ktru top 35 – 9/29/19

Sep 29, 2019 | ktru

1 – pup – morbid stuff – rise
2 – bon iver – i,i – jagjaguwar
3 – karen o & dangermouse – lux prima – lux prima
4 – peaer – a healthy earth – tiny engines
5 – national, the – i am easy to find – 4ad
6 – sneaks – highway hypnosis – merge
7 – chasms – the mirage – felte
8 – kishi bashi – omoiyari – joyful noise
9 – homeshake – helium – sinderlyn
10 – better oblivion community center – s/t – dead oceans
11 – methyl ethel – triage – 4ad
12 – ex hex – it’s real – merge
13 – weyes blood – titanic rising – sub pop
14 – mountain goats, the – in league with dragons – merge
15 – hot chip – a bathful of ecstasy – domino
16 – 7fo – ryu no nukegara – em
17 – deerhunter – why hasn’t everything already disappeared? – 4ad
18 – abjects – never give up – yippee ki yay
19 – anemone – beat my distance – luminelle
20 – frankie & the witch fingers – zam – greenway
21 – bells atlas – the mystic – tender loving empire
22 – bleu nuit – le jardin des memoires – michel
23 – baroness – gold & grey – abraxan hymns
24 – black midi – schlagenheim – rough trade
25 – seakid mollusk – s/t – s/r
26 – cass mccombs – tip of the sphere – anti
27 – health – vol 4: slaves of fear – loma vista
28 – lucille furs – another land – rput
29 – charly bliss – young enough – barsuk
30 – drahla – useless coordinates – captured tracks
31 – hecker, tim – anoyo – kranky
32 – woods, jamila – legacy! legacy! – jagjaguwar
33 – ypy – be a little more selfish – em
34 – crush the junta – hermanos de la muerte – carbon records
35 – gauche – a people’s history of gauche – merge

Crumb, Divino Niño & Shormey [9/20/19]

Sep 26, 2019 | ktru

Written by Shelbi Armstrong

This past weekend, I got the chance to see Crumb at the Satellite Bar. This show came after the rain & flooding in Houston that was reminiscent of Hurricane Harvey; earlier, the venue crew had to literally mop floodwaters out of their space in order to prepare for the show. I Understandably, there was a delay before doors opened. As I watched the sun set in pastels that appeared inspired by the soft aesthetics of the band’s EPs. From the line outside the space, we heard Crumb and the openers’ sound checks; vocalist Lila Ramani’s voice lilting “check check check check check….” to the tune of Locket.

Soon after doors opened, Shormey of Chesapeake, VA played the first set of the night. Evidently a fan of Crumb herself as she chose a Crumb longsleeve to wear to her show, Shormey came prepared with a dreamy yet danceable set of lo-fi R&B grooves. As the set went on, she got more and more comfortable and lit up the stage with a bright smile & fun dance moves. Word from the crowd to sum up her set: “she’s so cute!”

Following Shormey was Divino Niño, a four-member indie rock band from Chicago. Their sound has been described as psychedelic, in a similar vein to Crumb; but unique in the way that they intricately blend 60’s psychedelia with Latin American influences & bilingual lyrics and much more. Their set was punctuated by vocalist Camilo Medina’s fun personality & eccentric antics during their set.

Crumb’s music, for me, is best for early mornings and late nights, but their soothing psych rock with jazzy touches is perfect in any moment. When they finally came out to play out in the backyard area of the venue, the main lights shut off with just a shadowy grey to light the stage; and the audience was almost entranced as the initial chords of “Cracking” began. The opening track set a precedent for intimacy, introspection and personal engagement with the music, which was evident in both the artists and the audience. The simple stage setup, with just the lighting and occasional projections behind the band, lent to the focus on the music and the experience. 

But there was no sense of disconnect or pretentiousness between the band and the audience; the band took breaks between songs to check in, ask how everyone was doing after the earlier torrential rain & flooding and even made sure they got a selfie with the crowd. Throughout the set, a lone Whataburger cup occupied center stage as evidence that Crumb   had taken part in the local Houston cuisine.

If I were to name my favorite moment during the show, it would be this: while for most of Crumb’s set he coolly hung back behind his keyboard, keyboardist and saxophonist Brian Aronow came to the front on two separate occasions to play a fantastic saxophone solo, and I had the fortune of being directly in the front both times it happened.

