Category: Alt rock

Black Belt Eagle Scout’s North American tour starts today.

BLACK BELT EAGLE SCOUT SHARES NEW SINGLE, “JUST LIE DOWN,”
AND ANNOUNCES NORTH AMERICAN TOUR

LISTEN HERE

photo credit – Jason Quigley
“The electric guitar that starts ‘Soft Stud’ bristles with a coarse riff. The tone is brittle and blunt, rattling from the amplifier as it wordlessly confesses deep frustration. But Katherine Paul’s voice, which glides over the guitar, is an elegant curve, all practiced and gathered.” — Pitchfork

“You’ll hear echoes of early Hole here, but you’ll also hear a powerful new voice grappling with her heritage and her sense of place. ‘Soft Stud’ is a great track, and the crazy part is that it’s not even my favorite track on the album” — Vulture‘s Best New Songs of the Week

“‘Soft Stud’ expresses the complexity of queer desire, layering intimate
lyrics and clean melodies over fuzzy guitar.” — NPR‘s All Songs Considered

“[‘Soft Stud’] . . .  feels surprisingly compact, tight nerves and circuitous guitars
and muddy drums building and breaking.” — Stereogum

“Sludgy guitars clash compellingly with Paul’s rich, yearning vocals, which eventually
dissolve into a chaotic and cathartic instrumental outro.” — Consequence of Sound

“…a sprawling, yet intimate six-minute odyssey on which
Paul pairs tender lyrics with transcendent, seeking instrumentation.” — Paste

Black Belt Eagle Scout (aka Portland-based Katherine Paul) is an indigenous queer musician whose debut album, Mother of My Children, is about “grief and love for people, but also about being a native person in what is the United States today.” Mother of My Children is out September 14th via Saddle Creek. Paul will tour North America surrounding its release (all dates are below). After sharing lead single, “Soft Stud,” Black Belt Eagle Scout now presents “Just Lie Down.”
“I started working on the guitar line for this song at the end of a five year stay at a big duplex I was renting in Portland. This had been the longest period of time I had ever lived anywhere that wasn’t my parents’ home. I was being kicked out of the place because the landlord wanted to renovate and hike up the rent.  This was the case for a lot of Portlanders at that time (and still is) as the city was on a steep course of gentrification. 
My life shifted and I ended up moving in with people I had never met to a smaller, but comfy situation in a different part of town. There was a Corgi named Dayton involved. The room in this house is where I worked on the majority of the songs for Mother of My Children, staying up late and turning up my guitar amp volume when I could. I was in a new place and the feeling of ‘home’ was never really present when I lived there. It was a really disconnected time in my life thus warranting the initial bits and pieces of ‘Just Lie Down.’ 
So many things didn’t feel foundational and at times I felt like I was losing it. I remember thinking, ‘You aren’t yourself right now. What is wrong with you? Why are you acting like this? What even is this?’ and that’s where most of the questioning lyrics in the song came from. I like to find some sort of resolution in my songs be it a feeling I get from playing it, a certain part of the song that has lyrics that reflect it, something. My resolution in this song is when I sing the lyrics, ‘Just lie down, head on the ground, sky looks blue, just like you.’ To me, it was a simple poem you could say to yourself that means even though you are sad, even though there seems like there is no hope, look up and see what is above you. The sky is still blue and beautiful. Hopefully you will see that beauty and move forward.”
Paul grew up in a small Indian reservation, the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, surrounded by family focused on native drumming, singing, and arts. From an early age, Paul was singing and dancing at powwows with one of her strongest memories at her family’s own powwow, called the All My Relations Powwow. Paul reminisces, “When I was younger, my only form of music was through the songs my ancestors taught the generations of my family. Singing in our language is a spiritual process and it carries on through me in how I create music today.” With the support of her family and a handful of bootleg Hole and Nirvana VHS tapes, Paul taught herself how to play guitar and drums as a teenager. In 2007, she moved to Portland, Oregon to attend college and get involved with the Rock’n’Roll Camp for Girls eventually diving deep into the city’s music scene playing guitar and drums in bands while evolving her artistry into what would later become Black Belt Eagle Scout.
Listen to Black Belt Eagle Scout’s “Just Lie Down” –
https://BBES.lnk.to/MOMC

Listen To “Soft Stud” –
https://youtu.be/LXsfiYigeg4

Black Belt Eagle Scout Tour Dates:
Fri. Aug. 31 – Columbus, OH @ Wexner Arts Center #
Sat. Sep. 1 – Detroit, MI @ Deluxx Fluxx *
Sun. Sep. 2 – Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen ^
Tue. Sep. 4 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit Lodge #
Wed. Sep. 5 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall #
Thu. Sep. 6 – New York City, NY @ Bowery Ballroom #
Fri. Sep. 7 – Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA #
Sat. Sep. 8 – Richmond, VA @ The Camel #
Sun. Sep. 9 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat (Backstage) #
Tue. Sep. 11 – Durham, NC @ The Pinhook #
Wed. Sep. 12 – Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn #
Thu. Sep. 13 – Tampa, FL @ Crowbar #
Fri. Sep. 14 – Tallahassee, FL @ The Wilbury #
Sat. Sep. 15 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa #
Mon. Sep. 17 – Austin, TX @ Barracuda #
Tue. Sep. 18 – Ft. Worth, TX @ Main at South Side #
Wed. Sep. 19 – Norman, OK @ Opolis #
Thu. Sep. 20 – Lawrence, KS @ Bottleneck #
Fri. Sep. 21 – St. Louis, MO @ Off-Broadway #
Sat. Sep. 22 – Davenport, IA @ Village Theater #
Mon. Sep. 24 – Lexington, KY @ The Burl #
Wed. Sep. 26 – Omaha, NE @ Reverb $
Fri. Sep. 28 – Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive $
Sat. Sep. 29 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Diabolical Records $
Sun. Sep. 30 – Boise, ID @ Funky Taco $
Wed. Oct. 3 – Spokane, WA @ The Bartlett $

* = with Varsity
^ = with Shortly
# = with Saintseneca
$ = with Guerrilla Toss

Pre-order Mother of My Children —

Mother of My Children cover art
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The Beths – Future Me Hates Me

Coming in with possibly the wittiest album title of the year (Future Me Hates Me), New Zealand’s the Beths show up with some much-needed pop-punk and joie de vivre right now.

The fun fuzz that opens “Get No One” is somehow topped by the delightful rhythm guitar that follows it.  You’re tapping your feet right away and wanting to blast the album’s opener out of your car as soon as possible.  The title track is as fun as you’d hoped it would be as lead singer Elizabeth Stokes tells us about how she’s setting herself up for “future heartbreak, future headaches,” but she’s still going through with a relationship.  “Uptown Girl” isn’t a cover of the Billy Joel song (although I’m sure they’d have fun with that), but it is a raucous salute to partying all night and the aftermath that often brings.

“You Wouldn’t Like Me” has Stokes warning a potential lover about the hazards of dating her.  “You wouldn’t like me if you saw what was inside me,” she sings, but the peppy nature of the song leads us to believe that was she thinks are faults are in reality charms.  “Not Running” has an urgent energy to it (despite the title) with Jonathan Pearce‘s guitars constantly moving forward and not looking back.

“Little Death” is a rocker about orgasms.  “Happy Unhappy” has Stokes both lamenting and loving the start of a new relationship and how its going to break her out of her comfortable rut.  “River Run: Lvl 1” might refer to a video game I’ve never played, but the theme of a lovers’ game seems to run through the whole tune.  The groovy grooves, rock anthem drums (by Ivan Luketina-Johnston) and vocal harmonies of “Whatever” make it one of the catchiest tracks of 2018 (and I love the subtly heavy bass by Benjamin Sinclair on it).  The album ends with “Less Than Thou,” another love song in which Stokes gets in her own way when it comes to love, but powers through it with shining guitars and happy beats.

Future Hates Me is one of the peppiest and most clever albums of the year.  It’s a perfect summer rock record, or a perfect record for breaking your winter blues if you’re in New Zealand this time of year.

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Caroline Rose adds more U.S. tour dates for November.

CAROLINE ROSE EXPANDS NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
WITH HEADLINE DATES IN NOVEMBER

LONER OUT NOW VIA NEW WEST

Photo Credit: Matt Hogan

Caroline Rose has expanded her fall tour to include a set of headline dates in November. Since the release of her new album, LONER, via New West this past February, Rose has spent most of the year on the road playing sold out headline shows and opening for acts, including Mitski, Guster, and Maggie Rogers. Now, she’s gearing up for a set of dates supporting Rainbow Kitten Surprise before setting out on a headline tour with performances in New York, Boston, Toronto, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and more. By the end of 2018, Rose will have played over 100 shows in the U.S. alone.

At the same time, critical praise for LONER has continued to flourish. The album landed on over a dozen mid-year highlight lists, including NPR Music’s “40 Favorite Albums of 2018 (So Far)” and Vinyl Me, Please’s “Best Albums of 2018 So Far.” After crediting Rose with putting on one of the best shows at SXSW, Rolling Stone recently published a profile on her, saying:

“Her music has a spaced-out intelligence, an impish energy, plenty of venom and jokes. Her perspective on the world snaps, because it’s light on its feet and has sensitive skin. Even if the structural circumstances suck… Rose can have a precise sort of play with it, criticizing the whole enterprise with a slicing one-liner.”

Rose’s knack for energetic performances and stage banter will be on full display this fall. All dates are below and new dates are in bold.

Stream Caroline Rose’s LONER

Watch/Listen/Share:
“Bikini” Video
“Soul No. 5” video
“Money” video
“Getting To Me”

Caroline Rose Tour Dates:
Sat. Sep. 15- Sun. Sep. 16 – Burlington, VT @ Grand Point North Festival
Wed. Sep. 19 – Rochester, NY @ Abilene Bar and Lounge
Thu. Sep. 20 – Lancaster, PA @ Tello 360
Fri. Sep. 21 – Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle
Sat. Sep. 22 – Sun. Sep. 23 – Franklin, TN @ Pilgrimage Festival
Mon. Sep. 24 – Charlottesville, VA @ The Jefferson *
Tue. Sep. 25 – Norfolk, VA @ Norva Theater *
Thu. Sep. 27 – Richmond, VA @ The National *
Fri. Sep. 28 – Port Chester, NY @ The Capitol Theatre *
Sat. Sep. 29 – Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head *
Mon. Oct. 1 – Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom *
Tue. Oct. 2 – Montreal, QC @ Corona Theatre *
Sat. Oct. 6 – Providence, RI @ The Strand *
Mon. Oct. 8 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls *
Thu. Oct. 11 – Lexington, KY @ Manchester Music Hall *
Fri. Oct. 12 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s *
Sat. Oct. 13 – Indianapolis, IN @ Deluxe at Old National Centre *
Mon. Oct. 15 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Elevation at The Intersection *
Wed. Oct. 17 – Bloomington, IL @ The Castle Theater *
Sat. Oct. 20 – Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic Lounge *
Sun. Oct. 21 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom *
Tue. Oct. 23 – Oxford, MS @ Lyric Theatre *
Thu. Nov. 1 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Fri. Nov. 2 – Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom
Sat. Nov. 3 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
Tue. Nov. 6 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
Wed. Nov. 7 – Ferndale, MI @ The Loving Touch
Thu. Nov. 8 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
Fri. Nov. 9 – Iowa City, IA @ The Mill
Sat. Nov. 10 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
Tue. Nov. 13 – Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
Wed. Nov. 14 – Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe
Thu. Nov. 16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
Fri. Nov. 17 – Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel

* = with Rainbow Kitten Surprise

Praise for LONER:

“[LONER is] a wonderful, rollicking beast.” – MOJO

“Loner is a thrillingly odd take on pop, braiding her sardonic lyrics with off-kilter songs that groove and groan.” – Boston Globe

“Rose has a newly loosed imagination and a flair for exaggerating the absurdities we’re living with, and the way she’s put them to use is a timely gift.” — NPR Music

“With its mix of sunny melodies and acerbic wit, the material from her newly released LP, Loner, was frenetic and freewheeling.” – Rolling Stone

“In an era of endless, ear-numbing streams, LONER grabs your chin and commands your eyes.”
— Consequence of Sound

“Rose is a fascinating person, and from DIY production trickery to her multi-role star turns in her videos, LONER represents her at her best.” — Stereogum “Artist to Watch”

“an often wickedly funny and winningly sardonic indie-pop act with lots of surprising musical moves on her new album, Loner.” – Philadelphia Inquirer

“With her newly honed interest in producing, Caroline Rose has made an unwaveringly entertaining album filled to the brim with songs that are at once contemplative and coax the listener to get out of their seat and dance.” — Rookie

“Rose is a joy to behold . . . LONER whacks the listener swiftly upside the head with our red-clad protagonist’s winning charisma, leaving ya dizzy and begging for more.” — Under The Radar

“…a punchier, studio-powered pop sound, packed with danceable beats, prominent synths, big choruses and plenty of swagger. She remains unafraid of singing about serious subjects (capitalism, sexism, death, etc.) but on LONER, she delivers them through a bold, candy-colored filter that’s always intriguing and often irresistible.” — Paste

Download hi-res press images and cover art

Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

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David Nance Group release first single, “Poison,” off upcoming album.

DAVID NANCE GROUP ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM
AND SHARE FIRST SINGLE “POISON“

PEACED AND SLIGHTLY PULVERIZED
OUT 10/5 ON TROUBLE IN MIND

“POSSIBLY THE BEST SONGWRITER IN THE UNITED STATES THAT NOBODY OUTSIDE DIY TAPE COLLECTORS AND HIS FRIENDS HAS HEARD.” -NOISEY
Omaha, NE musician David Nance is nothing if not prolific. Over the course of the past six years, he has released three full-length albums for labels Grapefruit and Ba Da Bing, a 7-inch, numerous cassettes, CDRs, and unlicensed “cover albums” of artists like Lou Reed, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Doug Sahm. He’s collaborated with Simon Joyner and Bill Direen (The Bilders), His latest full-length, coming out on Chicago’s Trouble in Mind Records on October 5th, is credited to the “David Nance Group” and features Nance alongside his recent hot-shit live band of fellow Omaha musicians; guitarist Jim Schroeder, bassist Tom May, and drummer Kevin Donahue.

Appropriately, the album is called Peaced and Slightly Pulverized, as the sounds therein are alternatingly tender & brusque. Nance has an enviable way of conveying intensity and pathos in his music without necessarily resorting to clicking on a distortion pedal, instead relying on the build-up and tension from the interplay of his bandmates with his cracked, impassioned wail. That said, there’s also plenty of fuzz and distortion too, which should be clear from the first single, the anthemic “Poison,” with its fuzzed-out guitar riff that leans into a Crazy-Horsian guitar maelstrom and white-hot solo. It’s a blisteringly brief journey that is impossible to not be swept up by and wake up dizzy and confused in a nearby dumpster. The track was premiered today on Stereogum.

Peaced and Slightly Pulverized was mastered by Mikey Young of Total Control and Eddy Current Suppression Ring. A limited purple vinyl version is available for direct order here, while digital pre-orders can be make here.

LISTEN TO “POISON”
https://bit.ly/2vLpmHI

PEACED AND SLIGHTLY PULVERIZED TRACKLISTING
1. Poison
2. Ham Sandwich
3. 110 Blues
4. Amethyst
5. In Her Kingdom
6. When I Saw You Last Night
7. Prophet’s Profit
DAVID NANCE GROUP TOUR DATES
Sept 8th – St. Louis, MO – Pü Fest
Sept 15th – Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle – Trouble In Paradise Festival
Sept 29th – Memphis, TN – Gonerfest 15
Oct 12th – Omaha, NE – Reverb Lounge
Oct 24th – St. Louis, MO – RKDE
Oct 26th –  Nashville, TN – Third Man
Oct 27th – Birmingham, AL – The Fire House
Oct 28th – Hattiesburg , MS – house show (ask a punk)
Oct 29th – Atlanta, GA – 529 Club
Oct 30th – Orlando, FL – Will’s Pub
Oct 31st – Asheville, NC – Fleetwood’s
Nov 1st – Chapel Hill, NC – The Cove
Nov 2nd – Harrisonburg, VA – Pale Fire Tap Room
Nov 3rd – Philadelphia, PA – Jerry’s
Nov 4th – Brooklyn, NY – Union Pool
Nov 5th – New Haven, CT – State House
Nov 6th – Cleveland, OH – Happy Dog
Nov 7th – Columbus, OH – Café Bourbon Street
Nov 8th – Detroit, MI – Third Man
Nov 9th – Indianapolis, IN – State Street Pub
Nov 10th – Louisville, KY – Zanzabar
Nov 11th – Iowa City, IA – Trumpet Blossom Cafe
PAST PRAISE FOR DAVID NANCE

“This is spastic dance music for rock ‘n’ roll deviants, a jabbing pointer finger at the soullessness of the pixelated present, blown out and blown up like a basement tape.”
– NPR Music on “Negative Boogie”

“Like some unholy merger of David Thomas and David Yow, Nance caterwauls over art-rock grooves that can’t quite figure out if they love classic rock ’n’ roll or abhor it.”
– Chicago Reader

“Nance’s music comes drenched in sweat from ferocious jamming in basements and melodies ten years in the making.” – Noisey

Download album art & hi-res photos: http://pitchperfectpr.com/david-nance/

David Nance Online:
https://davidnance.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/davidnanceband/
https://www.instagram.com/davidkennethnance/
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Clutch releases some killer pre-order bundles for their upcoming album, “Book of Bad Decisions.”

NEW ALBUM PRE-ORDER AND MERCH BUNDLES AVAILABLE NOW!
CLUTCH TO RELEASE THIRD SINGLE TRACK
FROM THE NEW ALBUM “BOOK OF BAD DECISIONS” TODAY
Maryland rockers CLUTCH are now offering a variety of exclusive “Book of Bad Decisions” pre-order bundles such as the “Limited Edition Collectors Bundle” which includes rare picture disc vinyl, flask, flag, shirt, long sleeve, HATCHET with autographed box, and more!  Bundles will be delivered on or before the album release date of September 7th.
All “Book of Bad Decisions” pre-order bundles, music and merch options are available now exclusively at www.clutchmerch.com
CLUTCH are releasing the third single from their upcoming album Book of Bad Decisions as an instant gratification track at iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/book-of-bad-decisions/1376829212&app=itunes) and Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CNYD1R7).  Spotify has it here (http://open.spotify.com/album/7fJuTpSrV3TYbSExbo3emk)
Clutch’s song “Hot Bottom Feeder” is, in essence, a recipe for Maryland crab cakes set to Clutch’s inimitable style.  Watch the accompanying lyric video here https://youtu.be/SOTrHrGSeNM.
Each of the single releases from Book of Bad Decisions is accompanied by a Spotify playlist put together by one of the band members.  In this instance Dan Maines who asks you to “Check out our latest release Hot Bottom Feeder and beat the heat with these stone cold classics.”
CLUTCH:
Neil Fallon – Vocals/Guitar
Tim Sult – Guitar
Dan Maines – Bass
Jean-Paul Gaster – Drums/Percussion
For more  information, check out the band’s website:
Official: www.pro-rock.com
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Live: Radiohead – United Center – Chicago, IL – July 07, 2018

I hadn’t seen Radiohead in concert since 2012.  They’d put out a couple albums since then, and I had been looking forward to this show for months.  It was a bonus show of sorts, as the original show the previous night sold out within minutes.  They added the second show to make up for those of us who couldn’t get tickets to that one, and even this show sold out in rapid time.  I had to refresh websites on my phone and laptop computer just to score tickets on the third level.

That being said, it was worth it.

They started with “Daydreaming” and “Desert Island Disk” to lull the crowd into a  nice trance before breaking out tracks like “Myxomatosis” and “Lucky” to get everyone moving.

A real treat was their first performance of “Spectre,” the rejected theme from the Bond movie of the same name.  It was great to hear “Idioteque” (which had the whole place jumping) and “My Iron Lung” (a personal favorite).  “Bodysnatchers” almost blasted the back wall off the United Center.

Their first encore consisted of “You and Whose Army?”, “Airbag” (which had a friend of ours dancing in the aisle), “The National Anthem” (another personal favorite), “2 + 2 = 5,” and “Street Spirit (Fade Out).”  Their second encore brought us “Everything in Its Right Place” (which was jaw-dropping), “Pyramid Song,” and “Karma Police” (which had the whole place singing).

It was great to see them again.  I didn’t realize how much I missed seeing them until that night.  They’re one of those must-see bands anytime they’re close.

Keep your mind open.

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Howard release “Oh Dear Brother” from album due this September.

Howard Share “Oh Dear Brother” From New Album, Together Alone, Out September 14th On Fashion People
https://soundcloud.com/listentohoward/oh-dear-brother/
(photo credit: Sonya Kitchell)

As the song starts out, Howard mixes a folksy riff with a choppy syncopated beat. When the horn section comes in, the song transforms into a rounded out, funk groove. This is the first album from Howard to be recorded with a full band, and the extra instrumentation adds full-bodied warmth, helping the song blossom.” — Stereogum, on “Oh Dear Brother”

“The video’s kitschy collage-style animation, as well as the zany, exaggerated expressions of the band’s characters, elevate the classic outsider-falls-for-girl narrative into something refreshing and whimsical.” — NPR Music, on “Your Honor” video
Today, Howard are thrilled to share, “Oh Dear Brother,” the newest single from their forthcoming album Together Alone, out September 14th on Fashion People. “The song started more personally and gradually became more about the political state of affairs when things were coming to a climax around the election,” says guitarist/vocalist Howard Feibusch. “It is about our growing inability to listen to each other and the sense of turmoil that happens when our dialogue becomes a screaming match. It is not a topic I’m entirely comfortable writing about because I fear that it’s just polluting the atmosphere with more noise on a topic too many people have an opinion about.”

