The debut full-length album from Adia Victoria, Beyond the Bloodhounds,  is due out May 13th. You can hear the studio version of the song “Dead Eyes†over on Soundcloud but the energy and ferocity is well captured in the live version embedded above.Â
Have you felt the tension around Nashville lately? #NewNashville vs #OldNashville. It’s a real thing and, I promise, it’s not going to stop anytime soon. This article from The East Nashvillian – WTF – is worth a read as it captures the frustrations of Newcomers vs The Established quite well.
The meat of the article surrounds the “controversy†of certain residents of East Nashville wanting to stop the passing trains from sounding their horns as they pass through. The vitriol of the article towards the organizer of this movement is palpable. However, it’s also the biggest pain point of where the article falls apart.Â
It’s an Op Ed piece so a bit of flair and anger is expected, I get that, but there’s a somewhat childish slant to the mud slinging against Houston or LA that undermines the entire piece. Being upset about Nashville’s expedited growth is one thing but stamping your feet because your favorite bar is different now is another thing entirely.
Please don’t get me wrong, the article is filled with sentiments that properly capture the frustrations of the growth. As the article states, this isn’t East Nashville’s first painful growth spurt and it won’t be last but surely there’s a better way to preserve our history, our architecture and our cities vibe than shitting on anyone with a different opinion?
The 1999 album from Phosphene just recently made its way on to Bandcamp and I am highly enjoying the eclectic ride. The album starts with very familiar production values and emo-y post-rock feels but quickly dives deep down a rabbit hole of various alternate styles. You can hear touchstones of Trent Reznor and David Lynch in some of the weirder and industrial songs and something much more ghastly and foreboding in the more ambient undertakings.
I certainly missed this one when it came out 17 years ago but it stands as a fascinating, worthwhile, listen.
Enjoy this first track from Okey Dokey – the collaborative project of Sol Cat guitarist Johny Fisher and bassist Aaron Martin. It’s got a bit of a doo-wop  mixed with bedroom pop psychedelia vibe going on. I look forward to more.
The second full-length from The Lees of Memory is available for pre-order over on PledgeMusic. I can not imagine a scenario in which this album is disappointing, so go ahead and get it.
Did you know repeat repeat has a podcast now in its tenth episode? Well, they do and it’s quite enjoyable. Go give it a listen and then go see them on April 5th at Third and Lindsley.
It’s been a minute since we’ve heard from Bravemaker but, slowly but surely, he’s been releasing some great new songs at a pleasingly trickle pace. The latest, “1234567″, a fuzzed out, rolling-tempo rock song. The choral oohs are undeniable.
Remember when I recently admitted to being totally shocked that some legit Vaporwave was coming out of Murfreesboro? Well, turns out that there’s plenty more where that came from. Ardis Tilson is a man of many projects and Usenet just happens to be his Vaporwave moniker, done in great collaboration with Lauren Croney.Â
To be technically accurate (the best kind), this steers away from purist Vaporwave and mixes in some post-rock and gothic overtures but who’s counting? It’s interesting and worth a listen.
Aaron Robinson has collaborated with Patrick Damphier and Kyle Andrews for this brooding, rather emotionally crushing song. Robinson’s voice has always had an indescribable weight to it but pair it with a song about gun violence and you’ve got some serious oomph. Oddly, they still managed to make the song catchy and enjoyable, despite the heavy subject matter.
Despite my initial enjoyment of their album, Vanishing Ink, I’d never encountered the music video for the lead track “Portrait in Smoke†until recently. It is a mesmerizing montage of vintage clips meshed together into a dreamscape that manages to bring out the best of the frantic energy of the song and the more lulling tones as well. Not an easy accomplishment.
I’m very excited to see the official announcement of the new documentary film from Steve Haruch and Doug Lehmann covering the lifespan of College Radio. There’s not much to report at this time but you can follow along with the production over on Instagram – which I highly recommend.
Naming your band RIFFT will set certain expectations to any potential audience. There better be some guitars and they better be real big. Fortunately, RIFFT delivers on that promise with four tracks of epic proportion. Not only are the guitars big but they span a range of influences: doom metal, space rock, prog and a hint of desert wailing.Â
And, in case you were wondering, yes, there is an 11 minute saga to close out the album called “Demon of the Maddening Night.â€
