Here we are again! As the new year approaches, it’s time to look back and take stock of the albums and singles that defined this moment in music history. 2018 was an eclectic year, to say the least, and there are a lot of new names on the list: Tirzah, Snail Mail, Soccer Mommy, Noname, King Princess, and Kali Uchis all had phenomenal debuts this year, not to mention the inimitable Cardi B, who made good on the promise of last year’s smash hit “Bodak Yellow” with Invasion of Privacy in April. There were established artists who still managed to surprise us, whether in the form of unearthed Prince demos, The Arctic Monkeys’ loungey sci-fi concept album, Tim Hecker introducing us to ancient Japanese court music, Dev Hynes making his most personal Blood Orange record yet, or Lil Wayne finally dropping Tha Carter V. And then there are those artists who fall somewhere in between, their ascendant careers a thrill to watch as 2018 saw them finally hit their stride. US Girls. Yves Tumor. serpentwithfeet. And perhaps most spectacularly, Mitski and Janelle Monáe.
As each of our writers (and editors, too) created their own mini-lists, those were two names that kept cropping up, and there’s no doubt you’ve seen them on just about every year-end list on the interwebs. If there’s any chance you haven’t heard Be The Cowboy or Dirty Computer, by all means, fire up that Spotify Premium post haste. But the recommendations here are as diverse as our writers themselves, so we hope you’ll take time to explore some of the lesser-known, hardly hyped artists we’ve highlighted, too – and keep your eyes peeled for more year-end coverage as we cruise in to 2019.
EDITOR LISTS
Marianne White (Executive Director)
Top 10 Albums:
1) boygenuis – boygenius
2) Soccer Mommy – Clean
3) Nenah Cherry – Broken Politics
4) Mitski – Be the Cowboy
5) serpentwithfeet – soil
6) CupcakKE – Ephorize
7) Blood Orange – Negro Swan
8) Autechre – NTS Sessions 1-4
9) Snail Mail – Lush
10) Cardi B – Invasion of Privacy Top 5 Singles:
1) Let’s Eat Grandma – “Hot Pink”
2) Jon Hopkins – “Emerald Rush”
3) The Internet – “Look What You Started”
4) Cardi B, Bad Bunny, J Balvin – “I Like It”
5) boygenius – “Bite The Hand”
Lindsey Rhoades (Editor-in-Chief)
Top 10 Albums:
1) Low – Double Negative
2) US Girls – In A Poem Unlimited
3) Madeline Kenney – Perfect Shapes
4) Yves Tumor – Safe In The Hands of Love
5) DJ Koze – Knock Knock
6) Caroline Rose – Loner
7) Tim Hecker – Konoyo
8) Virginia Wing – Ecstatic Arrow
9) Frigs – Basic Behaviour
10) bedbug – i’ll count to heaven in years without seasons Top 10 Singles:
1) Janelle Monáe – “Make Me Feel”
2) Loma – “Black Willow”
3) The Breeders – “All Nerve”
4) SOPHIE – “Is It Cold In The Water?”
5) Jonathan Wilson – “Loving You”
6) Empath – “The Eye”
7) Sibile Attar – “Paloma”
8) Jono Ma & Dreems – “Can’t Stop My Dreaming (Of You)”
9) Shopping – “Discover”
10) Ed Schrader’s Music Beat – “Dunce”
Mandy Brownholtz (Social Media)
Top 5 Albums:
1) Miserable – Lover Boy/Dog Days
2) Snail Mail – Lush
3) Mitski – Be The Cowboy
4) Teyana Taylor – K.T.S.E.
5) Janelle Monáe – Dirty Computer Top 3 Singles:
1) Nothing – “Blue Line Baby”
2) Hinds – “The Club”
3) Mitski – “Nobody”
Lauren Zambri (Events)
Top 5 Albums:
1) Amen Dunes – Freedom
2) US Girls – In A Poem Unlimited
3) Beach House – 7
4) Iceage – Beyondless
5) Tirzah – Devotion Top 5 Singles:
1) Jenny Hval – “Spells”
2) US Girls – “Velvet 4 Sale”
3) Yves Tumor – “Licking An Orchid”
4) Amen Dunes – “Believe”
5) Low – “Always Trying to Work it Out”
Top 5 Albums:
1) Alice Ivy – I’m Dreaming
2) Sudan Archives – Sink
3) Marlon Williams – Make Way For Love
4) Earth Girl Helen Brown – Venus
5) Rüfüs Du Sol – Solace Top 3 Singles:
1) Rhye – “Taste”
2) Alice Ivy – “Chasing Stars”
3) Sudan Archives – “Nont For Sale”
Top 5 Albums:
1) DRINKS – Hippo Lite
2) Shannon & the Clams – Onion
3) Lost Boy ? – Paranoid Fiction
4) Prince – Piano & a Microphone 1983
5) Sloppy Jane – Willow Top 3 Singles:
1) Public Practice – “Fate/Glory”
2) The Nude Party – “Chevrolet Van”
3) Big Bliss – “Surface”
Top 10 Releases Out of the Brooklyn DIY Scene (in Chronological Order):
1) THICK — Would You Rather? (Self-Released)
2) BODEGA — Endless Scroll (What’s Your Rupture?)
