Category: Regions

Brooklyn’s Nation of Language to celebrate Album Release nov. 4 at Market Hotel, discuss new music

Early birds at this year’s tenth-annual Governors Ball Music Festival were treated to a high-energy performance to kick off the festival’s second day. That band, Brooklyn trio Nation of Language, deliver a fresh take on the synth-pop sounds that emerged in the late 1970s/early 1980s that is fun to listen to at home and even more of an experience to dance and groove to in a live show.

Tonight, November 4, Nation of Language are returning to their hometown for a show to celebrate the release of their second full-length album A Way Forward due out November 5. The show is taking place at Market Hotel starting at 8pm with special guest Cutouts. (Tickets and more information are here).

While NYS Music was at Governors Ball, we had an opportunity to talk to Ian Devaney (vocals), Aidan Noel (synths), and Michael Sui-Poi (guitar) of Nation of Language about their experience at GovBall and creating new music during the pandemic.

Steve Malinski: Starting off, how did you guys come together as a band and start making music in your current form?

Ian Devaney: I started kind of as like a, just like a personal writing experiment. I’ve been like making guitar music for a number of years and had this sort of like an epiphany moment when the song “Electricity” by OMD [Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark] came on. And I was like, it’s so simple, like, it’s synth music, but it’s so simple, and it’s direct and feels like urgent. And it was just like, very exciting. So I was like, let me switch and like, see how I could make synthesizer music. And then, Mike came on and, like, helps me record the first sort of demos that we put together. And then we got some friends together and started playing around, and then the lineup changed a couple of times. And when all of our synth players suddenly moved to Los Angeles, Aiden stepped up. And she learned to play since she never, she never played music before. So she heroically saved us from my doom and gloom.

Ian Devaney

MichaelSue-Poi: Yeah, Ian and I used to be in a band together. So it was a familiar experience to do demos together. Yeah.

SM: I want to talk a bit about your newer music and some new music you have coming out. So what was that like – releasing an album at the start of the pandemic?

Ian: We were initially quite pessimistic about it. Traditionally, it felt like the live show was really how we kind of, you know, like, really would get ourselves in front of people and kind of bring people on board with what we were trying to do. And so we were three days into a tour when everything closed down. And we were like, that’s it… see all these years of hard work and like, no one’s ever gonna hear it because we can’t play shows.

Aidan Noel: But thankfully that’s not how it turned out at all. We had people at blogs that were writing about it, and at radio stations that were playing the singles. And we ended up making so many new fans over the pandemic, people that were just stuck at home listening to music. And it meant a lot to learn of fans who found that was their soundtrack throughout those difficult times, and for us to know that it wasn’t all or nothing, and that it wasn’t the end of the road. Also in fact, you know, here we are, at GovBall, playing those songs. And even newer singles turned out ok!

Aidan Noell

SM: Was today at GovBall your first chance to play a lot of those songs out live?

AN: No, we’ve actually had a couple of shows leading up to [GovBall] locally. And we played a show in Boston and Philly. So this is our fifth show back in action.

ID: Yeah. Two New York shows and then this…

AN: …getting back into the groove of live shows, it’s been really fun.

ID: It’s also kind of crazy, because we’re getting back into kind of a different groove. Since so many of our fans basically found us during the pandemic, we haven’t met any of them, which is like a strange phenomenon. So going from kind of playing smaller rooms and not selling them out to playing like a sold out show at Bowery Ballroom I was like, isn’t there supposed to be something in between these two things? Just like with our set here at GovBall it’s like, it’s very bizarre.

SM: So how does it feel to play one of these big festivals in New York City’s backyard, your hometown?

MSP: I mean, it’s amazing to finally be playing at GovBall.

Mike Sue-Poi

AN: I’ve only come to GovBall once before and it was two years ago (as a fan) and got rained out. It was like a torrential storm. They had to evacuate the grounds… it was wild. So it’s cool to be here as an audience member and as a band playing this time. I would not have predicted that at that rainy show two years ago.

IN: Yeah. And like, it’s beautiful. And like yeah, we came yesterday to see Future Islands and Billie Eilish and there’s like a whole bunch of people that we’re really excited to see today. So, yeah, it’s crazy being on, like on that stage, knowing who else is gonna come on to it. And it’s like, super humbling, really awesome.

