The ongoing rants of one man out to introduce the world to the tunes that inhabit the space inside of that region known as his mind a collection of the songs that have shaped his day, his Song of the Day.
Drugs and Attics
are a local punk rock act that make music that can be described as brash punk rock with a nice blend of
doo-wop and minor tints of surf rock thrown in to keep things a
little bit more musical at points and I've been following them around
since about last year and they recently just released their debut EP
after getting signed to independent label Creep it Real and I
recently acquired a copy and figure I'd let you guy's know just what
you're getting into when listening to this little group of punks.
So this album is
short....like real short all in all it's 4 songs and about 8 minutes of your day to listen to this record back to front and somehow in all of 4 songs they
managed to express a wide variety of sounds from the decidedly
punkish, “I Got a Bong,” the kind of 50's rock and roll of, “The
Parties Over,” to the Indie jangle rock of, “Don't You See,”
and of course the distortion heavy slow churner of a track, “The
High Life,” you get a surprisingly large amount of variety in
something so short which is actually kind of cool because it seems
like these guy's are very actively trying to be something more than
just a sloppy group of punks making loud music.
Mr. Billy Williams
has a voice that's equal parts rough and gravely as it is
surprisingly soulful and his delivery all throughout this little EP
fleshes each of these songs and shows the largest amount of passion
in, “High Life,” which just carries along quite wonderfully while
also making up about half of the whole EP's run time and is this
hugely full sounding track that really stands out in every great way.
This really is a
cleanly produced selection of tracks that use a variety of interesting
instrumentals from the horns in, “The Parties Over,” and even a
bong in, “I got a Bong,” there's a variety of well put together
tunes that leave you with the feeling that this record is
fucking great.
This EP is an all out assault of killer cuts that
really just kind of leave you wanting to hear more and trust me this
band is well worth hearing more from and if you get the chance their
live show is just spectacular and full of all sorts of other awesomely bad ass tunes that will leave you wondering why they didn't put them out but that said this collection of tunes is just the right blend of tracks they could have put out with each song being the best examples of the sounds they're looking to achieve and performances given that are just flawless and will only continue to feel so listen after listen if you find it at your local record shop FUCKING BUY IT NOW!
(Album May or may not come with complimentary Miller Light that's kind of up to just how things work out for ya but yeah this one instance I actually took the picture myself so...cool)
Being an independent entity with any real lack of journalistic professionalism has it's perks sometimes because I'm not held to a standard that people who actually get paid to do this I can pretty much introduce any piece however I want and excuse me because there's only one way to really start out this piece....
Lawrence FUCKING Kansas' best punk band is back bitches and this brand new batch of tunes is one feedback heavy dose of even more focused and angry rock and roll that's kind of like bad sex over and done with in under 3 minutes and god damn it that's the way I FUCKING LIKE IT!
Form the opening chords of the exceptional, “Spy Hunter,” you can tell that this album has a slightly more musical sound to it compared to their previous self titled 2015 release which was chocked full of very Grungy feedback heavy punk tunes reminiscent of Bleach-Era Nirvana and have instead given us a record that for the majority of it's run time is admittedly a little less heavy than the previous record with, “Spy Hunter,” at points having vocals that kind of remind me of She Wants Revenge in their somber tones and the constant repetition of the line, “What the fuck is real love anyway,” being the perfect fit to it's more down tuned guitar work which is decidedly less punchy than the record before hand and the track, “Wonderful,” has an almost Brit Pop feel to it which I actually kind of really dig because it helps balance out the almost light semi romantic lyrics, “Could you be so wonderful to me,” which is a simple but damn great line and it's barely there run time is something that I'm admittedly a glutton for.
The tracks from this EP really give me a feel that they're trying to expand their sound a bit and it shows because I saw them at the Homegrown Buzz Showcase this year and all the new tracks minus, “On The Radio,” sound completely different from the previous album and in all honesty I can really dig that especially with tracks like, “Spy Hunter,” and, “Wonderful,” being as great as they are this band has put out yet another spectacular release well worth taking note of and chugging a Miller light or 7 to now if you excuse me I think I'm a go grab a few tall boy's and get my drank on to what I shall proclaim as LAWRENCE FUCKING KANSAS' BEST!
(yet another example of my wonderful photography skills at work people)
Also I should probably note that this release is being done one song at a time up until June when all 5 tracks should be available on their Bandcamp Page but if you're impatient and in desperate need of having your mind blown and face melted you can get a physical copy on CD at one of their shows which will most likely be the best decision you'll ever make people.
