Photograph by Evan Cuttler
American Wrestlers.
Every month, we survey all the usual platforms (SoundCloud, Bandcamp, YouTube) and trawl through press releases to give you an opportunity to sample locally produced (or tied) tracks at the low, low price of zero dollars and cents (though we’d encourage you make some buys along the way, of course). Here's our roundup for November:
American Wrestlers, Goodbye Terrible Youth
It’s been a minute since we featured American Wrestlers in the pages of St. Louis Magazine. Since then, the band’s kept its reputation as a closely-guarded-secret among music fans intact, with an occasional local show or rumor of same. An indie-rock act of the highest order, the group’s latest can be accessed via the group’s Bandcamp page, under the auspices of Fat Possum Records. Released on November 4, the band’s teaser/single, “Give Up” is given a non-moving image video treatment.
The recently released Transformation is the latest and almost-certainly the best album yet from local Britpop-inspired rockers Aquataine. The band’s previewing the disc at their Bandcamp page, which notes: "Transformation’ was recorded by Ben Hinn (of Troubadour Dali) at Mound Sound in University City, and was mastered by Carl Saff. It features songs written by each of the four current members of Aquitaine: guitarist Will Hildebrandt, bassist Dave Collett, lead guitarist Graham Day and drummer Bob McMahon. While Hildebrandt is the primary singer on the majority of the songs, both Collett and McMahon take turns on lead vocals. And here’s another fun fact: every member has at least one guitar solo on this record.” Tim Rakel played the album-closing cut “Supermoon” on his KDHX show yesterday, a nice nod to the current affairs of our atmosphere and it sounded great; you can catch the band at VIntage Vinyl on Sunday, December 11.
Arshad Goods, “Black Sunday” (EP)
We’ll sample liberally from a press release for the release of a new EP from local hip-hop act Arshad Goods, “the 28 year old rapping phenom who was studying for a master’s in electrical engineering when he decided to fulfill a dream by creating an album; (he’s) released a revamped version of his 'Black Sunday' EP. Goods examines duality, love, class and race in the album which is divided into three sections: Black, Sun, and Day.” According to Goods, “This project was me figuring out my sound and who I am as an artist. I wanted to expand the album to include sounds that I’m incorporating and branching out into. I play with duality and flipping sounds and words back and forth to demonstrate different perspectives.” You can sample music at his website, which has links to audio and video clips, as this one, the cut “4our Letter Word.” We’ll revisit this artist, here, sooner than later.
Ian Fisher, Koffer
An expat of bucolic Ste. Genevieve, Ian Fisher’s latest album is named Koffer (or "suitcase" in German) an apt phrase for the footloose musician. As his well-stocked Bandcamp page notes, “With a thousand songs under his belt and hundreds of concerts behind him, his new album Koffer highlights the diversity of his songwriting and captures some of the electric energy of his live performance. Koffer is Fisher’s most uptempo record yet with a one-of-a-kind mixture of Viennese flirtatiousness, Berliner grit, and Midwestern Country longing that only a farm-raised American boy living in Europe for the last decade can pull off.” The album’s lead cut is the title track.
Jeremy Joyce, “Weight of the World” (song/video)
Occasionally, you come across a release that’s popped right outta the oven and it was just yesterday that Jeremy Joyce released “Weight of the World,” a track recorded at St. Louis’ coolest art gallery/recording studio, Electropolis. The songwriter, whose living pendulum swings between St. Louis and New Orleans, is back in the Gateway for a minute, though the cut’s from an EP with a Nawlins tinge, “Standing on Saint Claude.”
Syna So Pro, VOX
As with some of the other artists featured here, Syna So Pro, the alter ego of St. Louis multi-instrumentalist Syrhea Conaway, has been featured within St. Louis Magazine. And we’re happy to see the release of her latest solo, work VOX on the label Records For Practically Everyone. You can find a nice, short interview with the artist on her label’s page here. The lead cut from the album, “Kickman,” is available via the fperecs SoundCloud page.
