Archives For Daily Discovery

Daily Dicovery: Everest Cale

Cause A Scene —  September 17, 2013 — Leave a comment

everest cale

Based in Brooklyn, NY, Everest Cale is a band that is making long strides within, whilst pushing the limits of the indie rock genre. Swelling guitars, anthemic climaxes, and narrative lyricism are just a handful of the key traits that give this band their distinctive and lingering identity. Meeting in South Carolina nearly ten years ago, college friends Brett Treacy (vocals, guitar), Jeremy Kolmin (guitar) and Aaron Nystrup (bass) have bounced in and out of each others’ lives but have always found themselves reunited by their love of music. It is this shared calling that eventually led the trio to New York, where with the addition of drummer Nate Becker, Everest Cale was formed in 2010.

In the time since, the quartet have constructed a unique sound that draws from classic rock and explores the reaches of experimental indie, and is rooted in Treacy’s songwriting. The band released their first EP, Beast in 2012 and has developed a strong fan following in New York and around the US, playing alongside a number of rising indie acts, such as Radiation City, who played a Cause A Scene show earlier this summer.

Everest Cale has spent the last year hard at work on the material for their new EP, Constellation Choir, due out October 22nd. “Fossils,” the first single from their sophomore effort, released just last month and if it is any indication of the direction that this band is heading in, I for one can’t wait to hear what is next. The band already has plans to head back into the studio before the end of this year in hopes of a third EP release in Spring of 2014. With what appears to be no limit of creative inspiration and a sound that often explodes with passion and heart, Everest Cale is a band you will want to keep a sharp eye on.

– Christian Lerchenfeld

Fossils by Everest Cale

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Daily Discovery: Bear Mountain

Cause A Scene —  August 29, 2013 — Leave a comment

bear_mountain

Formed in 2011, Vancouver based electro-dance band, Bear Mountain, set out to develop an alternative sound that is self-described by the band as “blended live instrumentation with a dancing heartbeat.” Bear Mountain’s modest birth started as a bedroom project when frontman Ian Bevis and guitarist Kyle Statham began collaborating and experimenting with different sounds when they met at the University of Victoria in British Columbia. After early demos the duo quickly enlisted the talents of Bevis’ identical twin brother and drummer, Greg Bevis. As Bear Mountain continued to record and play locally, they eventually sought out fourth “band member” Kenji Rodriguez, who would serve as the band’s visual and creative director. With the use of projection and lights, Rodriguez has created a distinct visual identity that quickly became a stand out feature of Bear Mountain’s already unique live performances.

Debuting in August of last year, Bear Mountain’s first album, XO, does an impeccable job at defining the band’s sound, floating in and out between experimentation and genre mainstays. Tribal-like beats layered with Beavis’ light-as-air vocals are immediate standouts on my favorite song of the album, “Congo,” and are quickly accompanied by catchy guitar riffs and a wailing synth. “Congo” was the first of several tracks on the album that lured me in and quickly had me listening on repeat. Much like Jack Kerouac, the author whose novel, “Dharma Bums” that the band draws their name from, Bear Mountain seems to be trying their best to carve a path in a culture laden with genre parameters, and I have to say that I am impressed with their efforts.

– Christian Lerchenfeld

 

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Daily Discovery: Neko Case

Cause A Scene —  August 22, 2013 — Leave a comment

Neko Case Promo

Incubated in the Seattle punk rock scene, Neko Case founded and contributed to a diverse set of bands, most famously the New Pornographers, while building her solo career over five studio albums.  Each was a stylistic breakthrough, carried on Case’s truly unique vocals, culminating with 2009’s Grammy-nominated Middle Cyclone.  

On her sixth album, The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You (September 3 via ANTI-), Case conveys rich autobiographical tales through a broad spectrum of styles: alt-country to pop, moody to clever, and sometimes downright hilarious.  A student of her past, she is able to articulate matters of her own heart that resonate on a universal level.

Case eschews her signature country noir on Man, a power pop anthem with a red-blooded Americana core.  A chiming Springsteen-esque jaunt kicks off this assertive gender commentary, bolstered by the gnashing guitars of M. Ward (She & Him).

If I’m dipshit drunk on pink perfume then I am the man in the fucking moon

Because you didn’t know what a man was until I showed you

Tucker Martine (The Decemberists, My Morning Jacket) helms aggressive production here but is able to scale back and capture Neko’s crystalline a cappella on Nearly Midnight In Honolulu.  Enjoy the depth, the humor, the sadness, and the wit of this album in heavy doses.  It might be one of your favorites of 2013. You can currently stream the album via Pitchfork here. If you’re in Nashville, be sure to catch her show at Cannery Ballroom on October 23.

– Whitaker Elledge

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Daily Discovery: K.Flay

Cause A Scene —  August 12, 2013 — 1 Comment

K.Flay

Katherine Flaherty is K.Flay, a moniker formed in her Stanford dorm room to serve intellectual and activist pursuits, namely to counter misogyny and dullness in modern rap.  A half dozen EP’s and mixtapes later, K.Flay has become a dominant female emcee and goes full bore with her genre-bending major label debut, What If It Is.

K.Flay delivers witty lyrics with a snappy flow and raspy timbre, her ethos aligned with the conscious hip hop of Talib Kweli and Gift of Gab.  Serving as her own producer, Flaherty curates cutting edge sonics, fusing live drum and instrumental samples with ultra-modern beats and synths.

So What plays more like a rock song; K. Flay’s breathy vocal glides on a thick drum and bass groove with churning organ and reggae guitar pops.  Although the lyrics are more mundane than her strongest efforts (see No Duh and Rawks), we can predict the track’s success within the ever-expanding alternative genre, especially alongside the dark, ambient pop of The Neighbourhood.  Today, we shine a spotlight on this crossover cut from the new EP (released August 6 via RCA Records).

And good news for Nashville readers, K.Flay performs tomorrow night, August 13 at Exit/In in support of Icona Pop. Tickets are still available here.

– Whitaker Elledge 

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Daily Discovery: Avicii

Cause A Scene —  August 9, 2013 — Leave a comment

Avicii at Vanguard Tickets House for Hunger Thur. Feb. 7th 2013!

For all you Cause A Scene followers who enjoy getting down to a little house music, Avicii is a name you want to keep on your radar. This Swedish DJ is only 23 and has been a hot name in the European DJ circuit for several years now, but it is his new single ‘Wake Me Up’ that caught my ear, and I haven’t been able to stop listening to it since. The track samples soul singer and hip hop artist, Aloe Blacc’s song by the same title and there is no other way to describe the track than infectious. With a powerful vocal hook and pulsing beat produced by the young Swede, ‘Wake Me Up’ has dominated the European charts. Released just this past June, “Wake Me Up” has garnered the crown of the UK’s fastest selling single of 2013 in just over a month. The song was previewed by BBC Radio 1 and was described as being ‘a complete change in style’ for the young DJ.

While it is only just beginning to get airplay in the US, remember that you heard it from CAS when we say that in just a few weeks time, “Wake Me Up” will be rivaling it’s UK popularity in the States. If the rest of you music lovers out there are as entranced by this track as I am, it will prove be exactly what Avicii needs to drum up a serious fan base here on the other side of “the pond.”

– Christian Lerchenfeld

 

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