Singer-songwriter Sarah King has released her debut EP, The Hour, a splendid, soulful voyage to the darkest corners of Americana. It’s the perfect showcase for her show-stopping vocals and gothic bluesy story songs, something made all the better by the smartly minimalist arrangements conjured by co-producers, Simone Felice and David Baron (The Lumineers, Bat for Lashes, Jade Bird, Felice Brothers).
photo by Arielle Thomas
The tune that will likely command the most attention is her reinvention of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.” This take is as slow and minimal and softly acoustic as its gets – a thumb strummed solo guitar riding an E minor drone (sorry, Spinal Tap, this and not the D minor, is the saddest of keys/chords). Even though this guitar and voice spotlight is swaddled in a cathedral’s worth of cavernous reverb, it retains a crispness and clarity, like all the tracks on this impeccably engineered collection. This cover is further distinguished by the ghostly alternative melodies King conjures, she’s like a bebopper of acid folk. There’s shades of Nick Drake, Alexi Murdoch and Blue-era Joni Mitchell in the quietude and Dolly Parton, one of her inspirations along with Adele and White Stripes, in the controlled country crack in King’s voice.
The track “Poison” has a churchy gospel vibe. Here Sarah King responds justifiably likewise to a cruel lover who can’t take what he dishes out (“I’m not bent, I’m not broken by your crimes. I gave you a taste of your medicine and you say I poisoned you”). Like many tunes on the album, there’s great texture here – tiny sonic delights barely audible in the mix like the ghostly roto-speaker electric guitar in this tune.
My personal favorite, “Nightstand,” hammers home the spooky soulful vibe. It’s a murder ballad driven by a swirly Rhodes piano, guitar crunch, Hammond organ wail, rich background vocals and gut-punch lyrics. Case in point, the chorus:
I was born with the cord wrapped around my neck It’s not something I could ever forget The world’s been trying to take me out since the day I first arrived There’s a darkness a-reaching for my hand I keep a gun in my nightstand Waiting for music to bury a body by
The funereal shuffle of “Cold Hard Ground” brings to mind the artsy country blues of Wrecking Ball-era Emma Lou Harris. It’s a minor blues articulated with a slurry snare-brushed beat, honey toned organ and minimalist piano. Co-producer David Baron, proprietor of Sun Mountain Studios in the Hudson Valley where the EP was recorded, is an analog synth collector. He adds some very outta-space keyboard swirl and ambience here, along with (possibly) a mellotron-treated vocal chorus. He’s a master of the less is more approach.
photo by Christian James
“Not Worthy the Whiskey” is a swaggering stomp-and-holler about making peace with your dark past. The tune is propelled by percussive handclaps and stomps and boasts a whistling-down-the-alley intro ala Billy Joel’s “The Stranger.” It’s another deep blue lament, ones that floats in and out like a dream.
Like much great music, King’s debut EP was born of loss. In the press notes she says: “My dog died, my ex-husband died and my mama died too. Life is too fucking short, I’d just spent almost a year traveling in a tent away from my instruments and facing so much loss, I realized I never wanted to be away from music again.”
King’s partnership with Felice came about when she sent him a shot-in-the-dark email containing a performance video of “Nightstand,” which to an invitation to record that tune and four more. We are lucky that King found the strength to put her loss into such fresh, emotionally revealing, brave music. And she’s lucky to have found, in Felice and Baron, producers who could bring her art to life is such a beautifully restrained and achingly gorgeous way.
Key Tracks: Nightstand, War Pigs, Not Worth the Whiskey
Record Heat, formerly known as Spirit Animal, is back with a new 3-song EP titled 1 out on March 12. “Nathan” and “Just Hits” are previously released tracks, with brand-new closer “Networks.” Produced by Nolan Lambroza, 1 has an industrial, ground-shattering, alternative-rock sound.
Record Heat’s NST Album Art
The opening track “Nathan” booms into headphones with a huge grimey bass sound and commanding, catchy vocals. The beats are redolent of “Believer” by Imagine Dragons and “Black Skinhead” by Kanye West, delivering a powerful energy that is cinematic and danceable. One could imagine a live show with pyrotechnics and a zealous crowd. “Couldn’t really say that I’m the patient type,” lyrically encompasses the strength of this song.
