COME ONE, COME ALL: It’s been just over a year since the release of A Supernova Rainbow of Fun, the album by Todd Nance, Danny Hutchens, Jon Mills and William Tonks. At that time, the record had spent nearly a decade in the can. In the years since recording, both Hutchens (Bloodkin) and Nance (Widespread Panic) passed away. William Tonks crowd-sourced the funds for manufacturing the album, and one award for donors at a certain level was a live performance by Tonks and Mills at a reasonable place of the donor’s choosing. One of those donors was Athens legend and enthusiast Drew Alston, who requested a show in Athens, and that’ll happen in very short order. In fact, it happens at Nuçi’s Space on Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. Tonks also advises that this show will be a benefit for The Atticus Gift, a foundation established as a memorial for Atticus Cleaveland, who died by suicide in November 2020. For more information, please see nuci.org.
PLAN AHEAD: Jet Engine Dragons just released its first new music in five years. Specifically, it’s the two-song album teaser named Shell of Reverie. It, of course, includes the title track, plus a new version of the old song “The Adversary” denoted here as “The Adversary (2022)” so you don’t get ‘em confused. The main difference between the two is Jet Engine Dragons are now five years stronger, and the result is a track that is much more aggressive and in your face than the original. The title track is a showcase blend of the band’s signature progressive death metal sound with a healthy dose of black metal thrown in for good measure. The new album should be out sometime next year but, for now, you can check these out at jetenginedragons.bandcamp.com. For more information, please see facebook.com/jetenginedragons.
CALM DOWN: Songwriter and performer Ryne Meadow is also teasing a new album and just released their first single, “I Love The Rain.” Like much of Meadow’s work, this is a tuneful and gentle exploration of something. In this case, it’s literally rain and how it causes a person to, in Meadow’s words, “stop dead in their tracks and stay still.” That’s fine and all, but a little on the nose and not terribly interesting. The strongest thing about this is Meadow’s voice, even in moments of emotional brittleness, and his sense of melody. There’s always the underlying feeling that this rawness could slip into whining at any time but, so far, he’s narrowly avoided that. The upcoming album, Baptisms, is his first with London-based publishing and synchronization label OML Sync. Find this on Spotify and other services, and for more information, please see facebook.com/rynemeadowmusic.
CLOSE THE CALENDAR: As promised last week, here’s another update on what’s going on with the Hooker Vision label. Well, the nonstop production machine behind this often inscrutable, yet always compelling, operation just wrapped up its final two releases for the year. First up is a single 15-minute drone-oriented psychedelic jam, albeit with extra parts and added ingredients, from the collaborative project between label owners Grant and Rachel Evans, Modern Lamps. It’s titled New Spirit House. It took me a few minutes to really sink my ears into this, but once I was there it was A-OK. Next is the full-length release from Night Body Sky named Entire Seasons. Although only eight tracks long, listeners will find that’s quite enough, as this is an intensely involved listen. It’s also one of the only records in recent memory that I’m having a very difficult time describing without falling into the blender of experimental record go-to phrases. Suffice it to say, fans of mid-period Throbbing Gristle, deconstructed post-punk and perhaps even Coil should find something here to get excited about. Find both of these at hookervision.bandcamp.com.
ALL GROWN UP: It’s difficult to believe, but The Shut-Ups have now been releasing music for 22 years. I’ve never been a person drawn to “comedy rock” or anything like that, but this group is one of the standard-setters for this type of thing. The Shut-Ups are just so damn catchy and have such a firm grasp on the entire history of 20th century pop music that I’ve never been able to turn away from them. They’re also among the most lyrically biting bands I’ve ever covered, so there’s that, too. Anyway, like everyone else you’re reading about this week, they’ve got a new album coming and have released its first single and its b-side. They’re titled “Everyday” and “Diary,” and the first is a sunny, breezy spring-in-your-step kind of tune not at all unlike a blend between LFO and a souvenir album of Caribbean tunes one might get when disembarking a cruise ship. The second is a syrupy, slow number, owing more than a passing glance to Big Star, which is only funny if you listen very closely. These are from the group’s next album The Shut-Ups Are Girls Singing Songs which the band describes as “a comprehensive exploration of the female perspective.” Find this at shutups.bandcamp.com.
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