Categories
Threats & Promises

Chip McKenzie’s Car Crash On Yr Couch, And More Music News and Gossip

BLINK AND YOU’LL MISS IT: Slipping out with zero fanfare last week was a new single by The Music Tapes/Orbiting Human Circus named “The Lost Angel.” It’s a lovely little tune with a traditional pop melody, which is always a nice treat to receive from Music Tapes creative lead Julian Koster. And that’s it. That’s the news. It’s nothing mind-blowing or earth-shaking, just a nice little love song that y’all should know about. Find it over at themusictapes.bandcamp.com.

STATIC AGE: The Electric Nature just returned home from a quick tour celebrating the release of its newest LP Old World Must Die. The album was co-released by Feeding Tube Records and Null Zone, which is the imprint helmed by Electric Nature leader Michael Potter. Joining the group on tour was ex-Athenian Jeff Tobias (Sunwatchers, et al.) who also performs on the album. Actually, the whole album is a relatively star-studded event featuring Potter, Michael Pierce, Tobias, Thom Strickland and John Kiran Fernandes. The two-track album—featuring the free-jazz skronk marathon of “Enter Chapel Perilous” and the Swans-worthy title track—clocks in at nearly 45 minutes, so be prepared to lie in a bit for this. For more information, please see feedingtuberecords.com, nullzone.bandcamp.com, theelectricnature.bandcamp.com and facebook.com/TheElectricNature.

CHECKING IN: Speaking of things that just seemed to sneak out of nowhere, let me tip you to the new album by Chip McKenzie named Car Crash On Yr Couch. It’s clear these recordings were done over a long course of time, and this is made crystalline by the presence of the late Bo Freeze, who passed away five years ago, playing banjo on “Spaceship,” which was written by Ken Dubard. Further, there are five songs recorded live at Gumby’s Pizza, which shut its doors many years ago. The 14-song album begins with a positively narcoleptic version of The Jesus & Mary Chain’s “9 Million Rainy Days.” This vibe is portentous of the entire album, too, which remains remarkably subdued even when it briefly gets a little loud towards its end. Known as a crack song man, McKenzie’s ability to spin a tune and tale is enviable. This record is acoustic guitar-based and eminently listenable. Astute listeners will also notice a cover of “I Remember Lima” by The Mountain Goats. Ultimately, it seems like this collection is something of a clearing-of-the-decks, but it all flows so nicely together it can just as easily be enjoyed as a singular statement. Find this and listen alone at stillsmallvoiceandthejoyfulnoise.bandcamp.com.

ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY: The next instance of the popular Athens Business Rocks benefit for Nuçi’s Space happens Saturday, May 6 at the 40 Watt Club. This event is populated by one-off local bands formed by local businesses. Winners are determined by the amount of money raised, as well as being judged during the live show. Featured acts this year are from local businesses Starlite Showroom, Caraway Cakes, TSAV, the 40 Watt Club, Wuxtry Records and JOMA Construction. Advance tickets are available now, and if you’d like to sponsor one of the bands, you can do that as well through this convenient web portal: nuci.org/athens-business-rocks. 

HEADS UP: Museum Mix happens only three times a year, including Thursday, May 4 from 8–11 p.m. This free event is when the Georgia Museum of Art opens its doors wide for the public to experience its exhibitions, socialize and enjoy music and free refreshments. This night’s featured DJ is Stella Zine. For more information, please see georgiamuseum.org.

THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE: Deep State is among the most solidly dependable rockers in town, and they drive this point home, yet again, on the newly released eight-song Diary of A Nobody. It was recorded and mixed by Drew Vandenberg at Chase Park Transduction and mastered by Joel Hatstat at High Jump Media. So, those are the hard facts. The subjective facts are: This thing is cool as hell, and seemingly tailor-made for late afternoon beer bashes, sweaty club sets and late-night cruising on open roads. As expected, this new collection of tunes draws deeply from the American power-pop tradition and breaks no new ground, but confidently retains its seat at the table. Specific highlights include “Young People,” “Secret Freezer,” “Dial Tone” and the title track. Find this at deepstate.bandcamp.com, and, if so inclined, you can visit the band’s never-updated page at facebook.com/deepstatega.

RELATED ARTICLES BY AUTHOR