HOME TEAM: Following up its 2022 EP Welcome To Dogtown, The Dooley and Baldwin Band will release its new full-length album, Rant, on Friday, Oct. 6. While still working in roughly a rock-pop category, the songwriting and arrangements on this new release are harder edged and more forceful. In a nice move, piano plays a much larger place on this release and really ties a lot of these songs together. A lot of the vocals operate in a sing-speak style not completely unlike Lou Reed, but also not in any way obviously influenced by him, either. Specific highlights here are “Darkness Wins Again,” the lovely “Wanting Answers” and “Love Them All.” Find this on Spotify after its release, and follow the band’s action at instagram.com/dooleyandbaldwin.
BLINK AND YOU’LL MISS IT: The heavy pop/‘60s pop duo Instant Smile will release its first new music in four years Wednesday, Oct. 4 via Slow N Sober Records. It’s a four-song EP named 4 x 2. It starts off a little rough with “Thorazine Bender,” but quickly gets into shape and plows through the next two tracks. The Yes cover song “Time and a Word” especially benefits from a surprisingly complex orchestral arrangement. The next, “Crazy,” comes across at first as straight-ahead mid-tempo rock, but is also a beneficiary of its grandiose arrangement. The final track, a Deep Purple cover, “No No No” is the only one to feature a bona fide guitar solo, but other than that, it is similar in structure and delivery to its predecessor. Overall, there are lots of hidden headphone gems in these four tracks, so spin this a few times and see what surprises you can find. Find it at instant-smile.bandcamp.com, and be a pal over at facebook.com/InstantSmileBand. A listening party will be held at Little Kings Shuffle Club on Oct. 5 at 6 p.m., and an EP release show will follow at Flicker Theatre & Bar on Oct. 21 at 8 p.m.
PARADISE BY THE DJ BOOTH LIGHT: Although he makes his home outside of Athens these days, DJ Knetter Gek will release his brand-new album VULN on Oct. 6, and it’s just so damn solid I couldn’t avoid telling y’all about it. It runs 12 tracks long, and is packed to the gills with minimal synth, deep house, minimal deep tech and some other associated styles. For your purposes, though, just throw on your headphones and groove. Honestly, you’ll know clear as day whether this is for you by the end of the second track (the fantastic “Overture”). This would have been right at home during the heyday of the Ministry of Sound label, and would still be right at home in the London nightclub of the same name. It’s difficult to pull favorites from this, but if you want specific recommendations then play “Attention,” “Analysis,” “Despair,” “Empathy Test” and “Buffer Overflow.” Find this at djknettergek.bandcamp.com, and for more information, please see djknettergek.com.
KEEPIN’ ON: Elijah Johnston’s new album Hometown Vampire will come out Oct. 6 courtesy of Strolling Bones Records. Johnston is part of our current new wave of really strong songwriters who could seemingly find success even if they gave up performing and let other artists have at ‘em. The album opens with the soft ‘70s style of “Second Chances.” Things come into a more rock and roll relief immediately afterward, though, and by the time the record rolls around to the Beach Boys-ish hooks of “Syrup,” it’s like being sucked into an easy chair and not really caring to get up. The most solid rocker here is “Downtown Living,” and it’s also among the busiest arrangements on the whole album. Outside of this, you’ve got another good slice of catalog from Johnston. He’ll celebrate this release on the Georgia Theatre Rooftop when he performs the late show (11 p.m.) on this same date. You can keep up with all his goings on at facebook.com/elijahmjohnston, and for more information, please see strollingbonesrecords.com.
CLEAN UP ON AISLE 4: The second installment of the Heffner-hosted Trash Fest will happen Saturday, Oct. 28 at the Georgia Theatre. And, considering that even weeknight gigs by unknown locals with a minimal draw are now running between 10 and 12 bucks a pop, the $20 it’ll cost to attend this feels unusually reasonable. This event is appropriately billed as “Trash Fest II,” and will feature Heffner, of course, as well as Girlpuppy, T. Hardy Morris, Sex Cell, Shane T, Secondhand Sound and Commüne. Mayor Kelly Girtz, performing as DJ Girts-A-Lot, will also perform a late-night DJ set, and his sets are always loads of fun. For advance tickets, please see georgiatheatre.com, and to keep up with this event, please see facebook.com/Heffnerband.
Like what you just read? Support Flagpole by making a donation today. Every dollar you give helps fund our ongoing mission to provide Athens with quality, independent journalism.
