FUTURE MUSIC PICKS 

Love and Dancing with Bly Wallentine
One of Provo's finest multi-instrumentalist solo artists and owner of Studio Studio Dada, Bly Wallentine, has had love on the mind lately—which isn't something we can all say in this doom and gloom world. But it's not the kind of cheesy, "stay positive!" bullshit that is often spewed in pop realms; rather, it's a certain genuine fascination with the shapes, forms and mysteries of love. Wallentine explores them both on the new, July-released album the purpose of dancing and the late June EP i don't know what to do (besides love). The latter features a cover of an Of Montreal song, "Feminine Effects," which matches up with the compelling title track, where Wallentine narrates the confusion that comes with unexplained ill-will towards you, and deciding to meet it resiliently with love anyways. Wallentine has often leaned into swirly spiritualism and poetic introspection, and here it especially feels comparable to the way Linda Perhacs pulled it off with her moving folk hymns in the midst of '70s hippie-mania. The ear-wormy track glitters with synths and punchy back-beats, and when listened to back-to-back with the singles on the purpose of dancing, it becomes clear that though Wallentine has dabbled in various genres—stripped-down folk, riffs on choral and hymnal traditions, straight-up indie rock (2017's shoulder devil is notable)—they've found a real sweet spot in this whimsical pop aesthetic, weighted as it is with Wallentine's emotional and well-crafted lyricism. Stream it and definitely buy it at blywallentine.bandcamp.com, and don't be shy about visiting their past work, either.

Mask Mandate Goes Swimmingly at Graywhale
While for some the new mask mandate put in place in Salt Lake and Summit Counties recently may present a new complication to going out in public, for others it's just a validation of what we're already used to. This is the case for businesses taking on the new mandate, too. While videos of angry customers trying to storm into grocery stores have swept the internet, City Weekly decided to check in with one local record store to see if they've had any such experiences. "As with any new restriction or entry criteria, there's a fear that it will cause a loss in business from people that are either unable or unwilling to comply. But in reality, we've had very few issues, and on the whole, people have been understanding and accommodating," says Zane Pendleton of Graywhale Entertainment. The business has put out signs explaining the rules, which take into account age and medical exemptions. And while they considered providing masks at the door for those without, Pendleton notes, "the consensus was that wearing a mask is an issue we take seriously, and if after months of living with the COVID-19 outbreak someone hadn't taken wearing a mask or facial covering seriously until now, it was their own responsibility to provide one. Some people won't change until it becomes too inconvenient or painful for them not to." Luckily, they haven't seen much resistance to masks—which is a good sign for everyone, whether or not you frequent record shops. They plan to keep up the same rules of operation moving into late summer and fall as they roll out their Record Store Day releases, which are being staggered to make it easier for participating shops to control crowds. In the meantime, keep up with record releases, orders and more info at graywhaleslc.com, and don't forget to send them your requests from the Record Store Day drop list at recordstoreday.com.

• Hot House West

Summer's Still Hot with Hot House West
At this point, roughly four months into the pandemic that effectively stalled all activity in the city, especially for musicians and nightlife people, it's almost easy to forget that those people are still out of work. But luckily, in addition to getting crafty themselves, larger entities like the Park City Institute have been lending a helping hand. City Weekly covered PCI's introduction of their Locals Live virtual showcase series, and we're happy to report that it's still going strong—this time around with sponsor support by Park City's McMillen Gallery. So if you still feel uncomfortable going out on the town, there are performances like the upcoming Locals Live with Hot House West to look forward to. Hot House West might be an act you want to crank up to 11, because their swinging, lively style of jazz is not something to be enjoyed as background noise. The six-piece outfit dubs themselves as disciples of "gypsy jazz," a jazz form popularized by "hot" guitar player Django Reinhardt, who along with his band brought guitar-infused jazz music into the fold of more mainstream swing music. That influence is clear not only in Hot House West's music itself, but in the title of their 2018 album, Django in Orbit. Piling two wailing guitars on top of upright bass, trumpet, violin and trombone, this is one musical melee not to miss out on, so visit facebook.com/parkcityinstitute on Saturday, June 11 at 7 p.m. to tune into the live stream event.

• krcl

KRCL's Record Sale Goes On
It's time to clean out your car's console finally, and gather those gently-used CDs and neglected records to donate to that great record store in the sky—or rather, donate them to KRCL in anticipation of their Annual Record and CD Sale, which relies on donations to raise funds for the radio station. Events Manager Eric Nelson says, "As of now, we will be kicking off our Record Sale season with an online virtual sale highlighting the best of the best of what we've gathered over the past year. After the virtual sale, we will be setting up the record sale in KRCL's parking lot the following two or three Saturdays. The sales will be appointment-based (to stagger crowds), with a very easy online sign-up which will be found on our website." KRCL deserves support now more than ever, while they provide a unique tether to the community that's been so isolated, especially in music circles. Show your support for this essential part of the community that's been heartily weathering the storm and still giving us their finest broadcasting magic. Donations can be made by scheduling a drop-off appointment with ericn@krcl.org, and can be made up until the last sale day (when it's announced, that is). Donation info can be found at krcl.org/blog/seeking-albums-and-cds-for-krcls-annual-record-sale.

Local Binge: Lavender Vinyl
It's not just record stores in SLC that have adopted ingeniously to the new challenges of selling records during COVID-19, but also Ogden hotspots like Lavender Vinyl. The shop stocks new vinyl releases as well as used records, which they accept via purchase or donation. Whether you want to visit the shop—which has softly re-opened with a request for folks to wear masks—or do pick-up, Lavender Vinyl can and has been easily accommodating all kinds of purchase needs. They also have a comprehensive and sprawling webstore, complete with a whole section of upcoming pre-order albums, and sections dedicated to genres and specific greats like Iggy Pop and Johnny Cash—all with free shipping for anyone in Ogden and a $4 flat rate for anywhere outside that region. In addition to stocking many relevant indie records, they champion locals, too. Lately, they've teamed up with Josaleigh Pollett on the vinyl release of her latest album, No Woman is the Sea, which City Weekly reviewed in our roundup of Bandcamp purchase options a few weeks ago. If you didn't buy it then, now's a good time, too, as Pollett is donating all proceeds from the sales from the record to the fund for Black Trans Femmes in the Arts. Check out this trusty local business next time you're in Ogden, or make orders online and visit later.