Today, we’re pleased to premiere the video for “Raincoats,” the latest from Atlanta indie band The Head. The track, which was taken from their Millipedes EP, taps into the lineage of gracefully weird Southern college rock, arriving at a sound that’s at once off-handed and elegant, warmly melodic yet just a touch askew. WATCH HERE…
This morning, we’re thrilled to bring you Star-Splitter‘s brand new music video for “Afterglow,” a dreamy electro-pop ballad that’s haunting, hypnotic, and all sorts of catchy. The track is taken from duo’s recently released maxi-single of the same name, which, despite its meager tracklist, has consistently dazzled since dropping back in October. WATCH HERE…
The holidays are quickly approaching and if you haven’t marked off every good girl or boy on your shopping list you might just be freaking out right now. Have no fear, the Chicagoist staff has put together a handy list of inventive gifts that will wow every recipient on your list.
For Your Entire Holiday Card List
Still haven’t gotten around to this year’s holiday cards? Why not send a unique seasons greeting designed by a local artist instead of grabbing whatever’s left on the shelf at Walgreens. Chicago-based illustrator Jacob Elijah has designed a new line of twisted holiday cards called Oddly Greeted, and if you enjoy reading our site, these cards are probably right up your alley. There’s a skull and crossbones card made up of cookies and candy canes, a gingerbread man coup, a snowman losing his snowballs and more. A little snark, a little dark and all fun, the cards are available in four different packs for purchase. READ MORE…
Check out the visually bizarre video offering from Los Angeles-based artist, producer and engineer Andrew Lynch.
Crave’s latest exclusive premiere comes by way of nav/attack, the synth-driven art-pop project of Los Angeles-based artist, producer and engineer Andrew Lynch. nav/attack has released its self-titled debut,via Dangerbird Records, hitting the ground running with a positively wild video experience.
According to Lynch, the nav/attack moniker is derived from an ’80s “War Games-esque” software that uses a computer to locate a specific target and relay information back to its human counterpart. To avoid misunderstandings with a computer, you must learn its language. Written, recorded, produced and performed by Andrew Lynch, nav/attack’s self-titled debut LP is a “trip through the post-Computer Age, where each technological stream flows intravenously into the larger consciousness. Piano, trumpet, drums and bass are invaded by drum machines, computer speech, vocoders and vintage samplers.”
“Factory Life” starts with a cymbal processed by a Moog ring modulator,” Lynch explains. “It’s joined by a beat made with a phone and a melody from a plastic music machine of the 80’s. It sounds like an anxiety factory. The process of recording “Factory Life” started pretty unceremoniously. I didn’t have anything, I was just testing out a new microphone on my piano. I got set up and starting improvising and out came the low piano “bass line” that starts the song. The next layers were a drum machine beat from my iPhone and a rumble from an old Slingerland 28″ bass drum. After layering more electronics, I took it out to Aaron Epinoza’s studio The Ship to record some live drums by my friend Denny Weston, Jr. Later, I asked another pal, Robert Douglas, to add electric bass and he played this beautiful 70’s soul melody—it’s still my favorite element in the song.”
Lynch continues: “The video is only one of six videos I directed myself for the album, so I can’t give away the whole story—you’ll have to watch the other ones to get it all. We’ve already met the evil Dr. Ross Arlen (played by Bram Barouh) in an earlier video, but in this one we get a glimpse into the inner lives (booze, shoes, and cocaine) of The Operators, three women who work for the doctor. Every villain needs assistants who actually make the evil happen. These women have the real power… and fun!” WATCH HERE…
As a long-time fixture of the Atlanta music scene, Jonathan Merenivitch has played the part of the enigmatic frontman (in soul-punks Tendaberry), as well as lending instrumental support to the likes of avant pop act Del Venicci and future-pop giant-in-waiting Janelle Monáe. But of his many projects, Merenivitch seems to have reserved the most time and creative energy for Shepherds, his collaboration with bassist Peter Cauthorn (Mood Rings) and drummer Adrian Switon (Bataille). Although the trio have been offering up their twisted amalgam of post-punk and soul music since 2010, conceptually the band has remained, by and large, Merenivitch’s vision. And nowhere is this more evident and true than on the group’s latest LP, Exit Youth.
Written and recorded over the course of three years, the album traces a dark path, examining the inner turbulence of Merenivitch’s life during a period when he was questioning his decision to devote his life to art and music. Over the course of a dozen sprawling, wide-ranging songs, the band chronicles the small triumphs and bitter defeats, the crappy day jobs and fleeting moments of inspiration, that define the life of a young, aspiring artist.
As a working musician serving under the tutelage of the then blossoming Monáe, Merenivitch had managed to reach a career apex that most artists only dream of obtaining: opening for the legendary Prince at Madison Square Garden. But what should have been a day of triumph crashed to sobering reality when he learned that his car had been repossessed the same evening. Merenivitch calls it a revelatory moment, and it’s just one of the many experiences that’s wound into the DNA of the sweeping Exit Youth. READ MORE…
“Saint Pé: We are not trying to reinvent the wheel. We are just trying to put shiny new rims on it.”
That’s the credo singer and guitarist Ian St. Pé proclaims from stage and in interviews to summate his eponymously named band’s sound. The slogan suits its self-released EP, Secular Music. All four songs are modern garage-punk, livened up by Saint Pé’s sunshiny disposition.
His other saying, “Take two steps back to go five steps forward,” may prove to be apt in the coming years. An equally hungry supporting cast and a positive mental attitude may be the necessary ingredients to propel Saint Pé into the touring stratosphere—a course its namesake conquered from 2004-14 as a guitarist for Atlanta-based hell raisers the Black Lips.
Despite its name, Saint Pé is not a solo venture. Early on, Ian met and bonded with an experienced engineer and capable musician in fellow guitarist Ian McDonald (ex-Turf War). Though both Ians now live in Nashville, three-fifths of the current lineup live in Georgia. The rhythm section of bassist Matt McCalvin (ex-Gringo Star, Paralyzer) and drummer John Restivo Jr. (Concord America) are Atlantans, with Athens-based keyboardist John Watkins (Dead Confederate) rounding out the current lineup. Myspace recently talked to Ian Saint Pé about leaving Black lips and starting a new project. READ MORE…