New Tune Tuesday (1/20/15)

Posted by admin on Jan 20, 2015 in Featured, Latest, New Tune Tuesday, Noise | 0 comments

–Written by Kevin Madert

Dreamt – Perpetrators (Wessanders Remix)

It’s often said the only guarantees in life are death and taxes. I’d like to petition the powers that be to add a third clause to that cliché: “Wessanders putting out quality music.” The Boston native is back again with another massive rework, convalescing several styles into a smorgasbord of delicious, deep bass music. He builds the track slow and steady, utilizing the original track’s instrumentation and vocals to compliment his augmentations rather than as a way to get from point A to point B. Once he’s eased you in, the wave breaks and the drop cascades around you, subtle in sonics yet sweeping in scope. There are a myriad of minor things going on beneath the main thrust of the track that tell me Wessanders is a hell of a producer – something I already knew, but don’t mind being reminded of – and if you’re like me your cursor will be hovered over the repeat button long before the final notes pulsate into the ether.

Above & Beyond – We Are All We Need

They’re not reinventing the wheel, but damn are they good at manufacturing them; Jono, Tony and Paavo (together, Above & Beyond) have finally delivered the long-awaited follow-up to 2011’s genre-defining Group Therapy. While We Are All We Need doesn’t hit home quite in the same way – and let’s be honest, how could it? – it’s still a solid collection of vocal trance and progressive tracks. WAAWN features familiar contributors on some of its best songs; “Sticky Fingers” is a dark, electro-tinged number with vocals from Alex Vargas, and it’s hard to pick my favorite vocal contribution from longtime collaborator Zoe Johnston, although the title track is an especially emotional one. Most importantly, there’s surprisingly little filler for a 16 track steady-beat album, and one playthrough has me itching for my second. While A&B didn’t go out on any crazy, experimental limbs on this album, they succeeded in adding another high-quality piece of work to their already impressive catalog.

AltFreq Weekly Planner (1/18-1/21)

Posted by admin on Jan 18, 2015 in Featured, Latest, Noise | 0 comments

–Written by Kevin Madert

It’s nearly impossible to keep track of all the events going on in the area, so we’re here to let you know what’s happening in live music over the next few days. Watch out on Thursdays for the “Weekend Planner” where we’ll cover the most important 72 hours of the week.

News: Grateful Dead “Core Four” Announce 50th Anniversary Celebration Details

Posted by admin on Jan 16, 2015 in Latest, News, Reads | 0 comments

–Written by Kevin Madert

Fifty years ago, a group of teenagers from California started a band called The Warlocks. After playing only a smattering of shows (including their very first one at a pizza parlor) they changed their name to the Grateful Dead, and…well, you know the rest. Now, after months of swirling rumors, the details of the group’s half-century anniversary celebration have finally solidified. The “Core Four” (guitarist/vocalist Bob Weir, bassist/vocalist Phil Lesh, and percussionists Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart) will play together one last time for three nights over July 4th weekend at Chicago’s Soldier Field. Appropriately enough, this is the last venue the original lineup played before the death of longtime vocalist/guitarist Jerry Garcia.

News: Dark Star Jubilee Releases Lineup For Fourth Annual Festival

Posted by admin on Jan 16, 2015 in Latest, News, Reads | 0 comments

–Written by Kevin Madert

Those in the loop already knew Dark Star Jubilee will bring a few thousand revelers to the dead center of Ohio for a weekend of continuing the Grateful Dead experience. As of today, we now know who we’ll be gathering to see. The fourth annual Jubilee – put on by All Good Presents and the Jubilee’s curators, Dark Star Orchestra – is slated for Memorial Day Weekend (May 22-24), and will feature as always three nights of extended headlining sets from DSO. In addition, attendees will enjoy performances from Railroad Earth, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, The Jeff Austin Band, and Keller & The Keels, among many others.

The festival’s unique setup at Legend Valley – a gently sloping natural amphitheater with quality acoustics and sightlines – allows for a highly intimate atmosphere. With camping included, no overlapping sets, and an array of vending and extracurricular options (from experience, I highly recommend one of the early-morning yoga sessions) DSJ is looking to be the steal of the summer. You can purchase early bird tickets here and keep up on all the latest information on the festival’s official site. See you at the Jubilee!

Dark Star Jubilee Initial 2015 Lineup

3 Nights of Dark Star Orchestra
Los Lobos
Railroad Earth
Robert Randolph & The Family Band
Peter Rowan
Keller & The Keels
Steep Canyon Rangers
Melvin Seals & JGB
Jeff Austin Band
The Weight
Kung Fu
The Nth Power
Moonalice
Mattson/Barraco & Friends
Owsley County
The Ark Band
Matt Reynolds
(more to be announced)

AltFreq Weekend Planner (1/15-1/17)

Posted by admin on Jan 15, 2015 in Featured, Latest, Noise | 0 comments

–Written by Kevin Madert

It’s nearly impossible to keep track of all the events going on in the area, so we’re here to let you know what’s happening in live music over the next few days. Watch out on Sundays for our “Weekly Planner,” where we’ll cover the remaining four days of the week.

