Summer Like The Season Makes a Timely Return with Premiere of “Root Mean Square” Video

Summer Like The Season – a.k.a Summer Krinsky, Scott Murphy and Liam McNitt – has a way of creating its own little world. Krinsky, who explains that texture and rhythm serve as the guiding forces of her songwriting, meticulously builds this world, brick by brick, using field recordings she’s captured on tour or in her home, layered vocals and unexpected rhythmic patterns. On latest single “Root Mean Square,” Krinsky reflects on the complexity of “remembering past relationships as a full picture instead of just highs and lows,” she says.

While the song emits bursts of longing, heartbreak and understanding, the video, premiering today via Audiofemme, is pure comedy. “The music is all pretty serious so we wanted the music videos to be a little lighter and fun,” Krinsky says. The setting for the visual takes place in an old dollhouse at Krinsky’s grandmother’s home. She was visiting one day when she was struck with inspiration. “Summer calls me up and says, ‘Get your cameras – my grandma has a dollhouse and we’re gonna use that to make a music video,’” Murphy recalls. “’Just get all the action figures you have and come on over.’” 

Murphy, a self-proclaimed “bad visual artist,” took up cinematography at the start of the pandemic and ended up shooting the entire video. While Krinsky’s vocals tell a story of loss and perception, a completely different kind of tension builds in the film. A tiny mouse family is ambushed late at night by some bad guys who came to rock. “The bad men come and they break into the mice’s house with the sole intention to jam,” says Murphy. “But their jam gets out of control and they kidnap a mouse,” adds Krinsky. The band casted, wrote and shot the film all within a day, in the type of fever dream-haze that many experienced during lockdown. “One might say it was manic,” Krinsky jokes.

Though the video was made within a matter of hours, Krinsky explains that the band’s forthcoming record, Hum, was a process three years in the making. “It was written and recorded, mixed and remixed a million times,” she says. When she finally finished the record, the pandemic happened and she felt like the timing wasn’t right to release the record; it’s finally been rescheduled for release September 3, 2021.

As frustrating as holding on to a body of work can be, Krinsky said it gave her time to reconnect with the songs and to make videos like this one. Space away from these songs that she spent countless hours on gave her a chance to return to them with a different perspective. “I was kind of worried that I’d feel really disconnected because [the album] was written so long ago and at first… I was feeling that,” Krinsky says. Because she writes and records almost all of her songs alone, bringing them to the band to arrange for live performance helps make them feel new again. Before they’re transformed into their live versions, Krinsky’s compositions are lush, intricate tracks, usually including multiple samples she’s recorded herself. 

“Root Mean Square,” in particular, includes a recording she made while unloading at a show in Duluth, Minnesota. “When we were on tour , I made it a point to take a sample in every city that we go to,” says Krinsky. “Every song has some hidden sample either from tour or like other things around Detroit or in my house or my dog.” These unique sonic textures combined with her shapeshifting vocals are what make up Summer Like The Season’s alternate universe; a place where rhythm has no rules, mice can be held hostage for a jam session, and the remnants of love lost are splayed out for all to see. 

Follow Summer Like The Season on Instagram for ongoing updates.

NEWS ROUNDUP: Yoko Ono’s “Imagine” Credit, LCD Soundsystem Shows & More

  • Yoko Ono To Receive Songwriting Credit For ‘Imagine”
    In a 1980 BBC interview, John Lennon admitted that his wife Yoko Ono deserved a co-credit for one of his most beloved solo songs, “Imagine,” since much of the ideas and lyrics came directly from her poems. He denied her important role in its creation due to his own “selfish” and “macho” attitude (to paraphrase his words), as well as a sexist double standard, adding, “If it had been Bowie, I would have put ‘Lennon-Bowie.'” Decades after the interview and nearly fifty years since the song’s release, Ono is finally getting the credit she deserves; the National Music Publishers Association awarded “Imagine” with its “Centennial Award” on Wednesday and announced that Ono would finally be listed as the song’s co-writer. Imagine that!

 

  • LCD Soundsystem Surprise BK Steel Shows Sell Out in Minutes
    On Monday, LCD Soundsystem announced a second run of Brooklyn Steel shows (to follow up the run that opened the venue last April). Tickets went on sale Thursday morning and were sold out almost instantly, but began popping up in secondary markets like StubHub shortly thereafter – well above face value. LCD frontman James Murphy was not happy; he took to Facebook to condemn scalpers, bots, and folks selling fakes, calling them “parasites” and promising fans they’d get to the bottom of the lightning-quick sell-out. LCD Soundsystem’s new album is apparently complete and although no release date has been set, they debuted a couple of new songs on SNL. The Brooklyn Steel run starts tonight.

