Boston duo Happy Little Clouds will bring their insanely catchy brand of indie-rock to the Lazy Dog August 18th. Though the band hasn’t officially released any new music since late 2010, their debut homemade demo still sounds fresh and exciting. “Somebody Help Me Forget” sounds like a sadder version of The Turtles’ “Happy Together,” and “Femme Fatale” combines jangly indie-rock guitars with pop star-like vocals courtesy of singer/songwriter Jac Mestel. Undoubtedly, Happy Little Clouds will be testing new material at the Marlboro venue, so take this opportunity to catch one of Boston’s up and coming bands. Check out “Somebody Help Me Forget” streaming below. – Josh Johnson

Frighten up your summer afternoon with a ghastly good record from The Wicked, a gypsy-inspired gothic punk duo from Salem, Massachusetts. Their debut full-length album, “Never Trust the Dead,” out August 9th, shows the duo’s improved compositional maturity, expanding from the two-instrument elegies that defined their demo EP “In Front of My Eyes,” and blossoming into hard-boiled noir nuggets set to a two-step percussive feel. Emerging single “Elevator” forces dancing feet into motion with a happenin’ swing feel and modern punk squeal, while deliciously haunting vocal melodies twist and soar over the top like flying snakes. Do not miss this record, and keep an eye out for the locals on tour. – Dean Shakked

Last week, Maine’s two-piece rock band Lit on the Flash released their latest full-length record. The self-titled follow-up to their 2011 debut “Revolution Time” is stacked with memorable hooks and crisp vocals. Combining a 70s classic rock sound with a modern indie rock feel, the band seamlessly blends the old with the new. Lit on the Flash will be touring throughout New England, which will help provide an outlet for all the spontaneous air guitar you’ll undoubtedly be playing after listening to the record. The tour continues with a show in Portland at Big Easy tomorrow, July 28th. The band’s new album, “Lit on the Flash” is streaming below. – Josh Johnson

This artist submitted their CD for review here.

Four-piece rock band Aloud’s summer tour will bring them back home tomorrow, July 27th, with a show at T.T. the Bear’s Place in Cambridge. The band will follow that show with an appearance at the KahBang Festival, held in Bangor, ME August 9th-12th. The shows may include new material from the prospective follow-up of their latest full-release, 2010’s “Exile.” Since “Exile,” Aloud has released a few non-album singles, including 2011’s “The Cash and the Pearls,” which features an all-time great opening line: “Ever wonder why they hate you?” Check out Aloud tomorrow night live, and listen to “The Cash and the Pearls” streaming below. – Josh Johnson

Burlington, Vermont’s Myra Flynn released her first music video on June 12. The simple, black and white production is a perfect backdrop for the heart-wrenching, spare track. Its three scenes document the aftermath of a fight between two lovers with Myra literally and figuratively picking up the pieces of… the broken relationship? her broken heart? a little of both? Whichever the case may be this is a beautiful piece of cinema. Watch the video on Vimeo:

https://vimeo.com/43861960

. -George Dow

Sand Reckoner’s self-titled debut full-length release is as genre-bending as anything they’ve done to date. This three-piece, Boston-by-way-of-Pennsylvania band has been making a name for itself in the psychedelic indie underground but their debut proves that they are much more than a throwback to the late sixties and early seventies. Sure, there are healthy doses of Crazy Horse, early Pink Floyd and Blue Cheer, but there’s also an equal measure of Thurston Moore (of Sonic Youth) and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (minus their trademark irony). Each track moves deftly from one influence to another while remaining a cohesive piece of work. The record opens with the rolling, bluesy “Shooting Bullets”, their most Zeppelin-esque track, moving on to the Neil Young influenced “Morning Star”, an acoustic guitar and harmonica-centric ballad. “The Darkest Dye” could be a lost track from The Band, while “Flesh and Bones” is the bastard child of Jon Spencer and Jack White. And here we are, not quite halfway through the record. Later in the album “Terror in the Massanutten Part I” is a surf-rock, spy movie theme song custom made for driving fast with the windows down. The Thurston Moore influence makes its first appearance on “The Deserter” and sticks through the rest of the album. It is most welcome in “No One’s Veil”, a nearly seven minute trip through all manner of psychedelic influences—call and response verses, guitar noise breakdowns, Pink Floyd-ian, dreamy “woo-ooh” choruses. Many thanks to Sand Reckoner for providing the template for a modern psych revolution. Hear it for yourself at Sand Reckoner’s Bandcamp page. -George Dow

For their 6th, ONSLO drop a bite-sized bomb of post-punk, prog-rock goodness. While channeling equal parts King Crimson and Mars Volta, most of the seven tracks clock in at two minutes or less, an amazing feat given the denseness of their songs. As with all of ONLSO’s releases, it’s difficult to tell if the band is dead serious or completely filled with irony. Tracks like “Can You Beat Up A Murderer?” and “I ♥ My Golden Retriever” are delivered with bombastic, wrenching choruses. Their instrumental tracks resemble classical fanfares filtered through the mind of a 12-year old punk rocker. At the end of the day it matters little whether ONSLO are utterly sarcastic or wholly earnest since the songs they deliver are so completely original and filled with hooks. You’ll find yourself leaving this ten minute EP on repeat just to keep the goodness going.

