Band to Watch: Quilt
In order to appease my current Real Estate addiction, I have been on a steady mission to discover more ringing, melodic guitar riffs. As a result, I have pulled back the covers to find Boston’s Quilt. Their debut, self-titled LP was released on the Mexican Summer label and is slowly becoming one of the under the radar releases of 2011 that I am digging. Consistent melody is not only present in the 6-string play but is also featured in the vocals. Shane Butler and Anna Rochinski do a fantastic job of not only coexisting, but also succeeding with their trippy harmonies. Their voices team well and the delivery is effective, yet deceptively simple. A psych-folk touchdown. Join me in getting cozy with Quilt. Listen to “Cowboys in the Void” below:
Connect with Quilt via Facebook | Bandcamp | Mexican Summer
Written by Brett McGrath
Band to Watch: Purity Ring
I have a thing, or maybe the precise word is lust, for electronic music. The beats, the synthesizers, the turntables…my ears hear a sound I like, I feel the music, and I’m hooked. While a purist might knock on the fact that the artist is “painting their picture” using a machine with buttons as opposed to a guitar or drum set, I don’t see any difference. Music is about expending creative energy to bring a unique sound for the listener to experience. And that’s perhaps why I love this genre so much…the live experience. You won’t find a soul standing with their hands in their pockets. It’s a dance party with the hundreds of your newest, closest friends. And at one point during the show, that shared experience culminates with that one special song, where for a few minutes the world slows and you feel a part of something bigger than just yourself.
Purity Ring is the electro pop music project of Megan James and Corin Roddick. While the duo have yet to release a full length LP, they have had a steady stream of ridiculously great singles throughout 2011 that include “Belispeak,” “Lofticries,” and “Ungirthed” that give a glimpse of what is to come. The music itself seems like the love child of hit 2011 indie band Tennis with a synthesizer. Megan’s vocals pierce over Corin hooks, producing the feeling of finding two separate puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly. One wouldn’t work without the other, but together, everything is perfect.
James’ lyrics themselves are more poetic than pop music. You probably won’t be belting these out while they play, but perhaps that’s the beauty in it all. Listen, move, and enjoy – there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. Enjoy “Belispeak” below and look forward their first full length LP, Soulja Boy, in the coming year. And yes, that album title is inspired by who you think. As 2011 winds to a close, this is certainly a band worth keeping up in the coming year.
Connect with Purity Ring via Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr
Written by Greg Dahman
Band to Watch: WATERS
Often, a new band enters my musical pipeline and my emotions quickly escalate, turning me into to a fanatic patron. When a new find impacts me at such an expedited pace, I always search for the reason. The quest for understanding my new partnership causes me to explore the bands differentiations in my musical marketplace. The best musical shopping spree occurs when I stroll down the aisles of my mind to find that what separates this new band from all the others. It is like putting your head under a warm faucet after a brisk winters walk. The experience is comfortable, soothing, and extended. The band drenches me with their sound. Once the sound has simmered and the songs have gained a certain validity, the post purchase discovery reveals connections to other artists in my library. I am proud to say that I have been sold and am now a new follower of WATERS.
WATERS is the project of Van Pierszalowski, lead singer of now defunct San Fran band Port O’Brien. This band won me over in 2007 with their release All We Could Do Was Sing. Their folky, indie rock twang filled a special spot on my list of favorites. If you have been in a funk after the Port O’Brien departure, WATERS will cause you to float back to surface.
WATERS’ debut Out In the Light was released earlier this fall and I cannot quit sailing with it. Their first single ‘”For the One” hit the Sirius airwaves and I was rocked. It brought Pierszalowski’s voice back to me with a rocking lo-fi sound. This formula makes me weak. The song ‘Take Me Out To The Coast” serves as the captain to my winter expedition. Pierszalowski’s inviting words: “I can’t belong to a scene with no one else” forces us all to feel as if we are setting to sea with a trusted skipper. I will continue to cruise with WATERS as their expedition has just begun. As I follow Van Pierszalowski’s lead, I continue to remind myself that once you buy-in, there always exists opportunities to be sold a second time.
Connect with WATERS via Facebook | Twitter
Check out the wild video for “For the One”:
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Written by Brett McGrath
Thought on Tracks 