Listen/Watch: Wye Oak - "Watching the Waiting"

If there's one thing I've learned following Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak, her projects like Flock of Dimes and Dungeonesse revealed a reverence of pop music that wasn't necessarily as evident in Wye Oak's earlier works. That sort of changed with their previous record Shriek though when Wasner and drummer Andy Stack gave into their impulses and crafted a collection of synth-laden tunes that were undeniably pop-fueled. And so here we are with Wye Oak, taking a stab at what's becoming an increasing trend in the pop sphere: the surprise album. It's a surprise in the true sense of the world with very little hints of new music coming besides the duo booking a new tour.

"Watching the Waiting" is just a taste of their latest effort Tween and is a beguiling step for the band. After going increasingly electronic with Shriek, "Watching the Waiting" populates the sort of folky indie rock the band purveyed as recently as Civilian. And yet, it's by no means a step back for the band or even a dramatic reinvention. "Watching the Waiting" sits comfortably at a sort of center of all the sounds Wye Oak has previously explored while pushing themselves forward through their mix of them. After forgoing guitars completely on Shriek, Wasner brings them back here and are paired with the more electronic elements. Both are offered up with the lightest of touches and presented as more secondary to Wasner's vocals. Which is pretty fair considering Wasner's covering a considering amount of narrative ground here. "I could not have seen myself here in a place I've been before/Seeing everything all as if I can feel enough" Wasner sings and it's surprising how much it parallels the duo's creative journey. But Wasner narrows the lyrics towards describing a sort of out-of-body experience of one's own memories. It's not uncommon to revisit past decisions and mistakes, and Wasner touches on that universality stunningly.



While Wasner offers up a trip down memory lane that borders on the surreal, the video, directed by Michael Patrick O'Leary and Ashley North Compton, explores it completely. Wasner is turned both active participant and observer while Stack commits to the dreaminess of it all and a sort of specter of memory keeps Wasner engaged. It's beautifully shot and definitely feels like a relevant companion tot the song; a helpful tool for digesting "Watching the Waiting" in all its dreamy complexity.

And yet, "Watching the Waiting" is surprisingly easy to digest, Wasner's lyrics doing most of the heavy lifting while the song sits comfortably between universal pop gem and indie rock experimentalism. It's a wonderful way to welcome back the band and one that's a little less of a shock to the system after Shriek and does an exceptional job piquing curiosity for the rest of the record. Thankfully Wye Oak have taken care of that and intrigued listeners can immediately sate that curiosity by downloading and listening to Tween.

Wye Oak's new not-quite-an-album Tween is available digitally now with physical editions slated for release August 5th on Merge Records. You can however purchase one of their 25 limited edition test pressings of Tween here.

Pitstop: Jipetto

As I get more interested in electronic music, it's been a treat to stumble upon more and more artists that are doing really exciting things in the genre. Take Jipetto, the project from Kansas City based producer Max McFarland manages to pair his pretty stellar production skills with forays into soul and funk in a way that seems every bit as legitimate as acts like Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Thundercat.

Releasing his debut full length Waterbed just last week, it's a tightly produced collection of songs that do a very, very good job of both introducing Jipetto as a producer of note while also showing seemingly the best he has to offer. It's a strong debut especially considering he just started releasing music in 2014 and from its very initial moment - the title track "Waterbed", Jipetto is at peak groove. It's a purely digital creation - much to my own amazement but there's no doubting the musicianship involved in its composition. The melodies are memorable, his vocals effective and raw, and most importantly the songs are actually interesting. McFarland's touch is light, the sign of an actually good producer, as he allows his songs to bow and bend with minimal effects. Despite the rising trend in incorporating R&B/hip hop beats for popular appeal by a number of acts that's grown far too considerable to list, McFarland's presents his music with a sense of sincerity that's certainly infectious. Jipetto's songs are masterfully produced, finding just the right balance point between McFarland's inspirations and influences and the sense of originality he has to offer as an electronic producer and the result are songs that are catchy, enjoyable but also exceptionally well crafted.  



  

Jipetto's debut full length record Waterbed is out now. You can stream it now via Jipetto's Soundcloud.

