REVIEW: Jens Lekman at Brighton Music Hall (3/15)

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By Tim Gagnon
Photos by Corwin Wickersham

There’s a classic anecdote about a man that seeks out a doctor for advice on treating depression.

After hearing out the man’s isolation and struggles, the doctor tells him to start treatment by seeing a great clown in town that evening. The man tears up, looking down as he says, “But doctor, I am the clown.”

Before any angry Watchmen fans attack the comment section, the story is most famously framed as a joke Rorschach tells of the clown Pagliacci, but the basic framework existed even earlier with European clown Grock acting as “the clown” in the early 1900s. In any case, if a modernization is in order, it might be worth replacing “European clown” with “prolific Swedish twee pop singer/songwriter/occasional wedding singer” if we’re considering Jens Lekman for the rewrite.

Lekman has spent nearly two decades capturing hyper-specific moments of Swedish winters, slicing his finger open in a kitchen prank gone wrong, acting as a beard for a friend upon meeting her ultra-religious father, and the existence (or lack thereof) of love more than a few times at this point. No matter how dire, absurd, or darkly funny a Jens Lekman story gets, the situation is often buoyed with a swarm of strings, world music samples, and bubbly guitars.

Still, as a long time fan of Jens’, a certain over-protectiveness of him formed and the five year wait between 2012’s I Know What Love Isn’t and this year’s Life Will See You Now became more worrisome than anticipatory. Interviews detailing his slight disappointment in Love, half-full venues of “fans” just waiting for the hits, and taking up work as a wedding singer seemed starkly personal even by Jens standards, but Life has the capability of being regarded as either his most pop-centric record or his most personal yet depending on who you ask.

If anything, openers Lisa/Liza’s atmospheric folk served as an achingly beautiful red herring to the rest of the night. Singer/guitarist Liza Victoria’s warble already carried the weight of wintry blues before she mentioned having to drive through the blizzard with the band earlier this week, even as trucks pulled off the road around them.

Although opening and closing on a similarly somber, acoustic note (“To Know Your Mission” and “The Cold Swedish Winter” respectively), Lekman’s set around Life aimed to live up to its name with one of the most life-giving productions I’ve seen all year.

Bringing his backing band on one-by-one to perform recent single “What’s That Perfume That You Wear?”, Lekman assembled a harmonizing, giddily dancing band in keyboardist Emelie Odelberg, drummer Julia Ivansson, and bassist Hanna Westberg. After Lekman soberly introduced “Evening Prayer” as a song about friends with cancer, the four piece managed to bring the album version’s disco vocalizations to new, surprisingly uplifting heights. Segueing songs with Chairmen of The Board samples and mock-proposing to an audience member at the requisite point of “I Know What Love Isn’t”, Lekman himself seemed to be flexing his wedding singer status to a playful extreme, relishing the sold out crowd’s loud singalongs to the month-old Life songs.

Closing the set pre-encore to album closer “Dandelion Seed” provided a moment of meditative reflection for the band, letting the raucous Brighton Music Hall mellow with string samples. Lekman’s eyes remained closed, but a thin smile formed as the crowd interrupted to beg for more songs.

While there are plenty of disconnects, miscommunications, and hearts left precariously on sleeves in Lekman’s lyricism, Lekman himself appeared far less like the eternally emotional songwriter on Wednesday night and more like the celebrated performer that he’s practically always been, unable to stop smiling even in a moment of meditation.

For more photos from the show, check out our gallery below.

TRACK PREMIERE: The Solars – “Potter’s Field / Dockery”

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By: Jenny Usovicz 

Local band, The Solars premiere their new song “Potter’s Field/ Dockery” off their forthcoming EP, Retitled Remastered, out April 21st. The Solars would also like to announce that they will be playing a free show at The Red Room at Cafe 939 Thursday April 20th with Aüva and BEARD. The band will go on a mini-tour to promote their album. 

See them at Cafe 939 Thursday 4/20, Doors 8 PM, 18+.  

