CARRY ON PHENOMENON: The upcoming full-length album by Kishi Bashi, Kantos, is available for preorder now. It is described by the artist as “a party album about the possible end of humanity as we know it, at turns deeply unsettling and sublimely joyful.” It’ll be released as a compact disc, a vinyl album and digital download on Aug. 23. It features 12 tracks, and the first available, the cinematic “Colorful State,” is out now. In other news, tickets for his international fall and winter tour—which spans a huge chunk of September through December—are also on sale now. He next plays Athens on Oct. 22 at the Georgia Theater. For more information, please see kishibashi.bandcamp.com, kishibashi.com and facebook.com/mrkishibashi.
SONG FOR YOU: It’s been a while since we had anything new to shout out from songwriter and musician Julia Nyunt, but that’s all solved now. She has a new single out named “Leftovers,” and it’s less draped in the classic studio majesty of some of her previous work. It is, however, no less focused and, indeed, revels in an arrangement worthy of early Chicago. This song in particular is more funky than folky, and the arrangement is grittier. It’s thoroughly enjoyable all around. Find this on Spotify, and for more information, please see facebook.com/JuliaNyuntmusic and julianyunt.bandzoogle.com.
TWIN INFINITIVES: If you find yourself near the Normal Bar on Saturday, June 1 go ahead and pay your 10 bucks and go inside. You’ll be able to catch the new solo project by Al Daglis named Rauncher. Plus, you’ll enjoy a double-single release show courtesy of Pervert and Schmuk. I have absolutely zero idea what these sound like or even what they’re called. Normally, that seems like important and relevant information, but the promo gods apparently disagree. Things will get going around 9 p.m. That’s it. There is no more information.
WORDPLAY: The recital program “Symphonic Story Time: Stories By Classic City Kids,” featuring the playing of Quintet Athens, happens Sunday, June 2 at 3 p.m. at the Athens-Clarke County Library. The material from which these compositions sprung was a story writing challenge hosted by the library, and the selected stories written by local kids were then set to music. The specific composers who worked on this are Bethany Lambers, Andrew Steck, Taylor Roland and Nikolas Geerken. This performance is free and open to the public. For more information, please see quintetathens.com/storychallenge.
ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT: Athens hip-hop/psychedelic rock group Trvy & The Enemy will release its new EP, the six-song Choose Your Enemy, this week on Friday, May 31. The opening track, and the EP’s first single, “Matthew McConaughey” is a throwback of a track just dripping in psych-funk, and there’s a video to go along with it, too. Trvy’s vocals are earnest throughout this record but also a little grimy at points. “Break Free” shakes up the production a little bit and nearly exists in a dream state. Probably the highlight of the whole thing is the steady rocker “Sirens.” If you’re reading this the night Flagpole gets distributed on Tuesday, May 28, you may still have time to hop over to Flicker Theatre and Bar to catch Trvy & The Enemy play with Slater and Tony Velour. Find this wherever you normally find things online, and for more information, please see trvyandtheenemy.com.
KEEP YOUR DREAMS: Synth-punk duo Obscurity has a three-song EP available to hear now well in advance of its debut show. It’s titled New Disease and opens with the full-on heavy groove of “Cacophony.” The second song, “Beatdown,” is an OK place holder but nothing too thrilling. It closes, though, with the two-minute-long nerve shaker “On Obscurity” which is totally worth the wait. Jump on this if you ever dug Ministry, Front 242, Atari Teenage Riot/Alec Empire, et al. The band plays its debut show Sunday, June 9 at Buvez along with San Antonio’s Sex Mex as well as Athens rockers Beer Piss. Find the EP over at obscurityy.bandcamp.com and follow along at instagram.com/obscurityband.
DON’T FORGET: The First BM Festival (AKA BMFest 2024; “BM” = Beats and Metal) happens this Friday, May 31 at Ciné. Doors are at 8 p.m., and the music starts at 9 p.m. Featured acts include Powderkeg, Unus Mundus, Bryant Perez and Rat Babies. As the promoters say, “Beat the heat and get heated up with a quadruple dose of doom, hardcore, hip-hop, industrial, noise, metal, rock n’ roll, and sludge!” This event is a benefit for JOKERJOKERtv. It costs 10 bucks in advance or at the door. For more information, please see jokerjokertv.com.
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