Released late October, ‘Mondegreen’ is Plumerai’s second full-length album, and their first with new singer Eliza Brown. While listening, I couldn’t help but wonder if the singer was French: her symbolic lyrics and breathy, jazzy melodies made me feel like I was in a club in Paris, being crooned to by an attractive lady in a sequined dress. Turns out Ms. Brown is indeed French, although the band is from Boston. For their part, on many tracks we hear shoegaze guitar and bright cymbals, although the sonic landscape has been described well elsewhere as ‘moody’. – Geoff Noble

Inject some funk into your life with Gnarlemagne’s sophomore release: A Warm and Cozy Volcano. They define themselves as Garage-Soul and count in their influences Otis Redding and Tom Waits. As you can imagine, the vocals shine and really give some soul-power to the album, which was just released November 6th. The diverse instrumentation includes sax, trumpet, trombone, and keys. The ever-present throbbing bass, occasional guitar solo, and lively percussion complete the concoction.

Sonnymoon’s ‘Bio’ page on Plug Research’s website (Plug Research being their record company, an independent west coast label) includes the information that Sonnymoon is a duo consisting of Anna Wise and Dane Orr, and also that they’re aliens sent from the planet Sonnymoon to help earth figure its problems out. Their eponymous record released in May of this year definitely has an otherworldly vibe—dreamy experimental-synth, deep, hypnotic bass tones, washed-out fx, and on one track jazz drums and bass that sound caught off a radio station 10,000 miles away. Anna Wise’s vocals, though, keep reminding me of Rihanna. She has a soulful, hip-hop influenced style, and she’s a really powerful singer, especially on the second track, ‘Greatness’, below. – Geoff Noble

On October 30th, CreaturoS (Cambridge, MA) released their debut SWAMPP THINGG, available on cassette by DIY label pRIMORDIAL sOUNDS. This release will hit a magnificent distorted note for fans of JEFF the Brotherhood and Colleen Green. Garage psych-rock that leaves you want for nothing, this is spliff music at its finest. One of the consistent factors on the album is the vocals which sound like they were recorded through an air circulation vent. I don’t know if it was the bathroom they recorded it in, but “Three Times” is one of the album standouts, with a true psych sound that could’ve come directly out of the mid-60s with a sitar-sounding melody and fuzzy percussion. Get psyched, according to their blog they’re in the studio this month working on a new release. 

By my calculations, Friday is going to be one of the worst days to go on Facebook, or the internet in general. So if you’re planning on avoiding what will be the worst social media blowout of the century, try going to We’re All Fucked Fest at Wilder Zangcraft in Lowell, MA instead. Doors are at 3pm and the show is celebrating the re-launch of Driftwood records and, of course, the end of the world.  The venue is small, so get there early to see touring bands, and later on see some locals including Old Gray (Manchester, NH), Jack Burton Vs David Lo Pan (Allston, MA), and The Navidson Record (Brockton, MA). One set not to miss at the fest is I Kill Giants (Boston, MA), who play math rock with punk and jazz influences. In great punk tradition, their release "We Can Live in the Exact Same Place" is a bedroom recording with 8 songs and barely over 5 minutes long. The album opens with some opera vocals, midway through fits in some spoken word, and features heavy tempo changing guitars and a great deal of hollering. Not a bad way to spend the apocalypse. – Hillary Anderson

Child Actor are two cousins hailing from New Haven, CT and Boston, MA. Sedgie Ogilvy sings while Max Heath lays down the beats. Their sound is indie electro with an R&B twist. Lyrically mysterious, with reverb and auto-tune tugging the vocals back and forth between the beats on the hip hop landscape, their EP Window has a beautiful surface tension which speaks of a darker underbelly if you only stop passively listening. But why would you? In my opinion it’s the perfect thing to throw on while you’re doing just about anything. Child Actor has put together some great pop songs for a modern age. Check out a track from their full length album Victory below. – by Hillary Anderson

deli: How did the band start?

A Do: After playing in a few different bands, Adrienne and Derek thought it was time to hit the books and start writing. Also, pulling a band together which now consists of Adrienne, Derek, Greg, and Sam. 

Click here to read the rest of the Q&A with A Do.