VIDEO PREMIERE: Daniel Tortoledo and Lill Martinez – “Dark Times”

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by Jackie Swisshelm 

Brooklyn-based Daniel Tortoledo hopes to find a light in “Dark Times,” the latest folk rock effort from the American-Venezuelan songwriter. The song premieres today accompanied by a mesmerizing music video created by illustrator and printmaker Lill Martinez, and serves as the first single off of Tortoledo’s upcoming LP, Throughout the Years.

The song starts with just Tortoledo’s vocals: Bob Dylan-inspired, in a nasally/youthful kinda way, glazes over quirky lyrics. A funky, distorted bass line then bellows clearly. A hi-hat shuffles, and arbitrary piano keys ring out. A moment later, solid guitar riffs and a harmonica. On “Dark Times” Tortoledo finds psychy, anthemic folk rock in random, layered sounds. He finds something sacred in the mundane. And sometimes, the mundane is the accidental striking of keys while cleaning an old piano. This time, Tortoledo has turned it into art.

But the audio is truly just half of the story. For this release, Martinez created a moving, hand-drawn panorama that absolutely brings the Tortoledo’s song to life. The work gives some of the seemingly aimless sounds— perhaps piano keys— a visual direction, with both experimental and literal interpretations made from mixed media. The artist uses delicate but bold lines and psychedelic imagery, along with the pace of an extensive frame-by-frame panorama. It’s completely hypnotizing.

See/listen for yourself in the video below. 

TOUR PREVIEW: Narrow/Arrow & Notches

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By Allston Pudding Staff

 

Making the move from Ohio to the New England seacoast, Narrow/Arrow is now taking on a mini tour with New Hampshire’s Notches. Narrow/Arrow combine beautifully intricate instrumentals and soothing vocal tones to make for a reflective experience. At times, vocalist/guitarist, Cody Nicolas, utilizes two guitars at once, filling in all of the sonic space.

Enlisting Alex Bourne (Lilith) as their touring drummer, Narrow/Arrow will kick off the tour tonight at 3s Artspace in Portsmouth, N.H. and end it here in Boston on March 19th at Zuzu.
 

Allston Pudding: How did the idea of utilizing two guitars at once, come about?

Cody Nicolas: Essentially one thing just evolved from another. I didn’t play both of them at the same time originally, I’d play the guitar around my neck for most of the set. Then switch guitars, sit down, and play with a guitar resting on my lap. Eventually I got annoyed with having to sit, and the “c-clamp it to a piano stand” idea was born. Then one day a buddy says, “why don’t you get a Morley switcher and play them at the same time??” Annnnd voila…

AP: Did your move from Ohio alter the way that you perceive music communities?

Nicolas: Mostly just affirmed to me that musical communities can be found and started really almost anywhere. With how easy it is to network with each other these days, you really just need a couple of creative heads who want to make something happen.

AP: How did this tour with Notches come to be?

Nicolas: We’ve had a band crush on Notches for couple years now, it was really only a matter of time before we started courting. Hopefully this spring break together will bring us closer and our courtship will blossom into a lifelong obnoxiously romantic relationship.

3/11- Portsmouth NH @ 3S Artspace
3/12- Worcester MA @ Distant Castle 
3/13 – Brooklyn NY @ Alphaville
3/14 – Philadelphia, PA @ Pharmacy
3/15 – Richmond, VA @ Church Of Abe 
3/16 – Lancaster PA @ Fruition Collective 
3/17 – Washington DC @ Slash Run
3/18 – Bloomfield CT @ Bloomfield Pizza
3/19 – Boston MA @ Zuzu

 

 

EP PREMIERE: Cowboy Boy – ‘Princess’

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By Lauren Moquin

By Elle Dioguardi

When you’re among good friends, everything comes easy. Cowboy Boy stands as a steadfast example, made up of Olivia Maria and Mike Nevin (Saccharine, Leaner), two Allston friends who have come together to release a pop punk EP that bites through confession with clarity. The EP titled , Princess, packs cathartic realizations that peel away self image and  come to terms with reality versus expectation. The EP summary could easily come down to Maria’s line in “DREAM DREAM DREAM” where she spills, “I used to think that I was cool because I don’t ever take shit, but lately taking shit from you is really all I do and I’m so sick.”

You can check out Princess and get to know the band below, before they join Katie Ellen and Chris Farren at The Middle East on March 23rd. Tickets are $10 in advance/$12 at the door and it’s an all ages show.

