Widowspeak waste no time setting the scene and pulling the listener in on the album opener “While You Wait”. A mellotron and flute-filled few seconds of introduction precedes Thomas’ twangy string picking that shimmers into Hamilton’s gorgeous, Hope Sandoval-esque vocals. There are vibes of a warmer, more modernly lush ‘Astral Weeks’ in the feel of the music, and Hamilton’s hushed voice makes you want to listen as closely as possible as if she is revealing some sort of deep secret or hidden piece of wisdom. While the lyrics seem to be hinting at the nonstop, always grinding nature of modern life (“while you wait/ we’ll have it done today”) the music itself sounds more steeped in nature, like something that makes you want to close your eyes and imagine being out at night under a full sky.

“Everything is Simple”  has the feel of a country-western stomper, and sees Thomas showcase his guitar work by blowing things open with a crunchy, bluegrassy guitar riff that provides a great edge to the airy vocals of Hamilton, who shows her lyrical prowess for making simple turns of phrase (“everything is simple/ till it’s not”) sound mysterious and meaningful. “Salt”, yet another standout from the first half of the record, picks up the pace with galloping, dance-oriented drums punctuated by an Echo and The Bunnymen guitar bounce that, in keeping with Thomas’ guitar work throughout the record, does just enough to stand on its own while not entirely dominating the soundscape and leaving room for Hamilton’s vocals to float on air. “I’m happy for you/ because I said I’d be happy for you” sings Hamilton, perhaps a bit tongue in cheek. 

The second half of the record is just as fun and alluring as the first, with the album title inspired “The Jacket” opening with a metallic riff and rhythm that sounds like Chairs Missing era Wire, as gruff and cavalier chords and string bends give the song perhaps the truest outlaw country feel of any song on the album. A minimalist synth (which Widowspeak makes use of in subtle ways in many of the songs) carries the tune into euphoric oblivion in a way similar to something out of The Brian Jonestown Massacre catalog. “Unwind” is perhaps the most indie rock song on the album, with a 90s hip hop beat vibe that slides underneath a tumbling grand piano and Hamilton’s mesmerizing and hypnotic vocals. It’s got the feel of a smooth ballad, as Hamilton takes center stage and powers it through with compelling earnestness. 

On the tail end of the album, “The Drive” invokes images and feelings of being on the open road, and nails home that unique ability that Widowspeak have to consistently create imagery that takes the listener out of whatever situation they may be in and place them firmly in the universe of the song. Pop western guitars that sound like something off of Waxahatchee’s 2020 release Saint Cloud intertwine with Hamilton’s voice, which sounds a bit like Big Thief’s Adrienne Lenker on this particular track, creating momentum and feel that is uniquely Widowspeak’s. Thematically, Hamilton is perhaps again pointing out the grind mindset culture of modern American society, as she sings about not possessing the drive (as in the intention or dedication) to accomplish what you want to accomplish. Hamilton has a great ability to subtly jump from verse to chorus without needing to give the classic “look everyone, it’s the chorus now!” treatment that a lot of other artists need to do in order to get their point across. Her lyrical talent and warm yet edgy voice allow her to plant earworms into the listener at a moments notice and before you know it you’re singing along to a chorus that seems like it snuck up on you; “The Drive” sees Hamilton do this perfectly. “Forget It” is maybe the most overt love song on the record, and it juxtaposes the clear-eyed sadness and whimsically content nature of the narrator like any great love song does. It also presents the most compelling outright guitar solo of the record, as Thomas finally steps into the spotlight and delivers a memorable passage of guitar work that puts a bow on things. 

Widowspeak have done such a great job on The Jacket of letting everything fall into place and breathe. Robert Earl Thomas’s guitar work is never overbearing, but rather always seems to do just enough to stand out, an almost “less is more” strategy that works to a tee and suits Molly Hamilton’s voice perfectly. Hamilton’s performance throughout the record is really something; you get the sense that you’re dealing with a pure, uniquely talented lyricist and songwriter, which she has firmly established herself to be a decade and now 6 albums deep into Widowspeak. On The Jacket, they’ve made perhaps their best work yet.

The post Widowspeak draw you into their world on the new record “The Jacket” appeared first on Quip Magazine.

