Lindsey Stirling is rightfully known for bringing violin to electronic music and mixing a classical set of chops with a popular musical form without pretension. On her new single and video “Underground” Stirling conjures a sense of the fantastical and futuristic at once and that aesthetic compliments her eclectic style. Yes, the sort of hybrid of the aforementioned classical music and hip-hop and EDM, but also an expressiveness that crosses over into an amalgam of progressive rock and pop. Her precision as a player coupled with a fluidity and creativity that allows for a wide dynamic range is what truly sets this song apart from anything that defines itself by genre considerations. If Stirling merely had chops and if it was merely a gimmick to combine a broad musical palette with violin it wouldn’t be interesting. But Stirling’s cultivated imagination has long served her well. Look for her new record out in September through BMG. Watch the video below and follow Stirling at the links provided.
“Ancestor” draws you into a deep soundscape of far horizons lightly shrouded in mist. Its streaming melodies and distant low end gives the track a sense of vastness into which the more fiery guitar line and tribal drumming can resonate out into. It works as an ambient track but has too many concrete sonic figures to fully work as background. Rather, as a soundtrack to life in the remote islands of the South Pacific rarely visited by humans, a companion soundtrack to Hans Zimmer’s score for Blue Planet II. Or of a documentary about the life cycle of the albatross with the songs elegant dynamics and a sense of comfortable solitude. The mixture of fluidity and heat in the composition is a bit like a New Age progressive rock song but way more introspective and far less busy than much of that music.
“Ignorant” is a critique of willful state of mind despite all the negative, violent stuff going on around you and in your own life from gun shots in the neighborhood, vulture developers, lack of self-accountability to making excuses for self-destructive and generally destructive behavior. It calls for an awareness and a conscious reaction to these things so the real conversations to address the roots of social and psychological issues rather than a passive acceptance of things as they are. Too often in America we accept not a status quo but a stasis that keeps us from challenging power whether from a corrupt presidential administration, a power tripping supervisor, our own position of power over others or others over us used to coerce and manipulate or a “system” that benefits the very few at the expense of the many based on lines of ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality or legal or economic status. “Ignorant” by hip-hop artist Lil Primo reminds us that to keep ignoring those pressures on an everyday basis means we will probably ignore it on the macro scale that more than a few people worldwide have been feeling so poignantly. The beat is haunting yet urgent and the emotional tenor of Lil Primo’s vocals compassionately concerned. Follow Lil Primo at the links below.
Mystery Friends, Past & Future Self album cover (cropped)
The jaunty pace of “See Right Through,” the lead track from Mystery Friends’ debut album Past & Future Self, lends the song a freshness and charm that made all those C86-era and Sarah Records songs endlessly listenable. Combining a breeziness of tone with introspective and confessional lyrics, “See Right Through” reveals a vulnerability and personal resilience that is always a winning alchemy in pop music because everyone feels sensitive about so much in life and we get hurt or feel exposed and yet we have to find our peace with it and, if the situation calls for it, the strength to work through our insecurities and failings. Less synth-driven than some of the other songs on the record, this composition is given some of its dynamic buoyancy by Robbie Lee’s treble-y and melodic bass line that is the ideal counterpoint to Abby Sevcik’s luminous vocals. Listen to the single below and follow the DC band at the links provided.
With a relentless flow of references and imagery, “Drip Too Hard (CCG Mix)” by Hunnid draws for us in rich detail life coming up on the Chicago’s Southside. The gangs, the grind, the struggles, striving for self-improvement and ultimately keeping your head above water and the poetry that comes out of those experiences. The video for the song features Hunnid rapping with a brisk cadence and packing so much content into each line with an impressive economy. The insistent, dreamlike beat, a sample of warping guitar, shuffled claps and clicks like drum sticks on a wooden block, accents Hunnid’s storytelling perfectly. Throughout the song there isn’t some kind of tough pose, rather an attempt at preserving sensitivity and not being inured to hardship by becoming hard oneself. The music video is vibrant, urban scenery, graffiti and all, with Hunnid and his colleagues representing the kinds of people you might see every day in the Windy City. And of course a crane or two in the backdrop just like every rapidly gentrifying city of size in recent years. See the video below and check out Hunnid’s other musical adventures at the links following.
“Come Set Me Free” finds Miles Monroe getting things going with what might be described as a psych grunge dub of echoing vocals and riffs. As though he’d listened to a whole lot of Adrian Sherwood laying down the bizarro remix on a Siltbreeze noise punk cut-up tape. Something which the producer never did. But that’s the kind of strange Monroe brings to the first half of the song. Then it becomes some kind of lo-fi Alice Donut inspired stream-of-consciousness warped raga akin to early Butthole Surfers or Flaming Lips. If Eat Skull, Psychedelic Horseshit and Pink Reason decided to record with more conventional clarity they might be making something like this now. Take a big draught of the song below and follow Miles Monroe’s adventures to sonic outer space at the links provided.
