New Single from Lowlight

Lowlight from the very last set I shot before the world changed. Not the best pic ever, but I had to get the disco ball into at least one shot for Renee.

"Julian"

Am I gonna start every post from now on by saying how I haven't been posting much lately because I just haven't felt like it? We'll see, I guess.

I was exchanging messages with good friend Renee Maskin of Lowlight yesterday. At one point, I mentioned how CoolDad Music has kind of been on life support for a while now and how I thought maybe it would become another casualty of the pandemic. The main context of our chat, though, was my telling Renee how much I'd been enjoying Lowlight's latest single, "Julian." I told her how refreshing it was to hear Lowlight continue to try new things. What I didn't explicitly say (but I think I implied) was that the song's epic sweep (It's nearly 8 minutes of epic sweep that absolutely flies by. Trust me.) and hopeful tone helped to keep things going here for at least one more day.

"Julian" provided me with a little moment of inspiration, and I asked Renee to share some thoughts about the song:

"Despite its runtime, "Julian" is a song that came together relatively quickly. It’s also a true Lowlight collaboration. Sometimes, we all write on our own and then present the rest of the band something that's structurally set in stone. But, in this case, we really molded the different elements of the "Julian" together.  Derril [Sellers] and Dana [Sellers] had the initial chord change ideas. I suggested that the song shift to a long instrumental ending. Colin [Ryan], Rey [Rivera], Derril, and Dana went to town on putting it together, while I shuffled around with a notebook, listening, and trying to figure out what the lyrics should be about.  

I had been getting comments recently that my lyrics are often pretty depressing (as if I wasn't aware). So I thought I'd take a shot at writing something a little more upbeat. And, while the song is not all sunshine and fucking rainbows, I think the takeaway is mainly hopeful. There are moments of depression, confusion, and disappointment. But there's also love, appreciation of the people and things we have, and hope for what's to come. 

We had no idea that we’d collectively as humans be in the mess we're in right now by the time "Julian" was released. With any luck, some of that feeling of hope in the song will rub off on whoever listens."

Julian is available now at your favorite streaming service via Telegraph Hill Records.

Premiere: New Single from LA's Heartour. R U IN Out 5/22.

Heartour's Jason Young by Dillon G. Artzer

"Brain"

It's been 9 years since Jason Young released his last album as Heartour. During that time, Young's other project, Los Angeles indie-pop band The Ruse, toured the world with Muse. When The Ruse decided to go on hiatus, Young felt the time was right to take a break from the more rock and roll stylings of his day job and get back to his solo project. The result is Heartour's forthcoming fifth studio album R U IN, which is due out on May 22nd. Today, Heartour gives us a glimpse into that record with the premiere of "Brain," which will be available this coming Monday, April 13th.

"Brain" was mixed by Tony Hoffer (M83, Metric, Beck); and, when I first heard the song, I was drawn to its glistening 80s synth-pop aesthetic. Given how much time I've been spending with those sounds lately (Heart Bones, Tame Impala), "Brain" hit me at just the right moment, I guess.

That's not the only way in which "Brain" is timely. Young says,"I have had many times in my life where the thoughts in my brain have paralyzed me from getting through normal day to day life." It's a feeling, I think, that many share during these times of anxiety and uncertainty. "Brain" offers up some empathy wrapped in glowing neon.

Give an early listen to "Brain" right here, and look for the song on April 13th via your platform of choice or over at Heartour's Bandcamp page. Heartour's R U IN is due on May 22nd.

New Single, Video from Sweet Spirit. Trinidad Out 5/29.

Sweet Spirit by Roger Ho

"No Dancing"

You'd think that I'd have been using the last several weeks of statewide lockdown to discover new music and write about it here. Welp, it hasn't really been going that way. I'm usually here by myself at CDMHQ; and the added (but certainly not unwelcome) distraction of having the coolfamily here 24/7, coupled with the constant stream (less welcome) of pandemic news, has made it difficult to focus on my usually solitary activity of working on this site.

Instead, during this time, I've been focusing on those old stand-by things that have brought me joy over the years: bicycling, running / walking outdoors, The New York Times's daily "Spelling Bee" puzzle, science fiction, family, and my favorite bands.

Austin's Sweet Spirit are a relatively new entry in my pantheon of favorite bands. A few SXSWs ago, I was walking back to my hotel after a very long day. I checked the official app and noticed that Spiral Stairs was playing a midnight set at Maggie Mae's. Being a huge Pavement fan, I headed upstairs and caught the show. At around 1AM, I noticed the crowd starting to pack in for the next act.

"Who's up next?" I asked someone.

"Sweet Spirit!" they offered enthusiastically.

I hadn't heard of the band before, and I was completely spent. I decided to trudge my way back up the giant hill to the La Quinta and collapse into bed. Regrets as I later learned that Sweet Spirit are another project of Sabrina Ellis and Andrew Cashen of A Giant Dog. Since then, in the last 3 or 4 years, few bands -- few THINGS -- have brought me more joy than Sweet Spirit and A Giant Dog.

Today, Sweet Spirit released the second single from their upcoming Trinidad (5/29, Merge). The accompanying, Ed Dougherty-directed video for "No Dancing" finds the band (which, in addition to Ellis and Cashen, includes Danny Blanchard, Jon Fichter, Jake Knight, and Joshua Merry) leading the students and staff of the arts program at Austin's Eastside Memorial High School through a glittery and joyful celebration of the power of music and dancing. Sweet Spirit recently raised money for the program with help from the Tingari-Silverton Foundation.

"No Dancing" comes right when we need it, I think. We can all identify with Ellis as they sing, "Wanna hear some records play / Wanna see some bodies sway" and "Keep dreaming of a future bright." We'll be done with all of this eventually. We'll have a new Sweet Spirit album and an accompanying tour during which we can all dance and sweat together.

That's a very long-winded way of saying check out this new video from Sweet Spirt and pre-order their album over at Merge or from your favorite independent record store.

New Track from HollowBoy

"I'm Not Me (If I'm Not With You)"

HollowBoy is Matthew Kessig, former drummer for Corrina, Corrina. His HollowBoy project is a solo endeavor. The latest effort from HollowBoy is a noisy, 3-minute, power-pop gem produced by Deaglan Howlett (Beauty, The Vansaders, ex-Corrina). The wall of guitars serves the song's sweet melody perfectly, and I can hear influences from bands like Teenage Fanclub and Guided By Voices.

It's cool when long-time friends of the site do cool stuff, especially during this time when inspiration hasn't been coming so easily. "I'm Not Me (If I'm Not With You)" is available now over at HollowBoy's Bandcamp page as a Name Your Price download.