Tucked in-between the ads on Craigslist for “busty” photo models and pleas from recent Berklee grads looking to teach people the skills they spent all of their busking money on, I was surprised to find the gem that is The Cold Beat. After listening to this album, I’m pretty sure the 90s was the best (and most influential) decade ever. I mean, most good bands that I hear nowadays have a clear 90s-rock influence, and The Cold Beat is no exception. Get Safe is a brilliant mix of punk and 90s pop/rock that can get anyone up and dancing.

The third track, Snake Oil, is reminiscent of Against Me! with its guitar and vocal build-up into a full-on punk rock ruckus. I thought that the use of gang vocals throughout the album (especially on The Ditch) added a nice depth to the tracks and round-out the punk rock feel of the record. The gang vocals work extremely well on I’ll Follow—I felt like I was out at a party with my friends and singing along with the band.

Hints of a prog-rock/spacey influence can also be heard on tracks like On The Way Down—think Foo Fighters, if Dave Grohl played solos on the moon.

Overall, I’m exceedingly pleased that my sifting through craigslist ads actually paid off for once. Get Safe is chock full of driving guitar riffs and raucous vocals; it’s the kind of music you listen to when you want to have a good time. So, if you like having a good time (and who doesn’t), head on over to their Bandcamp and have a listen. Oh, and if anyone is curious, I did not get that photo modeling gig.

–Daniel McMahon

Up All Night, the four-song EP from Blossoming Mums, weaves in ethereal melodies with plucky strings to create a pretty and wandering ambience. Blossoming Mums play a mix of lo-fi dream pop and shoegaze, but there is little information on them to be found; the only detail given on their last.fm page states that they are from a small town in Western Mass. The lyrics of Autumn Birthday help to substantiate this: “It’s Autumn in Massachusetts / I’m at the bottom of Massachusetts / the leaves are changing in Massachusetts.” However, most other clues regarding the band members are left a mystery for now.

Cloudy Soft introduces the EP with the rise and fall of layered, airy voices spurred on by the shaking of a maraca. The gentle guitars and lilting style of My Room make it seem like the kind of song that would bridge the gap between drowsy eyelids and a peaceful sleep; an indie lullaby. The whole album, actually, seems like the music to play in a dimly lit room filled with paisley throw pillows and the scent of patchouli. Weekly Wonders, the longest and last track of the set, clocks in at just three minutes and begins with folky vibes and a chorus of voices that border on other-worldly. The instrumentation speeds up toward the latter half before tapering off in its conclusion.

Up All Night paces itself at a drawl and creates a calming mood with its set of soundscapes. The lyrics often meander into indecipherable territory, but the overall aura is perhaps more important than the details.

–Sarah Ruggiero

While the Boston area is a well-known hub of all things sonic, the surrounding sections of Massachusetts are more prone to slow times and allowing all that is weird to gestate and thrive. Up route 9 from the capital can be found a town called Amherst, home to one half rural escapism and one half college party capital of the Commonwealth. This small town has produced its share of recognizable bands, including scremo pioneers Orchid, hardcore heroes Deep Wound, and of course alternative royalty The Pixies. Now, coming from the weird and wild west is one-man-band The Suitcase Junket, Matt Lorenz’s country/noise infused push into the Bay State music scene.

The latest release from Lorenz’s project is a ten song full length entitled Knock it Down, a quick, haunting, experimental jaunt through folk song structure, feedback gimmicks, slide guitar and dirty south distortion. In a schizophrenic cacophony, the songs trade between slow and somber folk to Muddy Water distortion latent blues. The album’s subject matter is lonely and medicated with hints of grungy undertones. Bone is a stand out single that pulls from the Nick Cave school of folk rock. Knock it Down is defiantly good company for misery and should be checked out for a mood music collection.

–Anthony Geehan