Tune In
A musical preview of artists who rock the roll at In Between Days 2023.
Is that an elephant cry or a muted horn? It’s Modest Mouse! What to say about the legends from Portland that hasn’t been said already. Enjoy the fact that the outfit is still creating and touring and weathering the ups and downs of life to share a special sound that we will always associate with the mouse that is modest. Our highlighted track “King Rat” gets uptempo, downtempo, all around tempo in the fine tradition of jigsaw collage rock that you ever did hear. RIP Jeremiah Green.
The Beths
A 2xLP. Straight outta Auckland! The Beths aren’t fucking around. Our highlighted track comes off Expert In a Dying Field, which is a killer title. The track is a smoking pop number that puts the listener in a gokart cruising down a snowy mountainside, trying to keep six inches in front of a rock n roll avalanche. No let up. This band’s forearms must be huge!
Mint Green
Ready, set, go! Mint Green gets the green light. You can tell that the guitarists and drummer are simpatico on our highlighted track “Ready”. There are some fast, tight runs that weave the two instruments, and they’d fall flat without the good timing born of magical and mystical music bonds. A very cool guitar sustain cruises above the clouds while the melody grinds away at ground level. Flourishes aside, this song goes hard upfront, then finds a place a greater safety by the close. Oh shit, is that Tiffany from TIFFY on the album cover? You can barely recognize her when she’s not sitting in the windy alcove of a 300-foot steel monument to modern sculpture.
Cautious Clay
An irresistible lick and percussive shimmy shuffle you right into the heart of this alt pop gem. The production on our highlighted track “Puffer” sparkles. The beat keeps you constantly on the tipping edge as Cautious Clay barrels at high speed around each and every corner. The uptempo guitar solo that flits across your consciousness about three-quarters through the song is practically a rest stop. And is that a clubby sample towards the end? This entire song could be adapted into a dancehall favorite with minimal tweaking. Does the pit pick up on that in the live show? Points added or subtracted for the Tom Waits reference? You decide!
Shallow Pools
If you can’t get down to it, Boston’s Shallow Pools don’t want any part of it on their latest headspace. Self-proclaimed shimmer-poppers, the quartet distills the most danceable elements from 80s and 90s pop into three-minute, body-moving singalongs. Though at three minutes, you hardly have enough time to find a place to rest your B-52 or Dirty Banana before hitting the dancefloor. Clearly some extended dance remixes are in order. Start with our highlighted track “Ice Water,” which mixes funky guitars, bright snares, and lyrical anthems into an absolutely fabulous night out.
A profound analysis of the top vinyl at In Between Days 2023.