Dakin Hardwick – Page 34 – Spinning Platters

Single of the Week: “Landslide” by Breanna Barbara

A sure fire sign of a great groove is when you impulsively nod your head as the song starts. If you accidentally say the word “Yeah!” under your breath when they hit the fourth bar, and then look around and hope nobody noticed, then it’s a solid number. This psych-soul number, “Landslide” did all of that for me. This track is just plain hot.

“Landslide” is the second single off Barbara’s forthcoming LP, Nothin’ But Time, coming to you both digitally and physically on November 11th. Make the necessary accomodations to bring this one in your life here. She’s playing the absolutely bonkers Freakout Festival in Seattle in November, too.

Single Of The Week: “Can I Call You” by The WAEVE

The WAEVE took me a long time to figure out how to pronounce. (It’s “wave” for my fellow Americans) They are also a “supergroup” made up of Rose Elinor Dougall, my favorite Pipette, and Graham Coxon, the best part of Blur. I had no idea this was in the queue, but this song is a lovely piece of psych pop that takes one on some surprising turns. It’s a 4:22 journey through a myriad of sounds, and I’m excited to see what else comes from this partnership.

“Can I Call You” can be found now in all the usual places. Their self-titled debut record is coming your way February 3rd, 2023, and for those who like to make their shopping decisions early, there are plenty of fancy packages available for preorder.

Single of the Week: “Midnight Legend” by Special Interest ft. Mykki Blanco

The best songs transplant you to another place. The let you feel something that your current surroundings can’t give you. I haven’t dug into the lyrics of “Midnight Legend” quite yet, so I may re-assess this in a month, but this song and accompanying video manage to take me back to my harder partying days, both the good and bad of those nights.

“Midnight Legend” is the latest single off New Orleans’ band Special Interest’s upcoming record, Endure, due out on November 4th. You can get a fancy yellow vinyl pressing with TWO bonus 45s if you preorder here!

Show Review: Descendents, The Circle Jerks, Fake Fruit at The UC Theatre, 8/26/22

In my humble opinion, The Decline of Western Civilization is the greatest film ever made about youth counter-culture movements. Director Penelope Spheeris later directed Wayne’s World, another impressive depiction of youth culture that captured the much-maligned and misunderstood 80’s LA punk scene. The NYC and UK scenes were the “important” scenes. LA was overly aggressive and lacked artistic credibility in the eyes of music critics. This is where hardcore was born, which often marked the “end” of punk for many folks. Continue reading “Show Review: Descendents, The Circle Jerks, Fake Fruit at The UC Theatre, 8/26/22”

Single of the Week: “Mushroom Punch” by Zella Day

I feel like I’ve slept on Zella Day. Or maybe it was the right time for me to find her. “Mushroom Punch” is my first introduction to her, despite her name floating around for ages, and this song is great. It’s a part of a bigger trend of singer/songwriters turning pop songs into dramatic journeys while still keeping concise (see Ashe, Mitski) This song is either about a lover that experiments with psychedelics, or it’s comparing the stress of a relationship to that of psychedelic drugs. Either way, this song is “heady.” (God, I hate that word because it makes me think of someone that smells like patchouli and is wearing flip-flops and is trying to convince my vaccines are the government controlling our brains.)

I digress… “Mushroom Punch” is Zella Day’s latest single off her forthcoming record Sunday In Heaven, in stores and on your favorite DSP on October 14th!

Single Of The Week: “Tres Hermanos” by Hermanos Gutierrez (featuring Dan Auerbach)

This one is specifically for my fellow Latinxes whose parents were born in the 50’s and made sure that the music of Santo & Johnny was always in rotation at home. I forgot how much my soul needed some lazy Sunday morning, reverb drenched guitar instrumentals. Enter Hermanos Gutierrez! This track, produced by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, is the exact soundtrack for making pancakes and staying in your pajamas until 2pm.

“Tres Hermanos” is the lead single off their upcoming full-length El Buen y El Malo. It’s coming your way on October 28th, the day after my birthday, and you can preorder/presave here!

Outside Lands 2022: 20 Instant Gig Reviews

My last Outside Lands was in 2019. I’ve gone nearly every year up until that point, only missing the third year. I had tickets for 2021. Lizzo, The Strokes, and Hinds are all on my “never miss” list, but by October, Delta was rearing its ugly head, and I just couldn’t do it. This year, I was still on the fence until the week beforehand. With BA.5, the virus has become more contagious, and outdoor transmission is more prevalent. However, with wastewater tracking showing a downward trend, toddler vaccines FINALLY seeing the light of day, and studies seem to indicate that N95s and a good breeze are still very effective at thwarting the virus, I decided to give it a go. I packed like ten masks, two packs of antibacterial wipes (which made me the most popular guy at the festival at times. One woman actually proposed marriage when I gave her the end of one of my packs!), an empty water bottle, and several layers of clothing, and decided to make a solid go of it. Continue reading “Outside Lands 2022: 20 Instant Gig Reviews”

Single Of The Week: “atonement” by Winter featuring Hatchie

One of the craziest things about kids these days is how much they seem to LOVE classic 4AD releases and early 90’s shoegaze in general. “atonement” is the latest single from Samira Winter, who performs under her last name, Winter. Which is also the PERFECT name for a shoegaze artist. For this track she teamed up with Hatchie, another modern shoegaze artist. So, yeah, if you need some slow and loud, here’s some excellent slow and loud.

“atonement” is the lead track from Winter’s upcoming full length, What Kind Of Blue Are You?, which will be spreading joy to your eardrums on October 14th.

Broken Clover Records is donating 100% of proceeds to charity in August

Our dear friends at Broken Clover Records are doing something lovely this month: They are donating all label revenue to a slew of different charities, including the ACLU, Muttville, SFUSD, and many, many more. Just head over to their Bandcamp page, and you can pick up many exemplary records, including Zones by Enablers.

Or another Spinning Platters’ Favorite, Gold Country – Country Gold by Secret Emchy Society!

Or Orpheo_Nebula by Switzerland’s torpedo, which doesn’t have a YouTube link, but this record is out in September, and the first single, “HELL,” is excellent.

Single Of The Week: “Shower With My Clothes On” by Ashe

We are exactly one week out from Outside Lands, and the schedule is LIVE! I noticed that I had a gap on Friday late afternoon, and I stumbled across this gem of a track. I’ve listened to “Shower With My Clothes On” like ten times today. The gentle acoustic guitar strum over Ashe’s heartbreak vocals builds up gently, with banjos and horns building up in a smooth wash of joy. This track feels like a cross between Morcheeba and Sea Change-era Beck and is glorious.

Ashe is playing the Twin Peaks stage at 3:45 on Friday (a week from today!) at Outside Lands. “Shower With My Clothes On” is the 4th single off her upcoming release, RAE, coming your way on October 14th! You can prepare for its arrival in whatever way you prefer here!