I’m going to let you behind the curtain a little bit, loyal reader. The time for releasing the spring issue is nearly upon us, and a lot of it was put together. However, my old laptop quit on me. Not a big deal, right? Everything’s backed up. That’s what I thought. Only that wasn’t the case. So instead of scrambling to put out the spring issue on time, I am just going to publish all the contents here at Incognito HQ over the next couple weeks.

Pawtooth (from Asheville, North Carolina) is a band whose album Arcadian Playground I’d reviewed and included in the spring issue which has now disappeared. One thing is immediately clear about Pawtooth: this is not a band that is interested in sounding like dozens of other bands. It’s also immediately apparent that the band puts a lot of energy into its recordings. After the instrumental opener “Archetype” comes “Everwaves.” This is a tremendous example of the swirling sound and energy of the band. This is the kind of song you have to hear with your eyes closed so you can focus on all the layers of sound.

Vocalist Penelope Zing has at least one thing in common with Chrissy Hynde. She has the kind of voice that was made for fronting a rock band. She can do vocals that are a little trippy like in “Auxiliary.” At the risk of sounding sacrilegious, something about the vocals in this song reminds me of Grace Slick.

Of course I need to recognize the rest of the band too. It’s obvious that this is a tight group of musicians. They manage to create layers of sound so that it seems like you’re surrounded by the music. If you’re a fan of female vocalists and layers of sound, Pawtooth is a band you should get to know.