Those marvelous melodic maestros in Librarians With Hickeys are back at it with a song that speaks the truth about how much we tire of the cold! Bring on the Summer, indeed! This fun music video for “Can’t Wait ‘Till Summer” evokes The Psychedelic Furs, English Beat, and Let’s Active. The band has a gift for borrowing from their influences and creating a sound that is fresh. If you, like us, are a sucker for shimmering, ringing guitars then you need to explore this band’s discography. ‘CWTS’ is the group’s latest single from the terrific album “Handclaps & Tambourines” available and streaming everywhere from the fine folks at Big Stir Records!
I cannot pick a favorite song from Shady Pines Vol. 2 but the latest video from Mr. Johnson is a standout on the record. New Vampire is lyrically deep and musically rich. The song is propelled with a gravity of its own that explores the idea of how we experience evenings. The rhythms on this song are deceptively seductive. Nicholas does not have to scream to create an inescapable emotional impact. When he sings “The west is calling, the west is falling” — you believe him because you have felt the same way.
To say that he has a gift with a clever turn of phrase is a sincere moment of understatement. Nicholas takes the anomie and alienation that swells around us that feels like we are being pulled under the surface by a current of our own creation and makes it a statement that does not have the hollow ring of melancholy. The words reveal the power and passion of inescapable frenzy and yet surprisingly tantalizing prospect of loneliness of the current age in which we find ourselves:
Premonition and the prophet screams Rage into the void of a restless dream Phone screen burns like man makes fire Ushers in the age of the new vampire
New skin Paper thin Don’t you feel the new age dawning I can feel it move through my bones All the places I call home Yeah we crawl into the unknown Ah the west is calling The west is calling The west is falling
Dre Babinski’s solo project Steady Holiday has a new album, her fourth, Newfound Oxygen coming out on February 17, 2023. She has been making captivating ethereal and yet down-to-earth shimmering chamber pop since her 2016 debut, Under The Influence. 2018’s Nobody’s Watching explored socio-political unrest with a fragile vulnerability that is equal parts wide-eyed concern and personal reflection.
The first single from Newfound Oxygen, The Balance, has a sound that imagines a deeply personal and yet communal emotion mixing The National, Fleetwood Mac, and Camera Obscura in a melody that calls on classic pop music signatures. Cannot wait for the whole album.
The official music video for The New Pornographers‘ new song “Really Really Light” is a return to form for them! Written by A.C. Newman and Dan Bejar (the frontman of Destroyer and a member of The New Pornographers). The shifting membership of The New Pornographers is one of the twists to their records. On this album, the band is comprised of Neko Case, Kathryn Calder, John Collins, Todd Fancey, Joe Seiders and Zach Djanikian and, of course, A.C. Newman. The new single is from the forthcoming album ‘Continue as a Guest’ out at the end of March courtesy of the fine folks at Merge Records. On this song you can hear the way Newman and Bejar are combining different elements together that move the song in directions that the listener does not expect. You can pre-order the record and stream “Really Really Light” now!
Ohio rock band Smug Brothers is a collection of contradictions.
The members are neither smug nor brothers, and the caddish name poorly fits these serious, veteran musicians. Furthermore, Smug Brothers could very well be your favorite rock band, especially if you love the pop virility of the Beatles, the lyrical bafflement of Guided by Voices, and the beautiful shambles of Big Star—but you may never know, because you may never see them or hear them.
Take a nap, Schrödinger’s cat. This here is a real paradox.“We’ve been doing this for 20 years,” says Smug Brothers singer and guitarist Kyle Melton, “and no one knows who we are.”One of the reasons for this is the fact that due to real-life responsibilities and a shifting lineup on Spinal Tap proportions, the band rarely performs live.
“You have to tour to make any kind of headway [in the music business],” explains drummer Don Thrasher. “You can’t just play Dayton, Cincinnati, and a few other places and get famous. Any group that has ‘made’ it has had to hit the road and play anywhere they can.”
And then, when the group does perform live, there’s an exciting yet mystifying dimension of difference between the live sound and the recorded material.“A lot of bands today are really, really good at replicating their studio sound in a live setting,” Melton says. “That eludes us. We thrive in a more controlled environment.”
Not surprising for a group that began, way back in 2004, as a one-off studio project between Melton and Dayton musician and producer Darryl Robbins (Peopleperson, TV Queens). It was only with the addition of drummer Don Thrasher, in early 2008, that the Smug Brothers became, to paraphrase Pinocchio, a real band.
Since then, Melton and Thrasher have held down a steady center among a revolving cast of additional musicians—the current lineup includes Kyle Sowash, from Columbus indie-rock stalwarts The Kyle Sowashes, on bass—and have released a series of ever-improving singles, EPs, and LPs. The band’s most recent album, Application of the Twig, is the season of spring distilled into a porch party soundtrack. Brisk and refreshing.
“While we’re not well-known,” says Thrasher, “we make well-done records. We provide a good listening experience for people who like short, catchy songs.” Melton agrees. “A lot of care and consideration goes into our albums. They are singular experiences that you will never see duplicated live.”
All of which brings the Smug Brothers’ quandary full circle. To get a better sense of the elusive Smug Brothers sound, please visit smugbrothers.bandcamp.com! Do it!
One of the new albums we are excited about in the new year comes from Dayton, Ohio’s The 1984 Draft. This is a band that combines the twin guitar attack of Eli Alban and Joe Anderl, with some of the most intense bass runs from Chip Heck and the pounding machine on drums of Justin Satinover. On January 19, 2023, The 1984 Draft is releasing their latest full-length group of songs entitled ‘Best Friends Forever’ on Poptek Records. You can hear the band’s fusion of ’90s rock and punk shaped by the love of Elton John, Smoking Popes, and Bob Mould.
