FILL THE VOID: Athens R&B singer-songwriter Trevon just released his newest full-length named Green X Roll. It’s a long record, clocking in at 16 songs. And you know what? They’re all worth the time spent listening. From the jump with opening song “Present,” he hits on all points. I may be in the minority here, but I prefer his songs that are more sparse to those with fuller arrangements. Not that those slack by any degree at all. Indeed, some like “Never Let You Down,” “All I Know” and “Be The Difference” are wonderfully modern tracks. But when it’s just him and little else, that’s where this really hits. Specific highlights for me are “Burning Down,” “Won’t Sleep Tonight,” “Pot Of Greed” and “Let It Play.” I make no bones at all when I say I’d put this up against Frank Ocean any day of the week. Find this at tr3von.bandcamp.com, and follow along at instagram.com/3trevon.
MINTY FRESH: Red Dakota has been toolin’ around town for a couple-few years now, but released its first full-band single on Saturday, Oct. 19. It’s named “The Formula,” and it’s one of those songs that’s completely baked into that middle area between indie rock and mainstream acceptance. Think Veruca Salt-lite or something similar. It also employs the old standard of loud-quiet-loud for its intrasong dynamism. You can find this on Spotify. For all other information, please see instagram.com/reddakotamusic.
ESPRIT DE CORPS: The United States Air Force Band and Singing Sergeants will perform a free concert at the Hodgson Concert Hall Thursday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. This event features, of course, patriotic music, but also Broadway classics, as well as “a salute to our veterans.” As stated, this event is indeed free, but tickets are required. You can reserve those online via pac.uga.edu/event/united-states-air-force-band (click the red box on upper right). For more information on both these groups, please see music.af.mil.
OUT IN THE STREETS, THAT’S WHERE WE’LL MEET: As you well know, the Wild Rumpus takes place this Saturday, Oct. 26. As this event has grown from its very tender and sparse roots to become a destination event for the Southeast, the enthusiasm for it generally reaches a fevered pitch. The lineup of performers slated to play both during the parade route and at specific places is pretty huge and includes The Booty Boyz, Fairiez, Organically Programmed, Cardynal & The Flock, Fishbug, Captains of Revelry, the Love.Craft Band, El Chupaskabra, Beast Mode, Father Werewolf, DJ JiiG, Molly’Tu Hott, Squallé, Trepid (ft. Grandfather), Woah Nelly, Nadia Vaeh, Karma Kat, Libbaloops + Bryant Perez, the Athens Burn Consortium, Dekadance, Nightshade Family + DJ Ellwin, League of Step, Danza Azteca, Belli Dance Company and the High Fallootin’ Scallywags Drum Brigade. The main event is the parade through downtown, but there are both before and after events, too. Please see wildrumpus.org for important information regarding the parade route, public alcohol consumption, etc.
I WOKE UP STILL DREAMING: It’s been a few years, but Echo Constant has returned with a new 18-track, full-length album named Rebirth. The entire record was constructed with solely a laptop and the audio program Audacity. The actual music is all sample, clip and loop based. The source material is myriad, and chances are very good you’ll recognize more than one thing here. While it’s way too long to parse this track by track, please know that if you’re in the market for some very nice downtempo, trip hop and deep house kind of stuff with a definite vaporwave flair, you’ll love wrapping yourself up in his. What I did was just put my headphones on, press play, and let it do its thing. That said, specific highlights here are “Good To Each Other,” “Love” and “Deep Pleasure.” Find this at echoconstant.bandcamp.com.
TURNED UP: Songwriter Chris McKay just released a double-A-sided single under the project name The Fur Department. The first track, “Colors Running Out,” expertly combines a few styles (namely arena rock, space rock and experimental operatic rock) in a way that sounds good in the headphones but, admittedly, sounds clunky on paper. It opens with an ELO-worthy synth and tearing guitar solo, which is nice to hear from McKay. It’s lyrically dark, which is atypical of him and a bit of an adjustment for longtime listeners. The second track, “Tanning Lotion And Sinister Notions,” is both similarly moody and similarly constructed (i.e. multiple styles). The vocals on the second one often follow an early rap style, but this song as a whole is more like an unreleased Queen song more than anything. However, that’s also a bit reductive, as the song may have used them as a deep reference somewhere, but it flourishes on its own quite fine without some classic rock millstone around its neck. Find them each at chrismckay.bandcamp.com, and keep up with all things McKay at chrismckay.com.
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