05.02.2014 — “Anklet” by Coke Weed

Coke Weed

If you only listen to one song today, make it “Anklet” by Coke Weed (2013, from the album Back to Soft).

Coke Weed is a psychedelic/indie rock quintet from Bar Harbor, Maine. Last year, they released their third album–Back to Soft— via their own Heavy Friends Records. The band has its genesis back in the late 90s when frontman Milan McAlevey was in a band with Walter Martin, who would later be in The Walkmen. They made several records together, but McAlevey left New York and headed north to Maine. There, he put together a bunch of folk songs and released them as “Mac St. Michael”. After couple of years of shifting between New York and Maine, he met and joined forces with singer Nina D. Very soon, they recruited three others to join them, and they settled in the tourist town of Bar Harbor.

While they have roots in folk music, they’re definitely influenced by some stuff from the 1990s like Galaxie 500 and Mazzy Star. Today’s song is probably just a bit more like Luna than Galaxie 500, but the point is that the guitar work sounds a lot like stuff that Dean Wareham would do.

Anyway, here’s the song:

“Anklet” by Coke Weed

On some of their songs, they use coed vocal harmonies. On a couple, McAlevey sings. As much as I dig coed vocals, I prefer their songs that Nina D sings. So there’s that.

I had never heard of this band until I started my first bit of research on the roster for this September’s 2014 Hopscotch Music Festival. Each year, there’s one or two “main stage” performers that I’m excited about, and when the lineups have been announced each April, I’m unfamiliar with most of the lineup. There’s always a bunch of metal bands that I wouldn’t have interest in anyway and some hip-hop bands that I wouldn’t have interest in anyway, but in the course of my homework, I always find about 40 “new to me” bands that I end up liking a lot. Coke Weed is one of those bands, and I’m putting them on my “long list”. This year, they’re releasing the lineup in stages, and so far, they’ve announced about 120 bands out of what is usually a lineup of 175. You can browse the initial lineup here.

About dlee

North Carolina born and bred. I'm a restaurant guy who spends free time listening to music, watching hockey and playing Scrabble. I have a bachelor's degree in political science and I will most likely never put it to use. View all posts by dlee

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