3) Baked — II (Exploding In Sound)
4) Pecas — After Dark (Broken Circles)
5) Big Bliss – At Middle Distance (Exit Stencil Recordings)
6) Kevin Hairs — Freak In The Streets (GP Stripes)
7) PILL – Soft Hell (Mexican Summer)
8) Stove – ‘s Favorite Friend (Exploding In Sound)
9) Lost Boy ? – Paranoid Fiction (Little Dickman Records/ Rich Moms)
10) Janet LaBelle – I Only See You (Loantaka Records)
Top 5 Albums:
1) The Arctic Monkeys – Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino
2) The 1975 – A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships
3) Charles Bradley – Black Velvet
4) Brandi Carlile – By The Way, I Forgive You
5) Jack White – Boarding House Reach Top 3 Singles:
1) The Raconteurs – “Now That You’re Gone”
2) Mac Miller – “2009”
3) Dead Naked Hippies – “Rare”
Top 5 Albums:
1) Cardi B – Invasion of Privacy
2) Lil Wayne – Tha Carter V
3) J. Cole – KOD
4) Preme – Light of Day
5) Jazz Cartier – Fleurever Top 3 Singles:
1) Lil Wayne feat. Reginae Carter – “Famous”
2) Cardi B – “Thru Your Phone”
3) J. Cole – “Brackets”
Desdemona Dallas
Top 5 Albums:
1) Noname – Room 25
2) Flatbush Zombies – Vacation In Hell
3) Mountain Man – Magic Ship
4) Lucy Dacus – Historian
5) Nao – Saturn Top 3 Singles:
1) Janelle Monáe – “Make Me Feel”
2) Twin Shadow – “Saturdays”
3) Sudan Archives – “Nont For Sale”
Erin Rose O’Brien
Top 5 Albums:
1) Mitski — Be The Cowboy
2) Antarctigo Vespucci — Love in the Time of E-mail
3) Car Seat Headrest — Twin Fantasy
4) Soccer Mommy — Clean
5) Janelle Monáe — Dirty Computer Top 3 Singles:
1) Bad Moves — “Cool Generator”
2) The Beths — “Future Me Hates Me”
3) Miya Folick — “Stop Talking”
Ysabella Monton
Top 5 Albums:
1) Mitski – Be The Cowboy
2) Janelle Monáe – Dirty Computer
3) Brockhampton – Iridescence
4) Soccer Mommy – Clean
5) Cardi B – Invasion of Privacy Top 3 Singles:
1) King Princess – “1950”
2) Childish Gambino – “This is America”
3) Pusha T – “If You Know You Know”
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”]Ben captures a Northern Black Racer at Quantico Marine Base. “[It’s] my favorite species to look for in the Northeast!” he says.Happy Holidays, everyone! I hope all your furry family gets some special holiday treats off the Hanukkah/ Christmas table. I can tell you my cats are pretty amused by our family Christmas tree; little Ruby even tried to eat a few ornaments (as she attempts with most unknown objects).
A few years ago, my buddy Jordan finally moved to Bushwick from Connecticut into an apartment which would come to be known as the Hartbreak Hotel (for its Hart Street location and its influx of recent bachelors). “I can’t wait for you to meet Ben!” he said of one of his new roommates. Jordan wanted a genuine reaction from me, so he didn’t go into details; all Jordan would say was that he never met anyone else like him, and I would come to agree.
The first time I met Ben Jaffe, I was hosting Jordan’s birthday party. Ben brought fried crickets and hot sauce with him and generously offered them to the guests (to many declines—sorry, I am a city kid when it comes to bugs, particularly eating them). We became quick friends over some mulled wine and videos of animatronic Baby Hughie. The next time Ben and I hung out was at a Nitehawk viewing of Black Christmas. I showed up late, crawled under everyone’s legs to reach my seat, then proceeded to eat and drink almost everything on the menu and pass out, which Ben found very amusing. So I guess it is pertinent that my interview with him would run on Christmas!
