Writing about music in lieu of human interaction
A few words about a few local tracks that hit the spot this week ### The Roundlakes - Donkey's Tail The first product of a musical collaboration stretching across the Atlantic from Pittsburgh to England, this one bounces leisurely along like an errant super ball, with fried, slurred vocals and ambivalent chord changes combining to … Continue reading Weekly Wrap-Up 07.29.22
Experimental trio I4A specializes in winding vamps that traverse peaks and valleys. "Fence of Pearls," the longest track from the group's new release, I4A 2--which is saying something when the shortest one clocks in at 7:26--is a radiant musical monolith. It takes its time to build up from a base of gentle strums, cycling through … Continue reading Daily Yinz – I4A – Fence of Pearls
A few words about a few local tracks that hit the spot this week ### Balloon Ride Fantasy - Wild Dream Big, chunky synth journey into a fantastical realm filled with carnal desires and pleasures. Resembles a Com Truise track whose lyrics have been subcontracted to the always-visceral Purity Ring. More from Balloon Ride Fantasy … Continue reading Weekly Wrap-Up 07.22.22
New collaboration between producer Ozilate and singer/songwriter Indigo Rae traverses a post-breakup wasteland. Last time we checked in on Indigo Rae, they were singing melancholic ballads over spare ukulele. On "Hazy," the melancholy lingers ("When I breathe in/My bed still smells like you/Baby, now I'm faded/Self medicated"), but its soundtrack takes a different tack. Producer … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Ozilate – Hazy (feat. Indigo Rae)
Benji. returns with a languid dance track called "Jorja." Rather than coast off the success of 2021's Smile, You're Alive!, Benji. pulls a switch-up on his latest single, forgoing his previous album's soulful rave-ups and meditative ballads in favor of a "Passionfruit"-style toe-tapper (produced by Nice Rec, Gianni Carter, and Damon Steele) built around flickering … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Benji. – Jorja
A few words about a few local tracks that hit the spot this week ### Rex Tycoon - Bad Habits Woolly mope-rock whose guitars seem to jangle just a bit out of tune, an apt sonic backdrop for lyrics that bemoan a litany of self-defeating practices (mumbling, smoking, procrastinating, jealousy, leaving dishes in the sink) … Continue reading Weekly Wrap-Up 07.15.22
Metal quintet follow up their 2020 debut with the blistering Siege of Cruelty EP. If the guitar guy from Mad Max: Fury Road had been joined by an entire band's worth of chemical-scarred miscreants, their music may have resembled the scorching thrash contained on Siege of Cruelty. It's like punks worked themselves into napalm-fueled overdrive, … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Vicious Blade – Scavengers
Every so often, you come across an album that truly confuses you. Stabscotch's PRISON JAR is one of those albums. Prison Jar sounds like the narrator from Naked Lunch holding court on Instagram Live, ranting into the mic and noodling on a keyboard while a grindcore band plays behind him. On the album, the four … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Stabscotch – XALLELUJAH DÆMON
A few words about a few local tracks that hit the spot this week ### VO2K - A Different Me Concise, off-kilter hip-hop--built around a carefree horn sample and a stumbling drum pattern--featuring easy flows that outline a life spent striving outside the context of the rat race. Video by The Reel Cousins. More from … Continue reading Weekly Wrap-Up 07.08.22
Short Fictions recently released their Lauren Records debut, Every Moment of Every Day. Where the group's last album wended its way toward climate catastrophe, this one takes a direct route to depressed pop euphoria. When I first moved to Pittsburgh, I lived in an overpriced one-bedroom in South Oakland, a few blocks off Forbes Ave. … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Short Fictions – To Leave Forever or Die Alone in South Oakland
Bored In Pittsburgh 