Fresh Track: Dolphins “Compression”
Dolphins is a glo-fi, synthpop project based out of Chicago with its roots in Tampa, FL. The quintet released their self-titled, debut EP yesterday. Founding Floridians Johnny Paglino and Adam Offer have expanded what began as high school buddies experimenting in a garage, into a serious quintet with promising chill wave aspirations. Stream “Compression,” the second single from the band’s debut, below. The track features some addictive synth lines and coheres nicely. Dolphins’ holds on to a more organic sound than most of the electro-influenced bands that come my way. Paglino’s blurred imagery pairs well with the dreamy back beat. The recording is worth a spin, and has me wondering whether the band can pull it off live. Download a copy of their debut for $7 via Bandcamp.
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“Compression”
Written by Rob Peoni
Band to Watch: Shakey Graves
I’ve recently grown infatuated with a one man tour de force that goes by the alias Shakey Graves. Austin, TX’s Alejandro Rose-Garcia explains the origin of this moniker in the video that you can find below. The story is worth a listen, as is the music on Rose-Garcia’s debut LP Roll the Bones. His relentless fingerpicking style, marked by impeccable timing, is the engine that drives this powerful solo project. Listen to the title track, here:
When performing live, Shakey Graves sits atop a jury-rigged kick drum / suitcase, typically decked out in suspenders, fedora and leather boots. He looks as if he has just leapt from a train whose most recent stop was in 1936. The look may be a touch on the gimmicky side, but the music delivers with honest, clever writing placed in front of a retro sound that never reduces itself to a cheap imitation of an earlier era. Even when Rose-Garcia covers Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire”, a song typically relegated to shitty open mic nights, he manages to keep things fresh by stripping the song down to its bass line.
Shakey Graves was featured in a trio of SXSW showcases last week. He has stayed busy throughout March playing weekly gigs at The Hole in the Wall in Austin alongside a rotating cast of local staples like The Gourds. In April, Rose-Garcia will take the project north as part of Pitzer College’s Kohoutek Music and Arts Festival outside of Los Angeles, with plans for a more extensive tour tentatively planned for fall. If Rose-Garcia’s traveling suitcase wanders toward the Midwest, I’ll be running to meet him at the depot. This sound is too much fun to miss. Name your price for a download of Roll the Bones via Bandcamp.
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Written by Rob Peoni
Live Videos: The Drums “Money” & “Days” at SXSW 2012
What’s better than getting into a conversation about music with a total stranger? In my eyes, you can learn more from a five-minute conversation rattling off bands you’ve seen and what albums you’re into at the moment than you can speaking about anything else. Whether its indie, house, chillwave, shoegaze, whatever…the records you spin are what you want to soundtrack your existence. And sharing those with another is what makes music even more fun. I say this because I was recently chatting about music with someone new to my world and the first band I blurted out when asked about some of my favorite bands were The Drums. So the next time you get into one of these conversations, pay attention to what you say…you’ll find something about what your true taste is.
Off that tangent, The Drums were at SXSW this past weekend, and someone was gracious enough to drop some fabulous stripped down performances of “Money” and “Days” onto YouTube. Watch and enjoy below.
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“Days”
“Money”
Written by Greg Dahman
Thought on Tracks 