Welcome to Under The Stars, where we talk about San Francisco music: past, present, and future.
We’ve been doing it for about five years. Thanks for hanging with us.
Let us get to it.
RAVEN, GNOSIS
There is an organic joy in hearing how a DJ begins their set and where it ultimately ends up. What kind of story is it telling? A puffy one with smooth connecting lines that hit herculean heights before descent? Such is the tale of San Francisco artist Raven, whose GNOSIS rewards patient listeners, who must take in its ambient views and settle into its patterns before the album’s beats are accentuated through drum machines and handclaps.
But don’t be misled. “Unlimited Edition,” the second-to-last song on the release, gets into the ether with chewy bass lines—the ones you’ve been patiently waiting for—and step-to-it directives, through bouncy refrains.
Get to stepping here.
LUNCHBOX, “EVOLVER” (SLUMBERLAND REOCRDS)
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Oakland’s bubblegum popsters Lunchbox will keep you in a chirpy horn loop with “Evolver,” taken from the legendary lost album of the same name. It’s been remastered for the album’s 20th (and change) anniversary, but this epic rose-colored chomp through psychedelic pockets constitutes a crucial moment in the band’s discography. Recorded in the couple’s 1990s Oakland basement between stays in Berlin, tour dates in London, and blissful trips up the Mendocino coastline, “Evolver” runs it all into fiddle-faddle hooks, ambient breaks, and dubby spots, making a sound like none other.
Pre-order it here.
TUNE-YARDS, “LIMELIGHT”
Bay Area staples Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner have built a very colorful career marked by a wild swath of influences. “Limelight,” the duo’s very human-informed new arrangement off upcoming album Better Dreaming, makes me feel as though there is a bit of David Byrne’s shadow hovering over it. Or maybe not—but the track does possess that quirky gene Old Big Suit is known for. According to the band, “Limelight” was born from dancing together as a family to George Clinton, and Garbus and Brenner’s three-year-old can be heard singing on the track.
“This one almost didn’t make it onto the album because it felt trite, especially given multiple genocides across the globe and the particular impact on children (the kids are not ‘alright,’)” states Garbus. “But it kept coming back as people kept responding positively to it, in particular our kid. Who am I to talk about getting free, about us all getting free? Fannie Lou Hamer said, ‘Nobody’s free until everybody’s free,’ and it feels vulnerable but important to see myself as part of that ‘everybody.’”
You can pre-order Better Dreaming, out May 16, here.
VINYL WILLIAMS, “FIND THE HIDDEN” (HARMONY RECORDS)
Head trips get all the hype kicks.
On his new track off upcoming album Polyhaven / Portasymphony, Vinyl Williams has crossed over into a pop-psychedelic framing of harmonies and colors, replete with chord changes generating slight allusions to choral ideas. His team calls “Find the Hidden,” “a sunny slice of warped psych pop.” Williams, believe it or not, does change sounds from project to project, but here, wraps arrangements in a silvery glisten with which lovers of full-harmony tracks will surely be pleased.
As if that’s not enough, in addition to the double album dropping in June, homeboy has Orions Belte opening for him on tour. That power trio, with the hep-blues and young MILF slayer SF stories, seems well-fitted for this vibe.
And with more tour dates upcoming, they just might come through a venue near you.
NUBYA GARCIA AT THE CHAPEL, APRIL 17
Nubya Garcia likes to choose one-word titles for her epic long-players, and so far, it seems to be working out for the British saxophonist. Her debut album Source referenced her Caribbean background while bringing soul, dub, cumbia, and sound system culture to jazz. Odyssey, Garcia’s sophomore record released last year, takes those foundational influences into cinematic, classical, and orchestral waters framed with ornate string charts, making for a challenging, epic collection of arrangements.
Grab tickets to see this one-of-a-kind virtuoso at The Chapel here.
DERYA YILDIRIM & GRUP ŞIMŞEK AT THE CHAPEL, AUGUST 6
So, it’s OK if you are not familiar with a “bağlama composition”—but it may be time to make that connection. Derya Yıldırım and her band Grup Şimşek, who play woozy, groove-tinged arrangements, have gotten their band signed to Big Crown Records and are happy to help. Produced by the vibe master himself, Leon Michels, it would be a good, great, and just plain solid look to catch this band on the up when they touch down at The Chapel on August 6.
The vibes should be emanating from their traditional Turkish string instruments—and you will be smitten with the smoke.
Look for tix here.
STEREOLAB AT THE REGENCY BALLROOM, OCTOBER 21 AND 22
It was just last year when Stereolab’s Lætitia Sadier was headlining Noise Pop with a sold-out show at The Chapel supporting her first solo album in seven years, Rooting For Love, all the while committing other high acts of bad-assery to her legion of fans’ delight. And now this: Stereolab will start a major international tour this spring, with a run of dates in North America and Europe that will take the band right through to the end of the year. Sadier and co. hit the road in May, with a European straightaway that runs through June, before heading to North America in September, October, and November.
Grab a ticket here.
