Wild Nothing - TV Queen

TV Queen.
Putting clothes on.
A felt red dress and her stockings.
And when you walk out of that box,
and out of that screen, you're into me.

No, that's not right. I got so lost trying know you.
Trying to touch you. Trying to.

Wild Nothing is Jack Tatum, who records all his albums (three, so far, plus two EPs) alone, but tours with a full band. And they'll be at the new Sound on Sound Fest coming up in November, just outside of Austin. For another taste, here he/they are, as recorded a few years ago in our hometown.

Upcoming Shows

Cymbals Eat Guitars - Have a Heart

Sweet drip
We get a little lifted
Need this
We never sleep for long
Stop me if I'm wrong

But I'm so out of sync
And you're out of sync with me

Get off on memories of
Things we did when we were young and evil
And I have a heart I want to put to use
Empathy, it never came so naturally 'til I met you

I think it's safe to say that NYC rockers Cymbals Eat Guitars have changed since their math-prog-rock release Why There Are Mountains, which I quite liked, by-the-by. Their second album, Lense Alien, totally lost me, right off the bat, and Lose, while good, never really captured my attention. But it was clear there was something there that wasn't quite resonating. I'm happy to say I think they found how best to share that something. Big time.

Their latest, Pretty Years, is a hit. It's unique, powerful, catchy, and covers a lot of fun ground. It was difficult, at best, to choose which song to feature. I could have gone with "Close" which has an upbeat, almost happy Cure-ish vibe. Or "Wish" whose killer horn-play evokes the best of Morphine. If Morphine was fronted by Richard Butler of the Psychedelic Furs. Or maybe the "Finally" which feels like a more polished call back to their original sound from …Mountains.

I decided on super and sweet love song "Have a Heart" because it's a fantastic song. 

And I know it's what Kerri would have chosen from this must-listen-to album. <3

HUNNY - Vowels (And the Importance of Being Me)

Man is crippled and dead and
Meek and eager in his sin
Turn around, say you love the way I
Hang around, you miss the spark in my eyes

I was a queen last night
I said "Take to the water"
And let you drink my lies
Like, "Okay, you're right"

You can't spell pain or kiss
Or run away or little mistake
Without me, or A, E, I, O, U

You may not have heard of SoCal synth-rockers HUNNY yet, as they've only released one EP and a couple additional singles (such as this one, "Vowels") in their year-or-so existence. But they are so good!! And currently touring with Bleached and Beach Slang, and hand-picked for inclusion at The Growlers' upcoming Beach Goth Fest. So pretty much you should go see them live asap because you are guaranteed a great show. (Excuse me while I throw a pity party because I can't be in Orange County in two weeks. I know, I know, ACL just ended, and SOS is coming up. I'm a spoiled rotten music lover...) Anyway, hope you enjoy getting to know HUNNY as much as I have!

Upcoming Shows

Lewis Del Mar - Loud(y)

Can you please
Sit the fuck down
Protesting in your
Paper crown
You love to feel offended
Fighting from computer trenches
You got a semi-automatic mouth
Go easy now
And you're so loud
And you're so loud

In "Loud(y)", which has been in my heavy-ish rotation for a little while now, New York-based Lewis Del Mar sum up how I often feel about social media, especially anonymous, or semi-anonymous, commenting. Hidden behind a computer screen, with almost no personal risk if nobody knows who you are in "real life" you can pretty much say what you want, and when you can do that, you tend to do it loudly.

The electro-funk-rock-acoustic-indie duo released their self-titled LP just yesterday and it's pretty solid. Mixing many styles and influences filtered through a well-produced combination of electric grooves and beats paired with acoustic vocal and string stylings. They're also solid live. We caught a good chunk of their set last weekend at ACL and I thought they were very entertaining.

Upcoming Shows

The Wombats - Your Body Is A Weapon

Sometimes I like to go uptown
Where flashy people flash around
It's extortionate and I don't care
You can taste the pretense in the air

And I wonder what you'll wear tonight
The shiny black dress with the slit at the thigh
Is this such fantasy that I should think
Someone like you could love a creep like me

I had a terrible time picking a Most Important Song from The Wombats! So many favorites, starting in 2006 - and I've played last year's Glitterbug so often that I have no idea what might sound fresh and fun to followers of this blog. BUT, the Liverpoolian marsupials played ACL yesterday, and I couldn't let the opportunity to highlight them pass. For those of us who missed them this weekend (and/or this whole current tour, *sob*) here's a live vid featuring their current backdrop. 

Upcoming Shows