“Just Hits” opens with a mysterious synth line and a techno beat that kicks in with a groove. Steve’s vocals are confident, almost rapped, giving the song a quick, invigorating aura. There is a spoken-word prechorus that induces reflection about nature: “We came from the sky / We came from the trees.” The song morphs into a bravado-filled chorus, with idiosyncratic production. The manipulated vocals, sirens blaring, and synth motif coat the song in a bold color palette. Record Heat knows that they are hot stuff.
The newest track on the EP is the closer “Networks.” It opens with a jangly percussive bar and instantly adds groovy guitars. The energy is infectious immediately. The song criticizes networking and its inherent artifice; Record Heat are not in search of fortune and fame – even stating “The music industry sucks” as an ad-lib – they are artists, here for music, not commerciality. “Networks” is an anger-tinged indie dance track. It’s a powerful track in less that 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Record Heat’s new EP “1” is a whirlwind of confident, experimental, industrial rock. Their sound is refreshing, and you can listen to it on March 12th on all streaming services. You can find more about Record Heat on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” TLC’s “Creep” and Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know.” The Eagles’ “Lyin’ Eyes,” Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” and, of course, Hank Williams’ “Your Cheatin’ Heart.”
Infidelity is torture on the soul of the victim. But it is also a potent catalyst for great artistic output, especially for musicians. It’s the brand of misfortune that inspired classic songs like the above. It also birthed a bevy of legendary albums, from Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours to Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks to Beyonce’s Lemonade – works which pushed these artists to creative apexes they may never match.
Singer/songwriter Lisa St. Lou with debut album, Ain’t No Good Man, is another powerful product of a ‘done me wrong.’ It’s a blues-powered blast of 13 soulful originals, tunes that travel the road from betrayal and broken heart to redemption and, seemingly, a new love. They are expertly performed by Lisa St. Lou and an all-star crew including New Orleans greats Irma Thomas, Cyril, Ivan and Ian Neville, axe man Walter “Wolfman” Washington and many more.
Brooklynite St. Lou’s style is anchored in the gospel she absorbed as a child at a Baptist church in her native south St. Louis. Her childhood love of singing led her to serious musical study. Lisa earned a Masters in Opera (!) before heading to New York City and rapid success with a role in the Broadway production of The Producers. But an entertainer’s lifestyle didn’t jibe with her new husband’s vision of their future, so she quit showbiz and had two kids. Her partner’s repeated infidelities over the following decade led her to the most important decision of her life – leaving him in an effort to reclaim her voice, metaphorically and now literally.
St. Lou has had the good fortune of partnering with Grammy-nominated producer and songwriter Tor Hyams (Joan Osborne, Lou Rawls) for her debut. And while she sites Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin and Nina Simone as inspirations, I hear another soulful St. Louis white girl wailer evident in her style – Bonnie Bramlett of Delaney and Bonnie fame.
St. Lou and Hyams have co-written 12 top-flight tunes. They are all in a bluesy vein but with an original bend, not a very easy thing to do with such a well tread genre. Recorded at Parlor Studios in New Orleans, the tunes all naturally have a swampy, steamy, Big Easy groove. There’s also plenty of Memphis in the horns and Stax-like guitar licks and Chicago-flavored gospel in the ever-present Hammond organ swirl and churchy background vocals.
The album kicks off with the title track. Here Lisa puts her operatic pipes and gospel grit to good use. She sings high and hard to romantically nihilistic lyrics like:
I’m hip to the game They’re always the same I can smell a rat from a mile away Ain’t no good man Who gon’ be lovin’ me, anytime soon Ain’t no good man, Who can fool me twice, by giving me the moon
“Girl Get On” warns the “other” woman to stay away from her man, set to an up tempo groove with plenty of lyrical double entendre. “Love Me Baby” is a plea that starts with fingers snaps, a four note bass riff and solo voice, before breaking into a shuffling blues with some great call-and-response with the chorus.
On one of the album’s showstoppers, “Nothing Is Never Enough (For A Man),” St. Lou is joined by the immortal Irma Thomas. The NOLA soul queen who throws down her signature stanky vocals on a slow blues with some sweet guitar licks and punchy lines like:
You give your body, you give your soul You give up on every fight Don’t wanna get out of bed in the morning Cause nothing, nothing, nothing is ever right Nothing is ever enough, for a man Nothing is ever enough, for a man Don’t matter how hard you tried or if you’re doing the best that you can Nothing is ever enough, for a man
The Meters’ founder Cyril Neville shares the vocals on “Whatcha Gonna Do.” This is true New Orleans funky with all the trimmings, wah wah guitar (or clavinet), more call-and-response vox and a jerky stop-time beat.
