Bryan Moore: Rip Metronomicon

Bryan Moore is an experimental artist based out of Washington, D.C. This is raw. The things stand out to me in this track right away: The noise and the silence. Really though, it’s not right to just call it a track. It’s more than that. It’s an experience that was recorded, not so much as song but as a moment in time. A wild, visceral kind of moment that we all need more of. The cacophony of strings plucked and pulled voraciously. The distortion of sound that comes across in the harsh dissonance of this art. Rip Metronomicon is the kind of experimental project that would easily fit into any contemporary art musuem. Bryan Moore says it best, right in the first few minutes of the song. “This is the end.” Whatever that means to the listener, whatever that meant to the live crowd this was performed for, there’s a sinister finality to that statement. The end.

This is the sound of the end, the destruction and decomposition of the piece. Even in the photo you can see the project being torn down and broken apart. The ring of a metal crowbar scraping across concrete, string being pulled and broken, wood splintering and cracking, it’s a beautiful of destruction. RIP Metronomicon has all the intensity of a volcanic eruption. It’s experimental sound, I’ve never heard anything like it in my life and I don’t think I’ll ever hear anything quite like it again. Rip Metronomicon is gritty, tough, loud, and powerful. Even at 16 minutes the track still doesn’t seem long enough. I really wish I could have been one of the people in the crowd there, seeing this play out before my eyes and knowing that I was witness to a grand occasion that will never quite be again. Bryan Moore is a great guy that does great things for the local scene, if you see him performing near you soon, go check that you. You do not want to miss this.

Listen here: https://soundcloud.com/bryan-moore-439700426/rip-metronomicon-5-13-16mp3

Middle Kid: Yeah, Sure

Middle Kid is an indie rock band from Frederick, Maryland. I caught up with Zach Willis, the main songwriter in this band and got an exclusive preview to their debut EP, “Yeah, Sure”.  From the first track on this EP, it’s clear that Middle Kid has established themselves as a new and exciting force in the Maryland music scene. From the first song to the last, there’s something for everyone on this album. It taps into a timeless teenage misery, and the way that translates into the early twenties. In a way, it has captured a specific moment in time. The time when we aren’t quite adults, we aren’t teenagers, we aren’t anything that you expect us to be. We just are who we are, and the world around us can’t define or place us.  The rhythms are tight, the drums and base played phenomenally by the incredibly talented musicians in this band. The vocals are passionate and raw,  the vocals are honest and heartbreaking. That’s a recurring theme on this album. Raw passion, dissonant reality and transcendence in the face of melancholy.

Yeah, Sure is a clear expression of a conscious mind, with depth and beauty in every track on this EP. It speaks softly,  gentle but with a fire behind every lyric that is as tangible as the atmosphere that surrounds us. To me, it’s a voice that isn’t heard nearly enough. Where the mid 90s left off, Middle Kid picks up with a unique and unequivocal sense of self expression. This EP is full of songs that come straight from the heart, unparalleled truth that comes from 5 shots of whisky and half a pack of cigarettes on a Sunday.

This is an EP that was written with heart, and that sort of stark reality will always resonate well with listeners. I would usually give a place for the readers to listen here, but since this EP isn’t out yet, you’re just going to have to take our word for it. If I were to pick one word for this EP, it would be:

 

Magnificent.

 

To keep up with Middle Kid and get the latest news about Yeah, Sure and other shows, click here: https://www.facebook.com/middlekidmusic/

Sunshowers Overnight: Self Titled

Sunshowers Overnight is an alternative/indie folk band from Washington, D.C. Sunshowers overnight mixes the morose, macabre, and sorrowful ballads that herald back to the 1980s. In addition to that, there’s the upbeat piano riffs, harrowing vocals, and exquisite composition of the new indie folk that’s been prevalent in our more modern era. It’s a special kind of album that has the hooks and melodies that bring the listener back to memories of so many things, but in and of itself can’t be pinned down. It’s not defined by its influence, but the influences resonate a familiar comfort with the listener. This in turn ends up giving Sunshowers Overnight a warm, feeling, while being something incomparable in its execution.

