Idle Empress is back with “Habits” and “Envy”, the folk-rock trio’s first new material since moving to Minneapolis. Check out the two tracks below!
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Bio: Idle Empress was formed in Eau Claire by singer-guitarist Lauren Anderson, bassist Josh Frederick, and drummer Elliot Heinz. Their music features Anderson’s warm vocals backed by dynamic indie folk instrumentals arranged by the group. Since the release of their self-titled debut EP in early 2016, the band has relocated to Minneapolis and is currently working on a full-length project.
It’s been two years since the release of their self-titled debut and Aero Flynn is finally back with a new dreamy single. “You Care” swells with synthesizers beneath an affectionate vocal performance by lead singer Josh Scott that will surely keep you warm as winter inches closer. Listen to the track or watch the lyric video below.
Scott’s Fav Blugold Radio Listens in 2017 (Chronological)
When I’ve done top five or ten lists in the past I’ve been painfully aware that I should stay away from commenting on local tunes lest I miss someone or otherwise showcase my mad skills at getting my foot in my mouth.
However, with the wonderful First Listens we’ve gotten to share this year I finally feel like I can chat about the local tunes I’ve been digging this year. It’s been an awesome first half of the year and I have high hopes for more fresh jams in the second half of 2017.
Caitlin McGarvey – Say Something
From her opening track (off her debut EP “Bigger”) Caitlin McGarvey enchants audiences with her guitar playing and rainforest lush vocals. This is a track that simultaneously feels big but also immensely intimate. It’s a song the has something to say itself, and that’s why I love it.
From an FCC perspective Pit Wagon is the best kind of nightmare. Matt Vold’s lyric style lends itself to inserting “naughty” words into pieces in a way where they build the narrative and not just fill space. On their track Universe (off their sophomore album “Well”) that lyricism is prominently on display with a scrumptious hook kept down to earth by a beautiful guitar line.
If you listen to Blugold Radio at all it’s no secret that I love LASKA! Their harmonies make each song resonate as they travel from Americana to electronica, making pit stops along the way. I chose The Experiment for this list because of the killer breakbeats. This song somehow bumps and is chill at the same time.
One of my personal favorite things about launching Blugold Radio has been the chance to dig deeper into Eau Claire musicians/bands who I’ve admired in the past. This is very true for both Jim Pullman’s solo work and his work with The Rattlenecks. Double Barrel Belfries spoke to me because is both showcases Pullman’s storytelling ability and also gives the band space to play a meaning song.
Boot stomping country is one of my favorite things in the world! And, this track from Dames is great for that. What impressed me with this track is that it’s unabashedly a country track and uses steel string guitar to make hooks reminiscent of “mainstream” country. In fact, it’s a track that shows where that style of country very easily could have gone. And, to be honest, I’d be happy to live in that reality.
The new album, “But Do We Ever Ask Ourselves” serves as a culmination of the last three years for the band
There are a lot of dividing events occurring in the world right now. But instead of placing the blame on others, one local band is instead inciting others to begin to take a look at what they can do to benefit the world.
Local pop/rock band, “The Millenium” released their debut album, “But Do We Ever Ask Ourselves?” today, a project long in the making.
Since forming in early 2014, the band has endured a plethora of life changing events. They have been on a large number of national tours, dealt with lineup changes, released two EP’s and now their debut album is finally hitting listeners today.
Lead singer of The Millenium, Matthew Hasenmueller, says the band’s time together has been both challenging and rewarding up to this point.
“It has been a roller coaster,” Hasenmueller said. “Very tumultuous at times, the highs have been higher than I have experienced in the past and the lows have been lower. We’ve all been growing so much as people that sometimes you grow closer in some areas and apart in others, because that is what humans do. Everything has been great, because sometimes great can be bad and sometimes great can be good.”
Two of the singles from the new album were released upwards of six months ago, and have become live staples for the quartet. “Interstates” is an anthemic power pop track and “Stay” has lyrical melodies reminiscent of mid 2000’s era pop/rock outfits such as Death Cab for Cutie and Jimmy Eat World among others.
The band’s most recent release, serving as the lead single for the record, is the catchy pop track, “Midnight Bones.” The song has received heavy rotation on Blugold Radio and has generated a lot of interest in the new record. It’s lyrics revolving around love and wanting to have a memorable night have captivated many listeners and generated a lot of interest in the full-length project.
Of the 11 songs on the record, Hasenmueller says the band is specifically excited about the audience’s reaction to one particular track.
“I think we are all excited about the last track on the album, “Of All Things,” Hasenmueller said. “We wrote it to be a culmination for the record. The whole record builds to it (especially the last 25 seconds). It’s a great way of describing what the last three years have been like for us.”
The album’s title also has generated a lot of questions about the meaning behind it. Hasenmueller says the title is a thinker that was generated by a now departed founding member of the group.
““It was actually Kyle Culver (former acoustic guitarist in The Millenium) that came up with it,” Hasenmueller said. “He texted me one night and said that he had the title for the record. He said that I probably wouldn’t like it at first but I just had to think about it. For the last couple of years we had talked about how culturally our society is changing so much into this internet and smartphone era, and reacting online to others instead of asking what they can do to change themselves. I think that a large aspect of human growth is the ability to change yourself from the inside out. So, overall the title just stems from asking people to take a look at themselves before they start to attack others.”
The record is now out and people can consume it. But now that this goal has been accomplished, what is The Millenium’s next move?
“We are working on becoming a band that is producing content all of the time in all aspects of multimedia,” Hasenmueller said. “Art, imagery, more songs, because these days you can’t just be a musician anymore, you have to be an artist on all levels. So, we are looking forward to making videos for the songs, gallery photos, journal entries, and quicker releases (rather than waiting another three years for a record to come out). Of course all of that comes on top of playing as many shows as we can.”
The Millenium has become one of the most popular groups in the Eau Claire area due to their hard work on perfecting their live show, producing songs that listeners can connect to and staying true to themselves even when dealing with diversity. This new album is a culmination of all that they’ve been through so far, and it will be exciting to see where they go from here.
If you’d like to hear The Millenium’s new album, “But Do We Ever Ask Ourselves” you can visit their Spotify page, their YouTube account, or head over to their Facebook page for more information.
Also, today on Blugold Radio one track from the debut album will be airing on Blugold Radio 99.9FM at 3pm, 5pm and 7pm. A selection of tracks from the release will also be added to regular Blugold Radio programming.
Indie rock darlings The Shins haven’t released an album since Port Of Morrow in 2012, but Shins fans will not have to wait much longer for a new record: just yesterday James Mercer & Co announced that a new LP–entitled Heartworms–will be dropping on March 10th. The album, which was produced by Mercer and is due out on Aural Apothecary/Columbia Records, is now available for pre-order.
In addition to the announcement The Shins also released a new song and lyrics video. The track is entitled “Name For You” and is embedded below along with a full tracklisting for Heartworms.
Tracklisting:
1. “Name For You”
2. “Painting a Hole”
3. “Cherry Hearts”
4. “Fantasy Island”
5. “Mildenhall”
6. “Rubber Ballz”
7. “Half a Million”
8. “Dead Alive”
9. “Heartworms”
10. “So Now What”
11. “The Fear”