Friday Five: Akropolis Reed Quintet, Same Eyes, The Kelseys, Athletic Mic League, King Micah the Infamous & Guilty Simpson

MUSIC FRIDAY FIVE

Friday Five album and singles cover art for 03-19-21

Friday Five is where we highlight music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.

This week features contemporary classical chamber music by Akropolis Reed Quintet, synth-pop from Same Eyes, folk-pop by The Kelseys, and hip-hop by Athletic Mic League as well as King Micah the Infamous featuring Guilty Simpson.

Akropolis Reed Quintet, Ghost Light
Founded in 2009 while its members were students at University of Michigan, the Akropolis Reed Quintet is making a name for itself as one of Southeast Michigan's most creative contemporary classical outfits—and not just because of its music. The group has embraced technology and live-streaming in a robust way, even before the pandemic, which along with Akropolis' new album, Ghost Light, should introduce the ensemble to audiences around the world. The quintet describes Ghost Light as "a collection of works written for them that are in dialogue with various 'ghosts'—histories that are manifest in personal, collective, and even organic contexts. Featuring music by Stacy Garrop, Michael Gilbertson, Niloufar Nourbakhsh, Jeff Scott, and Theo Chandler, Akropolis' precise and dynamic performances are matched by their curatorial creativity and commitment." The album was recorded at First Presbyterian Church in Ypsilanti and Detroit'ss Tempermill Studios. While Ghost Light doesn't come out until April 9, you can preview one of the songs and pre-order the album on CD or digital at Akropolis' Bandcamp page. Additionally, Akropolis will be having a virtual release-party livestream concert on April 9; more info here. You can read previous Pulp pieces on Akropolis here and here.

 

Same Eyes, "Mass Infatuation"
Less than two months after Ann Arbor's Same Eyes released its excellent debut album, Parties to End, the '80s-evoking synth duo has a really great new song that evokes Thomas Dolby, Oingo Boingo, and Blancmange. Read our January interview with the band here.

 

The Kelseys, "Stoop So Low"
Another great song from this Ann Arbor trio—this time with more of an acoustic-bent than the band's other recent singles—and another fantastic video. The Kelseys are unofficially the official pop band of the Friday Five. 

 

Athletic Mic League, "Winners" from Playground Legends Vol. 1
We've written about several songs from last fall's post-hiatus album by Ann Arbor's Athletic Mic League, and interviewed the collective just previous to the record's release. But we're happy to feature this terrific rap group once again with the release of "Winners Win," the latest video from Playground Legends Vol. 1.

 

King Micah the Infamous featuring Guilty Simpson, "Hot Out Here"
Detroit-Ann Arbor rapper King Micah nabbed one of the Motor City's most underappreciated rappers—his three albums for Stones Throw are all classics—for this all-too-brief single, which features the two wordsmiths flowing over a minimalist beat. More, please.


Christopher Porter is a library technician and the editor of Pulp.