 

  • DIY Venue Suburbia Shut Down By Cops
    Unfortunately (really, really unfortunately), Brooklyn DIY space Suburbia was shut down on Saturday night. If you didn’t see it happen, information about the event is scarce; the venue’s Facebook page mysteriously states they can’t comment because the page is being monitored, and asks that specific details not be shared to protect the privacy of those involved. Several upcoming shows (such as Camp Cope’s) have been moved to other venues. Stay tuned for updates.

 

  • Other Highlights
    A new Lee Ranaldo album is imminent, a posthumous album from Alan Vega of Suicide is coming, Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham did a thing, listen to the new QOTSA track, & why is this thinkpiece picking on Carly Rae Jepsen?

 

 

NEWS ROUNDUP: BK Steel Opens, Synth Pioneer Dies & More

  • RIP Ikutaro Kakehashi

    Ikutaro Kakehashi passed away last Saturday at age 87. He founded Roland in 1960, meaning without him, we’d be way behind in drum machine and synthesizer technology. After leading the company for decades, he founded the electronic instrument company ATV Corporation in 2014 and received a technical Grammy in 2013 for work in MIDI technology.

  • Stayin’ Alive: A CPR Playlist

    CPR is most effective when chest compressions are performed at 100 to 120 beats per minute, but how can someone easily remember that tempo? If you’ve been CPR certified, you were probably told to think of the Bee Gees classic, “Stayin Alive.” But, there are more options. As NPR reported, the New York Presbyterian hospital created a playlist of songs that are the right tempo to save a life, with artists ranging from Shakira to the Beastie Boys to Modest Mouse. Listen below.

https://open.spotify.com/user/12129503156/playlist/6TImxVFJXR6y3E6P6M5BQU

  • Brooklyn Steel Officially Opens

    Last night, the new, huge Williamsburg music venue Brooklyn Steel opened with the first of a five nights LCD Soundsytem residency. Tickets to all five nights – 10,000 tickets, to be exact – sold out in minutes. The band reportedly debuted three new songs and mentioned that they’re almost done with a new album. Signs posted outside the venue tried to deter concertgoers from filming the show, saying, “It’d be a real gut punch to all the people who have been working insanely hard the past 18 months to release this music.”

NEWS ROUNDUP: LCD Soundsystem, Andrew Bird & Wolkoff

andrew_bird_are_you_serious_sq-e746a31652ded504b74ba17273c8c50b20ae059d-s300-c85

  • LCD Soundsystem Is Playing NYC This Weekend!

    Guess the breakup didn’t last too long- after announcing plans for a new record and festival dates, the band will be playing at Webster Hall 3/27 and 3/28. Tix are first come, first serve, so you’ll have to enter a lottery to even get the chance to buy them. Do it here!

  • Tickets For RBMA Festival Are Now On Sale

    The energy drink sponsored festival will take over NYC at the end of April, bringing select performances, events and lectures to a variety of venues. Highlights for 2016 include a talk with Spike Lee, Dizzee Rascal (Performing ‘Boy in Da Corner’), a performance with Kamasi Washington, Pharaoh Sanders and The Sun Ra Arkestra and a Brooklyn Flea Record Fair. Plus many, many more.

  • Stream Are You Serious by Andrew Bird

    The 13th album by the whistling violinist is streaming on NPR ahead of its April 1st release date. It includes “Left Handed Kisses,” a duet with Fiona Apple. Check out the song’s video, which features a playful singing showdown between the two, below:

 

  • Wolkoff Releases “The Homecoming” Video

    The song is frenetic yet hopeful, and its video stars a dog (played by a girl in a mask) who struggles to fit into a domestic life. It’s both strange and heartwarming. You can read more about its origins and meaning on Jezebel, and watch it below.