While St. Lou’s go-to style is up tempo, my favorite tunes here are the ballads. “Miracle in Motion” is an achingly slow love song, a gospel-flavored offering with no lyrical axe to grind. There’s some nice rhythmic changes and modulations, luscious horn and keyboard support, which make this seemingly straight forward ballad something more.
My favorite on the album, “Flowers In the Rain,” closes the collection on the kind of hopeful note we wish for all wronged in love. The arrangement is pure gospel, largely just piano and voice at first, like a sketch or a demo. Lisa and her throaty angelic background singers build the song, along with a churchy, bluesy organ that surges and dances around the melody. This is a real could-be classic.
You gave me hope through the storm When it was cold you kept me warm You took away the pain You gave me flowers in the rain I never met a man who could look in my eyes And see all the beauty inside And the sound of your voice It takes all the worry away You opened up my heart You picked me up when I fell apart When my whole world went insane You gave me flowers in the rain
St. Lou’s Ain’t No Good Man is a musical journey through Kubler-Ross’s famous five stages of loss, with plenty of anger at first, ending with acceptance. It boasts some wonderful songs and topflight performances from all involved. It’s good musical medicine – a shot of gospel goodness that can help the brokenhearted exorcise their rightful anger and move on down the road.
It’s also refreshing to see a debut disc come our way from a 40-something with something to say, rather than a pre-fab teen product spit out by the pop machine. In music, as in life, Lisa shows that it’s better late than never.
Lisa’s website provides some cool video clips of the recording of the album and discussions of the development of the songs and the arrangements. Check it out here and find all links to all platforms here.
Key Tracks: Whatcha Gonna Do, Nothing Is Never Enough (For A Man), Flowers In the Rain
In the early part of the decade Alan Evans had been playing with his band Soulive and every other big name in music. In 2004 he had the notion to collaborate with some of his closest friends to put out his first solo album. Let It Ride was only released on CD in Japan, but now 17 years later Alan Evans’ 2005 album has been released to all on February 26, 2021 by Vintage League Music. The record features bonus tracks and a snippet of Alan live in Upstate New York from 2005 with some of the cast.
He recruited some of the best names of the modern funk soul scene to help him record it. Neal Evans, Sam Kininger, Aaron Bellamy, Nikki Glaspie, Mike Feingold, Ruslan Sirota, Cochemea Gastelum, Atticus Cole, Amee Jana and Skip Jennings. The music was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Evans at his Iron Wax Studios.
The album features Alan locked in with bass player Aaron Bellamy for every track to hold down the bottom end. All the right personnel start the groove on “Do It Again” where Evans channels his inner James Brown shot calling “ Only Way to Do It, Is to Do it, So hit me Sam!!” that drops an iconic Kininger saxophone solo to get your head wrapped on the familiar funk these cats bring. “Can you feel this sound?” Evans vocals ask the same question “Auhhhh, are you with me?” for the appropriately named track “Are You With Me?” that also features Sam K on Saxophone. Answer most given, “Right on, Right on, Right On!”
Sam Kininger, Alan Evans, Aaron Bellamy at Electric Company in Utica
To exit with the heavy funk, Evans gets his brushes out on ‘Welcome To The World’ where his vocals on this tune sound as soft as Hendrix on 1983… (a Merman I Should Turn to Be). Saxophonist Cochemea Gastelum helps set a worldly tone through the orbits on “Low Down Low.” To help come full circle on the recording Nikki Glaspie, Amee Jana and Skip Jennings lend their profound voices over the backing groove that kicks the record off on the “Do It Again Outro.”
In light of his Upstate New York roots, Alan chose to release along with Let it Ride, the second half of a live album from Saratoga Springs on February 5, 2005 at Skidmore College. Saratoga native and former band mate Peter Prince encouraged this particular set, which encapsulates the whole mood of this release – Alan leading the improvisational pack with Aaron Bellamy on bass, Mike Feingold and Jeffery Lockhart on guitar. They stretch out on the live bonus tracks in front of the crowd many Februaries ago that even features a Jimi Hendrix mash up of “Purple Haze” and “Third Stone from the Sun” on the final track. We should be glad Alan Evans and company decided to “Do It Again” this year for the release of this funked up record.
