We first found out about Detroit’s Jamaican Queens a few years back, after their debut album “Wormfood” fell into our inbox, and we in turn fell in love w the record (it ranked 2nd on our 2013 year end list!). Shortly after the record came out, their name appeared on Great Scott’s calendar, and we were fortunate enough to meet up with them a few weeks later when they came to town. We took the guys to one of our favorite spots, In Your Ear Records on Comm Ave., and filmed an episode of “Total Nuggets”.
Since then, we’ve been keeping a close eye on the band, and have continually been impressed by their captivating live shows, and their insane (usually pretty f’d up) music videos. Earlier this year we caught them at SXSW, and got a stiff dose of some new tracks from their latest album “Downers”, which dropped a few months later, and features some of the best album art work we’ve seen (cover design by Sweet Dick Will):
After diving into the album, it quickly became clear that this thing was a masterpiece. It was everything we loved about Wormfood, and then some. They’ve taken their sound to new heights, and beefed up their range by sprinkling in some different genres like the reggae infused “If You Really Loved Me”, and the industrial banger “Emo + Poor”. Lyrically, the album is just as bizarre and weird as we’ve come to expect from front man Ryan Spencer, yet the darkness that weighs on most verses, is often compliment by beauty, take “Love is Impossible” for instance:
Like a bird tricked by a pain of glass / I smashed through the window of your love
The band hit the road this summer in support of the record, including a stop in Boston for a show at The Sinclair. We kidnapped them in Providence the previous night, and kept them tied up in our basement until they played a few songs for us. Lucky for you, we filmed it all (not the kidnapping part)! Check out “Joe”, the first song from the session below:
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Album of the Week:
Back in April of this year I remember clearly listening to and reviewing Circa Waves newest EP, T-Shirt Weather. Now, the moment has come to review their full length, debut album, Young Chasers. Circa Waves was formed in 2013 in Liverpool, U.K. as a four piece, all-male, band. While we’ve heard this story before the one thing that differentiates this boy-band is their heavy influences from the New Wave era. What I usually notice with garage rock is that, in an album, the songs tend to blend together, and that there aren’t many differentiating qualities to the songs. However, Circa Waves managed to create a interest with each song that is unique. I would say a similar band to Circa Wave is Neon Trees, a band most known for their hit song, Everybody Talks. Currently on tour, Circa Waves will be coming to Boston on December 15th at Great Scott in Cambridge.
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Album of the Week:
As a fan of the band Lettuce, I was excited when I received their latest album, Crush. The band has definitely not disappointed with their latest release. The tunes are just as groovy and psychedelic as their last album, Fly. Crush grooves so hard and the arrangements are perfect, I would say this entire album is in-the-pocket. Adam Deitch is the drummer for Lettuce and I want to bring attention to him because he drives the music in every song. Between the drums, and bass, played by Erick “Jesus” Coomes, this album has a constant chug that energizes you and makes you move with the music. The musicians in Lettuce are top notch and deserve high recognition. Originating in Boston, Lettuce has been around for more than two decades, killing it on the stage and in the studio. The album is currently on pre-sale so do yourselves a favor and go get it.
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Song of the Week:
The unsigned band, A Yawn Worth Yelling, has recently released their first EP Play Pretend. This indie rock band doesn’t have much of an online presence however their music speaks enough for itself. Specifically, the first track on the EP, Start Somewhere. The ukulele kicks off this tune into the upbeat mood setting guitar riff. Even though summer is over you can definitely imagine yourself listening to this tune while chilling on the beach.
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Song of the Week:
Everyone knows Steve Martin as the funny-man from SNL, however, what’s not as known is his interest in music. As a banjo player, Martin has collaborated with Edie Brickell, a very successful singer-songwriter since her 1988 debut album, Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars. This duo’s second album, So Familiar, combines Martin’s relaxed banjo playing with Brickell’s soft and folky vocals. Won’t Go Back, is the fourth track on the album and probably the record’s most energetic song. The verses are just as catchy as the chorus on this track. What’s most interesting about the song is the electronic interlude. It’s an interesting addition to what would have been a more traditional folk arrangement. Check out this track and the rest of the album to be relaxed and to listen to non-intrusive banjo playing.
