Festivus Friday Round-Up with The Courtneys, Vagabon, Allison Crutchfield

One I missed from a few months back.

2017 Is Shaping up Nicely

Don't worry. I still have more lists for you in the pipeline. Before I have to go pick the cooldaughters up from their half-day of school, though, I wanted to share with you a few things I came across this morning while sifting through the virtual pile on my computer.

The Courtneys, "Silver Velvet"

The Courtneys cite Flying Nun records and the bands on the legendary New Zealand label as prime influences on their own rough but powerpoppy sound. In the kind of storybook twist that almost never happens, Flying Nun signed the Vancouver trio as their first-ever non-New Zealand-based act.

Last week, The Courtneys released a video for "Silver Velvet" from their upcoming February Flying Nun debut, The Courtneys II. Courtney Loove's guitar is fuzzed out and noisy, but it's Sydney Koke's bass that drives things. Jen Twynn Payne plays drums and sings in a style that allows "Silver Velvet" to straddle the space between grunge and bubble gum.



Vagabon, "The Embers"

On Day 2 of Don Giovanni's New Alternative Music Festival back in September, I walked into Convention Hall just as Vagabon (Lætitia Tamko) was finishing her set. I instantly regretted not being able to make it just a few minutes earlier. My regret is only reinforced by the recent release of the video for "The Embers," the first track on Vagabon's Infinite Worlds which is due in February from Father / Daughter records.

"The Embers" starts out sounding quiet and introspective, but quickly blossoms as swirling, shoegazy guitars back Tamko's singular vocal. The video, directed by Mooj Zadie, features Tamko on a bus, at an aquarium, in what looks like a store for tropical fish as she sings, "I'm just a small fish / And you're a shark that hates everything / You're a shark that eats every fish."

It's just a damn good song with a really well-done video.



Allison Crutchfield, "Dean's Room"

I've pretty much loved everything both Crutchfield sisters have done in the last few years. Allison Crutchfield's work with Swearin' has produced two albums that are favorites around here. As she's branched out into solo work, Allison Crutchfield has moved away from the guitar-based punk / power pop of Swearin' and she's embraced a more synth-based sound. That started on 2014's self-released Lean Into It, and it sounds like it will continue with her full-length debut for Merge, Tourist In This Town, slated for next month.

Back in October, when Crutchfield announced her album, she released a video for single "Dean's Room." I guess I missed it back then, but I managed to discover it in time for her upcoming date on February 6th at Jersey City's Monty Hall. The analog synths definitely give the song an 80s vibe, but Crutchfield's perspective is modern. Producer Jeff Zeigler has added not only a polish but also a real sense of space to Crutchfield's sound when compared to her early electronic forays.

The Lara Gallagher-directed video is both beautiful and vaguely unnerving.



...OK. Back to lists in a bit.