We decided not to post our usual Monday update last week amidst horrible news from Las Vegas — our sympathy to all affected by the shooting — and the death of Tom Petty, but we’re back this week with some really great new music from:
- Kewl
- Greco
- Death From Above
- J. Roddy Walston & The Business
- Marilyn Manson
- Angel Vivaldi
- Ty Segall
- Wavves
- L7
Kewl
NY
Kewl
Who is John Deluxe and what has he done with John Zimmerman? JZ is best known to Savannah clubgoers as the drummer for the garage rock duo Wet Socks — wow, we were lucky to get to see a live act with that much talent and spirit so often — but he also started doing slightly surreal shows as Kewl before he moved away (boo). Kewl lives on, and this new self-titled record is even better than Zimmerman’s fans could have expected. If you don’t trust me, you can take John Deluxe’s word for it: “LISTEN TO IT LOUD WHILE YOUR DRUNK.” – bill
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Greco
Athens/Atlanta, GA
“Half As Bad”
Greco defines their band with four core words: Sing. Dance. Sweat. Sex.The band of 4 brothers certainly lives up to their claim and their single, “Half As Bad” is a prime example of it. Sultry, catchy, and pretty damn sexy, their video only gives a glimpse into what the band is capable of live. ~ Petey
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Death From Above
Toronto, Ontario
Outrage! Is Now
This album dropped about a month ago, but it’s still worth a mention. The Canadian dance-punk duo, who can’t seem to make up their mind about the project, or the name, have put out one of their strongest efforts to date. Filled with thick, noisy bass riffs, perpetually interesting rhythms, and synthy hooks for days, Outrage! Is Now should be played as loud as possible. —Joshua
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J. Roddy Walston & The Business
Richmond, Virginia
Destroyers of Soft Life
Savannah Stopover alum J. Roddy Walston & The Business released their fourth studio album last week. The particular cross-section of gospel, country, roots rock and southern rock inherent of J. Roddy’s hometown of Cleveland, Tennessee, has given him a deep well of influence to draw on. Destroyers of Soft Life seamlessly weaves together a wide patchwork of sounds, creating a unique, often uplifting, album that shifts through T. Rex jams, Spoon-soaked rockers, a Tom Petty side adventure and even a gospel-infused lament. Really good stuff. I am on listen #25. (Aside: My parents met and were married in Cleveland, which is like a second home to me. It’s an odd city, for sure. I recommend never visiting. It leaves a peculiar stain on your soul, that you can never wash out.) —Joshua
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Marilyn Manson
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“KILL4ME” a new single
Here’s something surprising, the new Marilyn Manson is dark and twisted. I think people have always taken him way more serious than they should. It’s entertainment, people. Manson’s new single is well, entertaining. That is, if you dig the shock-rock-industrial thing, or if you enjoy the soundtracks to Rob Zombie films. Happy Halloween, ghouls. —Joshua
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Angel Vivaldi
New Jersey
Synapse
Guitar nerds: Do you enjoy nigh-impossible pick work and scale destruction, encased in instrumental metal guitar that is as beautiful and articulate as it is heavy and melodic? Then this Neoclassical/metallurgy is for you. It also works well as background music for creative projects. And while listening is fun, check out Angel’s videos, because watching this guy play guitar is more fascinating than hearing it. If you really dig this kind of stuff, I recommend falling into a YouTube black hole of his videos. Start here. (My old college buddy Ben Eller makes a cameo in a couple of Angel’s videos. Both of these guys are at the top of their guitar game. Check out Ben’s “Why you suck at guitar” channel too. It’s informative and hilarious.) — Joshua
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Ty Segall
L.A., CA
“Alta”, out now on Bandcamp, seems to be a stand alone single
Proudly classic, yet entirely modern, rock. The hyper prolific Ty Segall seems to have melodies, harmonies, and riffs for days. In a different era Segall would rule the airways, in this era the bulk of his output is worth seeking out.
tom
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Wavves
L.A., CA
“The Lung” from the Adult Swim Singles Program, 52 weeks of new music
Wavves contribution to the Adult Swim project is pretty much what I would expect…catchy, kinda sunny, lo-fi pop. I don’t like every single song Nathan Williams puts out, but most of his stuff is pretty damn good, and this falls on the pretty damn good side of the fence.
tom
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L7
L.A., CA
“Dispatch From Mar-a-Lago”, single out now on Don Giovanni
L7 is back together, and thankfully this single doesn’t stink as bad as the band did when I saw them back in the day. Literally, I mean they smelled bad. So bad, in fact, that I’m still talking about how bad they smelled 30 years later. Anyway, this song is pretty catchy and fun and will appeal to you if you liked them during their original run. Seriously, they smelled soooo bad. Really, really bad.
tom