Hailing from the depths of those Colorado mean streets comes one Seán Barna delivering his Internal Trembling EP (Kill Rock Stars Nashville). This isn’t Barna’s first go-around as the five tracks on the release are intentionally intense, as his quivering voice fits within the style of his own folk-pop deliveries. “Wallflower” featuring Mirah, the one song we keep returning to here because of its subtle beauty as acoustic guitars are picked and it was only after the third or fourth listen that I realized, there’s no percussion or drums surrounding it. While it would have benefited with them it makes no difference, the song itself is magical. Yes, there are other songs and “Jack Rabbit Hill” comes a close second as a favorite, and again there is no percussion necessary although Barna’s voice makes up for it a hundred fold! Barna does things his own way and it’s simply amazing.

UNLETTERED – FIVE MILE POINT

What are we all waiting for? I’m not sure, maybe something amazing. In these uneasy times, we need to escape but to where? We’re all not Eva Longoria who’s able to split her time between Spain and Mexico, it’s not that simple. The escape is mental, drilling, fracking, down deep into the recesses of our own minds to avoid to oblivion that will eventually ensue. The next question is how? Well, music.

Unlettered is the project created by Mike Knowlton, a musician who spent his time in NYC’s underbelly, creating music with other groups (Poem Rocket, Gapeseed) twisting Fenders, bashing them together over succulent beats & rhythms. The influences are virtually embedded within its music with so more than others may not be familiar with (side note: Glenn Branca played a huge influence on many), but I slightly digress. Unlettered doesn’t shy away from any of it as “Dither” is testament to it, uncovering dissonant notes & feedback around bouncy rhythms and melody which changes more than halfway through into a much more “proper” pop song. Still prevalent is the slightly overdriven guttural guitars wrapped with controlled noise. Knowlton is an experienced musician and vocally, he hits the mark with his spoken/sung delivery. Tones and bent notes are pulled from a variety of ways on “She Is Inside You,” and instruments somehow convey a slow drawl as Knowlton sings. His control over guitars is fascinatingly intriguing with trigger finger accuracy that only he may be aware of.

Some interesting compositions immediately draw you in. The dissonant “The Great Dwindle” is fast-paced and hard-hitting but notes are drawn out as Knowlton’s vocals stop short with directness. The track isn’t cacophonic but guitars clattering against one another 3/4^th through the song might give semblances of it. The slower pace of “About Time” has guitars drifting in and out but they’re more prevalent than you might think. Unlettered leaves room for the sludge coming out of NY and NJ to give it underlying definition while its hypnotic bassline doesn’t let go. Knowlton’s voice is equally captivating here with clear lyricism where he leaves himself quite vulnerable but don’t cross him. “12:49” moves in the same manner albeit covered in darkness, scurrying for the shadows as dissonant guitars clash against just a few throbbing bass notes. There’s an unrelenting energy surrounding it, confusion being a factor as it moves from one direction to another. But it’s the best of both worlds as “Leave Behind” immediately begins. Guitar notes are bewitching over its catchy melody and rhythm. Knowlton knows exactly what he’s doing here focusing more on emotion and rhythmic repetition than a general verse-chorus-verse formula. This is the way. There’s a lot going on here with layered guitars and rhythm as his far-off vocals are added in for good measure.

No one will fault Unlettered for focusing on a style and a sound rarely heard but instead welcome it. On Five Mile Point the chaos is controlled with prowess and that’s something that’s not easily done. For Unlettered though, it seems much too easy. That’s when you know you have something worthwhile.

KIM DEAL – NOBODY LOVES YOU MORE

Ok, I was a huge fan of the Pixies and its first few albums through Trompe le Monde. Yeah, I said it. Through the second half of the band’s rebirth, my fandom switched to casual listener because I’ve always been about original line-ups. It’s just me, my music tastes, my opinions, my choice. I’d eventually come back but that’s a story for another time. Now the Breeders, which would come and go for various reasons, I’ve had similar feelings although the group’s last album seemed to lack the luster and shine of its previous works.

Seems it’s after 35 years, it’s time for Kim Deal to step out in the limelight on her own with her debut solo full-length. Honestly, it seems long overdue, maybe 20 years overdue but the leap has been taken with Nobody Loves You More (4AD). With the new album…I’ve been on the fence, and we all know, that middle ground isn’t where you want to be. Now while I’m always a proponent of variety, you can’t usually tie many of the songs together for something cohesive. That’s not to say the songs are bad, many are quite good but together, there isn’t much balance.

