Author: Dakin Hardwick

Single of the Week: “Against Face” by Cy Dune

When the world lost Akron / Family’s Miles Seaton last year, we lost one of the greatest noise experimentalists of the modern era. Now, 11 months later, we are getting new music from another member of the Akron / Family, er, family- Seth Olinsky’s new project Cy Dune. The first release from Cy Dune is “Against Face,” a song that has flavors of the experimental layers of his former band, with a garage punk grit and groove that makes you want to both scream and dance. So, please, play it LOUD. LOUDER!!!

“Against Face” is the first single off Cy Dune’s upcoming full-length of the same name, out March 3rd. Preorder & presave details coming soon. Keep an eye out here for more info when it comes! 

Spinning Platters’ Top 20 Albums of 2021

By The Spinning Platters Staff

This was an intense year… It feels like we’ve lived 300 in the last 3 months, TBH. Anyways, here’s the Top 20 records of 2021 as voted by the staff at Spinning Platters. You may notice a couple of late 2020 releases here… Similar to the Grammy’s, we don’t do a typical calendar year. Instead, we do 11/20-11/19 as a year. Because, really, in those last six weeks of the year, can anyone develop an emotional connection to a record? Continue reading “Spinning Platters’ Top 20 Albums of 2021”

Spinning Platters presents “How Did I Get Here?” Season 3, Episode 3 with Jean Grae

It’s been a loooong time, hasn’t it? Fear not- I will try not to leave you, my loyal listeners, hanging for this long again. And it was worth the wait… This might be the only episode that is- ENTIRELY UNEDITED. I got to speak with noted polymath Jean Grae about, well, pretty much everything. We talked about being highly ambitious from a young age, we talked about her career in music, her jump into stand-up, writing a book, composing score, and pretty much everything else you can imagine. We even discussed the Lisa Lisa in great detail. And for those that stop listening halfway through, we do ACTUALLY solve COVID in the last five minutes, so you will definitely want to hang on for that.
 
Jean Grae is coming to SF for SF Sketchfest the final weekend of the festival. Her schedule can be found here! Grae is also still putting out music faster than most people can decide what to listen to, and her Bandcamp page is full of amazing stuff for you to listen to and purchase.

 

Show Review: Wet Leg with Fake Fruit and DJ Aaron Axelson at Rickshaw Stop, 12.15.21

It was the middle of June in the year 2021. This decade has been pretty terrible, but that single month may have been the most optimistic month of the hellscape we are living in. That’s when employers started hiring again en masse. Biden was hitting a solid stride in the White House. COVID was actually looking like it was about to turn a corner. And, for what felt like the first time years, the world was gifted a song born during the darkness that had killer hooks and lyrics that are purely silly. That song was “Chaise Longue,” and for me, it represented hope. Something that had been missing for far too long. 

In the months since that blissful song entered our lives, the world has gotten darker. Yet, more and more people were quickly embracing Wet Leg. A second single, “Wet Leg,” came as things started to really subside again, and, somehow, it helped boost my mood again. That single was accompanied by news of a short winter tour- three cities in three nights. With the pangs of Delta uncertainty knocking at the door, I still decided to buy tickets. It was a good thing I did because those three shows sold out fast and quickly turned into a dozen. And as the news grew darker and more sour, I knew Wet Leg was coming to America. I made sure to get my booster and some well-fitted N95s in order to stay safe because I wasn’t missing this show.  Continue reading “Show Review: Wet Leg with Fake Fruit and DJ Aaron Axelson at Rickshaw Stop, 12.15.21”

Single of the Week: “Why December” by Ignoring Olivia

Oh man. This song is HEAVY AF. Like, not just sonically, but the emotional weight of this song is also intense. Vocalist Maya delivers the lyrics with a passionate wail that harkens back to Mia Zapata of The Gits or last year’s Single Of The Weeker Kim Gordon. The band delivers the kind of dark ferocity the reminds me of Babes In Toyland or Pretty On The Inside-era Hole. “Why December” is just a great song, a great recording, and is exactly what I needed to hear this week. 

“Why December” is out in the world in all of the usual places to stream and download. Their debut album SULKUS is out this February. Keep an eye out here for breaking news on what may end up your favorite record of 2022. 