Since then, I have spent many a day and night hanging out with Ben. Whether it’s 6am, 12pm, 8pm, or 3am, Ben is usually doing five things at once. Often these tasks include cooking something elaborate from scratch, listening to an obscure record, drawing a anthropomorphic animal comic, watching a bizarre documentary, and/or getting everyone hopped up on espresso. In addition to being a singular host, Ben is also an incredible saxophone player. You can currently see his skills showcased in Brooklyn’s feminist art-punk band PILL, garage rock group Dumb Wolves, and experimental rock group Saxophone Reptile. Ben has since launched a label with Jordan Bell, Nick Rogers, and Davey Jones called GP Stripes that is now making lots of waves. Ben also happens to be a grade school science teacher and an expert on the cold-blooded species of creatures: fish, reptiles, amphibians, and insects.
AF: What got you interested in animals? Was there a particular creature who struck your fancy?
BJ: I became fascinated with fishes of all kinds when I was about three. I would spend hours looking at encyclopedias, National Geographic, or books from the library. I also had a collection of paper fish that I cut out of magazines. From then I moved on to crustaceans, insects, and finally reptiles and amphibians.
AF: Who was your first pet and how old were you when s/he entered your life?
BJ: My first pet was a big black cat named Simon. He was a kitten when I was born, so we grew up together in a way. He lived until I was seventeen, and I still have dreams about him once in a while. Simon’s ears were all knicked up from his many battles. He was like an older brother to me. Cats mature faster, right?
AF: What or who made you want to pick up saxophone?
BJ: I always liked saxophones. I think it could be that it looks like a combination of an arthropod and an ancient squid. You know, all those moving parts? Anyway, I tried to play when I was nine, but had trouble reading music. Years later when I was about to turn seventeen, I had this dream where I was playing the horn, and I had figured out how to play “Tequila.” I woke up and knew that I should do it, since I already knew where the notes were. I rented an alto and practiced every day, sometimes being late to class because I was hitting the practice room during lunch. My good friend Abe Maneri was playing jazz piano and Bowie songs in the same building, so we started playing together. Abe got me improvising right away, really. He also hipped me to a lot of great music. Fela Kuti, Eric Dolphy, and especially his dad, Joe Maneri. My first live solo ever was with Abe Maneri in his glam rock band, Paniot’s 9 at a battle of the bands.
AF: Do you have any experience with any other instruments?
BJ: I have some facility on keyboard, and I play it on a track from the last PILL full length,”Convenience”.
AF: The saxophone is kind of an unconventional instrument for garage rock and punk bands. What was the genre of music you learned on? When did you enter the punk sphere?
BJ: I started out just playing with my friends, who were into Sonic Youth, Mudhoney, Bowie, Iggy, Bad Brains, Nirvana, etc. Then I’d practice with my albums at home. The Fela records were big for that! There was a lot of saxophone on Iggy’s New Values album. But there were not a lot of horns on all the other stuff I liked, PIL, Black Flag, Circle Jerks. Flipper had a saxophone on a couple songs. I was even in a Flipper cover band called The Flippoffs. We played only one gig in the summer of 2001 at Charlie’s Kitchen in Cambridge. Can you believe it? Who wouldn’t want to listen to an eight minute version of “Sex Bomb“? There was a mermaid named Sally on slide whistle!
So from there I got into jazz and soul, because that’s where all the best sounding players were. I worked on Thelonious Monk songs because I liked the intervals. I formed a soul band with some friends who were big into Sun Ra and gospel 45s. We’d jam on a few jazz heads, which I could handle after a few years of shredding scales.
A couple of years later I was obsessed with guitarists like Link Wray, James Williamson from the Stooges, and Tony Iommi. I spent hours a day learning their solos by ear and trying to match the tones. Then when I was loud enough, I toured with Murphy’s Law for about a year. It is widely accepted that before 1965, the saxophone was the main instrumental voice of rock ‘n’ roll. Sometime around ’66, the guitar took over. My approach presupposes… maybe it didn’t. Like I mentioned, the first music I really liked was basically punk rock, and then I played jazz at the volumes required for punk shows.
AF: How long have you lived in New York and has that influenced your music to go in a particular direction?
BJ: Does couch surfing for five months count? I got here around June of 2008, but toured almost the whole time until January of 2009 when I got my first apartment. It was then that I really got my lip in shape to produce the sounds the way I do now. I had a situation where I was living in a loft on Myrtle that only had two tenants up on the third floor. When not on the road I would practice about four hours a day. I switched mouthpieces then to the kind I have now, which has a large chamber. Scales and long tones during the day, and shows at night. I checked out Silent Barn and Market Hotel a lot back then. Sometimes, a bunch of people would just show up at my practice space on Meserole and we’d have a noise jam until 4am. A friend came up with the idea that I should be playing through an amplifier around this time. I’d say that I expanded my tone to fit the environment.
