We Were Promised Jetpacks possess probably the most thematically loaded band name in the pantheon of indie rock. While FatCat label mates (and notable influences) Frightened Rabbit and The Twilight Sad also have names that emote in strange ways, ”We Were Promised Jetpacks” is practically a short story in four words; an absurdly funny/sad thesis statement for a band known to punctuate their most heart wrenching and sprawling compositions with a wry smile ripe with bracing wit.
After witnessing WWPJP play their first concert ever in Pittsburgh last Thursday at Mr. Small’s, it’s obvious the Edinburgh group’s particular brand of concision doesn’t simplify their music and emotions so much as focus them. What resulted was a blistering wall of potent indie rock that proved to be epic beyond the usual anthemic signifiers of surging guitars and sing along choruses. Lead singer, guitarist and main songwriter Adam Thompson engaged the audience with his quietly devastating stage presence, blunt lyrics and steely dynamic musicianship, subtly revealing a performance of grand romantic gestures from a truly charismatic man. Keep reading →
Remember that time when you heard about that awesome show, but only after the fact, and then you got that weird feeling in your stomach, like when you went too high on the playground swings? Plan Your Week Accordingly is a new feature of Speed of the Pittsburgh Sound which aims to help you never ever have that feeling again (at least about shows). We highlight the “must-sees” from our perspective, give you the date and the locale, and leave the rest to your impeccable/implacable discretion. Shows and tracks after the jump. Keep reading →
The fellas of 1,2,3 (formerly of Pittsburgh’s version of The Takeover UK) return with their latest 7” single “Going Away Party” off UK indie imprint Chess Club/Rough Trade. Boasting a soupy disco bass line and dripping with androgynous glam sex appeal, the track is yet another fine step in the progression of 1,2,3′s sound. While the group’s first single “Confetti” was comprised almost entirely of a slow and boozy guitar stomp, “Going Away Party” is nimble and tight, showcasing a handful of small production flourishes (hand claps, whistles, a bongo/bossa nova breakdown in the bridge) and a massive sunshower of a hook. After spending the better part of the year in the UK hype machine, keep an eye out for 1,2,3 coming back to Pittsburgh soon.
Pittsburgh’s consummate garage rockers are back after a long layoff since 2008′s Season of Sweets with a small, but potent, explosion of swagger with the Wandering Eye 7”, out now on These Are Not Records.
“Wandering Eye” doesn’t mess with the formula that made The Modey’s so impressive in the first place: snarling chainsaw guitars with handfuls of solos, cocksure, quietly cool vocals and a caveman beat that barely keeps the whole thing from spiraling out of control.
Side B’s “Cheetah’s for Chariots” lurches forward slowly like a Marc Bolan lullaby: sinister, sexy and lethal in large doses. While it’s not nearly as compact as “Wandering Eye,” “Cheetah’s” gets the menacing atmosphere out front and center, making that lava field on the record sleeve’s artwork seem more appropriate with each listen.
It’s good to see Pittsburgh’s favorite sons put out new material after some time away (which included a now legendary performance in front of Girl Talk last summer) and appearing as if the hiatus sharpened their focus rather than dulling it. No shows are lined up for the time being but pay attention Pittsburgh, The Modey Lemon will be back for good.
If you really think about it, the chances of any concert in a smaller club (like the Brillobox with its 150-250 capacity) featuring three bands of consequence on the same bill are undeniably slim. And while I understand “bands of consequence” is a subjective term, I feel safe in stating my opinion that the show Opus One Productions lined up for the Brillobox this coming Saturday is packed, literally packed, with talent.
Neon Indian (a.k.a. Alan Palomo – primary torchbearer for the whole chillwave movement whether he likes it or not) brings his national tour through Pittsburgh for the first time in his young career supported by the two extremely promising up and coming bands: Wild Nothing and Light Pollution, both of which have released their debut full-lengths in the past two weeks.
It’s an intriguging lineup considering Palomo is inching his way toward the indie mainstream (which included a stint as Jimmy Fallon’s lapdog for a hot minute), Wild Nothing’s debutalbum Gemini was recently anointed “Best New Music” status by Pitchfork a week ago and Light Pollution’s Apparitions dropped this past Tuesday supported by their fever dream of a video for their track “Drunk Kids” that’s been making the rounds on the interwebs since Monday. What I’m trying to say is this: the show has a ton of well deserved hype surrounding it, and with the potential to kill from start to finish, I doubt it will disappoint. Tracks after the jump.Keep reading →
Within Pittsburgh’s stable of underground rock bands, there seems to be a handful of factions that have organically formed. These factions are by no means militant (nearly all of the bands in the scene appear to be friends or at least friendly with each other) but anyone paying attention to Pittsburgh’s musical output can certainly notice a trend. I’m painting with a broad brush, yes (and this is no way a dig at these bands), but I do see a distinction between the unabashed indie/power-pop coalition of Good Night, States, Donora, The Triggers, and Meeting of Important People (among others), and the alt-country folks that include bands like The Harlan Twins, City Dwelling Nature Seekers and Boca Chica.