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Last we heard from our hometown psychedelic heroes Quilt, details of a new album were kept to a murmur as they debuted a few new songs during their set with us and ZUMIX this past July. Now, in the last days of 70° weather, Quilt have announced their first single in lieu of their 3rd LP, Plaza, to keep the warmth going just a bit longer.
“Eliot St.” is far from a sunny anthem though, finding singer/guitarist Shane Butler after a time “in which I found myself isolated from the city I had lived in for years, entered an emotionally rocky relationship which slowly disintegrated, and experienced my mother’s death.” Despite such sobering circumstances, “Eliot” only enhances Quilt’s penchant for lush, dreamy instrumentation, aided in part from Simon Hayes of Guerilla Toss’s work on strings.
Plaza will arrive via Mexican Summer on February 26th.
Well. Daylight Savings happened and now it’s dark before 4:30pm, prostate but who needs sunlight when Daephne’s new album is streaming on bandcamp? With pleasure, medical AP premieres the Boston-based bummer-rock band’s long-awaited, ailment 8 song-long full-length, called Full Circle. Featuring previously released singles including,”Sharpness is the Game I Play,” Daephne’s new LP makes us fall head-over-heels in love just in time for winter.
If you’re like me, and think their new sweeping, grungy sound would sound flippin’ amazing live, try to make their show at Ol Yeller, accompanying Run Forever, Puppy Problems, and Kitner next week on Thursday, November 12!
Fresh off a summer tour and with 2 EPs to its name, Dinoczar isn’t a new band, but its approach to today’s debuting single “Burnt Out” is that of a group that’s stepping into its own. Combining the trio’s familiar fuzzed-out progressions with echoing vocals and a thick layer of sludge, the track reveals the band developing a heavier, more complex sound for the 2016 release of album Sick Wind.
“This song, in particular, came from me wanting to write a Thin Lizzy riff,” explained drummer and vocalist Aaron Swartz. “I wrote the riff and the chord progression and then showed the boys one day. From there, we jammed it out until what it is today. There wasn’t much additional writing for this one and it all came kind of naturally.”
Check out the track below, then catch the band live at the Middle East Upstairs on November 5th, where they’ll be releasing “Burnt Out” on a limited edition cassingle with b-side “I Lost My Head.”
The question came from the same concertgoer that has been barking obtuse, ask slightly tipsy questions at bands all night. The room was chuckling during Bent Shapes as the questioner danced around the bar, price both middle fingers up high to no one in particular. King of Cats nervously fluttered around their heckles as he did with any morsel of stage banter. Mars from Aye Nako genuinely looked uncomfortable (and rightfully so) when they asked to touch his guitar, mid-set. But when the question of occupation was thrown at Joanna Gruesome, singer/guitarist Owen Williams barely took a chuckle-filled second to respond.
“Guitar shredder,”Williams offered, “professional guitar shredder. None of that part-time shit for me.”
If there was any uncertainty over the state of Joanna Gruesome in 2015, their set (including Williams’full-time confirmation) on Wednesday put the tough questions to eternal slumber.
Leading into Joanna Gruesome’s set, Boston’s own Bent Shapes opened with their brand of quirky guitar pop, envisioning a world where bands with earworm choruses can treat songs on the effects of social media without a trite “lol”or hashtag somewhere in the title.
Brighton-based (as in UK, not MA) King of Cats claimed the title of most beautifully divisive act of the night, creating fully palpable beats between the end of a song and nervous applause. The shock and awe laid mostly at the hands of brainchild Max Levy’s voice, which lands somewhere between the squeaks of pubescence and shrieking howls of a tortured spirit in pre-Halloween anticipation. Levy himself describes his delivery as “scratchy and yelpy”on his label’s Bandcamp, but adds that “scratchiness and yelpiness can be powerful and fun and pretty and horrible as much as regular beauty.” There’s credence to that belief and King of Cats truly shine when songs like “Ulcers”combine homespun indie pop with the horrible beauty of existence.
Brooklyn’s Aye Nako provided perfect contrast to the delicate King of Cats, abrasively charging through selections of this year’sThe Blackest Eye EP. Coming off of their phenomenal 2013 full-length Unleash Yourself, Aye Nako have shifted from snarky comments in a pop punky sheen to calculated, but necessary rage on Eye, their gaze now unquestionably focused on the current state of race, sexuality, and gender in society. It could’ve been the two busted tires they rolled into Boston on or the guitar strings that broke mid-set, but the undeterred urgency in their performance was on a nonstop build leading to closer “White Noise”. The Eye single offers a crass, but brilliant question to media’s coverage of race: “why cut out a cross section of our lives when I can wipe my ass with it?”