SM: Awesome. So your new album coming out this fall – did you write that in the middle of the pandemic? Or was it intended to be released earlier?

IN: Yeah, it’s kind of a mix. There are a few songs that have been around for a little longer. And then some songs were like, start to finish written in the pandemic. And other ones were, you know, finding old fragments of things and piecing them together. So it was a fun, kind of a fun way of bringing together ideas from right now and trying to curate them together.

Nation of Language at Governors Ball 2021

November 4, 2021
Phish Sci-fi Soldiers Through Halloween
Phish let it all hang out in the final night of their four-run night run in Las Vegas, which served as the final stop of their 2021 Fall Tour. The customary three-set performance featured a mix of old fashioned originals blended with a brand new gimmick of assuming a different band’s identity.

The first set opened with “Buried Alive” and only picked up from there. A highlight of the entire show was the mammoth “Ghost” played in the first set which seemed to contain about four to five distinctly different jams within. A first set “Wolfman’s Brother” also had a little extra meat on its bones as well. The first set later closed with an awkward-starting but ferociously-ending “David Bowie.”

For the musical costume set, Phish took the stage as Sci-Fi Soldier, a band “from the year 4680,” a number that had been thrown around by the band all weekend. Adorned in spacesuit-like costumes that each reflected a different color pattern ,the band “teleported” to the stage and proceeded to drop almost two hours of new intergalactic space rock that no one had ever heard before.

With the occasional nod to 2018’s costume of Kasvot Voxt, song titles included “The Ninth Cube” and the opening “Knuckle Bone Broth Avenue’ was accompanied by more in depth choreography from Trey Anastasio and Mike Gordon at the front of the stage. Another song called “The Howling” seems ripe to be paired with a “2001” at a show in the near future. Instead of the traditional Phishbill this year, a comic book detailing the four characters and their back story was handed out before the show, which contained all the song names for the set as well.

The band was hard pressed to follow up such a spectacle of a second set but began the third set with a powerful “Carini” that somehow made its way into the mellow, laid back “Lonely Trip.” “Soul Planet” got the MGM Grand Arena up and rocking but the emotional contrasts continued throughout the final set with a fairly mellow “Twist” and a “Drift While You’re Sleeping.” Finally, “Harry Hood” served as the encore, which was more than a proper song for the entire venue to let out some emotion in a big way for the final time in this epic four-night Vegas run.

Setlist via Phish.net

Set 1: Buried Alive, Roses Are Free > Ghost, Wolfman’s Brother, Kill Devil Falls > Free, David Bowie

Set 2: Knuckle Bone Broth Avenue^[1], Get More Down^[1], Egg in a Hole^[1], Thanksgiving^[1], Clear Your Mind^[1] > The 9th Cube^[1], The Inner Reaches of Outer^[1], Don’t Doubt Me^[1], The Unwinding^[1], Something Living Here^[1], The Howling^[1], I Am in Miami^[1]

Set 3: Carini > Lonely Trip, Soul Planet > Death Don’t Hurt Very Long > Twist, Drift While You’re Sleeping

Encore: Harry Hood
[1] Debut

For the second set, the band’s “musical costume” was all debuted originals, performed as the invented band Sci-Fi Soldier (a 14-page comic book distributed upon entry detailed the group’s adventure to save the planet). For that set, the band performed in elaborate costumes (helmets and all), with alternate instruments (Trey on a BCR Mockingbird), each playing within a flashing/glowing shape (two circles and two squares), after descending (in the form of holograms) from the ceiling in cylinders of colored light. Knuckle Bone Broth Avenue included extended choreography by Trey and Mike. During Get More Down, matching upright geometric shapes danced around behind the band, reducing to the two circles overlapped by Egg in a Hole, which featured pyrotechnics. Before Clear Your Mind, Trey introduced the band as from the year 4680 (the total of the October 28, 2021 songs as noted during that night’s encore-ending Grind). During The 9th Cube, there were projections of donuts and turtles on a cube above the band. Fireworks rained down on the stage during The Inner Reaches of Outer. For I Am in Miami, Trey switched to an acoustic guitar and the band stood together at stage front with the four-mic a cappella setup. After the set, the band departed as holograms back up the colored tubes. The start of Harry Hood included alternate lyrics (Holy Blankenstein). Soul Planet contained Knuckle Bone Broth Avenue and Don’t Doubt Me quotes.
November 4, 2021
Japan Society Present Experimental Theater Event “SHEEP #1”
NYC’s Japan Society has announced SHEEP #1, a unique new live performance from New-York based artist Sachiyo Takahashi. The four-show run will be live at Japan Society from November 4 through November 7.

