Psychedelic rock, blues, baroque pop? Count me in. Brooklyn-based Steady Sun does it all, and they’re gearing up to show what they’re made of with their upcoming debut full-length album Good Evening, expected out March 30. Steady Sun began in 2011 as a one-man band powered by Dylan Nowik; after his first EP release Steady Sun, Nowik worked to expanded his project, admitting four additional musicians to Steady Sun’s current five-piece lineup.
On February 10, Steady Sun released “Actress,” their first single from Good Evening. This new track evidences a noticeable shift for Steady Sun – in addition to executing a fuller sound (undoubtedly due to the musician tally ramping up from one to five), bluesy riffs appear throughout “Actress” that only make brief appearances in the first EP’s closing track “Traveler.” In another month, Steady Sun will show us all what they have in mind for their future; until then, we can enjoy “Actress” and excitedly anticipate what comes next. Listen to the single at the link below and check out Steady Sun’s Bandcamp page to learn more.
My interest in writing about music has been re-invigorated recently by a number of things. I think part of the reason is that I haven’t been going to as many concerts and thus I’m not suffering music fatigue. I think that another part is that the music I’ve been exposed to this year has been pretty good and has kept my interest. One last thing that I’m going to attribute to having a positive effect is that I’m having a good deal of enjoyment in sharing offline. So with all those factors and other reasons, I sat down and thought about creating a new mix to share.
Oz is the mix that I created. It’s not necessarily reflecting the happy state that has re-invigorated me but it is definitely including the good of the new (and some older) songs. I hope that it exposes you to some songs that you have not heard before and that you like it. If you do, feel free to share it.
Playlist
Tyler Lyle – Medusa
Nathaniel Rateliff – Shroud
Fort Frances – City By The Sea
Strahan – I Had A Dream
Buffalo Tales – Blood and Bone
House of Wolves – 50′s
Kalispell – Marion, MT
R. Malcolm Cumming – I’m On Your Side
I love happy surprises and today I found an exciting one. Yes, the sun was shining for once, in a long, long while, but that wasn’t the all of my joy. The indie-rock band, The Burgeoning, sent in a song submission titled, Lighthouse. This song has strong wooing vocals, amazing instrumental sections, and an epic drumbeat that makes it catchy and memorable. It stands out in my mind as a keeper from a band that has only been together since 2011.
The band members are Logan Thierjung (Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar), Alex Thierjung (Bass), Taylor Knowles (Lead Guitar), Brandon Bradley (Drums), and Marc Giovanetti (Keyboard/Synth/Guitar). Obviously young and talented, they are definitely the start of something really burgeoning.
Check out their Facebook page and listen to their music. Their whole album Love Alchemy, Life Algorithm is worth a listen. I like every song, but I have found that Lighthouse and Flicker have become my favorites. The Burgeoning needs to venture outside of Pennsylvania soon, very soon.
A song arrived in the inbox as a private Soundcloud suggestion without any reference to who it’s by or any links to any digital references. I had to put on my private investigator cap and figure it out after I heard it though. It turns out that it is a song from an Australian band called The Khanz. The song, Wolves, was the reason that I had to seek them out.
I can’t think of a better way to describe than what the band said themselves: “Wolves is the tale of what happens when a group of friends disperse and go their separate ways.”
The Khanz formed in April 2009 and had their first gig in Sydney in the summer. Then two years later in April 2011, Kat joined the original lineup and the band has proceeded in making music.
I’m going to be honest–I’m not completely sure what to make of this…but I like it.
Fire is nothing short of modern ELO. Two Weeks is a rather brilliant cover of Grizzly Bear. Fever sounds like it should have been played in some highly questionable club doing the 70′s (and I mean that as a compliment). Snudge is simply a personal favorite. It’s all catchy synthpop if you’re into that sort of thing.
Made in Doylestown, PA, the music of Night Panther is created by Farzad Houshiarnejad, Michael Cammarata, Christopher Radwanski, and Marissa Lesnick. They will be in Austin for SXSW.
