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Talkhouse

Talkhouse Contributing Writer Norman Brannon is a musician, writer, and educator in Brooklyn, New York. Best known for his work in bands like Texas Is the Reason, New End Original, 108, Shelter, and Ressurection, Brannon has also maintained a steady, albeit whimsical career in music criticism, worked as a TV presenter on a gay cable network, and has been recognized by his music-loving students while working as a university lecturer. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/normanbrannon"> here.</a>

Norman Brannon

Music

Emo: A Personal History in Three Parts — Part 2, 1991-2003

Emo: A Personal History in Three Parts — Part 1, 1987-1990

New York-based producer and multi-instrumentalist Beshken is self-releasing his album Aisle of Palm, due June 17. Arriving on the heels of two 2018 singles, &ldquo;Victim,&rdquo; &ldquo;The Medicine,&rdquo; and the 2017 EP, For Time Is the Longest Distance Between Two People, this latest record coalesces elements of indie, experimental dance, ambient, psychedelia, and dream-pop. It&rsquo;s a highly personal testament to Beshken&rsquo;s chameleonic dance between genres. Exploring the point where acoustic recording and digital rendering meet, Aisle of Palm is an effective lesson in how field recordings, synthesizers, and introspective lyrics can fuse into a challenging, yet accessible format.
Ben Shirken (aka Beshken) grew up in Los Angeles, where artists like Shlohmo, Teebs, Flying Lotus and iconic evenings like The Low End Theory created a musical foundation to which he was drawn. In LA, Shirken was part of the group Partytime, remixing Corbin (Spooky Black) and Ryan Hemsworth. The duo performed with artists like Suicideyear, Karman, Girlpool, and Groundislava at The Smell, Pehrspace, and other art spaces around the city.
In 2015, Shirken moved to New York and began performing in the city&rsquo;s DIY scene, where his multi-instrumental and ever-evolving live shows brought him to hallowed venues like Palisades, Elsewhere, and the now-closed Cameo Gallery. While he shared bills with electronic musicians like Macintosh Plus and XXYYXX, Shirken also played with bands like Men I Trust, Crumb, and recently toured with Gus Dapperton. Additionally, Ben established himself as a DJ in New York, spinning eclectic sets of house and techno at The Lot Radio, Good Room and NTS Radio. Aisle of Palm signifies an exciting stage in Beshken&rsquo;s career that underscores his versatility as a producer and honesty as a songwriter.

Beshken

Finding Musical Inspiration in Hypnopompia

While most artists usually require a small village to take their first steps, LA based Tim Atlas requires nothing but his own two hands to mold his vision. After performing for Pharrell and Rihanna and receiving their encouragement, Tim took the leap and pursued music full-time. His 2018 EP, All Talk!, made a splash in the indie world, racking up over 20 million streams and taking him on headlining tours across the US and UK. Now, Tim is preparing to release his next EP, out Fall 2019, which has already been praised by Zane Lowe on his Beats 1 show and by a number of tastemakers alike.

Tim Atlas

Tim Atlas Isn’t Just “That Guy from The Voice”

With his unique electronic twist on pop music, Los Angeles-based DJ and producer Fluencee has burst onto the contemporary crossover scene with a groundbreaking sound and a story to tell. After being bullied throughout his childhood due to a lifelong stutter, Fluencee finally chose to own it by speaking fluently through his music. You can stream his music <a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/7tpNSl4pmI5rBxvWOMfk6j?si=lVyOZLzRQ1m_-MV4Fi1brg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Fluencee

A Stutter Slowed Fluencee Down, But Never Stopped Him

Erica Rhodes is a stand-up comedian and sometime actor whose debut album, Sad Lemon, came out on June 18 via Helium Records.
(Photo Credit: Jackson Davis)

Erica Rhodes

Film

You Should Listen to Erica Rhodes

The Mattson 2 are Jared and Jonathan Mattson, identical twins who have been collaborating almost literally from birth. They grew up in San Diego, CA, where in middle school they started playing music; decades later, they had earned Master’s degrees in Music from the University of California Irvine. They formed their psych-jazz group The Mattson 2 in 2003, and released their first album, Introducing the Mattson 2, in 2009. Subsequent releases include collabs with pro skaters Ray Barbee, Tommy Guerrero, Farmer Dave (of Kurt Vile), and Money Mark (of Beastie Boys). Since then, they’ve released an album with Chaz Bear — 2017’s Star Stuff, recorded under the name Chaz Bundick Meets The Mattson 2 and which peaked at #1 on the Billboard contemporary jazz charts — and reinterpreted Coltrane’s legendary A Love Supreme which Jazz Times said “manages to hold Coltrane’s revered album in the highest esteem while absolutely shredding it to pieces.” Paradise, their eighth record, marks the first time that the brothers have added vocals. The album is a masterful piece of psych-jazz, conceptually elegant and thrilling it its execution.

