PWR BTTM is a queer punk band consisting of Ben Hopkins and Liv Bruce. The band was formed at Bard College where Bruce and Hopkins bonded over a mutual interest in bringing elements of performance and drag artistry into DIY culture. While at Bard the duo recorded a demo, Cinderella Beauty Shop, and the Republican National Convention split EP with Jawbreaker Reunion. On these releases, Hopkins plays guitar and sings, and Bruce plays drums. Since then, the two have begun to share vocal/songwriting duties and have also started to trade off instruments.
This development is very much apparent on their forthcoming LP, Ugly Cherries, an album documenting the duo’s experiences with queerness, gender, and adulthood over the course of a year of living in upstate New York. Ugly Cherries was recorded by Christopher Daly atSalvation Recording Company in New Paltz, NY and mastered byJamal Ruhe at West West Side Music. The full-length record is slated for a dual release on Miscreant Records and Father/Daughter Records on September 18, 2015.
Nai Harvest is a two-piece emo indie rock band from Sheffield, South Yorkshire UK.
Stealing Sheep’s acclaimed 2012 debut, ‘Into the Diamond Sun’, morphed their individual styles to create a ‘medieval-kraut-folk’ inspired sound. They were described as an unanticipated ‘pagan pop revival’ and since its release have toured as guests of Postal Service and Alt-J, opened for St.Vincent in Paris, performed the songs of David Lynch at the Barbican and collaborated with the Radiophonic Workshop on an original soundtrack to the cult 70’s science fiction film ‘La Planete Sauvage’.
For their second album they have concentrated on developing the sonic aesthetic of their music. “We were more focused about what we are trying to do. Everything has a reason for being there.” They’ve experimented with tuned percussion, programmed beats, trigger samples and worked with effected synths, utilising the guitar and lap steel more sparingly and introducing more processed sounds. They’ve drawn inspiration from 50’s exotica, electronic music and 80’s pop and been influenced by the likes of Grace Jones, Maya Deren, Eden Ahbez, Delia Derbyshire, Moondog and John Carpenter.
Having learned new skills in the studio over the last few years, the band self-produced the album. They used the studio not only as a writing tool but also as an instrument; experimenting with post-production and varying instrumentation and layered textures. “We started off in pre-production doing all the demos ourselves” say’s Becky “the demos captured an atmosphere that we wanted to carry forward to the album. The result was a hypbrid of casual takes and more considered recordings.”
The visual representation is highly important to the band, all of whom have art backgrounds. “We like to be involved in all the aspects of the presentation because it’s symbiotic to the music.” The colourful and organic album cover, a collaboration between photographer Charlotte Rutherford and collage artist Louise Mason, shows their confident image for this record: as they tread the lines of surreal pop. Follow them on a hypnagogic journey as they sing: “listen to yourself and look within”.
You’re familiar with Angel Deradoorian’s voice. As the former bassist, keyboardist and vocalist for Dirty Projectors, her levitating vocals buoyed the Brooklyn-based group. She’s been a member of Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks, sang on Flying Lotus’ “Siren Song,” and has collaborated with Vampire Weekend, Bjork, Matmos, the Roots, et al.
Her first song collection, 2009’s Mind Raft EP elicited praise from Pitchfork for being “passionate and lovingly crafted.” The Fader hailed her “zen weed energy” and “moody dervish spirals.” Her debut LP, The Expanding Flower Planet reflects a remarkable creative journey.
Others imitate the past and others divine inspiration and transmit it elsewhere. Deradoorian embodies the latter idea, synthesizing faint hints of Alice Coltrane and Can, Terry Riley, and Dorothy Ashby. A new world springs from ancient traditions—with East Indian, Middle Eastern, traditional Japanese music and Native American rhythms aligned with Deradoorian’s singular orbit. The songs glide through a odyssey of self-exploration—glowing and warping, burning brightly and floating gracefully, permanently transcending.
The Album Leaf is the solo project of Jimmy LaValle, a San Diego-based songwriter who began recording solo material one year after forming the post-rock band Tristeza. Inspired by a number of genres — classical, jazz, and post-rock among them — LaValle constructed his own songs in a similarly eclectic manner, utilizing everything from ambient noise to field recordings to radio transmissions. An Orchestrated Rise to Fall introduced the resulting sound in 1999. An EP (In an Off White Room) preceded the release of LaValle’s second full-length album, One Day I’ll Be on Time, which was released by Tiger Style in March 2001. The Album Leaf’s profile blossomed as a result of those recordings, and LaValle found himself opening shows for Sigur Rós’ first American tour that fall. By the time he began recording his third album, he’d also secured the services of Sigur Rós’ Iceland studios, along with the participation of several of that band’s members. The resulting album, In a Safe Place, appeared on the Sub Pop label in June 2004.
AVAN LAVA have staked their claim as one of New York’s most vibrant pop acts—a kind of natural bridge between late night club culture and kaleidoscopic pop theatricality. In doing so, the trio of Ian Pai (producer/drummer), Le Chev (producer/keyboard/guitar) and TC Milan (vocals) have earned a fervent fanbase and managed to bring their raucous live show to points all over the globe. Since forming, the band have released three EPs to increasing acclaim. The group’s latest EP —Flex Fantasy —proved to be a commercial breakthrough, fine-tuning the trio’s penchant for marrying soulful vocals and sanguine beats. The release led the production of multiple videos as well as a long-standing collaboration with famed fashion photographers Inez & Vinoodh. The trio also contributed music to fashion campaigns for the likes of Dior, Viktor & Rolf, Calvin Klein, and Miu Miu. The band’s current EP—2015’s Make It Real—(out 3/31/15 via Atlas Chair) is comprised of six tracks (including the powerhouse singles “Leave It All Behind” and “Wanna Live”) that serve as a kind of euphoric pop blueprint for their increasingly dynamic live show: an communal party experience characterized by nonstop dancing, the occasional blast of confetti, and a profound sense of joy. This year will find AVAN LAVA embarking on a North American tour, SXSW Festival and much more.