be hard pressed to deny the musicianship and writing ability of Stellar Young. Vessels is not just a good album, though, it is a breath of fresh air (if you’ll pardon the cliche) on the modern rock scene. It’s one of those albums that you can close your eyes to and relax. It’s definitely on par with some of the legends of this generation and days before.

They say every great band has an X – Factor. Stellar Young has five.

It starts with Dave Parker. He’s not just a bass player. He’s a f*cking weapon. The man had his start in Kingston, about an hour outside Albany, recording the likes of Weerd Science (of Coheed and Cambria fame) and has gone as part of Stellar to Applehead Recordings in Woodstock, where the band worked with engineer Chris Bittner to make Vessels sound like a million bucks.

All song compositions, including lyrics, are attributed to the entire band, but the broadcaster of those lyrics, John Glenn (not the astronaut) has the voice of a god; each lyric is sung with deep emotion and thought — allowing the listener to insert him or herself into the soundscape. And one live performance will have audiences convinced he is damn close to pitch perfect. On “Hitting Reset,” those high notes will leave you amazed. And his synth playing adds a new dimension to the music — one of ambiance and emotion.

“Red Lights” shows off the perfect partnership between guitarists Kyle Hatch and Erik Flora. While a lot of bands choose simply to go with a single guitarist for their own reasons, the match of Flora and Hatch remains a gold team. The two guitarists have the ability to “weave” between one another, creating a slight chaos, but also a tasteful depth. Their dirty tones work well with Glenn’s voice — think something between The Killers and The Rolling Stones.

Curt Mulick is no stranger to the drumset, either. He delivers a dynamic performance, often alternating styles for the broadest spectrum. One song that high lights his ability to do this would be “Nomad.” Not every performance is played in any traditional style, but Mulick is the driving force, the glue that kept this album together.

Overall, Vessels, is simply an album very well done. Stellar Young is no longer some underdog and they definitely don’t fit into the profile of local band anymore. It’s quite the surprise

January 13, 2015