Single of the Week: “Abstract Blues” by Kim Gordon & J. Mascis (featuring Fred Armisen)

Most supergroups are a bit of a disappointment. However, this track, which is actually a few months old but is finally getting an official release as part of the Sub Pop Single Club this week, really does what you want a supergroup to do- it takes the most complimentary gifts the different artists have and builds on it. Kim Gordon’s exasperated growl blends nicely with J Mascis’ guitar work that’s drenched in both noise AND melody. Fred Armisen is here, but he just stays in the pocket, supporting two bonafide rock legends and not showing off. 

“Abstract Blues” can be streamed in all the usual places. If you are looking for something physical, you can still join the 2021 Sub Pop Singles Club here and get 12 exclusive 45’s. 

Single Of The Week: “Apple Boy” by Mae Mae

Can a song be super snarky and incredibly sweet all at once? Mae Mae may have written the most genuinely realistic love song I have ever heard. It’s tender, it’s sexy, it’s judgemental, it’s full of complex emotions that really wrap up what it’s like to spend time with the one that you have marked “the one.” “Apple Boy” is one beautiful song and I’m happy to share it with you for our Single of the Week. 

“Apple Boy” can be enjoyed in all of the usual places. It’s the second single off Mae Mae’s upcoming EP, Gummy Heart Eyes, coming your way on January 15th. 

Wet Leg Debut Album Out April 8th

Hello there, loyal readers. And if you are a loyal reader, you’ll know that I am really like the band Wet Leg. Like, to a degree almost as uncomfortable as their band name. (And by I, I mean Dakin Hardwick, the Music Editor for this very site.) And since I have a forum to talk about how much I like something, I’m using that forum to shout any Wet Leg news that I can. Today’s news is great. First, we have a 3rd single called “Too Late Now” that you can set on repeat just like the first two songs. This one has the same biting commentary, but with a slower build-up and less overtly funny lyrics. This one also has a fiercely loud b-side, “Oh No,” a track that would be right at home on the playlist of a college radio station in 1991. 

But that’s not all! We FINALLY have a release date for their Self-Titled debut coming out on Domino Records on April 8th! Preorders are happening NOW! And of course, there is a limited edition vinyl pressing with a bonus 7″ and an extra booklet. Lastly, we’ve got a full slate of North American tour dates coming your way below the jump! And if you missed out on tickets to their SF and LA club shows, they’ve been added to the bill to Chvrches at the Bill Graham Civic and Hollywood Palladium dates! Continue reading “Wet Leg Debut Album Out April 8th”

Single Of The Week: “Traps” by Bloc Party

Bloc Party’s debut EP can out in 2014. I still remember very vividly the first time I heard it… I was working at a Wherehouse Music location in the Tenderloin. A box of indie label promos showed up, and I opened the box to see what there was. One of my colleagues said, “Bloc Party? I heard they were good. Let’s put that on!” I threw it on and was instantly blown away. They’ve made a few excellent records since then, but nothing quite on that level since then. That is, until “Traps,” their first single in six years. This song is HEAVY. It might be the heaviest, hardest thing they’ve done, well, ever. The drums are ferocious yet nimble, proving to the world that Louise Bartle can, indeed, fill the shoes that Matt Tong left behind so many years ago. 

“Traps” can be found in all the usual places. It’s the first single off Alpha Games, which is due in stores, both physical and virtual, on April 29th. Preorders and presaves can be done here! 

SF Sketchfest 20th Anniversary Initial Line Up Has Been Announced!

The first-ever SF Sketchfest happened in 2001. It was a year that would live in infamy for kicking off the greatest comedy festival in the United States and for absolutely nothing else newsworthy happening that year. <insert laugh> Sadly, the 2021 event was not able to happen as planned due to everything being awful. However, we’ve reached a place of things being slightly less awful, so the 20th SF Sketchfest will be happening on the 21st birthday of the event. This is also helpful because that means the festival can drink. 

The batshit crazy lineup is pasted below. And I say “pasted” because it’s so big that I haven’t finished reading it yet. I’ll make sure you get my annual “Nerd’s Guide” once I’ve taken the time out take it all in. Tickets for EVERYTHING are on sale Sunday, November 21st at 10 am PST at SFSketchfest.com. Please note that all attendees, performers, and venue staff *must* show proof of COVID vaccination as per SF Law. Continue reading “SF Sketchfest 20th Anniversary Initial Line Up Has Been Announced!”