Key Tracks: Do It Again, Are You with Me?, Welcome to the World
Purchase the Album here and look for our interview with Alan later this week.
No Showers On Vacation sounds about right. Now, wouldn’t that make you stink? Well, yeah of course. It is fitting then that this Burlington group’s funk is so strong it can kill a hippo. And jokes aside, this Phish-inspired group really does know how to bring their A-game while keeping things fun and exploratory.
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This second pandemic release, AQUABAND, is true to the group’s sound and intentions. The album is terrifically produced and the compositions are very well organized considering this is a group that releases material at a good rate. Sam Lyons (drums), Emmett Lurssen (guitar), Alden Nichols (keyboards), and Pat Maley (sax) form a very good jam group. It is worth noting that this is only their second release, after debut EPBath Time: Miami. Spoiler alert: this album is well worth your time.
The first track, “Chestnut” features a rambling but consistent piano riff that leaves room for a ton of various solos. The eccentric beat forms itself into a Santana type jam, while a dirty guitar solo paves the way back to the piano riff. There is nothing missing here, aside from more sax (and even then, you better hold onto your hats cause this album just started). Throughout the beginning, the listener sees the piano taking center stage.
The keys introduce a lot of the themes of the song and bring in the rest of the band. The bass divides the chord structure, navigating its way around the low end with a steady groove. The guitar sits back when it should and finds its way into the spotlight only when called upon. In a band of this style, it is often the case that one instrument will win a power struggle for being the most heard- that is not the case at all with No Showers On Vacation. Here we have a group that meshes really well and leaves space for every aspect of their music to shine.
One that will get listeners up and active is “Sinkko.” Really, the only thing listeners might want more here is…literally more! The song hooks you in and then sets you free. It is easy to listen to this one a few times to soak in the vibes and the bouncy rhythm. “Amtrakk” features a beautifully organized instrumental that harkens back to a lot of 70’s jams. This is something you likely do not hear a lot of, coming from a band writing music today. The song has a progression that feels like you are actually traveling on a train (minus sitting next to someone who did not shower on their vacation). The charging, locomotive piano and beat drop off to a grand, empowering progression that can be likened to driving out of a tunnel onto a mountainside road.
The beauty of what the band puts together here compared to the dirty funk in something like “Chonk” gives this album a whole of re-listening value. Highly recommend, and keep an eye out for when No Showers On Vacation are able to get back out to their live element! Find them on Instagram to keep up to date.
Today, Rochester indie-rockers Old Fame release their second EP Nowhere to Be, a collection of four songs written in response to the pandemic, the media, family disfunction, shame, and division amongst families over politics. Or, as the band puts it, “All the fun stuff!”
On “Act II,” Old Fame demonstrates influences of psychedelic post-rock and emo. Previously, the band released singles “Short Cub” and “Cumberland” with the final track, “Slevin” debuting today with the release of the full EP.
“Short Cub” and “Cumberland” were written in 2019, while “Act II” and “Slevin” were written during the pandemic, thus, neither of the latter two tracks have been performed live. Recorded at Wicked Squid Studios is located in Rochester, the alt-rock tones are impressive, leading to much build-up and flowing seamlessly together.
Old Fame is Ben Armes (vocals, guitar), Doug Kelley (drums), Evan Clark (guitar), Jay Asarese (bass). Members of the band have played in Rochester area projects including Like Vintage, Alberto Alaska, Emulet, and Heavy Lies the Crown.
Listen to the latest EP from Old Fame below or on Bandcamp.
It has been four years since the members of Melt came together as a band. Co-founders Veronica Stewart-Frommer (Vocals) and Eric Gabriel (Vocals, Keys) both NYC natives, started playing music together in High School. They and some of their friends entered a local battle of the bands competition and won. They took the prize money from that competition and used it to produce the band’s first song“Sour Candy” which was released as a single in 2017.