Run with it are an alternative rock band from right here in Kansas City that I actually discovered after scanning a random Snapchat code they left on the side of a light pole and after a couple of months of seeing constant updates about this upcoming release and the amount of hype that this record was generating for them I decided to actually finally give them a listen because this release actually debuted on iTunes top alternative albums chart at number 66 and got these guy's a record deal which is pretty cool so here's my thoughts on what could possibly be Kansas City's Imagine Dragons.
Actually if I were to give these guy's some credit it'd be that they managed to make a product that has some really good production with each song sounding quite full and at times kind of didn't feel like an independent act with tracks like, “I Need a Light,” feeling like it could be sent to the radio there's a level of quality control that's very admirable and worth giving these guy's credit for, but it's oddly the high level of quality control that's honestly my biggest issue with this EP it's an incredibly safe sounding effort that produces songs that kind of make me feel like they need to be played on the kind of radio station for Midwestern soccer mom's who wore out their Matchbox Twenty CD's and that earlier comparison to Imagine Dragons is a bit more than a comparison because when I was initially trying to outline a review of this piece pretty much every song on here was noted as reminding me of Imagine Dragons to some capacity.
That's not really the worst thing in the world considering that their stylistic similarities to more mainstream modern alternative rock acts gives them an appeal that can reach a bigger audience than some of the other bands I've covered in this showcase segment and some of the tracks on here like, “Don't Waste My Time,” are still some solid tracks in their own right and the track, “One More Fight,” has a pretty bad ass guitar solo to close it out along with this bands vocalist Miguel Carballo actually has a very robust voice that showcases a good amount of inflection and really seems to properly give these songs a kind of faith inspired feel that I'm sure a good amount of people will really grab on to the only issue is I'm not one of those people.
This band is solid as hell but they're also probably the safest most well organized thing I've covered in a very long time and the week plus it's taken me to properly frame that thought just leaves me with a record that I can only really say that if you like Imagine Dragons, X-Ambassadors, or Matchbox Twenty you'll probably dig this band but if you're looking for something unique from this city I'd say look elsewhere for something a little less formulaic.
Here's a link to the bands website for anyone interested in purchasing this ep:
There's quite a few local acts doing their rounds and generating some buzz all around getting spots in various local music events and a band that I've seen come up quite a few times in the various promotions and radio shows around the area that I've seen would be this little act The Styles who just recently put out their self titled debut Ep for free over on their website and since I keep seeing their name keep popping all around I decided to give them a listen and here's what I think.
This band for all intense purposes can best be described as a bit of a throwback to a more 90's post grunge kind of sound that's reminiscent of a Gin Blossoms, early Bush, or Screaming Trees with a vocalist that's reminiscent of Brenton Dean of Holy White Hounds fame and that's not too bad because in songs like, “Teleport,” and, “Get What I want,” this older more grungy but radio appropriate guitar sound they maintain along with a vocalist that kind of eludes a mildly arrogant rock star tone in his singing you get a band that showcases some solid guitar work who know how to craft a catchy tune with the vocals being the only real inconsistency on this EP.
I can't lie these guy's are really solid musicians but their vocalist while being pretty good at points also has moments where he sounds like 2005 called and wanted it's post grungy teenage angst back, and that's ever so evident in the track, “Away From Me,” which is a solid rocker of a tune but the delivery of the line, “Get away from me love,” just had me laughing up a storm and singing along incredibly mockingly and the last track, “Alive,” just kind of limps along with some really good guitar work but not much else.
For a first effort this Ep isn't bad I'd definitely recommend it for people who are more into a more radio rock sound that's very similar to that 90's Grunge scene and in all honesty, “Teleport,” structurally is a fucking bad ass tune and, “Get What I Want,” another serious highlights that showcase the best qualities of each member of this band.
Download EP for Free here: http://www.thestyleskc.com/
After 2 years of toiling and relentless touring Kansas City Breakthrough act The Greeting Committee are back with their newest 6 song collection in the form of Meeting People Is Easy a matured more focused set of killer tracks that really showcase a collective of individuals who are really doing their best to live up to the hype built around It's not all that bad and it's monstrous radio single, “Hands Down,” which I'd honestly hate to say as good as that song is I'm pretty sure if the jaded expressions on their faces when I saw them play it live on black Friday are any indication even they're sick of hearing that song over and over again, and in all honesty you kind of get the feeling of that tiredness of such a breakthrough single in this collection of songs because the only thing that could possibly come close to being yet another, “Hands Down,” didn't even make the record.
