WHAT’S IN A NAME?: Lately I’ve been consciously trying to get away from judging books by their covers or bands by their names, but I’ve been failing steadily and often. However, this leaves a lot of opportunity for pleasant surprises so, six of one, right? The latest of these nice revelations is Psychofunkyrough (who may also be known as simply Psychofunky, but it’s unclear). The new 11-song, soft indie-pop collection, long term wave draft, is clever, occasionally funny and rises well above its project name. Specific highlights here are “every little task,” “long term wave,” and “no one cared.” Find this quiet gem over at psychofunkyrough.bandcamp.com.
A POET AND A PICKER: Arfus Records is spreading its wings again, and this time it’s with a new single from Johann Greco. Being previously unfamiliar with Greco, I was pleasantly surprised to hear this new song, “Doing The Best That I Can,” and can report that if you’re in the market for a fresh tune that sounds like it could have been poured directly onto a Sunday morning sidewalk by a gruffer Kris Kristofferson, then this is your thing. Greco’s first solo album, titled Hopeless, is slated for release May 28 courtesy of Arfus, but presumably this song and other singles to-be-announced will stream well before then. Look for this on all major streaming services, and if you can’t find it on those, then go bug all these folks via facebook.com/JohannGreco, instagram.com/johanngreco and arfusrecords.com.
HERE’S JOHNNY!: Johnny Falloon will release its next full-length album, Tell Hell I’m Not Coming, on May 30, but its first single, “Dog Flesh,” is out now. It’s a wonderfully theatrical track that’s several compositional steps above the group’s previous work. The whole album definitely skews a bit darker, too, so prepare yourself. Find this on major streaming services and celebrate along with Johnny Falloon Thursday, Apr. 3 at Flicker Theatre and Bar or Friday, Apr. 4 at Milledgeville’s Georgia College and State University-owned radio station WGUR 95.3 FM’s (aka 95.3 The Noise) Sounds of the Spring festival. Johnny Falloon will perform at Blackbird Coffee (114 W Hancock St., Milledgeville), and you can find more information on that through instagram.com/sotswgur, and keep up with all things Falloon over at instagram.com/johnny.falloon.
SLEEPER’S AWAKE: Pre-orders are open now for the upcoming full-length album by Ben Hackett (New Madrid, et al) named Songs for Sleeping Dogs. This isn’t a rock record at all but, rather, a collection of ambient and semi-ambient work with Hackett employing woodwinds, synthesizers, horns and other elements to create these sounds. Two tracks, “Nylon Bell Pot” and “Loose Changes 2,” are available to stream now, and pre-orders are available for digital downloads, vinyl LPs and compact discs. Check it out at ben-hackett.bandcamp.com.
SONGS FOR WIDE AWAKE DOGS: The Athens pop supergroup Dog Person (Lauren Gregg, Jay Domingo, Steve Hendriksen, Gray Reilly and Robbee Cucchiaro) just released its first full-length album and, indeed, its first recorded music in nearly three years. These nine songs were recorded and mixed by Vic Fischer at Studio 1093, and they trot along to a familiar indie-pop aesthetic that would have been right at home on the old Kindercore label. The band next plays live at Foxglove Plant Bar (1063 Baxter St. Suite 600) on May 2 for its tape release show. For more information, please see dogperson.dog, and if you just wanna jump straight in and play the thing, head to dogperson.bandcamp.com.
NINE FROM ONE NIGHT: Hot on the heels of her release show for her new EP Keep To Me, Julia Barfield just released the live recording of the release show itself. It was recorded at Hendershot’s on Feb. 21, runs nine-songs long, and is a great companion piece to the new EP. She was joined in this live performance by Matt Knox (bass), Brandon Steinhauer (lead guitar), Iain Cooke (pedal steel) and Connor White (drums). Find this and more at juliabarfield.bandcamp.com.
COUPLE OF THINGS: While we were distracted Quentin Love sneaked out a couple of new songs. They are “Sleeping In Your Smile” backed with “My Little Eye.” The former is a very lighthearted tune, complete with a carnival-sounding keyboard refrain, but he does manage to throw a little rock guitar in it around the two-minute mark. The latter is much heavier and bass-oriented (or just bass-blown out) and sounds a lot longer than its mere two-and-a-half minute running time, and is pretty cinematic in its presentation. Dig ‘em at quentinlove.bandcamp.com.
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