The first batch of mid-year reviews of new local and regional recordings also spotlights Emma Loo, Glass-House, Trash Hounds and Eric Engblade.
Amid July’s sweltering heat, Local Spins showcases Part 1 of its summer recap of new local and regional album releases.
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Devin & The Dead Frets
“Devin & The Dead Frets”
Appropriately, frontman Devin Weber’s cat, nicknamed Beast, graces the cover of the band’s long-awaited debut recording. This is a beast of a rock ’n’ roll album, a raucously pleasing bunch of songs that show off Devin & The Dead Frets’ infectious, furious and passionate musical attack, as well as some surprising pop flavors. There’s still some of that Black Crowes-like bluesiness underlying the music churned out by longtime musical pals Weber, Jordan Kerbyson, Eric Batenburg and Zach Nelson (with a killer saxophone solo by Caleb Elzinga on “Edna”). But these guys from the Grand Rapids area have expanded and smartly honed their distinctive sound – not to mention their chops – through years of playing uber-energetic gigs. It shows on the explosive, pile-driving “Super Glue” and “Queens” as well as the shimmy-inducing “Better Brain” and the politically potent “Pistol.” Through it all, the rock guitars have a raw, real and ferocious roar. Like a beast. – John Sinkevics
Website: https://www.facebook.com/devinandthedeadfrets/
Upcoming Shows: 9:30 p.m. Saturday at Founders Brewing in Grand Rapids (with The Legal Immigrants and Brother Adams
Listen: “Broken Little Fingers”
May Erlewine
“Lean Into the Wind”
Like any of folk music’s classic albums by Pete Seeger, Peter Paul & Mary or Judy Collins, May Erlewine’s “Lean Into the Wind” combines fetching vocals, inspiring lyrical messages and straightforward arrangements that enhance rather than bog down the gorgeous songs that this Earthwork Music songstress creates, from the opening tune, “Many Miles,” to the closing title track. As such, the Traverse City-area singer’s latest six-song recording – recorded with producer Ian Gorman at La Luna Recording in Kalamazoo – makes for an uplifting, catchy, retro-feeling affair that will have listeners humming along as an ideal rootsy soundtrack for summer. As always brings in some familiar, superb Michigan musicians to help her musical cause, including guitarist Phil Barry, bassist Max Lockwood, banjoist/fiddler Laurel Premo, drummer Michael Shimmin and, of course, husband Seth Bernard, the beneficiary of her serenade on “Nothing But Love”: ‘I’ve got nothing, nothing but love for you, honey.” It’s a sweet sentiment and Erlewine makes it feels like she’s singing it just for you. – John Sinkevics
Website: mayerlewine.com
Upcoming shows: Saturday at Blissfest near Harbor Springs; July 15 at The Ark in Ann Arbor; July 16 at Bell’s Brewery Eccentric Café in Kalamazoo; July 28 (solo) at Rare Bird Brewpub in Traverse City.
Listen: “Nothing But Love”
Trash Hounds
“Muzik”
Four tracks of psychedelic, shouting, surf-rock collide into one another. A collaboration of Grand Rapids musicians – guitarist Ben Taber, bassist Kevin Kitsch and drummer Stephen Robert – this debut from Trash Hounds is short and … well, maybe not sweet, but certainly gritty, vibrant and addicting. Simple but masterful instrumentation anchor the tracks. Opener, “Leech,” starts things off with a laid-back, rock ’n’ roll feel. Crashing drums, a single tambourine hit on the 3 and 4 and reverb-laden vocals lay the ground while guitars swirl around it all. “Mother’s Wish,” meanwhile, starts out with an acoustic, back-woods rock feel, then shifts to a slow-burning instrumental lasting nearly three minutes – allowing plenty of time for listeners to bask in the washed-out, wah-wah effect, electric guitar and rhythmic bass riff. Though only a small taste of what this group is capable of, it’s plenty to sink your teeth into and tide your ears over till the next release. – Ricky Olmos
Websites: trashhounds.bandcamp.com/ facebook.com/thetrashhounds/
Upcoming Shows: July 14 at Mulligan’s Pub in Grand Rapids
Listen: “Leech”
Glass-House
“Into the Fire”
A symphony of colorful, nuanced and layered instrumentation graces “Into the Fire,” by Grand Rapids’ Glass-House. Living up to its title, the nine-track foray of familiar-but-reinvented rock motifs smolders with intensity at times: The tracks “Shut You Up,” “Craving” and “Let Me Be Me” all grind along with determined drums and thick bass, shrilling electric guitars and the occasional airy synth. By contrast, a number of light-hearted and fun moments abound as well, with “Maybe it’s Time” standing out as perhaps the album’s loveliest moment, musically and lyrically. A delicate, full-band arrangement slow dances around every impassioned word of the reminiscence of an endearing romance. “Long Way,” meanwhile, employs playful electric guitar, well-placed harmonies and intricate percussion. – Ricky Olmos