AF: Has New York limited the type of pets you would like to keep in any way? What are some animals you would love to host but haven’t been able to in an urban setting?
BJ: All I want is a frog pond. But that won’t happen unless I move to the country. I would love to have a cat, but touring and living with roommates limits that idea. You have to really hang with a cat. I wish I could turn my entire room into a giant terrarium and just sleep on a flat rock. There could be garter snakes and a running brook. If I moved to Florida or Arizona, I could just walk outside and probably wouldn’t even keep any pets. I honestly just love seeing animals living healthy in their habitats. I guess I just want a cat.
AF: I know you have hosted many reptiles and insects. Has being a childhood science teacher warmed you up to these critters, or were you always interested in entomology?
BJ: I’ve always been really into arthropods. I just don’t get in trouble anymore for bringing them to school! I would say that it is the opposite, in a way. I have really enjoyed sharing my knowledge and fascination for living things with creatures I never took a close look at previously…children! It is so cool to show a snake to young people, because they are genuinely excited about it. Adults most often just say “Get that away from me!” This reaction is boring and a little heartbreaking for a biology-minded person like myself. So the children motivate me to learn more about living organisms with their own innate curiosity.
AF: I heard you were caring for a pregnant hissing cockroach in your apartment a few months back. How did you get the okay by your roommates? How do these creepy crawlers differ from the old Brooklyn gutter roaches?
BJ: I never told them about the hissing roaches. I think that’s the best way to keep large insects in your room. Hissing roaches belong to the family Blaberidae, which is different from Blattdae, the family that subway roaches belong to. Hissing roaches cannot fly, and would not be happy in a NYC sewer. They prefer rotting logs in a tropical forest habitat, and eat mostly fruits and vegetables. I think anyone that gives hissing roaches a chance will see that they are very chilled out, don’t bite, and make really good pets. Come on, cut up some of your apple and a few collard greens and give them a treat!
In New York City, we have three types of cockroaches. They are the American Cockroach, the German Cockroach, and the Oriental Cockroach. The one everybody talks about is probably Periplaneta Americana, the American Cockroach. This is the reddish brown monster that flies and is referred to as a water bug. To be specific, they are not true waterbugs, since they are not aquatic, and are not related to Hymiptera, the order that includes true waterbugs, stinkbugs and bedbugs! I’m glad we cleared that up!
AF: You have fostered some pretty interesting pets from your teaching job. Can you share some of them with AudioFemme?
BJ: My favorite animals that I have kept in the science lab have been the baby Chinese mantis I raised. They were so tiny and fascinating! You really have to do it yourself to understand what I mean. I don’t recommend keeping more than ten, because you have to house them in individual containers. They eat each other if left in the same tank together. The mother of this brood actually lived way into December of that year. If you’ve ever kept a mantis for that long, you notice some very curious changes in its behavior. I think that Chines Mantids essentially go insane as they get old. The eye spots get huge, making the mantis look crazed. They slow down and have difficulty hunting. My mantis chewed off part of her forelegs. One afternoon right before she checked out, she actually tried to eat my hand! She just chomped down on my knuckle and would not stop chewing. I had to spray her with water to get her to let go. It really hurt! I’ll never forget those eyes. Like something had gone haywire in her brain. I’ve never been more afraid of an individual insect.
Other cool residents have been an Italian Wall Lizard that I caught out on Long Island, and a very charismatic Anole named Cletus who now lives in my apartment. Currently in the lab, we have a Common Garter Snake that I adopted from a pet store. I am pretty sure it was wild caught. We also have some impressive Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches. One got out over the summer and was discovered by the assistant principal! She recognized it and did not treat the insect the way New Yorkers usually deal with roaches. We also have a school of fathead minnows. I love common species.
AF: If you had to choose one animal you relate the most to, what would it be?
BJ: A grey tabby cat.
AF: Your roommate Diana has some pretty cute fluffy friends. What has it been like having those buddies around the apartment?
BJ: It’s the best. Toki and Scrambles! They are such friendly cats. I play with Toki every day after work. It is definitely important to keep my door closed, however. Toki will go in and chew up the house plants. One time, he threw up on Cletus’ cage.
AF: I know you dabble in comics on the side of your music and teaching careers. Are Carlos Rock Dog, Kitty Cat, or Denim Frog based on any real animal or human pals?
