New Tune Tuesday (6/9/15)
–Written by Kevin Madert
The Front Bottoms – West Virginia
A surprise single from one of my favorite bands is the stuff Tuesdays are made of. “West Virginia” is The Front Bottoms in quintessence: one part catchy, straightforward instrumentation, one part complex & quirky – yet equally catchy – lyrics, coalesced into a faux-lo-fi package and thrown at you with every ounce of emotive heft lead singer Brian Sella and company can push through their mics and amps. Like much of TFB’s catalog, the wordsmithery on display here is relatable in overarching emotional brushstrokes rather than specifics. You may never have experienced a conversation like the one Sella opens this song with (“Is it raining where you are? / The only thing I could think to ask. / But nothing ever hurt so bad / as the ‘no’ that you said back”) but dammit if those lines don’t hit you in the chest like a two-ton weight. You can download the new tune for free by joining The Front Bottoms Motorcycle Club on the band’s official site. The music video is a perfect visual compliment; you can see it below.
Bogtrotter – Dark Matter EP
I missed this gem last week – blame three nights of Bassnectar in Colorado for that one – but it’s good enough to warrant mention today. The latest effort from Bogtrotter (often stylized BogTroTTer) finds the producer deeply entrenched in his self-described “swampstep” subgenre. The squelching neuro-bass is most akin to mid-tempo Tipper, but generalized comparisons do the Minnesota native’s cerebral sound somewhat of a disservice. “Dark Matter” melds dub atmospherics and wonky glitch segments to form something entirely other, making it a stand-out on the EP for this reviewer. The remaining four tracks don’t slouch either; you can check them all out below and/or purchase them from the Additech store.
Parkway Drive – Vice Grip
We already covered this one yesterday, but it’s so wünderbar we decided to give it the double treatment. The huge-room metalcore sound and mixture of clean/screamed vocals aren’t news to fans of the group, but sometimes more of the same is just fine – especially when you’ve crafted a formula that works this well. “Vice Grip” has us damn excited for the group’s newest album, Ire, due out September 25 via Epitaph.
Four Year Strong – Four Year Strong
This is another one we missed that’s more than worthy of a late mention. The Worcester easycore boys decided to cut it down to the basics for their fifth full-length. In the words of vocalist/guitarist Dan O’Connor, it’s “one of the most raw records” the band has ever made, with “No fancy computer shit…just us playing.” It’s an accurate assessment; the band blasts through the album’s 11-track, 38 minute runtime with calculated abandon, laying down riff after catchy riff and shouting lyrics at high volume in standard FYS fashion. “We All Float Down Here,” is the track I chose to call my “highlight,” but in reality nearly every track on Four Year Strong could lay valid claim to the same position.
Des McMahon & Nixsin – Jupiter Jazz
Closing it out this week is a sultry bass tune from two of our favorite locals. Dreamscape standout Des McMahon and longtime DMV mainstay Nixsin joined forces to conjure “Jupiter Jazz,” a composition deceptive in its simplicity and deadly dangerous in the “mashing the replay button until my fingers bleed” department. A wide-open, key-laced intro gives way to minimal, roiling low end that dominates most of the runtime. The horn section is the real winner here, deployed with restraint as a perfect compliment to the rest of the track’s moving parts. 10/10, would take a 5 minute trip to space again.