For the Gruesome uninitiated, Cardiff’s preeminent ambassadors of overly caffeinated jangle pop started the summer confidently with their sophomore LP Peanut Butter, a twenty minute blast of abrasively uplifting joy centered around Williams and Alanna McArdle’s sweetly interlocking vocals. Within a month of Peanut Butter’s release though, McArdle announced her departure from the group to tend to her mental health, splitting the vocal reins between Kate Stonestreet and Roxy Brennan. Although both singers are more than established in their own projects (Stonestreet fronts Pennycress, while Brennan has been a part of Trust Fund, Two White Cranes, and Grubs among many others), their US dates still had all the makings of a trial run for the (now) sextet.
Opening on Weird Sister favorite “Secret Surprise”, Greenstreet handled screaming their dreams of pulling out teeth, while Brennan took on the less sinister vocal work with Williams. Gruesome as a whole had their charm on full blast, giggling through banter on their fascination with Detroit and, yes, the occupation questioning. While one might gripe that the set ran relatively short at eight songs (five quick ones from Peanut, three from Sister), it’s damn near impossible to complain when they closed on an elongated version of “Sugarcrush”, featuring the six members (plus Levy from King of Cats) spread across the Middle East upstairs, bashing violent noise out of their respective instruments. Sure, “full-time shredders”are an admirable job title for Williams and Gruesome, but it takes a special band to make twenty-something minutes as inexplicably happy as a barrage of emojis tapped out on a sugar high.
For all photos from the show, check out our gallery below.
I’m not sure if it was the 18+ entry, the anticipation of Halloween in the atmosphere, or just genuine buzz for the evening’s lineup, but Great Scott was a frenzy on October 28 as four-piece Public Access TV took the stage, opening for Madrid’s own Hinds. Supplying the space with poppy tunes, punky vocals, and plenty of dancing college students, John Eatherly, Xan Aird, Max Peebles, and Pete Star– together, PATV– played hard for their fifth show at the Allston venue.
Vocalist Eatherly brought guttural yelps with an energy that any audience could get in on, and for Wednesday night openers, the crowd seemed to have no problem letting loose. Neither did the band, apparently, whose instrumentation sounded lax compared to the studio versions on songs like “Monaco,” and “In The Mirror” but not necessarily without. Their sound came together to form tunes that called to mind what might be playing at school dance in a teen movie from like 2003. In a good way.
Eatherly’s lax vocals on some songs weren’t as easy to swallow, though, and there were moments when he just sounded off-key and unintelligible. The band’s practiced but almost awkward blend of modern new wave and punk rock effectively masked that element of their performance, however, and their set successfully prepped us for the craze that Hinds’ performance was about to bring.
It wasn’t yet midnight when headliners Hinds jumped right into their surf-rocky set with obvious crowd pleasers like “Between Cans” and “Trippy Gum.” The Spanish-speaking quartet made it easy for the show to quickly spiral into a lo-fi free-for-all, egging the crowd on purely by exuding positive energy. In heavy but decipherable accents the band made the effort to precurse songs, including one “about a little plant,” and their set was rife with spirited but ambiguous cries in Spanish. But for the crowd at Great Scott that night, it worked. Hinds was feeding off the crowd’s aura just as much as the crowd was feeding off them.
Halfway through their set, after renditions of “Chili Town” and “Bamboo,” it became almost painfully obvious what Hinds’ setlist was missing. They just desperately need a straight-up jam song. When they’re jamming, Carlotta Cosials (vox, guitar), Ana Perrote (vox, guitar), Ade, Martin (vox, bass), and Amber Grimbergen (drums) can f***ing go off. And the spirit that comes with that kind of performance is what truly sets this group apart from any other garage rock band. So, it was no surprise that we saw at least three trusting crowdsurfers go up that night, and at least 20+ audience members (consensually) rush the stage, resulting in one, giant, zealous cover of Thee Headcotees’ tune “Davey Crockett,” and one Wednesday night well spent.