There are other groups that either straddle the line or reside in their niche a little more tightly than the rest (Lohio, Big Hurry, Satin Gum, David Bernabo+The Assembly) but for the most part, the lines are drawn. Within this interesting dynamic, enter Horse or Cycle, a group that evolved from the bedroom project of lead singer/songwriter Liam Cooney into the current quartet comprised of Cooney, Rick Molsen, Steven Stens and Chris Ryan, four men who have done more than a few stints in a handful of the bands listed above. With their debut release The Flood Season, Horse or Cycle have managed to carve out their own little corner in the Steel City with an amalgam of swaggering rock coolness and boozy country romanticism, soulful, charging and world weary in the same breath. They are the closest thing Pittsburgh has to a super group and they play the part: cool, composed and humming with the veteran’s confidence that comes with a few years of banging around the local scene. Keep reading →
Tom Fec, a.k.a Tobacco, is from Pittsburgh but he isn’t from Pittsburgh. The 98′ Hampton High School grad isolates himself so significantly from any tangible sense of location that it’s hard to slap a Steel City label on his music. His MySpace page formerly stated he was from “Rural Western PA/Vietnam.” Granted that is one absurd detail of many surrounding the enigmatic driving force behind Black Moth Super Rainbow (a band that revels in high degrees of anonymity) but I can’t help embellishing this fact to explain the man’s entire creative persona: a maniacal solopsist, celebrating non-sequiturs with quixotic delight, determined to stretch his few remaining ties to reality well beyond their breaking point.
And with his May 25th release Maniac Meat, Tobacco deliriously pulls you down the rabbit hole even further, brashly slamming psychedelic electronic pyrotechnics into hard block, hip-hop beats and towering guitar wails, all the while making his 2008 release Fucked Up Friends look downright minimalist in comparison.Keep reading →
Houston transplant Wise Blood made himself visible in Pittsburgh at the perfect time. It’s early May and the summer needs a soundtrack. Living in Pittsburgh, I don’t need all that jazz about the beach and surfing and taking drugs, blah blah blah; we have water sure, but being landlocked is the name of the game. I want a sound that feels like the city’s about to fucking pass out. We have the kind of summers where asphalt sweats, buildings collapse from exhaustion, the kid’s on your block laugh constantly and fire sirens light up the 2 a.m. sky.
The sunbaked groove of Wise Blood’s “B.I.G. E.G.O.” projects itself like a burnt out Super 8 VHS, revealing the small nostalgic details of a summer that (probably) never existed. It’s a slogging, sweaty daydream dressed up in a soulful hymn: the hovering organ line, lumbering boom-bap beat and blaring symphonic sample mutate into one swinging hump, while the muted falsetto plays like Prince remixed by Delorean. Truthfully, it sounds like nothing I’ve heard in Pittsburgh since I’ve lived here. Truthfully, that’s why I love it. Keep reading →
I need to apologize first. After featuring Mother Sun‘s self-titled EP on speed of the pittsburgh soundlast summer, I stupidly left them off the Steel City’s Top 20 Tracks of 2009. It was a mistake fueled by negligence and if I had a second chance to do 2009 over again, Mother Sun’s “Phantasmagoria” would land somewhere in the top 10. Regardless, I highly recommend picking up said EP on iTunes now, if only to witness the evolution of Pittsburgh music scene’s best kept secret as they prep themselves for a fairly eventful summer.
With the backing of recently launched Discos Un-herd-uf, a Pittsburgh-based label headed by none other than Andres Ortiz-Ferarri (a.k.a. Discuss, Young Frankenstein), Mother Sun are back with a full-length LP set to be released June 22nd followed by a national tour this fall. With ”Cold Train” and “Wonderful Feeling,” the first two cuts from the yet-to-be-titled album, Mother Sun have switched gears from the atmospheric, electronically tinted acoustic suites from the debut EP. Present is a new sound that entirely embraces robust waves of electronic noodling while concisely carrying harmonies of gorgeously symphonic pop songs. Tracks after the jump.Keep reading →
The rotating band of Pittsburgh-based MC’s and producers known as Shindiggaz said hello to 2010 armed only with shit-eating grins and two pitch-perfect debut projects: Prime Time Lineup and Saturday Morning Special, an absurdly hilarious couplet of mix tapes literally busting at the seams with nostalgic beats mined from late eighties-early nineties television theme songs.
Prime Time Lineup comes wall to wall with dismantled music from some of network television’s most iconic shows that includes Cheers, Family Matters, Full House, and Married With Children to name a few. Saturday Morning Special features themes from the same era’s most popular Saturday morning cartoons that will have anyone in their twenties giggling with fan-boy nerdness. Music from Ducktails, Inspector Gadget, G.I. Joe, Transformers and Thundercats all make appearances in various forms. Tracks after the Jump.Keep reading →
