Alison Clancy - Psycho Tyko

A lot of releases are considered diverse, but Alison Clancy's debut release, Psycho Tyko, truly is. Originally from Nevada City, CA, Clancy now resides in NYC where she dances for The Metropolitan Opera and performs music with her band. The best way to describe her music might be that it's a more poppy version of trip hop, but that barely scratches the surface. You would expect any music described as "a more poppy version of trip hop" that includes synths and post punk guitars would be pretty danceable. And you'll want to dance to it, but you might not be able to figure out how to, exactly. Her songs are filled with scratchy guitars and awkward, uncomfortable beats. A song like "ET Phone Home" starts out like a pretty standard alt-pop song, but by the time Clancy's vocals kick in, the song has twisted into a dark corner that pop music never touches. "Tried2CallUButIDidntHaveUrNumber" is a post punk disco song that could almost get played on top 40 if it didn't make you feel so creepy. That might be the best way to describe her music: Almost pop if it didn't make you feel weird about everything.

You can listen to "Tried2CallUButIDidn'tHaveUrNumber" below. For more information on Alison Clancy, check out her website and Bandcamp.

Spirit Family Reunion - "Goin' Out to Cannon Ball"

Depending on your media outlets of choice, you may or may not be aware of the situation in North Dakota right now. There protesters are attempting to protect Native American lands (and the drinking water used by Native Americans in the area) from having an oil pipeline built by the Dakota Access oil company. Regardless on what side you land on, there have been some pretty disturbing and violent images coming from the standoff, with a militarized police force using rubber bullets, pepper spray, attack dogs, and fire hoses to attempt to disperse the crowd.

Spirit Family Reunion are on the side of the protesters. They've written and recorded a song to show solidarity with the protesters, with all proceeds going to support them. "Goin' Out to Cannon Ball" is written completely about the standoff, and is really a good old fashioned protest folk song. A lot of songs try to be a little too artsy with their lyrics about social issues, but "Goin' Out to Cannon Ball" is more like Crosby Stills Nash and Young's "Ohio" where there is no question as to the subject matter. The opening lines are "Up in North Dakota where the old Missouri runs / Morton County police carry military guns." It's an important, powerful song in a time where there are shockingly few.

You can watch the lyric video for "Goin' Out to Cannon Ball" below. To purchase a copy of the song with all proceeds benefiting the Camp of the Sacred Stones, head over to Spirit Family Reunion's Bandcamp. You can also donate directly at www.sacredstonecamp.org.

Live Shows: Letters to Cleo and Weakened Friends, Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA 11/19/16

Letters to Cleo is the band I've seen more than any other. It's somewhere around 25-30 times by now. This weekend I realized that I've been going to see Letters to Cleo shows for over half my life now, which is just ridiculous. But they're a band that I used to go see multiple times in one week, including a few back to back nights, so when I haven't seen them for 8 years, there's no way I'm going to be missing a show. You add in Weakened Friends as the opener, literally the band I was hoping would open the show, and it's just an added bonus.

I figured rolling into the venue around 8:30 (15 minutes before showtime) would be perfectly fine. Most people there are going to be 35 and up, we have kids, need to get sitters, and all that. It would probably be a rare night out with people getting dinner before the show, so nobody is going to get there until just before Letters to Cleo go on. How many middle aged people will show up early for an opener they don't know? Looks like I forgot how rabidly dedicated the LtC fanbase is, especially after not seeing the band for 8 years. I ended up getting there just as Weakened Friends took the stage and the Paradise was just packed. Ridiculously packed. The great news is that Weakened Friends took the stage to an almost full house. I don't know what percentage of the crowd knew them before they started, but they won over everybody before it was done. Playing in front of a packed and receptive house is much better for any band than the last time I saw them, and Weakened Friends shone. The band members looked like they were having a blast, and songs like "95" and "I Don't" are becoming absolute epics. Granted, for a band that's around a year old four months is a huge chunk of time, but their growth in that time has been almost immeasurable. Expect huge things from them in the next few years.

Next, for the first time in almost 8 years, Letters to Cleo took the stage in their hometown of Boston. It would be almost impossible for them to fuck up a show in front of a crowd this devoted. Of course, LtC have always been an amazing and fun live act. In their time off as an active band, all members have just become such expert musicians that they really are far more tight than they have any right to be. They opened with the usual "Demon Rock" and mostly stuck to the classics. They did squeeze in three songs from their just released (and surprisingly good) EP Back to Nebraska, but mostly stuck to the oldies everyone wanted. They stuck with a setlist that very closely resembled their Live From Boston album (recorded 8 years earlier in the same room), but threw in just enough surprises to keep it fresh. "Get On With It," "Step Back," and "Co-Pilot" were some of my favorite surprises. In fact, "Get On With It" ended a three song mid-set acoustic mini-set with just Kay Hanley and Michael Eisenstein playing, until the rest of the band rejoined for the end of "Get On With It." They also broke out their cover of Scruffy the Cat's immortal "You Dirty Rat." "Here & Now" and "I Want You To Want Me" were played, of course, since they are the biggest hits, after all. Closing with fan favorite "Rim Shak" was the perfect choice. Let's hope this short series of shows is just a warm up for a more active 2017 for Letters to Cleo.

