NO, DAD, NO: The new album from the always intentionally nutty Sad Dads came out earlier this month. It’s called I’m Doing Okay, which, I suppose, makes it the most reassuring album of the week. Those who supported the group’s Kickstarter campaign should already be receiving their premium goods. According to their fundraising page, there are 30 of you who donated between $1–$50 to make this happen. The band thanks you for that, but I’m not certain I do. Musically, it’s little more (and often less) than simple riff-’n’-chord bar-rock with lyrics that are supposed to be funny. But after giving this the old college try—three full spins!—I just can’t, y’all. In a live setting, the band makes up with volume what it lacks in real style, but sitting at home, I can’t muster the patience or stomach to deal with the jokey lyrics of “My Ex-Wife is A Bitch,” the weird inside-baseball race humor of “Diverse Universe” or even stick-to-the-subject-matter songs like “Chiropractor,” “Fantasy Football” and “Online Dating.” To be more than fair, I tend to really hate humor in music, but I hate long-form, laddish, lunchroom/locker-room junk like this even more. Which is sad, because all the other bands these guys come from (Velocirapture, Muuy Biien, Figboots, k i d s, The Rodney Kings) are tops for me. Oh, well. Check it at saddadstheband.bandcamp.com.
MONDAY, MONDAY, MONDAY: The next Creature Comforts Industry Night happens Monday, Oct. 5, and the live band lineup this time features the highly melodic indie-pop band Brothers, as well as the more oomphy and rockin’ Little Gold. These events are hosted by the brewery, and music is selected by the folks behind the Slingshot Festival. It’s free to attend, and because it is an “industry night,” folks who bring proof of employment in the restaurant, retail alcohol or bar industries get in free. If this is you, get ready to receive a souvenir glass to enjoy your free beer tastings. Everyone’s welcome, but if you’re non-industry and want to drink, you’ll pay the normal price at the door.
SOMETIMES THERE ARE NO WORDS: Athens musician Jack Cherry (Uncle Dad) just released a new EP, Cavern Of, under the moniker Juan de Fuca, which he’s used for at least two previous releases. The seven-song record seamlessly breezes through deliberate shoegaze/dream-pop (“A Place to Wait,” “Lackluster”), deep musical meditation (“At Your House,” “Cavern Of”) and sparse acoustic work (“Wednesday,” “We Go Back”). The first couple of times I listened, I didn’t bother to read the lyrics; I just enjoyed it. Then I saw written in the notes, “In memory of Sol Samuel.” So, I did some research, listened again, read the lyrics and sat in awe. Cavern Of was already a great little record in bliss and ignorance, but it’s a stunning, gorgeous, deeply felt and incredibly rendered tribute to a lost friend on deeper examination. Pay attention and listen in at juandefucamusic.bandcamp.com.
WAVE AND SAY HEY: This is gonna serve as my official welcome to Athens for newly local band Gláss. Originally from Greenville, SC, the post-punk group is only just getting its feet wet in our town, but it has done quite a bit before ever hitting the Clarke County line, with three decent releases out as a full band, as well as a totally good solo acoustic album by singer and guitarist Aáron Burke. Before you ask, yes, they’ve got those accent marks all over everything, for some reason, and all I can think of when I see them is the old Athens label Superfluous Umlaut. Anyway, sometimes they venture a bit too far into the 1990s Louisville, KY—and by extension, Olympia, WA—punk-not-punk sounds for me, but I’m looking forward to catching them live. Anyway, welcome aboard, y’all. Be yourselves, hang out, say hey. Readers, check them out via glasstheband.bandcamp.com.
SNOWED IN: Athens musician Brent Mottley has a new project named Mt. Indigo, and he released a 10-track album named Night Swimming in July. It’s completely electronic (keyboards, synths, beats), but explores a ranges of styles, including dub, darkwave, minimal synth and snatches of glitch here and there. Overall, it’s a drowsy record that’s actually great for the end of summer. I encourage listeners to check out the full Mt. Indigo aesthetic over at mtindigo.com, or if you only want to listen to music and skip the visual aids, head to mtindigo.bandcamp.com.
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