Local Music Round-Up 8/9/18

Back for week number two! Consistency is my only personal goal - so far, so good! Otherwise, here's another crop of awesome local musical from the last few months. 

Miloe - Miloe EP

Miloe is the extremely chill indie pop project of Bob Kabeya, and this is his debut EP. Described as "sad boi music for all your events and occasions," it is a hypnotizing, translucent collection of tracks. Most of the songs are built on simple guitar and synth loops, but there is intense beauty in the minutiae. Kabeya's light tenor is like a sunshower on a summer day. I can't wait to hear more from Miloe in the future. 

Scrunchies - Stunner

Scrunchies is a supergroup, plain and simple. Featuring members of Kitten Forever, Double Grave, and Tony Peachka, the band is a self-contained wildfire of punk energy. Songs like "Stunner" and "Wichita" evoke the classic riot grrrl sound without falling into any tropes. Stunner is music that demands to be danced to.

Hallucitania - Q: What kind of music do you play? A: Punk rock, Sir

Folk-punk with a Devo-referencing title? Yes, please. Hallucitania, a quartet from Minneapolis, present a collection with a batch of weird, hyper songs with their debut EP, out last February. What stands out is the prominent violin of Madeline Arnott. It often feels like the vocals of frontman Griffin "Energy Turtle" Thiel are dueling with the frantic melodies coming from Arnott. Bass, drums, and guitar form a base over which Thiel argues with the violin.

Sharon is Karen - "health fair"

"health fair" is a tasty, lo-fi punk gem. It details a hilariously awkward movie date gone wrong, but it is delivered with delightful intensity. The trio give a fun and heavy performance that I can imagine is even better seen live. The single dropped in late January - while the band has been busy with a couple short tours, it's time for more Sharon is Karen music to enter the recorded world.

Juniper Douglas - "Promiseland Bakery"

The new song from Juniper Douglas is a bit of a beautiful smorgasbord. The new video for the new song from Juniper Douglas is even more of a beautiful smorgasbord. "Promiseland Bakery" kicks off with a light acoustic guitar riff and a basic drum track. "You ask me how I'm feeling, I'll say I'm fine" goes the refrain, describing an all-too-familiar feeling. A jazzy almost flamenco-like middle section transfers into a slow, spaced-out outro driven by wispy vocals and loose piano. The video, which you can watch below, features rocks, screaming, dance choreography, a pan flute, and depression. It's pretty incredible.

 A brief note about Juniper Douglas: they're putting on a festival! The Grocery Store is a three-day event happening August 30 through September 1, and features a massive amount of awesome local content. It ranges from sound collages to orchestral improvisation to an "interactive storyboarded music piece" from the band themselves to sets from bands like Spelt Melk Collective and Why Not (who will be performing an orchestral set). The event is sponsored by Radio K, Subaquatic Records, and is now endorsed by Ear Coffee (for whatever that's worth)! Find out more here.