Thurston Moore - "Mx Liberty"

Photo via Facebook

A lot of Thurston Moore's post-Sonic Youth work has been on the mellower side. With his new single, "Mx Liberty," that is changing in a big way. "Mx Liberty" is the heaviest Thurston has been in years, Twilight excluded. It's an incredibly punk sound, but not in the way Sonic Youth could be considered punk. His guitar playing will always sound like his guitar playing which will give off a certain Sonic Youth vibe. But it's... different this time. He hasn't played with this sense of urgency in decades. It's a heavier, crunchier sound to it, and the riffs are simply ferocious. Plus, the vocals are somewhere between chanting and shouting, giving off an almost hip hop feel. This is the most interesting thing Thurston Moore has recorded in a long, long time. According to the label, the song is "... a punk rock broadside to the current man-boys of the USA government in response to their mockery of democracy," in case you were unaware of Moore's feelings on the current U.S. government.

You can listen to "Mx Liberty" below. It will be released as a 7" on February 19 (President's Day, not coincidentally) through Blank Editions. You can get your copy here. For more on Thurston Moore, check out his website.

Gray Bouchard - Dedication Songs

Salem Wolves are known for their blend of bombastic, arena rock ready rock n' roll/punk anthems. You would assume that when their lead singer, Gray Bouchard, released a solo album, it would be more on the quieter end. You'd be right with that assumption, but this isn't your typical rock/punk frontman releasing an album of introspective acoustic songs. Instead, Dedication Songs still has a large sound of less heavy but still big, earnest songs. It's almost as if Billy Bragg took over U2 for an album in the 90's. "Nothing From Nothing" starts off the album with some quiet music box tinkering but builds into this huge power ballad. "You're No Better" might be the angriest power ballad of all time, with it's jerky rhythm and Pinkerton style confessional vibe. "Chasing After Honey" has a distinct 80's pop vibe, like a more rootsy Rick Springfield. There's enough of Salem Wolves's make up on Dedication Songs to satisfy their fans, but Gray Bouchard reaches out enough to bring in a whole new audience. This album can't be recommended enough.

You can listen to the album opener, "Nothing From Nothing," below. Dedication Songs is available now via Bandcamp. For more on Gray Bouchard, follow him on Facebook.

Luke Reed - "I'm Dreaming"

Luke Reed records the kind of bedroom pop I miss from the 90's. While his other bands, Bent Shapes and Mini Dresses, release more energetic rock, his solo material is decidedly more chill. It could be that he does record at night in his Somerville, MA bedroom, but the results are a style of dreamy pop music with summery vibes, which we could use in New England right now. His latest single, "I'm Dreaming," fits this perfectly. It sounds like the kind of music that would be playing in your head while you're in that dream filled haze between being awake and asleep. 

You can listen to "I'm Dreaming" below. The single is available for free via The Native Sound. You can get your copy over at Bandcamp. For more of Luke Reed's music, check him out on Soundcloud.

FACS - "Skylarking"

Photo by Zoran Orlik

Bad news, everyone. I just discovered that Disappears are no more, and that this happened roughly a year ago. The good news is we now have FACS, which is comprised of three members of Disappears: Brian Case, Noah Leger, and Jonathan van Herik. The new grouping has put out a first single, "Skylarking." Much like with Disappears, FACS is not going to be for everyone. It's extraordinarily sparse for a rock song, falling squarely into the "art rock" category while still maintaining a song structure. There's something very uncomfortable about "Skylarking." Despite how quiet it is, there's a disconcerting feeling of anxiety throughout the song. It's building this odd anticipation, which never quite fully pays off. There are a couple of moments when it feels like the whole thing might finally explode into chaos and noise, but, if anything, it seems to implode in upon itself. Like I said, not for everyone, but truly great stuff for those of us into it.

