The first time I heard the songs off Koshari’s new double A-side, Into Shreds/Just In Time, was live at the Black Squirrel this past Sunday. Due to the realities of the venue, Koshari’s guitarist Bryan Baxter opted to play his part with an acoustic guitar and a small selection of pedals. Though he was uncertain of the result, the set was beautiful, reminding me immediately of The Cocteau Twins’ tides of sparkling crystal sound. Barbara Western’s vocal melodies also remind me of Elizabeth Fraser’s, though Barbara’s words are more comprehensible. On record, the guitars in these songs are far more aggressive.

The combination of loud and abrasive guitars, pedal-play, and delicate vocals easily peg Koshari as a “shoegaze” band, with a significant debt owed to British bands like MBV. Yet Koshari’s sound differs significantly. They more often recall (perhaps unsurprisingly) the American wall-of-sound post-hardcore bands of the same period. The guitars are not ethereal crinkly cellophane, and there’s none of MBV’s trademark tremolo abuse. Koshari’s guitars are lush and thick; they chug and assault and dive quickly. The bass is easily discernible, and provides a melodic groove, while the drums are only mildly distorted and chewy, and the tempo is a hard drive rather than a lethargic shuffle or frenetic dance.

I’m having a hard time choosing which of the two songs to post below, so I’ll just pick “Into Shreds” because it’s the first one as presented on their bandcamp. I strongly suggest also listening to "Just In Time" (it should play through automatically). There’s a lot to hear in both songs (the differences between the songs are interesting if you’re into this sort of sound-play), they’re both catchy, and you’ll want to listen to them repeatedly. –Natan Press

Josh is a KC native that loves anything meat- or tube-driven related. He also plays guitar for Leering Heathens and Sharp Weapons. 

Let’s face it: most musicians aren’t exactly known for wearing suits and ties very often. In fact, a fair number of them don’t even know what a tie is. But for the select few that do make an attempt to dress well for their gigs, the effort does not go unnoticed. Take The Boston Boys for example. The electric folk quartet dresses about as tastefully as they sound, with singer/songerwiter Eric Robertson’s pristine voice at the helm, backed by some of the finest musicians our city has to offer. Their new EP ‘Idea of Love‘ (released on 05.20) is a demostration of how imagination can be applied to the more traditional genres to stunning effect. Indeed, if The Punch Brothers decided to do their thing with amplified instruments and a drummer instead of their acoutstic calling, you might end up with something that sounds like Brooklyn’s The Boston Boys.

See them don their suit and tie in the studio-based video for latest single ‘Get Back Up and Walk’ here, check out our favorite track "The Beginning" strewaming below, and see them live when they play at their EP release show this Friday, May 23rd at 9pm at Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)