If you want to hear a good example of a category of music specific to the 21st century, and probably specific even to 2013, check out Horsehands’ “Sirs” EP. Rhythmically and melodically dense but with quick, upbeat songs and plucky guitar lines; “Sirs” doesn’t remind me of anything so much as music that’s coming out right now. The singer sounds to me like a bizarro-world David Bowie on Ziggy Stardust. If for no other reason, check out the album for the cool cover art, which is a picture of two men speed-walking away from a wall of lava that’s coming down the street. Picks include Ocho, Shirts and Skins, and A Spat. – Geoff Noble
A.M. Architect releases track from upcoming album Pattern Language/Promo video
The electronic-music duo AM Architect has released a track called ‘Delicatessen’ (apparently a popular name for things) and a short promotional video with some cool editing and a man breakdancing his ass off. The track is a tonal, cacophonous wash of sound with a glitchy hip hop beat in the background. Listen to the track or preorder the album here. – Geoff Noble
French Club: “Shit Talk” Never Sounded so Good
French Club’s November release “Shit Talk” is a conglomerate of punk, indie, and vagabond tunes. The band was formed in Ohio at Kenyon College out of members from MA, NH, NY, CA, and Hong Kong. Geographic diversity may have had a place in the creation of the songs, which incorporate grimey riffs to dancehall pop to syncopated punk and ska influences. The 10-track album has some serious selections, like the indie pop “Hoping You Would Ask Me to Stay” but the bulk of the album errs more to the side of a dance party. Take “In the Basement”: with the hook “All the pretty boys and pretty girls are dancing in the basement” it’s not hard to imagine this song being a hit at a Berklee house party. – Hillary Anderson
New Music from Newport: Castle (the band)
Despite having a name more readily associated with a genre like metal (or maybe Gregorian chant), RI band Castle (the band) is a blend of folk and alternative rock, with light, peppy drums and songs that often have an accordion as a lead instrument. Their eponymous debut album has great range, with tracks spanning from upbeat and whimsical to somber and serious, and their female vocalist sings with a girlish, unassuming voice that I found charming. Favorites include ‘It’s not Mine’, ‘Numbers’, and ‘Awesome Powerful Brain’. The band plays Precinct in Somerville February 22nd, and you can listen to their album below. – Geoff Noble
Friday 2/1 – Tiverton, RI @ Sandywoods w/ Vudu Sister – RSVP
Saturday 2/2 – Newport, RI @ Billy Goode’s w/ Toy Soldiers – RSVP
Saturday 2/16 – Wilmington, VT @ Apres Vous – FREE
Friday 2/22 – Somerville, MA @ Precinct w/ Banana Phonetic
EXPLODING IN SOUND RELEASES EMPIRE OF FUZZ
Last week Exploding in Sound (a Boston-based record company that has bands like Pile and Speedy Ortiz) released their extremely good Empire of Fuzz compilation album, including twenty-six tracks from bands all over the country. The fuzz comes in different varieties: fuzziness from lo-fi recording, fuzz coming from the garage, fuzz from a Big-Muff-type pedal, fuzz from too much volume, fuzz from noise. The newest in punk and post-hardcore genres are well represented here. Check out the track list and download the album for free here. – Geoff Noble
Somerville, MA: Maura put the punk in indie-pop
Nowadays, indie rock is such an arbitrary genre we’ve invented zillions of offshoots based on things like a band’s aesthetic or sound. Calling something “indie rock” is the opposite of definitive. With that in mind, I’m going to go ahead and call out Maura as a classy as hell indie rock band with pop-punk influences. One-liners off their “Me and my Friends” EP like “I’m working weekends for the rest of my life” and “you’re the type to make me not wanna try” are sure to make you sing along sophomore year style. Fans of the Max Levine Ensemble and RVIVR should definitely fit Maura in heavy rotation. – Hillary Anderson
2/1 – Democracy Center – Cambridge, MA- w/ Life & Limb, Luau, HW, and the Young Leaves – $5 – RSVP
photo courtesy of dustinjswatson // disposable america
Northampton’s Seth Glier has “Things I Should Let You Know” for your ears
“Things I Should Let You Know” is Seth Glier’s third album released with MPress Records. The Grammy nominated musician from Northampton, MA has amassed quite the fan base through exhaustive touring, playing 250+ shows yearly. Like another New England based pop rock, folk, and blues singer/songwriter (Last name Mayer, first name John) Glier attended Boston’s Berklee College of Music briefly before deciding he’d rather pursue a career as an active musician. Glier’s Americana influence shows on the song “Plastic Soldiers,” a political tune sung to a son from a father’s point of view. Listen to "Man I Used to Be" another emotionally charged song off the new record below. – Hillary Anderson