Tsägä’s “Tuuleen” builds with some unconventional percussion reminiscent of Can into a chill soundscape with expressive vocals floating into ethereal heights. The lyrics are in Finnish so if you don’t understand Finnish don’t worry. It is, after all just a relatively short song and not The Kalevala if you’re trying to figure out the actual lyrics. At any rate, plenty of us listened to Sigur Ros and had no clue what those songs were about especially when the claim was it was in “Hopelandish,” a made-up language. But the music was moving and Jónsi such a gifted vocalist he conveyed an emotional truth that could resonate with anyone. As with that band the tone of the singing here communicates the mood powerfully as well with a melancholic urgency. Musically it sounds like something that could have come out of Bristol in the 90s combined with the more organic Krautrock of the 1970s—manipulation of textural tones and all. If a post-punk band skipped three or four decades of obvious influence and took in not only what influenced the likes of Bauhaus and Joy Division but also 90s and 2000s downtempo, deep house and minimal synth it would sound as wonderfully unusual and haunting as “Tuuleen.” Listen below and follow the band from Vallila, Finland on their Facebook page.
Sara Gougeon’s “Invisible Closet” calls for coworkers, friends and family to respect the space of those who are not ready to come out yet. The spare guitar and gently strummed guitar melody and Gougeon’s intimate vocal delivery could apply to any situation calling for grace, sensitivity and respect for the boundaries of other people. The hush cymbals and minimal percussion and strings bring out the delicacy of the composition beautifully. While not obviously influenced by “Silent All These Years” by Tori Amos and “If It Be Your Will” by Leonard Cohen it shares with those songs a tender and compassionate sensibility that is rare in popular music where often ego, swagger and brashness are the most valued qualities. Sometimes a gentle touch is much more powerful and benevolent sensitivity a more effective frame of mind in songwriting. Listen below and follow Sara Gougeon at the links provided.
Like beams of sunshine streaming deep into the algae rich waters of a hidden lake, the melodic drone of “Lightworker” by Aura Gaze brings a sense of calm and wonder. The enigmatic wind chimes and breezy white noise swirl around a shimmering synth figure, following it beyond the immediate reach of that solar illumination, which in the field of sound becomes a vague notion in the blue green mist. Alternately it suggests great vistas of arboreal splendor protected from the ravages of human industry by mountain peaks forbidding to summit and to descend into the immense valley where earth’s oldest living plants have taken root since time immemorial. It’s reminiscent of Popol Vuh’s work for Werner Herzog’s Aguirre the Wrath of God. But whereas there is an immense sense of melancholy to that work, there is a one of warmth and benign spirits to this song. Listen below, listen more to the full-length Eternal Hymns and follow Aura Gaze at the links provided.
Rubedo at Tree Fort Music Fest circa 2013, photo by Tom Murphy
What:Rubedo’s Independence Day V w/Matt Embree (member RX Bandits, Dispatch and The Sound of Animals Fighting), Poor Bodhi, DJ Reubot When: Thursday, 07.04, 7 p.m. Where: Bluebird Theater
Why: For five years now Rubedo has been doing an Independence Day show that includes friends and comrades in music and cultural resistance. This year includes Matt Embree, frontman of eclectic prog/punk/psych band Rx Bandits who is also a member of post-hardcore supergroup The Sound of Animals Fighting. Rubedo itself is no stranger to being difficult to pigeonhole. All its players have a degree of respectable musical chops and adept at mixing improvised sections in the songs based on the mood of the moment. One might call it a prog band because of the direct influence of The Mars Volta but also psychedelic rock and indirectly the musical thinking and techniques of hip-hop even though its all live instrumentation. The storytelling and themes of Rubedo songs somehow also manage to be positive and aimed toward a better future and celebrating the present without coming off as insincere.
Friday | July 5
Pictureplane circa 2015, photo by Tom Murphy
What:Pictureplane w/OptycNerd and DEBR4H When: Friday, 07.05, 8 p.m. Where: Larimer Lounge Why: Pictureplane returns to Denver where he first made waves in the underground beyond his home state of New Mexico. As one of the residents of Rhinoceropolis he was a real ambassador to experimental electronic dance bands in Denver and far beyond, evangelizing the DIY ethic and Rhinoceropolis and Monkey Mania to the places far and wide including performances in Russia. His musical style has evolved over the years and recently included more industrial textures and sounds but at his core, he’s an idiosyncratic artist who is trying to push his aesthetic in interesting directions.
Saturday | July 6
Sour Boy, Bitter Girl circa 2011, photo by Tom Murphy
What:Get Your Eyes Swoll: Last Humans, Tears to Li6ht and Gothsta When: Saturday, 07.06, 8:30 p.m. Where: The People’s Building Why: This edition of GYES features dark chillwave artist Tears to Li6ht, lush Americana band Last Humans and Gothsta which is series host Claudia Woodman in her guise as a weirdo Goth pop star known for bizarre covers and even stranger originals.
