AuthorMichael Bang of Tell Me Tell Me Have you ever been to Hooktown USA? It’s not a place it’s a state of mind, or music I guess. It’s where The Hot Takes live. If you’ve ever seen them or listened to them, congratulations you’ve been there!
In other words The Hot Takes slap. Their high energy new wave pop is so infectious there should be a public service announcement. Latest release “The Hot Takes II” is a five song party. You’re welcomed at the door with “Drop Dead on the Dancefloor” and before you can even get a drink they hit you with “Up All Night”. These titles tell you everything you need to know, and they deliver! I feel like I’ve lost pounds of sweat dancing while they’re on stage. On “Barely In Love” aliens land to keep the party going and tell us about how strange we humans are. A short breather on the intro of “Heaven on Radio” lets us vibe and finally get that drink, or so we think until the chorus hits. Desperation peaks through the transcendent vocals, handing out those feels like party drugs. “Cannonball,” another on the money title, reminds us that every good night ends too soon. Loop that playlist, turn the record back over, fill it up again. Even though it’s on another release I have to mention my personal favorite song of theirs. On “Hallelujah Superstar” singer Jared Savas uses a joyous, celebratory groove to exorcise childhood demons, singing “I’ve had enough I’m all done being lonely and I hated growing up, I hated growing up,” all to a hook with a capital H. No one can party on the edge of despair quite like The Hot Takes! They’re taking their glamorous neon rock to Elbo Room in Oakland on Saturday 5/18, along with Tell Me Tell Me and Modern Monsters. Go check out the hottest bands at one of the hottest venues in the Bay Area! (Note: apparently there actually is an unincorporated community in Kentucky called Hooktown! What a world.) 5/5 🥵 ⭐️ 💃 🤩 💖
0 Comments
AuthorTrixie Rasputin "We don't even know about all of the former fires..."
That's how "Former Fires," the 2023 single from Bay Area powerhouse rock duo Tell Me Tell Me begins, with lyrics that burst through the music like juicy gossip about someone you thought you knew better than that. The way this line is delivered makes you wonder why you weren't already questioning these former fires, and why there were so many. The light tapping of a high hat and a simple repeating riff lead the listener further into the story, "...simmering below the coal that only needed just a little air.." GASP. WHAT? The former fires are still lit? Hands fly up to cover mouths gone agape at hearing of this unfinished business. The verse continues on this riff with more lyrics to explain: "Haven’t even felt that the hunger has gone missing/The appetite to fill the hole oh where oh where did it go." The shock! The awe! The sting of a limb waking up! You think this sad story of a life half lived ends here?? Think again! Now we get swept into a crescendo of bold chords, more electrified and powerful than before, as the anger of realization starts bubbling up. Maybe it was under the surface, but now all the past hurts have come back loud, angry, and refusing to be ignored. This chorus section of the song has my favorite line of all, "The yearning/the aching/the pure intensity/requires delay." Days, months, years later, and all the feels are suddenly fighting it out for their free rent. I love you/I hate you are locked in a standoff. I really appreciate the vivid fire imagery in this song ("breathe fire, breathe in"), conveying the idea that big emotions can smolder beneath a veil of apathy. It only takes but a breath of air to set the whole thing ablaze. Later in the song, more lyrics drive home the point of it all: "Shock into the mind to come to terms with a liar." Aha! So, somebody was certainly up to no good, and just look at the mess they made. Tsk tsk. But the final line of the song is everything... I won't say it for fear of a spoiler, but in the end you're left wondering, who was actually the one to blame for these former fires? The music that accompanies this tale of belated woe is the signature sound of Michael Bang, a music school educated songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who understands the power of a well timed burst of electricity. He is known for playing an acoustic guitar in a way that sometimes turns it into an electric guitar, and sometimes you might believe it's a keyboard. Drummer Dan Coxon keeps a mean beat that gives Michael lots of freedom to wile out. Tell Me Tell Me makes the most of this unique and interesting perspective on what they call "dance-grunge", and I recommend you treat yourself to a live show as soon as you get the chance. Perhaps 5/18 in Oakland? The whole Tell Me Tell Me catalog is an awesome listen that will remind you of bands like LCD Soundsystem, Frightened Rabbit, Arcade Fire, and The Fiery Furnaces. It's a 5/5 for me! 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 AuthorMichael Bang of Tell Me Tell Me An EP called “Malice,” cover art of a purple pig with dollar signs for eyes and a police baton, an artist photo of five chefs covered in blood? This band knows how to set expectations. Welcome to Modern Monsters! They play heavy rock halfway between Warped Tour and Lollapalooza.
