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| The Tambo Rays release Recharge on July 17th. Photo: Sam Shapiro |
Summer Daze
If you start me talking after I've had a few club sodas, you may hear me rant a bit about how people -- especially in my neck of the woods here -- don't take a chance on new music very often. There is a lot of good stuff going on in and around Asbury Park, so I can't really blame people for sticking with what they know. But, sometimes, I'd like to see fans and venues venture out of their comfort zones a bit more.
As I started thinking about that, I realized that I'm just as guilty as the next guy. I've been in a bit of a funk or a rut here at the site, and I feel like I've been posting about the same bands (who I do really love) all the time, even though my inbox overflows with music and bands I've never heard before. So, today, I figured I'd shake off a few cobwebs and share some stuff that struck me in the last week or so.
Modern Crowds, "Closer"
OK. So I'm not totally new to Modern Crowds. I premiered "Burlington" from their In Between EP early this year. The band had put that one together during the time between releasing their debut EP and finishing up their upcoming full-length.
The Jersey Shore-based band's self-titled, Paul Ritchie-produced LP comes out on July 28th. Lead single, "Closer," is a big departure from the quiet acoustic sound of "Burlington." Lead singer, Joe Pellegrinelli, does say, "I actually came up with the idea for 'Closer' on an acoustic guitar..." He continues, "but the song really erupted once Doug, Charlie and I jammed on it together."
"Closer" is arena-sized alt-rock. It's heavy, but with some art / prog leanings. Pellegrini calls it a breakup song, noting that it "comes from a place of anger and frustration" while ending on a positive note.
Modern Crowds are having a release party on July 28th at The Saint with The Mercury Brothers, New Politicians, and The Gray.
Lomelda, "Interstate Vision"
I don't know. This one just grabbed me. Lomelda is the project of Texan, Hannah Read. "Interstate Vision" is the first single from Lomelda's Thx, which is due from Double Double Whammy on September 8th.
There's a subtle country twang to "Interstate Vision;" and Read is able to capture the intimacy of being in a car with someone else, on an empty road, late at night as she croons, "headlights scare me into visions" or "I saw a meteor burn through the sky."
Lomelda will be touring this fall with Montclair's Pinegrove. No nearby dates announced so far.
Lomelda on tour with Pinegrove
9/20 - Burlington, VT @ ArtsRiot
9/21 - Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz PDB
9/22 - Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
9/24 - Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop
9/26 - Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck
9/27 - Oklahoma City, OK @ 89th Street (OKC)
9/28 - Houston, TX @ Walter's Downtown
9/29 - Austin, TX @ Barracuda
9/30 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
10/2 - El Paso, TX @ The Perch at Tricky Falls
10/3 - Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
10/5 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Echoplex
10/6 - San Diego, CA @ The Irenic
10/7 - Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
10/10 - Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst (Atrium)
10/11 - San Francisco, CA @ Slim's
10/12 - Reno, NV @ The Holland Project
10/14 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
10/16 - Iowa City, IA @ Gabe's
10/17 - Sioux Falls, SD @ Total Drag Records
10/18 - Fargo, ND @ The Aquarium
10/19 - Minneapolis, MN@ 7th St Entry
10/20 - Milwaukee, WI@ The Back Room at Colectivo
The Tambo Rays, "Always Down"
I've heard a few singles from this Oakland-based group's upcoming Recharge EP. They make bouncy, sugary, synth-heavy pop fronted by the high-energy vocals of Sara DaMert. For someone in my (old man) demographic, there are clear callbacks to 80s pop like The Go-Go's, Cyndi Lauper, and Missing Persons.
"Always Down" is a song about being there for someone as they go through dark times. Sara and her brother and Tambo Rays founder, Brian DaMert, endured the loss of their father in 2015. Brian calls Recharge part of the healing process.
Recharge is due on July 17th from OIM Records.
Anna Tosh, "Weightless"
London singer / guitarist, Anna Tosh, will be releasing her first solo EP, One Big Fire, this fall. Tosh has played guitar in other people's bands since she was a teenager. With her first single as a solo artist, "Weightless," Tosh goes for something a little different than what she describes as the punk, rock, and blues of her other projects.
The staccato post-punk of "Weightless" paired with Tosh's vocals (and, yes, her accent) immediately had me thinking of one Polly Jean Harvey when I heard this one. Tosh, though, injects some of her own six-string flourishes showing that she hasn't totally divorced herself from her rock and roll roots.
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