Premiere: abracadabra channel the ’80s with “Comb Your Hair”
(photo: Kristin Cofer) If you've been around the Bay Area long enough, you might remember Maus Haus from the early days of this very blog (personally, I remember being told about them by a college friend in two thousand and nine). Or you might remember them from, like, yesterday — the core members of Maus Haus, Chris Niles and Sean Mabry, have never left the local scene, producing projects like Kokomo Hum. Now, Niles has formed abracadabra, a collaboration with Cassiopeia's Hannah Skelton, and they've release single number one, "Comb Your Hair," right here. It's an extremely '80s debut, all [...]
Highly Recommended: Oona Ruin, “Don’t Look Down”
I can't stop listening to this new song from Oakland's Oona Ruin. No really, like, I closed the tab so I could paste the link in this draft for later, then immediately regretted my decision and opened it back up for several more spins. After an initial listen, I have a feeling you'll do something similar. Don't Look Down by Oona Ruin
Premiere: The Witch and the Wizard dive right in on “Headfirst (For Better Or Worse)”
(photo: Deb Leal) Picture a cauldron. Add eye of newt, maybe lizard's tail, the ashes of a dying star. Oh — and the voices of Allison Kane and AJ McKinley, and also a guitar or two. Out comes the new two-headed single "Headfirst (For Better Or Worse)." Though the two musicians have played together in a variety of projects for a number of years, the Witch and the Wizard is the first recorded outing that features exclusively Allison Kane (Vanwave) and AJ McKinley (Battlehooch, Kendra McKinley, Roem Bauer). Opening with a pair of guitars — one acoustic, one palm-muted electric, [...]
Makeunder come roaring back with “In Between My Dead-End Jobs”
(photo: Ginger Fierstein) Dear reader, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but you could really use a makeunder. Not a makeover — you look great, smell fine. But you could really use some Makeunder in your life. That's because their new single, "In Between My Dead-End Jobs," is a bombastic, maximalist, psychedelic-funk freakout. It's like George Clinton and Andrew Bird teamed up with the sole intention of making your head bob. You certainly wouldn't confuse this for the idiosyncratic minimalism of their previous releases; the new Makeunder is a leviathan. I got the chance to see [...]
Get a first listen of Perhapsy’s new full-length, ‘Kingdom Starlight Bliss’
You might not know Derek Barber by name. If you're a regular reader of this blog, however, you probably know names like Madeline Kenney, Bells Atlas, and Curls, — acts with which Barber has played. His solo project, Perhapsy, has put out a handful of releases, which we've covered frequently. Today, he's giving us a sneak peek of his fourth full-length, Kingdom Starlight Bliss. It's a beaut. Kingdom Starlight Bliss by PERHAPSY You can pre-order the record from Porch Party here. Derek will also be playing a release show for the record at Bottom of the Hill this Saturday. Come [...]
Premiere: King Willow, “Settled”
Remember back in May, when King Willow sang us (and You're Going To Die) a song about not having your shit together? They're back with a studio version of that song, "Settled," premiering today on The Bay Bridged. This time, with drums, bass, and more! King Willow is sisters Amanda and Julianna Salguero, based in San Francisco. Watch their stripped-down Music and Mortality entry below.
Gilberto Rodriguez y Los Intocables released a soundtrack for the Mission
(photo: Fernando Rodriguez Photography) Gilberto Rodriguez y Los Intocables is a side project led by Almas Fronterizas vocalist Gilberto Rodriguez. When a few members of Almas couldn't make it to a recording session for the project, Rodriguez brought in a bunch of musicians from the Mission to record, and their creation feels like it was made for the San Francisco neighborhood. Sabor Maracuyá Desnuda is first and foremost defined by the pulsing rhythm at the heart of every track. Rodriguez sings plenty, but he also chants, shouts, and becomes as crucial to the rhythms as the percussion. Fittingly, the album [...]
Pat Thomas ain’t buyin’ it — tonight at Amnesia
Photo: Michael Bordelon San Francisco's Pat Thomas is best known around town for his work in Cool Ghouls, the joyful throwback rock and roll quartet who has been cranking out great albums for a few years now. Thomas already has a solo EP under his belt, and he recently announced his debut full-length, I Ain't Buyin' It, available for preorder via Empty Cellar. You can stream the debut track from the album, "The Money Guys," and despite the laid-back soul and jazz-influenced horns, you can tell Pat ain't cool with the way things are today. Give it a listen below [...]
Janel Marisse turns breakup into breakthrough on “Closet of Lies”
There's usually two ways to go about a breakup: Hit rock bottom or bounce back, and thankfully, Janel Marisse chose the latter. After the lead single from her Memoirs EP was picked up by Samsung for a nationwide commercial, Marisse actually stepped away from music, a move coinciding with her need to leave a debilitating relationship. Taking some time to recoup and transform that experience into her art, Marisse returns with a new perspective told through her latest DTB-produced song, "Closet of Lies." She confronts betrayal and deceit, but the song's core focuses more on Marisse's renewed outlook on self-worth [...]
Premiere: NRVS LVRS remix Quiet Domino’s “Metropelium.” Listen here.
In a case of the SF music scene helping each other out, electro-pop outlet NRVS LVRS have remixed Quiet Domino's debut single, "Metropelium" into a darker, DJ-ier dance track. "Metropelium" has been out for over a year — you can check out the original here, and listen to the new version below. On August 3, NRVS LVRS play Hemlock Tavern with a special appearance from Quiet Domino (aka Mark Ivy Nelsen) himself. At a grand total of $10 and featuring Pretty, Handsome, Host Bodies, and POPSCENE DJs, it's a great way to spend a Friday night. NRVS LVRS, Pretty, Handsome, [...]