Listen with an open mind: I've written a lot about experimental noise vehicle partydead on this page. At least, it feels like I've written a lot. Anyway, word came this week that the project has completed the first of three versions of its planned penultimate album, titled home to love. Now, if I have to say the same thing three times in three different ways, it must be pretty significant. Its architect, Eric The Hat, has a well-honed sense of both bliss and aggression, each of which plays a key role in nearly every one of his releases. Sometimes even within the same track, like on this new song “mutant.” The analog drums on “pfft” and “numbskull,” which may or may not have been sampled, were also a pleasant surprise. Amid all the aforementioned aggression going on here, “73 years old” plays like a deconstructed “Tubular Bells,” smoothing things over in the process. Find it at ericthehat.bandcamp.com.
Home of Love by Party Dead
Credit where credit is due: The guys at JOKERJOKERtv really put in the work to cover AthFest. After numerous issues, including connection issues and a YouTube strike, the venerable Athens channel made good use of the time, interviewing and featuring around 50 artists. Even if everything had gone smoothly, this would have been a great achievement. What this guys are doing is really amazing, and it reminds me a lot of the public access shows of the music scene that were broadcast on Observer TV here in Athens. All the interviews and performances are compiled in the playlist “AthFest 2024” at youtube.com/@JOKERJOKERtvofficial.
Lockdown: The final four tracks on Handholder's new album, Older Brother, deliver a familiar sound from the group's recent Memos collection and debut EP, Clearing, but the first two are intense shoegaze tracks that explode completely unexpectedly. Opener N2L takes the common loud-quiet-loud structure and keeps a relatively simple riff at the core, but adds a sublime midsection. There's a lot of very subtle production work in the background here, too, so listen closely. The second track, Found, has a similar midsection, but it's less effective. The rest of the song, however, has a looser structure that rolls rather than rocks in the most effective way. Enjoy on handholder.bandcamp.com. Follow us on instagram.com/handholder.band.
Brothers holding hands
Not laughing: With very rare exceptions, I don't like humor in music. And that helps a lot when Violent Violet's new EP Neutral Violet is not funny at all. I say that as a preface because at first glance it seems like a joke and there's a good chance someone somewhere will find it funny. But it's five Neutral Milk Hotel covers, each performed with a different respect. Some of the structures used here really stand out, like the guitar at the end of “Someone Is Waiting”. Other songs covered here are “King of the Carrot Flowers (pt 1)” (played straightforwardly), “Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone”, “Everything Is”, and 'Engine'. In fact, no one could have covered these records in such detail unless they were pretty big fans of them. This record sounds weird, but it also feels somewhat sincere until the end. Get on a plane and fly to violetathens.bandcamp.com.
Neutral Violet by Violent Violet
Trucking with a Load: Georgia Theatre and Zero Mile present “An Evening with Patterson Hood” on Thursday, July 25. Many of the regulars who attend the annual HeAthens Drive-By Truckers show are sure to return to town for the show. Advance tickets are $25-45, and same-day tickets, if any remain, are available. To purchase, visit georgiatheatre.com.
NEW SONG: Hip-hop/industrial band Something Haunted will be releasing their first single on Friday, July 12th. It's titled “Path” and is pretty polished. It's definitely leaning towards pop-industrial (think Nine Inch Nails) but those elements are barely even considered. Overall, it's a mid-heavy alternative rock track with a solid hook and impressive vocals. It's available on all major streaming services.
Picking up the change: Hardcore virtuosos Snuki's new album hits the shelves on the 4th of July, just before a short tour that will likely see them back home by the time you read this. The six-track shredder is called Means to an End, and it's the most circle-pit-friendly punk release to come out of Athens in months, especially on “Diehard Townie” and the eponymous “Snuki.” Nothing particularly surprising, but a really solid hardcore record that's worth listening to over and over again. Find it at snuuuki.bandcamp.com.
Snuki's means to an end
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