BJ: It’s hard to pinpoint who is what. Carlos just sort of showed up one day. He was a seagull first, in a comic I drew during lunch. Then he was a hound dog, and before I knew it, he started driving a car in the desert. Carlos spends most of his time on the highways between Ohio and Los Angeles. He hardly ever goes to New York City. Over time, I realized that Carlos is based on a few different people. He looks most like Jhon Grewell and Edd Chittenden from Dumb Wolves, the Prits, I’m Turning Into, MTS. Edd once said that Carlos is my diary, and he is right. I take things that have happened to me, and draw them as comics. “The Cat” from Carlos is based on every annoying friend you have ever had. The friend that drives you crazy, gets you in trouble, and you sometimes have to disassociate yourself from because it’s just dangerous being around them. Except Carlos can never do that with the Cat. He does not have a choice. Along for the ride, unfortunately. Denim Frog is a less complex character. He is a vehicle for dumb jokes. He is not that smart, but loves tricking other people. I won’t reveal who he is based on. I did keep a bullfrog for about eight years, so there’s something for you to think about.
AF: How did you become friends with all of your current bandmates? Do you think you all would be in the same animal family, or are there some fluffies and some scalies in your crew?
BJ: I first met Edd and Jhon [/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][of Dumb Wolves] when I would go to hear I’m Turning Into around Brooklyn. We became friends at shows and parties. One day, Jhon was out of town and I filled in the bass parts of I’m Turning Into songs on saxophone. That was the beginning of the band, basically. We’re all Dumb Wolves. Which are dogs, as you know. Jhon likes to wear a shirt of whatever dog breed he feels like that day.
We also like Thrinaxodon, a mammal like reptile who lived during the Permian-Triassic period.
[Regarding] PILL, I knew Andrew from his performances as Space Lions in Outer Space, and I met Veronica at Death By Audio and various shows/parties. I did not meet Jon until the first time the four of us jammed together. We played for about twenty minutes and he said, “Hi I’m Jon.” I imagine we’d all be different animals: Andrew, a dolphin; Veronica, A cockatoo; Jon, A black or dark brown poodle; and myself, a frog or a garter snake.
AF: You have been on the road a lot these past few years. Do you have a favorite location to play in?
BJ: I like Nashville. There are some great spots there, and it’s different enough to feel far away from NYC. Columbus, Ohio is a good gig to play in the middle of the week. People really seem to come out for shows there. I also really dig Chicago.
AF: Any funny or fantastic road stories to share?
BJ: Drunk Gecko Hunting in Talahassee. After playing a party last March, I went looking for Mediterranean Geckos behind the house. We tried to film it to send to my students as a science video, but I was too drunk. There was no way I would ever email it to the school. It sounded like I was lurking behind people’s houses talking crazy about nocturnal animals, which I pretty much was. I did catch a good sized gecko, however.
I’m racking my brain about these tour stories. I have some from when I was a kid, of course, but PILL stories? Every day is a ridiculous day. I could relay the time in 2016 when I stood at the Mexican border in Big Bend National Park, playing “America the Beautiful” to a couple of people standing across the river. They came over to sell us some little toys and things made from wire. I continued to play, and this time it was more free. A man and a younger guy who was probably about 14 did not even look phased. A family came by to take some photos. That is who we saw on the border that day. It might not be much of a story, but it has a resonance now.
AF: Will you be cuddling with any animal friends for the holidays?
BJ: Oh sure. I will have a little extra time to hang and play with Toki and Scrambles. Toki is the kind of cat that wants to be chased around, and if you don’t play his games, he will do something to make you annoyed. Chewing house plants and then throwing up are a pretty common agenda. There will be a few cat naps, which is close to how I sleep anyway. I’ll spend some time hanging with a garter snake from the school. It is necessary for me to take it home to ensure fresh water and lots of live food. Garter snakes like water, you know. I also have two cat sitting gigs. Cats get bored and need a buddy to hang with. I think that’s the most important thing about keeping one. After you sleep for three hours and there is nothing to do, what happens then? You can’t go back to sleep.
PILL’s next New York show takes place at Elsewhere’s Zone One on January 16th, when they open up for Olivia Neutron-John. Get tickets here and check out their latest release, Aggressive Advertising, via bandcamp.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”]Album art by Jon Campolo
Pill gives us strength as we come to terms with chaos in the premiere of “Side Eye,” a single from their upcoming EP entitled Aggressive Advertising. Dueto be released on June 30, they are following up their 2016 debut LP Convenience with a second release on Dull Tools, returning to the cassette tape roots of their first EP.
