Lower 48- Hot Fool – the Lower 48’s new single showcases the band’s great harmonies. ‘Hot Fool’ is a departure from the band’s usual straight up rock and roll. This softer, more folky side of the quartet will make the listener fall in love with them in a whole new way. The Lower 48 will be playing in Davis, CA on May 7th at Sophie’s Thai Kitchen, Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco the 8th, and the Whole Earth Festival in Davis on the 9th.
Suggestion by Melissa Uroff.
MS MR- Painted– The band’s newest single is the first song released off their untitled sophomore album due this summer. The pervasive beat is hypnotic and the chorus becomes part of the percussion. It is an upbeat song that dares the listener not to dance. MS MR will be playing at the Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco on May 7th.
Suggestion from Sarah Elliott.
Thou- Even in His Youth– A Nirvana cover featured in Robotic Empire record’s second tribute album to the pivotal grunge band and their 1991 release, Nevermind. The haunted, desperate-like lyrics are brought to life with the ominous, heavier characteristics of sludge-metal. The original is more punk-sludge than metal and leans towards a pop-like sound. But reader take note, Thou’s cover does not disappoint: the band adds a building intensity through dense bass and trance-like vocals that leave the listener clearly aware of the subject’s struggle—dark and riddled with despair. While Whatever Nevermind is comprised of an array of bands, Thou adds a certain overarching gloom not found in the other covers. Thou will be playing various shows in the Bay Area at the end of October.
Suggestion by Shannon Haslinger.
Grand Detour- Demi-chaîne-Grand Détour is an instrumental post-rock/post-hardcore band from Toulon, France. ‘Demi-chaîne’ is the first single off the band’s long-awaited second release, Tripalium which highlights the musicians’ decision to forgo vocals in favor of the unrestrained and communicative aspects of their instruments. Passion that cannot be translated through words resonates throughout the song with its complex and irregular melodies. Rhythmic lines slowly build intensity, then leave the listener with a harmonic energy to relish. Tripalium is due in May.
Suggestion by Shannon Haslinger.
Red City Radio-Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad– Every song on this record is its own little confessional masterpiece, but this track especially stuck out because of the amount of diversity contained within. Blasting out immediately with Springsteen-esque heaviness, rhythm, and story telling leads, it eventually wanders into a Doo-Wop double pop tempo; before ultimately exploding into a choir-like chorus. The harmonies and meaning within the lyrics make it near impossible to fight any urge to dance, clap, and sing along. The delicate and deliberate vocal inflections create a timeless anthemic acceptance of the world for what it is and not what our parents may have promised, along with a call to action in seeking the positive through the negative, never giving up hope to better one’s individual environment. “To each is own / Everybody’s got their own opinions on why everybody’s wrong / And I’ve been listening to the fighting for way too long / To know that everybody ain’t always gonna get along.” The song is off of their new self-titled album, released this month. Red City Radio will be playing May 27th at The Boardwalk in Orangevale with Strung Out and Pears.
Suggestion by Jordan Wolfe.
Complied and edited by K. Hules.