Check This Out Plus Some New Videos for You to Check Out from Elephant Fire and Ruby Boots

Check out Check This Out.

Expansion

Last week, I think, Max Rauch (the hardest working man in NJ indie music) posted a status on Facebook that said "Link me to your bandcamp page and I'll sum up your sound like a nerdy music journalist." The response was overwhelming, and Max went ahead with some pretty on-the-nose write-ups that started making me feel self-conscious (I always feel self-conscious) about some of the stuff I write here.

I jokingly commented that I was just going to start posting music under the simple caption, "Check this out." Within seconds of hitting enter on that comment, though, the idea started to make real sense to me. What if I posted that stuff that I enjoyed but didn't have time to write about and said, "Check this out?" What if, when I had writer's block or was really busy or distracted, I just posted cool stuff I'd heard without all the additional work? What if I let people come up with their own nerdy music journalist descriptions in their minds? What if I drove them to find out the information I usually put into a post on their own? That could be cool, no?

After a few attempts to find a somewhat appropriate and available domain name, I bought checkoutthismusic.com. On Wednesday, I launched Check This Out with Warbly Jets' "Raw Evolution." No descriptions. No PR info. No nerdy music journalism. Just the song. I'll tell you here that "Raw Evolution" is the sixth track on Warbly Jets' self-titled debut. You should check that album out. You should also check out Check This Out and let me know what you think. I've added a little tab across the top of our site up there so you can get there from here when you feel like it.

[Note: Thanks Max. And everyone should check out the latest release from Max's band LKFFCT. Dawn Chorus is out now on Sniffling Indie Kids.]

Now, this presents me with a mini dilemma. What goes on Check This Out and what goes on CoolDad Music? Like much of what I do here, I have no plan. We'll just have to see what happens.

So...

Here are a couple of things that I'd like to tell you a little more about.

Elephant Fire, "Natural Heart"

Elephant Fire are a lo-fi, psych-rock four-piece consisting of frontman Adam Wall (vocals, guitar, synths, percussion), Steve Wall (guitars, vocals, synths), Dave Hellman (drums), and Zac Colwell (formerly of Of Montreal, bass). The band released Natural Heart at the end of September, and they just released a trippy new video for the title track.

Adam Wall "embarked on a six month pilgrimage into the hearts of North America's national parks for this album" and "traveled from sacred land, city, and national park writing songs to bring those blessed experiences and vibes to a full-length album."

The video for "Natural Heart" captures some of the exuberance that Wall felt on his sojourn. It also happens to feature a cameo by Francie Moon's Melissa Lucciola.

Natural Heart is out now.



Ruby Boots, "It's So Cruel"

Nashville, TN via Perth, Australia artist Ruby Boots will be releasing Don't Talk About It via Bloodshot Records on February 9th, 2018. It's the follow-up to 2014's Solitude and features contributions from some heavy hitters like Nikki Lane as co-writer / background vocalist and The Texas Gentleman as backing band.

To coincide with the release announcement, Ruby Boots released the video for album opener "It's So Cruel." In keeping with the image that Bloodshot have cultivated over the years, "It's So Cruel" combines country with other, more rock-oriented sounds. In the case of "It's So Cruel," there are hints of power pop and even glam rock.



...so, check those out; and, when you get a chance, check out Check This Out.

Relatively New Stuff from LKFFCT, latewaves, Lunch Ladies, and Bobby Mahoney and The Seventh Son

Lunch Ladies at The Saint back in March.

Digging Out

I've got an inbox full of new EPs, LPs, videos, songs -- many from friends of the site and artists we discuss here often. I've got 100s of pictures to edit from last night's release show for High Waisted and The Coax. Taking the easy way out as I begin to comb through over a week's worth of new and interesting material by calling your attention to a few bite-size morsels from some of our Garden State neighbors.

