Nicole Atkins - “Girl You Look Amazing”

 

Nicole Atkins debuted her new single, “Girl You Look Amazing” this week.  The track is from her upcoming album, Slow Phaser.  The album is scheduled for release on February 4 via her own Oh’ Mercy! imprint.  Slow Phaser is on a short list of upcoming albums I’m looking forward to.  

Nicole had this to say of the song; "This song actually came to me in a dream. It was being played in a big dance club and David Byrne was singing it. I woke up and recorded it into my phone. It took a while to figure out what "girl you look amazing," could mean as I've never been one to be that positive. So I wrote it about a girl who is the last one to shut the party down. Who's life is just an absolute mess. She might look amazing but she misses all the real things that used to make her happy." 

About Slow Phaser: A neon noir tour de force of hi-def late-night pop, Slow Phaser marks Nicole Atkins’ most ingenious and indelibly modern collection to date. Produced by Tore Johannson – with whom she partnered on her now-classic 2007 debut, Neptune City – the album is a milestone for the acclaimed singer/songwriter, her restless creativity fully realized via the addition of some surprising colors to her already diverse paintbox. Songs like the poptastic “Girl You Look Amazing” and the sultry “Red Ropes” positively swirl with day-glo danceability, the bright hues setting Atkins’ distinctive creative voice in a brilliant and undeniable new light. Bittersweet yet life affirming, Slow Phaser is Nicole Atkins at her confident and unpredictable best – spirited, sexy, and determinedly forward thinking.

Upcoming: Indyns at Pianos on 12/16

Indyns

Dear Criminals / The Headlocks

Monday, December 16

Pianos 

(in the Upstairs Lounge)

158 Ludlow Street

New York, NY

Doors: 7PM / Show: 8PM

Free

21+

Check out “How Did We Get From Sex To Gambling” below.  The track is from their upcoming record Teen Night which is scheduled for an early 2014 release.  

Singer Billy Muncy's (vocals/guitar/synths) vocals on the track are raw and charismatic as his voice haunts and resonates throughout. With the combination of Ron Boling (Bass/synths/beats), their impeccable songwriting is laced with gorgeous synths and scratchy harmonies that fit perfectly within each other.

Night Panther - “Queen Bitch”

Check out “Queen Bitch” from Night Panther.  The track (no, not the Bowie song of the same name) comes from their album Night Panther which was released at the end of July.  

"Sex Pop" trio Night Panther is offering an exclusive download of their track "Queen Bitch" on ARTISTdirect! The song was released on their self-titled album, which has taken the tastemaker scene by storm. Recorded by lead singer Farzad Houshiarnejad, Night Panther's debut album dropped on July 30th of this year. The Philadelphia trio shares a love for Freddie Mercury's harmonies, early 80's pop melodies and synthesizers, and the heavy drum and bass grooves of the late 70's NYC disco era. 

In the summer of 2012, best friends Farzad Houshiarnejad (keyboards, vocals), Michael Cammarata (bass), and Christopher Radwanski (guitar, keyboard) formed Night Panther. While lust and heartache are the inspiring byproducts of their creativity, there stands no room for despair sonically. It takes a few listens through their debut LP to realize they wear their hearts discernibly on their sleeves. Disguised as a glamorous synth-pop group, Night Panther strays the listener from dramatic and heavy themes, to late night carousing and sexual innuendoes. 

Pravada - “Someone Else”

Pravada released a video for their song, “Someone Else”.  The track is from their album, Dirty Looks, which was released this past November.  Check out the clip below.

“Someone Else,” evokes elements of The Cars and The Faint. The piece masterfully interweaves staccato guitar licks with a danceable beat, brought to life by Lee's deliciously sweet, yet distorted vocals. A spiral of guitars, drum and bass provide the song with an over-the-edge punch as Lee’s voice accumulates a raw indie rock power and emotion. The video proves to be a real page turner with mystery and suspicion around every corner. A case of a cop gone bad, using criminals for his own gain, “Someone Else,” will instantly draw your attention.

 

Pravada is the musical creation of Jesse Lee (vocals, guitar), Casey Tennis (drums, keyboards), and Hubert Glover (horns, bass). The trio had spent the earlier half of the 2000s playing in Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s before branching out on their own with Pravada. Unleashing their newest effort, Dirty Looks, just last week, the gorgeous record is filled with 10 electrifying and glorious songs that will stop you dead in your tracks.  The record is a vibrant burst of electric melodies alongside an enthusiastic rhythm section. Jesse Lee's voice switches between smokey and gorgeous and raw and boisterous, creating an intriguing combination. 

Beck Teams Up With Warby Parker

Beck has collaborated with Warby Parker for a pair of limited edition frames.  The Beck frames have been dubbed the “Carmichael” and like all Warby Parker frames, start at $95.  So, basically, you can achieve the look above with the help of these reasonably priced frames.  

The collaboration is a celebration, so to speak, of Beck’s Song Reader project.  Check out the frames below and for more information, visit the Warby Parker site.

Upcoming: Snowmine To Play Brooklyn + New Album

Brooklyn based Snowmine will be taking the stage at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Thursday, December 12.  See below for full details.  

In other news, the band is scheduled to release their album Dialects on February 4 via their own Mystery Buildings imprint.