SHEEP #1 follows the story of a lone sheep seeking out the meaning of life. Takahashi’s minimalist, unique performance employs a self-designed style she coined “Microscopic Live Cinema-Theatre.” Manipulating minuscule figurines in real-time, Takahashi magnifies their live movements onscreen alongside a live musical accompaniment. She has received multiple grants from The Jim Henson Foundation, including one this year, for her innovations in puppeteering.

The experimental performance combines live music, object theater, and storytelling inspired by the writings of Antoine de Saint-Exupery (Le Petit Prince). The performance’s text is a mixture of original words by Takahashi and quotes from Saint-Exupery himself.
Takashi’s has shown her inventive work at festivals and venues around the world. She founded her artistic collective, Nekaa Lab, in 2006, described as an “eternal playground for the curious mind.” The video, which highlights the figurines and puppets that make up the “lab members” of Nekaa Lab, is a prime example of the odd, haunting minimalism of Microscopic Live Cinema-Theatre.

In addition to puppetry, Takahashi also has master accreditation in Okamoto School Shinnai-bushi, a traditional form of song-storytelling from Japan. Her merging of unique and traditional styles creates a new form of avant-garde cinematic experience. In fact, she previously collaborated with Korean instrumentalist gamin to conceptualize a new music theatre, The Emotions, incorporated into the HERE Artist Residency Program in 2020.

In a note, Japan Society Artistic Director Yoko Shioya explained what called her to the piece. Shioya felt moved by Takahashi’s treatment of her figurines as members of her artistic company.

“Having the utmost reverence to a particular thing,” Shioya said, “is a meaningful gift that artists possess to create art.”

SHEEP #1’s run will incorporate two distinct programs. PROGRAM A, featuring Emile Blondel on piano, will be performed Thursday, November 4 at 7:30 P.M. and Sunday, November 7 at 2:30 P.M. PROGRAM B, featuring Kato Hideki on bass guitar, will be performed Friday, November 5 at 7:30 P.M. and Saturday, November 6 at 7:30 P.M.

Tickets to the event can be purchased online at japansociety.org, or by phone through the Box Office at (212)-715-1258.
November 3, 2021
Gojira brings Fortitude tour to Rochester in epic fashion
Grammy-nominated metal band Gojira brought their fall U.S. headlining tour to the Main Street Armory in Rochester. The tour featuring special guests Alien Weaponry and Knocked Loose is in support of the bands most recent album release Fortitude

Alien Weaponry, the first band of the evening is a three piece “Te Reo” metal band hailing from Waipu, New Zealand and formed in Auckland in 2010 consisting of brothers Henry and Lewis de Jong, as well as Turanga Morgan-Edmonds. With a dark stage and subtle green lighting, the band takes the stage as a steady drum beat blasts through the armory with a giant Alien Weaponry banner draped behind them. The trio waste no time getting into their first song “Titokowaru,” which immediately shows the bands thrash metal roots.

Alien Weaponry performs many of their songs in the Māori language, which helps separate them from the many other bands in the genre. Each song they perform feels like a breath of fresh air, and is foreshadowing of many great things to come for this band. While only having a 6 song set list, Alien Weaponry gave a fantastic opening performance, and fit very well on the bill with Gojira. The only thing that would of made this set better is if they simply had more time, and were not the openers in my opinion.

Knocked Loose, the second act on the bill which is American hardcore punk based out of Kentucky didn’t quite hit the nail like Alien Weaponry did. The band performed 10 songs in total, with each one of them seeming like the entire song was a breakdown. While I respect the band as musicians, it just didn’t seem to fit right with this lineup. Performing songs “Where Light Divides the Holler,” “Oblivion’s Peak,” “Guided by the Moon,” and “Mistakes Like Fractures” certainly had the mosh pit moving.

After Knocked Loose finished their set, a drape covers the stage with symbols from Gojira’s Fortitude album while a blended mix of the song “Fortitude” plays subtle in the background. The anticipation alone with a countdown had the crowd already getting ready to be rocked by one of the best metal bands currently touring.