First Listen: New Releases for November 18

We're starting to hit the end of the year doldrums in terms of releases. There are a few more solid weeks coming up, though.

Artist: Justice
Album: Woman
Quick Description: The indie dance act with their latest album.
Why You Should Listen: Indie electronic dance music is sort of a thing right now.
Overall Thoughts: People love Justice, and with good reason. For me, they've never quite connected, and I don't know how this album sits in comparison to anything else they've done, but this is a perfectly good representation of what Justice is in my brain. The songs are catchy, the beat good, and that's all I was looking for. Will it be enough for you, though? That, I don't know.
Recommendation: A good listen, might not be great for longtime fans.

Artist: Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats
Album: A Little Something More From...
Quick Description: An EP of some odds and ends following their breakthrough this year.
Why You Should Listen: This is probably closer to what you want from this band.
Overall Thoughts: Not a ton to say about what is basically a b-sides collection in any other era, but there is a lot of great stuff here that delves more into the rootsy aspect of what makes this band great. Absolutely worth it for fans, and might be a good entry point for those who weren't turned on by "S.O.B."
Recommendation: A great quick listen.

Artist: Various Artists
Album: Let All The Children Boogie: A Tribute to David Bowie
Quick Description: Does what it says on the tin.
Why You Should Listen: Because these tribute albums, always hit-or-miss, should typically get a shot. But it's for a good cause, which matters.
Overall Thoughts: The Ted Leo song is great, the "Lady Stardust" and "Ziggy Stardust" takes are solid, but this might be more of a hardcore fan effort than anything else. In terms of tribute albums, this is fine, but I can't say I got a TON out of it in the grand scheme of things. Fun fact, though: local-ish children's author/illustrator Jarrett Krosoczka did the artwork for the cover!
Recommendation: Worth at least one listen.

Artist: Zach Jones and the Tricky Bits
Album: Rendezvous With a Comet
Quick Description: Standard indie rock without pretense.
Why You Should Listen: There's nothing else like it this week, and Jenny Owen Youngs guests on a track.
Overall Thoughts: The Jenny Owen Youngs link is what turned me onto this, and the result is a good but not amazing EP from a group that has a lot of potential. Come for "Mushroom Suit," stay for the rest, and keep an eye on this one.
Recommendation: Worth a listen this week.

Artist: Our Girl
Album: Normally
Quick Description: Indie rock EP with a little PJ Harvey and a little 1990s grunge.
Why You Should Listen: The most interesting release of the week.
Overall Thoughts: I preface this by saying it's not perfect. It's also only four songs and not nearly long enough, and I really want to know what Our Girl can do with a full album. For now, we have songs like "No Big Deal" that really scratch a few specific itches for me. There's a quality to this that feels familiar but still really off-center and awkward, and sometimes the best music can come from that.
Recommendation: A top recommendation this week.

Artist: Royal Teeth
Album: Amateurs
Quick Description: Singer-songwritery indie pop.
Why You Should Listen: Ingrid Michaelson-esque music is your thing, but you wish there was more Of Monsters and Men to her stuff.
Overall Thoughts: I should love this. As it is, I only kind of like it. It's maybe too polished, and it's not weird enough, but I can see this really breaking through into something big. Keep an ear on this one, but this might not work for everyone.
Recommendation: A tentative recommendation.



Also out this week:

* Wildheart - Shine
* Metallica - Hardwired... to Self-Destruct (it sounds like Metallica, and that was enough for me.)
* Little Mix - Glory Days
* Prateek Podar - Walking in My Sleep (solid if unassuming folk)

Arlen - "Rescue Me"

It's been just over two years since we've shared anything from Lowell, MA's Arlen with you. Just last week, they shared the first song off their upcoming album. According to a Facebook post, the band was actively trying to put out a better album than their last. Judging by "Rescue Me," they might have pulled it off. "Rescue Me" is an absolute epic while still being grounded in the pop side of alternative rock. Arlen knows that melody isn't always a bad thing, and "Rescue Me" ties Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness era Smashing Pumpkins into Placebo. Not to mention there's a killer guitar solo towards the end of the song that the band never even hinted at in their previous songs. 

