Look, we know we throw a lot of new music at you. We also know that not everyone who comes to this site has the time to be as involved with or informed about the local scene as maybe they’d like to be. So for those casual readers who either can’t or have no interest in keeping up with the parade of artists we try to cover, who may not know the difference between Bitter and Biters, we have created our TRIPLE THREAT feature. The premise is simple: Our writers will put their heads together and come up with three tracks that grabbed our attention over the past week. Then we tell you why the songs are great and worth listening to. That’s it. Maybe some weeks we’ll have a guest commentator come in and share their favorites, but the format will always remain the same: three songs, some words, and we out. Enjoy.
Microwave – “DIAWB”
From the upcoming LP, Death is a Warm Blanket
Microwave have made quite a name for themselves by writing earnest, mercurial music. The group’s last album, Much Love was a melting pot of rock, post-hardcore, punk, and emo, bringing together a wide coalition of fans who appreciated the band’s willingness to keep listeners on their toes. Now it appears the group has shifted gears once again. “DIAWB,” the first offering from the group’s forthcoming LP Death is a Warm Blanket, finds Microwave pursuing a more aggressive path, churning out a noisy, angst-ridden scorcher that has more in common with Red Fang than, say, Restorations. It’s a decidedly different direction for the band, but one they execute considerably well, leaving us to wonder what other surprises the new album has in store. – Guillermo Castro
Death is a Warm Blanket is out Sept. 13 via Pure Noise Records. Pre-orders are available here.
More Info
Web: mcrwv.com
Bandcamp: microwavetheband.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @microwavetheband
Instagram: @microwaveatl
SoundCloud: @microwaveatl
Twitter: @microwaveatl
Father – “A lot on ur plate”
From the standalone single
There are many iterations of Father. There is the grimy version, of course, the debauched rapper and CEO who founded Awful Records and earned early success with the freewheeling hit “Look at Wrist.” But depending on the song and the mood, we’ve also seen shades of the fun-loving jokester, the erotic playboy, the radical aesthete, the surreal flower child. Dude can be a chameleon when he wants to be, that’s for damn sure. For his new single “A lot on ur plate,” he goes for a kind of tripped-out tropical vibe, unleashing his woozy flow over chiming bells and an airy flute sample. It’s brighter and more vibrant than the ghostly atmospheres Father often trades in, making it an ideal cut to close out the summer. – Avery Shepherd
Father will perform on Mon., Sept. 30 at 529. Doors open at 9 p.m. Admission is $20. 21+ to enter.
More Info
Web: fatheraintshit.com
Bandcamp: fatheraintshit.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @fatheraintshit
Instagram: @father
SoundCloud: @liquor-cabinet
Tumblr: young-hot-ebony.tumblr.com
Twitter: @father
Credit: Maigh Houlihan
The Good Graces – “His Name Was the Color That I Loved”
From the upcoming LP, Prose and Consciousness
It’s no stretch to call Kim Ware an Atlanta treasure. Fans of her songs have always been delighted by her keen eye for subtle images and toe-tapping arrangements. “His Name Was the Color That I Loved”–the first single from from the Good Graces’ upcoming full length Prose and Consciousness—is no exception. Written as an elegiac tribute to a patriarch, the song is a character sketch with Ware depicting the deceased as having “a way about him / a quiet confidence / a man of few words but they always made sense.” The song chugs along on a jaunty train beat made all the more stirring by the chicken picking of an electric guitar. The final product will find admirers from fans of Neko Case, Drive-By Truckers, and the Weepies. – Ethan Fogus
Prose and Consciousness is out Oct. 11. Pre-orders are available here.
The Good Graces will perform on Tue., Aug. 27 at Atlanta Old Girls’ Club: A Women’s In-The-Round at Red Light Cafe. Also performing will be Emily Backus and Barb Carbon. Doors open at 7 p.m. Admission is $7 in advance or $10 at the door.
More Info
Web: thegoodgraces.org
Bandcamp: thegoodgraces.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @thegoodgraces
SoundCloud: @thegoodgraces
Tumblr: thegoodgraces.tumblr.com
Twitter: @theGoodGraces