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: Every Friday our writers will put their heads together and come up with three tracks that grabbed our attention over that 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.
Trash Panda – “Stay Low”
From the standalone single
The narcotic stumble and slur that courses through “Stay Low,” the new single from Atlanta trio Trash Panda, is a thing of eccentric grace, a tightrope walk across an elastic string of a groove that yanks, slides, and pulls, but never snaps. The chorus it feeds into is more immediately thrilling to be sure, an ecstatic surge of effusive pop and vintage rock, but those gleaming heights wouldn’t be the same without the magnetic journey it takes to get there. Indeed, there’s a warm, almost cockeyed energy that hovers throughout the song, ingraining itself into each indelible hook. That sort of radiant aura has become a staple of InCrowd co-founder and producer Randy Michael (Mattiel, Black Linen), who captured the single live-to-tape. In the process, the threesome were able to strip away some of their usual embellishments, leading to one of their most compelling efforts yet. – Guillermo Castro
Trash Panda will perform tomorrow, Jan. 20, at Aisle 5 alongside Zale (Record Release) and I The Victor. Doors open at 9 p.m. Admission is $12 in advance or $15 DOS. All ages.
More Info
Web: trashpandalegit.com
Bandcamp: trashpandaatl.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @Trashpandalegit
Instagram: @trashpandalegit
Tumblr: trashpandaatl.tumblr.com
Twitter: @trashpandalegit
Boog Brown – “The Possibility of Her”
From the upcoming documentary film, The Possibility of Her
The title song for an upcoming documentary film directed by fellow ATLien William Feagins Jr., “The Possibility of Her” may feature production from Grammy Award-winning producer Focus, but it’s Boog Brown—sly, cerebral, and sublime as always—that steals the show. That’s no dig on Focus, who delivers a snappy beat flush with twinkling pianos and jazzy guitars, but Brown is simply in top form, lacing the track with her potent wisdom. “This is permanent growth, and with a handful of hope I invoke everything you see before you,” she intones in a manner both clear-eyed and commanding. If there is any disappointment here it’s that we only get a single verse to revel in Brown’s superlative flow. – Avery Shepherd
More Info
Bandcamp: boogbrown.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @Boogbrown1
Instagram: @1boogbrown
SoundCloud: @boogbrown
Twitter: @boogbrown
RMBLR – “Serious”
From the new 7″, Play the Fool
Over the past year, RMBLR has spit out a bunch of tracks, but their new song “Serious” demonstrates the band’s willingness to go Dr. Frankenstein on ‘70s rock and sew a bunch of heavy riffs into tight, gruesome jams. This track is technically a B-side, but it’s a better indication of the band’s willingness to explore than most of their catchy-yet-predictable singles. It’s tempting to view RMBLR as a Dinos Boys side project, but it’s really not, despite the most visible role in both bands going to vocalist Chase Tail, and this track is exhibit A. “Serious” may rely on Exploding Hearts build ups, but it’s beefier than most power pop and more oriented towards the heavy side of classic rock, in the vein of early KISS and even AC/DC. – Russell Rockwell
More Info
Bandcamp: rmblr.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @rmblrterritory