I’m a sucker for electronic lo-fi bedroom pop. Yea, that’s right, I’m a sucker for an incredibly specific niche genre. It’s not like I’m saying “I’m a sucker for live music†or “I’m a sucker for keyboards.†My love is real because it is specific.
Sneakerz does a great job of capturing that empty-yet-boomy vocal sound and incorporating plenty of energetic beats juxtaposed against languid fuzzed out guitars. Just how I like it.
Southern Lord announced that they’ll be releasing the collected works of Nashville’s own Asschapel. The 1999-2006 band had a brutally enjoyable discography during their time and now it will be compiled into a double gatefold-LP and accompanying DVD. You can whet your whistle on the offering with this trailer. Look for it Summer 2016.
Let’s get political! Fire up the amps, crank the distortion and lead the charge! Your passive nature will get us nowhere. Scare tactics and lies are overtaking our political landscape and your lack of revolution is part of the problem.
Fuck yea.
Great read in The Tennessean about the live music venue scene. Just another component to keep in mind as Nashville continues to grow.
The fifth installement of JOTA ESE’s Super Dank series continues the lo-fi, chilled out, sample riddled undertaking of previous installments. It’s perfect for a languid afternoon of, presumably, smoking a ton of weed and staring out at the world.
Raunchy Country: Inside the Genre’s History of Comedy and Irreverence
Congratulations to Birdcloud for being featured so heavily in this Rolling Stone piece on the history of Irreverent Country. I’ve often struggled with the words to explain the depth of their music, despite the perceived shallow crassness.
The official full-length from Chill Witch is available for your streaming pleasure. The new undertaking, featuring Joel Mcanulty, is hypnotic, tribal and, dare I say, danceable. However, that’s not to say it’s shallow or throw away. There’s a weight and darkness undercutting many of these songs that gives it a fascinatingly tense edge. For every moment that feels sweet, there’s another that feels foreboding.Â
I suggest starting with “Excel Your Chill†or “Listen to Your Kids†as a taste test but it certainly works best as a top to bottom listen.
There’s always a lot of chatter about #NewNashville, the changing face of our city and a generally pessimistic vibe about the direction Nashville is headed in. Despite that pervasive curmudgeonly attitude, there’s always great people in Nashville. Sure, there’s unbearable singer-songwriters and baristas that give you the stink-eye for ordering a cup of drip coffee but that’s everywhere. Nashville has phenomenal people. Supportive people. Loving people.Â
We lost two of those folks recently and it’s a horrible reminder that no amount of condo’s or restaurants closings has any real bearing on the city when compared to the loss of great people.
I didn’t know Candice Burnside Ferguson or Jim Ridley on a deeply personal level but I feel an profound emptiness hearing that they are gone. The outpouring of love and emotion for the families left behind is warming; both touched and affected so many people in the best way.
The name “We Own This Town†really strikes me at moments like this. WE are the community. WE  are the city. WE, the people, make this place great. I implore you to support the families and remember that Nashville is great because of the people, all of you.
excellent new video from Friendship Commanders featuring a lot of Nashville cemeteries and some black-and-white iphone footage. It works surprisingly well for the upbeat rock fury of the song.
It is worth noting that the grave Buick Audra is standing in front of in the second half of the video belongs to Chris Feinstein. Feinstein was a beloved member of the Nashville music community and contributed to the local band Iodine, among several others. Iodine are a favorite band of Friendship Commanders and they wanted to honor him in this video that explores grief and loss.
Been really impressed with the full-length debut from Murfreesboro’s VampTones. It’s clearly influenced by the likes of surf rock, punk attitudes and high energy pop fury. You know that feeling when the band is furiously tearing through a song and you’re beaming while throwing rock fists? Yea, they do that.
This is an unpopular opinion but I don’t always get Sturgill Simpson. From a helicopter view, I’m a fan of throwback country vibes as the next guy and I’m way into anyone that can modernize the style and make it accessible to new audiences. Even with all that in mind, his previous album just didn’t grab me. It sounded country and talked about far out topics but it always felt flat to my ears. I know, I know! What’s wrong with me!?
His newest endeavor, A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, pushes his style past modernized classic country and integrates a lot of R&B fundamentals; plenty of horns and upbeat undertakings. The Nirvana cover is an “interesting†way to rope in new listeners but, honestly, it sticks out fairly oddly in the flow. I would not be the least bit surprised that, in ten years, we find out some label head or manager really pushed to have that included for marketing efforts.
All of this is to say, my interest in Sturgill Simpson has grown by leaps and bounds with just a single listen of A Sailor’s Guide to Earth and I imagine it will only deepen and solidify with every additional spin.Â
I did not know Jim Ridley, Editor-in-Chief of The Scene, but I have felt his influence all around me in more ways than I could ever count. Many of my friends are journalists that have published under him and learned from his tutelage. The Scene in general has been a phenomenal source of championing Nashville, in no small part to his steadfast work. I am saddened to hear of his passing and my sincerest condolences go out to his family, friends and everyone who had the opportunity to know him. Moreso, Nashville should mourn his loss on the whole, as our city was absolutely made better by his tireless work.