Pill is Veronica Torres, Jon Campolo, Ben Jaffe, and Andrew Spaulding. Politics remain important to Pill and these themes persist in “Side Eye.” They refuse to roll back efforts to scratch away at the burning itch of misogyny, although arduous. They maintain creative flexibility and innovation in these seven tracks as moods range from guarded and abrasive to relaxed and danceable.
Torres and Campolo talk with Audiofemme about the underlying theme of “Side Eye” and their recent European Tour.
AudioFemme: What is the subject or theme of “Side Eye”?
Veronica Torres: The song explores the duplicitous feeling of needing to take action and burn down walls against misogyny, and then the exhaustion that comes along with being questioned for every action and your capability to do any job. In an interview last fall a journalist asked me if I was an angry girl, and I battled against it and fiercely denied the term he applied to me and our music. I still believe that if I was a man I would not be positioned so crudely into a one-dimensional feeling. I think it would have been padded to suggest some focus in ideology, or at the very least I could have been called a woman. At the end of the day though, I guess I am angry. There is a lot to fight—sexism, racism, homophobia, xenophobia, etc—but I feel comforted by the fact that there are so many beautiful people holding up a torch in these dark times.
AF: Where was Aggressive Advertising recorded? What did you look to for inspiration while creating?
Jonathan Campolo: We recorded Aggressive Advertising with fifth Pill Andy Chugg, who’s produced everything we’ve made. This EP comes with a little reinvention, a little shift in language—for instance, I sing throughout a full track for the first time (“Afraid of the Mirror”), something we plan to work with more for the next record. There are also moments, like in “Piña Queen,” that are legitimately posi and danceable, a feeling not so present on our first LP Convenience, with all of its anxieties.
VT: We really wanted to push the boundaries of what we ourselves think Pill is as a band, and to also have fun since it’s an EP. We were initially inspired by a library “muzak” record that Andrew got his hands on—also called Aggressive Advertising—that had a sharp 80s business edge. I could hear the stock market rising and all the power suits tightening around every crotch.
AF: How did the making of this record differ from previous releases?
JC: This new EP still retains all the genre-jumping and instrumental changes that every Pill release has had so far, but more concentrated. On tracks like “Side Eye,” we combined almost four different demos into one song. The format of an EP is very fun for that reason—we don’t feel pressure to keep to a single narrative, concept, etc.
VT: With this EP we had a much more touch and go approach. There are some pretty strange songs that didn’t make the cut, but I hope will get released some day…
[/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”]Photo Courtesy of Pill: (L-R) Andrew Spaulding, Veronica Torres, Jon Campolo, Ben Jaffe
AF: Who are some local bands that inspire you and why?
VT: I feel so lucky that Olivia Neutron-John is now a local NYC performer! I am also deeply in love with Sarah Kinlaw’s new recordings on Soap Library.
JC: Other local weirdos we love are: Palberta, Frank Hurricane, Dougie Poole, Macula Dog, Tredici Bacci . . . All of these people are invested in invention. For all those who are lost that believe nothing feels “new” anymore, leave your homes!
AF: What was the most interesting and/or challenging experience of your recent European tour? Did you feel a difference between Europe and America in their attitude toward your work?
JC: DIY is alive and thriving! On this last Euro tour we played squats, house shows, tiny bars, and festivals—really ran the gamut. My favorite memory was post show in Hanover, DE. We were taken to a STATE-FUNDED artist village made out of shipping containers that a friend-of-a-friend was DJing (Cumbia all night baby), and got to jam on a drum kit and guitar setup in the middle of a hand-made skatepark. (Veronica played guitar?!) We kind of hijacked it, maybe drunk jammed for about two hours, then realized no one was left.
AF: What’s next for tour? Will there be a release show?
JC: YES!!!!! We are concentrating on writing again, and will have a release show this month; details are still in the works. We have some local shows this summer and may tour ye olde USA a little this fall. See you out there!
Stream “Side Eye” from Aggressive Advertising below!
I didn’t even have to break out my “The Future is Female” t-shirt to sound the alarm; at South by Southwest last week, the message was loud and clear. In a whirlwind five days, I saw dozens of acts – mostly emerging or signed to small labels – and only three of those bands did not have women on stage. I didn’t even have to try to make this happen. I made, as I always do, a must-see list, hoping to catch some new-to-me projects at showcases along the way, and in both cases, the most compelling artists at this year’s SXSW were women.