News: Counterpoint Releases Diverse 2015 Lineup

Posted by admin on Jan 15, 2015 in Latest, News, Reads | 0 comments

–Written by Kevin Madert

Summer festival lineup announcement season (SFLAS?) is in full swing, and today MCP Presents-run Counterpoint jumped into the conversation with a big ol’ splash. The festival – now in its third year and slated to take place May 22-24 in Kingston Downs, Georgia – has always managed to strike a decent balance between a DJ-driven lineup and a band-based one. This year, they may have concocted the perfect storm.

The lineup is populated from top to bottom by live acts like Widespread Panic, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, and Papadosio, with DJs big (Zedd, Dillon Francis) and slightly less big (Cherub, Gorgon City) filling out the bill. As if to highlight the festival’s marriage of the two, there are a smattering of live electronic acts like the trip-hoppy Emancipator Ensemble and South African swing-house duo Goldfish. Bonus points: the “Summer Vibes Stage,” – Tipper and Ott alone are enough to get me on board and headed to the South come Memorial Day. Check out the full lineup below, and head to the Counterpoint website for tickets and all other pertinent information.

News: The Prodigy Give Details On New Album, Drop First Single “Nasty”

Posted by admin on Jan 14, 2015 in Latest, News, Noise, Reads | 0 comments

–Written by Kevin Madert

It’s been nearly six years since UK-based electro-punk outfit The Prodigy’s last full-length Invaders Must Die, and the hype surrounding a follow-up ramped up considerably in the last few months as the group teased the idea of new material. On Monday the wait ended as the group announced The Day Is My Enemy, set for a March 30 release via the band’s label, Take Me to the Hospital. Via The Guardian:

“Along with details of the album’s release came a statement describing the band’s apocalyptic setting for their sixth LP, describing “drones and chaos” and “a subverted militaristic snare, a distorted break, a glitched dub attack, a Middle Eastern refrain, a cacophony of in-car dissonance, a symphony of random noise soundtracking life at the edge of the night.”

New Tune Tuesday (1/13/15)

Posted by admin on Jan 13, 2015 in Featured, Latest, New Tune Tuesday, Noise | 0 comments

–Written by Kevin Madert

Jax From The Future – 3015

Many of us spend large portions of our lives worrying about “the future,” – this intangible period of time that’s consistently laid out before us but impossible to lay our hands on. Then there are those of us who possess such innate talent and tastemaking ability that such fears are rendered irrelevant. Friend of the blog Jax From The Future falls into the latter category, and his newest tune “3015” showcases not only his production range but his desire to dive headfirst into the unknown, leading the charge rather than waiting for another artist to pave the way. The four-minute tune traverses a taut tightrope, balancing the structural framework of future bass against subtle but present deep house stylings. The lengthy intro sees Jax testing out his MIDI drum prowess (a skill he’s recently added to his live arsenal), altering the feel of the tune multiple times without making any drastic shifts in tempo. By the time the drop kicks in with those quasi-upbeat, shuffling synths (think Two Fresh with darker intentions) you’re immersed in the sonic realm of the song, something he has a nifty knack for accomplishing. Because he calls home the place many of us fear, Jax From The Future gives us novel and forward-thinking music by default – a feat that finds bloggers like myself counting the days until his next release.

Frequencies of 2014: Mix

Posted by admin on Dec 31, 2014 in Featured, Frequencies of 2014, Latest, Noise | 0 comments

–Words and list by Kevin Madert

This is another installment in the “Frequencies of” series. The music that got to me most in 2014 – that got my head nodding, that sent goosebumps prickling across my skin, that had me screaming at the top of my lungs – placed in a handful of semi-specific categories (for organizational purposes more than anything else). Am I telling you these are the best things released all year? Certainly not. Am I telling you they’re all great, and suggesting you check them out in order to grasp a more complete picture of the year in music? Absolutely.

Phaeleh – Slumber Sessions

Recorded as an installment in I-D’s “Slumber Sessions” series, this mix exists not only as a hauntingly beautiful piece of art but also as an ambient background piece, intended to be listened to as one zones out and drifts off to sleep. Phaeleh, as a master of such sounds, constructs an eclectic and meandering mix, often comprised of wholly ambient tracks and dipping at times into little more than droning notes and hushed sound effects. In his own words, “in some ways you can think of it as a soundtrack to a dream…I wanted it to be able to exist in the background, without focus, whilst at the same time having elements of detail and beauty scattered amongst the layers of sound unraveling as the mix progresses.” In the process, he created perhaps the best mix of 2014 – a definite must-hear.