Melt is a septet, which is comprised of an additional five members: Marlo Shankweiler (Guitar), Josh Greenzeig (Drums), Coulou (Trumpet), Lucas Saur (Bass), and Nick Sare (Saxophone). Melt’s successful debut single propelled the band into the limelight with the strategic utilization of social media and substantial exposure on various internet streaming services. “Sour Candy” holds the distinction of having over 5 million streams on Spotify since it’s initial release. Between this heavy exposure and the band’s high energy live performances, Melt has been successful in establishing themselves securely in the rough and tumble NYC music scene.
Melt has a reached another important milestone with the February release of their Debut EP West Side Highway, which includes six tracks of previously unreleased music. Recorded at the Bunker Studio in Brooklyn, West Side Highway reflects a new level of maturity that Melt has been successful in developing as a band. “Coming into the studio with the goal of creating a longer work, we thought more intently on how each track worked with one another and used the opportunity to weave together the wide set of influences helping to shape a seven-person band,” said Josh Greenzeig (Drums).
“We used the EP format to create a snapshot of what that moment in time was for us, cementing elements of our sound that we love and finding new ones worth exploring.”
West Side Highway starts out with opening track “Don’t Want Me,” a moody number that details a love affair that has gone bad and is still painfully lingering in it’s final death throes. The masterful guitar instrumentation by Shankweiler and the melancholic vocal by Stewart-Frommer both work in concert to create a setting of sad desperation with a longing to be released. It was a great way to start the record and one that was interesting in it’s selection. It set the meditative tone of the EP which is soothing, comforting, and introspective in it’s entirety. This on going theme is again illustrated with third track, the EP’s title track, “West Side Highway,” which can be considered a love letter to pandemic ravaged NYC. This thought evoking number features a wonderfully muted trumpet solo by Coulou that is enhanced with Gabriel’s creative keyboard playing. his type of musical craftmanship results in another gem of a track on the record.
We were able to get some time with Melt co-founders Veronica Stewart-Frommer (Vocals) and Eric Gabriel (Vocals, Keys) in order to discuss the band and it’s debute EP – West Side Highway.
Tim Bopp: How did the band Melt form and what were the circumstances that caused the genesis of the band.
Eric Gabriel: Veronica and I went to High School together and towards the end of high school we had some more time to kind of start playing with people around the city and that was really the first iteration.
Veronica Stewart-Frommer: The first call we made was Marlo who is our guitar player.
TB: How did you come up with the band name Melt?
VS-F: The funny thing about that is that we actually had the song even before we had the name for the band. Suddenly we were sitting with this single and we were like, “Alright and we kind of want to put this out there but we don’t have a name.” So we went down this very long list of random names. The night before we were going to release “Sour Candy” we actually made a Facebook page called Big Deli Chain. We were like, “That is it! That is the name! We are going to be Big Deli Chain (laughing).” At some point between 2AM and 4AM that night I was just like this band can’t be named Big Deli Chain and we changed it to Melt. It was so random.
TB: How has the Pandemic Affected the band and the new EP West Side Highway?
VS-F: The EP really is a product of the Pandemic. In a lot of ways, it feels like an entirely new Melt. This was such a unique time for us. Something that is interesting about us is that during the year we are all either doing our day jobs or even in school. A lot of us are still in college. So we do this kind of funky long distance band thing where we unite for these crazy weekend shows and then go our separate ways. In a lot of ways due to the Pandemic, if we wanted to work, we had to live together for multiple weeks in order to justify moving anywhere. It was kind of the first time since four years ago when the band started that we were able to settle down and really be together for weeks on end and write and hang out. We are such a live band that our songs are usually tested over months and years at live shows and they are based on what the audience reacts to and how we are feeling at the show but there was none of that this time.
EG: We have mostly been thought of as a live band. On most of our singles we typically try to document that energy that we all love about playing together at a live show. This EP we kind of wanted to go into a different direction. I think it is much more chilled out and doesn’t really have as much of that live band sound. The individual tracks we kind of wanted to take a different approach in the crafting of the songs.
TB: What are some of your musical influences?
VS-F: Part of what makes up the Melt sound is that we are seven people and some of us went to school for Jazz music and some of us studied political science and were raised on the Beatles and Bob Dylan. A lot of us have been into the Jam scene. That is actually how I met Marlo, through Phish and the Grateful Dead. I think we are kind of all over the map on that. Obviously as a singer I really adore a lot of artists like Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Otis Redding. That is where I fell in love with that genre and that type of singing. We are really all over the place. Right now a lot of us are into Phoebe Bridgers and the more Indie scene. I think that comes through on this EP.