The eleven-track album features collaborations with Susie Ulrey (Pohgoh), Todd Farrell Jr. (Benchmarks, Two Cow Garage), and Sean Gardner (Kopaz, The Reciever, Winter Makes Sailors, Minnows) and the addition of Dayton-based artist Cherry Fullam on vocals. These collaborations help elevate the music of The 1984 Draft to another level.
The 1984 Draft celebrates the release of their new record “Best Friends Forever” with special guests including Paige Beller, Shane Sweeney, Josh Arnold, Josh Goldman, Narrow/Arrow, Abiyah, and very special guest Josh Caterer of the Smoking Popes. Pre-order tickets are available at Poptek Records! The energy, enthusiasm, and emotion of a ‘Draft show is not to be missed. Wear your hearts on your sleeves and believe that rock and roll can change the world because this band certainly embodies this idea.
Matt Derda & The High Watts are making some of the most compelling music in a year full of great music! The video is their official music video for ‘Life You Didn’t Know.’ This is the latest single from the Chicago band’s upcoming EP ‘You Didn’t Know?‘ which came out on 11/12/2022.
‘You Didn’t Know?’ from Matt Derda & The High Watts is a picture postcard from a pure sonic territory that reflects the intersection of indie rock, power pop, and alt-country. The semi-title track ‘Life You Didn’t Know’ feels like a driving Replacements song from ‘Pleased to Meet Me’ written by Uncle Tupelo era Jeff Tweedy. Derda’s lead vocal is always spot-on. This is a mighty trio that tackles the feel of each song as if their lives depended upon it.
A perfect indie rock song. The guitars crunch and the bass bounces yet manages to weave and sway across a solid vocal propelled by driving drums! A song with a catchy chorus that will stay in your head for days. A great song that captures the growing realization that a relationship is already over! This latest song, from Martha — a rock band from Pity Me, a village in County Durham in the North East of England — is from their upcoming new album ‘Please Don’t Take Me Back‘, which comes out on October 28, 2022 from Specialist Subject and Dirtnap records.
“‘Baby, Does Your Heart Sink’ is just your classic break-up song, but one designed to be played at the disco at the end of the world. If there are multiple timelines, worlds, and universes out there, you’ve really got to wonder how things are going in the others, don’t you?”
This terrific video comes courtesy of the Columbus, Ohio band Snarls. The song was released both as a single and on the dynamic EP ‘What About Flowers?’ is not to be missed. A fantastic example of a deeply personal song that illuminates the connections that bind us together. The harmonies are quite captivating. The music has a gravity that pulls the listener to it. A song that delivers on its promise.
The album was recorded with Jarrett Nicolay at Mix Tape Studios in Alexandria, VA. To say that Jarrett contributed to the sound of this project would be a vast understatement. Jarrett not only lent his production skills to the effort, he played all of the instruments as well. Mann and Nicolay together crafted a unique sonic vision.
The band’s album captures the diverse musical influences of Mann’s kaleidoscopic and encyclopedic sonic grasp. The arrival of No One Sphere fills a need for an indie rocker that is not a statement about something, a song that is not pretentious or precious. The single Ceiling Fan manages to create a chantlike chaos of melodic deconstruction that is similar to the musical heart of Wilco’s experimental period. The slinky stagger of the bass line moves along a jazzy rhythm that would not be out of place on a funk record. The lyrics sway from meaningful self disclosure to deliberate non-sensical rhyming. In that way, the song feels akin to Wilco’s deconstruction era of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost is Born. Yet the jangly indie rock center of the song has a Pixies-like gravity.
Ceiling Fan pulls from many classic independent influences in its barely over three minute length. Listeners hear elements of Wire, Gang of Four, mid-’90s era R.E.M., the before mentioned Pixies, Half Japanese and The Replacements.
If the music industry were a fair minded affair, No One Sphere would be at the top of everyone’s new album recommendations. You can follow No One Sphere on Twitter and Instagram. We also recommend that you keep an eye out on their YouTube channel!
RIYL: Wire, Gang of Four, The Pixies, Half Japanese, R.E.M., The dbs, and The Replacements
Samantha J. King joined Dr. J in the studio for Your Tuesday Afternoon Alternative on Tuesday, February 8, 2022. This was our sixth show of 2022! Sam talked about her approach to songwriting, where she draws inspiration for her music, her experience of working on music with Patrick Himes in the Reel Love Recording Studio and much more! Sam’s current song, Southpark released on January 7th and is available everywhere you can experience music.
You can learn more about her on Facebook and get her music on Bandcamp.
You can watch more videos of past studio guests on this page or over at our YouTubeChannel. Past episodes of YTAA are available on Mixcloud. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please contact Dr. J on gmail at drjytaa.
Jason Trout of The Touchy Feelys joined Dr J in the studio for Your Tuesday Afternoon Alternative on Tuesday, January 18, 2022. This was our third new show of 2022. Jason talked about songwriting, working as a duo with Amanda Dawn Courts, their approach to recording and their debut record. The Touchy Feelys is an indie/folk band from Athens and Dayton, Ohio.
Their debut album BREAK-UP SONGS ABOUT STAYING TOGETHER was released on December 3, 2021. You can learn more about them on Facebook and Bandcamp. You can also contact them on email at thetouchyfeelys@gmail.com. The duo is also on Instagram as thetouchyfeelys.
You can watch more videos of past studio guests on this page or over at our YouTubeChannel. Past episodes of YTAA are available on Mixcloud. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please contact Dr. J on gmail at drjytaa.
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