At the Warsaw House, you could catch the bands performing from the main stage, you could take a step into the dining area and buy some tasty kielbasa, or finally, you could take a step even further away and groove to the tunes while drinking some imported beer from the tap. Wauters, playing third, captured the crowd. With an acoustic guitar, he manages to personify the early sound of Pink Floyd with the folk tradition of Bob Dylan. His debut vinyl is labelled North American Poetry. His lyrics are psychedelic throwbacks and his voice is hypnotic.

At this point with the glowing lights on stage illuminating Wauters thin frame a small group of people in the crowd shouted “play your hipster music,” as if an insult. Although people had to pay for their tickets and must have had some general knowledge of Captured Tracks’ lineup, there was still a need to call someone out for being a hipster in Brooklyn. Irony is that thing that hipsters thrive on right?

The other stellar performance came from Axxa/Abraxas and I immediately apologise for using the words “Southern authentic” to describe them for their attire or sound and making a comparison to an independent rock Lynryd Skynryd. The band rocked, and their positive grooves had a love circle form in the centre where the crowd took turns dancing and cheering each other on. Their music is Southern authentic because they’re incorporating a country aesthetic into their overall sound. They sound like the progeny of a southern state.

Captured Tracks deftly pulls together a stellar lineup of independent bands. Their innovation is built by allowing their bands to be creative in their own way and giving them time to feel out their own sound. A year after their five-year anniversary show, the lineup is stronger than ever and the love and support find their way into the crowd.

The post Captured Tracks showcase: the next great bands appeared first on Quip Magazine.

New York City music has thrived by creating supportive enclaves. In the 1970s musicians moved into lofts in broken and burning parts of the city and turned them into performance spaces. Whether it was the Happenings that brought in visual artists to shock and awe, or the classical artists who were attempting to minimalize their product and expand their sound at the same time. Music and art was assaultive, supported by friends and like-minded creatives who enabled the scene to expand from nothing.

Captured Tracks is a Brooklyn label that promotes local bands. In addition to a supportive label that works with musicians to finish the product the way they want to, the label has opened up a record store to push their bands and their obsessions, and started an annual showcase. In a conversation with John Pena of Heavenly Beat last year, we talked about the aesthetic behind his vinyl records and how closely he worked with the label artist to achieve his personal vision. When major artists are creating their own labels and complaining about the majors that they do have to sign on with, the music industry needs the feeling you get in a small town where everyone knows your name and where people care.

On June 13^th as part of Northside Festival, Captured Tracks is bringing up five of their bands at Warsaw (261 Driggs Avenue) in Williamsburg. Your best way of approaching this show is by arriving early to Williamsburg and just wandering around, getting lost, until you find Driggs Avenue and stumble upon the haven that will be the CT showcase.

Beach Fossils will bring you back to DIY punk with a touch of lo-fi shoegaze in the vocals. Their summer melodies wrap pleasantly through relaxing nights and contemplating failed relationships in a post-acceptance glow. The band will soothe and glide you to a satisfaction of your place. Their lo-fi charm removes distance and helps form that supportive enclave. The music is all enveloping and comforting.

The showcase continues the shoegaze vocal trend, a minor quirk that can be seen running through other Brooklyn identifying bands such as Small Black and Little Daylight. This shoegaze showcase continues with Craft Spells’ melancholic dancing rhythms, as if in appreciation for the somber reality of twenty-something existence but the acknowledgement that entertainment and outlet need to exist.

Queens based musician Juan Wauters mixes English prog-pop rock from the early ’70s with American melody driven surf. His songs are nostalgic numbers with psychedelic vocals. If Beach Fossils and Craft Spells often defer to the contemplative dancing mood, Wauters finds himself borrowing from the truth-telling punk tradition, spouting lyrics of impact. Self described as garage folk, Wauters is a front man waxing philosophic.

The night rounds out with the bands Axxa/Abraxas and Donovan Blanc. A year after holding their fifth anniversary festival, this Northside showcase highlights Captured Track’s commitment to presentation and remaining a part of the community. There is a special music scene around the label, and it can be a music scene that includes you.

The post Captured Tracks anniversary showcase preview appeared first on Quip Magazine.

