Optic Sink ( Feel It!, Goner / Memphis) w/ TBA
Memphis trio Optic Sink, play a hypnotic mix of post-punk and dance music, resulting in a sharp and moving exploration of surfaces, shadows, and self-delusion. Natalie Hoffmann (NOTS) has come into her full power as a lyricist. Her work on earlier records (see Modelesque and Glass Blocks) shows her talent for exploring the hidden shallows of modern life, but here the funhouse mirrors are balanced by painful longing and drops of truth that leak through the cracks. The music reflects this -- under Bauermeister's driving grooves and the songs' tight arrangements lurk hidden complexities, thanks in part to Keith Cooper's exceptional, angular work on guitar and bass. Few bands can match the hard beauty of Depeche Mode, New Order, and A Certain Ratio -- Optic Sink manages to do more than that, adding their own sad, cutting wisdom. -Dan Hornsby