The first sound you hear is the ripping bass that opens “March 3rd, ’91.” Taking on an enraging subject, it’s no surprise to hear rage in the vocals of Josh Weaver. The rocking yet funky rhythm section carves out different spaces for Josh’s voice to shine. He speak-sings crowd inspiring incantations, he screams his anger to the sky, and he wails out sing-along choruses. “Prism” rocks its way through desperation: “treading water ’til you drown can’t you find a way/treading water ’til you drown don’t let it slip away.” Thunderous anthem “Road to Nowhere” chronicles the misadventures of a narrator caught up with a femme fatale: “without warning she grabbed my gun/she’s the girl with the world in her hair/woke one morning and I was on the run/driving for miles on a road to nowhere.” The next track opens with the noises of demon summoning and radio tuning before the marching drum announces the cover you didn’t see coming if you weren’t reading the song titles: “White Rabbit.” The filter of their sound yields a strong yet lithe take on the classic, still acid fried but staged in a futuristic dystopia rather than a wonderland. The final track is a staple of their live show called “Greed Machine.” This metal grunge riff factory takes on avarice with rage and rawk, a fitting end to their slinky, heavy but flexible EP. 5/5 👊👊👊👊👊 See them live! Trixie Rasputin Presents Modern Monsters at Elbo Room in Oakland on May 18th with The Hot Takes and Tell Me Tell Me (which, full disclosure, is MY band!) TICKETS AuthorPranay Pareek @pranaypareek Over the span of a decade, I moved away from home, across four different cities, on two sides of the planet. Each era with its own aspirations, tests, and friends. School friends, college friends, work friends. Good ones, best ones. Sometimes they left, other times I did.
And each time we promised that— we were just a text away, that we would speak on the phone more often, and we'd see each other again soon. Time slipped by. My life changed, their's didn't. Their lives changed, mine didn't. Distance didn't help, time zones didn't help. This song comes so close to describing so much of what I've felt this past decade: No matter how many times you leave, it never gets easy. A sinking feeling in your stomach the day before, but you have to pack your bags. Check in, carry on. You want to make it to the airport in time, yet you don't want to get there soon. One more selfie, one more hug, the last one before you head for security. Check in, carry on. By now, you probably have a few guesses on what the song is about. Good chance I've heard them play this song at their shows, but it never registered the way it did until I finally sat down with my headphones. First listen: "This is unlike any of their other songs" I love it. Second listen: "Hmm this is taking me to the same place Pinback's Seville or Oceansize's Meredith did" Uhh, I didn't expect it, but I guess I'm all locked in now. Third listen: "I need to read the lyrics" Wow, why do they speak to me so much? Fourth listen: "I hope their Bandcamp has a note about the song" "A song about all those friends we've made but left behind or outgrown. The ones that made huge impacts on our lives, and that we think of from time to time, yet haven't spoken to in years." (https://orbit17.bandcamp.com/track/helium-2) And it all made sense. What do I think about the song? Helium got me writing again. It made me think about what I want my voice to be. It's known that people often break down and cry when they view Mark Rothko's paintings. He once said, "I’m interested only in expressing basic human emotions——tragedy, ecstasy, doom..." If a piece of art, when distilled to its essence, still carries a sense of emotion. If a piece of art moves me, haunts me, comforts me with the fact that I'm not alone in my experience, that is good art. Like this song. AuthorMichael Bang of Tell Me Tell Me I think Matt Perri caught a case of catchiness. The guitarist, singer, and songwriter of Periscope writes riffs and licks that entice and entrance, but still make room for you to drop in. The guitar, keys, bass and drums weave in and out with unassuming intricacy, recognizing that above all we’ve got to leave space for Matt Perri’s sturdy vocal cords. Their EP “Memories” showcases all of this in an economical four tracks that both rock and indeed roll.
