Recording: Nailbiter

Artist: Nailbiter

Song: [second section]^*

Recorded at Smiling Buddha, September 9, 2015.

Nailbiter - [second section]

This was the first public appearance by this new side-project from Josh Korody (of Beliefs and Wish), and he brought a couple tables filled with modular synths and patchcords. As the room around him filled with clouds of dry ice, Korody engineered some analog grooves, hinting at old-school industrial sounds. This first salvo has already been accompanied by the project's first album, which mostly works in the same sonic terrain.

^* I'm not sure if Korody was in "song mode" here or just improvising, though I suspect the latter.

Recording: Wish

Artist: Wish

Songs: unknowns + Frances In Space

Recorded at Izakaya Sushi House, August 2, 2013.

Wish - unknowns

Wish - Frances In Space

Full review to follow. There's very little info out there yet on this new band — as far as I can tell, they started playing shows just a couple months ago and have no online presence of their own yet. But they're composed of some familiar faces, with Breeze's Kyle Connolly (who handles the lead vox and guit) joined by Milk Lines' Emily Frances (bass), Beliefs' Josh Korody (guit), and Decades' Peter Gosling (drums). "Supergroup" is probably too presumptive, but let's call this a recombinant force to be reckoned with. With Korody's and Connolly's guitars up front, it's no surprise that there's a taste of the dream-pop you'd find in their other projects, but this project expands in some other directions, too — brushing up against a sort of noisy paisley underground vibe at a couple points. Just to give a sense of what they've got going on, here's one of their songs plus a tasty instrumental number to boot.

With a full set's worth of material, they look to be eager to get this on stage. You'll be able to see 'em again next Wednesday at the Piston, joining Mystic Triangle in welcoming The Backhomes to town.

Recording: Breeze

Artist: Breeze

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at The Drake Underground ("What's in the Box" – Night 5), December 30, 2012.

Breeze - unknown

Full review to follow. I sometimes tend to not investigate much about bands until I see them live, so I was a bit surprised to see Josh Korody back up on the stage of the Drake a couple nights after playing with Beliefs. Turns out this dream-pop project has emerged from the ferment surrounding his Candle Recording Studio and it quickly established itself as something I'm keenly interested in.

There was a bit of Real Estate's unforced jangle here, but Breeze performed with a bit more abstract resolve, reaching with determination as the interlacing guitars built up structures akin to crystalline fortresses of solitude — perhaps a bit like what latter-day Deerhunter would come up with if they were timewarped back to cut an album for Creation in the late 80's. Which is to say that it plays off some reflections of the past but isn't beholden to any sort of revivalism. The band has only released a two-song single so far, but I'm marking them down as one to keep an eye on.

^* Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!