welcome back to The Bark List, a weekly feature rounding up a bunch of music from Connecticut songwriters and artists! a fresh batch of 28 songs! check out this week’s songs below, and as always, if you like what you hear: share it with a friend! and if you have the means, consider buying their music. spotify is nice and all, but unless you plan on streaming a song multiple hundred times, bandcamp is best. you can follow us on instagram and twitter for more music during the week.
chad browne-springer – “lakeside”
prodigious loop artist Chad Browne-Springer has transformed grief into beauty. some of the personal tragedy that informed last year’s Self Care EP is addressed directly here, so you can think of “Lakeside” as a spiritual successor to those songs.
kierstin sieser – “underworld”
did you get a chance to hear our recent interview with Kierstin Sieser? if you did, you may have caught this song in the outro — it is our favorite song on her new (and wonderful) Shark Tooth Moon.
addy edward – “daybreak eyes”
one of the final truly great songs of 2019, Addy Edward’s “Barking Answers” marked a new direction for this songwriter. the new “Daybreak Eyes” (which we premiered over the weekend!) is a wondrous, beautiful, powerful ballad that builds and builds until your heart can barely stand it.
laura wolf – “paravane”
the magician is back with a new addition to the Quarantine Demos. even though i know right now you’re probably sharing space with others, “Paravane” deserves to be cranked up. this is peak Laura Wolf: glitchy, catchy, slightly alien, very ethereal, and totally transportive. (someone should calculate the measurements for the recipe). even though this is just conceptualized as a set of “demos”, this release (up to 6 songs now) will easily be one of our favorite records at the end of the year.
old self – “what’s my age again (again)?” remix
this man’ album Word Art Gallery turned two years old! Old Self is celebrating by releasing a remix of “What’s My Age Again (Again)”. the video and song were both produced by Rich Courage, who distorts, stretches, and blows out the song. we had the privilege to premiere it last friday!
s.g. carlson – “ct wrapper”
sam carlson’s fantastic record Sing the Hits came out on april fool’s day on bandcamp, and now it is on spotify/streaming services. here’s another cut from that record — the album’s closer. it’s a beautiful instruction manual on how to be happy. here, carlson compares the act of being happy to a hobby. it takes work. it takes cultivation. and to be honest, i needed to hear that message these past few weeks.
frederic anthony – “crazy”
the howling frontman from RYXNO has a new music video! it’s a bluesy, throwback punk song. check out this catchy chorus hook. the dark, colorful video was directed by Sotorious Fedeli (another one of our favorite songwriters).
joann fabrix – “i heard you leaving”
these Wesleyan alums just released their debut album, Fable, this past Friday. released via hartford’s Funnybone Records, Fable is a creative, glitchy, and fun record. this music video for “I Heard You Leaving” gives you an idea of how strange and delightful Joann Fabrix are.
j.e. duffy – “don’t fade”
hartford’s James Duffy has new music! “Don’t Fade” is the first single for an upcoming album, which features musicians from Bronze Radio Return, West End Blend, Goodnight Blue Moon, and more. about the song, Duffy says: “this song has taken on new meanings for me and I’ve been finding it very relevant to how we are dealing with human interaction while social distancing.”
royal oaks – “stingie”
i can’t believe they let these lads play out on the putting green. those power-pop hooks can’t be good for the turf. anyways, “Stingie” is a 1-minute long song that opens up the most recent Royal Oaks EP, Golf. so don’t act like you ain’t got time for Royal Oaks — they made time for you. don’t be rude.
murf – “stone cold”
it’s been a while since we’ve had new Murf music, but he’s back with a new music video. it’s telling that he opens up the track by clearing his throat, and by the end of the video, has gone toe-to-toe with another guy in the ring.
grizzlor – “warp speed”
three-piece noise legends GRIZZLOR just released a music video for “Warp Speed”. if you didn’t get a chance to check out their last album from 2019, now’s your chance. this is a swift kick to the back by a space marine wearing metal boots with alien guts on them.
angelica padua – “sanguine summer”
while Angie Padua has been releasing music for several years, she has never released a full-length solo record. but that’ll chance soon! “Sanguine Summer” (featuring Ice Cream Orphan) is the first look at her solo record, and while it shares some DNA to her work in Two Headed Girl, you’ll notice a distinctive difference in this style.