There’s a lot to be said of the writing on this album. I’m not sure if I have just been extraordinarily fortunate, but the D.C. area is absolutely overflowing with talented writers, artists, composers, dancers, the list of creative works is endless. The arts are thriving in D.C. Maybe is the four seasons, the beauty of the summer inspiring the beauty of the spirit, the bleak and barren winter that brings out our collective despair and desolation. The spring, the way it jumps and dances with its optimism. The Autumn leaves, the caterpillar nests in the trees. The sense that nothing is ever permanent, as the leaves fall the years fall too, fall into a past that can never be again, only expressed and communicated. These are the most beautiful things about this little part of the world, the change seasons are reminiscent of the daily changes in our minds. Sunshowers Overnight is an album that I feel encompasses all the beauty of who we are, what we are, and what we strive to be.

Listen here: https://sunshowersovernight.bandcamp.com/releases/

All The Best Kids: Go Out With A Bang

All The Best Kids is a hip hop/indie band from Washington, D.C. This album is like nothing else in D.C. The raw energy, that passion that pour out from every measure making listening to this album such a pleasure from the first track to the last. High energy, beautiful vocals, intense and intellectual songwriting, these are just a few of the things that stand out. All The Best Kids tell stories of life, stories in a way that’s relatable, it resonates with the human experience. They want to connect to the core of who we all are, and the shared human experience. It’s always impressive when a band can be this honest and direct with their composition. To get the full experience of this album, I listened to it multiple times. Once, to focus on the ebb and flow of the vocals, the way the ideas are expressed and fully comprehending the way that the lyrics build on top of each other. Once to focus on the unparalleled excellence of the music and song composition. The beauty of every piece, the way the rhythms ebb and flow, cascading over each other with a deep and natural flow. There is a lot going on in the songs on this album, it has a sort of intelligence and real life to it. The songs sound real, like an old friend telling you all about how they are, how they’ve been. There’s a lot of conversation in these songs, and that calls back to the late eighties and early nineties hip hop. It doesn’t feel nostalgic though, it’s more the evolution of that sound.  This is pop music how it could be composed, from the heart and soul with nothing but passion and solid drive throughout. Free from any corporate watchdog or producers telling them what they can and can’t say. All The Best Kids are sincere, and I believe in every word of every song. I believe in All The Best Kids when they tell me how they’re feeling. That’s a rare talent. It’s a one of a kind, once in a lifetime group of incredibly talented artists coming together to create something intangibly wonderful. This is the kind of music we need more of, and not to mention the live shows.

 

I had the pleasure of seeing All The Best Kids live, and the energy of the performers on stage and the crowd was one of the most intense I’ve ever seen. This is a fun band to see live, they know how to engage a crowd and put on an amazing show. They are performs that belong on a national stage. They are in the process of mixing a new album now, which I am so excited for. Until that time comes, check out Go Out With A Bang and find the new D.C. sound you’ve been waiting to fall in love with.

 

Listen here: https://allthebestkids.bandcamp.com/

Fellowcraft: Get Up Young Phoenix

Fellowcraft is a rock and roll band from Washington, D.C. Get Up Young Phoenix is the best kind of release. It’s heavy, dark, exciting, introspective and personal. The guitar tone is varied and unique throughout each track. It gives each song a distinct and memorable personality that stays with the listener long after the track has ended. The songs are long and poignant. Additionally, the album has such a nice flow. It doesn’t get too slow and emotional for too long, but each emotion expressed is bursting with sincerity and a genuine pain. There’s nothing forced or out of place in Fellowcraft. They know how to write the songs they want to write, and sing the songs they want to sing.

This, to me, is how music becomes timeless. Not written to be or express anything other than exactly who these people are at this moment in time. The guitar lines are killer, the bass is subtle when it needs to be but also powerful and everything has a very nice tone. That guitar tone and bass tone really shine all throughout Get Up Young Phoenix. Smooth and clean when it needs to me, rough and fuzz driven as it flows. The drumming is exceptional. The fills are solid, and the chemistry between the bass and drums is tangible. As someone just learning how to play the drums, I was fascinated by the nuance and overall skill. Fellowcraft is a talented band, and it’s easy to see why they have been so successful with their debut album. Special mention to The Dying Of The Light, it’s an excellent song.

Fellowcraft has a bunch of shows coming up, go check them out in D.C. and beyond! For more information about shows, booking, and album sales head to: http://www.fellowcraftband.com