Org: Literati celebrates performance specifically inspired by the literary arts. Producer Singer Mali (of Boston art rock band Jaggery) invites local performers to create and cross the medium from books, poems, and prose to music, dance, film and theater. On Thursday, November 8, Org: Literati coincides with the release of Jaggery’s EP Private Violence, inspired by Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood. Hosted by a former English professor, and featuring work inspired by writers from Yeats to Genet to Dostoevsky.

Performers include:

Gem Club
What Time Is It, Mr. Fox?
Eileen Little
UnAmerika’s Sweetheart Karin Webb
Jennifer Hicks
Jaggery
live artist Kristilyn Stevenson
Professorially MC’d by Mika Cooper.

Suggested attire: in costume as your favorite literary character.

Bring: a copy of your favorite book that you are willing to part with.

Thursday, November 8th
Oberon
2 Arrow Street
Cambridge, MA
Doors: 7:30 pm, event starts at 8 pm 18+
Adv tickets: $20 seating, $15 standing / Day of tickets: $20 standing, $25 seating
Click here for tickets.

–The Deli Staff

Rustic Overtones will be hitting the road in support of their new album Let’s Start a Cult, their 8th studio album. They will be playing Davis Square Theater on November 3. This will be Rustic Overtones first stop in the Boston area since the release of their album. They will perform a collection of songs off Let’s Start a Cult and a few old favorites. The band will continue with shows throughout the northeast all Fall. Joining them will be Boston favorite Love in Stockholm who has opened for both Maroon 5 and Chicago. Also on the bill is Orange Television from Northampton, MA.

November 3rd, 2012
Davis Square Theater
255 Elm St.,
Somerville, MA
Doors 8 pm,
$15 Advance / $18 Day of Show

–The Deli Staff

Wichita is a Post-Rock band hailing from Cumberland, Rhode Island. They started up in February 2012 and later recorded an EP, Stay Awake, in June. They are focused around melodic guitars which are calm and atmospheric and later progress to a distorted climax. While playing live, Wichita has been complimented on their mixed guitar tones and the way they seem to mesh together. Their EP is on their bandcamp and is available for free download.

Boston-based band Dropkick Murphys have announced the  release of their forthcoming album, SIGNED and SEALED in BLOOD, due out January 8. The album is their second with producer Ted Hutt (Gaslight Anthem, Old Crow Medicine Show), which was recorded at Boston’s Q Division studios and mixed by Joe Chiccarelli (The White Stripes). "We had such a great time writing our last album, Going Out In Style, we were excited to get back into the studio right away," says bassist and co-lead singer Ken Casey. "Where Going Out in Style was a concept album-kind of intricate and difficult-this one is catchy, fun, and as sing-along as can be."

Next week, the band will be kicking off the second leg of their Fall tour. Dates are listed below.

Mon 10/29 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Orbit Room
Wed 10/31 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
Thu 11/01 – Omaha, NE @ Sokol Auditorium
Fri 11/02 – Des Moines, IA @ Val Air Ballroom
Sat 11/03 – Fargo, ND @ The Venue
Mon 11/05 – Billings, MT @ Shrine Auditorium
Tue 11/06 – Missoula, MT @ The Wilma
Wed 11/07 – Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory Concert House
Fri 11/09 – Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theatre
Sun 11/11 – Chico, CA @ Theater
Mon 11/12 – Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory
Tue 11/13 – Flagstaff, AZ @ The Orpheum Theater
Thu 11/15 – Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theatre
Fri 11/16 – Urbana, IL @ Canopy Club
Sat 11/17 – Hamilton, ONT @ Wentworth Room at The Hamilton Convention Centre 
Sat 11/18 – Montreal, QC @ Metropolis

On Friday, October 26, UNRegular Radio presents a night of fun and freaky music with four killer bands at McGann’s Boston. Get ready for the unpredictable, volatile, and the always weirdly satisfying:

Claudia Varona and the Phobia (pictured above) 11:15 pm – close
Strangers With Knives
Taxi Driver
Robot & the Wizard

McGann’s Boston
197 Portland Street
Boston, MA 02114

21+
8:30 Doors
$10 at the door, $5 at www.unregularradio.com/local-music-tickets

–The Deli Staff