was and when – “grave of lust”
Mike Held from Snowpiler / Ghost Chant didn’t leave us waiting for long! we just got our first taste of his new project, Was And When, and now he has released his second single, “Grave of Lust”. and damn, this song is lush — check out the atmospheric production and beautifully melancholy mood.
john rule 3 – “love letter to john”
a new entry into Jason Rule’s growing quarantine collection, “Love Letter to John” is the most tragic of all so far. it is not a song about the coronavirus specifically, but it is about John Prine, the legendary songwriter who recently died from complications with the virus. first Adam Schlessinger, now John Prine, god damn fuck this shit. “Love Letter To John” celebrates Prine’s life in the way he would have wanted — with a good story and a sharp observation of human life.
jeremy cooney – “interstate 95”
new haven’s Jeremy Cooney is back with a new single! this neo-folk / americana song is a letter to life of the road. i’m not going to say a “love letter”, because i think you’ll see when you hear “Interstate 95” that his feelings are a little more complicated than that.
brunettes – “fool’s errand”
it’s been a while since we’ve gotten new music from the post-hardcore Brunettes. “Fool’s Errand” is a skull-splitter, and it’s our first look at an upcoming EP, due out in a month (if Brunettes is to be trusted…).
sundots – “grounded”
Drew Collins from Pulsr just put out an album a few months ago, and now he’s back with a split record with The Carpet Store. last week’s round-up featured “Crazy”, which is a supremely catchy track; this week, we have “Grounded” which shows the more abrasive side of Collins’ songwriting. other songs on the split are more abstract and mood-based, so be sure to listen to the whole thing for the full experience!
burning books – “light bodies”
hey, you knew by the name “burning books” that this wasn’t going to be cheery music. Burning Books is a solo doom-drone project, built around an electric double-bass. their debut EP, Light Bodies is a dive into a deep, murky waters. my favorite track on that record, the title track, is a 7-minute decompression chamber — a way to cleanse yourself from getting the bends.
the penniless wild – “flesh”
hartford’s The Penniless Wild have released a handful of singles in the past few weeks. do you also feel that in the air? could this be a new full-length album on the way? check out “Flesh”, with its absolutely gorgeous musical arrangements.
tate and silas – “rock and roll”
chaotic party animals Tate and Silas are back with a new music video, and a new full-length album on the way! holy shit this song is catchy. it’s a retro rocker, that feels perfectly at home next to a few Lou Reed tracks. check out this duo getting into shenanigans in the embedded video below (and stick around for the end of the video for a surprise).
one foot in the grave – “nameless”
new band One Foot In The Grave has a new EP! Fire & Ice just came out this weekend, and it rocks. Spanning five tracks, it is hard to pin down exactly what genre they’re operating in (other than “heavy”). “Her Story” featured in a previous Bark List round-up, and this week, we are featuring “Nameless” which is a propulsive, chugging rock tune.
a well oiled machine – “fire”
the debut EP from A Well Oiled Machine! you can check out Visceral Fear on spotify now. below is “Fire”, my favorite song on the EP, and the closing track of the collection.
black epheria – “dire dreams from late night”
Adam Matlock from An Historic, Dr. Caterwaul, (and many, many more projects) has released a new entry into the Black Epheria series. recorded live to tape, this abstract, spiritual collage feels like the lonely hours of early, early morning.
new social gospel – “post industrial depression”
New Social Gospel has been releasing all sorts of ambitious experimental music. this time, we’ve got a full blown opera, by god. it is wild, noisy, and abstract, just like the best New Social Gospel songs are.
tom laim – “bubblegum”
Tom Laim, from Tolland CT, has a new track! check out this synthpop song, built around a distorted sample.
low ceilings – “watching the dogs roll around”
did you get a chance to hear Low Ceilings’ great record Learn to Sew yet? if not, check out this silly music video (directed by Evan Diem) for “Watching the Dogs Roll Around “. the song is simple enough, and the repetition of the phrase from which the title refers is hypnotic. the song has always made me feel happy, and this video captures that same whimsical, fun feeling. plus, dogs.
underwear – “phase II: inside of my room”
Nick Grunerud has new music for their Underwear project! Underwear is sometimes a comedy project, sometimes a music project, and sometimes both. Here, a tongue-in-cheek musical about the coronavirus, is set up into multiple movements that pokes fun at paranoia, isolation, and quarantine.