As the countdown hit 0, the band goes right into “Born For One Thing” and the drape drops sending the crowd into a frenzy. Unlike Gojira’s past US tours where they had little production, this tour set the bar high. With Co2 canisters, lasers, fog, and overhead strobes this was Gojira at their best. Some bands almost need the extra production to kind of help carry them, though with Gojira it’s more like icing on a cake. This was absolutely amazing and beautiful to witness with the pure power of their music, as well as the crowd singing along.

Going from Born for One Thing > Backbone > Stranded > Flying Whales was one of the best possible openings for a Gojira show. Each one of these songs are super popular among fans, and extremely heavy hitting. One highlight from their 16 song set were during “Flying Whales” when fans “release whales back into the wild” by launching inflatable whales into the crowd. Overall Gojia’s setlist was extremely well rounded, with roughly half the song being new material and the other half a good mix from their previous albums.

Closing out their set with L’enfant sauvage, the crowd screaming “Gojira” over and over almost demanding them come back, which they obviously do for an amazing 4 song encore. Starting the encore off with “Amazonia” off their latest album sent the crowd into a roar again. Leading then into “Toxic Garbage Island” followed by “The Chant” before finishing off with fan favorite “Vacuity” was the perfect choice of songs for an encore.

Gojira put on one of the best metal shows I have seen, and they show no signs of slowing down. Overall this tour is incredible and is definitely worth seeing if you have the opportunity to do so.

Setlist: Born for One thing > Backbone > Stranded > Flying Whales > The Cell > Love/Remembrance > Hold On > Grind > Silvera > Sphinx > Another World > L’enfant sauvage

Encore: Amazonia > Toxic Garbage Island > The Chant > Vacuity

Gojira
Alien Weaponry
Knocked Loose
November 3, 2021
Midlake Announce “For the Sake of Bethel Woods,” First Album Since 2013

Midlake has announced their fifth studio album, For The Sake of Bethel Woods, and shared the first single, titled “Meanwhile…” The Texas-based band has not released new music since 2013’s Antiphon.

Photo by Barbara FG

Midlake’s brand of folk-rock evokes the brooding, funk-influenced sound of groups like TV on The Radio. After the departure of original frontman Tim Smith, they threw out their past recordings and restarted as a new quintet, hurriedly releasing a new album. On Antiphon, Midlake leaned into their rock side with distorted electric guitar riffs and newly-minted frontman Eric Pulido’s Bowie-protege vocals.

Almost a decade later, on “Meanwhile…” the band finds a lighter touch. A swoon-worthy 60’s rhythm carved out by drummer McKenzie Smith allows the steady acoustic guitar and wavering metronome to absolutely float. Pulido’s vocals, though mournful, are softer and more whimsical than ever.

Pulido said the track speaks to two key points in Midlake’s history: when the band decided to go on hiatus in 2014, and when they were inspired to reconvene in 2020.

“Everyone had their respective experience during the uncertain time apart,” he said, “culminating in a confident and celebratory return to form.”

Available for preorder now, For The Sake of Bethel Woods will be released on March 18th of next year. For their first time working with an outside producer, Midlake brought in the big guns, recruiting Grammy-award-winning producer John Congleton. Congleton, whose previous credits include St. Vincent and Sharon Van Etten, produced, engineered, and mixed the album at Elmwood Recording Studio in Midlake’s native Texas.

Though the project marks a homecoming of sorts for Midlake, the reunion is bittersweet. For The Sake of Bethel Woods’ cover art pays homage to keyboardists Jesse Chandler’s father, who passed away in 2018.

“For me, the picture of that kid, my dad, forever frozen in time, encapsulates what it means to be in the throes of impressionable and fleeting youth,” Chandler said, “and all that the magic of music, peace, love, and communion bring to it, whether one knows it at the time or not.

Midlake has unveiled an exclusive live performance of “Bethel Woods” filmed at Dallas, TX’s Modern Electric Sound Recorders by director Rett Rogers and co-director Barbara FG and marks the second in a new multi-part series of exclusive live sessions, “Meanwhile In Texas,” with additional installments set to premiere in the coming weeks.