 

Allston Pudding: How did you meet?

Olivia: Mike and I met through mutual friends in 2012 and have been good friends ever since but we didn’t start making music together until 2015 when I wrote the Cowboy Boy stuff and he was my first thought when I wanted to make an album with somebody. 

Mike: We met outside of a coffee shop in Summer 2012 and immediately became very close friends. I always looked up to her as a performer and singer, so when she asked me to help with fleshing out some ideas for a new project of hers, I was immediately excited.

AP: How does this project differ from your other bands?

Olivia: This was the first thing I made that didn’t feel like it had to fit into a particular genre before I made it. This was also the first thing I’ve made and fleshed out outside of a band setting which is really different from prior projects where someone else did 99 percent of the writing so it feels kinda weird knowing I don’t have someone else’s words to hide behind. 

Mike: For a long time, I’ve been very used to writing songs/most of the arrangements for bands that I play in. This band has been my first truly collaborative project and has been an incredibly refreshing and rewarding process. Olivia brings me incredibly written songs and my duty is to help make my vision for them match hers. It’s a very good feeling to be able to see eye to eye in a creative setting with someone, and we understand each other very well in that sense.

AP: What sets a Cowboy Boy from a Cowboy?

Olivia: I’ve never met a real cowboy before but I have a feeling that my twinkly band of Allston basement dwellers and actual cowboys are one-hundred percent the same. 

Mike: I always picture a cowboy as like the Kid Rock song and a cowboy boy would prob just be a smaller version.

AP: How do Elle DioGuardi’s visuals play out the feel of the band?

Olivia: The best way I can explain it is that Elle’s visuals are what I had in my head when I wrote this album. Elle has the ability to understand and perfectly execute my ideal visual aesthetic for this project and that’s why Elle is a part of the band the same way Mike and I are. 

Mike: Elle is one of my favorite visual artists and her work has definitely inspired a lot of my creative work. 

 

REVIEW: The Radio Dept. and Germans at BMH (3/7)

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By Tim Gagnon
Photos by David Kinchen

I don’t envy the bands of my teenage years.

I adored them as much as a person with a life experience confined to New England and a wardrobe dominated by Catholic school uniforms possibly could, but envy? Absolutely not.

The music of teenage years usually remains in amber as we age, the attached experiences conjured up whenever we come across old love letters from an ex, forgotten photos, and all the other bullshit paraphernalia we keep from high school.

The distance in taste forms as we grow; our lust for memories and romanticism in music dwindles. We replace juvenile heart-wringing with more robust desires like emotionally stable lyricists or completely innocuous music altogether. For a time, The Radio Dept. were the type of band so deeply entwined with my high school years, they seemed destined to be boxed up with the rest of my teenage angst.

For starters, they’re a solitary dream pop band from Sweden, ensuring an air of mystery and a certainty that I wouldn’t see them until my mid-thirties (if ever.) Their songs are the impassioned declarations for the painfully shy, where a lustful gaze could set heaven on fire and a terrible taste in music is a cardinal sin. Singer Johan Duncanson’s distant coo is almost always lovelorn, whether he’s caught up in ‘90s nostalgia or Sweden’s immoral right wing government. Throw in the band’s penchant for buzzing guitars and tinny drum machines and you’ve tapped into something dangerously wistful in the hands of a teenager with a penchant for falling asleep on roofs while stargazing.

As of May, I’ll be about three years shy of my high school’s ten year reunion. My teenage self wouldn’t have been able to comprehend the fact that I was seeing The Radio Dept. finally, but I imagine he would’ve similarly debated whether to sway or earnestly dance to “Teach Me To Forget,” the closing track on last year’s Running Out Of Love.

Meanwhile, Duncanson is practically begging for his memories to be erased on “Forget” over a four-on-the-floor beat, his regrets serving as the culprit for killing his band’s nostalgic leanings. Part of me can’t shake the daydream of everyone’s seventeen year old selves in attendance also standing in the back of the club, itching the x’s on their hands, pleading in confusion over Duncanson’s divorce from obsessive memory. Then again, “Forget” is the kind of move a band looking to transcend their much-documented emotional angst would make. In its place, a new, fuller personality emerges, one that doesn’t shy from being outwardly political and wearing their lo-fi house influences front and center.