The title track itself sounds increasingly like a morose Burt Bacharach composition, with light percussion, and guitar, with an assortment of strings swirling around before the horns come blaring in! Deal’s voice is soothing adding lyrical directness but then the slow dirge of “Are You Mine” takes a different turn moving into Americana/Country-esque territory. Guitars slide, and strings sweetly caress Deal’s voice over a shuffling rhythm. But no, it doesn’t end there because we’re all aware Kim Deal is more than capable of creating curvy pop songs and they have her signature all over them. You can find that here with “Wish I Was,” and even “Coast” but one thing I’ve noticed is no one ever mentioned when she doubles up on vocals for harmonies it’s also distinctive because Deal’s voice sounds like no one else’s “Coast” is accentuated with horns throughout while “Wish I Was” is a much more harmonious adventure as shimmering guitars cascade chords and notes over a punchy beat.

Deal leaves no stone unturned and we can tell as soon as “Big Ben Beat” funky rhythm hits, pauses as Deal sings, and then begins again with a thick distorted bass and over-the-top guitars, rhyming over the track through effected equipment as feedback is captured and released briefly. She gets a bit noisier here and doesn’t need to apologize for it. “Crystal Breath” shows its distinct difference here as it opens with cooing vocals as drums eventually enter the fray with “ooo’s” lingering over them. The chunky rhythmic attack here is all-encompassing, flaunting its hip-shaking movements inconspicuously while still seductive with full frontal nudity. It seems “Summerland” could bookend the title track, although it’s much more subtle but strings aren’t circumvented, they make their presence known, riding the rhythm guitars provide. Deal’s voice is entrancing and maybe one day we’ll see her dueting with Michael Bublé because here she shows she has the chops to do so. The album ends with the pop-enthused “A Good Time Pushed” with its slight dynamic shift through the use of guitars. It’s clear when she makes guitar-oriented pop songs, she knows how to churn out those melodies.

Getting to the heart of the matter here, Nobody Loves You More is filled with great songwriting but Deal could have probably gone in a couple of different directions and recorded two albums moving within different styles. Eh, why not?

TOMBSTONES IN THEIR EYES – ASYLUM HARBOUR

Much like a fresh coating of drifting snow, there are some things that I do appreciate when I come across them. Musically, there have been artists that never disappointed with every subsequent release. Some, I’m just getting to know, much like the Los Angeles psych-rockers Tombstones In Their Eyes. The band’s new album, Asylum Harbour was just released earlier this week and I was attempting to quell any ill feelings of despondency.

The band released its Asylum Harbour (Kitten Robot) earlier this week and one thing I’ve never touched on before is the band’s makeup of drums, bass, and four guitarists. The final result from album to album is what you might expect. Or maybe not. With the band’s music, there’s always an airy, atmospheric quality that might send shivers up your spine from time to time or put you in a state of weakness as your legs go limp and your body starts to drift. The driving opener, “In Your Eyes” offers a wall of guitars positioned behind everything but it’s the rhythm and melody we’ve all come for as it carries vocal harmonies along its wave of sound. While the band creates some clever & sugary pop songs with that same wash of guitar play like “Mirror,” which is inviting and poisonous at the same time, it’s the sonically winding and hypnotic track “I Like To Feel Good” that’s just mind-blowing. It delivers with the intensity of a freight train moving in slow motion as its wheels shoot sparks off the tracks, barreling its way through. There’s no fucking around, and while the lyrics – like on many songs are repetitive – it works to the group’s benefit, drawing out melodies. This is my literal go-to track which shows what the band is really capable of, and that’s tearing down walls and replacing them with something that fascinates and makes you shiver.

One thing about Tombstones… Remember those clever pop songs I referred to earlier? Yeah, “I’m Not Like That” follows and while it may give off David Gilmour/Roger Waters vibes, it’s unmistakably TITE. The track drifts but in a much more controlled manner and its vocal melodies here is what makes the song so seductive. Again, lyrics can be repetitive but they’re never repetitious like on “Gimme Some Pain” which repeats over and over again although never ever taking anything away from the song itself. Driven by these acoustic guitars, there isn’t much else that’s needed and vocally, it’s fitting. Now while the band may move in slightly different variations of itself, one can tell it is purposeful. Even on the heavily distorted “By My Side,” although it diverges slightly, yeah, the group holds onto its own identity. It’s a slow-gaze of sorts, taking elements of multiple sub-genres to create something its own.

The band can’t be defined as one thing and with Asylum Harbour, there’s no middle ground for Tombstones In Their Eyes as it takes all its influences and blends them, mixes, and creates its own identity. The band has solidified itself as a force to be reckoned with on its new album.