Now, it’s 2017 and women playing music shouldn’t inspire an epiphany. It’s a wonder then, that at this year’s Coachella, only 25 percent of the performers are women or prominently feature a female player. After facing criticism for gender-biased exclusion in years past, GoldenVoice (the company that books Coachella and its NYC sister fest, Panorama) killed two diversity birds with one stone by booking Beyoncé, the fest’s first black female headliner (and its first female headliner in ten years – Björk was last to hold that honor, in 2007). When Bey dropped off the bill shortly after announcing her pregnancy with twins, Lady Gaga was named as a replacement. This year’s Governors Ball doesn’t fare much better, with all-male groups, male DJs, and male rappers outnumbering women performers and groups that have, say, one woman in a band of five (like the Strumbellas or The Head and the Heart) by a shocking margin of ten to one. Lorde is closest to a headlining spot (followed by Beach House and Phantogram, both male-female duos) but she only gets second billing Friday night. Most of the women are relegated to earlier daytime slots, which begs the question – why can’t more of these slots be filled with ladies?
SXSW is pretty different than either of the above-mentioned fests. It’s really just a series of shows held in venues all over Austin, and SXSW-goers can certainly pick and choose what they want to see from a much wider array of artists. But music industry honchos – reps from labels, booking and PR agencies, and, of course, journalists – make up the bulk of the crowds. This year’s buzzy performances could populate the stages of tomorrow’s blockbuster festivals, even if they don’t yet have a big enough draw. That’s what’s exciting about the chaos. It provides a peek at who’s flying under the radar but poised to reach greater heights.
And this year, women ruled. Likely the biggest name of the bunch, the line to see Solange’s headlining slot at the dazzling YouTube house showcase wrapped around the block. Lizzo and Noname, two lady rappers with critically acclaimed albums out last year, routinely packed shows all week, and bring an energy to the stage that could easily translate to large festivals. Sylvan Esso, a male-female duo who toured festival circuits a few years ago on the strength of their 2014 debut, were on hand at SXSW to play new material to dense crowds as well. Any of these acts could’ve easily populated lineups this year.
Meanwhile, there are more than a few names that are likely to crop up when it comes time to book Coachella and Gov Ball for 2018. Hurray for the Riff Raff’s alt-country, pro-immigrant vibes won tons of hearts. Melina Duterte’s solo project, Jay Som, has evolved into an arresting full-band indie rock onslaught with the release of her excellent LP Everybody Works, which came out the week before SXSW. Her former tourmate Michelle Zauner, who founded Japanese Breakfast, played some gorgeously shoegazey sets (during the one I saw, she did an excellent cover of The Cranberries classic “Dreams”), and will get a big signal boost opening for a run of Slowdive’s upcoming North American performances. She’s not to be confused with The Japanese House, an electronic trio from England led by Amber Bain who may just be heirs to the xx throne. Similarly, Sneaks, Tei Shi, and Anna Meredith all brought unique blends of unclassifiable, off-kilter pop to SXSW’s many showcases.
There were a whole bevvy of astounding punk, grunge and garage acts, too. Speedy Ortiz’s Sadie Dupuis brought her Sad13 solo project up to full-band speed with killer all-woman backup. Baltimore babies Snail Mail delivered vintage teen angst, former Swearin’ singer Allison Crutchfield and her new ensemble the Fizz, New Paltz newbies Diet Cig made a ruckus with little more than a drum kit and guitar, Cherry Glazerr veered into delirious heavy metal, and at the She Shreds showcase, Jillian Medford of Ian Sweet triumphantly announced she’d gotten her period before a raucous set – no one batted an eye. Meanwhile, Pill, Downtown Boys, and Priests, three of the most important acts currently touring, didn’t shy away from political messages and protests, either in their songs or in between them. It’s easy to imagine any one of these rockers tearing up an afternoon stage at Governors Ball, once bookers get the hint.
By contrast, of those three man-bands (which sounds as ridiculous as it should when someone refers to bands featuring women as “girl bands”) I saw, two of them bored me to tears: Floridian punks Merchandise haven’t managed to really grab my attention the way they did with thir 2012 EP Children of Desire, even though I still keep giving them a shot. And Spiral Stairs, the revived indie rock project of Pavement’s Scott Kannberg, felt like a slog rather than a celebration of their upcoming record Doris and the Daggers, their first in nine years. I would’ve rather seen a band that was actually called Doris and the Daggers, because they probably would’ve played with much more conviction. I won’t keep my fingers crossed that they’ll get a headlining slot on a big fest any time soon, but there are plenty of real, live, female-fronted bands that certainly deserve a shot, and if this year’s South by Southwest is any indication, their day could be coming soon.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
2015 was a great year for women in music. Specifically, for women who front a band as both a singer and guitarist. While we’ve reached a point where it’s not totally necessary to point and shout every time we find an amazing band led by a female musician (it’s becoming one of the best trends in music); it feels pretty good to remind everyone how much girls rocked this year. So, here’s a list of the best frontwomen who released albums in 2015, ranked alphabetically.
