Every Monday, the WIUX Music Committee brings you new music to take you out of your music drought! This week features Poppy and Miya Folick.
Minus the Bear - Fair Enough
https://open.spotify.com/album/2DhNO2Bdlbvo4YMhnYSala?si=Ota5995UQH-U7ue6Qk8j7A
Minus the Bear released their new EP, “Fair Enough,” making this the band’s final album after 17 years of performing together. The EP includes four songs: the title track “Fair Enough,” “Viaduct,” “Dinosaur” and “Invisible (Somber Remix).” The songs include a sense of your typical 2000s rock bands, plus a mix of electronic keyboards and sound effects, giving it an easy-going rock sound to listen to. (Also the lead singer sounds kind of like the frontman from the band Hinder which gives me huge throwbacks to scream-singing “Lips of an Angel” when I was seven.) “Fair Enough” is a somewhat depressing song, including lyrics like “I don’t feel love; I can’t feel you anymore,” and could be considered a slow take on a grunge song, giving listeners an experience somewhat like walking into a Hot Topic on a slow business day; however, this song is probably the most important off the EP, since, according to Minus the Bear’s website, it describes how the band lost their sound and decided to separate. - Ally Melnik
Sontalk - SONTALK: ACT I
https://open.spotify.com/album/0cyU9VVWOXUUnsbBal4b1u?si=QWMc0pJdQp6dV5KI5PgvyA
This EP may only be three songs long, but it’s three really damn good songs. Newcomer SONTALK (aka singer/songwriter/do-it-all Joseph LeMay) doesn’t tread terribly new ground with his overall sound, but he does what he does extremely well and manages to still keep it interesting. “I Am a War Machine” is extremely War on Drugs-y, with a little extra distortion and layering. “Hosánna (God, Damn My Soul)” and “Hurt You” are both spaced-out acoustic folk rock that’s very reminiscent of Damien Jurado’s and Jim James/My Morning Jacket’s chiller stuff. The entire EP has a drum-machine driven ethereal vibe to it that really makes all of the tracks pop, no matter how close they sound to his influences/comparisons. The EP title says this is only part 1, so I’m extremely excited to hear any future parts and hear how LeMay continues to expand and flesh out this excellent start. - Mitchell Owens
dem atlAS - Bad Actress
https://open.spotify.com/album/4iKvgZsvPwgrGIJBygr6fa?si=8i_LZNLgQ5W3XDTJzX2pIg
I seriously loved the entire album Bad Actress by deM atlaS. I think I listened to it every single time I was walking to class this week and I forced every single one of my friends to listen to it, too. My favorite by far is "Can It Fall". It's quite a bit slower than the other songs on the album, and I'm too obsessed with it. I also liked Gratitude and Never Belonged. I thought it was really unique how they combined rap with like cool guitar riffs. - Kelly Rentfrow
Miya Folick - Premonitions
https://open.spotify.com/album/3nWDfV4stC2VQopcuHjJmO?si=aAtyd037ST2Ng78CCPiNmQ
The beat moves you along as you sink deeper into your armchair at home; a fire roars; there are parties happening, but you aren’t going to go because you’ve got Premonitions by Miya Folick blaring and you don’t need anything else. This album is amazing and honestly, I could recommend any song from it. However, my top picks would be “Leave the Party”, “Freak Out”, and “Deadbody”. These feature Miya’s lower vocals, some upbeat ragers, and wonderful lyrics. The vocals are the standout piece to this work. Miya’s voice is incredible in songs like Cost Your Love; raspy and lower in the beginning, her falsetto breaks through as she sings that she can’t do this anymore. The reverb used in the lower sections reflects the same kind of sound as a bathroom sink would; given the piece the personal anguish that it portrays. Towards the end of the album, the breathless voice of Miya leaves us much in the same way; gasping and totally amazed that we just had the best 34 minutes of our life. - Marisa Bryans
Poppy - Am I A Girl?
https://open.spotify.com/album/5QCXxPUwoOtxeZQmve6w2u?si=PlnsKlEHTRy6-IbV75-zqA
"Am I a Girl?", the new album dropped by internet pop star/ weird art project Poppy, departs significantly from her earlier work. The usually bright, stereotypically synthpop stylings have been replaced by more rock, metal, and electronic influences as Poppy's android character goes through an internal conflict as she begins to relate and align more with the flawed humans around her. Despite the genre changes, though, the characteristic Poppy weirdness and commentary on the entertainment industry still persists.
This gives rise to gems like "X," a surprisingly magical combination of soft 70s pop and full-out Babymetal-style screaming and heavy guitar. Or "Play Destroy," which features Grimes and sounds exactly like it was pulled from the tracklist of "Artangels." For those more interested in Poppy's former pop influences, the incredibly catchy and cleverly-written "Aristocrat" is another favorite. - Gillian Paxton
The Greeting Committee - This Is It
https://open.spotify.com/album/35H7mR1u6XET8YKvezYUkB?si=N5QBWo9pQNabcY_W_LVahw
The KC native’s first full-length effort is not that bad, but given their past work, it is a bit of a disappointment. The pacing feels off at times, many of the songs build without a satisfying conclusion, and the stellar bass and guitar that made their previous records so good are often buried by additional instrumentation that feels unnecessary. Overall, the album feels overproduced, the crazy youthful energy the band previously exuded feels reigned in throughout. However, as I started with, it isn’t a bad album. Lead singer, Addie Sartino’s vocals are incredibly strong throughout and lyrically, she has developed to tell more complex and fleshed out stories. Additionally, thematically, the album will strike a chord with many listeners, masterfully capturing the more complex emotions that come from being at a more mature stage in their life. The piano work is fantastic, especially in their songs “More” and “Pull it together”.In conclusion, the Greeting Committee put together a great first album, however, they may have lost some of the charm and energy that made them such an up and coming band to watch in the past. Had I been ignorant to their previous work, I’d say this is a promising album from a young band, at times feeling overcrowded, but none the less promising 7/10. - Patrick Spanier
