We’re extremely fortunate here at The Bay Bridged. Not only do we have a vibrant music scene (yes, we still do), but we also have a great set of artists dedicated to making the seen even better. Case in point: the 45 artists who donated a track to our fundraiser compilation.
In order to provide you with a track-by-track breakdown of the compilation, I listened to all 45 tracks, and I have to say I’m even more excited about Bay Area music and what it can become. Donate now to our 2015 fundraiser to show your appreciation to these talented artists and support our work dedicated to enriching the local music scene.
Starting today you can stream the entire compilation (that’s SIDE A & SIDE B) — do it and share your reaction in the comments! Then go to our fundraiser and donate $15 to secure your own download of the compilation.
A Million Billion Dying Suns – “Promised Land”: Delicious sludge and a trademark Nate Mercereau shredder of a solo.
Andrew St. James – “Dangerous Love”: James possesses a unique, engaging voice, and it effortlessly dances around somewhat random rhythms before finishing with some well-executed falsettos.
Sugar Candy Mountain – “Red Border Bars”: One of our long-time favorites on the scene, Reiter incorporates some of the psychedelic tones that are the centerpiece of her project Sugar Candy Mountain.
Battlehooch (vs. Bells Atlas) – “Incessant Noise” (Remix): An incredible, haunting remix of a Bells Atlas track from Battlehooch.
Bear Call – “You’re Not There”: A fun, upbeat rock and roll romp.
Dangermaker – “Something More”: Subtle acoustic version of their 2014 amthem.
Dirty Ghosts – “Some Kids” (Night Version): Going another direction, Dirty Ghosts made a more electronic version of “Some Kids”, off their most recent album.
Exray’s – “Immigration Song”: A lovely, laid back track, with some rad drum sounds providing a tiny bit of an edge.
Ezra Furman – “Cherry Lane” (acoustic): A solid acoustic version of Furman’s track from 2013’s Day of the Dog that sounds like it was recorded in a mostly empty train station, which is charmingly distracting.
Field Medic – “Haunted, Haiku, Tattoo”: Field Medic is one of my personal favorites among Bay Area singer/songwriters. The round that begins about two minutes in is positively enchanting.
Foxtails Brigade – “Back In”: Foxtails doing what they do best: expertly crafted chamber pop.
Future Shapes – “Mild Nothing”: “All I wanna do is nothing with you”, they sing. Beautiful in a lazy, bummer kinda way.
Future Twin – “Hope”: A wonderful dose of beautiful lead vocals combined with breaks of some rad instrumental effects.
Growwler – “Dawn of the Red”: Yet another great lead vocalist singing their heart out. I dig the guitar sounds on the intro, as well.
Halcyonaire – “Father Jonah”: These guys are masters at mixing eerie western and pop music, and “Father Jonah” is no exception.
Hot Flash Heat Wave – “Love Brings Me Down”: Lovely, summery, bummer-y pop music. Enjoy with a side of sunshine.
Kelley Stoltz – “We Want to See”: Kelley is as cool as it gets, and everything about this track just sounds so good that I just want to let you listen without any influence form me.
Kendra McKinley – “Canyon Canon”: Kendra wastes no time getting this track going and keeps the energy high throughout. After you listen to this, check out her cover of Father John Misty’s “When You’re Smiling and Astride Me” that Mr. Tilliman himself recently shared.
Lee Bob & the Truth – “Gimme the Keys”: Acoustic blues rock with Lee Bob appropriately dropping truths, and you know those guitar solos are going to be on point.
Lee Gallagher – “American Flags”: Gallagher makes this one feel important from the start, and shakeyness in his voice makes you feel just a tad uneasy.
Lia Rose – “Wolves”: Rose shows off her lovely voice on “Wolves”, while an electric guitar and more voices add subtle additional meaning to the heartbreak.
Male Gaze – “Two Hand Touch”: Male Gaze puts their touch on the modern Bay Area rock sound with this frantic, bass heavy track.
Melted Toys – “Like You”: So breezy and fun – pay close attention to that dancing bassline.
Nackt – “Get It”: Don’t think, just dance.
Nate Baker – “Sarah Says”: Baker shares some lovely poetry that sounds like it could have come from one of my favorite troubadours from Texas.
Never Young – “Latex Heart”: Never Young shows a pop-ier side on “Latex Heart”, but thankfully they kept plenty of fuzz on those guitars.
Paint the Trees White – “Alimony Money”: Simply a great lyrical picture. You almost feel bad for the guy, but I think that deep down he’s getting a kick out of the whole situation.
Religious Girls – “Muffin”: Excellent drumming kicks things off, and continues with some haunting instrumentals joining in.
Ryan Lynch (of Dominant Legs) – “Sashay”: Such an interesting, well-crafted mix of country rhythms, pop synths, and Lynch’s booming, yet soothing voice.
Scary Little Friends – “Everything at Once”: Solid track from former Phono del Sol performers that showcases frontman Chris Jones’ always solid vocals.
Social Studies – “Invisible Places”: Natalia Rogovin’s soaring vocals confidently lead the way on this soaring track.
Sonny Smith – “Sit-ups”: Sonny knows how to twist a subject seemingly simple and mundane into something sweet and full of emotion, just as he does with sit-ups on this track.
Strange Hotel – “Evil”: Do we have arena rock on this comp? I think we do here, and I’m diggin’ it.
Tambo Rays – “Soft Fire”: It’s slightly cleaner than I’d expect from the Tambos, and I’m not gonna lie – I dig it and I’m excited to see where they’ll go in the future.
Tartufi – “Sick of the Sirens”: This ones a roller coaster: our longtime friends start slow and eerie before bringing the noise two minutes in and bringing you back down for the inspiring outro.
Terry Malts – “Comfortably Dumb” (Fast Version): This ain’t the slow version, that’s for sure. Buckle up and enjoy the ride.
The Blinda Butchers – “New Style Akashi 2” (Japan Bonus Track): This is what lovely dreams should sound like.
The Blank Tapes – “Caught in the Wind”: Matt Adams seems to have an endless library of tracks at his disposal. This one’s especially groovy.
The Sam Chase & The Untraditional – “There For Me” (feat. the T Sisters): Chase sings his heart out on this classic love song, and the T Sisters provide a softer contrast to Chase doing his gravelly best.
The She’s – “Be Alright”: One of those indie pop gems that should be a part of the soundtrack for your next road trip with the windows down.
The Soft White Sixties – “Ain’t Your Mother”: An incredibly laid back, groovy way to tell someone to fuck off.
Travis Hayes – “The Worst” (Acoustic): So many harmonies to accompany Hayes. Can’t blame them, it sounds fantastic.
Tumbleweed Wanderers – “Every Song”: Get to know the softer, bluesy side of the Wanderers.
Whiskerman – “Riot of Indolence”: I honestly didn’t know the voice of renowned wailer Graham Patzner could go this low.
Worker/Parasite – “Bountiful Spade”: An intoxicating electronic rhythm to close the comp. *Whew*
