Spooky Black, Bomba de Luz, Grolar Bears, Weather Maps: This week’s new Minnesota music
by Staff
August 12, 2014
Spooky Black, Leaving EP
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One of the most interesting local music stories of the year, Spooky Black is a teenager from St. Paul who became an Internet sensation on the strength of his atmospheric song "Without You" and its eccentric accompanying video. Playing his cards close to the vest, Spooky Black has kept quiet about his future plans; yesterday, he suddenly released a new EP, called Leaving. The EP, free to listen on SoundCloud and download on MediaFire, is very much in the quiet but intense (read: NSFW) vein of what we've heard from Spooky Black so far: every song is a slow jam, with layered production that—like much recent music out of Minnesota—explores the frontiers of ambient R&B. (Jay Gabler)
Bomba De Luz, Live in Chicago
While they ready their third studio album, Ember, Bomba de Luz are releasing a collection of songs recorded live at Treehouse Records—no, not the one on Lyndale, the one in Chicago. Live in Chicago, which will feature live versions of songs both previously released and from the forthcoming album, will be released Thursday night at the Amsterdam Bar & Hall. Also on the bill for the all-ages release show are Hippo Campus and Caleb Hinz, and after 10:00 p.m. the show will turn into a hip-hop party featuring the Crunchy Kids and "very special guests." (Jay Gabler)
Weather Maps, Painted Stripes
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Weather Maps, a project of Van Stee bassist Jimmy Stofer, will be celebrating the release of Painted Stripes by joining Van Stee at Icehouse this Saturday, August 16. Expect the 'House to rumble: as expected, bass is prominent in the dark and deliberate songs that constitute this collection, accentuated by diverse percussion and the occasional glistening guitar lick. (Jay Gabler)