 

  • Ty Segall Is Scary (In A Good Way)

    First he terrified the audience of Stephen Colbert’s late night show by throwing candy at them while dressed like a more low-key version of The Joker. Turns out, he also likes haunt your dreams by wearing a creepy baby mask. Check out the getup on his Conan performance, where he plays the song “Californian Hills:”

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  • RIP Phife Dawg

    Phife  Dawg, aka Malik Taylor passed away on Tuesday at age 45. A founding member of Tribe Called Quest, his unique style resulted in classic songs like “Buggin’ Out,” “Electric Relaxation,”, and “Butter.” For a full obituary, click here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QB9PiW68yQg[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

AUDIOFEMME PRESENTS: End of Summer Fling @ Baby’s All Right, 8/18

AudioFemme Presents

AudioFemme is having a party. Naturally, there will be a bounty of great music. Tuesday, August 18th at Brooklyn’s Baby’s All Right we’ll be dancing with some fabulous bands. To get you as excited as we are, here’s a preview of our favorite things about our delightfully odd musical guests. We feel no shame in bragging that we love all our events, but this lineup is particularly special. Tickets are $8 advance / $10 at door – snag them ahead of time here.

Abdu Ali

Abdu Ali

The well-dressed Baltimore rapper has the music blogosphere spinning after already securing icon status in his hometown. We love his “post-apocalyptic” sound that blends classic hip-hop beats as well as punk and industrial sounds you didn’t know existed. Keep close to this one, kids.

ZGRT

ZGRT

Brooklyn’s own ZGRT is already freaking people out. Their first single, “HARD POWER” is produced by Zachery Allan Starkey and DFA Records’ synth legend Gavin Russom, keeping LCD Soundsystem alive through his electric touch on the Brooklyn current. ZGRT creates techno, house, and post-punk beats that will make your booty shake and lyrics that will make your head spin.

Stash Marina

Stash Marina

The avant-garde rapper from Masssachusets leaves you dazed with her heavy beats like thunder clouds ready to pour down poetic lyrics. “These fuck boys tryna get me but I can’t be fucking up,” she drawls on “Super Fragile,” which you can just play over and over until you’re hypnotized. Fuck fuck boys.

Leverage Models

Leverage Models

As complex as the stars above our heads and equally as beautiful, the New Yorkers (Jordanville) create intricate dance music about some very serious topics, ranging from rebelling against political authority to self-harm. Truly, something for everyone.

Enjoy a teaser video below from Leverage Models, filmed and co-directed by D. James Goodwin.

LIVE REVIEW: The Juan MacLean @ Union Pool

juanmac

I’ll be honest: when I hear the genres “house,” “techno,” or “dance” being used to describe a band, I picture a couple of dudes posturing behind laptops. But when The Juan MacLean took the stage at Union Pool on Thursday, I knew this show would be different. John MacLean, the core of the project, immediately put to use a theremin attached to his keyboard stand. Nancy Whang, of LCD Soundsystem, gripped the mic and sang brooding vocals, over endless synths and a beat by a drummer, who, though seriously overworked, never seemed to tire.

Apparently, MacLean decided after the first song that we weren’t dancing enough. “It’s very Thursday night in here,” he taunted the crowd, who countered with whistles and shouts. “It’s a very thirsty night in here,” Whang shot back, chugging a water bottle. The group had recently played three nights at the Cameo gallery, and on their first of three shows at Union Pool, they weren’t satisfied with just easing into their set, or letting the audience do so either.

Whang played percussion with a serious, stony look on her face. It never wavered, even when hitting a springy, rattling instrument earned her cheers. “That was a vibraslap,” she deadpanned, to more cheers. When she and Maclean began to trade vocal lines on “One Day,” it felt like at any minute the band was going to break into “Don’t You Want Me Baby”– they had all of the epic synths and a tense, emotional performance that had the whole room dancing as hard as they could, but none of the song’s cheesiness. And, no laptops.

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LIVE REVIEW: Museum of Love @ The Wick

Museum of Love

Museum of Love

Even as it evolved from dance-punk singles played in hip clubs to the extravagant, sold-out MSG finale show with a multitude of guest performances, LCD Soundsystem was always James Murphy’s thing. Though Murphy enlisted a host of musicians to fill out his production and tour lineup, he remained its front-and-center icon, down to the project’s last 48 hours of existence in front of Shut Up And Play The Hits filmmakers. Co-founding DFA Records, the label that would become synonymous not only with LCD’s output but with the disco-infused punk movement the band inspired, only solidified Murphy’s prominence as the purveyor of those sounds. Longtime collaborator Nancy Whang found outlets as a DJ and producer in her own right, particularly in working with DFA cohort The Juan MacLean. In one way or another, the musicians who became fixtures on LCD releases either remained affiliated with other DFA-related projects or produced solo endeavors for the label, whose curatorial scope felt just as focused on sonic similarities as it was in fostering those familial connections.