Instead what we have is a collection of tunes starting out with a very cool little instrumental piece that kind of is a very piano lead piece that's a little bit of a whirlwind of unusual voice samples, and a small orchestra tuned piano along with a host of what I'd almost assume are wind chimes or something I can't quite put my finger on but this feels like they really wanted to make a bad ass instrumental track like a lot of bands they listened to growing up and it does a good job of framing this work as an already more focused and well put together piece of work and that's before it even hits it's first real song.
After that interesting little introduction we're then greeted by the exceptional, “Naive,” which uses it's first 30 seconds to kind of have this almost 90's indie rock intro before then blasting into that signature dream pop guitar line that this band has really made a thing of and vocalist Addie Sartino busting in with a new found level of confidence and fullness that show's a huge improvement to the muted and lower end production that It's Not all that Bad had and you end up with a track that has a booming chorus and frenetic energy that's for lack of a better term REALLY FUCKING AWESOME and Brandon Yangmi really pulling a spectacular guitar performance. Overall this song is actually the fullest blend of every body really stepping up and showcasing that these kids are really trying to be something.
So with your head a banging they follow that track up with their signature closer in the form of, “She's A Gun,” which in all honesty it's about god damn time they recorded this because they've been refining and performing this song since I saw them at the Homegrown showcase back in 2015 and this recording is really showing that because it just oozes this feeling of being refined and perfected and of course Sartino's delivery of the line, “My Baby's Got a Gun,” is just so god damn infectiously catchy that you'll be singing it out of context all the time I swear this song feels like a mission statement of sorts to show everybody that these kids are more than cheesy teen romance tunes and that they are worth taking seriously as a real band.
The next two tracks, “Someone Else,” and, “Dancing to Nothing at All,” are what I'd say are the experimental cuts that look to practice a more slower paced and in the case of, “Dancing,” an almost jazzy like experiment of using things like Saxophone to really expand this band's sound to something more than a bunch of early 2000s inspired modern indie rock and then it all wraps up very nicely with, “BBC,” which isn't the most stand out cut you'll ever hear but it's a nice down paced rocker of a track that serves as a great closer by being kind of to the point and just kind of ending at a pretty good but abrupt point to help cap off an EP that's done everything and anything it can to distance these guy's from the label of those kids that did that cute teenybopper tune about being young and in love by not including a single ballad on here which I'm all for because while I'll give, “Elise,” the credit of being a very personal song that really does give off some really special vibes it's also for me at least plagued with the vibe that I'm about to have this song pounded into my fucking head.
Yeah I'll say it these guy's have really proven to me personally with this EP that they're worth all the success they've accomplished in such a short time and I whole heatedly feel that they've put out a collection of songs that are 100% good if not excellent and for only being 3 months in to 2017 it almost feels like nothing can really top it so yeah go out and buy a copy if you can because these guy's really have proved themselves here and for the first time I kind of feel this album is really worth starting an actual scoring system for so as the first official EP/Album review of 2017 things are off to a pretty high start.
5/5
Best: Naive and She's A Gun
Worst: I'd be hard pressed to say anything is of any low quality but if I had to....BBC
So occasionally I get reached out by some artist to cover their music and sometimes I actually manage to take the time to give their work a listen and that's the case with this release from local Singer song writer Christ Crabtree with his latest EP a follow up to his 2015 releases Counterfit Heart and Zen the Art of Killing Your Self a quaint little EP called Edge of the Sky.
From the opening title track you're greeted with a very dark and kind of ominous track that is ever so reminiscent of a Ryan Adams that's very focused on trying to express a series of complex emotions over some very simple and stark instrumentals that are often very heavy in acoustic guitar work and reverb heavy electrics in the background that are there to add atmosphere that's very strongly prevalent in the EP's first single the dream pop Easy.
With the opening and Title track you have a tune that's actually quite solidly good in a lot of way's really with it's steady pace and Crabtree most complimentary showcasing of his vocal range this song just moves along at a good pace and has just enough lightness to give things a bit of a groove to help not keep things from feeling too dark or broody once you give the lyrics a listen.
Since a lot of the tracks present on this EP are mostly acoustic lead folkish rockers with the occasional duet featuring a singer called Julie Sternman I'm given a feeling that the music here could work on a more Adult Alternative radio format marketed towards older individuals that are looking for music that is more introspective without being too in your face or overly rocking.
If you're a fan of later day Tom Petty or want a softer Ryan Adams this is a good collection of songs to be listening to especially in the fall because they're some very laid back and introspective tunes that are very approachable for a good variety of listeners and I'm sure upon repeated listens you'll find a tune or two to do the thing for you and for me Edge of the Sky and GFM are my own personal highlights.
