Atlanta music news: Nophest returns

Summertime is in full swing in Atlanta, which means it’s time for another round of the annual Nophest music festival. For the fifth year, Nophest returns (August 25-28) to showcase mostly local, under-the-radar indie rock, experimental and electronic acts in a handful of East Atlanta music venues, including 529 and Eastside Lounge.

“My personal goal is to bring together a bunch of great bands and have a bit of a party,” says festival founder Randy Garcia, who will perform a solo set as part of Nophest on Aug. 27 at Eastside Lounge. “There’s also a desire to show that we can do these kinds of things in Atlanta without the aid of corporate sponsors. It’s worth showcasing these acts together, and it’s good to have them all in the same place so that they can network and make friends.”

Each night of the fest boasts lineups curated by local labels such as Rock Science and Garcia’s Nophi Recordings, music blog Ohmpark, and local electronic musician Tricil, who also performs at Eastside Lounge on Aug. 27. Visit Nophest.com for updates and new venue announcements.

After a decade of independence, Gringo Star has inked a record deal with New York-based Gigantic Music, and has a new album in the works titled Count Yer Lucky Stars, due Sept. 27. The album was produced by Ben Allen (Gnarls Barkley, Animal Collective), and the first single to hit the Web is called “Shadow.”

Athens’ pioneering new wave/post-punk foursome Pylon received the royal treatment with a new DFA Records 7-inch out this week. The single pays homage to the group, which effectively ended after the death of guitarist Randy Bewley in 2009. It features Deerhunter covering Pylon’s original 1979 single, “Cool.” Bradford Cox does his best Vanessa Briscoe Hay impersonation, summoning an impressive falsetto, the likes of which he hasn’t flaunted since the Fluorescent Grey EP in 2006. For the B-side, New Yorker music critic and Ui co-founder Sasha Frere-Jones remixed Pylon’s song “Yo-Yo” under the moniker Calvinist, with an added vocal track from Sleigh Bells’ siren Alexis Krauss. It totally steals the show.

Speaking of Pylon, former bassist Michael Lachowski’s Young, Foxy & Free magazine released its third annual music issue, featuring (ahem) candid photos of Noot d’ Noot, Cousin Dan, Washed Out and several others acts from Athens and Atlanta.

NEW RELEASES: Britt Teusink and Kenneth Figueroa of A. Grimes and Adam Bruneau of Back Pockets have formed a new band called deadCAT and released a three-song EP through Teusink’s SoundCloud page. Stickfigure Records releases Lid EMBA’s Terminal Muse: Blue CD on July 26. J-Live has a new album dropping August 23 titled SPTA (Said Person of That Ability). The CD release party goes down at 529 on Aug. 19 with John Robinson, YC the Cinic and Clan Destined. Cloudeater has a new album titled Sun and Sidearm due in Sept.