Now, it seems, it’s Pat Mahoney’s turn to make a name for himself beyond the title of LCD Soundsystem drummer. His newest project, Museum of Love, has been releasing teaser singles since dropping “Monotronic” in October, and officially announced a nine-track self-titled EP slated for release this month. With Dennis “Jee Day” McNany (who’s also worked with The Juan MacLean) writing most of the songs and Mahoney penning the lyrics, sultry jams like “Down South” and the sunny, expansive pop of “In Infancy” promise that Museum of Love’s debut will be packed with expertly-constructed explorations in a variety of moods.

At DFA Records’ Summer Soiree last Saturday at The Wick in Brooklyn, the whole gang was in attendance; recent signee Sinkane opened with a DJ set as the sold-out crowd rolled in, followed by Whang, who spun records that melded almost seamlessly with the first blushes of Museum of Love’s live NYC debut. Mahoney and Whang hugged before he took his place in front of the mic, front and center this time instead of behind a drum kit. McNany sat beside him, walled in by various synths, and a guitarist and drummer rounded out the set-up as well, which was a pleasant surprise; one never knows how much of a band you’ll get when production duos go live. On two tracks, the addition of a couple brass players warmed things up as well – Museum of Love are not fucking around.

Mahoney, for his part, sounds a little like David Byrne, and that’s certainly not a bad thing. He’s a humble frontman, and seemed grateful for the opportunity to perform for such an enthusiastic crowd with musicians he respects and admires. They played what has to amount to the entirety of the record, and the songs are at once introspective and dance-worthy, unfolding beautifully and organically, as though they weren’t so much written and perfected over several months, but instead sprang into existence fully formed and ready for the exact moment in time you’re hearing them. Fans of LCD Soundsystem (and DFA in general) will of course embrace what Museum of Love has to offer, but there’s also a real possibility that MoL’s appeal could reach well beyond DFA’s immediate circle of devotees.

Though DFA has courted many acts outside its circle, there’s still the feeling that its roster exists inside a bit of a bubble, which can be seen as either shopworn nepotism or comforting familiarity. It’s not that Museum of Love bucks this trend per say, but what Mahoney and McNany do offer are a refreshing set of tracks that are fun and easily approachable. They aren’t taking DFA’s catalogue in a new direction, but they could bring a lot of new fans back into the fold.

TRACK OF THE WEEK: Museum of Love “In Infancy”

MUSEUMOFLOVESPLASH

Decade-defying, dance-inducing electronic music has always been LCD Soundsystem’s signature calling card and it’s an ethos that obviously extends to the latest collaborative project from founding member Pat Mahoney and The Juan MacLean’s Dennis McNany.

Dubbed Museum of Love, the duo channels a glimmering discotheque groove with a brand of electro-punk funk that’ll be familiar to any diehard DFA fan. Case and point is the latest offering from their upcoming self-titled LP called “In Infancy,” which combines the best of signature DFA-esque distortions with a dash of whimsical wonk and transcendental swoop.  Filled with scuzzy synths, croon-embracing choir vocals and an unstoppable drum machine, it’s a shimmering, funk-loving spin on the duo’s past musical endeavors as groove-inducing, avant-electro staples.

Relaxing in its hazy dance floor drift, “In Infancy” coddles your ears. Swaddled by sweeping angelic harmonics gradually melting into an ethereal polyphony of sound, it invokes a series of blissful ideas content in their otherworldly leanings. But that’s not to say it lacks direction, as the entire track is driven by an incessant beat that could make even the sourest of four-on-the-floor adherents sway back and forth a bit. And it should, as it’s a gentle disco-influenced lullaby for the glamorous, cowbell-obsessed embryo within you.

The heir apparent to the Human League’s brand of decade-straddling balladry, it’s as if Mahoney and McNany squeezed all of the disco-embracing essence lingering within MTV’s New Wave playlists from between 1977 and 1983 and put it all into one genre-spanning track. And while some purists may argue otherwise, in all honesty, what better time in musical dance history is there to distill? After all, tracks that glide through time, space and external dimensions are the backbone of pop music. And in my opinion, it’s all for the better if this post-modern dance-punk can turn into something as fun and surprising as “In Infancy.”