If you're interested he'll be performing all of these tracks at his EP release show on November 29th at The Uptwon Arts Bar where you can see him perform all of these songs and a few other he's been working on and of course you can purchase them online that same day and at the show so if you have the time on a Monday night give it a shot the records solid and well worth the listen.
Rachel Mallin and The Wild Type-Degenerate Matters
I've covered this band a few times on this blog already so introductions shouldn't really take to much but for those who haven't heard Rachel Mallin and the Wild type are a 5 piece Indie rock act consisting of bassist Justin Walker, lead vocalist/guitar player/songwriter Rachel Mallin, drummer/back-up vocalist Austin Edmisten, keyboardist Jesse Bartmess, and lead guitarist Matt Kosinski and just recently after months of hard work and a successful Kickstarter they have finished recording their debut EP Degenerate Matters and if you're like me and have spent the past few months seeing these songs form you got to believe the anticipation is FUCKING REAL!
If I were to try and put a description to this bands sound I'd probably say it's like a very melody focused brand of indie rock that is equal parts 60's danceable-jangly-rock along jams with some 90's fuzz thrown in to keep things interesting with a variety of lyrics that are sweet, a little tongue and cheek, and every bit as real as the people performing them.
Degenerate Matters starts out with one fucking doozy of a track White Girls which has a kind of a doo-wop and surf rock sound to it that's filled with plenty of hand claps and tempo changes to keep the listener interested and wanting to groove along to it's very summery tone and Rachel Mallins almost hypnotic vocal delivery that is so damn chilling that you will find yourself almost distracted you from it's rather snide lyrics.
Starting with the almost venomous, “there's a special place in Hell for girls like you, who go out on weekends and prey upon weak men who have a girl,” to it's constant uttering of, “I can't compete with these filthy white girls,” that I'll personally change to FUCKING white girls which is going a bit off track but that's just me, as well as the constant repetition of the phrase, “God Save the White Girls,” give it a very kind of fuck you vibe that's almost like a statement about society as much as it is a means of acting as a perfect counterbalance to it's dreamy instrumentals before the track decides to just build up to a final minute where Rachel just delivers one intensely satisfying final verse that she just fucking belts out in such a way that will leave you screaming along as you find yourself blasting it out of your radio and it's especially potent when done live.
It's also quite satisfying that this song is actually starting to breaking on radio in the Kansas City area even if it's courting some awkward controversy that is neither here nor there when talking about one breakthrough of a single.
Afterwards we're treated to the very shoe-gaze 90's sounding feedback heavy tune and the records hype track with Dropout a track that came out late last year and is still as awesome as the first time I remember hearing it in their Kickstarter promo video.
It's an almost autobiographical track about leaving college to go do more fulfilling things with yourself and the way's people seem to react to such a decision. This song is just filled with plenty of parts to clap along to, some super fuzzy guitar tones, various tempo changes to make you think twice about when to keep clapping along, and plenty of strongly delivered verses that all around really do highlight what is just a damn great track through and through, and it's a track that often serves as the closer to their live shows.
Whenever I'm listening to this track it sounds a lot like it needs to be used as the background music for the opening shot of the best god damn low budget independent movie you've ever seen.
So after a bad ass kind of surf rock track and an equally awesome fuzzy almost shoe-gaze indie track what could we possibly have next? Well Cash 4 Gold is a track that I can only really describe as probably the most adorably cheery thing I think I've heard in a while. For real it has an almost sing along the campfire feel with Mallin and Edmisten sharing vocal duties very well along a variety of whistles and toy pianos that give it an almost feel good vibe that's sure to make you smile more then you intended on.
From all that we reach the end of the EP with the track Dance Card which is by far the most ambitious track on this whole album. A very dreamy little poppy number that shows constant changes in tone that at one second are dreamy as fuck and the next feel kind of like you spiraled down a rabbit hole of awesome this song in my opinion has THE best guitar and bass work on this whole EP has to offer with everyone kind of firing on all cannons this song just effortlessly covers the biggest spectrum of sounds.
In a way what you have is a track that's kind of the best showcasing of a formula that they seem to have of songs slowing down and speeding up while also never getting too complaisant or predictable to a degree that you come to expect after a while when listening to this little collection of songs but even with that in mind this one still kind of does that the best out of all the songs on here and the little section about how, “I smoke too much (you smoke too much), I drink to much (you drink too much),” and her punchy delivery of the line, “To punch my dance Card,” give the multiple stanzas this song takes a bit more of an effective feeling .
This song is also a bit of a juggernaut when played live because of all those moving parts that make up the song it really shows just how fucking talented each member of this group really is because every single time they play it they knock it out of the park and it's easy to see why they choose it to end what's maybe one of if not THE BEST extended play or even album to come out this year beyond just the Kansas City scene.