What:Angry Hand of God, Never Kenezzard, Flat Earth When: Saturday, 07.06, 9 p.m. Where: 3 Kings Tavern Why: A doom/stoner rock show featuring the now active again Angry Hand of God which experienced a bit of a heyday in the late 2000s before Denver metal, with a few notable exceptions, started attracting much attention outside of Colorado. Also on the bill is Never Kenezzard whose mixture of sludge rock, prog and psychedelia pushes the boundaries of heavy rock into innovative territory.
What:Short Shorts album release, Sour Boy, Bitter Girl, Safekeeper and Florea When: Saturday, 07.06, 8 p.m. Where: Globe Hall Why: Short Shorts is a four-piece from Denver who will release their new EP Hang-Ups tonight. Somewhere betwixt surf rock and the kind of punk with a footing in 2010’s garage rock, Short Shorts have a sound that fans of the likes of Tacocat and Bully might enjoy. Echoes of 90s K Records bands. Also with song titles like “Jumbotron Debutate” and “Quantum Entanglement” the band’s pop songs are clearly a cut above and more thoughtful than one might expect from a band with a name like Short Shorts. On the bill are like-minded acts like the dark Americana band Florea and Sour Boy, Bitter Girl. The latter has a real knack for taking down and out sensibilities and turning them into earnest and thought-provoking pop songs with a literary flair.
What:Heart Bones feat. Har Mar Superstar and Sabrina Ellis w/Good Fuck and Mark Mallman When: Saturday, 07.06, 8 p.m. Where: Oriental Theater Why: Two powerhouse performers in the same soulful synth pop band? Har Mar Superstar has long been putting on the most absurdly entertaining performances mixing soul and punk an dance music while Sabrina Ellis has been the animated and powerful frontwoman of A Giant Dog. Also, Good Fuck, the latest project from Tim Kinsella and Jenny Pulse, is like an experimental electronic German pop band but more like ADULT. than electroclash. Its 2019 self-titled album is a moody and spacious set of dark, noisy, techno industrial dance music.
Sunday | July 7
New Ben Franklins circa 2009, photo by Tom Murphy
What:Priests w/Olivia Neutron John When: Sunday, 07.07, 7 p.m. Where: Lost Lake Why: Fiercely DIY band Priests releases its what might be described as post-punk glam through its own label Sister Polygon Records. With the latter the group has helped to advocate for like-minded artists critical of the oligarchy like Downtown Boys and Snail Mail. It’s latest record is The Seduction of Kansas. Theatrical and dynamic, Priests make its flamboyantly strange aesthetic accessible. Olivia Neutron John is the dark, post-punk electroclash type of solo project of Anna Nasty whose 2019 self-titled debut is driven by brooding and stark low end and plenty of punk attitude.
What:Melissa Etheridge When: Sunday, 07.07, 5:30 p.m. Where: Hudson Gardens Why: Melissa Etheridge is a cultural icon in various ways and beyond being a very public figure in the LGBTQ community going back decades. Before coming out in public in 1993, Etheridge had hit records on college and AOR radio with her 1988 self-titled debut, 1989’s Brave and Crazy and Never Enough from 1992. Etheridge came across as thoughtful, soulful, gritty and she had a kind of gravitas that relatively new artists don’t yet possess. Her songwriting held an appeal that transcended any specific considerations of sexuality and gender and her music even crossed over into the more adventurous radio stations that typically played classic rock mixed with some modern hits. Her first big hits came with “Come to My Window” and “I’m The Only One” from the 1993 album Yes I Am. In 2019 Etheridge released her latest record The Medicine Show—a strong showing of songwriting prowess and performance for an artist this far into a prolific career. It’s almost a hard rock record with Etheridge sounding more confident than ever and heartfelt odes to life and loss.
Monday | July 8
Melissa Etheridge, photo courtesy the artist
What:Melissa Etheridge When: Monday, 07.08, 6:30 p.m. Where: Chautauqua Auditorium Why: See above for Melissa Etheridge. This show is in the uniquely arranged Chautauqua Auditorium which is a bit like seeing a show in a very large barn with good acoustics.
Tuesday | July 9
Bad Religion, photo by Alice Baxley
What:Bad Religion w/Dave Hause & The Mermaid When: Tuesday, 07.09, 7 p.m. Where: Ogden Theatre Why: Bad Religion has long been reliable for having something to say in its music across its nearly forty year career and its latest album, 2019’s Age of Unreason, is no different. It’s fifteen tracks of anthemic, melodic punk against Trump and the authoritarian program worldwide in general. If any of it is heavy handed the times call for leaving no ambiguity in resisting the rise of fascism. Musically, one either likes the chances Bad Religion has taken or not but at least with its words the band has used its platform to challenging regressive political and cultural forces and to comment on the same with irreverent wit and intelligence.
Queen City Sounds and Art 
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