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8
Mar

Video: Michael Kiwanuka “Lasan” (Live From Brussels)

A while back, we featured a new song from the U.K.’s Michael Kiwanuka. The song was entitled “Lasan” (Listen) and featured The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach on guitar. Today, Kiwanuka dropped a video for the track. This time, though he rocks the song solo on the streets of Brussels. Next week, Kiwanuka will Austin’s SXSW festival. I am anticipating his appearance to generate a significant stateside buzz for the performer, who has been consistently selling out venues overseas. Check out Kiwanuka’s SXSW schedule and peep his new video below:

Wed, March 14th, 3pm :: KCRW Official SXSW Showcase :: Austin Convention Centre
Fri, March 16th, 11:45pm :: Communion Records official show :: St David’s Historic Sanctuary
Sat, March 17th, 8pm :: John Mayer support :: Stubbs BBQ

Written by Rob Peoni

8
Mar

Video: Whitney Coleman [Unplugged]

Indianapolis-based neo-soul and R&B maven Whitney Coleman has just dropped a new video entitled “[Unplugged].” The video features Coleman at the keyboard, beginning with some blues chords before unleashing a freestyle hip-hop verse over stilted, stabbing piano notes. Her songwriting style spans a variety of genres and influences, but rarely are so many on display in a single track. Check out the video for [Unplugged] below.

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Written by Rob Peoni

8
Mar

Fresh Track: Dave Carter “Puppy Spirit”

This week, local musician and guitarist for Everything, Now! Dave Carter, dropped a solo release entitled Cave Darter EP. The acoustic driven release places a spotlight on the shy wit, cynicism and fascinating world view of a Hoosier artist worth loaning your ears to. However, nothing I write here will offer the kind of insight that Carter’s  Everything, Now! bandmate and MFT curator Jon Rogers provides in his review. It’s an intimidating prospect to write honestly about one’s friends. The writer runs the risk of transforming into a biased cheerleader, but Rogers avoids this pitfall by providing readers with a unique perspective on the personality behind this project.

I chose “Puppy Spirit” for this post, not because I thought it was the best, but because the track is unlike anything else on the release from a musical standpoint. The string section that accompanies the intro and chorus is the most prominent production work on the EP. The addition brings Carter closer to Beck’s early material than the more traditional singer-songwriter sound that dominates the rest of the release. I would also argue that it underscores Carter’s fascination with grunge without allowing the influence to overtake the track in a way that would distract from the others. The genre’s presence is apparent more in the attitude of Carter’s delivery than any overt impact on the song’s structure. Download the Cave Darter EP for free from Musical Family Tree. What do you have to lose?

“Puppy Spirit”

Written by Rob Peoni