Snowmine

Thursday, December 12

Music Hall of Williamsburg

66 North 6th Street

Brooklyn, NY

Doors: 8PM / Show: 9PM

Tickets: $15

18+

...the new album captures a panoramic ambience highlighted by warm synths and 60's sounding orchestral motifs.  Many of the album's elements were recorded in a church (a choir, strings, woodwinds, and synths), capturing some real stereo reverbs and giving the album a tangible, tactile quality. 

Bennett Jackson & the Ranch Hands To Play Hill Country on 12/13

This is happening!

Bennett Jackson & the Ranch Hands

Friday, December 13

Hill Country

30 W 26th Street

New York, NY

10PM

No Cover

Those Darlins - "In The Wilderness"

Nashville based Those Darlins recently released a video for their song “In The Wilderness”.  The track is from their latest album Blur The Line.  The clip was directed by Veta&Theo and can be seen below. For those keen to see the band live, they are on tour...see dates at the end of the post.

In addition to the new video, they’ve also released “In The Wilderness b/w Blur The Line” on 7” vinyl.  The latter of which appears as a hidden track on the CD and MP3 versions of Blur The Line, but can only be heard on vinyl on the 7".


Tour Dates

December

• 12/06 – Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree Café 
• 12/07 – Memphis, TN @ Hi Tone Café 
• 12/12 – Asheville, NC @ Emerald Lounge 
• 12/13 – Charlotte, NC @ Snug Harbor 
• 12/14 – Columbia, SC @ New Brookland Tavern 
• 12/20 – Nashville, TN @ Stone Fox 
• 12/21 – Knoxville, TN @ Pilot Light 

January 

• 1/17 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl 
• 1/18 – Chattanooga, TN @ JJ's Bohemia 
• 1/28 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon 
• 1/29 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa 
• 1/30 – Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald's 
• 1/31 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada 

February

• 2/01 – Little Rock, AR @ Stickyz Rock N' Roll Chicken Shack 

If I Dropped By... with Nytyly

Today, we hypothetically drop by the home of audio visual performing artist Nytyly (pronounced nightly).  I was recently turned onto her music and liked what I heard.  So, with an upcoming FREE show at The Delancey on Wednesday, December 11 (doors at 11:45PM / show at Midnight), it seemed like a perfect time to 'drop by' for a visit with Nytyly. 

Quirky NY Chick (QNYC): ... and brought a friend who didn't know your music, what song of yours would you play for them and why?

Nytyly: Thank you for hypothetically coming over (: I appreciate it. Love me some music loving house guests! 

Currently "Legs ' r '$hakin"  - a good place to start. It's got electronics which is very 2013, this way I appear hip to the groove. You know, despite the washy reverb doubled up vocal thing.

My friend Nate Terepka from the band Zula says "reverb is auto-tune for hipsters".  

Absolutely true, lol. 

Only my self accepting hipster aspect really shines forth in this track. The tuning of the guitar is bit-off, but that makes it sort of special. Like a misshapen shadow that looks beautiful for some reason. And I also appreciate the occurrence of a 1980's electronic breakdown section which reminds me of a Barbie Workout video I used to exercise to as an awkward duckling (Jennifer Love Hewitt was the dance instructor). 

The track means a lot to me. I wrote and produced it.  It has an unconventional structure and a very strangely enticing logic to it.  Maybe because of the odd tuning and the strict adherence to sparse instrument ion. It is just guitar, drum and vocal + one sample.

Limitation necessitates ingenuity and creativity. 

This song marks this big break through where I realized that songs are meant to be simple. The complexity comes from simplifying and simplifying.  That mindset carried over into my LIFE. It changed my being entirely. That and regular prayer, lol. (: 

At any rate, it is a spiritually energizing and unique pop tune. 

Thank you for metaphorically visiting me lol, come again soon! 

MammaBear - “Red’s Dead”

Atlanta’s MammaBear released their first album, Vol. 1 “Birds of Paradise”  earlier this year.  Check out their video for the single “Red’s Dead”, below.  The album has that lo-fi, retro, fuzz and jangle tinged garage rock sound that makes you feel like you should be crammed into some small, dark, dank, smelly, sticky floored club while listening to it. 

The video was directed by Patrick Davis, George Dunlap and frontman Kyle Gordon. Gordon, an Atlanta songwriter for ten years now, feels age both gently leading him by the hand and also dragging him along, kicking and screaming. When he isn’t busy learning from his past, he’s lamenting falling back into self-destructive patterns. Themes of attempted growth, the desire to settle down, and asking whether this is, indeed, as good as it gets, permeate the self-titled debut of Gordon’s new act MammaBear. 

After years of navigating the politics of working with other musicians, Gordon finally set out on his own, playing each instrument to achieve a more accurate representation of his vision. “I wanted to make a record by myself,” he admits, “the way I wanted to make it, the way I wanted to hear it. I didn’t have to ask anyone’s permission or try to coax or explain my ideas in the hopes that they would be understood or used.”  

MammaBear is a back-to-basics, reverb-heavy pop constellation that harkens to the “wall of sound” era of recording. The songs range from aggressive and messy (“Rodents,” “Something to Say to You”) to melodic and airy (“Birds of Paradise,” “Raven Falls”), but the common thread is a simple pop sensibility, interpreted through classic instruments and recorded through vintage means. 

Although conceived as a one-man band with studio-only aspirations, MammaBear is now a band being primed by Gordon for upcoming shows to promote the release. “I was originally just going to put out a new volume every year or so,” explains Gordon, “but what has started out as a studio project has evolved into a real, tangible band.” Along with a new album and a new band, Gordon is also launching a new independent record label called No Ego Records.