Download A Taste Of Purple at http://onlso.bandcamp.com. -George Dow

Hip-hop artist Caliph set the stage on fire during his performance at The Middle East Downstairs on Friday, June 1. Hailing from New Bedford, MA, Caliph brings a rare combination of energy, excitement and raw talent to each of his performances, and this show was certainly no exception. While the bill for the night consisted of more than ten Boston-based artists—including one dance company—Caliph proved to everyone in attendance that the Whaling City deserves to be represented in Boston.

Caliph’s air-tight flow and super-fast rhymes were only out-shined by his on-stage antics. It was tiring just watching him as he moved about the stage. Jumping up and down, running back and forth, spinning around with arms out-stretched, it was more like watching an aerobics class than a rap show.

In addition to the killer performance by Caliph, I was impressed by the on-stage collaboration and the genuine interest that each artist showed in what the other performers were doing. I have never seen such enthusiasm and respect from one artist to another. Usually, you go to super-hip “indie” shows around the city and everyone is too concerned with themselves to pay attention to the other acts. At one point, every performer on the bill (plus several of their closest friends) was up on stage, dancing and singing along to the choruses of whoever happened to be performing at that moment in time.

Overall, this was an excellent performance and I will certainly be keeping an ear out for what Caliph will be doing next. –Daniel McMahon

There is something magical in the display and rendering of nostalgia. The Dying Fall’s LP, Driftwood, channels nostalgia from every pore and every crevasse. The album plays as a myriad of send offs: homages to lost loves, depression, childhood, teenagers. Even the overall background sound of the album sounds old. The Dying Falls create a unique, but very familiar underground sound. The title track “Youth Goes Bad,” plays like a dusty old Talking Heads album cut. Throughout Driftwood, there is a strong underground presence very similar to the kind shown in the eighties. Echoes of Sonic Youth and The Pixies are spread across this album, “Old Prisoner’s Song” in particular seems to have crawled right out of 1987.

There are several songs that feel unique simply to The Dying Falls. “The Sun Shines For Everyone (But Not For Me),” sounds wholly original. The most spontaneous and loudest track (in terms of original identity) would be the album closer “Injury.” “Injury” clicks right off the bat, and the sound that comes off this song, needs to be duplicated in later efforts by The Dying Falls. Driftwood is an album of nostalgic and underground charm.–Casey Lowrey

The plan was to meet the guys from ONSLO at The Dirty Douglas in Lowell and chat before their set. I fell in love with ONSLO after reviewing their 2011 EP, Quartumdimensio AEdificium, with its utterly crazy melding of Weezer, Descendents, and Frank Zappa (I know… it feels strange even typing those bands in the same sentence).

Ethan warned me that “it’s kind of a DIY space” when he gave me the address. I drive by the address once, then twice, then again a third time…

Click here to read the rest of George Dow’s interview with ONSLO.

One night when living in the dorms, by some stroke of misfortune, I strayed from the usual cast of characters only to find that they, for once, had adventured into the basements of Allston. They detailed, this one Sunday in particular, one of the greatest nights, set to live music. Of course, I was nowhere to be found that evening.

I was mystified. Was it true? What kind of music, in Allston, was being produced, that could capture the hearts of your average, Lady GaGa-worshipping, college girls? The heroes of my musically disinterested friends? Bearstronaut.

Click here to read the rest of Madi Silvers’ review of Bearstronaut.

The Doctors Fox’s second album Handful of Laughs is an incredibly distinct and varied album. Few of the songs ever follow the same root; Doctor’s Fox throw away semblance of consistency to the wind. This lack of consistency would derail many other bands in the genre. Yet, Doctors Fox succeeds in this regard. Handful of Laughs is filled to the brim with an incredible sense of whimsy. A childish sense of silliness runs through the album, it is virtually inescapable not to smile a little at the clever string section, or the roundabout vocals.

Handful of Laughs never really seeks to set any defining musical roots. Genre swapping is the name of the game for this record, but it’s done well and sincerely. If there was any theme that was able to survive throughout the album, it would be the string section. The strings provide what can only be described as a long, slow, country twang to the album. This is definitely an album to check out for those looking for something that doesn’t stick needlessly to conventions, those looking for a straight rock and roll record, should look elsewhere. –Casey Lowrey