DIG IT: New-ish label Strolling Bones Records must surely be edified by the brand-new album by Haunted Shed. It’s been, or felt like, nearly forever since an Athens band had such a complete grasp of the subtleties and touchstones of later-20th-century pop without falling into rote cliché and meandering familiarity—honestly, not since The Glands. Haunted Shed is spearheaded by Etienne de Rocher, and the full lineup includes Dan Nettles, Joe Rowe and Jacob Morris. The new album is named Faltering Light and, as the title implies, the mood here skews toward thoughtful melancholy. Specific highlights are “Collections,” “Old Joy” and “Impending Machines.” Bravo, dudes. Hear it all in person at a vinyl listening party hosted by de Rocher and Eric Shea at White Tiger on Sunday, Apr. 11 from 5–8 p.m. For more information please see facebook.com/hauntedshed and hauntedshedband.com.
FOUR NEAR THE DOOR: The now two-decades-running Maserati is on deck to receive the full court vinyl reissue treatment from label Temporary Residence. Specifically in line for this honor are the albums Inventions for the New Season (2007), Passages (2009), Maserati VII (2012) and Rehumanizer (2015). These are each in limited editions of 500, and each is on different-colored vinyl. Preorders are happening as we speak, and these will ship out on or around May 28. In other news, the band has scheduled what I consider to be a most ambitious European and UK tour that’s slated to happen in October. Fingers crossed for a successful trip! For more information please see temporaryresidence.com, facebook.com/MASERATIBAND and ihaveadagger.net.
YOU SURE BOB SEGAR DONE IT THIS WAY?: Furlined Records has existed for, like, forever, but only occasionally peppers the Earth with releases. Now is one of those times. The label has re-released the 2001 album by Pageturner, Furlined Socialite. As you might guess, the label itself is named after a track of the same name. The core members of Pageturner are Laura Morgan, Joe Rowe and Kim Rowe, but a small group of notable others helped out on this, too. Morgan told me, “We put this together in spare time from Joe’s gig with The Glands and mine with Le Guano and Crown Vic. We just recently decided to dust it off and unleash it 20 years later.” The album runs 13 tracks long, and those familiar with it will be glad it’s out there again. For the uninitiated, imagine what a band would sound like if they’d only ever read reviews of stuff like Sonic Youth, The Birthday Party and The Gun Club and decided they were gonna make music that sounded like the way those words read. That’s incredibly reductive of me to state it that way, so just use those references as a jumping-off point. There’s an especially nice piano-based track (“Queen of Clean”) that is just ripe for remixing, too, so all you producers get on it. Find this at pageturner2.bandcamp.com.
HEADS UP: Athens songwriter and performer Aspen Anonda will release her EP This One is About You on Apr. 11, which is a Sunday. You wouldn’t expect that, which is why I’m telling you now. Throughout these six tracks, Anonda’s quiet voice stays within its range—which isn’t necessarily limited—and doesn’t strain nor stretch to make its point. Musically, there are touches of smooth jazz (“Travel Therapy”), classic Joni Mitchell-type folk-pop arrangements (“Gold”) and even some big-room production (“More Than She Wants You”) that at one point would have been only associated with, say, U2, but is now so recognizable it’s a barely remarkable part of the landscape. Meaning everyone that deigns to use it must make it their own, and while she shines on some of the other tracks, I’m not sold on this particular one yet. I am partial, however, to the subtle reggae rhythm of “Emotional” though. Once this is out it’ll be available on all the usual platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, Soundcloud, etc.). For more information please see aspenanonda.com and facebook.com/AspenAnonda.
STREAM ON: Nuçi’s Space just launched its new pre-recorded streaming program named Nuçi’s Space Satellite Sessions last week. Word got to us too late, which is why I wasn’t able to alert you about Saint Syzygy playing the series debut. The videos are all posted on Nuçi’s Facebook page the day after the stream, though, so no harm done, really. The series will broadcast on YouTube Live every Thursday at 7 p.m. Upcoming shows include, in order, Elijah Johnston, Josey, Weaponized Flesh, Cannon and the Boxes, Girl Clothes, Convict Julie, Arts + Crafts, Maxuma, Wuornos with Serator and Ilyhat, Fishbug, Ryne Meadow and Eagle Scout. Do your thing at facebook.com/nucisspace and nuci.org.
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