First song “Any Other Way” is a kaleidoscopic drone flight, an establishing shot setting up the sky level view we get to witness. It’s got a Strokes meets Rooney feel with a loftier air: “stopping at the vista point looking at the road that brought me where I stand/I’ve learned so much about the journey.” The guitars chime and then get chunky, as we go from gliding to nose dive on our flight simulator. “Your Piece” gets some Incubus in there, letting us surf on their groove for about 40 seconds before throwing their first curveball at us. The chorus slows down and deepens, pushing us beneath the waves to marvel at the universe we drift over. The payoff is near the end, when Matt finally gives a full throated yell. I didn’t see it coming, it’s awesome. I don’t know what he’s singing there, it sounds sort of like “our bulldog takes it away!” which I’m totally on board for. “Confession” is the full on rocker of the bunch. The riffs are heavier and the drums keep you moving while Matt’s voice gives his all. It’s music to get you to the top of that climb, for which we are rewarded with some huge yowls across the mountaintops. They end with the titular “Memories,” and the memories I had during this were 2000s emo breakdowns and classic rock guitar solos. And I’m a sucker for a left in hot mic cheer at the end. Periscope are a good time, and these songs come alive at shows. I’ve been lucky enough to play with them not twice but thrice (oh wait I think it’s 4 times? Matt?) and they always slay. Go see them! 5/5 🏔️🏔️🏔️🏔️🏔️ AuthorMichael Bang of Tell Me Tell Me Have you ever wondered what a musical that roaches would put on after hours in a black box theater would sound like? Welcome to Juicebumps. Self described as “the Bay Area’s favorite hard to listen to spank-rock band, they excrete a signature blend of hot garbage & vaseline that goes down thick and leaves you hankering for less.” Opening song “Scatterbrain” sets the expectation: “My scatterbrain is in a million little pieces.” Juicebumps make it super clear from the start: this music is Weird with a capital W! It’s a radio show from the otherworld and it’s a great time.
The album feels like the muppets took over public access on Mars. “Supercool” sounds like a video game made by someone who got fired for putting inappropriate jokes in Metroid. “Dead Asleep” features gutter philosophizing, where tin foil hats are the height of fashion. Lasers fire “Supercool” into uncharted regions of electromagnetism. Music theory nerds get plenty to chew on (and probably spit out), with piles of dissonance, abrasive timbres, and collage like rhythms. No vocal is un-affected, either by actual audio effects or general attitude. Voices and characters chime in on the Adult-Swim-core “Soopermart,” finally concluding “put me in the freezer looking for a good time one of us will die here.” The lyrics all come from whatever substation their cosmic antenna is tuned to. A bludgeoned Devo riff spines “Monosodium Glutamate” (I definitely already knew what that title means, I totally didn’t have to google it.) They end with the banger-ballad-banger that is “Kanker.” As a whole this is fusion from smart minded bad students who didn’t respond to that book learnin’ but liked the creepy man who followed them to class. There’s some Primus, some Slint, some Ty Segall in his off kilter moods. It’s angular, it’s sharp, it’s dense, it’s playful, and it’s silly. There’s lots to love. Pairs well with Scary Scare, Nina Durango, and Gumby’s Junk. 5/5 🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖 AuthorTrixie Rasputin The name of this album "Incandescent Fire," by the incredible Katsy Pline, is one of the first things that made me curious about the music contained within. Fire is by definition incandescent (or rather, emitting light created by heat). However, incandescent can also mean "full of strong emotion, passionate". Katsy Pline is the incandescent fire, still burning after all life has nearly disappeared. On the title track, singer Evie B. sings, "Molten flows of dreams... fill my flesh with incandescent fire." That hope contained within even the saddest and most bereft tracks on the album are what keep these masterful songs ever-giving. I find something new and fresh every time I listen.