The new album from Arlen, Negatives, is due out in the next month or so. You can listen to "Rescue Me" below. For more information on all things Arlen, you can check them out on Bandcamp and Facebook.

Monday Mix: The Whole Shebang!

This week's Monday Mix is a guest playlist from the hosts of The Whole Shebang, a minute-by-minute podcast about the cult glamtastic 1998 film that starred Ewan McGregor and Christian Bale, among others. Hosted by Jenny Anckorn (writer, Untaken and Mike Grasso (of blog-recommended podcast Hold My Order, Terrible Dresser), the podcast deconstructs Velvet Goldmine minute by minute, delving into the culture and politics of the era as well as whatever else might come up. They're currently in the mid-90 minute mark, so you have plenty to catch up on. The playlist reflects some favorite songs from the movie, from the era, and so on. As someone who had his T. Rex phase not too long after this movie came out, I'm looking forward to throwing this playlist on later today.

The podcast updates on weekday mornings, and you can find them on their website, on Facebook, and on Twitter!

Friday Freebie: Boston Sessions Vol. 1: Beast

Seeing as we love free music and all aspects of the Boston music scene, Boston Sessions Vol.1: Beast is a big deal for us. The Record Co. is an incubator for the Boston music scene. Boston breeds musicians in all genres of music and has an insanely large college population. The Record Co. is looking to reestablish Boston as a leader in the music industry, by promoting bands that call the city home and getting younger people involved in the scene. We're all for that, so be sure to check out their compilation that you can download now for free via Noisetrade. It reminds me of the compilations of the 90s, Like Tonnage or DGC Rarities: Vol 1. It has the entirety of Boston represented: hip hop (Michael Christmas, STL GLD, Dutch ReBelle), indie rock (Palehound, Pile), pop (Ruby Rose Fox), Americana (Julie Rhoades, Tigerman WOAH), and more. Plus, these are all new and exclusive songs made for this compilation.

You can download Boston Sessions Vol. 1: Beast via Noisetrade. If you're interested in The Record Co. and want to learn more, check out their website.

The Empty Page - "Wardrobe Malfunction"

The Empty Page have timed the release of the video for the third single off their new album, Unfolding, with Trans Awareness Month. "Wardrobe Malfunction" was written to show solidarity with and support for their friends in the trans community that have suffered abuse, both verbal and physical. For a pretty heavy album, "Wardrobe Malfunction" is the heaviest track of the bunch. The most brutal aspect of the song is singer Kel's voice. Alternating between talk-singing and flat out screaming, she is the highlight of the entire song, with her cracking voice showing her full anger at the subject matter. While it's being compared to L7 and Bikini Kill, The Empty Page are a bit more pure rock than those bands and remind me more of The Gits.

You can watch the video for "Wardrobe Malfunction" below. You can order the song or the whole album of Unfolding over at The Empty Page's Bandcamp. For more on The Empty Page, check them out on Facebook.

Sallie Ford - "Get Out"

Photo via Facebook

We've been following the career of Sallie Ford since before this blog existed, so anytime we can bring you new music of hers, we're pretty excited. "Get Out" is the first song released from her upcoming album, and the first with a new ensemble of musicians backing her. It's a pretty straightforward retro rocker, but it still has Ford's trademark bluesy growl. For such a basic rock song, "Get Out" just feels heavy and dark. The new album deals with Ford's struggles with anxiety and depression, as well as band breakups and wanting to quit music. This isn't exactly a party time album, but few truly great ones are.

Sallie Ford's upcoming album, Soul Sick, will be released on February 10 on Vanguard Records. You can pre-order it now via PledgeMusic, along with some great extras (house shows, original artwork, hanging out with Sallie Ford in Portland, etc.) For more information on Sallie Ford, be sure to check out her website.

No Sun - "Drown In You"

No Sun might be the very first band to come out of Salt Lake City that I've ever heard. Their new song, "Drown In You," is being compared to both grunge and shoegaze, but I'm really not hearing that. What I hear in "Drown In You" is more of a late 90s, post grunge alternative sound. At least, it has those hooks and pop sensibilities that came during that time. But this song is more distorted than most things released during that time period. As in way more distorted. There are some sounds that sound almost like when home demos tapes (or ultra lo-fi albums) used to warp a bit. It's odd because this sounds too well produced to be tape flubs, but it hits this odd little nostalgia button for me that I didn't know even existed. It creates this great mixture of early 90s DIY noise with late 90s power pop.

No Sun's debut album, If Only, is due out on January 20th via The Native Sound. You can listen to "Drown In You" below. If Only is available for pre-order in digital as well as black or pink vinyl formats over at Bandcamp. For more on No Sun, check them out on Facebook.