Barbara

Barbara: “For Good Measure” (co-prod. Briana Harris)

Save for those with seemingly disposable resources, often nonprofits get stuck in their original stomping grounds. So when a local endeavor expands enough to inspire, incorporate, and impact folks far beyond their initial reach, it’s cause for celebration.

That brings us back to Project Traction, spearheaded by our personal favorite philogynist audiophile – Spoon drummer/Public Hi Fi producer-engineer Jim Eno. Through Project Traction, female and gender-fluid musicians pair up, put fresh perspectives in the producer’s chair and find middle ground with all-women artists. And sure, Eno is present to provide technical expertise and a keen editorial ear during these sessions, but really, it’s the women who turn Project Traction into such magic. Sadly though, the depressing lack of women-on-women productions isn’t just limited to the creators of Central Texas.

Thankfully though, Project Traction’s already gained enough ground to grow past Austin’s city limits and all the way up to Colorado. And the forthcoming Project Traction: Volume Two kicks off today with a pairing of Producer Briana Harris (alto saxophonist of Greeley soul nonet The Burroughs) with Denver indie rock trio Barbara. Together alongside Eno, Briana and Baraba have mind melded the masterfully-mixed, super moody “For Good Measure”. It starts off as a pretty simple, straightforward indie rocker, but just past the halfway point, the dynamics shift, the arrangement gets more abstract, and the overall artistry goes off the wall all the way to its beautifully abrupt final chord. Well done, ladies. Well done.

Barrie: “Concrete”

We’re in the final days of SXSW 2022 and many of us haven’t been able to see everything we’ve wanted. Either the long lines have intimidated us, the commute’s been problematic, or we simply can’t be in two places at once. Unforeseen circumstances have struck performers as well, considering the Brooklyn Bowl Family Reunion had to make some last minute changes based on the availability of headliner Barrie.

Lindsay Barrie’s been touring her mononymous solo project but had to pull out for tonight based on potential COVID exposure. Kudos to her for playing it safe and trusting her early-30s intuition. Assuming she’s good to go, Barrie’s bounding across the pond for the UK leg of her tour in support of Barbara, out next Friday. At just shy of a dozen tracks (one more than 2019’s Happy To Be Here), Barbara is Barrie’s biggest release to date, and further solidifies her status as a must-hear indie songwriter with crushing numbers like “Concrete”.

TEKE::TEKE: “Barbara”

If you’re a fan of the Japanese aesthetic stirred up with psychedelia, punk, and a little bit of the supernatural, look no further than Montreal seven-piece TEKE::TEKE. Taking their name from an urban legend about juvenile bullying, subway decapitation, and the haunting that followed, TEKE::TEKE conjures an otherworldly energy with arrangements that evoke everything from Far Eastern film soundtracks to traditional Japanese ballads and surf rock.

Tomorrow TEKE::TEKE shares Shirushi, an LP that channels the band’s philosophy of acting with optimism after a cataclysmic event. You won’t have to say “Teke Teke” five times in the mirror to gain access to Shirushi, but you can certainly familiarize yourself with one of the septet’s strongest ghost stories and rock out to “Barbara”!