WEDNESDAY OCT 12, 2016
Meat
"Although it was somewhat overshadowed by recent releases from his full-time group, Doug Bleichner has released yet another impeccable EP via his solo project, Meat. Anyone who has heard his previous releases knows that his musical talent goes far beyond the frantic yet mechanical drumming he contributes to Warehouse. So it should come as no surprise that the multi-instrumentalist’s new EP, Wasted, is another expansive display of lush, understated pop.
Bleichner’s wandering guitar work never stumbles as he crafts and reworks hooks without adding any of their simplicity. For the most part these are sunny songs, but rather than sweaty midsummer pop, he imbues each track with contrasting shadows. It’s often hard to tell how many Meat songs are delivered with a wink, but regardless of intent, the observational lyrics are full of wispy nostalgia that sticks with the listener despite the veiled phrasing.
It should be noted that this is the first album that enlists Josh Hughes’ synthesizer talent. The fellow Warehouse member was also responsible for the recording and mixing, and the result is more textured than previous efforts. Apart from Hughes’ contributions, Bleichner plays every instrument on the record, a worthy accomplishment considering how well each piece falls together.
Wasted isn’t much of a departure from his previous EP, Buff Yuppie, but that only serves to remind the listener how many shimmery pop songs are swimming around in Bleichner’s brain. Despite the use of similar guitar tones and vocal mannerisms throughout the 7-song effort, the record never sounds repetitive. On the final track, “Highways and Trees,” he steps away from the beachy sound of the rest of the EP in favor of a stripped-down approach. The result is a minimal, magnetic cut that is more engaging than anything else on Wasted. Warehouse may be getting all the press right now, but if you overlook Meat, you’re missing the better of the two projects."
-Russell Rockwell / Immersive Atlanta
"Although it was somewhat overshadowed by recent releases from his full-time group, Doug Bleichner has released yet another impeccable EP via his solo project, Meat. Anyone who has heard his previous releases knows that his musical talent goes far beyond the frantic yet mechanical drumming he contributes to Warehouse. So it should come as no surprise that the multi-instrumentalist’s new EP, Wasted, is another expansive display of lush, understated pop.
Bleichner’s wandering guitar work never stumbles as he crafts and reworks hooks without adding any of their simplicity. For the most part these are sunny songs, but rather than sweaty midsummer pop, he imbues each track with contrasting shadows. It’s often hard to tell how many Meat songs are delivered with a wink, but regardless of intent, the observational lyrics are full of wispy nostalgia that sticks with the listener despite the veiled phrasing.
It should be noted that this is the first album that enlists Josh Hughes’ synthesizer talent. The fellow Warehouse member was also responsible for the recording and mixing, and the result is more textured than previous efforts. Apart from Hughes’ contributions, Bleichner plays every instrument on the record, a worthy accomplishment considering how well each piece falls together.
Wasted isn’t much of a departure from his previous EP, Buff Yuppie, but that only serves to remind the listener how many shimmery pop songs are swimming around in Bleichner’s brain. Despite the use of similar guitar tones and vocal mannerisms throughout the 7-song effort, the record never sounds repetitive. On the final track, “Highways and Trees,” he steps away from the beachy sound of the rest of the EP in favor of a stripped-down approach. The result is a minimal, magnetic cut that is more engaging than anything else on Wasted. Warehouse may be getting all the press right now, but if you overlook Meat, you’re missing the better of the two projects."
-Russell Rockwell / Immersive Atlanta
Hypoluxo
"A certain melancholy lies in states of perpetual sleepiness, known all too well by Brooklyn romantics Hypoluxo, who use this to their benefit, and shape it into something other. The first single, entitled, “Directions,” off their forthcoming debut LP, If Language, traverses a dynamic line of weightless drifts and heavyhearted cooing. The soundscape is rooted in an allure whose nature is uncertain, or at least subjective to the listener, much like a dream, or a hallucinogenic trip. It’s simultaneously beautiful and lonely, tranquil and urgent. A soothing, liquid bassline floats atop uptempo drums, and it’s the makings of a euphoric phantasm, the tranquil setting of the psyche. Airy reverberating guitar ripples nicely in agreeable conjunction, a blithe walk on water with the god of your choice. But it’s a dubious comfort. The construction of synth melodies, along with singer Samuel Cogen’s funereal baritone humming, instill a looming despondency, indefinite but difficult to ignore, and dually adding to the song’s, and the band’s, good taste. The instruments meld together gorgeously and carry the sleeper to the song’s final note and the whole thing plays as a saddened awakening from a pleasant dream, or its reverse.