You can listen to "Skylarking" below. Negative Houses, the debut album from FACS, will be out March 30 on Trouble in Mind. For more information on FACS, check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

Caroline Rose - "Getting to Me"

Photo by CJ Harvey

Over the past couple of years there have been a bunch of folky/Americana artists switching up their sounds to varying degrees of success. The biggest change in sound has been Caroline Rose. Her follow up to 2014's country leaning I Will Not Be Afraid has all but abandoned that album's sound, at least from the two songs we've heard so far. Instead, we've been treated to her fantastic new DEVO meets the Beastie Boys crazed frenzy of a sound. The third song from LONER, "Getting to Me," goes back to the previous album's feel. It's not quite as Americana sounding, but compared to "Soul No. 5" and "Money," this song might as well be a Hank Williams cover. It's a ballad that's definitely not country or folk, but has the feel of both. It makes me wonder how it's going to fit into the rest of LONER, and which Caroline Rose will dominate this album.

You can listen to "Getting to Me" below. Caroline Rose's new album, LONER, will be out February 23 on New West Records. It can be pre-ordered here. For more on Caroline Rose, check out her website. Her current tour dates are below the link.

Fri. March 2 – Woodstock, NY @ The Colony *
Sat. March 3 – Pittsburgh, PA @ The Smiling Moose *
Mon. March 5 – Columbus, OH @ Rumba Café *
Tue. March 6 – Lexington, KY @ Cosmic Charlie’s *
Thu. March 8 – Athens, GA @ Caledonia Lounge *
Fri. March 9 – Savannah, GA @ Savannah Stopover Music Festival
Sun. March 11 – Macon, GA @ Creek Stage
Wed. March 14 – Sat. March 17 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
Fri. March 23 - Austin, TX @ Antone’s #
Sat. March 24 - Dallas, TX @ Dada #
Sun. March 25 - New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa #
Tue. March 27 - Nashville, TN @ The High Watt
Wed. March 28 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Thu. March 29 - Asheville, NC @ The Mothlight
Fri. March 30 - Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
Sat. March 31 - Washington, DC @ Songbyrd
Tue. April 3 - Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade
Wed. April 4 - Boston, MA @ Great Scott
Thu. April 5 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brendas
Fri. April 6 - New Haven, CT @ Cafe Nine
Sat. April 7 - South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground Showcase Lounge
Fri. April 11 – Buffalo, NY @ Buffalo Iron Works ^
Sat. April 12 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern ^
Sun. April 13 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Pyramid Scheme +
Mon. April 14 – Kalamazoo, MI @ Bell’s Eccentric Café – Back Room +
Tue. April 15 – Indianapolis, IN @ Hi-Fi +
Thu. April 17 – Davenport, IA @ Redstone Room +
Fri. April 18 – Chicago, IL @ The Hideout +
Sat. April 19 – Detroit, MI @ El Club +
Sun. April 20 – Toronto, ON @ The Dakota Tavern +
Sun. April 21 – Toronto, ON @ The Dakota Tavern +
Fri. May 18 - Gulf Shores, AL @ Hangout Music Festival
 
* = co-headline with The Nude Party
# = with The Weeks
^ = with Marco Benevento
+ = co-headline with The Go Rounds

David Wax Museum Cover Ben E King

We've been pretty gushing in our undying love for David Wax Museum around here, as well as the fact that we both love cover songs. Those two loves seldom, if ever, meet, so we we're thrilled to finally bring you a cover song by David Wax Museum. In order to raise awareness for the Winter Walk 2018, which raises awareness of Boston's homeless population, David Wax and Suz Slezak have recorded a version of Ben E King's beyond legendary "Stand By Me." It's quite possibly the most covered song of all time, but with good reason: I don't think I've ever heard a bad version of it. David Wax Museum do a wonderfully faithful version of the classic, or at least as close as you can get with just an acoustic guitar, fiddle, and two voices. It's a one shot video, filmed outside with the duo in a single take. Obviously, a must watch for any fan of music, really.

Normally we'd post the video for David Wax Museum's cover of "Stand By Me" below, but we'd prefer to make you go to Winter Walk Boston's website for that. Plus, there are a bunch of other videos there with some of our favorites like Kingsley Flood and Bridget Kearney. For more on David Wax Museum, check out their website.