EG: I grew up with a ton of Bruce Springsteen. More recently I listen to more folk music like Adrianne Lenker and also bands like the National. That kind of music.
TB: So, are you two the predominant the songwriters for Melt?
VS-F: Typically, that is how it has been. In the past, Eric and I usually write the lyrics to the songs that we sing, but we edit with each other and with other members of the band. Usually, it will either be one of the two of us will start a song and then bring it to the band. It evolves into a completely different direction from there. For this EP, since we were all together and couldn’t perform live, we wound up focusing a lot more on the production side of things as a band. Our bass player Lucas is really skilled at recording and in engineering production. He played a huge role in creating the foundation for the songs on the EP. We experimented a lot on this record this time around.
EG: This time around we started with Josh the drummer literally laying down songs, sometime just on his own. Then we would add the bass track and then that leads us into the guitar and usually vocals at the end. We really just build it up.
VS-F: We don’t know which way we like better. Maybe in the future we will go back in and play everything as if we are playing live. I think part of the beauty of Melt is that we are so young, so we don’t feel tied to any of our ways and we like to try out new things and see how it goes.
TB: How long did it take a band like Melt to complete the West Side Highway EP?
VS-F: Start to finish it was like two months. We were really lucky to be able to record the EP at the Bunker Studios in Brooklyn. We had a really wonderful producer and engineer named Aaron Nevezie who mixed some of the tracks as well.
EG: Some songs were written earlier, like Hours I wrote about a year ago.
TB: What does the future have in store for Melt?
Eric: We cannot wait to start playing shows again. We are really looking forward to playing out. The last real show Melt played was at the Sinclair in Cambridge last February. It felt like that at that show we all came together and we were fully on it. Our trumpet player Aaron even stage dived at the end of the “Sour Candy” solo that night.
VS-F: That show was awesome. It wasn’t the biggest room we have played, but just the layout of the place was great. It went straight back so you could see everyone and there was great energy that night. I also think the Knitting Factory show we played in Brooklyn. That was the first time we played “Waves.” Before a show we are always saying to the band don’t go too fast let’s keep the energy contained. Once we get out there it is just like an explosion and we are always playing at 100%. We don’t have many moments during a set where we just drop back and take a moment to breathe. In the bridge in “Waves” there is a moment where everyone drops out and it is just me and Eric. That was really a special moment. I always think about that moment when I picture live music coming back. It was the first time that we had ever played the song and I think the audience was psyched to hear a new song and it was kind of a sentimental little moment. It was really cool.
Key Tracks: Don’t Want Me, West Side Highway, Waves
Today, Kyle Tuttle releases his live EP, Kyle Tuttle Live in 2020, almost a year to date when the album was recorded.
The album features songs recorded live two different nights, at The Mill & Mine in Knoxville, TN on February 26, 2020 and The Hunt House in Atlanta, Georgia on February 28 2020, opening for Railroad Earth.
At the time of recording, no one knew what the next year would bring. It was Kyle Tuttle Band’s (KTB) first tour of the year, and subsequently also the last before COVID-19 hit.
The live EP starts with “Mystery Train,” an exhilarating track that exemplifies Kyle Tuttle’s rock and bluegrass influences and first released as a single on February 12th. While a cover of a song originally by Junior Parker, Tuttle and his band make it their own. Tuttle on banjo and fiddler Julian Pinelli each take an incredible solo that flows great with the song and matches its energy.
“Birdie Strut” is another great track and more laid back compared to the first song, but still grooves. The band is tight throughout the whole EP, but this track is a prime example of their togetherness and chemistry with one another. Julian Pinelli rips another awesome fiddle solo as well.
Kyle Tuttle is a Berklee College of Music graduate who has toured across New York with a number of bands, including the late Jeff Austin. His band consists of James Kittleman on drums, Julian Pinelli on fiddle, and Ben DeBerry on bass.
Now that this live EP is out, we can look forward to the days when Kyle Tuttle can get back out on stage and wow the crowds as he and his band did in these performances.