Get ready to dance: Stereo Telescope to release new album January 25th in Allston, MA
Stereo Telescope is an electro-pop duo comprised of Nikki Dessingue and Kurt Schneider, and every song on their new album ‘On and Running’ is chord-driven, hooky, danceable, electronic-ambient tastiness. A lot of the synth-clap noise throughout. Similar to M83, only with better vocals. My favorite is the single, ‘Fires’ which starts with a sort of drum/bass type beat, and then just hits you with the chorus. Check out the video here. Get yourself to Great Scott to pick up the vinyl or cassette of ‘On and Running’ on Friday, January 25th. Dance party extraordinaires The Pill Boston are curating a special space dance immersion theme, with a live set by the band at 11pm. RSVP to their album release show below. – Geoff Noble
1/25 – ALBUM RELEASE SHOW – Great Scott – Allston, MA – RSVP
Check out this gem from Amherst, MA: California X
Shredding is a way of life for some people. Exhibit A: the dudes that make up California X. Contrary to their chosen band name, they hail from Amherst, MA. Get blitzed with their guitar-driven rock with plenty of gang vocals and tearin it up with OD guitar solos. Their song “Sucker” goes over two minutes without vocals coming in, plenty of time to get some righteous head banging in. They call it fun-rock, I call it F-yea rock. If you dig yourself some Fang Island and Andrew WK, get this on your speakers ASAP. – Hillary Anderson
Q&A with the deli’s Artist of the Month: Bryan Laurier & the Lost Acres
Out of the woods, past a street that inspired the band’s name, in a barn was where Bryan Laurier & the Lost Acres recorded their first, Kickstarter funded, full length "Bought & Sold." An old barn in the Maine countryside is quite the fitting landscape for the band’s folk, blues, and rock influences with a group of at least 7 (sometimes 8) talented musicians.
The Deli: How did the band start? We all met in college… Colin had been active with his punk band Wolfie Burns when we were roommates and I got to know the rest of his band (Brendan, Spencer, and Ryan) going to bars and hanging out. I’d been writing with Jeremy here and there, but mainly sharing demos while we were developing as writers. Eventually, at the end of college, I’d written a bunch of demos and shared them sporadically with a few of the guys. Brendan mentioned he’d like to play on the songs and I ended up using their entire band since they had all seemed interested and had previous playing chemistry from Wolfie Burns. Jeremy was up for it and joined us up in Maine. Jonathan Mess, who plays harmonica on the record, was my old high school art teacher and I asked him drop in while we tracked a bit at the barn. [Click here to read the rest of the interview with Bryan Laurier]
Boston at SXSW: André Obin to release new electro-pop album this spring
Boston’s own André Obin is poised to be the synth-pop artist to watch at SXSW this year. Obin is releasing his debut full-length in March with NYC’s Sky Council Recordings. ‘The Arsonist’ will follow EPs released under European labels Trouw, Mina, and Klopfgeist. In mid-November, Boston label Vanya Records and other friends of Obin came together when he was the victim of an electrical fire that destroyed possessions and equipment at his Somerville, MA apartment. The compilation Friends of Andre was released on bandcamp for a $10 donation with 18 tracks from Boston artists including M|O|O|N and the New Highway Hymnal. Clearly, he is loved at home and overseas for his unique take on electronic music – his sounds could come from speakers at a euro-dance club or a laptop at your own private dance party. Queue up his soundcloud and listen to the many remixes that have been spawned from his music and you’ll start to understand why this artist and DJ is hyped to breakout this spring. – Hillary Anderson
Butcher Boy: Folk and post-rock meet and like each other
Butcher Boy’s music sounds like where it’s from: Maine. Big, post-rock soundscapes combine with banjoes and vocals that sometimes reside way up in singer Pete Swegart’s sinuses. The twangy guitar, when you apply a slide to it and stretch out the note, creates the type of long-form texture we might get from a band like Sigur Ros—another group from a snowy, beautiful, and vast landscape. Maine’s country/folk music meets a reverbed description of Maine’s backwoods and dirt roads.
Check out their brand new album, Shoreless Seas, released December 21st. – Geoff Noble