Frequencies of 2014: Hip-Hop

Posted by admin on Dec 28, 2014 in Featured, Frequencies of 2014, Latest, Noise, Uncategorized | 0 comments

–Words and list by Kevin Madert

This is another installment in the “Frequencies of” series. The music that got to me most in 2014 – that got my head nodding, that sent goosebumps prickling across my skin, that had me screaming at the top of my lungs – placed in a handful of semi-specific categories (for organizational purposes more than anything else). Am I telling you these are the best things released all year? Certainly not. Am I telling you they’re all great, and suggesting you check them out in order to grasp a more complete picture of the year in music? Absolutely.

Atmosphere – Southsiders

Atmosphere – aka rapper Slug on vocals and producer/DJ Ant on everything else – has always managed to stay both relevant to their fanbase and true to themselves throughout their twenty-plus year career. On Southsiders, their latest, Slug is even more mature than when we last heard him on The Family Sign in 2011. He raps about topics ranging from his marriage (“Fortunate,” & “My Lady Got Two Men”), to a eulogy for former Rhymesayers artist Eyedea (“Flicker”), all backed by restrained but raw beats courtesy of Ant. Between this album and their rigorous touring schedule – I was able to catch the Minnesota twosome on their recent North of Hell tour and couldn’t have been more impressed – it’s a safe bet Atmosphere will remain a force in the underground hip-hop community for many years to come.

Grieves – Winter & The Wolves

It’s no surprise two of the best hip-hop offerings of the year are Rhymesayers products. Grieves (real name Benjamin Laub) drew a fair bit of comparison to Macklemore upon the release of his fourth full-length, Winter and the Wolves, but the similarities extend about as far as their shared home of Seattle and the similar color of their skin; neither of which have any bearing on the quality or sonic components of their music. Laub has often been a serious guy, crafting morose tracks and telling tales of childhood struggles and emotional loss, and WatW is often about as bleak as it gets. While these tunes are admirable, it’s when he breaks from this mold and gets more optimistic that things really get interesting – the playful “Whoa is Me,” and the Slug collaboration “Astronauts,” are two stand-outs in this category.

People Under The Stairs – 12 Step Program

Imagine a day of channel surfing soundtracked by head-nodding alt-hip-hop, and you’ve got a rough idea of the structure and sound of People Under The Stairs’ latest effort, 12 Step Program. Complete with sampled television interludes and growls of manufactured static between (and sometimes during) many tracks, it’s a concept album sonically rather than thematically. PUTS have always been stellar storytellers, and that quality is prominent here too – “Pictures On My Wall” and the appropriately named “Cool Story Bro,” are just a few of the best-spun yarns. All in all, it’s another quality album from an established group with a career full of them.

Pharoahe Monch – PTSD

Pharoahe Monch is one smart dude. The NYC-based rapper finds himself most at home crafting intricately layered rhymes within thoughtful tracks compiled into unique conceptual albums, and that’s where we find him on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Envisioned as a follow-up to his previous LP W.A.R. (We Are Renegades), Monch’s razor-sharp tongue chronicles the path of a war veteran returning home and dealing with the condition from which the album draws its name. The duality is in the details, as the album is also a metaphor for Monch’s own path as a newly independent artist. If you enjoy your hip-hop with a healthy dose of contemplation, this album is well worth your time.

Sage Francis – Copper Gone

Über-smart alt-hip-hopper Sage Francis returns from a four-year hiatus with Copper Gone, his sixth full-length offering. From the seething verses and powerful backbeat of opening track “Pressure Cooker,” the indie-rock feel of his previous LP Li(f)e is long gone, replaced by the more familiar vitriol and sense of urgent honesty. It’s a pleasant return to former stylings because it’s a successful one; it feels as if this is the album Francis was itching to make all throughout his hiatus, releasing all the energy he’d contained in that time into a taut, pointed final product.

Logic – Under Pressure

This local legend turned international rap star (he calls Gaithersburg home) has released plenty of unofficial mixtapes in the past few years, which have played a large role in his ascension to wider prominence. But it’s this debut LP that most fans were really waiting for, and it doesn’t disappoint; the often autobiographical style of Logic’s work is on full display on Under Pressure, making for a real and relatable collection of songs. His storytelling prowess is complimented by his undeniable flow – look no further than the nine-minute title track for proof of that.

Flying Lotus – You’re Dead!

What can I say about Flying Lotus that hasn’t already been shouted across rooftops the music world over? The electronica/experimental hip-hop/jazz fusion genre-melter has made a career out of combining the oddest influences and harnessing the results into a string of bizarre crossover successes. His fifth studio affair is more of the same, and finds FlyLo at perhaps his most poignant – even though he often says very little at all. The bottom line is this: if you’ve always loved him, you’ll be enamored with You’re Dead! from the get-go. If you’re not a fan, this isn’t going to win you over – it probably isn’t meant to anyway.