In early June, we got a sneak peek at Commander Keen’s latest full-length with the track “When David Bowie Passed Away“; a bombastic burst of foreboding rock with unhinged, distorted, vocals. Now the album it belongs to, Dying in the South, is released everywhere and we can hear how that tracks fits into the larger context of the record.

Even with a cursory listen, it’s easy to hear that Commander Keen is going for the throat with the output of energy from the record. The first five tracks, including “David Bowie”, are an onslaught of sweaty rock fused with influences of snarling punk and anthemic chorus lines. Once you hit “Woodcutter”, presumably the end of Side A on the vinyl, the pace slows down a bit for a fleeting moment before it completely unravels on the next track, “Bible Belt”, and continues to maintain that pace until the slow burning album ender, “Kings of Tennessee.”

Maybe I’m being presumptuous but looking at track titles like “Low Budget Dreams”, “Mountain Dew Capital of the World” and the titular “Dying in the South” seem to tell the story of a band from a small town feeling hindered by their surroundings. It’s a story that any band – from the outskirts of Cookieville or not – can relate to. The South is considered a Conservative home base with rampant racism, misogyny and homophobia running rampant, not to mention crushing poverty for many. Being a rock band raised in that environment can result in plenty of angst and a desire for a cathartic expulsion towards the world around you. Throughout the record there’s a sensation of palpable frustration through the lyrics – both in terms of content and their delivery – and I can only hope this means that Dying in the South is a call-to-arms to escape the confines of the Southern stereotype.

The folks over at No Country for New Nashville premiered a new song from ONLY off their forthcoming full-length album. We’re big fans of the Language EP (particularly the rallying cry of “We all die!” in “July“) and this new track, “Jerk”, seems to extend that post-punk musical style but with the additional of female vocalist Josephine Moore. It’s a nice change of pace and I hope it hints towards some dual vocalists in the larger release.

About a year ago, we stumbled on Jonesiii from the Moon‘s The Moon is Watching Us, a collection of hip-hop songs with a dark and slow burn style.

He’s been following up the album with some one off singles, the latest of which is “N y L,” a proper companion to The Moon‘s style. I’m, admittedly, not the greatest resource for speaking on the good or bad attributes of hip-hop but Jonesiii has consistently delivered beats and lyrics that are a bit foreboding but mixing in some spacey or light element to keep it mysterious. Such is the case on “N y L”, a keyboard twinkle keeps and some legitimate singing keeps the song from going too far down the rabbit hole.

It should also be noted that the video is beautiful. Directors Hope Carter and Anime Sunset should be very pleased with their results here; as each shot is a well-framed, intentional, beautifully lit presentation.

While all three tracks are surprisingly consistent with the bands sound the latest release is the “smoothest” of the three. The Pink Spiders sound has always dipped a toe (or a whole foot) into the waters of Pop Mall Punk but never fully turn their back on a straightforward rock song with an undercurrent of sexual energy and, dare I say, “groove” carrying it along.

Much like the alternate styles of “Mrs. Ruston” from Sweat It Out, the band is always growing, changing and mutating into something new. See what I did there?

“Funny” music is a tough genre to exist in. Music has always served as an excellent escape – from your own personal demons or just the general daunting news of the world. But music that’s intentionally written to be amusing somehow gets filed into a “Less Than” category as it is perceived as shallow or insincere. Give yourself a gut check on your own personal reaction to hearing the names Weird Al Yankovic or They Might Be Giants to see where you land on the spectrum of feelings to amusing music.

All that is to set the scene for Ellen Angelico and her new EP, Haven’t Changed Much. It’s a handful of songs telling amusing stories or leaning into silly jokes. That’s not to say it’s entirely devoid of sincerity tho. On “She Got Married”, Angelico muses on talented friends that disappeared off the map because their heterosexuality led them to marriage and an abandonment of their potential. Harsh but not an untrue or unfamiliar tale.

If you’re paying attention, you’ve seen Angelico play with the likes of She’s a Rebel and Jasmin Kaset or making videos for Fanny’s House of Music showcasing various guitars. She can definitely shred when she wants to. Writing funny songs isn’t a lack of talent, it’s just an escape in a different way. As stated in the album credits, “It’s funny, but it’s not a joke.”

Dave Paulson is mostly known for his previous projects NORM, The Privates and My So-Called Band (the 90’s tribute band) but his latest album is something entirely different. While still firmly planted in the pop rock realm that he does so well, this album is a concept record inspired by ‘Tommy Boy’, the 1995 comedy starring Chris Farley and David Spade.

At first blush, that may seem like a ridiculous concept for a record (and it is) but Paulson managed to write a handful of incredibly sincere songs that transcend the novelty of it being related to an SNL cult classic film. Regardless of if you have ever seen the movie or not, the lyrical content makes perfect sense as a tale of triumph over adversity. There’s no samples from the film or overt references to the most memorable parts (see: “Fat Guy in a Little Coat”), it’s just a pop record about two people trying to find their place.

So, yea, it’s a bit of a novelty if you know the back story but it’s also just a damn fine pop album beyond that. The website has a song-by-song breakdown of the events being described from the film along with the lyrics. It’s startling how well it works.

There is something decidedly familiar and entirely otherworldly about the track “No More Running” from Eve Maret. Sonically, the single is powered by 80’s keyboard tones and beats that transform into a wash of ambient sound, enveloping the listener. The vocals are run through a vocoder like effect to transform them into something robotic and less than human; a fitting choice for the soundscape it accompanies. Altogether, it feels like a piece that stems from our world but is meant to portray somewhere else. I, for one, am curious to hear more.

In January, Zook posted a track from their forthcoming album Garden Variety. Here we are almost finished with June and there’s still no sign of the album but the band is playing at Fond Object (4th Ave) on July 14th as part of the Cold Lunch Recording “Discovery Night” series and I can only assume they’ll play more from the upcoming release during that set.

There’s a looseness and lightness to “What’s It to You” (and the previously released Carrots EP) that makes it immediately enjoyable. The production makes it feel like a casual performance from an artist just wildly enjoying playing the music. The combination of choral oompa’s and screeching guitar is a surprising delight contrasted with the lounging energy of the rest of the song.

It’s just one song but it’s a helluva preview for something great to come.