Circa Survive - Lustration

Inside the catacomb
The marbles colder than ice
Our match is damp
Lit with a separate hand
I see into your world
You make no effort to hide
The tourniquet
Candles in a salt ring will dance
You don't have to repent tonight at all

The latest single from prog/emo rock outfit Circa Survive is very evocative of the music that broke them. Anthony Green's vocal delivery is terrific, as expected, and "Lustration" feels a lot like his solo work, but it also harkens back to Circa Survive's mellower stuff like "Living Together" and it's a bit nostalgic, but at the same time, makes me excited for their new stuff.

RIYL: The Dear Hunter, Tides of Man, Minus The Bear, The Fall of Troy

Upcoming Shows

Sinai Vessel - Looseleaf

Here I stand, like a tree
Nervous on the edge of a clearing
Limbs afraid to be cut looseleaf
To be cut down
So I’ll cut myself out
Free from bind to branch and felling ground
So here I am

Sinai Vessel's latest release Brokenlegged has all you'd ever want in an emo/indie rock album. It's just emotional enough to have character, yet not so much as to be overwhelming. Great hooks and a nice pop sensibility make it abundantly listenable, as is evidenced by today's Most Important, "Losseleaf", which had me thinking of one of my favorites, Canadian rockers Sloan, the first time I heard it.

RIYL: The Hotelier, Sloan, Pedro The Lion, Built To Spill, Badly Drawn Boy

Upcoming Shows

Crystal Castles - Vanished

In the darkness a killer awaits
To kill a life and the lies you make
You do another so this death can live
Just keep on dancing to the movie you're in
(I'm not cruel)
The smell of your sweat just lures me in
Your heartbeat does sing to me
Running feet through my blood
My ghost inside you, soon will be

A relatively unknown song (Sex City by Van She) remixed by Crystal Castles, with their Atari-fied keyboard and dropped lyrics, make this awesomely emo track from 2008 a Most Important Song. Crystal Castles fourth album, the first with replacement singer Edith Frances, dropped a couple days ago. I've only had time for a cursory listen, but so far so good. 

Upcoming Shows

888 - Critical Mistakes

Let me rewind to the times where we never felt ill
We fill our minds with those dreams and we never miss a beat
Just pass the time staying up, feeling restless at night
Come wake me up before I die and I never get to live

I was pretty shocked to learn that 888, with it's synth-pop, slightly emo debut EP Decades, was formerly the band Drop Dead, Gorgeous - hardcore metal, including one serial killer-themed album. But hey, they formed DDG when they were still in high school and to me it's pretty rad that they did that thing until it no longer suited them and then totally switched gears, still together. Regardless, I really like this song, and the video takes on the the theme of not just moving on but fixing things and forgiving things. There is a lot that is shitty in the world that can make us angry, make us judgmental, create false us-them dichotomies, and while there definitely needs to be accountability and measured systemic changes, on an individual level humility and compassion are major keys to moving forward.

Upcoming Shows

The Hotelier - Soft Animal

We were cloaked in the awning of night or early morning.  
Through the headboard there’s a flicker of light  
and light warning.  
Sophie’s on the bunk overhead reading Mary Oliver  
while I lay still in my bed.  
That’s when I see you there.

When I first heard The Hotelier's "Soft Animal" (on this week's Spotify Discover Weekly playlist) I thought it might be a new song from the fantastic The Definite Articles. Sadly, it wasn't, and I'll just mysteriously leave that comment here.

Happily, it's a fun and interesting track from a band I know next to nothing about. I've given their latest album, Goodness, a few listens as well and it's more of the same; interesting, well produced and eclectic. I'm looking forward to exploring more, but for now, I'm playing it forward. Enjoy.

Upcoming Shows