Going old school on TMIS again today. You may remember that I read both of Peter Hook's memoir/band biographies last year. And then, I don't think I mentioned it on here but, one of the highlights of ACL last fall was seeing Day Wave on a small stage, with a small crowd, and hearing him cover this song, Ceremony (just like he did at SXSW the year before). The bass on this is like plucking my heart strings, pulling on my joints to make me bob and sway and feel it -- and I'll get to see the original dude playing it in a relatively small venue!!! I am enormously stoked because Hooky is coming to Austin on his "Substance" tour where he's covering BOTH complete Substance compilations from JD & NE!! (Link to set list.) Fingers crossed for what the vocals sound like but I'm already expecting this to be an all-time-highlight show, for me, and I kinda can't believe it's not sold out here already. Check out the tour dates below to see if you'll be as lucky! (Yes I'm posting Peter Hook & The Light tour not New Order)
Hop Along - Not Abel
A casual listen of Philadelphia's Hop Along might give you the impression that they're a fiery, but fairly straight-ahead indie rock outfit putting out punchy, poppy indie rock tracks with polish and passion. And you'd be half-right, but there is more going on here. There's another, deeper and more sophisticated layer to their work that's very much on display in today's Most Important, "Not Abel", from their forthcoming album Bark Your Head Off, Dog, a complicated, eclectic track that shows off their depth.
RIYL: Eisley, Cayetana, Slingshot Dakota, Rilo Kiley
Upcoming Shows
Runaway Brother - Conscience in Tumult
New Pocket from Cleveland's Runaway Brother is another fantastic release from the amazing Tiny Engines. I've been jamming it non-stop for a week now and can safely say it's an early favorite for 2018's best. If you give a casual listen, I'm pretty sure you'll easily understand why they're often compared to Built To Spill. Listen deeper and you'll see songs builds on each other and a lot of inventive, eclectic rock packed into each track. Ok, yeah, kind of like Built To Spill. :)
RIYL: Sinai Vessel, Built To Spill, Grandaddy, Modern Baseball