Here’s their Facebook page. Below you can find an assortment of their songs, including their latest release, Lioness. Enjoy.
The bluesy Chicago-based rock group Nick and the Ovorols released their first studio record Telegraph Taboo earlier this year, and it’s sure to gain the four-piece plenty of attention in the blues rock community. With Carlos Showers on guitar, Vic Jackson on bass, Lance Lewis on drums, and Nick Peraino supplying soulful vocals and a bit of guitar on the side, this group offers plenty of musical elements that might not seem all that remarkable taken separately, but are together a force to be reckoned with.
“Chitown via Greyhound” is one of the album’s most memorable tracks, appearing early and bolting out of the gates with a sound that’ll stick with its listeners. After beginning with a casual warm up, the track launches into a 50-second solo by Showers that slows the song to a near stop as the guitarist commands attention, manipulating the strings to slide and vibrate in a way that makes “Chitown via Greyhound” a success before it really takes off. “Mojo A Go-Go” brings muted strings and fuzz pedals into the equation over a strong backbeat, existing as one of the record’s bluesier tracks in both name and sound. “Try Me” comes in as the longest song on the album at over seven minutes, swaying through bass-backed guitar work that shimmers beneath Peraino’s pleads to give love a chance.
Telegraph Taboo is a powerful step forward for this promising blues group and an exciting follow-up to their 2012 live release Live at Kingston Mines. Though Nick and the Ovorols have only been making music together since mid-2011, Telegraph Taboo shows a band that plays together masterfully and has clearly found its niche in the music world.
I toss around the words “haunting,” vulnerable,” and “raw” often when reflecting on music, probably too often. I think this ends up being the case because I choose to write about music that strikes me, that I’m passionate about, and these are the qualities that at the end of the day I’m most drawn to.
It should come as no surprise then that these are the exact adjectives that I am overwhelmed with as I have been listening to Night Bed’s recent debut Country Sleep. Winston Yellen’s voice is as rough and ornately unadorned as it is expansive.
Vulnerability is at the core of this album, both lyrically and musically: lyrically vulnerable in the delicate fragility and frankness of Winston’s lyrics and musically so in the bare a capella moments throughout the album that captivate, yet at the same time make me feel uneasy, as if I were walking in on or listening into a conversation not meant for anyone else’s ears.
Yeller, however, takes these moment of vulnerability in stride, boldly beginning both the album and his live concerts with the yearning a capella track Faithful Heights and then fading into the arguably most catchy song off Country Sleep, Ramona.
Just when I was sure that I could not be anymore overcome, my experience seeing Night Beds perform live at Off Broadway taught me otherwise. Halfway through the set as Winston was thanking the handful of people huddled around the stage for coming, he slipped in a comment along the lines of: “I’m sure you guys have something much more important to be doing tonight.” I cannot speak for the entire audience, but I for one couldn’t disagree more. Even one day later, I am still quivering a bit from the show.. and yet I have no desire for this trance to wear off anytime soon.
Was I For You fades into a mesmerizing unreleased track starting around :52, don’t miss the floating, delicate, intertwined harmonies:
But all you doubters and all you cowards, you and your heartache is not enough to know who you are. And all you dreamers and unbelievers, you and your heartache, it’s not enough to know who you are. But all you dreamers and unbelievers, you and your heartache, it’s not enough to know who you are.
Fuel/Friends recorded their 22nd Chapel Session over New Years with Night Beds, one that should not be missed.
Download Night Bed’s entire session for free here. Be sure to prepare yourself for Winston’s haunting cover of Seattle singer-songwriter Damien Jurado’s Everything Trying.
Also not to be missed: Heather over at Fuel/Friends’ wanders and ruminates with Winston on everything from the vulnerability of his songwriting process, to the relationship between art and commerce, intensity, exposure, and catharsis. Probably the most introspective and engaging interview, or better put conversation, I’ve read in a long time:
