At the tail end of 2018 (Dec 21st to be exact), the Yeah Empowerment through Arts and Humanity organization released this 2018 Holiday Mixtape, a compilation of local artists doing original holiday songs. It’s unfortunate that it was released so late in the year because I think it was largely overlooked.

From the very first track, “Up on the Housetop” from Bruce Ervin, it’s clear that this is not your standard gathering of intimate covers of classics. Tracks from QATS, Fetching Pails and Z really help reinforce that headspace. These songs span the funky, the dance-y, the gently pleasant and the buoyantly delightful.

Purchasing the compilation sends proceeds directly to the YEAH organization and helps fuel future rock camps which, in turn, fuels more kids making music that may eventually land on a future iteration of this very same comp. It’s a Christmas Ouroboros!

It’s officially that time of year – let the Christmas Compilations begin! While this can often be a bit of a cash grab from larger artists trying to squeeze in some end-of-the-year streams of half-baked covers, it’s often a rather refreshing and fun exercise for smaller bands to write and perform seasonal tracks. For a fine example of this, look no further than the Sons of Old Town Xmas Extravaganza Vol. 3.

The fifteen track bundle of various artists is being released by Banana Tapes and Sons of Old Town – a collective of artists started back in 2014 that added a charitable initiative starting in 2016. It’s the third compilation but actually the sixth year that the group has been putting on holiday shows. You can catch the celebration for the comp over at DRKMTTR tonight, Dec 6th. with performances by Tennessee Muscle Candy , Glamper featuring Peyton Rodeffer and Spoken Nerd, and Banana Tapes DJ sets.

The compilation itself has a wide variety of styles across a number of original tunes. The lead track from Lawndry is a contemplative, warbly and surprisingly warm number that just augments that their Lake Life record may end up being one of the most overlooked of the year. There’s doo-wop from Pet Envy, Lonely Island style rap from The Chrimbus Boys, pop-punk from Glamper and a hip-hop song about Krampus from Spoken Nerd that I’ve seen on previously released comps but hasn’t overstayed its welcome yet.

There’s bound to be more compilations coming down the pipe as there’s still two and a half weeks left before Christmas proper but for fans of fun, indie fueled, original holiday tunes; this is a solid offering.

In the world of software development “Branch, Commit” is a term to describe the actions taken to start a new project. Engineers will “branch” off of the main trunk of code and, when ready, “commit” the new code back in. It’s a fitting title for the debut EP from Infinite Limb, not only because the mastermind behind the project, Kyle Numann, is an actual developer but because the project serves as an iterative transformation from his prior work.

If you weren’t aware, Numann is one of the primary members of Cloudmouth, a quasi-folky, quasi-rock, dancey-yet-contemplative undertaking that released the excellent Dark Energy album back in early 2018. He also performs in Crack Mammoth, a joyously explosive rock band that doesn’t get out near as much as it should. All that is to say, he’s no stranger to diversifying his songwriting and performing endeavors. Infinite Limb is a different side to those coins but clearly integrates lessons and tactics from those projects in a new way.

While the context is intriguing, it’s not imperative to enjoying the record. Branch, Commit is an instrumental record but it’d be unfair to call it entirely ambient or atmospheric; this is a record steeped in rhythms, changing over time. The album writeup cites the usage of “electric guitar and synthesizer, accordions and banjo all the way down to suitcases, boxes of nails, and a 25 track xylophone arrangement.” These compositions are front and center for your attention, not wading around in the background.

Software development is an iterative process. You make something, release it, find areas that need improvements and patch them up. Later on, you may add new features that were never even thought of in the first release. If you’re prone to esoteric thinking, this could be a solid metaphor for life and creativity in general. Infinite Limb is a new feature, a branch from the origin that not only changes the creator’s process but anyone who hears it and is willing to commit it to themselves.

Back in September, we played Heinous Orca‘s “Jared” on Volume 163 of the WOTT Music podcast. We liked it so much, we put the band on the cover of the episode. When the band started teasing at a music video in the works, our interest was beyond piqued. That being said, we’re overjoyed to debut two new videos from the band for “Wishing Well” and “Quick Draw,” part of a set of several singles co-produced by Ryan Hewitt and Joe Pisapia.

The videos, directed by the fine folks at AM?PM video, are meant to be watched as a pair. While there’s certainly continuity between the two, the plot reads like a David Lynch fever dream – the band, drenched and clad in black, is kidnapped from their practice space, bound and gagged in transport to a lake where they’re baptized, reborn in all white outfits after performing underwater and then casually sign a deal with a record exec devil inside of a stretch limousine. Oh, and a man is being tortured with various clamps and nail polish before transforming into a pig creature while the band embraces their new enlightened form. It may sound nonsensical but it’s a spellbinding journey, made all the more enjoyable by the accompanying songs.

The band has managed to find an impressive balance between two worlds; the casually DIY and lock-tight production. The performances on these tracks are captivating with their dual lead vocals, sinister guitar work and driving drums but there’s something about them that eschews the pristine. These don’t feel like tracks that were pored over to remove all imperfections. Co-producers Ryan Hewitt and Joe Pisapia have a discography of works that includes Red Hot Chili Peppers, Third Eye Blind, Guster and Kacey Musgraves to name but a few. The fact that Heinous Orca can enter the studio with that duo and come out the other side with something that sounds decidedly, uniquely, like Heinous Orca is a testament to the band and the producer’s skills to recognize that talent.

Heinous Orca have been performing around Nashville since 2012 but this pair of videos feels like their official unveiling. They exemplify the band’s uniqueness and penchant for mixing up worlds; a dash of the occult with a dose of torture and a pinch of psychedelic underwater performance. The songs sound like the result of a band bonded through their time together, emerging from their own, proverbial, baptismal lake with a sound that is uniquely their own and refreshingly fun.

Once you’re done immersing yourself in these two tracks, hit up your streaming platform of choice to hear “Mighty Mike” and “She Pony” – the additional songs recorded during the Hewitt / Pisapia sessions.