#Topshelf

[karlkronic]

We’ll dance, under a chandelier of stars.

Instagram @karl_kronic

[nofatclips]

Turtledoves by Gingerlys [Free download on BandCamp]

[topshelfrecords]

sorry we've been gone for a year

here's some film photos from sxsw 2023

love u <3 talk again soon

[dustedmagazine]

Ratboys — The Window (Topshelf)

Ratboys are a boisterous, emotions-on-sleeves indie rock band out of Chicago on the verge of something big. The band, which started as a duo but now includes four regular members, has five full-lengths to its credit, including this one. Although you could trace an arc from mid-teens basic rock to early 2020s Crutchfield-adjacent twangy mayhem, these albums have a consistent core. The Ratboys sound centers around the yelping, gulping, volatile singing of one Julia Steiner and a ferocious guitar racket courtesy of the other founder Dave Sagan.

This album begins in a buzz of feedback and the album’s hardest-charging beat and riffery. It’s called “Making Noise for the Ones You Love,” and indeed, it busts out the doors and grabs the ears, whether Ratboys loves you or not. Marcus Nuccio wallops the skins off his kits behind this one, kayo-ing the beat with reckless abandon, while big spirals of rock guitar arc off the primitive assault. But it’s Steiner’s keening, confiding, sharp-edged vocals that catch you up. She can wail like a banshee or sing conversationally, with a little rasp on her finish and a chirruping high range that cuts through the mix. She sounds a little like the Beths’ Elizabeth Stokes and a whole lot like Allison Crutchfield, especially her work in Swearin’ which has a similar volume and aggression.

Not all of these cuts turn up to 11. The title, for instance, is relatively quiet, a mesh of nearly folky picking and Steiner in a sweeter, more country mode. The song, she says, is about her grandparents in the pandemic, her grandmother in a nursing home, her grandfather unable to visit, only allowed to view his life partner through a window. It’s a beautiful, heartbreaking song, full of rapturous, anthemic guitars and soaring choruses, and Steiner gets a full helping of emotion without sentimentality.

“It’s Alive,” is maybe the best song here, with its cool toned, contemplative verses and its lit-on-fire surging chorus. There are big bloopy slide notes and tamped back palm mutes in a song that swirls and eddies around a rock-solid rhythmic core. And again, those vocals, crazy excess and sweet solace wrapped up together with a wild bird’s cry in there somewhere. You can’t take your ear off someone this fascinating and unpredictable. She swoops and swoons and growls like Kristin Hersh but more country, and it’s worth a listen just to hear what she’ll do next.

Jennifer Kelly

[sound-bombing]

Elephant Gym - Dreams (Topshelf, 2022) Genre: Math Pop, Math Rock, Jazz Fusion Artwork: Chien-Ying Tseng Bandcamp

[mymelodic-chapel]

The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die- Whenever, If Ever (Emo, Post-Rock, Post-Hardcore) Released: June 18, 2013 [Topshelf Records] Producer(s): Chris Teti

[cbirdsongphoto]

L!VE~ SediT Published Review

Published! Thanks to Sedit and TopShelf magazine for printing my music review of Sedit at Goldfileds April 19th 2024.  You can purchase a print copy or  download the digital copy here https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/2873442 Published by: TopShelf Magazine.  Be sure to follow and support the local magazine!  A few corrections that didn’t make it to publish: Jacobs Bass is Over Load…

[nofatclips]

Incandescent by Gingerlys from the self-titled album

[topshelfrecords]

ATTN all toe heads: we've got their classic New Sentimentality EP re-pressed and available on "cardboard smear" vinyl now

[freshnewsnow]

the Mystery of Mach Hommy [#RichaxxHaitian]

Mach weaves intricate textures and interwoven patterns within each record. Realistically, nobody within any sector - underground, mainstream, drill - raps more smoothly than Mach Hommy and collaborators alike. 

Building buzz boils down to putting fans in seats and keeping them on their feet. An individual that rejects all societal constructs when it comes to traditional musical approach goes by the name of Mach Hommy. The majority of the time he creates masterpieces without any features except for his latest album, “RichaxxHaitian.”  You might have seen a Mach Hommy vinyl on 2 Chainz Most Expensivest…

[longdogspottings]

Alright, here’s the 153rd Long Dog I have spotted on the episode called “Copycat” on Bluey. If anyone wants to have a look.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C6LgggHSXL8/?img_index=1

[scsacostamesa]

Top Shelf: All Day

southcoastsafeaccess.com

[karlkronic]

The Ritual💨

Instagram @karl_kronic

[nofatclips]

Tangerine Spritz by Lunarette

[topshelfrecords]

Elephant Gym's world tour is underway!! Most of the US shows with standards are selling out, but tickets are still available for some of the west coast dates.

illustration: Nick Dahlen