Promoting For The Sake Of Bethel Woods, Midlake has also announced a series of North American Tour Dates,

Midlake 2022 Tour Dates

MARCH
9 – Denton, TX – Dan’s Silverleaf
10 – Denton, TX – Dan’s Silverleaf
16 – Gothenburg, SW – Pustervik
17 – Oslo, NO – Vulkan Arena
18 – Stockholm, SW – Nalen
20 – Copenhagen, DK – Pumpehuset
21 – Berlin, DE – Columbia Theater
22 – Munich, DE – Freiheizhalle
23 – Vienna, AU – Flex
25 – St. Gallen, CH – Palace
26 – Maastricht, NL – Muziekgieterij
27 – Utrecht, NL – Ronda
29 – Hamburg, DE – Mojo Club
31 – Groningen, NL – De Oosterpoort

APRIL
1 – Cologne, DE – Bürgerhaus Stollwerck
2 – Antwerp, BE = Trix
3 – Paris, FR – Alhambra
5 – Brighton, UK – Chalk
6 – London, UK – Roundhouse
8 – Newcastle, UK – University Student’s Union
9 – Edinburgh, UK – Assembly Rooms
10 – Manchester, UK – Albert Hall
11 – Dublin, IR – Vicar Street

MAY
8 – Nashville, TN – 3rd & Lindsley
10 – Washington, DC – Union Stage
11 – Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live (Downstairs)
13 – Woodstock, NY – Levon Helm Studios
14 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
16 – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird Cafe & Music Hall
17 – Louisville, KY – Headliners Music Hall
19 – St. Louis, MO – Off Broadway
20 – Kansas City, MO – recordBar
21 – Oklahoma City, OK – Beer City Music Hall

November 3, 2021
Umphrey’s McGee 2022 Winter tour Starts with 5 Dates Across NYS

Umphrey’s McGee 2022 winter tour will start with 5 tour dates across New York State. The world tour will have 26 stops and will start on January 14, 2022 in New York City.

Umphrey’s McGee is an American Jam band that is originally from South Bend, Indiana. The band started back in 1997 and are known for their experiments with many musical styles, including rock, metal, funk, jazz, blues, reggae, electronic, folk and more. Some of their most well known songs include “Ocean Billy,” “Puppet String,” and “Nothing too Fancy.”

The band’s winter tour will start on January 14, 2022 at Terminal 5 in NYC and will Wrap up on May 27, 2022 at the Rockjavik in Reykjavik, Iceland. The band’s second stop will also be at Terminal 5 in NYC on January 15, 2022. The third stop will be at Town Ballroom in Buffalo on January 20, 2022. The fourth stop will be at the Landmark Theatre in Syracuse on January 21, 2022. The last stop in New York will be at Palace Theatre in Albany on January 22, 2022.

People can snag presale tickets for all shows and umVIP packages for select dates starting on Wednesday, November 3rd at 12PM EST. General on sale will begin Friday, November 5th at 12PM EST.

For more information on Umphrey’s McGee 2022 Winter tour visit their website .

November 3, 2021
8 Turkuaz Members Departing Group

8 members of Turkuaz have announced their “difficult decision” to leave the band. The Brooklyn funk group shared the announcement via their social media. Just days ago they released a new single “Shakin In My Sheets,” ahead of upcoming Fall Tour dates.

Greg Sanderson and Chris Brouwers perform at Resonance Festival in West Virginia. Photo by Em Walis.

In a jointly signed message addressed to “fans, family, and friends,” nearly the entire band announced their departure after over a decade. Craig Brodhead, Chris Brouwers, Michael Carubba, Shira Elias, Sammi Garett, Greg Sanderson, Josh Schwartz, and Zach Fichter all left. Only frontman/guitarist Dave Brandwein and bassist Taylor Shell did not sign the message. Sound engineer Zach Fichter is also departing. The band formed at Berklee College of Music in 2008, eventually moving to New York City together to pursue music.

pic.twitter.com/mGwAy1hpcz
— Turkuaz (@Turkuaz) November 2, 2021

“We have spent the last several years traveling the world together with the intention of spreading love and joy through our music,” the statement read. “During that time, we have grown together as a family, and we’ve learned how to love and support each other through the best and worst of times.”

The statement also thanked fans for their dedication and support. “We are eternally grateful to have had the opportunity to perform for all of you, and even more grateful to have become close friends with so many of you along the way,” it read.