If Language is out September 30 on Broken Circles."
(Impose)
"A certain melancholy lies in states of perpetual sleepiness, known all too well by Brooklyn romantics Hypoluxo, who use this to their benefit, and shape it into something other. The first single, entitled, “Directions,” off their forthcoming debut LP, If Language, traverses a dynamic line of weightless drifts and heavyhearted cooing. The soundscape is rooted in an allure whose nature is uncertain, or at least subjective to the listener, much like a dream, or a hallucinogenic trip. It’s simultaneously beautiful and lonely, tranquil and urgent. A soothing, liquid bassline floats atop uptempo drums, and it’s the makings of a euphoric phantasm, the tranquil setting of the psyche. Airy reverberating guitar ripples nicely in agreeable conjunction, a blithe walk on water with the god of your choice. But it’s a dubious comfort. The construction of synth melodies, along with singer Samuel Cogen’s funereal baritone humming, instill a looming despondency, indefinite but difficult to ignore, and dually adding to the song’s, and the band’s, good taste. The instruments meld together gorgeously and carry the sleeper to the song’s final note and the whole thing plays as a saddened awakening from a pleasant dream, or its reverse.
If Language is out September 30 on Broken Circles."
(Impose)
Wild Pink
"The Brooklyn-based band feels similarly refreshing on the other four tracks on their new EP, Good Life, tempering some heavy notions with buoyant pick-me-up guitars and a driving, stumbling forward momentum. John Ross’ scratchy vocals demand to be heard, speaking truth in simple terms: “I want a good life,” he says on the title track. Over rollicking backbeats, the band reflects back on past mistakes and attempts to untangle the present: “I’m struggling to keep the dark out/ I’m tired and I wanna go home now/ I’m sick of it, I’m sick of my shit,” he sings on “River Run RX.” The emotions Wild Pink grapple with may be messy, but their music is markedly not."
(Stereogum)
"The Brooklyn-based band feels similarly refreshing on the other four tracks on their new EP, Good Life, tempering some heavy notions with buoyant pick-me-up guitars and a driving, stumbling forward momentum. John Ross’ scratchy vocals demand to be heard, speaking truth in simple terms: “I want a good life,” he says on the title track. Over rollicking backbeats, the band reflects back on past mistakes and attempts to untangle the present: “I’m struggling to keep the dark out/ I’m tired and I wanna go home now/ I’m sick of it, I’m sick of my shit,” he sings on “River Run RX.” The emotions Wild Pink grapple with may be messy, but their music is markedly not."
(Stereogum)
Glare
"On their debut single, Atlanta trio Glare stick to post-punk orthodoxy while twisting their penchant for the morose into a three-minute slab of ferocity. The thunderous track invokes the smog-covered alleys and dingy clubs of late ’70s London, but the band focuses the energy of “Cult of Culture” by deconstructing modern pop sensibilities and embracing latent punk aggression. Vocalist and guitarist Rachel Pagillo delivers each line with all the confidence of Siouxsie Sioux. She cleverly toys with dynamics, swaggering over a pounding bassline with a vibrancy occasionally lost in the band’s guitar-laden live performances." – Immersive Atlanta
"On their debut single, Atlanta trio Glare stick to post-punk orthodoxy while twisting their penchant for the morose into a three-minute slab of ferocity. The thunderous track invokes the smog-covered alleys and dingy clubs of late ’70s London, but the band focuses the energy of “Cult of Culture” by deconstructing modern pop sensibilities and embracing latent punk aggression. Vocalist and guitarist Rachel Pagillo delivers each line with all the confidence of Siouxsie Sioux. She cleverly toys with dynamics, swaggering over a pounding bassline with a vibrancy occasionally lost in the band’s guitar-laden live performances." – Immersive Atlanta