First Listen, Part Two: More New Releases for January 26

Artist: NADINE
Album: oh my
Quick Description: Weird artsy folky stuff.
Why You Should Listen: It's going to be different than most of this week's releases.
Overall Thoughts: An interesting folkish release this week that kind of came out of nowhere for me. Nadine has an interesting voice, and the songs are well-crafted on a whole. My criticism is that there’s nothing here that makes this record stand out the way similar albums from Bedouine or Julien Baker did last year. It needs to stand out more, and this doesn’t quite get there. Don’t skip this if you like the folkier stuff, but you may end up wanting more.
Recommendation: Worth your time.

Artist: Silvia Kastel
Album: Air Lows
Quick Description: Weird, Peaksy electronic music.
Why You Should Listen: You're looking for a challenge.
Overall Thoughts: I don’t have a lot to say about this one, except as a fan of the esoteric electronic stuff this absolutely scratched my itch in this area this week. If you’re looking for more challenging electronic music this week, check it out.
Recommendation: I really liked this, you might, too.

Artist: Turin Brakes
Album: Invisible Storm
Quick Description: Latest from the new era British rockers.
Why You Should Listen: Turin Brakes have been consistently solid for nearly two decades now.
Overall Thoughts: I’ve been a fan of Turin Brakes for close to 20 years now, and the band’s evolution from a folk-rocky duo to seemingly a full-band making radio-friendly music is still a little jarring. This latest release is another in a line of this tonal shift, but truly works better than anything they’ve done since Jackinthebox. Some quality tunes here, and a sound that feels like a band that has found its footing between the old and new.
Recommendation: A solid listen.

Artist: Ben Miller Band
Album: Choke Cherry Tree
Quick Description: Folky roots stuff.
Why You Should Listen: You're looking to stay on the straight and narrow musically this week.
Overall Thoughts: The rootsiest of the roots stuff this week, Ben Miller plays the authenticity card with his band on this one to good, albeit predictable, results. A good listen, but I do not get any sort of impression that I’d be reaching for this again right away, especially with a Steep Canyon Rangers album around at the same time.
Recommendation: Very good, but inessential.

Artist: Dumptruck
Album: Wrecked
Quick Description: First album in 20 years from this local act.
Why You Should Listen: It's modern whole still feeling like the era they came from.
Overall Thoughts: A longtime Boston act, what is interesting to me as someone new to the band is how they don’t sound like what you might expect a Boston act to sound like. We have standard indie rock trappings here, and there are some interesting sounds here, but it ultimately just made me curious about what I’ve missed all these years before I can really compare it to anything. A solid listen that may be a good entrypoint to folks like me.
Recommendation: Listen to this.

Artist: Calexico
Album: The Thread That Keeps Us
Quick Description: Latest from the country-tinged alt-rock act.
Why You Should Listen: Calexico is a solid band worth an effort.
Overall Thoughts: I saw Calexico open for Wilco once upon a time, and I’ve always generally liked what they do even though it’s never quite become my favorite. This new album keeps to its roots in many ways, but there are some choices here that were a little off to me. Part of it is expectation, for sure – what I come to a Calexico album for is not entirely here, but it’s more that the way their sound has expanded doesn’t totally work out here. Longtime fans may appreciate the result here, but as a more casual listener there’s plenty for me to reach for this week instead.
Recommendation: Not for everyone, and not a good starting point.

Artist: Django Django
Album: Marble Skies
Quick Description: Genre mashups galore from this British act.
Why You Should Listen: This is weird and wonderful.
Overall Thoughts: I always forget how much I enjoy this act at the end of the day, and this was as fun as their previous stuff and perhaps moreso. An interesting mix of modern and older styles, this was a solid listen in a busy week.
Recommendation: Not much to say, but it's a solid listen nonetheless.

