If It's Too Loud...

Rapper, singer, producer, musician, OG Lowell music scene supporter, and holder of probably a dozen other titles D-Tension has a new Christmas single out. "Broke for Christmas" is a honky tonk style country song about being broke for Christmas. It's a fun song that takes on a pretty serious struggle many are going through this year. It sucks you in with humor, and while the song is truly funny all the way through, the listener is going to be left thinking of how rough this particular Christmas is for many of our fellow people. I believe this might be D-Tension's first foray into country, and he totally nails it.  You can listen to "Broke for Christmas" below. The song is available via Bandcamp . For more on D-Tension, check out the artist on Instagram and Facebook . Broke For Christmas by D-Tension

Friday saw the release of TELL's new album, Life in Reverse. It also saw the band play a killer quadruple bill of local bands that included D-Tension and the Secrets, The Daylilies, and Charming Arson. It was one of those nights that was jam packed with shows, but after going to this one I had zero FOMO. Charming Arson were the only band I was completely unfamiliar with going into Friday night's show. To me they seemed like a band that formed in college back in the 90's and played the on campus pub a bunch as well as every house party. And one that never broke up and played when the members could all make it work out. That isn't meant as a dig, because the result was pretty great. They're a solid alt-rock band that were having a bunch of fun on stage and might have had the most dedicated fans of the night. TELL played next, and as much as I like Life in Reverse , I absolutely loved their live show. Live they had an unexpected ferocity, and the new songs have a compl...

When I first heard about The Town & City Festival happening in Lowell, MA, I assumed it would be limited to local Lowell area bands, and maybe a Boston band or two with Lowell ties. "A Fall Celebration of Music and Art in Lowell" just gives off a local vibe. When the line up was announced yesterday, to say I was pleasantly surprised would be a huge understatement. There are some local artists playing (Arlen, D-Tension) but there are some huge favorites of ours, also. Playing are "new" favorites like Kingsley Flood and Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys. But somehow the festival are legends Edo G, Damon and Naomi, and Kristin Hersh (!?!?!?!?!!!). And they are throwing in a bunch of artists that we always see listed and mean to check out but never quite get around to it (Abbie Barrett, Analog Heart, Frank Morey, Oldsoul). Of course, there are more to be announced, but you can check out the current line up on the poster to the left. The Town and The C...

An...interesting week. The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dram : Album of the week is almost certainly the new release from The War on Drugs. It has a late-1980s alternative rock vibe to it in some areas, but many of the songs, most notably "An Ocean In Between the Waves," are subtle earworms. This is absolutely an album to watch, this could end up being a breakout effort. Foster the People - Supermodel : Sometimes if you can't say anything nice, it's best not to say anything at all. The album unfortunately feels like a bunch of Torches b-sides while the rest of the indie and alt-rock world moved along a bit. Nothing about this screams immediacy or innovation, which is unfortunate. Skip this one. Kylie Minogue - Kiss Me Once : People can keep Madonna. As far as I'm concerned, Kylie Minogue is who I'd probably take in the "pop stars with four decades under their belts" sweepstakes. With that said, it is...strange for any older woman to be do...

Ten years ago, Boston rapper/producer/ex-WFNX dj D-Tension had a conversation with Aaron Perrino of The Sheila Divine and Dear Leader , and came up with the idea for Secret Project. Secret Project  is an album produced by D-Tension featuring vocals from many Boston area indie rockers. The idea is about to become a reality, with the video for the first single, "Can You Stand It," being released. With vocals by Ad Frank, it's a synth and keytar heavy song with a cool, fun groove. It definitely makes me want to hear more, especially since the rest of the album includes tracks featuring Aaron Perrino, Alex Stern of Big D & the Kids Table , Kevin Stevenson of The Shods , Stephie Coplan , and more. There's also a Kickstarter to help finish the album which also contributes to the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Definitely check it out!