LOOKING FORWARD: It’s been almost four years since Sylvia Rose Novak appeared in this column. In 2020, she released the solid album Bad Luck that completely, and regretfully, slipped under my radar. She’s back this month with a new single, “The Man I Used To Be,” and it’s the lead single from her upcoming album A Miss / A Masterpiece, which is due out in May. The new song is a muscular, mid-tempo rocker that dutifully showcases Novak’s strength as a vocalist and songwriter. Novak, for my tastes, is kind of an outlier because she occupies an artistic space that doesn’t generally draw my attention, but there’s an undeniable je ne sais quois about her. You can find this on Spotify, and learn more about her via facebook.com/sylviarosenovak and sylviarosenovak.com.
SHOOT FOR THE STARS: Athens rapper BYV_Trubb (aka Brandon Garrett) released his album T.R.I.L.L. Testament late last year but is currently pushing the single “Fuck Tha Police,” even though it feels like there was another group at one point that had a similarly named smash hit. The new video for the single is a fully engulfed four-alarm fire of color saturation, with its centerpiece being the Westview Grocery in Atlanta’s West End. This whole album may just be the single most authentic exploration into drill music the Athens hip hop scene has experienced thus far. It’s ominous, largely hookless and completely joyless. It pulls multiple pop culture references into its stable (“Black Mr. Miyagi,” “Big Tymin’,” “Guns N Roses”). With the exception of the final song, “Elijah McClain,” an appropriately mournful track, the whole record is tightly wound and a claustrophobic listen. So, roll the windows down when you spin this. Find the whole album on Spotify and other major streaming services. Find Trubb online via instagram.com/byv_trubb and instagram.com/BYV_TrubbRockstarJackets.
GOING BLANK AGAIN: Athens rockers A.D. Blanco will release a four-song EP Secondhand Life this Friday, Mar. 4, with a celebratory set over the airwaves of WUOG 90.5 FM the night before at 8 p.m. Having steadily built an audience locally, this release is surely another edifying occasion for both band and audience. A.D. Blanco released its full-length debut Time Never Wasted last year. In other news, they’re now a trio consisting of Bennett Evans, Aaron White and Owen Lange. The EP is, as expected, incredibly guitar driven and full of personality. The band takes cues from Parquet Courts and, a little at least, from hometown heroes Heffner. Not too much to dig into here, but suffice it to say it’s all loud and occasionally emotionally overdriven. Follow along at facebook.com/adblancobandathens and adblanco.com.
AND ANOTHER ONE: Rapper Niño Brown continues his steady pattern of single releases this month with “Judge Judy.” The breezy tune, co-produced and engineered by Kxng Blanco, is a slow stepping, auto-tuned track that has Brown getting deep into his feelings. It’s a little less immediately grabby as some of his previous tracks but warms up nicely after a few spins. Find this on Spotify.
DIXIELAND DELIGHT: Bluegrass-oriented duo Pickled Holler just released its self-titled, seven-song new album. The pair, Matthew and Jessica Williams, are fortunate in that their duo-vocals blend together very nicely, and this just isn’t the case for lots of folks. They’re adept at swimming the blurry cross-streams of traditional old time music (“Father Whelan”), folk instrumentalism (“Olive’s Remorse”) and country (“Forgotten Dreams and Broken Hearts”). Highlights here include, specifically, the thoughtful “Fishing In The Pond” and the incongruous rap-n-click-track tune “Dinner With The Family.” Find this at pickledholler.bandcamp.com.
GET UP KIDS: Way back in December when no one was paying attention to anything, the boys in Feral Joy released a 12-song self-titled album. Churning the waters of the still-incorrectly categorized pop side of third wave emo, Feral Joy has definitely done its homework. It’s been forever since I’ve heard a band channel not only the sound of Cap’n Jazz, The Promise Ring, et al. but also appear to be sincerely taken with these sounds and not just stylistically aping them. I thoroughly enjoyed this, especially “Stay Home,” “Longway,” “Death Trends” and “Sword/Stone.” Find this immediately over at feraljoy.bandcamp.com.
ROLL OUT THE RED CARPET: The 8th annual Athens Hip Hop Awards ceremony will happen this Saturday, Mar. 5 at The Warehouse (346 E. Broad St.). Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. As always, the categories for awards go far beyond music and deep into the community that surrounds the music such as stylists, restaurants and more. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the event begins at 7 p.m. It’s an 18+ event, too, so if you need a babysitter, go ahead and line that up. For more information, please see facebook.com/unitedgroupofartists, and to toss in a final vote, click here.
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