Crumb seemed to be able to bend time; the set seemed longer than it was, as it was so immersive, but you wanted it to go on forever. After Crumb left the stage, the crowd chanted for an encore. The band obliged and finished with a final farewell before heading out to greet fans. Seeing Crumb live was a great experience and totally worth every moment.

ktru top 35 9/22/19

Sep 22, 2019 | ktru

ktru top 35 – 09/22/2019

1 – better oblivion community center – s/t – dead oceans
2 – weyes blood – titanic rising – sub pop
3 – pup – morbid stuff – rise
4 – national, the – i am easy to find – 4ad
5 – homeshake – helium – sinderlyn
6 – kishi bashi – omoiyari – joyful noise
7 – ex hex – it’s real – merge
8 – sneaks – highway hypnosis – merge
9 – durand jones & the indicators – american love call – dead oceans
10 – karen o & dangermouse – lux prima – lux prima
11 – gauche – a people’s history of gauche – merge
12 – grapetooth – grapetooth – polyvinyl
13 – seakid mollusk – s/t – s/r
14 – lucille furs – another land – rput
15 – hot chip – a bathful of ecstasy – domino
16 – cass mccombs – tip of the sphere – anti
17 – methyl ethel – triage – 4ad
18 – bells atlas – the mystic – tender loving empire
19 – mountain goats, the – in league with dragons – merge
20 – woods, jamila – legacy! legacy! – jagjaguwar
21 – jandek – london thursday – corwood
22 – kazyak – reflection – s/r
23 – green dome – thinking in stitches – case study
24 – frankie & the witch fingers – zam – greenway
25 – baroness – gold & grey – abraxan hymns
26 – black midi – schlagenheim – rough trade
27 – deerhunter – why hasn’t everything already disappeared? – 4ad
28 – local natives – violet street – loma vista
29 – cochemea – all my relations – daptone
30 – yann tiersen – all – everythings calm
31 – efrim manuel menuck and kevin doria – are sing sinck, sing – constellation
32 – bleu nuit – le jardin des memoires – michel
33 – charly bliss – young enough – barsuk
34 – spiegel, laurie – unseen worlds – unseen worlds
35 – cfm – soundtrack to an empty room – in the red

ktru top 35 9/15/19

Sep 15, 2019 | ktru

1 – better oblivion community center – s/t – dead oceans
2 – weyes blood – titanic rising – sub pop
3 – national, the – i am easy to find – 4ad
4 – homeshake – helium – sinderlyn
5 – pup – morbid stuff – rise
6 – karen o & dangermouse – lux prima – lux prima
7 – kishi bashi – omoiyari – joyful noise
8 – grapetooth – grapetooth – polyvinyl
9 – frankie & the witch fingers – zam – greenway
10 – durand jones & the indicators – american love call – dead oceans
11 – jandek – london thursday – corwood
12 – sneaks – highway hypnosis – merge
13 – cass mccombs – tip of the sphere – anti
14 – ex hex – it’s real – merge
15 – bells atlas – the mystic – tender loving empire
16 – black midi – schlagenheim – rough trade
17 – gauche – a people’s history of gauche – merge
18 – green dome – thinking in stitches – case study
19 – seakid mollusk – s/t – s/r
20 – methyl ethel – triage – 4ad
21 – mountain goats, the – in league with dragons – merge
22 – baroness – gold & grey – abraxan hymns
23 – hot chip – a bathful of ecstasy – domino
24 – cfm – soundtrack to an empty room – in the red
25 – dreams – no one defeats us – astralwerks
26 – deerhunter – why hasn’t everything already disappeared? – 4ad
27 – cochemea – all my relations – daptone
28 – efrim manuel menuck and kevin doria – are sing sinck, sing – constellation
29 – tacocat – this mess is a place – sub pop
30 – charly bliss – young enough – barsuk
31 – woods, jamila – legacy! legacy! – jagjaguwar
32 – local natives – violet street – loma vista
33 – kitamura, emerson – the countryside is great – em
34 – my brightest diamond – a million and one – rhyme & reason
35 – 7fo – ryu no nukegara – em