Following Brooklyn duo Germans’ lounge-y disco introduction, The Radio Dept. crafted a setlist that was equal parts Love-fest and career-spanning retrospective, including a few surprise deep cuts. The inclusions of b-sides “The New Improved Hypocrisy” and “Death to Fascism” were obviously received well amongst the four piece’s obsessive fanbase. Bookending Love’s dancier tracks “We Got Game” and “Committed to the Cause”, Clinging To A Scheme single “David” made for a nice mid-show realization that The Radio Dept. probably always has had a dance-ready quality to their sound.

Even more revelatory, the band’s political side has (quietly) always been a subject in their lyrics, but Duncanson seems to have become cheekier in addressing it (he sarcastically quipped that “Game” is about “how much we love the police”)

Encoring with two of their oldest fan favorites (“1995” and “Why Won’t You Talk About It?” from Lesser Matters) feels customary for a band that seldom tours the States, but the packed-in Brighton Music Hall seemed as eager for the Love material as they did for the encore.

Maybe it’s pessimistic, but I inevitably expect even more distance to grow between myself and my teenage idols as I drift further into my twenties. It’s inevitable and I’m alright with it so long as a few of them defy expectations and maintain their relevancy. For now, as long as The Radio Dept. continue passive-aggressively goading cops and writing perfect dream pop songs, I’ll be open to the occasional rooftop nap under the stars.

For more photos from the show, check out our gallery below.

Setlist:

  1. Sloboda Narodu
  2. Committed To The Cause
  3. We Got Game
  4. David
  5. Never Follow Suit
  6. The New Improved Hypocrisy
  7. Bus
  8. Running Out Of Love
  9. The Worst Taste In Music
  10. Heaven’s On Fire
  11. Death To Fascism
  12. Swedish Guns
  13. Teach Me To Forget
  14. Occupied

Encore:

  • 1995
  • Why Won’t You Talk About It?

The Mystic Arts Collective: Creating A Multi-Purpose Art Space in Somerville

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By Harry Gustafson
 

Courtesy of Mystic Arts Collective

 
Somerville is blessed with vibrant musical talent showcased each Spring with Porchfest, when local residents host live sets of all kinds on their front steps. There’s also JamSpot, which has provided a local spot for bands to hone their sound since its opening in 2003. Now, a new team of artists and musicians is setting about creating a new rehearsal space on Mystic Ave near Sullivan Square. Known as the Mystic Arts Collective, the space will be a multi-purpose arts venue. While there will be plenty of music going on, there will also be an emphasis on supporting other facets of Boston’s artistic scene, including dance, painting, theatre, poetry and much more.
 
Currently, the team is seeking crowdfunding help for the project. Now 18 days after the start of their GoFundMe campaign, the group has nearly reached its initial goal of $4,250, the required amount to sign on and reserve the space. Once they hit that figure, they’ll have to raise a further $8,800 for the down payment on the building. Ronnica, one of the team members who has been instrumental in getting this idea of the ground from the start (and a member of local band Mint Green), said, “This idea has been in the back of my mind for a long time. Since many venues in Boston are 18+, 21+, or just not a safe space for LGBTQ+ people, women, or minorities, it’s always been a dream of mine to create a fun, and inclusive venue for all ages.” When Devin Utah posted pictures of the space to the Boston DIY Community group on Facebook, they quickly heard from Ronnica, and a crew was assembled to help realize the vision. Soon, they had added Jess Schmid, another local musician from the band, Ozlo, to help with the preliminary organization and Luke Paulino in an accounting role to keep track of the expenses and figuring out ways that the team can make rent once the space opens up. 
 

The rough breakdown on the GoFundMe page lists the first floor as an event space for concerts, plays, art galleries, classes and more. They’re working on constructing a stage to help with this performance aspect. In the basement, there will be a band rehearsal area and shared studio space. Finally, the second floor will hold four 14×14 studios for rent, plus a shared kitchen area that will surely come in handy during those late night recording/jam sessions!
 