LKFFCT, "Hatchling"

Montclair indie rock quartet, LKFFCT, just released the first single from their upcoming Dawn Chorus. "Hatchling" sounds like it's about growing up, specifically as it pertains to an increasing willingness to listen to and be educated by others. It's kind of swirling, kind of psychedelic and goes out on a bit of a freakout that probably makes for some wild moments during a LKFFCT live set.

Catch the band this Saturday at Montclair's Meatlocker and next week as part of the second installment of the North Jersey Indie Rock Festival.

Dawn Chorus is out on 10/6 via Sniffling Indie Kids.



latewaves, "Face Down"

I've been kind of behind on Asbury Park's latewaves ("late" you might say). I see them in the listings all the time and have never managed to catch one of their shows. That changes tomorrow when they play a set at the third annual Bond St. Block Party in their hometown.

The trio recently signed to Panic State Records; and their debut EP, Partied Out, is due on 9/22. Earlier this week, latewaves released a video for single "Face Down."

The Chris Shashaty-directed video depicts a ghost and the Grim Reaper moving aimlessly through life until they ultimately find each other. The song is big and bruising with stylistic callbacks to 90s alt rock and more recent post-hardcore.

I'm pretty excited to see latewaves tomorrow.



Lunch Ladies, "Pick Yourself Up"

Back in March, when Jersey Shore-based Lunch Ladies released Down on Sunset Strip, CDM contributor Stephen Stec had this to say about "Pick Yourself Up:"

"It sounds like what your Real Estate LP sounds like played at double time; an absolute bopper that's probably the most fun and light-hearted sounding tune off the album. It just might be the most heavily resonating, a song that feels like waking up and opening your window to a morning so sweet, you've got to take a walk or go running and just do something generally weird to better yourself while appreciating the little things in life."

I liked that then; and, now that Lunch Ladies have released a new video for the track, I like it even more. Director Ed Hellman captures the fun, retro vibe of the song as he documents the band doing band things like playing and eating at diners.

Down on Sunset Strip is out now on Good Eye Records and is quite awesome.



Bobby Mahoney and The Seventh Son, "Another Deadbeat Summer"

Remember Neon Indian's seminal chillwave track, "Deadbeat Summer?" Yeah. This isn't that. Bobby Mahoney and The Seventh Son are Jersey rockers through and through with a sound that draws from Springsteen, The Gaslight Anthem, and the brashness of our home state.

Originally recorded for the band's Friends in Low Places, the song has become a (if not the) highlight of the band's live set. Having grown up with the song, the band decided to re-record it and release it as part of a single to close out Summer of 2017, release details of which are forthcoming.



...OK. That's it for now. I'll get to more stuff in the coming days.

Sniffling Indie Kids and Mint 400 Records Announce The North Jersey Indie Rock Fest

Jersey City's Cathedral Hall, September 10th

Over the last year or two, we've grown pretty close here with our friends at Sniffling Indie Kids and Mint 400 Records. Their stable of acts includes many of the bands we feature often here like dollys, Sink Tapes, LKFFCT, C.R. & The Degenerates, NGHTCRWLRS, YJY, and more. Honestly, CoolDad Music would be a much more boring place without the work that SIK and Mint 400 do to bring the music of these bands into the world. That's why it's so exciting to me that the two labels will be teaming up to bring us The North Jersey Indie Rock Festival on September 10th from noon to 8pm at Jersey City's Cathedral Hall.

CoolDad Music and Sniffling Indie Kids co-presented the Indie Pop Winter Formal back in January.

The event is being presented in association with Jersey City's 4th Street Arts Organization, BGT Enterprises, and The Rock-It Docket. I'm also really excited that CoolDad Music, along with just about every New Jersey music website and music publication you can think of, will be co-sponsoring the festival.

Cathedral Hall is a newly-renovated arts space at the corner of Montgomery and Brunswick Streets in the heart of Downtown Jersey City. The former church will play host to 20 bands representing both labels. There will be two levels of live music in addition to North Jersey craft vendors, food vendors, and beer and spirits vendors. Bands run the gamut from scene veterans to new acts, from bluegrass to punk to indie rock. The event promises to be a showcase for the North Jersey arts community. The organizers hope that this can evolve into an annual event that brings in more bands, labels, and vendors as it grows.

