MONDAY: LIONS & CREATORS ‘BETTER DAYS’ LP RELEASE
Lions & Creators is a post-rock outfit from Minneapolis, MN. Their 2011 release, Growing, brought them favorable attention and a small, but dedicated fan base. After a 2 year hiatus, the band is back with their first full length, Better Days. Come celebrate its release!
Sounds like: Coastlands, Mixed Martin, Better Days
WEDNESDAY: BELL WITCH
Seattle based duo Bell Witch have, since their inception in 2010, carved a unique niche in the metal scene. Utilizing only bass, drums and vocals to create a mournful, melodic take on minimalism and an ethereal but crushing approach to magnitude. Their most recent LP, Four Phantoms (2015, Profound Lore) was recorded by Billy Anderson and is their most focused, structured and melancholy release to date. Four epic sentiments of funeral / death doom are orchestrated into arias of the four titular ghosts.
Sounds like: Thou, Dragged Into Sunlight, Lord Mantis
THURSDAY: BLVCK SPVCE
The opening synthesizer notes on the Blvck Spvce track “Hevdbvnds,” deep and ominous, are reminiscent of the more barren yet threatening style of an East Coast rap soundscape. Once the verses hit, their flow is confident and cascades easily over the heavily trap-influenced beats, which serve to blur the lines between hip-hop and psychedelia. The group is determined to “change shit up in Minneapolis,” says member 1990, and from what they’ve posted on the Blvck Spvce Soundcloud so far, this goal may not be as lofty as it sounds. Blvck Spvce is composed of RP Hooks, Connye, 1990, goodkarmaniles, and Dj Snuggles – all successful local solo artists in their own right. The group members are currently working fervently on completing their debut full-length. Gimme Noise met with Blvck Spvce to talk about Minneapolis hip-hop and the concepts behind their self-described brand of “cloud rap.”
FRIDAY: THE BALLROOM THIEVES
For The Ballroom Thieves, the band’s journey has only just begun, but their roots already run quite deep. A Wolf in the Doorway finds the trio taking this very idea of “roots” and creating ways to make its associated sound progress, while making its encompassing spirit glow. “Our own personal growth and explorations in songwriting and musicianship caused us to end up in this unique spot where we can generally feel free to be who we are at all times,” says guitarist Martin Earley. “I think we have a certain sound at the moment, but that sound is constantly evolving, and I hope it keeps doing that.” Stylistically, the Thieves find a captivating mélange of acoustic styles on the album, exploring the basic constructions of folk and pop music while almost wholeheartedly rejecting its restrictions at the same time. It mirrors the band’s sharp awareness of its surroundings that equates to a rare form of musical intelligence. A Wolf in the Doorway is an early amalgamation of the band’s short but rich history, capturing the minimalism of their early jam sessions as much as the complexity of their matured songwriting. The Ballroom Thieves family tree has only just begun to bloom, but its roots give the trio a strong and solid structure from which to continue to build. A Wolf in the Doorwaydocuments this growth in the most authentic way, sending any listener off with a heavier heart and a purer soul than when they arrived.
SATURDAY: FALSE
The Minneapolis Black Metal sextet False have gained an impressive amount of attention from a deceptively sparse catalog. They only have two prior releases, an EP from 2011 and a 2012 split with Gilead Media labelmates Barghest, but they’ve impressed extreme music fans and critics alike, meaning their full-length debut Untitled arrives to uncommon anticipation. With Untitled, False expand on their sound without diluting it, proving they are worthy of their promise and making good on the tantalizing glimpses of their earlier works. […] One of extreme music’s most divisive and yet at once magnetic subgenres, Black Metal is as musically steeped in complexity as it is in the simplicity of its form. False reckon brilliantly with both halves of this equation. They have simply offered a new perspective on the shadow and light, the ugliness and beauty, that define their genre. For that reason, every outstanding minute of Untitled shines with brilliant darkness. [Pitchfork, June 2015]
Sounds like: Richie Hawtin, Theorem
Blog by Gina Reis