 

Stream Howard’s “Oh Dear Brother” — 
https://soundcloud.com/listentohoward/oh-dear-brother/
Watch a Behind-The-Scenes Video On The Making Of “Oh Dear Brother” — 
https://youtu.be/YrdJa6mTpVU

 

Together Alone follows Howard’s debut album, 2015’s Religion, and it’s companion EP, Please Recycle. It’s the first album from 30-year-old multifaceted bandleader Howard Feibusch’s project to be recorded with the full band — composed of Feibusch (guitar, vocals), Alex Chakour (guitar, synth, backup vocals), Myles Heffernan (bass), and Chris Holdridge (drums) — that so capably toured behind Religion. It’s also an aching, restless, and altogether lovely document of the paradoxical sensation in which we feel more isolated than ever in the face of increasing togetherness and connectivity—a modern sentiment wrapped in music that’s timeless in its timbre.

Listen/Share:
“Your Honor” video — https://youtu.be/JXRHCs5ZZms
“Mother’s Wedding” stream — https://spoti.fi/2xJ1Wab



Pre-order Together Alone — https://howard.pmstores.co/

Download hi-res images & album art — http://pitchperfectpr.com/howard/

(Together Alone Cover Art)

 

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Rewind Review: The Duke Spirit – Bruiser (2011)

Full of wonderful fuzz and lovely vocals, the Duke Spirit‘s Bruiser begins with the rock solid “Cherry Tree,” a song about regret following a break-up.  All the guitars on it surge with power as lead singer Liela Moss claims she doesn’t look back on the past with hope, but we all know otherwise.  “Procession” flips the story a bit, with the former subject of Moss’ affections acting like he’s cool with everything, but her knowing that he’s on the verge of cracking at any moment.    “Villain” has lovely piano and vocals by Moss while Oliver Betts puts down beats that are harder than you realize at first.  The song’s about two people who know they’re probably bad for each other, but will most likely hook up regardless of that fact.

In case you haven’t guessed by now, the name of the album hints to the many songs on the record about the dangerous side of love, lust, and attraction.  “Don’t Wait,” about the struggle to let go of someone after they’ve left (“Oh such a heavy love rolls out like a blanket.  Why must it fold up on me?”) has that great mix of rock, shoegaze, and soul that the Duke Spirit do so well.  Marc Sallis struts his bass stuff on “Surrender,” in which Moss sings that she just wants to surrender to a lover.  Moss’ voice is already seductive enough, but it’s borderline devilish when she sings lyrics like “Oh the weather got worse , so you’ll have to stay here.”

“Bodies” has another slick Sallis groove that paves the way for shoegaze riffs from Luke Ford and Toby Butler.  There’s a short piano breakdown in the middle that catches you off-guard before Betts and the rest wallop you upside the head.  “Delux” has organ and glockenspiel that ticks like a music box and warnings from Moss to a lover to keep his eyes and hands on her instead of someone else.

“Sweet Bitter Sweet” seems to be about sex with lyrics like “I’m coming with you, for there’s nobody else,” but you can never be sure with Moss’ writing.  She can be deceptive and her use of metaphor is top-notch.  It’s sexy even if it isn’t about sex.  I’d be a gibbering idiot if she sang this to me in a smoky bar.  Well, I’d be a gibbering idiot if she just walked into a room with me, but that’s beside the point.  In “Running Fire,” Moss tells a lover that he can chase a future he can never fully grasp or he can return to the moment (and her) and be much happier.  Ford and Butler shred on “Everybody’s Under Your Spell” (which has a great burn-out / fade-out at the end.

“Northbound” has some of Betts’ best beats on the record while Moss sings about a bad day becoming a better day as she realizes she’s going to end it by seeing her lover.  “Homecoming” has a similar theme, but Moss can’t help but wonder if her happiness is an illusion.