I have to say that what's really crazy is as good as this collection of songs is there's still plenty more tracks that didn't make the cut that they play around at their shows that are just fucking phenomenal and will leave you begging for the future full length release because these guy's are on a roll right now and the great songs are just pouring out left and right but until the day comes that they can put out an album proper this EP can help at least make that wait not too terribly long.
Image Courtesy of Facebook
To quote the cinematic masterpiece that is Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny, “I FUCKING LOVE THIS BAND, THEY ARE THE BEST BAND EVER PERIOD.” ladies and gentelmen Kansas City's finest Rachel Mallin and the Wildtype with a collection of songs so good that it's a god damn crime that you don't have it in your possession at this very moment you definitely need to do yourself a favor and go pick yourself up a copy as soon as you physically can like at their upcoming EP release party tomorrow at the new Record Bar here in Kansas City Missouri with special guest Pink Royal and Spirit is the Spirit or if you live to far you can also download it over at their official website which I'll link below but either way you NEED TO BUY THIS ALBUM it's fucking great and well deserving of a good listen or half a dozen million squared times two.
MOBS are an alternative rock act from right here in Kansas City who I recently got the pleasure of getting to see live for their, “Your Tide,” Ep release party over at Brothers Music in Mission Kansas which I'm a take 30 seconds to inform you guy's that it's a REALLY nice little record store with plenty of quality records at fairly affordable prices that I can't give enough credit to for doing a fantastic job hosting the show even if the place was filled beyond capacity and I'll provide a link to their Facebook at the end of the article along with the EP stream from Spotify and MOBS social Media accounts.
On the topic of MOBS if I were to describe them they're an alternative rock act kind of in the vein of a group like Thursday but with a more substantially listenable vocalist who knows how to put just the right amount of umph into his chorus' and with plenty of strong guitar work from everyone involved.
Like I said there's a kind of early 2000's alternative rock flair to the 4 bright and addictively catchy tunes right from the get go with Walks a track that's short, simple, and to the point in establishing instantaneously catchy chorus' with very clap along percussion and some solidly to the point guitar work and a short runtime that only leaves you salivating before my favorite and this groups probably best track in Your Tide which starts out kind of slow and steady before just kind of punching you in the face with the ultimate combination of this bands biggest strengths, it's excellent chorus and it's kind of jumpy guitar work which leads me to want to drive around and scream along to it's chorus while I blast it out of my car stereo in the middle of the night with it's constant shifts in tempo you'll be going through a series of highs and lows that'll hit just the right notes.
The Following track Looking around is a lot like Your Tide but with a more upfront approach and like Your Tide it's a strong track that just keeps moving along what's already soon to become one of your favorite EP's even if it's almost identical to the track before it but I guess that's alright whenever you also manage to be just as ASS KICKINGLY FUCKING AWESOME!
For real all terrible grammar aside it kind of blew me away because those two tracks when you're listening to them will make you think god damn this is the best song and no matter how much you bounce between them you'll keep saying that over and over.
Badlands is the albums closer and it's a solid way to end out what's just a completely fucking awesome collection of ass kicking rock cuts with a slow pace that's more of a build up track to calm you down and finish strong.
Your Tide it's a tease of sorts and an album that immediately upon completion you'll probably hit that play button all over again and be blasting the ever loving fuck out of it's 4 stellar tracks for real do yourself a favor and 1. purchase the ever loving fuck out of this album and 2. GO SEE THIS BAND because they'll sell you with some of the most solid musicianship around for real this band fucking rocks.
So last week I went to Afentra's Prom which if you aren't aware is a yearly free show thrown by Kansas City's 96.5 The Buzz where you basically have an adult prom and this years line-up was fucking awesome with KC's own The Sluts opening and killer sets from Dreamers and Andrew W.K. but today's focus is another band that played that night The Young Wild.
This band in only a few words I can best describe as very catchy hooks and many sing along chorus' and their new EP All The Luck is just jam packed with those. It's a modest collection of 4 songs that'll leave you wanting to figure out just what's your favorite from the very large sounding Not a One, the danceably anthemic Moment Goes, the groovy fuck you of Ain't Got Nothing On Me, and the remix ready closer All the Luck this EP is just all killer no filler quality stuff that reminds me just why I liked their show so much.
From what I can tell looking at their website if you're in California you can see these guy's live over the next couple of day's so if you can I'd advise you do so because not only is the EP good but they put on a very good live show that'll sell you for sure.
Hopefully these guys tour around soon because I'm probably going to be listening to this on and off for a while....
