New Music Monday – 1/16/17

It’s another week and another New Music Monday. This week, Tom and I are listening to:

  • Pile
  • Pissed Jeans
  • Chavez
  • Dope KNife
  • Rhiannon Giddens

Pile
Boston, MA
“Texas” from A Hairshirt Of Purpose, out March 31 via Exploding In Sound.

Oh, man, am I excited for new Pile output. Tangled melodies, strange vocal delivery, intertwining guitars, it’s all there, classic mathy, complex Pile elements. It will take some repeated listening, but I honestly can’t imagine that this won’t dig deep into my brain this year. There’s not too many current rock bands writing stuff this challenging and rewarding. – Tom

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Pissed Jeans
Philadelphia
“Ignorecam” off of the upcoming Why Love Now, available February 24th on Sub Pop

Do you like your rock safe, and want it to leave you with a fuzzy feeling? Umm, I’d pass on this if I were you. Grimy and nasty ala the late era Black Flag variety, Pissed Jeans is both confrontational and absurd, in the best possible way. – Tom

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Chavez
New York
“The Bully Boys” from the Cockfighters 12″ e.p. out now on Matador

Chavez was underrated, even in their mid 90’s heyday. They never really broke up, but the members went on to success in other bands and fields, reuniting occasionally for a show or two and then flickering out again. Well the embers have been stoked again, resulting in a 3 song e.p. of classic alt guitar rock. They’re not breaking new ground here, but it still sounds pretty damn good to me. – Tom

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Dope KNife
Savannah
“Nothing To Lose” off NineteenEightyFour, due Jan. 27 on Strange Famous Records

There’s a lot to love in this new track from Savannah’s Dope KNife — the confident but sometimes subdued vocals, the heavy bass juxtaposed with keys, the references to his own complex childhood. We’ll have more about the record soon. – bill

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Rhiannon Giddens
Greensboro, N.C.
“At the Purchaser’s Option” from the forthcoming Freedom Highway

Well this seems like the right artist, the right album, and the right time. Giddens has a stellar reputation among critics and fans already, but the forthcoming Freedom Highway seems likely to vault her to the next level (whatever that is exactly). Giddens based this penetrating song on a line from an 1830s ad announcing the sale of a young woman: “She has with her a 9-month old baby, who is at the purchaser’s option.” – bill