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard are back with another new album, LW. The band’s 17th studio album is the follow up to 2020’s KG and also the third installment in their series of microtonal explorations (which also includes 2017’s Flying Microtonal Banana). The record comes right on the heels of the recently released live-studio music video “Pleura,” directed by John Angus Stewart.
King Gizzard intended LW to be a seamless continuation of 2020’s KG as all of the songs were recorded together with the same stylistic and experimental tendencies. The double album is bookended by separate but similarly titled tracks “KGLW.” The first, being the opening track on KG, is a one-and-a-half-minute melody reminiscent of medieval minstrel music while the second version of “KGLW,” the closing track on LW, is a slow burning thrash metal epic. Even the noisy outro of KG closing track “The Hungry Wolf of Fate” extends into the opening minute of LW opener “If Not Now, Then When?” before abruptly switching into a slinky funk jam.
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On LW, King Gizzard continue their dive into “microtonal tunings,” a unique musical style that comes from using instrumentation designed to give distinct tones between those found on western, indexed instruments. Frontman Stu Mackenzie described the effort by saying “we wanted to make new music that was somehow more colorful this time around, and which maybe reflected the many new things that we have learned along the way.” The band relies heavily on the bağlama, a Turkish stringed instrument, to create layers of psychedelic and mystical microtonal passages that transports the listener right to the deserts of the Far East. Mixed with Stu’s unique metal-tinged vocals and garage rock guitar structure, the band delivers a truly innovative experience on LW.
King Gizzard at Central Park Summerstage, 8/28/2019 – Photo by Buscar Photo
However, King Gizzard do not just stick to one sound here. In fact, the band fine tune many of the different stylistic directions from their back catalog in the theme of Eastern microtonal tuning. On both KG and LW there are tracks with a disco/funk rhythm, heavy thrash metal tracks that could fit right on Infest the Rats’ Nest, and prog-folk odysseys. The Melbourne based band have dedicated entire albums to these influences over their career, but on KG and LW they all come together in a whole new way. The result is as if you threw 70s era prog and folk rock, Revolver era Beatles, and early Black Sabbath into the Gizzard song machine.
King Gizzard at Central Park Summerstage, 8/28/2019 – Photo by Buscar Photo
Standout tracks include the lead single “Pleura,” a driving garage rock song with a stringy folk passage in the back half, “Static Electricity” which features layers of swirling woodwinds and acoustic guitar arpeggios, and closing track “KGLW” which is a sprawling 8-minute thrash metal banger with a creepy “K-G-L-W” vocal mantra buried into the mix. You can find both albums to download right on King Gizzard’s own site (HERE) where $1 from every download of LW is being donated to Greenfleet, a charity aimed at replanting biodiverse forests in Australia and New Zealand.
If one thing is certain, given the extra time from not being able to tour, this is only the beginning of another rabid burst of musical output from King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard.
Check out more photos from King Gizzard’s headline show at Central Park Summerstage back in August 2019 below.
Eight-piece funk-pop band Reliably Bad is set to release Space Girl, their first full length album, on February 26th.
Based out of Greensboro, North Carolina, Reliably Bad’s sound draws influences from funk, soul, and R&B greats like Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Michael Jackson, and many others. While Reliably Bad pays tribute to these influences, they bring their own unique, modern sound as well.
The album starts off with the title track, “Space Girl.” This first track channels that distinct 70’s funk sound that bands like CHIC made famous. A funky, wah-heavy guitar strumming propels Reliably Bad into the first energetic track of the album. Taking after the name of the track, the chorus exemplifies the spacey feel of the composition. But while it is spacey, the band is super tight rhythmically.
“Phone” is another catchy song that tells a story of miscommunication between two lovers. While all of the songs on the album exemplify lead singer Jessica Schnieder’s vocal capabilities, “Phone” is one track where she really shines. Her smooth vocals carry the laid-back, jazzy vibe of the track.
The album ends with “All The Time,” a track of epic proportions that features a host of additional musicians and is a perfect finale to the album. It is Stevie Wonder-esque, and culminates with a high-energy chorus that opens up, bringing in additional vocalists, horns, and strings.
Space Girl features production and mixing from recent Grammy Nominee Gabe Fox-Peck (Young Bull and Harriet), and was partially mixed by Caleb Parker (Vulfpeck, Scary Pockets, and Pomplamoose).
