As Atlanta’s The Head prepare to release their new EP, Millipedes today, Surviving the Golden Age is excited to premiere the album track “Raincoats.” The track sounds straight off the soundtrack of your favorite 80s teen comedy. With a fuzzed out indie rock song, its easy to hear comparisons to bands like Psychedelic Furs or Echo & the Bunnymen. LISTEN HERE…
As often happens in the New York City way of life, a serendipitous meeting at a holiday party in Manhattan grew into a collaboration for hip hop duo Koncept & J57 and Dice Raw of The Roots. The song is “Live Forever,” taken from the duo’s forthcoming The Fuel EP, and we have the premiere of that track today.
When creative minds click the possibilities are endless. After J57 met Dice Raw at that party, they started booking shows together featuring members of The Roots and local (to NYC) artists. From there came the opportunity to work together in a studio setting, which resulted in the inspirational “Live Forever” with Dice providing the opening vocal hook on the track. And as Koncept says, “his voice compliments the track so perfectly. Right from the jump you hear his vocals and it brings you right into the vibe.” LISTEN HERE…
The new EP from The Head is a rollicking, five-song crash course in fusing pop perfection with gritty, fuzzed-out rock and roll. With the three-chord Troggs-style simplicity of opener “Jesus” and the Midwestern indie-rock of “Raincoats”; with phased-out New Wave daydreamer ”Pebbles on the Ground” and would-be ’90s alternative anthem “It Ain’t Easy,” Millipedes is the unified vision of a band that knows its history, and a thing or two about reinventing it in the now.
Just ask the legendary artists who have taken The Head under their wing—Big Star’s Jody Stephens, producer Mitch Easter (R.E.M., Pavement), John Vanderslice and Guided By Voices’ Doug Gillard to name a few. The band has also held their own on stages with the likes of Primal Scream, Dream Syndicate’s Steve Wynn and garage rockers Those Darlins, and have been spotlighted by outlets such as SPIN, Magnet and PopMatters.
The story of The Head is the dream of so many aspiring kids jamming out in their garages across the nation, and with Millipedes (out Nov. 13), the band takes a big step forward. READ MORE…
“The measure of a life is a measure of love and respect, the way you live, the gifts that you give,” Rush drummer Neil Peart once wrote. The love and respect with which deceased 8 Inch Betsy frontwoman Meghan Galbraith lived was remarkable. And even in death, she continues to give the world the gift of her music, with her queercore trio set to release its long-awaited sophomore and final album The Mean Days tomorrow in Galbraith’s memory.
Below, and exclusively here at Transmission, you can have a listen to “So Dark,” the newest single from the album. In context, the title takes on a poignant new meaning–Galbraith howling it over and over at song’s end is nothing short of heartbreaking–but for the most part, “So Dark” is full of life, a permanent reminder of the vivacity that Galbraith brought to 8 Inch Betsy. Her voice runs ragged with the sting of betrayal, but she isn’t cowed–in fact, she resolves to move forward, backed by sunny but hard-nosed guitar chords and a driving rhythm section that has no time to dwell on the past. It’s a beautiful, simple, representative final statement from a woman who left an indelible mark on not just the queer community or the music community, but upon everyone whose life she touched. LISTEN HERE…
This Atlanta trio has been at the game a while, now. Brothers Mike and Jack Shaw, along with high school friend Jacob Morrell have toured and recorded since they formed back in 2007. Not long after, The Head released their debut Puckered, a terrific, power-pop punch. Since that first release, Morrell’s guitar prowess has lived a thousand lives, Jack has created a fluidity on the drums that is the heartbeat of the band and while Mike is an excellent bassist, it’s his voice that reaches new heights with each new release. After evolving and maturing, the band has arrived in the fall of 2015 with their new self-produced EP, Millipedes.
The fantastic opening track “Jesus” sounds like it would be right at home on R.E.M.’s Monster, with grunge guitar, off-kilter shifts and thought-provoking lyrics. The rocking “It Ain’t Easy” tells the story of Newtown gunman Adam Lanza and his disjointed and strained relationship with his parents (“I’ve never heard of a son whose never played with a gun”). A potentially controversial move on the band’s part turns out to be a winner.
The dreamy guitar work on “Raincoats” may let a little of the Ocean Blue’s “Between Something and Nothing” slip into your subconscious, while “Unspoken” is a speeding roller coaster ride. “Pebbles on the Ground” is a wonderful closer with the trio creating the perfect storm. An instantly hummable tune that is a guaranteed dance floor filler. READ MORE…
At CMJ this year, the first band on my must-interview list was Saint Pé, the newest project formed by Black Lips alum and current Diamond Rugs guitarist/vocalist Ian Saint Pé.
As a not-born-but-bred Georgian, I’ve been a Black Lips fan since I switched Jack Rogers for Converse and mini skirts for skinny jeans back in the 9th grade. And then came college and post-college life in Athens, Georgia, where I was introduced to part-local supergroup Diamond Rugs. Dudes. This band is my joint, and I have been helplessly addicted since the release of their latest album Cosmetics back in February. Yes, that is nine full months that I have had D.Rugs in my constant rotation, and I’m nowhere near over it.
That being said, if Ian Saint Pé is involved with a band, I’m an instant convert. So when word reached my ears that he was forming a new band under his name, I was all kinds of psyched. And when I found out that the band was coming to CMJ, I snagged myself an interview with them so I could let my fan flag fly.
We all sat down on the rooftop of Our Wicked Lady in Brooklyn before the band’s last of three shows at the fest, and as soon as the mic was on, Ian dove in, intro’ing us with our new slogan: “Vinyl Mag CMJ 2015. Pro gear, pro attitudes.” This turned out to be the first of countless ad-libbed one-liners throughout the interview, which he attributed to having a “lot of time in a van to think about things.” READ MORE…