Check out the event poster below for the full line-up of bands, and keep it tuned here for more information.

New Single from LKFFCT

"Howlin' Alarm"

OK. I get lots of emails from public relations firms about new music. I love getting them because they help me learn about new releases, basically, as they happen. A confession, though. I don't really read each one in depth all the time. Often, I skim the subject lines. If something catches my eye, I go in and dig deeper.

When I get an email or a message directly from a band, I always read it and listen to the music. I've found lots of great stuff that way. As a primarily one-man operation, though, it's really hard for me to do more than one or two posts a day; so lots of both types of emails go by without a mention. I wish I could do more.

Yesterday, I put out a call for bands to send me their albums, EPs, songs, videos. It was kind of a way for me to get some new stuff directly from bands at the top of my inbox. I promised to mention each of the first seven that I received, one per day, for a week. The response was really good, and I got some great new stuff.

First out of the gate are LKFFCT, who -- just yesterday -- released a single from their upcoming LP for Sniffling Indie Kids. The album, due August 5th, is The Flower Investment Pawn; and the single is "Howlin' Alarm."

[Note: This one is so current that I probably could have gotten credit for just being on the ball without that big intro up front. Anyway...]

On "Howlin' Alarm," the Montclair four-piece address some things to which most people can probably relate these days: retreating to the Internet to kill time and to numb your mind, the cheapening of relationships and human interactions in an age of social media, and just the monotony of daily life. This all comes in the form of some Weezer-esque power pop with the quieter verses building to a thunderous chorus.

Everything was recorded / mixed / mastered by Skylar Adler at Skylar Ross Recording in Wayne, and Andrea Aidekman did the album art.

Give a listen to "Howlin' Alarm." It's a really good track. Look for The Flower Investment Pawn on August 5th.

First Single from MAUCH

"Shades of Blue"

Sometimes the Universe works in pretty mysterious ways. Without boring you with the details, let's just say that writing and blogging (or sleeping or exercising or cleaning or anything) haven't been coming particularly easily for me for the last several weeks. Today, in particular, I've been struggling with a few things I want to get out the door but that I just can't seem to tie up.

Then, I came across the first single from MAUCH. LKFFCT / NGHTCRWLRS drummer (and one of the hardest-working people in NJ music), Max Rauch, got himself a couple of vowels and recorded "Shades of Blue" with Subtitles' Ben Petty. The song is our first taste from MAUCH's upcoming EP for Sniffling Indie Kids, Feed Your Head.

So here I am, wallowing a bit in my inability to get anything done; and I click on a Bandcamp link only to be presented with a song dealing with "the hereditary cycle of clinical depression and mental illness." Mind blown.

Anyway, "Shades of Blue" comes at its serious subject matter from a jangly and poppy perspective, even employing some whistling right at the beginning. It reminds me a little bit of those Mitch Easter-produced R.E.M. sounds from back in the day.

Check out MAUCH's "Shades of Blue," which is available as a Name Your Price download over at MAUCH's Bandcamp page, and stay tuned for news on the band's EP.

Also, consider this your TMI post of the week.

Premiere: First Single from Ice Giant

"Blondie"

LKFFCT's Keith Williams will be releasing a 4-song EP this week under the name Ice Giant. Williams goes totally solo on SADBOI/FUCCBOI, playing every instrument himself and singing. His LKFFCT bandmate and one of the hardest working guys in the NJ music scene, Max Rauch, recorded and mixed the record. We've got the first single right here.

"Blondie" is a lo-fi-ish bit of jangly indie pop. It does have kind of a sad boy forlorn quality to it as Williams sings of that "you and me against the world" feeling common to so many relationships.

Our friends at Sniffling Indie Kids will be releasing SADBOI/FUCCBOI for download via Bandcamp this Friday. In the meantime, check out "Blondie" below.