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Tonight: PineSheets

January 18, 2017

New year, new doom ‘n’ gloom…and I mean it in the best way. PineSheets had me reeling after an enigmatic set at Mohawk Place last year and I couldn’t quite put my finger on why at the time. The solo project is headed by Joseph Vita, an Albany native who released a full length, Parade, under the PineSheets moniker this past month. The album is sparse, dark and a little seductive. The most intriguing component is how non-linear each song reveals itself to be. On first listen through, Parade doesn’t make immediate sense. Not all of the lyrics are discernible, there’s no obvious song structure, and not a ton of predictable melodies are used. The pith of these songs, however, is not the immediacy or the configuration. To me, it’s the play on quotidian ambiance. It’s like soundscape commentary for the day-to-day downer in all of us. There is also something so oddly comforting[...]

PineSheets – Casual Frustrations

March 16, 2016

… Think a completely synthetic Elvis Depressedly meshed with the trippy-ness of Youth Lagoon. The previous ellipse is necessary as it reflects Casual Frustrations‘ tendency to slow your breathing as you become entangled in its dizzying churn. For PineSheets’ new EP, sole songwriter/producer, Joseph Vita, wrote six cohesive songs, their simplicity bordering on nothingness. The songs as a whole represent the stale depression Vita experiences throughout his daily affairs. Via R&B, soul, and experimentation, PineSheets succeeds in creating an attractive EP. Casual Frustrations kicks off with the whimsical, fluttering “Can’t Wait.” About a minute in, the piece transforms into a noticeably jazzier mix, in which Vita sensually creeps forth eventually singing about his excitement to give his love some sugar. The lead single, “Sunday Afternoon,” takes you on a twisting journey through the latter half of the weekend (typically the less exciting half). Vita exclaims, “I need to find something to occupy[...]

Tonight: Kopps

March 4, 2016

Kopps, a four piece electronic dance group from Rochester, have proved themselves to be a potent force within the electro-pop scene. They are yet another Rochester band to break through the regional seal and go national (I like to think of them and Joywave as partners in crime on the road to success). Just recently, their sultry jam “Thermometer” was featured on the Netflix revival of Full House, aptly named Fuller House. How many people can say the gawky but loveable Kimmy Gibler busted a move to one of their original songs? The band has no doubt found their niche and are unbreakably confident in their sound, but at the same time they aren’t totally defined by their genre either. Each and every show, they dish up something fresh, along with infectious beats, sweat and a whole lot of sexiness for good measure. The rest of tonight’s bill is stacked to[...]

PineSheets – “Sunday Afternoon”

February 11, 2016

Albany’s music scene is severely underrated. Their atmosphere is a lot like how Buffalo’s was in 2012-  minimal legitimate venues spaces for a local band to play and talented musicians constantly talking about moving to another city (mainly NYC). Even with the obstacles put in place, talented up-and-coming acts have been emerging (Slowshine, Prince Daddy & The Hyena, Bare Mattress, Jouska, and The Black Ships, to name a few). Enter PineSheets, a wonky one-man producer/singer’s whose sound is something best described as weirdo-sensual. If Mac DeMarco were to write an album to try to seduce a woman wearing high-waisted jeans after binging on How to Dress Well, the after product would be pretty close to PineSheets’ current discography. The R&B Capital District sensation has released a new music video this morning for the song “Sunday Afternoon,” off the forthcoming EP Casual Frustrations out March 5th. “Sunday Afternoon”  in essence is about how much[...]