How is everyone? Lots of exciting projects going on behind the scenes at Dig HQ. Good news is you'll enjoy many of those in the next few days and weeks. Bad news is this Weekly Roundup is going to be quick playlist style. More good news, the songs and videos are all cool.
This past week I shared 5 things I didn't know about Nick Drake until I saw the documentary A Skin Too Few. Do you know all of them? I reviewed an album: All My Love in Half Light by Lady Lazarus and posted a song: "Whim" by Aly Tadros & Ben Balmer, both of which I've been really digging lately. Finally, I also put together a photo recap of our third NYC showcase.
The latter features some news on the upcoming EP Pompette from Hey Anna. It's due 5/8, watch the teaser here. ALSO, they are playing with Cold Specks (!) at Piano's (!!) tomorrow (!!!). That pairing blows me away, I dig both so much. Details and tickets here. Other shows to check out are three different nights of Maya Vik: Piano's tonight, Trash Bar tomorrow, and Fontana's Tuesday (Flyer with all the info is here) and the Cal Folger Day release show at Culturefix on Wednesday 5/1.
Now for the music, starting with some new NYC discoveries:
Really into the new mini-LP from Bridges and Powerlines. It's out 5/21 and every song is named after an NYC neighborhood. Here's an acoustic version of lead single "Bushwick."
Bridges and Powerlines – Bushwick (Acoustic)
Here's a great indie/folk pop track from Dear Georgiana called "Wanna Be In Love" that is so infectious, it makes me wanna be in love so bad, too. Self-titled album due 5/20.
Majorly digging the alt/indie 90s vibes of this one by Dead Stars, "Waste Away." Their High Gain EP will be out 6/4.
Here's a video for "Relatives" by Helado Negro that's full of interesting imagery. The music is a sort of minimalistic funk. Album Invisible Life is out now.
Helado Negro- Relatives from Asthmatic Kitty on Vimeo.
White Prism just put out her debut self-titled EP and I'm quite into "Song 52." It's nocturnal, sleek electro pop.
I love that NYC is so multicultural and how that spills over into music. Check out the fado-infused "Lisbon Street" for a little taste of Portugal from herMajesty. They play 4/30 at Bowery Electric.
This video for "Young Men of Promise" by Yellowbirds takes an approach that mixes stop-motion and collage and pulls it off quite well. Catchy tune, too. Look for them during their month long residency at Rockwood in June.
On the other side of the coin, you have the more natural realism of "Make It Quick" by Redfoot. Both styles are good. This has a compelling narrative and nice cinematography of the forest, which fits well to the mood of the track.
We previously shared a live video of Silas Fermoy doing "Lights Burn Bright" on a balcony. Their Chapters EP is now out and you can hear the recorded version below. The band will play this weekend at the Mercury Lounge on 5/5.
And a few non-NYC artists to catch up with:
For a song called "Tumbleweed" by a band called The Great American Canyon Band, a video set in the desert is pretty appropriate. It's also stunning to see the austere beauty of the landscape matched with the austere beauty of the song.
Tumbleweed from The Great American Canyon Band on Vimeo.
Another really striking video is the latest one from The Rest. It's called "Who Knows" and though you can't hear any words of the story, the acting and context do a good job of providing all those details. Pretty cool.
Our last entry is a very neat live performance by You Won't for the BreakThru Radio series Hear & There. The guys do "Sixteen" in such a low-key way, lounging around and eating cereal, but there is still an undeniable energy and magnetism to the song.