Writing about things that do and don't exit
Lys Scott is a Pittsburgh rapper whose debut album, squashed dreams & broken wings, dropped earlier this month. The music contained within squashed dreams & broken wings displays an oddball, DIY ethos shot through with a steely sense of confidence--a proud outsider mentality. The muted, faintly jazzy "The flightline of a butterfly" displays Scott's dexterity … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Lys Scott – the flightline of a butterfly
Photo provided by artists The Mixus Brothers are a Pittsburgh duo whose music taps into the elemental, unearthly soul of classic Appalachian music, but does so with its own spin and on its own terms. They recently released the third installment of their Lonesome Gods series, and Red and Jebbh Mixus were both kind enough … Continue reading If It Is, It Is — A Q+A With The Homespun High Lonesomers Of The Mixus Brothers
Producer Gladstone Deluxe's new Lost! EP contains four house tracks replete with playful keyboards and plenty of boots 'n' cats. "Spinning Top" is carried along by a driving, four-on-the-floor beat that gradually accumulates layers of melody and complexity. Bright, organ-like bursts flit about like fireflies, piano keys plink, and atmospheric synth washes hang in the … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Gladstone Deluxe – Spinning Top
Evan Isaac's 2020 album, Dogwood Dignitaries Listen to the Baby (recently released on tape by Sentimental Records), overflows with joyful verve. Dogwood Dignitaries sounds like a collection of hypermodern, synthed-up Elton John tunes sung by The Shins' James Mercer. The thing just moves; every drum hit, synth flair, and guitar strum seems to bounce off … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Evan Isaac – Same Heart Attack
Chandra Rhyme's latest single, "Bullet," is a slow jam that comes complete with an elegant, abstract lyric video. "Bullet" is an especially sensual entry in the extensive "love is a dangerous game" canon, as Chandra compares her experience with a romantic partner to a drug, an adrenaline spike, an internal struggle, and, yes, an 18th … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Chandra Rhyme – Bullet
Malo Mortuum creates atmospheric black metal music, which combines ragged brutality with brooding synth textures. Picture this: You're wending your way through a dark forest somewhere in eastern Europe, or possibly Scandinavia. All of the pigment has been blanched away from the world around you, leaving everything a severe shade of gray. You come upon … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Malo Mortuum – Dark Mysticism
Nicholas Comanici's Sadurday project receives an assist from Lulu Lewis's Dylan Hundley on vocals. Sadurday's debut EP positions Hundley's forceful, gothic-inspired vocals overtop Comanici's powerful pop guitar chords. Opener "Sound the Alarm"-- a track indebted to the dour, martial rhythms of post-punk--is led by propulsive bass and some delightfully tension-buildng piano plinks. The song truly … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Sadurday – Sound the Alarm
Lando Ash raps out of left field, a trend that he continues with the single "P.O.T" "P.O.T" (which stands for Picked On Too) sees Lando break out an oddball melodic flow for the track's central message, aimed at anyone who needs to hear it: "I used to be picked on, too/Just like you." Over the … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Lando Ash – P.O.T.
W00DY creates twitchy, frenetic "dance music for headbangers," blending genres as disparate as breakcore and punk into one supercharged mass. W00DY's most recent album, released via Orange Milk Records, is (fittingly) titled Headbanging In The Club, and it contains a menagerie of off-kilter rhythms, breathless samples, and wobbly bass. "Neck Spasm" has the ability to … Continue reading Daily Yinz – W00DY – Neck Spasm
Bishop Ivy returns with another dose of sleek, widescreen indie-pop. "Tunnel vision" is a futuristic torch ballad that sees Ivy affix his heart firmly to his sleeve, pleading with a partner, "I'll throw away the world/If that what makes it work." Organ-like synth drones provide dramatic backing for a shuddering, metronomic beat interspersed with electronic … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Bishop Ivy – tunnel vision
Bored In Pittsburgh 