Website: http://www.glasshouserocks.com/
Listen:
Red Sea Pedestrians
“See Through the Eyes of Osiris”
Any long-serving band endures the inevitable lineup changes, shifts in musical direction, differences in recording approaches and other ups and downs. Then there are those moments when a band really hits its stride and finds its musical identity with a razor-sharp focus. With this album, Kalamazoo’s The Red Sea Pedestrians have found that moment, unfurling the six-piece band’s lovable klezmer- and world music-infused treasures with a comfortable sort of musical glee, meshed at times with thought-provoking indie-folk/rock. Recorded, of course, at band member and producer Ian Gorman’s La Luna Recording, the album’s crowning glory might be “Chronos and Ananke,” a delightful tale that leans toward prog-rock in a thoroughly entertaining way. Even the beautiful album packaging oozes Red Sea Pedestrians-styled charm. This will likely stay on folks’ playlists for a long time. – John Sinkevics
Website: http://www.redseapedestrians.com/
Upcoming shows: Aug. 12 at Cowpie Music Festival near Caledonia
Listen: “We Are So Small”
The Muteflutes
“Hideaway Love”
“Hideaway Love” is the result of a band choosing to “hide away” to perfect an album. Although the band deems itself “lyrically driven,” the indie-folk/rock band (heavy on the folk) certainly doesn’t skimp out on its instrumentation, incorporating harmonica, horns and keys in all the right places. Lead singer Micah McLaughlin’s silky voice tends to steal the listener’s attention, especially when paired with Marie de la Vega’s soft vocals. The album’s most harmonious vocal pairing may be most notable on the song “Tattoo,” where the vocals range from powerful and full-throated to whimsical. A couple of tracks later, the band goes from relaxed to grave with the track “System,” which pays homage to 20th century American folk with its political message advocating change — employing a funk-rock sound and catchy chorus in the process. – Adrianna Walker
Website: https://www.muteflutes.com
Upcoming Shows: July 26 at Memorial Park in Fennville; Aug. 12 at Rockford Brewing in Rockford
Listen: “Sway”
Emma Loo
“Ancient”
Emma Loo’s “Ancient” sends the listener on an eerie, mystifying trip with its abstract beats and vocals. Her ability to create varying intensities from song to song makes every track a surprise. Tracks “Lil Red” and “Fennie” have an intriguing bluegrass influence without deviating from the album’s overall feel, and the album’s closing track, “Abduction,” showcases Emma Loo’s vocal abilities stunningly. It is an album worth listening to, if nothing more than for its uniquely uncanny instrumentation and vocals. – Hunter Gamble
Website: https://www.facebook.com/Emma-Loo-1515057562125733/
Upcoming Show: July 24 at Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill (with Lynz Floren and Dale Wicks & The Bad River)
Listen: “Abduction”
Eric Engblade
“Eric Engblade”
It doesn’t take long for Eric Engblade’s love for Michigan’s endless beauty to surface on his new self-titled solo album. The uptempo opening track, “Harvest,” centers around autumn’s changing colors in northern Michigan when “trees become artifacts,” setting the stage for an 11-track journey through the seasons and the wonders of the Great Lakes State. It’s also a trip through genres, ranging from folk to rock to bluegrass to bluesy swing. The expressive and in-demand Grand Rapids singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist – who first made his mark with folk-rock’s Northern Skies – uses the words “real,” “warm” and “alive” to describe the vibe he sought to create on this album recorded at River City Studios in Grand Rapids. By any measure, he achieved that and more with this collection of passionately performed tracks. – John Sinkevics
Upcoming shows: 7 p.m. Friday at Vander Mill Cider in Spring Lake, 9 p.m. Saturday at Pigeon Hill Brewing Co. in Muskegon, Aug. 5 at Workshop Brewing in Traverse City
Website: reverbnation.com/ericengblade
Listen: Local Spins on WYCE with Eric Englade (July 1 Podcast)
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