The release date is fitting, as there is a spooky quality to the six tracks, totalling about nineteen minutes of ghostly melancholia punctuated by quick-picking guitar rhythms and the snap of an old snare drum. Hamilton’s voice carries like a loud whisper, the kind that makes a person listen harder because they know something secret is being said.  The way her inflexion curves up at the end of each stanza then trails off gives the feeling of a person recalling a bittersweet memory, a major motif of the EP.

The height of sad nostalgia comes from the standout single “Calico”. Describing the erosion of a couple’s relationship and the home they’ve made, “Calico” is distinct in its swampiness –stuck, unmoving, decaying. This isn’t to say that The Swamps is a buzz-kill EP. The tone is one of rejoicing in the good times past while currently mired in depression -not unlike listening to somebody describing Silicon Valley in the nineties to somebody who graduated college in 2008.

Listened to as a single piece, The Swamps EP’s thematic arc falls while moving forward slowly into darkness. The first song, “Theme From The Swamps”, has no lyrics, but layers on instruments in a bobbing sort of way with a few “Ahhs” thrown in for mood. Next, “Smoke And Mirrors” begins rollicking, reminiscent of the theme from Friends, but darker. A few more lights go out for “Calico” and then “Brass Bed’s” hook, “Baby can we play dead”, trips even more circuits in the sinking bayou cabin, leaving just a candlelight for the droning “True Believer” track. The title song, “The Swamps”, swallows it all in the end, a natural conclusion from such a dreary climate.

Though not wildly different from Widowspeak’s previous albums, there is less folksiness and more contemplation in The Swamps. Good for listening to in the dark when you’re alone or in a new place –the conditions in which the EP was conceived while Widowspeak was on tour.

Available through the Captured Tracks label on their website next month.

The post EP review: Widowspeak “The Swamps” appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Music festivals are gluttonous and famishing at the same time, you get plenty of bands and tunes to feast on, your hungry soul scooping them up with glee—“Is that a supergroup composed of members of Captured Tracks’ best musicians? What? Why would they do this to me, it’s too much for my stomach to handle, such rich delicacies” — and then your bitter and tired body trying to persuade you that the things inherent to all music festivals are specific to this one and make it a bad one. You can’t bring in your own water because they want you to be so thirsty that you will pay three dollars for a water bottle, and all you can hope for is that somehow that extortion makes its back to the musicians. That’s normal ,though. The summer is beautiful, except when you’re standing in the sun and New York City decides to be muggy and unforgiving, and the waves of Brooklyn hipsters are either a) too cool to sit down between sets or b) too cool to move forward up to the stage.

Heavenly Beat opened the first day. This is a band that should be further down the set list, but the lead singer, and band genius John Peña, seems to be the type of person who doesn’t care about when his band plays. The heat got the better of the band. While Heavenly Beat is known for their alluring dance rock, more R&B than electronica, the crowd—previously mentioned at a cautious distance—didn’t pay them enough attention. Peña began by tucking in his inside-out black t-shirt and then proceeded to enjoy his music… until the sound went off. They skipped through their set, being cut short one more time—where a crowd heckler told him to “dance for us” to which he responded, “You sound just like my mom.”

That night, with the sun finally set and the temperature at a manageable place, DIIV took the stage and proceeded to rock out to their brand of heavy boisterous garage rock. The festival was a celebration for Captured Tracks, an independent label started in Brooklyn five years ago, now heavy with a roster of bands making it onto the scene. DIIV are a good example of that. Lo-fi enough to catch the attention of the hip youth, but talented enough to break it open. Their music was a welcome jar to the previously static crowd, sitting comfortably in the surroundings of The Well.

The Well feels like a converted warehouse, all open spaces. The interior is cool and dark and it opens up to a large backyard with cement floors. The stage sits comfortably outdoors. Aside from the summer concert series in parks in New York City an outdoor stage is what is lacking in the city – Austin has Stubbs’ BBQ and, hopefully, now Brooklyn has The Well.

The celebration withstood the summer NYC weather, and now, two weeks later, sits nostalgically as a collaboration of brilliant musicians and warmer climates. Captured Tracks is definitively local, recently opening a record store to promote their bands, but also to celebrate the vinyl record.

The post Captured Tracks anniversary concert appeared first on Quip Magazine.