The Alt Weekly Roundup (10/10)
Posted: by The Editor
The Alternative Weekly Roundup is a column where our staff plugs a variety of new releases in a concise, streamlined format. Albums, singles, videos, and live sets. Check back each Monday to see what we were jamming the week prior.
Fleshwater – “Kiss the Ladder”
Fleshwater might not be as big as Vein, but don’t call it a side project. “Kiss the Ladder,” the 80-second single from their upcoming debut LP, is as good as anything Vein’s ever done, building on the foundation of ‘90s-indebted alt rock laid down by Fleshwater’s three-song demo tape.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
lys scott – “big shot”
lys scott’s “big shot” finds her digging into a fat beat built off the contrast of the bass hits and the occasional vocal loops on the high end. The hook is strong, but scott’s rhymes in the verse stick out as she unwinds threads, taking you naturally and cleverly through a run of ideas, like “you speak of me / when you speak of devil / full on alchemy is full on metal / I go mental through these dentals / experimental in my vector / in the lab just like dexter / got it cooking in the pot / my skin taste like honey / sweet as nectar” in the second verse. The song is the first off lys scott’s squashed dreams & broken dreams, out October 24 on Crafted Sounds.
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
Origami Angel – Re:turn
Re:turn is the first of two surprise EPs Origami Angel dropped last week, the closer of the two to the duo’s previous material. The pared-back EP is reminiscent in many ways of The Starting Line’s classic Make Yourself at Home EP–both prove that the band doesn’t need overdriven guitars to craft an earworm, and both are home to some of each band’s best material.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
No Plan – No Plan
No Plan is in many ways a throwback to a time in punk over a decade old, conjuring memories of No Idea Records and The Fest in 2008. It’s pop-punk but in a more traditionalist sense, taking inspiration from Pinhead Gunpowder, and the vocalist tries out their best Kid Dynamite impression. It’s following a trajectory that we saw at the turn of the century when hardcore people tried to write something a touch more melodic. So it ends up creating an interesting juxtaposition between aggression and catchiness.
Hugo Reyes | @hvreyes5
Liska – Le Bloom
A fifteen-minute run of crunchy guitars and bubblegum choruses, Liska’s Le Bloom feels like the best kind of sugar rush. Opener “In Or Out,” is a snotty rocker, while “Little Radio” brings in some driving, energetic ’80s synths. Those tracks are followed by the ’90s-inspired “Baby Blue” and the half punk ripper/half riffy early 2k alternative tune, “Eye Candy,” with a guitar warped through a phaser pedal in a way that brings to mind the aesthetics from so many music videos from the turn of the century. The guitars drop out almost entirely for “I Choose Heaven,” a synth pop ballad with the focus on Liska’s vocals as she belts out some grandiose, soaring melodies.
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
Kayleigh Goldsworthy – “I Want to Know (Live at Studio 4)”
It was great to hear more from Kayleigh Goldsworthy earlier this year following a few years of radio silence, so it’s a real treat to have even more music on the way. She’s teasing her upcoming live EP with a tender version of Learning to Be Happy standout “I Want to Know,” and she turns in an absolutely moving vocal performance.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Militarie Gun – “Let Me Be Normal”
Militarie Gun’s handful of EPs (All Roads Lead To The Gun, I and II and My Life Is Over) are some of the most immediate and direct rock music from the past few years. The vocals and guitars walk the line between raw and refined, driven by a tangible and frantic energy from the rhythm section. Last week, the band put out “Let Me Be Normal,” a slightly more melodic tune—not that they avoided catchy hooks on those EPs—and the first of four new songs on an expanded version of All Roads Lead To The Gun out next week. The tune continues the band’s stellar run and should definitely get you excited for the three songs on the way. Militarie Gun also reissued their first three EPs on vinyl through Loma Vista Recordings with the release of “Let Me Be Normal.”
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
Bleed – “Killing Time”
Bleed’s new single, their only release besides last year’s Somebody’s Closer EP, is a real treat. “Killing Time” takes the grungy alt-metal of that EP and supersizes it, and it’s one of the band’s very best songs yet. It’s slated to be re-recorded for a full-length expected next year, and if “Killing Time” is any indication, Bleed’s about to drop a masterpiece.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
The Alternative’s ‘New Music Friday’ playlist
Each week our editor Lindsy Carrasquillo compiles a playlist of songs our staff has been jamming. We’ll post it on Fridays on Twitter and then include it in each edition of the ‘Weekly Roundup’ to make sure you don’t miss all of the great music we’re recommending.
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