Courtesy of Mystic Arts Collective

 
Once Mystic Arts Collective opens up, they have big plans for its possible uses: “[We] see it also being a resource for people who need a space for community meetings/discussions, cooking classes, painting lessons, poetry readings, literally anything. We want it to be multi-purpose and flexible. Currently, however, we’re on the hunt for an artsy business, organization, startup, or non-profit to rent out the second floor.” There is a clear emphasis in this project on supporting the creative output of the community, so if you’ve got an idea and need a space, then you should absolutely reach out to the team by sending a message to mysticartcollective@gmail.com. You can also send inquiries by filling out their Google Form. 

REVIEW: Thundercat and Zachary Fox at The Paradise (3/3)

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By Tim Gagnon
Photos by George Greenstreet

“They said, ‘you’re going to a white city,” Zachary Fox said during his stand-up set, recalling a friend’s assessment of Boston.

The preeminent Twitter personality had just wrapped up a short DJ set that, against all odds, found connections between Usher’s “Confessions, Pt. 2”, Pretty Ricky’s “Grind With Me”, and Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles”, but his depiction of a Boston Uber driver asking if he wanted to listen to rap felt painfully on the nose.

“I thought he was gonna put on Future, Migos … he put on ‘Rap God’ by Eminem.”

Fox’s trip also got recounted to his 51,000 followers, probably furthering Boston’s oft-perceived paleness to the rest of the world, but the line between relevance and … well, whatever adjectives you’d use to describe an Uber blaring modern day Eminem on a Thursday night didn’t seem to apply to Thundercat.

To be fair, the bass virtuoso/singer’s latest record, Drunk, is a masterclass in merging chill with absolute cheese. Whether Thundercat (aka Stephen Bruner) is losing his wallet and ripping drunken farts at the club (“Captain Stupido”) or putting forth the smoothest song to feature Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald in at least a couple decades (“Show You The Way”), he delivers each curveball of personality with confidence and vision. Thundercat led off with lengthened meditations of his back catalog, including a thunderous combination of “Tron Song I” and “II,” that kept the set relatively subdued (or, y’know, as ‘subdued’ as Bruner’s playing can get) until Drunk highlight “Friend Zone” dialed into Bruner’s party-ready side.

Given Thundercat’s social standing stems largely from his scattershot collaborations with the likes of Kamasi Washington, Erykah Badu, and Suicidal Tendencies, his set gave fair homage to his vast friend group. A few lines of Flying Lotus’s “MmmHmm” bookended a song here, the band jammed on Kendrick Lamar’s “These Walls” and “Complexion” elsewhere, but the casual allusions received some of the most uproarious responses of the night.

That’s certainly not to say Thundercat’s catalog doesn’t hold its own; a song like set closer “Oh Sheit, It’s X!” perfectly captures Bruner’s immediate likability live. Playing off the dual meaning of “ecstasy,” “X” puts Bruner’s immature humor up against a disco track, bringing out some of his most syrupy bass lines as he shuffled around the stage in tattered socks and sandals. With an incredibly versatile outfit following his every fusion-y/disco-influenced whim and his most personality-driven record out now, Bruner’s heady showmanship somehow became even more singular on this tour.

Now if only the Uber drivers would catch on…

For photos from the show, check out our gallery below.

TRACK PREMIERE: Vasudeva – “Doner”

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By Lauren Moquin

 

 

The beauty of instrumental music is within its power to portray something beyond words. Vasudeva describes their sounds as Tycho meets Death Cab For Cutie, but the sonic quality is something that both bands have yet to reach. The fluttering guitar riffs amongst the synth and forefront percussion, quickly move the sound to the big picture.

The New Jersey locals and high school pals wrote their upcoming album, No Clearance, while they were on tour in Europe in 2014. After a long stretch of time taken to tweak and experiment, they are ready to share the album on March 31st. Vasudeva recently played with Boston locals, Lilith in Brooklyn, but we are hoping to catch them in town soon with the new tracks in hand.

Today, we are premiering “Doner”, a track off of No Clearance, which will be released on March 31st via Skeletal Lightning in the U.S. and Friend of Mine in Japan.

While we wait for Vasudeva to come through Boston again, check out their Audiotree session below.