Music

When I think of Tilly and the Wall, the first thing that comes to mind is their 2006 single “Bad Education.” So, let me rephrase that; it’s not only a band obsession, but a song obsession. I never grew tired of the waltzy-salsa sound, the sharp handclaps, and the childish, sung in unison chorus. They creativiely continue to use a tap dancer rather than drums, which is one fundamental differences that sets this band apart from so many others. The whimsical nature of the band has continued to stay true to itself over the years, even after gaining and losing multiple bandmates. Heavy Mood,their first album in four years features newcomers the Faint’s Clark Baechle, Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes, and my personal favorite Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. This playfully upbeat album is sure to inspire, excite, and ignite a youthful flame inside, the way only a band like Tilly and the Wall could.

RIYL: Love is All, The GO! Team, Blondfire

(Old) Tilly and the Wall: Bad Education  

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(New) Tilly and the Wall: Love Riot

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By: Robyn Johnson

“Take Me Home” is one of several standout cuts from Perfume Genius’ (singer-songwriter Mike Hadreas) excellent 2012 album Put Your Back N 2 It. It’s accompanying video is incredibly simple yet nevertheless full of striking and memorable imagery (similar to the video for Put Your Back N 2 It’s first single “Hood”). It’s really just Mike Hadreas walking through Seattle’s industrial district in high heels doing a variety of sexy poses while being slowly followed by a car. He’s wearing a seductively placed too-big football jersey that reads “E. Napalm” and is clearly having a lot of fun posing for the camera. At first it seems like this is leading to something dark or sinister but then as the song fades out we see Hadreas’ sitting outside of a gas station eating Twinkies with a huge smile on his face. It’s a fun video for a decidedly not-fun song and like just about everything that Perfume Genius touches, it’s completely mesmerizing. Watch the video for “Take Me Home” above and check out Put Your Back N 2 It out now via Matador Records.

By: Nathan Kerce

Silver Age is Bob Mould’s first album since his 2009 album Life and Times, and it is his first album released on Merge Records. He has had many acts over the years such as his 1980’s noise pop act Hüsker Dü later followed by his 90’s project Sugar. His talent as a musician has progressed over the years, drawing on old sounds to inspire and create the new. His fuzzed out single The Descent is an energetic song intertwined with relentless guitars. If you were a fan of Sugar then Mould’s latest album will be right up your alley.

Bob Mould: The Descent

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Abe Vigoda: Crush

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Catch Bob Mould on tour this Fall with Abe Vigoda:

By: Robyn Johnson

RITVALS (pronounced rituals) is fairly new to Athens, featuring members of more established punk-rockers Muuy Biien. And while RITVALS definitely has its punk leanings, “The Wave” is decidedly more of the traditional lo-fi garage rock. Immediately the song’s rough guitar riff grabs you, a simplistic tribute to the morals of garage rock, a straighforward melodic line that you’ll be humming to yourself for the next 30 minutes.  A perfect compliment to the gravely, monotone vocals that roll along throughout the song. “The Wave” is all in your face, raw rock n’ roll with the low production values that begged to be blasted at your next brofest right next to contemporaries Japandroids. And similarly to the Japandroids, RITVALS recognizes the importance of a catchy melody, sing-along ready lyrics and a killer chorus, built up to explode to its fullest potential by the well constructed verses.

And beneath the hedonistic head banging is a set of fairly meaningful lyrics (or maybe I’m just reading too far into this). Riding the wave seems to be connected with this dive into “shallow waters”, as the “terrible people” blindly pursue the virtues of getting “rich, famous and wasted.”  Over bearing literary interpretations aside, “The Wave” stands out as a memorable garage rock tune in a crowded field.

If you’re looking to listen to more RITVALS, you might be a little hard pressed to find any other recorded material, as “The Wave” was released as a stand-alone single on the “Dog Daze Festival” compilation CD. But the guys are playing shows regularly, next appearing at the 40 Watt this Thursday , Oct. 4th.

By: Will Guerin

It’s only Monday and unless the members of WHY? die in a plane crash or something there won’t be a bigger story in the world of non-traditional hip-hop groups this week than Death Grips leaking their own album without the permission of their major label wranglers Epic. NO LOVE DEEP WEB was aiming for an October release that Epic was trying to push all the way to next year for some reason. So, in an act of frustration, the band members uploaded the entire album to Soundcloud with an album cover featuring the album title written in Sharpie across a fully erect penis (we’ve provided the safe for work album art above). NO LOVE DEEP WEB is bleaker, simpler and more challenging than The Money Store, Death Grips major label debut from earlier this year. The sound is befitting of the change to a colder season and it’s clear that timing of release was very important to these guys. “No Love” is one of the more terrifying tracks on display here, showcasing MC Ride’s voice in its rawest and most abrasive form. It’s complemented by a booming beat of perpetual bass drops and heavy percussion that sounds like an alarm signaling the end of the world. Listen to “No Love” below and download NO LOVE DEEP WEB while you still can over at Death Grips’ Soundcloud page.

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By: Nathan Kerce

The punk quartet from Stockholm, Sweden recently released Holograms, their self-titled debut album. The four boys are in their twenties and don’t have a penny to their name. Although they would love to tour the U.S., they don’t think they will be able to obtain working visas and they can’t afford nice equipment. Their troublesome situations probably played a part in the heavy tone of the album.  Holograms covers some depressing topics such as Sweden’s less than ideal beginnings and cities consumed with isolation/ desolation. Endearing lyrics or not, their music is much more than tolerable; Pitchfork even slapped a 7.1 rating on their album. Give them a listen and give them some money, so they can hurry over to the U.S. and play us a show.

Holograms: Monolith

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RIYL: Iceage, Art Brut, King Krule

By: Robyn Johnson

Zachary Cole Smith’s latest project DIIV (previously called Dive) is darker than his work with Beach Fossils, but still captivating and lovely as one might expect. DIIV’s first 3 singles “Sometime,” “Doused,” and “How Long Have You Known” have all held the title of “Best New Track” on Pitchfork, which is quite the feat. DIIV’s guitar driven pop sounds are dreamy in a nightmarish way. It isn’t as polite and polished as Beach Fossils, instead it transcends into something more dark and meaningful.

DIIV: Doused

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DIIV: Sometime

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By: Robyn Johnson

“Sunset Dolphin Boat Ride ‘98”, the new single by Faun and a Pan Flute (who were recently awarded Atlanta’s Best Experimental Act of 2012 by Creative Loafing), is psychedelic and fun. It’s a revery. The swirling syncopation is filled with Suzanne Baker’s voice, here legato. It makes you think of friends and summer. Set sail! Cheers! Baker sang for the local, now defunct surf punk band Street Violence, whose shows were always a blast. Faun and a Pan Flute’s music is more substantial than that project, but no less energized. Listen to the “Sunset Dolphin Boat Ride ‘98” single below out now via Primitive Patterns.

Sunset Dolphin Boat Ride ‘98 by Faun and a Pan Flute

By: Alec Livaditis