ktru top 35 9/8/19

Sep 8, 2019 | ktru

1 – better oblivion community center – s/t – dead oceans
2 – karen o & dangermouse – lux prima – lux prima
3 – bells atlas – the mystic – tender loving empire
4 – baroness – gold & grey – abraxan hymns
5 – yann tiersen – all – everythings calm
6 – weyes blood – titanic rising – sub pop
7 – kishi bashi – omoiyari – joyful noise
8 – black midi – schlagenheim – rough trade
9 – homeshake – helium – sinderlyn
10 – cochemea – all my relations – daptone
11 – frankie & the witch fingers – zam – greenway
12 – ex hex – it’s real – merge
13 – lucille furs – another land – rput
14 – tacocat – this mess is a place – sub pop
15 – charly bliss – young enough – barsuk
16 – woods, jamila – legacy! legacy! – jagjaguwar
17 – public memory – demolition – felte
18 – viagra boys – street worms – s/r
19 – seakid mollusk – s/t – s/r
20 – anemone – beat my distance – luminelle
21 – cass mccombs – tip of the sphere – anti
22 – methyl ethel – triage – 4ad
23 – mountain goats, the – in league with dragons – merge
24 – 7fo – ryu no nukegara – em
25 – tunic – complexion – self sabotage
26 – chasms – the mirage – felte
27 – pedestrian deposit – dyers’ hands – monorail trespassing
28 – bleu nuit – le jardin des memoires – michel
29 – pup – morbid stuff – rise
30 – local natives – violet street – loma vista
31 – dreams – no one defeats us – astralwerks
32 – angelo de augustine – tomb – asthmatic kitty
33 – morricone youth – danger: diabolik – country club
34 – green dome – thinking in stitches – case study
35 – sneaks – highway hypnosis – merge

ktru top 35 – 9/1

Sep 1, 2019 | ktru

ktru top 35 – 09/01/2019

1 – karen o & dangermouse – lux prima – lux prima
2 – better oblivion community center – s/t – dead oceans
3 – ex hex – it’s real – merge
4 – cochemea – all my relations – daptone
5 – weyes blood – titanic rising – sub pop
6 – lucille furs – another land – rput
7 – homeshake – helium – sinderlyn
8 – charly bliss – young enough – barsuk
9 – methyl ethel – triage – 4ad
10 – bells atlas – the mystic – tender loving empire
11 – tacocat – this mess is a place – sub pop
12 – baroness – gold & grey – abraxan hymns
13 – 7fo – ryu no nukegara – em
14 – yann tiersen – all – everythings calm
15 – frankie & the witch fingers – zam – greenway
16 – drahla – useless coordinates – captured tracks
17 – anemone – beat my distance – luminelle
18 – pup – morbid stuff – rise
19 – dire wolves – paradisiacal mind – feeding tube
20 – viagra boys – street worms – s/r
21 – takao – stealth – em
22 – darwin’s finches – good morning creatures ii – artificial head
23 – chasms – the mirage – felte
24 – health – vol 4: slaves of fear – loma vista
25 – woods, jamila – legacy! legacy! – jagjaguwar
26 – kishi bashi – omoiyari – joyful noise
27 – black midi – schlagenheim – rough trade
28 – dreams – no one defeats us – astralwerks
29 – green dome – thinking in stitches – case study
30 – seakid mollusk – s/t – s/r
31 – tunic – complexion – self sabotage
32 – durand jones & the indicators – american love call – dead oceans
33 – ritual howls – rendered armor – felte
34 – public memory – demolition – felte
35 – cass mccombs – tip of the sphere – anti

ktru top 35 8/4/19

Aug 4, 2019 | ktru

ktru top 35 – 08/04/2019

1 – karen o & dangermouse – lux prima – lux prima
2 – ex hex – it’s real – merge
3 – better oblivion community center – s/t – dead oceans
4 – charly bliss – young enough – barsuk
5 – cochemea – all my relations – daptone
6 – lucille furs – another land – rput
7 – tacocat – this mess is a place – sub pop
8 – methyl ethel – triage – 4ad
9 – weyes blood – titanic rising – sub pop
10 – drahla – useless coordinates – captured tracks
11 – pup – morbid stuff – rise
12 – baroness – gold & grey – abraxan hymns
13 – darwin’s finches – good morning creatures ii – artificial head
14 – dire wolves – paradisiacal mind – feeding tube
15 – viagra boys – street worms – s/r
16 – 7fo – ryu no nukegara – em
17 – homeshake – helium – sinderlyn
18 – frankie & the witch fingers – zam – greenway
19 – durand jones & the indicators – american love call – dead oceans
20 – woods, jamila – legacy! legacy! – jagjaguwar
21 – dreams – no one defeats us – astralwerks
22 – takao – stealth – em
23 – chasms – the mirage – felte
24 – health – vol 4: slaves of fear – loma vista
25 – ritual howls – rendered armor – felte
26 – public memory – demolition – felte
27 – angelo de augustine – tomb – asthmatic kitty
28 – green dome – thinking in stitches – case study
29 – seakid mollusk – s/t – s/r
30 – tunic – complexion – self sabotage
31 – abjects – never give up – yippee ki yay
32 – anemone – beat my distance – luminelle
33 – lake minnetonka – melbourneapolis – two and four
34 – karyyn – the quanta series – antevasin
35 – bells atlas – the mystic – tender loving empire