"Incandescent Fire" seems to be a straightforward Americana album, until you start noticing the odd time signatures, the synthesizers, the jazz compositions that float beneath the western sound like gentle waves. Like the best country music, this album manages to be uplifting amidst palpable sorrow and regret. On the first track, Evie B. quavers in a gorgeous falsetto "Well she's long gone and I just can't sleep/And I close my eyes, well it's her that I see." I felt saddened and moved to tears when I heard her signature yodel in the song "Guess I'm Always Leaving" which is the album's breakout hit. There is really deep emotion woven into the arrangements of my favorite songs which include "Do You Ever Miss Me" and "Standing All Alone." On the latter track, she sings "I'm dancing with my shadow" as a shimmer of eerie arpeggios flutter all around these lonely figures. You really begin to wonder, are there actually two people in that lonesome embrace, or just one? Katsy Pline has a way of making lost loves and ghosts seem as real and alive as the living. All throughout Katsy Pline's works (Incandescent Fire is the third album from this talented band), it is obvious that Katsy the person (aka Evie B.) has suffered, pined, cried, screamed, and wondered the proverbial why? This is probably showcased the best on the final track, "Lost and Lonesome Too," which is a sweet folk song conveying child-like innocence in a big mean world. There isn't an ounce of anger, just a longing mixed with a child's curiosity, and maybe even a little resignation. To end the album here is truly the checkmate of this sophisticated work of art. Just like her namesake Patsy Cline, our Katsy could easily be found at the bar crying away her mascara, or dancing on the table in drunken (or perhaps hallucinogenic) delight. Although I suspect the musical arrangements are more technical and complex than they might seem, there's a beautiful simplicity in the delivery of each song. The production makes no bones about showcasing Katsy Pline's best feature: Evie B.'s delicate vocals and poetic songwriting. It is at once wonderful and tragic, capturing the moment that heartbreak becomes heart-opening. Hard to forget, and hard to leave behind, "Incandescent Fire" is one of the most glamorous albums I have heard coming out of the Bay Area music scene in a long time. Someone hand me a whiskey because I'll drink to that. 5/5 🥃 🥃 🥃 🥃 🥃 AuthorMichael Bang of Tell Me Tell Me A song called “Blondie’s Gonna Die” kicks down the door to an album of 12 fiery songs in a taut 33 minutes. Lead singer Tess Stevens radiates rizz and decides she’s going to tackle you with her pain and leave you on the floor when she runs out the door. The songs are sharp and the laser production makes every tom hit and guitar strum shine through without ever covering up the real magic: Tess’s voice.
The world she sings about is a world of too many drinks, titular runaways, damaged people and the damage they do. It’s a dark world, but it’s also an irresistibly fun world. I saw them over the summer at Trixie Rasputin's Ever Higher Festival at Jerry Garcia Amphitheater. Tess & The Details really brought it, crackling with energy and filling the summer afternoon with thrilling rage, turning their aches into raucous shout along choruses. There’s so much to love in this pop punk burst of an album. “Take a Number” is a shit-kicking pit starter before down shifting to deliver its message, then punching you in the face with the ending. “Unnatural Disaster” soundtracks a yet to exist coming of age movie. “Jester” rips power chords out of guitars like pages from a diary, and ends with a turn-up-the-dial key change. Whoa-oa-oas get deployed like weapons. Tess can turn a phrase on a dime: “it makes you want to cry so turn your eyelashes inside out tonight” “I’m hypercritical borderline pitiful but goddamn I know how to lie” and one of my favorites: “I only sing in the key of the dead.” The band's mission is to use its platform via lyric messages and social channels to address vital topics such as mental health, gender equality, and the promotion of optimism. A strong emphasis is placed on fostering connections with their audience. The only thing I don’t recommend is trying to do your taxes while you listen to it (it’s been a multitasking day). It’s a blast! 5/5 horns 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘 AuthorTrixie Rasputin Alchemy, according to Webster's Dictionary, is "the medieval chemical science and speculative philosophy whose aims were the transmutation of the base metals into gold, the discovery of a universal cure for diseases, and the discovery of a means of indefinitely prolonging life." Well, in that case, I do believe Tess Posner has transformed pain into pleasure on her truly inspiring EP 'Alchemy'...and it could even be a homeopathic cure for downtrodden spirits!
