L-I-V-I-N’!: Deathrock band Entertainment is back with a new EP named Horror Part 1, courtesy of Stickfigure Recordings. Although technically based in Atlanta, Entertainment has deep Athens ties. This new EP was mixed by founding member Trey Ehart and in-demand producer Tom Ashton (March Violets, Sisters of Mercy, Clan of Xymox). Two singles from this—the nearly ambient “Voyeur” and the incredibly tuneful “Maggot Church”—dribbled out last winter. Now those two are joined by slow-paced opener “Horror” and the deeply meditative “Fantasy.” Entertainment’s last full-length album, Gender, was released in 2008, so I’m probably not the only one itching for another one. Find this at entertainment.bandcamp.com.
LISTEN EARLY AND OFTEN: Behind-the-scenes Athens music legend and soundman Pat “The Wiz” Biddle has revamped a portion of his long-running archival website. This has been a resource for old-time Athens music fans for years and, for a very long time, garnered a substantial amount of traffic via its weekly “Band of The Week” contest, in which listeners competed to identify select live tracks across Athens’ history. This was no small task, either, and the contest ran for an astounding 566 weeks. Biddle has a new feature on the site, though, and is streaming full-length shows recorded in Athens across the decades. The debut edition of this portion of the site, named “Athens Redux,” features a show by 10,000 Maniacs recorded at the 40 Watt Club on May 31, 1983. I can’t express what a wonderfully nice rabbit hole the entirety of Biddle’s site is. Lose yourself over at patthewiz.com.
I DON’T CARE IF THE SUN DON’T SHINE: Night Palace—sometimes referred to as Avery Leigh’s Night Palace—has a new single out, courtesy of label Park The Van. The single is named “Into the Wake, Mystified” and is the first track from the band’s upcoming album Diving Rings, which is due out in early 2022. As if this isn’t enough to satiate you, there’s another single coming out Oct. 20 (which I’ve not heard yet) named “Enjoy the Moon!” This first single, though, is a wonderfully dreamy escape from whatever new normal you’ve been dealing with. Please enjoy it via all major streaming services, including its video on YouTube. For more information, please see nightpalacemusic.com.
COVER YOUR FLOORBOARD: Athens hardcore and metal mainstay Reeth Dasgupta launched a new label named Futile Force. The cassette tape and digital label already has three releases under its belt: the rawly urgent mid-old-school-hardcore demo by ConSec, the self-titled 13-track debut by thrashy Foodeater, and the five-song self-titled noisecore release by the best-named-band-in-town Fat Jock. Tapes are five bucks each and digital downloads are name-your-price. Have at it, folks, at futileforce.bandcamp.com.
SING OUT!: War College is the project name for songwriter Matthew Lovelace, and he’s just released a charming new album titled Personality. The 10-song album is reminiscent—in a strict songwriting sense, not a stylistic sense—at times of New Order, Echo & The Bunnymen, Velvet Underground, Violent Femmes and others. Lovelace’s vocal timing is incredibly solid throughout these loosely-defined jangle-pop tunes, and the whole record feels like an old, uncovered gem. Highlights here are opening track “Forest & Trees,” “Catholic Toll” and “Rejoice.” Check it out at warcollege.bandcamp.com.
TWO FOR FLINCHING: Drew Beskin, who released his full-length Problematic For The People this past summer, has two fresh, new singles out this week. Each is from an upcoming release with a project named Drew Beskin & The Sunshine, which is Beskin along with Tommy Trautwein, Elijah Johnston and Gideon Johnston. Landing online Friday, Oct. 15 are the mid-tempo and summer-melodied “Lisa Simpson’s Fangs” and shape-shifting “Horror Movie Plot,” which changes up right at about the 2:10 mark. Beskin and his current live band are to play the 40 Watt this same night, but these songs won’t be featured because they belong to The Sunshine. That said, you can catch him playing all his existing hits, and other bands on the bill are Nordista Freeze, The Minks and Basically Nancy. Find the new tracks on all major streaming services as well as drewbeskin.bandcamp.com. For all other information, please see drewbeskin.com.
RADIO WAVES: A long time ago, I was taken in by the sweet sounds of the self-titled debut album by Wet Meadows. Now, I’m here to tell you they’ve got a new EP out named Lotta Glocken. Maybe you caught them playing some of it at last weekend’s Porchfest. But, if not, you can hear it immediately online, and I’ve been advised they’ve got other shows in the works. This EP is a little less deliberately organized than the album and is composed of songs at multiple locations between 2016 and 2019. That said, this is a great little collection that sounds like an unearthed demo from any number of folky psychedelic bands. There’s even a slight nod to doo-wop and early R&R in “Oedipus Rex.” Nothing Earth-shattering, but worth a spin. So go spin it at wetmeadows.bandcamp.com.
LISTEN IN: A little while ago the Athens Regional Library System launched the Classic City Vibes podcast, and it’s now deep into Season 2. The interviews thus far are pretty wide-ranging and nicely collected. Past guests include Annie Leeth, Razzi King, Sacred Bull and others. Upcoming shows feature Gypsy Farm (Oct. 12), Shane Parish (Oct. 19) and Montu Miller (Oct. 26). Don’t bother looking for this on the library system’s website, though, because you’ll never find it. You can, however, find it on Spotify and presumably other streaming services.
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