Artist: Beechwood
Album: Songs From the Land of Nod
Quick Description: An interesting act with a unique sound.
Why You Should Listen: You're looking for something different but accessible.
Overall Thoughts: A retro-sounding act that uses a lot of reverb and feels like they don’t belong in this era at all, yet making a share of interesting choices that didn’t always work for me. I understand the desire to get loud, but it seems unintentionally abrasive more often than not. The total package isn’t something I was fond of, so be careful on this one in a busy week.
Recommendation: Be wary.

Artist: Matthew Stubbs and the Antiguas
Album: Matthew Stubbs and the Antiguas
Quick Description: Instrumental psych rock from a Boston-area act.
Why You Should Listen: Nearly my album of the week.
Overall Thoughts: I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. I'm not a big fan of instrumental rock music, and Matthew Stubbs is set out with that knowledge about many music fans as his mission to convert us. For me? Yeah, he did the job so well that I immediately looked up his tour dates and got disappointed that I'll be out of town when he's 10 minutes down the road. Listen to this album - you'll be surprised at worst and his newest fan at best.
Recommendation: One of the best releases of the week.

EPs:

* Jane Blanchard - Enemy
* Blushing - Weak

Also out:

* Hollie Cook - Vessel of Love

Buffalo Tom - "Roman Cars"

Photo via Facebook

As anticipation builds for the March release of Buffalo Tom's first album in seven years, we have a second song to check out from it. "Roman Cars" is a Chris Colbourn sung song, and it's a bit more mellow than "All Be Gone." Most of Colbourn's songs do tend to be on the more mellow side than Bill Janovitz's songs, so that's not a surprise. It's also a bit more mellow than classic Buffalo Tom, but it's far from easy listening. It's the kind of alternative rock song that musicians from the 90's should be aging into. And that's not a bad thing. 

You can listen to "Roman Cars" below. Buffalo Tom's new album, Quiet & Peace, will be out March 2 on Schoolkids Records. You can pre-order your copy here. For more on Buffalo Tom, check out their website.

First Listen, Part One: New Releases for January 26

The record labels are trying to take us out early with all these new releases, guys.

Album of the Week:

Artist: Dream Wife
Album: Dream Wife
Quick Description: Solid alt-punk.
Why You Should Listen: It's a lot of fun, and is modern while still feeling familiar.
Overall Thoughts: “Let’s Make Out” kicks this album off in a fun, angsty way. The full album doesn’t quite keep up tonally with its kickoff, slipping into more of an alt-rock role as opposed to a more accessible punk sound, but that’s not a bad thing at all, as it's easily the best, most fun thing out this week. The album ends up being a pretty solid listen I’m looking to jump back into, and even if the full package doesn’t do it for you? You’ll likely find a few solid takeaways.
Recommendation: Album of the week, worth a listen for everyone.

Artist: The Spook School
Album: Could It Be Different?
Quick Description: New album from a poppy, peppy indie act.
Why You Should Listen: They sound like some of the bands you already love, but better.
Overall Thoughts: The best way I can describe this is that The Spook School are a band that I envision Los Camposenos as in my head. Los Camposenos is always a little odd and off-kilter, while this has a similar tone and sound to it while having a much more accessible and mainstream sound. There are hooks for days here, and, on first listen, it’s one I’m absolutely looking forward to getting back to.
Recommendation: A must-listen this week.

Artist: Vincent Van Gold
Album: Box of Light
Quick Description: Deer Tick drummer branches out.
Why You Should Listen: You're a fan of Deer Tick and interesting indie music.
Overall Thoughts: A side project from the drummer for Deer Tick, this is sort of a not-quite-folk-but-not-quite-rock release that is just left of center enough to be an interesting listen even if it’s not the greatest thing ever. I enjoyed this listen well enough, and there’s enough Deer Tick in here to appeal to those fans while still being different enough to have different appeal, but this may ultimately be an acquired taste.
Recommendation: Not for everyone.