I was first introduced to Tess Posner around the time that 'Alchemy' was released in September of 2023. She brought wildflower seed packets to her EP release show in San Francisco as a gift to each attendee, something that made me feel instant magic and connection. I had not yet listened to the music but I remember thinking right then that this was a confident and mystical artist, already a unique voice rising above the din. Once inside, It felt like I entered a secret society, or maybe even a witches' coven. Rose Haze was there that evening, and Joyce Lee, and it occurred to me that perhaps some kind of female revolution was happening, or needed to happen. Perhaps it was the beginning of alchemy in the Bay Area music scene. What I often notice is that women are speaking the language that men speak, but it is rarely the other way around. Why is that? Is our secret female language actually our power? There are many ways to turn this question around in your mind, but I would recommend listening to 'Alchemy' before you draw your final conclusion. The first song, 'Feral Child', is a deeply descriptive story of finding intimacy with the hidden parts of ourselves. The fragility of Tess' voice and lyrics on this opening track bring you into her world like a finger beckoning through a slowly opening door. From there, the critically acclaimed song 'Volcano' suggests that a woman's fury might actually be the source of life. "What if I can't control it/I don't want this world to choke/On the anger that has smoldered/Into ash and smoke... I'm a volcano/When I let my fire go/I make diamond sands, fertile lands/You will know, you will know." It's so visceral, and I think every person can relate to the unpredictable mother figure in this song. All of the music on this EP is darkly danceable, but the lyrics are never lost in the music. Her producer Rob Wells keeps Tess' pristine voice up front on every track. 'My Heart Is Dry' is a greatly metaphorical song about lands that have dried up due to neglect, with only a single wildflower to give this arid landscape any hope of returning from the brink. This leads into 'Ghosts,' a song which gathers it's strength from a less is more approach to the music. With just a piano and voice, we are taken through a dimly lit hallway, or maybe a cemetery, and it is up to interpretation whether meeting the ghosts is something to fear, or something to cherish. Finally, the EP comes to it's conclusion with the song 'Black Cloud' and it is the perfect ending. After you hear this song, you realize that the EP is just a slice of a larger epic. As listeners we have been invited into the middle of story. There was more where it came from, and after our main character goes through the "black cloud" of someone else's pain, there is an inevitable cliffhanger. You know that she makes it through the harrowing journey to the center of herself, but what is next? Can she save the drowning on her way back home? If we are lucky, the next album will give us the answer. Alchemy does everything it promises for the listener. It squeezes water from stones and turns pain into power. Like the volcano she professes to be, Tess doesn't hold anything back simply because she is not able to do so. This is a brave artist who is going to speak her truth at all costs. With flawless production and music that is satisfying to listen to over and over again, this EP puts Tess Posner in a league all her own. 5/5 🌋🌋🌋🌋🌋 AuthorMichael Bang of Tell Me Tell Me Ready to get hot and heavy? Because I feel like another title for this EP could have been “Smash Time.” It’s sweaty, it’s erotic, it’s oozing sex and it doesn’t hide behind metaphors. Here’s an example: “Open up my body let you satisfy me sexually.” I mean come on! That’s from “Look at What You’ve Done to Me,” a cosmic trip to a warehouse party orbiting Saturn. Cardboard People want to feel good and they want you to feel good too, so get ready!
Opening track “Devour” invites you to get lost in ecstasy, while also asking the question what planet are we on? This is R&B from the future, this is sultry cyborg music, this is a club scene from Ready Player One. If the goal of Interstellar was finding a new planet for smashing instead of living, this would be the soundtrack. “Bend It Ova” makes things even more clear. This is actual blood-sugar-sex-magic, this is a celebration of bodies and how good they can make each other feel. “Lovecraft (Mind Games)” is the party at the end of “Return of the Jedi” but zoomed in on all the babies that were being made. And if all that weren’t enough, final track “Push Up” tempts us to skip the Netflix and get right to the chill. Personal favorite lines are “get with the times got this ass in cyberspace” and “I ride the cocky good.” Love it. Cardboard People is the alt-pop-r&b project of vocalist Yunoka Berry and producer Jim Greer. Their music ranges from deeply cerebral to extraordinarily funky, somewhere between hip hop and avant-garde pop music, landing on a genre planet orbiting alt-indie-soul-artpop. Influences can be heard from Prince, Stevie Wonder, Tyler the Creator, Kate Bush, and Hieroglyphics. For this EP I humbly submit the genre name: Rhythm & Butts. Pairs well with Enon, LOUIZA, Melissa Jones, and Extra! Extra! It’s awesome. 5/5 moans 🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵 |
Trixie Rasputin PresentsA glimpse inside of the rock and roll machine! Archives
May 2024
Categories |
Proudly powered by Weebly