Earworms: March 2018

Hello and welcome all to my new publication Earworms! This will be my monthly piece on the artists/bands/albums/playlists that have been burrowing their sounds into my headphones as of late! From garage rock to 90's hip hop all the way to vintage Americana, this will be a place for you to find out about what I've been listening to, and to hopefully inspire you step outside of your normal musical comfort zone. I love music as it is something that provides us all with daily happiness, and I would be remiss if I didn't use my presence online to help spread good music to the world. Please note that I am no expert in musical composition, nor am I a production whiz, I am merely just some schmuck 21 year-old with an unquenchable thirst for good music. So, without further adieu, here are my Earworms for the month of March, 2018.

Charly Bliss

Brooklyn-based alt-rock band Charly Bliss have been a guilty pleasure of mine ever since Lindsay Zoladz, a staff writer for The Ringer, mentioned their latest project Guppy as her favorite record of 2017 on one of my personal favorite podcasts The Watch. At the time, I was in the middle of a five hour roadtrip from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, I gave the record a quick listen. But this past month has seen me on a rock rampage, as you will see in the coming segments, and I inevitably circled back to Guppy. The main aspect of the band's sound that drew me back to the record over and over again, was lead singer's Eva Hendricks bubble-gummy voice and signature high-pitched squeal that pepper their songs with intoxicating energy. The rest of the band consists of Sam hendricks (Eva's brother) on the drums, who can alter between simple and complex tempo's effortlessly. Then Spencer Fox on backup-vocals and guitar. Finally there is Dan Shure on bass. The four-piece may not exude a totally unique sound (with the exception of Eva's voice) as they clearly draw from the 90's alt-rock movement, calling back to the sounds of Weezer and The Pixies. But nonetheless, the group produces a sound that is easy to listen to, and easy to have fun to-this being encapsulated in their record Guppy. I find myself listening to Charly Bliss to get that much needed burst of energy when I feel tired or to simply have some fun!

Give their album a listen by clicking here. Also, feel free to visit their website.

Twin Peaks

This is it, the big kahuna. The band that altered my destiny forever and will continue to do so. Emanating an all-powerful sound that cannot be ignored. I know this is just a piece about monthly earworms, but I feel as if this band will be one of the few perpetual earworms that I will carry throughout my life. Not to sound too dramatic or anything, but I will carry the Twin Peaks torch to my deathbed. Ok, I promise i'm done now. Now that i'm done blowing smoke up this band's ass, please refer to the video I have linked below. It is one of the best live-music videos I have ever listened to, compliments to Audiotree Music Festival in Kalamazoo Michigan.

Twin Peaks is comprised of fellow college drop outs Cadien James (lead vocals), Clay Frankel (guitar), Jack Dolan (bass), Connor Brodner (drums) and fairly new addition Colin Croom (keyboard). Uniquely, the band switches lead vocals from Cadien, to Clay, to Jack and to Colin frequently, a practice that they've been implementing since the inception of the band in 2010. The spectrum of their sound starts at classic rock-garage rock all the way to the more recent garage punk sound, this means that I get to enjoy their fiery guitar chords while also enjoying some melodic lyrics from time to time. Hailing out of Chicago, the band explores the struggles of coming of age and their love for the city of Chicago in their music. A comparison that I can't seem to pull from my head is how similar the energy of their music is to The Rolling Stones, specifically their early 60's music. They both provide such a powerful energy that is borderline addicting for me to listen to. This is more of a show band than tell, so my advice is that you go listen to them now. Drop everything you are doing and listen to these dudes!!

Enough of my incessant babbling, just listen to them for christ's sake! Visit their website too, they have cool merch!

The Lemon Twigs

There can only be to places twin brother's Michael and Brian D'Addario could come from, these two places being either a Wes Anderson movie or a time-capsule sent from early 70's Britain sent to save today's music from the seemingly unending armies of mumble rappers. A sound reminiscent to peak-of-their-career Beatle's, The Lemon Twigs give us a grandiose sound comprised of a multitude of instruments from a vintage Casio keyboard to a Piccollo flute at one point. This is no surprise as they come out of a music-heavy household, father Ronnie D'Addario being a music producer in the late 70's. That should explain the musical versatility the two brother's have, constantly shifting the lead vocals and drums in their live shows. It might also explain the complete sound the band already has, touting a musical maturity well above their years. Providing us with a crystal clear vision and direction of sound, which again, is almost unthinkable given the fact that Brian is 20 and Michael is only 18. The future is indeed bright for these two brothers.

My favorite aspect of the band is not only their sound during liver performances, but their eclectic stage presence. Big brother Brian is usually the lead singer at the start of their sets, always proving us with a vintage Britian-in-the-70's look, while his brother Michael exudes an explosive energy from his drumming position, constantly twirling the sticks and while singing, giving us plenty of leg kicks. Danny Ayala on the keyboard and Megan Zeankowski on bass really look like two-normal people who just happen to be in a band. My favorite is Megan, as she is seems almost out of place up on the stage and it leads to some pretty hilarious & awkward camera shots.

Enjoy their music here! And peruse their website here!

The Growlers

The final Earworm for the month of March is California band The Growlers. The uniqueness of their sound in their earlier albums such as Chinese Fountain is what draws me to them like a moth drawn to a burning dumpster fire. Lead singer Brooks Nielsen leads the charge with his smoke tinged voice that is capable of lulling me into a state of perpetual bliss. Other members consist of lead guitarist Matt Taylor and keyboard/guitarist Kyle Straka. A sound that combines riffs of surf, pop, and psychadelic rock, they proudly label their signature sound as "Beach Goth". A completely unique sound that no one can imitate, the band provides jammable music such as Love Test, Empty Bones, and even a great cover of Eddie Noack's Psycho (listen to that treat here). Their most recent album City Clubintroduces a shift of their sound, a more synth-heavy production with a constantly distorting voice of Brook's signature growling voice. If you're looking for an easy listen, and groove-heavy music, look no further Los Growlers are here to help you out.

Escuchalos aqui, visita su sitio web aqui.

That wraps up my Earworms for the month of March. If you want to listen to my specially-curated playlist on Spotify that includes all of the aforementioned bands and other music, I lovingly call it Jamz 1.0.