Jonathan Mattson

The Mattson 2, in Twinchronicity

Cold Showers, a band formed in Highland Park, CA in 2010, fuses the brash power of their shoegaze pedigree with the smoky compulsions of their pop, dark wave, and post-punk ancestors.
After releasing singles on Mexican Summer and Art Fag Records, Cold Showers signed with Dais Records and released their debut LP Love and Regret in the summer of 2012. They now return with their most expressive and decisive record yet. Motionless, released May 24, is the band’s ode to their pop forbearers, their goth-like precedent enhanced with ambient narratives, acoustic overlays and compelling female vocals. Enlisting long-time collaborator Tony Bevilacqua (The Distillers) to co-write the album, Cold Showers expand their boundaries and let their creative mastery come to the forefront. The result is a warmly melodic, experimental and evocative pop record.
(Photo Credit: Shannon Cornett)

Jonathan Weil

Faith for the Faithless

We Fall, Josephine Wiggs&#8216; third album was released digitally and on vinyl on May 17, 2019 by Sound of Sinners.
Wiggs grew up in an unconventional family north of London. Returning home from a summer holiday with a donkey riding in the back of the family’s 1927 Rolls Royce was not considered at all bizarre. Wiggs studied cello as a child, segued from college in London to undertake a master’s degree in Philosophy, and then in a move few would have predicted joined a rock band.
After making three albums with The Perfect Disaster (1987-1990), Wiggs left to join Kim Deal (Pixies), Tanya Donelly (Throwing Muses), and Britt Walford (Slint) in forming The Breeders. With the release of Pod (1990) the foursome were instantaneously dubbed an indie supergroup. Following a shift in line-up — with Kelley Deal on guitar and new drummer Jim Macpherson — The Breeders released Last Splash in 1993 with its hit singles “Cannonball” and “Divine Hammer” and became alternative rock superstars.
During the same period, Wiggs released two lower-key albums: Nude Nudes (1992) with Jon Mattock (Spacemen3, Spiritualized) working under the name Honey Tongue and Bon Bon Lifestyle (1996) using the moniker The Josephine Wiggs Experience.
In 2013, following the 20th anniversary of Last Splash, the classic lineup of The Breeders reunited for a world tour. Five years later in 2018 they released All Nerve, with Wiggs co-writing two songs and singing lead on the standout track “Metagoth.”
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Josephine Wiggs

Josephine Wiggs’ Day Off

Austin, TX-based singer/songwriter Danny Schmidt has amassed a cult following for his poetic, poignant lyrics. Performing solo almost exclusively, armed with just his voice, his acoustic guitar, and his acute commentary, Schmidt’s an authentic timeless troubadour, one man sharing his truth in the form of songs, unadorned and intimate. Schmidt has released three albums on Red House Records, including the critically acclaimed debut Instead The Forest Rose To Sing in 2009, the spare and intimate Man Of Many Moons in 2011, and culminating with the amorous duo album For Keeps with his partner, Carrie Elkin, in 2014. Schmidt returned to self-releasing his own music in 2016 with the album Owls, a mystical collection of ethereal allegories. Standard Deviation will be Schmidt’s ninth solo record.
(Photo Credit: Chris Carson)

Danny Schmidt

We Need A Better Word Than “Miscarriage”

Ellen Kempner is the vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter for the Boston and New York-based indie rock trio Palehound. Their latest record, Eye on the Bat, is out now Polyvinyl.

El Kempner

Under My Skin is Dark Nostalgia

Izzy True (they/them pronouns) is a musician and artist living in Chicago, IL.
(Photo Credit: Andi Carbaugh)

personal essay