Dave Brandwein shared this statement as well:

Dave here:
With a heavy heart, we regret to say that the future of Turkuaz is uncertain. Today’s news is probably a shock to many of you. And unfortunately, this means any upcoming Turkuaz dates will not be happening as planned.
Taylor and I respect the decision of our former bandmates to pursue their individual artistic endeavors.
We love and appreciate all of our fans so much. Because of the positive moments, we enjoyed many years on the road playing the music we love to our fans across the country, and even globally.
This is not the end of our artistic journeys. There is more to come. In the meantime, thank you for your support and the respect of our privacy as we navigate this new phase of our lives.

The reasoning behind the decision remains unclear, and the departing members requested their privacy be respected in this matter. However, their fall has been turbulent. Though last week Turkuaz performed two dates at NYC’s Webster Hall, they canceled much of their fall tour earlier this month, citing health and safety risks.

In response to the announcement, fans expressed sadness, especially over the cancellation of the remaining fall tour dates. The Brooklyn Bowl’s Instagram account wished them the best, commenting “Thank you for so many great nights.”

Turkuaz at the Brooklyn Bowl in 2016. Photo by Thomas McKenna

Though Turkuaz as we knew it may be over, the departing members said they are each hard at work on their own projects.

“There are some truly amazing things to come,” the message concluded. “We love you and thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.”

November 2, 2021
The Strokes Announce NYE Show At Barclays Center

Indie rock favorites, The Strokes, have confirmed a New Year’s Eve show at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center along with IDLES and Hinds. This will be their first New Years show in two years with this one coming on the heels of they latest Grammy-award. Tickets will be available and

The concert will be produced by leading touring entityLive Nation, the world’s preeminant live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, and Live Nation Sponsorship.

At this time, under a current New York City mandate, ticket holders are required to have at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose to attend an event at Barclays Center. Concertgoers can visit the arena’s health and safety page for any updates to this mandate, along with a list of other safety measures and protocols.

The Strokes released news of their upcoming NYE concert after recently headlining at Miami music festival, III Points and Atlanta’s Shaky Knees as well as their highly anticipated sold out show at The Forum in Los Angeles. Most recently, they made an appearance this past Halloween weekend at Outside Lands in San Francisco. Those that won’t be able to catch the NYE performance can rest easy, as the group have released numerous dates performing at festivals and select stadium dates along with Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2022.

After releasing, The New Abnormal, their first album in seven years, the anticipation skyrocketed the album to chart topping status in 2020. Their latest Grammy is one in a long list of achievements as 2021 marks the twentieth anniversary of their record-shattering and universally beloved debut album, Is This It.

THE STROKES LIVE

2021

December 31 Barclays Center Brooklyn, NY

2022

May 21 Corona Capital Guadalajara, Mexico

June 3 Primavera Sound Sant Adrià de Besòs, Spain

June 10 Primavera Sound Sant Adria de Besos, Spain

June 12 Tempelhof Sounds Berlin, Germany

July 6 NOS Alive Lisbon, Portugal

July 8 Lytham Festival Lytham, U.K.

July 9 TRNSMT Glasgow, Scotland

July 22 Splendour in the Grass Yelgun, Australia

August 3 T-Mobile Park Seattle, WA*

August 6 Allegiant Stadium Las Vegas, NV*

August 10 Suntrust Park Atlanta, GA*

August 12 Nissan Stadium Nashville, TN*

August 14 Comerica Park Detroit, MI*

August 17 MetLife Stadium East Rutherford, NJ*

August 19 Soldier Field Chicago, IL*

August 21 Rogers Centre Toronto, ON*

August 30 Hard Rock Stadium Miami, FL*

September 1 Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC*

September 3 Citizens Bank Park Philadelphia, PA*

September 8 Nationals Park Washington, D.C.*

September 15 Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL*

September 18 Globe Life Field Arlington, TX*

*with Red Hot Chili Peppers

November 2, 2021
Hearing Aide: “All Souls Day” by The Forms

Queens duo, The Forms, known for their experimental indie sound, have returned with another new single, the eerie-sounding, “All Souls Day,” an ode to the celebratory day of remembrance of the same name.

The band released their first two albums with legendary producer Steve Albini, who had previously worked with lighting rods like, Nirvana and PJ Harvey. “All Souls Day,” is the third release from The Forms this year after over a decade without any new music. Their last full-length, The Forms, was released in 2007.

