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.
Victor Mariachi – “Super Humans (La Raza)”
From the standalone single
Victor Mariachi has spent much of this year following up his excellent 2017 LP, Weapons of Our Ancestors, with a steady stream of fiery, raised-fist singles and a new EP. So it’s no surprise that the outspoken Mexican-American rapper would use his one of his latest cuts to extol the virtues of hard work while declaring war on ICE and anyone who seeks to oppress or stigmatize immigrants and people of color. Rapping over jazzy production from BEATSBYTRISTAN, Victor Mariachi lets loose some of his sharpest, most heartfelt verses yet, peppering his rhymes with personal revelations and insights into his heritage. The track is a banger, yes, but it’s so much more than that; it’s a clear-eyed assessment of how decades of bigotry and economic subjugation may lay people low, but it can never destroy their spirit to overcome. – Avery Shepherd
Victor Mariachi performs tonight at Artists Bar & Gallery alongside Quintin Tarintinto, Jacob Waddy, Chynna Vonne, Truth Hayes, Hunnaband, and Theo Tywan. Doors open at 10 p.m. Admission is $8.
More Info
Bandcamp: victormariachi.bandcamp.com
Instagram: @victormariachi
SoundCloud: @victor-mariachi
Twitter: @VictorMariachiX
Credit: Lisa Highfill
Sisterwife – “Black Fin”
From the standalone single
The new track from Sisterwife tackles the subject of the ubiquitous abuser in the music scene, which is depressingly low-hanging fruit, but David Norbery (Night Heron, Nomen Novum), the songwriter behind the solo project, addresses the subject with a sensitivity accentuated by a few sparse guitar strums. Still, the real darkness which grounds the track in reality isn’t the cold melody, it’s the morbid realization that there’s not a happy ending to “Black Fin,” and if there’s a solution to our collective crisis on the horizon, it’s menacingly distant. – Russell Rockwell
More Info
Web: sisterwifesongs.com
Facebook: @sisterwifesongs
SoundCloud: @sisterwifesongs
Lambda Celsius – “Get Out”
From the standalone single
Back in my college years, when I was schooling myself on the darker side of the ‘80s, it didn’t occur to me that most of my idols were male. Anyone could claim the sunken malaise of Depeche Mode or The The, right? But times change, and people open your eyes. Last week at Little Kings, AC Carter brought that difference into sharp relief through their industrial-lite avatar, Lambda Celsius (stylized Λ°C—get it?). Their latest single, “Get Out,” boils down everything that the Nashville-via-Athens auteur stands for. With a bone-rattling electro track and commanding vocals that echo Grace Jones, Carter explores how to reclaim a body that’s been defined for ages by both passive and aggressive misogyny. Indeed, you could say that the whole Lambda Celsius aesthetic carves out an autonomous space for Carter, as everything—self-designed costumes, self-produced tracks, even her personal DJ, Alexa—falls under their control. White cis dudes from the past never had to worry about that, huh? – Lee Adcock
More Info
Web: accarter.net
Bandcamp: lambdacelsius.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @lambdacelsius
Instagram: @lambda_celsius
SoundCloud: @lambdacelsius