Chompsky – Worst Of: A Year In Review: The Chompsky Bedroom Tape Sampler

God bless the weirdos of the world willing to noodle with sounds and experiments in their privacy of their own brains and then share their oddities with the world. 

The six song EP is a lo-fi pop album filled with bizarre guitar sounds, melancholy observations and often baffling edits. It’s a refreshing dose of honest creativity and the self-deprecating title just makes me like it even more. 

Be sure not to miss the accompanying videos as well – they’re an excellent augmentation to the whole project.

Mirror Mirror podcast

I admit it, the new Mirror Mirror podcast has next to nothing to do with the music scene but I can’t help but share new compelling undertakings from the Nashville area. Anything that falls outside of what you think our town should be known for is of interest to me.

Despite that unnecessary caveat, the new podcast features discussions between the hosts, Nashville natives Jesse Harbison and Allison Duke, and a variety of interesting women. The conceit of the show begins with beauty tips and products but the discussions go much further than that.

I may not be the intended audience but I’m very happy to see a quality creation such as this one make its way out into the world. Dive into the first three episodes.

EEZY H – ill colors vol 1

Tagged as psychedelic, hip-hop, lofi beats on Bandcamp is more than enough to grab my attention. This EP from EEZY H is a promising offering of more to come, hopefully a full-length concept album on the horizon.

Adia Victoria “You Know How It Feels”

Gotta give it up to the French for making film rather than just commerce. Case in point, watch this excellent short film on Adia Victoria and her relationship with the arts and how she came to be the artist that she is. It’s a reflective piece that feels more like an actual arts film than it does artists profile.

Karson - ☁

Did you know you can name an album an emoji now? Need proof? Check out the new Karson EP, simply entitled ☁. It’s five songs of laid back instrumentals, grounded in hip-hop style but transcending beyond a simple beat-making exercise. As the title suggests, it’s a floaty affair and should probably be best experienced on a boat or on a beach with your brain sizzling in the sun. 

Future Crib – Stevie B.

There’s something about the final track on Future Crib’s debut, Stevie B., that really struck me. The song, “Draag”, is a bit of anomaly on the album with its 6 minute runtime amongst 3 minute pop songs but it embodies the undercurrent of darkness and melancholy that persists throughout the rest of the album. 

I’ve caught flak for being a little too sincere on this site and writing reviews that are too flourished and praising but damn those criticisms; this is a damn fine indie pop record that rewards on multiple listens. 

Woodsplitter – Egyptian Overload

You may not immediately recognize the name Ben McLeod but if you’re the type that pays attention to Nashville music you’re likely familiar with his main gig… guitarist in All Them Witches. This solo undertaking is billed as an instrumental metal album but that’s selling it entirely too short. While there’s plenty of massive guitar riffs and head splitting double bass drums there’s also a cross pollination with alto sax solos and mellotron interludes. It’s a melding of unexpected styles to say the very least but McLeod manages to make it work, even when the transition is at break neck speed.

Kim Logan - Pseudoscience: Chapter 2

In case you missed it, Kim Logan released the first Chapter of her “second oeuvre” back in December with Pseudoscience: Chapter 1. Before that, in October, she released the video for “Better Way” – which you should really watch at your earliest convenience. All that’s to say, there’s been consistent Kim Logan output as of late and we’ve been missing out on it.  

The latest coupling of songs was produced by Brett Orrison (Black Angels) and pairs Logan’s hard hitting, psych rock style (Better Way) with a soaring introspective number (Western Medication). 

Personally, I prefer Chapter 2 over Chapter 1 but the diversity in styles across the four new songs is a testament to Logan’s prowess as a dynamic performer.

Levi J Miller – C.R.E.A.M.

Fuck off winter, it’s springtime! Summer looms on the horizon. Forget all that dreary bullshit of the past. C.R.E.A.M. is the enlightenment of the future, the fast paced garage rock, madness inducing, sloppy rock and roll, feel good future. 

Scale Model “Other Voices”

Brand new EP from Synth Poppers (yes, I’m calling them that) Scale Model is on the horizon. Four brand new tracks entitled Afterglow will be available on May 12th but, for now, you can indulge in the keyboardy goodness of “Other Voices.” Love those 80′s triggered drums.  

Transylvania Stud – The Red Queen

Despite having written this blog for years now, I’m still pleasantly surprised by the quality and diversity of music coming out of Nashville. The 3-song EP from Transylvania Stud, The Red Queen, is big riff rock inspired by the likes of Kyruss, Failure and Shiner – with a emphasis on the heavier side of things. Let’s hope these tracks are just a peek behind the curtain of a full album, filled with the same spacey rock flourishes and driving energy.