Here’s to everyone having survived AthFest with minimal dehydration, only mild sunburns, and brain and body relatively intact. If this doesn’t describe you, well, there’s always next year.
BIG SCIENCE: I got tipped to the new four-song EP by experimental act Sarah Swillum by another local artist whose work I like and respect very much, so it was a given I was gonna dive right in. The release’s name is Turns Goldy. So much of this scene operates via intentional obfuscation and personality-erasing, so after years of trying to drill down into everything to render reportage that’s as complete as possible, I’ve given up. I have no idea who all is on this or what anyone actually did. But I can say this: It is a nearly perfect blend of the aesthetics of Lene Lovich and Laurie Anderson. The vocal experimentations are superb and compelling, and the actual music is tuneful and supporting. As an aside, I don’t know if the Lou Reed reference of the release’s URL is intentional, but if it’s not, then that’s just friggin’ magical, isn’t it? Listen in at jimjim.bandcamp.com.
FOUR FROM THE FLOOR: The Pink Stones have a new four-song collection that really isn’t an EP or anything like that, but they named it Lil Bit More, anyway. It’s just a couple of demos and a couple of cover songs. First up is the slow ’n’ low “Blueberry Dream,” which is just as dank and hazy as the name implies. It’s also very sweetly tuneful and catchy. “Shiny Bone” is much less so on all points. There’s a nice version of folkie Michael Hurley’s “Be Kind to Me,” as well as an earnest version of Bob Dylan’s “Mama, You Been on My Mind.” All told, this is probably good for existing fans only, but who knows, it might turn some ears. Listen in and figure it out at thepinkstones.bandcamp.com.
AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME: Pylon Reenactment Society is heading out on the road for a few shows this week. Between June 27–July 1, the group will play Durham, NC; Bordentown, NJ; Richmond, VA; Washington, DC; and New York. In other news, the band is slated to play the Irrelevant Music Festival at Atlanta’s 529 on July 20. In other, other news, they report they’ve been writing new material (!) and are playing it on the road and hope to put out a new single this fall. For ticket links to the above-mentioned shows and all other info, see facebook.com/pylonreenactmentsociety.
CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE: Athens band Quest Giver is releasing its album All the Things I Thought Were Ours on Thursday, June 28 at The World Famous. Also on the bill that night are Domestic and New York City’s Warpark. True to the album’s title, this thing is exceedingly earnest and wears its heart on both sleeves. It’s also way too long and clocks in at a whopping 13 songs. Quest Giver is at its best when digging back into classic pop sounds, such as the early-’60s-ish teenage swoon of “Call Me By,” the jittery Velvets/Feelies vibe of “Timeframes” and even the unintentional goth of “Detection.” All in all, everything here is reserved and conservatively reverb-y and a little jangly and maybe on the cusp of something, but doesn’t ever really just cut loose and go for it. It’s not exactly full of half measures, but could do with some gusto. Check it out at questgiver.bandcamp.com, and keep up via facebook.com/questgiverlore. The band also plays the 40 Watt Club Saturday, June 30 as part of a whopping nine-band bill.
WE ARE ALL MADE OF STARS: A veritable multi-generational Athens supergroup makes its debut atop the Georgia Theatre Thursday, June 28. Named Solid Gold Corpse, the band is composed of Peter Alvanos (Fabulous Bird), Robbie Rapp (Muuy Biien), Creston Spiers (Harvey Milk), Stephen Tanner (Harvey Milk) and David Zwart (Daisy). While this is reason enough to show up, be mindful to also catch Charleston, SC artist Contour, who shares the bill. He’s got tons of cool material up at soundcloud.com/con_tour, but I mostly recommend the six-track release from 2017 named Softer. Recommended if you like Frank Ocean, WesdaRuler, moods and feelings, etc.
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