Ears To The Ground: "St. Gloria" by Wild Fur

"St. Gloria" is the second track released by Wild Fur,
the new project from Wylie Hunter and Nick Jaeger

Lots of bands have gotten swept up into the electronic craze, but understandably so. Guitar music has been slowly phasing itself out of our world, arguably ever since Kid A dropped over a decade ago. Many claim that electronic music is the future--which may be true--but the musicians that are currently standing out have found the perfect way to blend electronic styling with those guitar driven rock tunes that have defined our era for so long.

Enter Wild Fur. Wild Fur is the new project from Wylie Hunter of Wylie Hunter and the Cazadores and Nick Jaeger of various local acts like The Tomahawks, Max Indian and Roman Candle. The songs took form earlier this year as Hunter was writing, but he quickly found that they wouldn't fit in with the Cazadores' style. Quite frankly they don't fit in with many pre-disposed styles, Wild Fur's sound is akin to an experimental Americana act that hasn't quite decided which end of the spectrum to fall on. Instead they choose to fill songs with whirring synth lines, minimalistic percussion and distorted guitars that somehow coalesce to form a sound thats simultaneously fresh and vintage.

Back in October Wild Fur debuted their first track "Keep The Band" on Speakers in Code, a wonderful blog based out of St. Louis that frequent Bottom String photographer Agatha Donkar shoots for. Shortly after that Wylie approached me to ask if I'd want to debut "St. Gloria," the band's second single. At this point I'd already listened to "Keep The Band" at least five times and was transfixed in the new direction that Hunter had taken his music. Wild Fur retains much of the rustic qualities that made The Cazadores so lovable and relatable, but delves into an exciting new territory that expands into the far reaches of the Southern aesthetic.

"St. Gloria" is a rambling, ambitious track that paints the picture of a head strong young woman named Gloria defined by late nights, red dresses and hidden scars. She's a rambunctious type that lives for the day whilst flippantly "burning bridges," but the narrator beckons for her to take down the veil before those surrounding her realize she's not the person she seems to be.

Be on the lookout for more new tunes from this promising act comprised of local favorites, because if the new tracks are anything like these past two songs then they're sure to be brilliant bursts of innovative sonic exploration.

Hear Here: February 28 - March 7

Justin Lacy & The Swimming Machine

Last week was jam-packed with fantastic shows and this week showcases much of the same.  Sometimes within the Triangle we'll see a particular city jam-packed with shows while the rest are left to twiddle their thumbs or make the drive up I-40, but every now and then there's that one week where the entire area is filled with incredible performances.  You can welcome that particular conundrum this week.

With a raucous show from Spider Bags at Slim's kicking off the week and a sold out performance from Alt-J at Cat's Cradle, this week runs the gamut of musical genres.  Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill are getting equal amounts of lovin' from both touring acts and local favorites, so make your way out to a show this week!


Show of the Week: Onward, Soldiers w/ Wiley Hunter & The Cazadores and Justin Lacy & The Swimming Machine @ Kings Barcade on March 2

Thursday, February 28
Spider Bags w/ Flesh Wounds & DJ Suggadelic @ Slim's in Raleigh
$5

• Two of the areas finest punk acts are going to be packed into one of the Triangle's finest clubs for gritty, high-energy shows.  Needless to say this show is going to be incredible.  Spider Bags solidified their spot in 2012 as one of the local powerhouses, receiving high acclaim from national publications like Pitchfork, Shake My Head was release that boosted Spider Bags to the glory that they deserve.  I finally got to see their southern blend of punk rock at Double Barrel Benefit earlier this month and suddenly understood why this band has received the acclaim they have.  The energy was bouncing across the stage, much like the band, as they powered through an engaging set filled with sing-a-longs and wild antics.  Spider Bags' fans are a dedicated bunch, exerting just as much energy as the band when taking in their frenetic live performance.  Flesh Wounds couldn't be a better opener either, I got the chance to see them in a crowded Berkley Cafe at Hopscotch last year and saw much of the same that I did at Spider Bags, but with far more grit.  Flesh Wounds give fans exactly what they want, no frills balls-out punk rock with jaunting rhythms and fast-paced melodies.  Slim's is at its finest when it's packed in tightly and filled with the brash tunes that we'll see on display on Thursday.  A fantastic way to kick off this batch of shows.