Rainbow Ruckus 11/28: Phil and the Flying Leap, Kyle Joshua Trask, Proud Miranda, and More!
Every week, Rainbow Rodeo brings you the best new queer country music! Listen to this playlist on Spotify! Thanks to Elliott for making a parallel list on Apple Music! Listen to the parallel list on Tidal. Missed a week? Thomas Inskeep is generously keeping an archive of all music featured on this Spotify playlist.
Also — if you’re looking for a stocking stuffer — you can now purchase issue 3 of Rainbow Rodeo!
Phil and the Flying Leap — “Good Times”
Phil and the Flying Leap get personal on “Good Times,” a buoyant song of a failed long-term relationship that is replete with snarky pop. With horns and a backing chorus, the band sketches vignettes of a relationship that is inevitably slipping off the rails. But the clever production finds the humor in sorrow, and the joy in finally shedding dead weight. Phil and the Flying Leap will be playing with Jessye DeSilva and Jake Blount this Friday at Rockwood Music Hall Boston.
Kyle Joshua Trask — “Moving On”
Kyle Joshua Trask has successfully Kickstarted his debut solo album at the beginning of the month, so it’s time to dig into his back catalogue. Trask’s charismatic rock takes cues from the elegant pop of the ’60s and ’70s while delivering a contemporary, soulful performance.
ShiftCTRL — “Oh Lordy! (ft. Walleye Slim)”
This blues-inflected ditty is hypnotic and soothing, with looped guitars and a wailing vocal pretty much all you need for roots music perfection. Following a theme for this week’s playlist, ShiftCTRL and Walleye Slim bemoan the inevitable heartbreak that follows love, all with a driving beat that reminds us we need to move forward no matter what.
Lila Wilde — “401(k)”
Lila Wilde is part of a number of artists I “met” on Threads when it seemed like it would be a promising platform for musicians. (Jury’s still out but if it’s working for you, cool.) Regardless, “401(k)” leans more towards the disco end of the Americana spectrum but who doesn’t love a little levity? Wilde luxuriates in holding the power over her partner with cheeky puns referring to the security her love provides.
Proud Miranda — “Final Girl”
As the title suggest, Proud Miranda protests against the damsel in distress and that trope on its head. If Sleater-Kinney had veered left and started playing alt-country in the ’90s, this is probably what they would have sounded like. “Final Girl” celebrates reclaiming one’s power in the face of those who underestimate you, and the snarling guitars fit the bill.
