HELL’S GETTING HOTTER: As if the heat this summer wasn’t oppressive enough, there’s now a new split release from noise merchant Ixian to really pile the mood on. The split, between Athens’ Ixian and Chicago’s Odious Wretch, features only one track from each, but that’s enough for now. Ixian’s “Concrete Umbrella” delivers continually oscillating waves of what sounds like looped feedback, but could very well be entirely straightforward. Odious Wretch’s “Vestiges of a Life Unlived” is only slightly more organized, but definitely the more brittle of the two, although it won’t sound that way at first. Whereas Ixian’s track is impenetrable, Odious Wretch’s contribution has static-y holes throughout, such that one’s ear can almost poke through. Find this at ixian.bandcamp.com and odiouswretch.bandcamp.com.
HELLO, SUGAR: Athens has never had any shortage of fully delusional artists, so it’s nice when someone’s self-awareness aligns almost 100% with your own assessment of their work. To wit, whoever is behind Goodbye Molasses, who writes in the liner notes of a new self-titled, 12-track album that this music is, “As if I threw up my subconscious and then strained it through a shitty acoustic guitar and nasally voice.” Except it’s not really as bad as all that. While everything here is definitely what we would call “demo quality,” after a few listens, everything just sounds normal and occasionally touching. Anyone who suffered through hundreds of similarly recorded tapes during the indie storm of the 1990s will get through this just fine and might even find something to bookmark. Find this at goodbyemolasses.bandcamp.com.
AMERIGRASS FOR THE PEOPLE: Grassland String Band (aka Grassland) will release its newest record, Grassland: Still Not A String Band, on Aug. 27 and celebrate with a show at Hendershot’s that same night. Before then, though, the group has preorders for the album open and has released its lead single “Driving This Car.” The band plays the upcoming Classic City American Music Festival July 2 at 8:15 p.m. (more information about that below). Find out more about Grassland String Band, the new record and other details over at grasslandstringband.com.
PICKIN’-N-GRINNIN’: And, as promised, here’s your scoop on the Classic City American Music Festival. It happens Saturday, July 2 at Southern Brewing Company. This event is all ages, with kids 12 and under free. Advance tickets are 12 bucks until June 30 and then $15 both in advance and at the door. Doors open at noon, and music begins at 1 p.m. The full lineup is String Theory (1 p.m.), Red Oak String Band (2 p.m.), A. Lee Edwards Trio (3 p.m.), MrJordanMrTonks (4 p.m.), Hibbs Family Band (5 p.m.), Dom Flemons (6 p.m.), Norma Rae (7 p.m.), and the aforementioned Grassland String Band (8:15 p.m.). For tickets and other information, please see sobrewco.com.
LOOKING AHEAD: Those boys in Heffner have kept their noses to the grindstone over the past couple of years, and it’s paid dividends. The group is on the cusp of releasing its new album Perfect Heaven, which comes out Aug. 5. The lead single is “Bends of Life” which is a little more jumped-up than the band’s previous work. Indeed, working in an undeniably funk-lite environment that’s a little reminiscent of the artistic shift of Montreal took many years ago. There’s a big difference, though, between Heffner’s channeling of Orange Juice and Of Montreal’s on-boarding of, say, Oran “Juice” Jones. So go find this wherever you find streaming material these days, and keep up with all the news over at facebook.com/Heffnerband.
Like what you just read? Support Flagpole by making a donation today. Every dollar you give helps fund our ongoing mission to provide Athens with quality, independent journalism.
