Tank And The Bangas, “Ants”
[Verve Forecast, March 7]
There’s a certain duality about Tarriona “Tank” Ball that makes Tank And The Bangas so deeply engaging. Stylistically, “Ants” is a smooth, funk-infused departure from total bass thumper “Spaceships,” released last fall. And yet, the second single from their highly anticipated sophomore album, Green Balloon—due May 3—further confirms Tank’s place as one of our most underrated modern storytellers. Much like the single’s official video, “Ants” illustrates a coming of age unburdened by anything heavier than young love, Lizzie McGuire, and JanSport backpacks. Her ability to lace accessible, poetic bars with rich, heartfelt vocals shows such command over both her artistry and identity as a young, carefree black woman. Listening to this soulful bit of nostalgia feels like sitting on a Louisiana stoop with a fish plate, pondering little more than schoolyard gossip and the mysterious whereabouts of tiny insects. And it’s a necessary sojourn. [Shannon Miller]
Elizabeth Colour Wheel, Nocebo
[The Flenser, March 15]
It takes a lot for a metal vocalist to stand out from the pack. That’s why Lane Shi of Elizabeth Colour Wheel is so engaging: Her approach is so drastically different from other metal singers that it often feels like the band is playing around her specifically. With its debut album, Nocebo, Elizabeth Colour Wheel offers up a record that’s packed full of memorable riffs, but it’s Shi’s eerie vocals that steer the ship. Songs like “Life Of A Flower” show the band’s dexterity, as it pings between hushed moments and massively cathartic washes, sounding a bit like if Joanna Newsom were singing for Neurosis. And when it’s more direct, as on “Hide Behind (Emmett’s Song),” the band sounds a bit like Gouge Away, before splitting the song wide open in the second half. Unlike many other metal albums that work outside the genre’s confines, Nocebo doesn’t just work in another subgenre and call it a day. Instead, Elizabeth Colour Wheel pushes itself into a space that’s not so easily replicated. [David Anthony]