Love can be bruising, but bruises and scars are sometimes the remains of a hard-fought but worthy battle.  Bruiser and the Duke Spirit show us that love is worth it.  Love is the thing for which we should all fight.  What else is there?

By the way, certain versions of this album have bonus remixes of “Procession” (by Gary Numan, no less), “Cherry Tree” (by SONOIO), “Bodies” (by Black Onassis), and “Don’t Wait” (by Loose Meat).

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The Rungs release fun dream-pop single – “Trees”

The Rungs premiere “Trees” video, announce forthcoming EP
Brooklyn, NY indie pop trio a la The Cardigans, The Bird and The Bee, Blondie, Chvrches
Watch & share “Trees” video (YouTube) (PopMatters)  

“Delightfully askance pop music which calls to mind the easy, innocent pop of the Bird & The Bee (and by extension Inara George) and the grin-inducing sounds of the Cardigans. ‘Trees’ flits by in the blink of an eye, leaving behind an infectious melody that is as inspiring as it is memorable.” — PopMatters
“Indie/dream-poppy, bouncy, high-tempo and unafraid to playfully change up its own sound every few seconds. This song is so fun.” — Little Indie Blogs
Brooklyn, NY trio The Rungs premiere the charming video for the lead single off of their forthcoming Everyday Visions EP today via PopMatters. Watch and share “Trees” HERE. (Direct YouTube.)
After recording what was going to be their second EP in 2015, indie-pop band The Rungs scrapped it, created a home studio, and started over from scratch. Now set to release later this summer, the 5-song EP Everyday Visions contains vibrant synth melodies, imaginative vocals, inventive guitar riffs, and a healthy dose of experimentation.
The band, which started as a music therapy project for Mandy Gurung, (vocals, songwriting, guitar, production) by husband Diwas Gurung, (guitar, production, songwriting) grew from a duo to a trio over the course of recording the EP, adding their neighborhood friend Steven Bartashev on drums. In addition to playing in The Rungs, all three members actively collaborate with other artists, frequently producing and recording them in their home studio. With Everyday Visions, the band offers a collection of playful and moody songs inspired by the sounds and stories that surround them in Brooklyn NY.
Everyday Visions will be available for download on August 17th, 2018. Pre-orders are available HERE.
Artist: The Rungs
Album: Everyday Visions 
Record Label: self-released
Release Date: August 17th, 2018
01. Trees
02. King of Books
03. Grindstone
04. Balcony
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Clutch releases “How to Shake Hands” from upcoming album.

CLUTCH RELEASE SECOND SINGLE TRACK
FROM THE NEW ALBUM “BOOK OF BAD DECISIONS”
Maryland rockers CLUTCH have released the second single from their upcoming album Book of Bad Decisions as an instant gratification track at iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/book-of-bad-decisions/1376829212&app=itunes) and Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CNYD1R7).  Spotify has it here (http://open.spotify.com/album/0uWlwy6wHD7tGV3FfiVBF0)
In addition, a very limited 7” Picture Disc in a transparent PVC pocket hit stores on June 22nd. “How To Shake Hands” is on the blue side and “Gimme The Keys” on the reverse, green side.
Clutch’s song “How to Shake Hands” traces its lineage back to Ry Cooder and John Lee Hooker via the song “John Lee Hooker for President”.  In that song Ry Cooder impersonates JLH giving a stump speech on what will happen when he becomes President.  Clutch’s original idea of covering the Ry Cooder song was soon abandoned as vocalist Neil Fallon said he couldn’t do the song justice.  Instead, Neil put his own lyrics in the style of Ry Cooder/JLH to a new Clutch song which ended up becoming the fast-paced “How to Shake Hands”.
Each of the single releases from Book of Bad Decisions is accompanied by a Spotify playlist put together by one of the band members.  In this instance guitarist Tim Sult is responsible for surrounding “How To Shake Hands” with other songs to his liking:  “Since Neil mentioned Jimi Hendrix and Bill Hicks in ‘How To Shake Hands’, I decided to make a playlist including both.  Classic guitar playing meets classic comedy.  What could go wrong?”
CLUTCH:
Neil Fallon – Vocals/Guitar
Tim Sult – Guitar
Dan Maines – Bass
Jean-Paul Gaster – Drums/Percussion
For more  information, check out the band’s website:
Official: www.pro-rock.com
Keep your mind open.
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