Remember – if you send it, it will get reviewed. That’s the City Slang promise. It doesn’t matter what genre the music is – as long as it has a Metro Detroit connection, it’ll get in. Preferably, we’d like to concentrate on new releases but, while we’re getting warmed up here, feel free to send back catalog material too. Send CDs, vinyl, cassettes, demos and 8-tracks to Brett Callwood, City Slang, Metro Times, 733, St. Antoine, Detroit, MI 46226. Email MP3s and streaming links to [email protected].
Oh shit. This is awesome. Dulcinea Detwah’s Cool Kid (self-released) is available for free, and that’s great because it’s amazing. Detwah (as you might guess from that name) is originally from Detroit and she now lives and works in Brooklyn. She hasn’t forgotten her roots though, and this EP is her ode to her old home. Essentially a hip-hop record with smart elements of pop and rock in there (like a contemporary Salt n’ Pepa), this record is absolutely phenomenal. Go download it, now.
Sludgy, stoner grind Gods Chapstik have a new single out this fall, “Grate Americans” (Loco Gnosis), and it’s stunning. Angry, intense, political and ugly-as-almighty-fuck, this song sees Chapstik at the top of their game.
The St. Thomas Boys Academy’s Homecoming (self-released) is a rowdy, skank-happy fuckin’ beauty of a punk rock record. There are tunes here that fans of ska-punk-lite bands like Less Than Jake would lap up, but a heavy dose of Detroit grit just makes the band that much filthier and fun. Magnificent.
Bricktown Station’s Are We There Yet (self-released) album is crammed with eleven tracks of suave, sophisticated and very cool bar-room blues rock. Nothing original, nothing that’s going to set the world on fire, but well-executed groove-ridden rock that would provide the perfect soundtrack to a few beers on a cool night in a sticky bar.
Ann Arbor’s The Finer Things certainly aren’t without charm and the All I See is Blue (self-released) album is full of synthy, poppy indie rock that bobs around in Wilco and, occasionally, Flaming Lips territory. The songs are great, and the loose delivery is enjoyable.
Eliza Neals sent City Slang a link to this video for her cover of Barrett Strong’s “Misery”. Featuring Howling Diablo Tino Gross on drums, the cover is faithful, sultry and pretty.
The Ill-it Beatz guys can always be relied upon to send City Slang some cool electronic funk, and they’ve done it again, sending over three nameless tracks that will see the light of day in September. Keep your eyes on their website for constant updates.
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