Positive No - “Powers of Ten”

Positive No are back again with a new tune called “Powers of Ten.”  The band released this track on the 10th day of May as an ode to Carl Sagan and Alan Watts.  The title comes from a short film by Ray and Charles Eames.  Check out the lyrics written out on the bandcamp page.  You’ll be singing “Be braaave, be braaaave” along with vocalist Tracy

The band just recently added a new bass player, so we’re excited to hear how that adds to their sound. 

Come out to Gallery next Friday, 5/17 to see Positive No with Canary Oh Canary and The Snowy Owls.  8 pm, all ages, $5.  This will be bassist Matt’s final show with the band.

Basmati - Nectar

Basmati has been getting busy in 2013.  The band already released EPs in January and March, and now there is an EP for May.  (The band will also be appearing at Sounds of RVA’s Subterranea Collective Showcase @ Bogart’s on June 22 with Freaky J & the Bears and 1 TBA!)

Nectar is a four-song prog rock contender that takes a lot of unexpected turns.  Try to tackle the track, “Death in Reverse,” a mind-blowing five-and-a-half-minute experience that gleans its sounds from various genres like roots (there’s also a little Deer Tick going on in “Eyes Peeled (Dope Sliz Mix)”), freak-folk, post-rock, ambient, and shoegaze. 

Check out Basmati on 5/13 @ Strange Matter with Will Bollinger and New Turks.

ALSO check them out 5/31 @ The Camel for Night Idea’s Album Release Show along with Fight Cloud and Kid Architect. 

JEEZ! I just found this other EP the band released in April:

Seap One - Sickness of Seap

Gritty City Records has added a heavy hitter from Seap One to the label’s catalog.  The boozed-up, sexed-out mixtape sheds some light into his psychological fucked-up-ness and features RVA/Gritty City buddies Fan Ran, Delta Automatik, Johnny Ciggs, Joe Threat, and more.  Political and social commentaries fly in some of these tracks.  For instance, in “Proverbial Youth (feat. Delta Automatik),” the lines, “Seems the disembodiment of the proverbial youth/Living the kama sutra in denial of drug abuse/The world’s stretched beyond its means, son,” are just part of the wisdom Seap’s trying to get across. “Seap Knows Sorrow” (“in misery I wallow”) takes his authority a step further by telling us he’s been through it. Don’t forget the too real “Ratchet Kids Anthem (feat. Fan Ran)” because you’ll hear sweet lines like, “We got nothing but our balls and a dream/This is for my ratchet kids who live up scene/The ones scraping resin hits off of the screen/My gutter motherfuckers and my Gritty City team.”  Heyyelll yeah. 

Ted Allen - “Blurred Into”

We don’t know much about Ted Allen except that there might not actually be a Ted.  The band/singer/songwriter’s bandcamp says “Ted Allen is BH + HR,” so maybe someone knows to whom those initials refer.  The link says “Free Museums,” so who knows, maybe that’s their name.  Regardless, these couple of tracks of dream pop are pretty psych-friendly and are worth mentioning.  “Blurred Into” begins with a heavy church organ that supports the rest of the song.  Add a few electronic effects and some off-key whistling and you’re all set. 

The next track, “Nothing to Say,” features female vocals in addition to the doped-out dude singer’s vocals.  The trancey effect of the reverb and repetitive guitar lick can really zone you out.

“Videophone” has a distorted shoegaze thing going on, and we’re down with it. 

RIYL: Arcade Fire, Benevento Russo Duo, Little Smoke

Bad Magic - koritfw

The duo Bad Magic, featuring the enchanting Julie Karr as well as Jimmy Held (White Laces), has released an album with tracks engineered by Allen Bergendahl (Scott’s Addition Sound).  Known for her intimate acoustic performances, Karr takes things to the next level with electric garage rock.  Held plays drums, and his rhythms are nasty.  Karr’s lusty alto belts out the dark melodies, and we don’t even miss the bass.  Held actually plays bass on the last track, “Cool Hand,” but it’s so soft and low on the neck that it barely counts.  Other tracks like “Sympathy Card” have riffs designed around a lower-end guitar, but for the most part, it’s treble and percussion all the way.

The coolest part of this album is the singability.  Karr’s catchy airs will get you to sing along, even if you’re not a vocalist.  “You got the cruelest heart/You don’t even know,” she cries in “Cruelest Heart.” She’s got this gospel quality as well, which sort of floods every song with this intense spiritual sense.  Well done, guys.

photo by PJ Sykes Photography