Listen: Sofi Tukker - "Déjà Vu Affair"

photo by Shervin Lainez

I first encountered New York based electronic duo Sofi Tukker during CMJ last year after my nights essentially turned into finding wherever Gilligan Moss were playing for a guaranteed dance party. After catching them at Baby's All Right I made the executive decision to follow right after their set to their set happening at The Living Room's new Brooklyn location. Sofi Tukker happened to be playing when I finally made it over and they were an absolute pleasure.

What essentially separates Sofi Tukker from the pack of dance/electro pop acts is the blend of Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern's inspirations and influences end of creative this electric and eclectic style of music. Sophie's love of bossa nova melds with Tucker's more club-friendly interests and the result are songs that the listener might not necessarily understand like "Drinkee" or "Matadora" which are in Portugese but can still enjoy regardless due to the duo's production. The urge to dance was seemingly key in their live set to the point where the duo would often succumb to it entirely themselves. That sense of enjoyment for the music they're creating carries through.

"Déjà Vu Affair", the fourth single from their upcoming Soft Animals EP, is different than their duo's more immediate past singles. It's sultry and patient, building on Sophie Hawley-Weld's slow and steady guitar chords before reaching peak danceability about halfway through. It's an exercise in patience though making the listener work for the big dance beats when they were offered up so readily before - the trade off however is a greater sense of storytelling as well as offering up a much better display of Hawley-Weld's guitar skills. It's a pretty good indicator that Sofi Tukker have even more tricks up their sleeve than their world music inspired instrumentation, masterful production skills, and cool cast of collaborators and supporters. "Déjà Vu Affair" is  Sofi Tukker asserting their versatility and getting you well and truly warmed up. It's exactly the kind of single to upend your expectations of them and what their upcoming EP will sound like and that's essentially exactly what the duo want. Consider me well and truly pumped for the EP. Luckily there's not too much longer to wait now.




Sofi Tukker's debut Soft Animals EP is out July 8th via Heavyroc Records.

Listen: Tiny Ruins & Hamish Kilgour - "Hurtling Through"

photo by Georgie Craw

Right around the time New Zealand singer/songwriter Hollie Fullbrook aka Tiny Ruins played her first CMJ show in 2013 she connected with Hamish Kilgour of The Clean. Originally sitting in with her for a couple of shows that week, it's a relationship that ultimately ended up being more fruitful than just guest appearances at Fullbrook's NYC shows. Late last they released Hurtling Through, an EP recorded over the better part of a year in between tours.

In terms of Tiny Ruins' previous output, "Hurtling Through" probably most resembles what listeners heard during Fullbrook and Kilgour's initial CMJ pairing in style alone since the two hadn't even worked on the EP's tracks together then. Kilgour's touch is minimal and unobtrusive but hardly frivolous: his percussive embellishments setting Tiny Ruins normal folksy ruminations slightly askew in a way that's certainly refreshing. Also Kilgour's addition of windchimes, tambourine, and jaw harp give the song a delightful amount of color. Fullbrook continues to be impressive form - craft a tale of love and support that's intimate and interesting in its gentle tug of war. Fullbrook has long shown an understanding and appreciation for human nature and how people actually behave that's helped to imbue her songs with a sense of naturalism and that's on display here as Fullbrook explores the very real reaction of when support is offered and not necessarily wanted. In "Hurtling Through" the support given isn't easily accepted and there's a bit of emotional spillover between the would-be helper and the person they feel obliged to help.



Fullbrook's lyrics always seem to be at their peak when she takes a small ephemeral moment or universal truth and expounds upon it (like Brightly Painted One standout "Me At The Museum, You At The Wintergardens"), and that's certainly true of "Hurtling Through". The EP is a wonderful follow up to her previous effort, her sophomore full length Brightly Painted One and "Hurtling Through" is a worthwhile introduction to Fullbrook's collaboration with Hamish Kilgour. A set of 7 strong songs, it certainly bodes well for the next Tiny Ruins full length so here's hoping that's not too far away.

The collaborative Tiny Ruins & Hamish Kilgour Hurtling Through EP is out now and available for purchase via Fullbrook's Bandcamp and available in physical versions via Bella Union in Europe, Spunk! Records in Australia, or Flying Nun in Fullbrook's native New Zealand.

