Catholic Radio, Catholic Radio. Ostensibly, this band appears to be no more Catholic than fellow Bay Area rock outfit The Catholic Comb, though singer Parker Moore has a strong enough persona to attract devout followers. The four-piece grounds its music in richly textured — perhaps a bit too textured — guitar riffs, which creat e a boggy undertow for Moore’s bellowing tenor. On “Know I Do,” the harmonies are lovely in an off-key way. A forceful debut. (self-released)
At the Make-Out Room (3225 22nd St., San Francisco) on Saturday, Apr. 23. 7:30 p.m., $7. MakeOutRoom.com
Mannequin Planet, Humannequin.“Mannequin Planet” is actually part of a much more involved project conceived by David Barrett, aka The Handy Mann, an industrial artist who thought it would be fun to have a band perform alongside mannequin robots. The band plays creepily ambient electronic music; the mannequins shoot things from their body parts. On its debut, textural, heavily synthetic tracks underscore vocal samples that allude to zombie-ism, drugs, sex, insomnia, and, like, the mall. (self-released)
Dylan Champagne, Love Songs of the Apocalypse. Whole generations of teen poets have tried to attain the degree of palpable angst that’s balled into the opening track of Dylan Champagne’s new album. The song title, “Baby in a Bear Suit,” suggests that Champagne might be a master of understatement. (In subsequent lines, he cavils against “The Rapture” and allows his voice to break melodramatically.) In all, twelve musicians participate on this album, but it’s still very much the work of a lone dude. (Broke in Oakland)
Curt Yagi & the People Standing Behind Me, Close My Eyes. One thing that’s particularly striking about Curt Yagi is the sheer number of people standing behind him. No kidding. In all, his band includes thirteen musicians, some playing instruments like trombone and ukulele. That said, Yagi manages to avoid sounding diffuse or top-heavy. He sings with an elegant, liquid drawl. (self-released)
Catholic Radio
Make-Out Room