Artist: The Prefab Messiahs
Album: Psychploitation Today
Quick Description: Newest album by the somewhat-well-known psych rock act.
Why You Should Listen: This is like a party in musical form.
Overall Thoughts: Holy retro rock, Batman. This may as well be an album that’s straight out of psych rock AM radio. The songs are catchy, the music is classic, and the album is pretty much here to party. Not much else to say about it – if you’re looking for that album that is just going to take you straight to a prior era, fire this up.
Recommendation: Give this a listen.

Artist: The Steep Canyon Rangers
Album: Out in the Open
Quick Description: Steve Martin's cohorts with their own album.
Why You Should Listen: They're good even without Steve Martin.
Overall Thoughts: Sans Steve Martin, the group becomes a much more traditional act with less wit but the same amount of charm. It’s really, really solid bluegrass and one of the best of the week, but I can also see people being less interested if Martin isn't involved. Don't be that person.
Recommendation: Instead, enjoy one of the best early rootsy records of the year.

Artist: Colette Savard and the Savants
Album: Colette Savard and the Savants
Quick Description: Another independent folky album.
Why You Should Listen: You're looking for something safe and familiar.
Overall Thoughts: Some folky independent stuff that will likely be a familiar sound to those of you who listen to most of what we highlight here. This is a very solid, straightforward independent folk-leaning record, but in a busy week, it’s not going to be the most essential listen.
Recommendation: It's good, but not amazing.

Artist: Mary Gauthier
Album: Rifles and Rosary Beads
Quick Description: Longtime folky is back with a new album.
Why You Should Listen: She has decades of experience that shows she's worth a listen.
Overall Thoughts: Another traditional folk album this week, it has a starkness that I didn’t expect, although it’s not the same sort of stark as, say, Gillian Welch. For me, I thought this was fairly nice, but it sits in a weird middle ground where it’s a little too traditional to feel fresh, but too deliberately empty sounding to grab me. This will work for a specific audience, but it’s one I might not really be part of.
Recommendation: Might work for you, give it a shot.

Artist: Jesse Marchant
Album: Illusion of Love
Quick Description: Interesting, heartfelt country-tinged music.
Why You Should Listen: You don't want miss this album this year.
Overall Thoughts: I feel like Jesse Marchant is where Jason Isbell might have ended up had he taken a slightly different path in his alt-country adventure. There’s a rich quality to this with the added ethereal soundscapes that seep through, and it creates a sound both familiar and foreign. While it may be a quieter listen than you might be looking for, it more than makes up for how low-key it is with the interesting choices made throughout. Sure to be one of the more underrated releases of early 2018.
Recommendation: Nearly album of the week, very good.

Artist: Family Pet
Album: Petty
Quick Description: An indie release we missed last year.
Why You Should Listen: You like a little fuzzy, lo-fi stuff.
Overall Thoughts: One from last year and produced by Colleen Green, and it definitely has her fingerprints all over it. An interesting listen in that it has the raw, lo-fi punk energy you’re looking for in a lot of ways, but likely doesn’t have the sort of staying power you’d expect. In that much of its novelty comes from the production of the record, it’s not one I see changing the world, but it’s a fine listen on a whole.
Recommendation: A good listen if you have the opportunity this week.


EPs:

* Rabbit! - Bestest of Friends (the most adorable act in indie rock is still killing it)

Also out:

* Ampline - Passion Relapse

Hop Along - "How Simple"

Way back in 2015 Hop Along's Painted Shut was my #2 album of the year. Now almost three years after the release of that album, we're finally getting new music from the band. "How Simple" is exactly what we want from Hop Along. It starts out as upbeat, pretty music with Frances Quinlan's voice bouncing between being pleasant and then being harsh to the point of almost being grating. There's a slightly off tune guitar swirling along in the background behind her voice that is basically what heaven should sound like. By the time you get to the gang chorus at the end, you'll be wondering how we ever survived as a species for three long years without new music from Hop Along.

You can listen to "How Simple" below. Hop Along's new album, Bark Your Head Off, Dog, will be out April 16 on Saddle Creek. You can pre-order your copy on Bandcamp. For more on Hop Along, check out their Facebook.