Bully released their debut album this summer, the tough-but-tender Feels Like. The Nashville band is led by vocalist/guitarist Alicia Bognanno, who previously studied audio engineering at Steve Albini’s studio. She’s just as great when it comes to recording her own music – Feels Like was recorded live in a few takes, and her brutal, raw vocals are the highlight of the record.
Courtney Barnett
Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit (March 20, 2015)
Courtney Barnett seemed to come out of nowhere with her song “Avant Gardener,” and then suddenly be everywhere. Though she comes across as a bit soft-spoken, she screamed and shredded through her Terminal 5 show this summer (while still mixing up the set with her quieter, more introspective songs like “Depreston“). The concert opened with Speedy Ortiz and Torres, two other groups on this list, making it one of the best lineups for women guitarists I’ve seen.
Ellen Kempner (aka Palehound)
Dry Food (August 14, 2015)
Ellen Kempner is a vocalist/guitarist (although she played everything but the drums on her debut album Dry Food) who performs under the moniker Palehound. As a songwriter, she’s nailed a self-aware approach that’s heavy on imagery. For an example of her guitar skills, check out “Molly,” a song where she layers playful, melodic parts with harsh interjections of distortion and makes them fit together naturally.
Frances Quinlan (of Hop Along)
Painted Shut (May 4, 2015)
Frances Quinlan of Hop Along has a voice that’s as tortured as it is mesmerizing, whether she’s singing about waiting on the table of an ex’s new girlfriend or her guilt from her inaction in a crucial moment. Reading about the stories that inspires her songs give them even more meaning and depth, though nothing expresses it more than her voice.
Katie Monks (of Dilly Dally)
Sore (October 9, 2015)
You could say that Katie Monks is Dilly Dally‘s vocalist, although her voice is more likely to be coming out in a scream or rasp. Her longtime friend Liz Ball shares guitar duties in the Toronto band, who released their debut album Sore in October. Check out “The Touch” to see just how far she’ll go to nail the right emotion for a song:
Mackenzie Scott (aka Torres)
Sprinter (May 5, 2015)
Mackenzie Scott sings and plays guitar under the alias Torres. Her Spring release, Sprinter, was impressive not just because of her voice, but her ability as a songwriter to channel and transcend emotions like quiet rage in a few minutes of sound. For proof, watch “Sprinter” below or one of the best songs on the album, “Strange Hellos.”
Marissa Paternoster (of Screaming Females)
Rose Mountain (February 24, 2015)
Yeah, we know: Players gonna play, but the Screaming Females weren’t fucking around when they covered Taylor Swift for the A.V. Club; they won the site’s award for best cover song this year with their version of “Shake It Off.” Unlike the original, there was no prancing around or mugging for the camera. Marissa Paternoster was all business with her deep voice and replaced the spoken-word bridge with a badass guitar solo that was way, way too short.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm1-bVYio1k
Sadie Dupuis (of Speedy Ortiz)
Foil Deer (April 21, 2015)
On Foil Deer, Sadie Dupuis showed off her bravado and quick wit with lyrics like “I’m not bossy, I’m the boss.” Live, she ups the definition of boss to pulling off jagged, unexpected guitar lines in some of the best outfits (and coolest socks) you’ve ever seen. And, her band has been using their success for good, by going on a tour to support the Girls Rock Camp Foundation, and creating a hotline for concert-goers to report unsafe or discriminatory behavior.
Sleater-Kinney
No Cities To Love (January 20, 2015)
Sleater-Kinney is finally back, and as an added bonus, contains two frontwomen in one band. Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker do equal singing and guitar playing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6thsrNE7p4
Veronica Torres (of Pill)
Pill EP (March 17, 2015)
I saw Pill open for Parquet Courts last week, and they made quite an impression. Their sound is dry and sparse, with saxophone and guitar adding an occasional cool breeze. When Veronica Torres started their set by shouting “Por mi, por mi casa, y lo que quiero saber” over and over, the entire venue became silent.
Victoria Ruiz (of Downtown Boys)
Full Communism (May 4, 2015)
The Providence-based Downtown Boys are led by a pretty fierce lady, Victoria Ruiz. Their name is inspired by Springsteen lyrics, and on Full Communism they cover “Dancing In The Dark,” but that isn’t to keep things light: When she sings the line about starting a fire with a spark, their delivery sounds just as political and urgent as the rest of their work.