Listen: Conveyor - "What a Low Heart"

Brooklyn based experimental pop quartet Conveyor are a lot of things. They're the aforementioned set of descriptors; they're a band that pushes themselves in everything that they do to make music that interests them and as a result are interesting to the listener. They're the rare band able to find and incorporate the humor in the very process of being a band. Conveyor are the kind of band you miss immediately after the record stops or they leave the stage. Thankfully, the foursome are back to release a new batch off tunes they've been playing for the better part of about three years, even while supporting their previous release Prime, an experimental film score to George Lucas' THX 1138.

"What a Low Heart", the first single from their forthcoming album Ready Not Ready, essentially finds the band picking up where they left off on their self-titled full length debut. The band's at home in their kaleidoscopic bursts of technicolor, and yet, it's not quite the same. On their new record the band set out to create a record that they could play with their usual set up of 2 guitars, bass, and drums, and that might very well be the most impressive thing about "What a Low Heart": that the band can pull the sounds they do out of just these four instruments. They've numerous years of playing together and yet that familiarity has bred experimentation even as the band strives to simplify.




Conveyor's new album Ready Not Ready is out July 22nd on Gold Robot Records. You can pre-order the record now.

Listen/Watch: Sur Back - "Trophy Daughter"

After a fair bit of teasing with previous singles "Jane Eyre" and "Occam's Razor", Jupiter, Florida based one-woman outfit Sur Back has a brand new single out in the form of "Trophy Daughter". And with it, some equally exciting news that her debut record Kitsch, an album she's been promising for at least the past two years, will finally see the light of day next month.

Falling in love with Caroline San's music since she released her debut single "Jane Eyre" back in mid 2014, and even more so after being asked to co-premiere its thrilling music video, "Trophy Daughter" shows that Sans is a highly capable artist capable of beguiling versatility. Unlike "Jane Eyre" with it's complex time signatures, brass samples, and stuttering production, "Trophy Daughter" is all flowing melodies and sighing vocals. Sans has drawn comparisons to her musical idol St. Vincent on pretty much all of her output thus far and it's not hard to see why with her emotive coo, deft guitar work, and art-pop polish but Sans has displayed impressive originality since her debut single and "Trophy Daughter" is no different. Where the "Jane Eyre" video presented a clear, albeit fractured narrative, Sans aims more for striking visuals in her "Trophy Daughter" video; taking a much more passive, cerebral approach than the action-packed viscera of "Jane Eyre".

Sans may have taken different approaches with "Jane Eyre" and "Trophy Daughter" but they're no devoid of similarities: namely in the form of Sans' unconventional narratives, and masterful less-is-more" style of song production/composition. Sans may stack intricately crafted layers on top of each other but never lets her song sound cluttered: they're presented with considerably clarity that highlights instead of obscures the work Sans has put into each song's creation.





Sur Back's much awaited debut EP Kitsch will be out July 1st.

Watch: Matthew Thomas Ross & Kyle Morton - Book of Matches

While Portland folk pop collective Typhoon have more or less been on a hiatus since wrapping up their final White Lighter support tour in 2014. Of course, while the band takes the time to live their life and sow their wild oats, there's been the odd happening here and there: namely Typhoon's 10th Anniversary show, and frontman Kyle Morton playing the occasional show or embarking on various projects like teaming up with for a night of music accompaniment for poet Zachary Schomburg and flying to Iceland for Iceland Airwaves and playing a special set for Sofar Sounds. One such project saw Morton and Matthew Thomas Ross of Neighborhood Films collaborating on a short film called Book of Matches that the duo unveiled back in November of. Originally conceived as a sort of back and forth with Matthew Thomas Ross filming short minute long videos and sending them to Morton to soundtrack, these videos grew into a short film - a series of vignette linked by the beginning concept: "Upon my deathbed the spirit presents me with ten matchsticks. Each match, I am told, will recall a single moment of my life. Watch carefully, she tells me, and strikes the first".

For fans of Typhoon, such a concept isn't too far removed from Morton's usual songwriting subjects: the celebration of life lived and the acceptance of one's mortality but it's also new ground for Typhoon whose life-affirming brand of poignant pop music has largely been used to soundtrack things already made; not quite as collaborative as Morton's work with Matthew Thomas Ross here. The result is a work of beauty both in the presented visuals and in Morton's emotive offerings.



While the work was premiered back in November, the release of the project on one-side 12" limited edition vinyl with a digital download of the short film via Bughunt is as wonderful reason as ever to revisit the work, especially as the band is still in the nascent stages of songwriting for the next record.

You can order Book of Matches now.