“All Souls Day” centers on a hypnotizing riff played on a bass steel pan. The echoey and percussive instrument, as played masterfully by Matt Walsh, creates an ominous sound. It’s perfect for their psychedelic brand of indie rock, as the steel pan feels otherworldly like a synth yet as painfully human as a banjo. Vocalist, Alex Tweens’, high and whispery vocals balance the instrument with an alien quality. Tweens described the track as

a strange dark meditative soundscape of a quiet apocalypse.

The music video for the track, shot in a remote field in The Catskills, is eerie and sensory. Cattails brush up against the camera lens, and pollen disperses like gold flecks in the wind. When night falls and a thick mist settles over the set, you can almost feel the chill. The atmospheric video matches the track so perfectly the creeping plants even flutter in time with Tweens’ delicate tack piano.

As Tweens also pointed out, the track is a “wild mood swing” from their other recent releases. Their exultant comeback single, “Southern Ocean,” made apathy sound fun over a bouncy, summery beat. Their latest release “Head Underwater” leans hard into the coveted late 2000s indie-pop formula of classic 90s riffs plus synths. Tween described the track as

the most purely joyful song The Forms have ever done.

The fun, upbeat nature of both records is a far cry from the barren soundscape of “All Souls Day.” But, then again, summer is over and existentialism no longer feels like a beach game.

All Souls Day, celebrated annually on November 2nd, is a day of prayer and remembrance for the faithful departed, observed mainly by Roman Catholics and other Christian denominations.

On the song, Tweens sings of spending the day floating in a river:

Now I’ve come here/ In a state of mind/ One I’ll never forget.

The meditative lyrics over the ever-echoing steel pan transport you right to that floating, questioning state. The effect is sonically beautiful and emotionally resonant, letting you know that this will be an All Souls Day you won’t forget anytime soon.

November 2, 2021
Hearing Aide: ”Right Now” and “Psycho Summer” by Hunter Blair Ambrose

New-York based pop & alt R&B singer Hunter Blair Ambrose has shared two new singles ahead of her upcoming album Scorpio Season. After graduating from Boston’s Berklee College of Music in 2019, Ambrose released her debut EP, Scorpio Rising, in April 2020. Luxuriating in the melancholy approach of “cuffing season,” the latest singles “Right Now” and “Psycho Summer” fit the chilly moment perfectly.

Right Now

“Right Now,” released on October 22, 2021 is a true dance banger. The luxe percussion on “Right Now” may overpower another artist, but Ambrose’s powerful soul vocals anchor the music. Though at times the production on the vocals dims their shine, Ambrose’s raw vocal talent is clear. One can’t help but wonder how she’d sound on a less synthy track.

The lyrics find Ambrose looking for love; or maybe just a good time? Either way, she just wants to spend the present moment with her lover, no matter what tomorrow may look like. She sings: “Right now it’s just you and me/ No other place I’d rather be/ Maybe it’s not meant to be/ Hard to care with your hands on me.” Though the rhyme scheme begs for some variety, Ambrose’s emotion comes through. After all, sometimes love and lust take the words right out of your mouth.

Psycho Summer

Ambrose sounds uncannily like The-Fame-Monster-era Lady Gaga on “Psycho Summer,” the standout of the two tracks. Gaga is a clear inspiration to Ambrose; on her track “November,” she even repurposed the hummed hook from Gaga’s 2010 single “Alejandro.”

Released on October 29, 2021, “Psycho Summer” could be the next chapter in the heady, lustful love story of “Right Now.” Now that summer’s over and her lover has disappeared, Ambrose feels crazy; was the passion they shared even real? A sparer, more streamlined beat allows her voice to stand out, and the eerie production evokes the end of summer perfectly.

With mainstream pop music growing more experimental each day, it can be hard for a more traditional track to gain traction. However, Ambrose’s tracks paired together reflect an emotional candor in her work that draws you in. She’s no stranger to lust, and no stranger to loneliness; the duality bridges the songs perfectly. Listeners can only hope her upcoming album, slated for release on November 5, 2021 will further dive into bad romance; if anything, she’d make Gaga proud.

Listen to “Right Now” and “Psycho Summer” below.

November 2, 2021