Words: Ryan Getz

Decent Criminal: Earlier this year (might have been June?) I once again found myself in the basement of DIY hotspot The House With No Name (curated by Tuned Up contributor Sandeep Sehbi) at the urging of some folks in that community. These dudes played to a house that was hopping with activity, and beat those in the basement over the head with their brand of gritty rock and roll. The music was loud, abrasive, catchy, groovy, and unapologetic. In fact, it’s almost as if this music was meant to give folks a sense of sweaty camaraderie. Most importantly, these dudes arise from a community that takes a lot of pride in their DIY scene – their manager even has his own DIY zine, which has entertained some passengers in my car over the past few months. But for real – these dudes are legit. Check out the self-titled album here.

Cave Paint: I was tipped off to these guys at the Tuned Up show at Kitamu Coffee last month featuring Stillglow and Reap and Sow. Merch dude Travis Shirk told me about his new project Cave Paint, which is every bit as lush as it sounds like it might be. Mathy post rock. This Town Needs Guns with less singing and more orchestral arrangements. Shirk seemed pretty stoked so I’m sure we’ll hear more very soon – but for now we have a single called “Vulpe” which is up for free download on bandcamp.

Skies Speak: This is the solo electronic project of the synth player of funky electropop act LeTrainiump – a surprise act at this year’s Audiofeed that has festival goers asking about when music will drop. You can bet we’ll cover LeTrainiump once music drops but fortunately we don’t have to wait on Skies Speak. This project emerges from Eunice, a rural town in Lousiana. Perhaps an unlikely place for such a project to emerge, but I’m really enjoying this. For fans of Tycho, Empire of the Sun, and Age of Adz era Sufjan. Tall comparisons, perhaps, but the first things that come to mind. This musician, who seems to prefer some anonymity, is quite versatile and handy around a looping pad.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/260739995″ /]