Ah, November: the semblance of Halloween regret lingers into the first week of the month. Then it’s family time, celebrating all that you’re thankful for while wanting to escape. “BUT MOM, I WANT TO GO TO THE ROCK SHOW,” you scream as your poor mother dishes up pumpkin pie to your racist extended family. You cram it down while dreaming of gigs-to come. Maybe you’ll fall in love with the girl at the rock show like Mark Hoppus. Maybe you’ll discover your new favorite band. Maybe you’ll just continue to live a life of dread, going to shows as a reminder that you are still alive and yes, there is beauty in the world. Whatever your motivation, we’ve got another handy monthly guide on some of the best shows in and around Boston this November. And that, my friend, is something to be thankful for.
You may have seen Bastien Vandevelde somewhere along the east coast this past summer playing drums on tour with Tall Juan, or maybe you’ll recognize him from this video ;). Today however, we’re stoked to introduce you to “Beastie VEE”, Vandevelde’s solo project.
The first single from the project, “Sungasm”, is a haunting, beat heavy track that was influenced by african beats, and his love for Marilyn Manson. It’s tough to see, but according to Vandevelde, he’s even wearing a Marilyn Manson t-shirt in the video.
“It’s my lucky shirt that I wear at every show. It’s one of my oldest shirt ever, it’s a christmas gift from my step mom when I was 11 years old. It’s an XL size, so you can imagine how it was on me at the time!”
The track was recorded (and filmed) at Motorbass recording studio in Paris, where Bastien used to work as an assistant to producer Philippe Zdar (Zdar also was the one who gave him the name ‘Beastie VEE”). Although he is only seen (barely) playing drums in the video, Beastie VEE plays all the instruments on the track, and uses backing tracks when performing live, so the video is a pretty accurate depiction of his live show.
In creating the video, Director Pierre Denis and Vandevelde used “strobe light apps” on the their iPhones to light the drum part, and Vandevelde filmed the eqq sequence in his apartment.
“I cooked an egg, and when I got the texture I wanted, I put it on a support and made it turn with my turntable, I filmed it from the top with my iPhone, OH YEAH ! extreme DIY …”
Check out the mesmerizing video below, and keep an eye out for his debut solo album “Beastie VEE”, which will be coming out soon.
The Darkness need no introduction, troche but for those who haven’t been paying attention since “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” a refresher might be in order. The Suffolk-based four piece, viagra sale fronted by brothers Justin and Dan Hawkins, shot to top of the charts in the early 2000s with their multi-platinum debut Permission to Land. Presenting a fresh take on glam and hard rock sensibilities, the band’s over-the-top sound, defined by Dan’s rollicking guitar work and Justin’s glorious falsetto, hit the pop motherload of being both easily approachable and endlessly infectious.
However, the band had difficulty following up this success. Their second album One Way Ticket to Hell… and Back, produced by legendary Queen collaborator Roy Thomas Baker, was incredibly ambitious (in some instances using 1000 instrumental tracks for a single song) but ultimately ended up quite uneven, and despite its platinum status failed to leave the powerful impression of its predecessor. In 2006, following a rehab stint and an increasingly tiresome press cycle, The Darkness split, with Dan and former members Richie Edwards and Ed Graham starting the band Stone Gods and Justin going solo.
Thankfully, this breakup proved short lived. In 2011, all four original members reunited, touring worldwide and releasing new material. It was the kind of move the cynical might assume was a desperate cash grab, but anyone who has seen them live can attest otherwise.Hitting the stage with the same bombast as they did in their twenties, The Darkness put on a polished and enormously fun show, celebrating the tracks that rocketed them to stardom while putting enough passion into the deeper cuts that the audience never feels like they’re just waiting for another hit. Beyond the excellent song selection and killer performance, their knack for stage antics is still there- the last show in Boston saw Justin climb across the balcony of the Paradise before jumping into the crowd and later sing a song as a fan carried him through the audience on his shoulders.
Earlier this year the band released Last of Our Kind, arguably their best record since Permission. While it’s predecessor, reunion album Hot Cakes, saw the band in fine form it often felt weighed down by expectation, lacking some of the vivacious flourish that the band is known for. On the other hand Last, which Dan produced and mastered in its entirety, has the band at their off-the-wall best – exploring new territory with a campy edge. There’s a heavier feel to a lot of the guitar work on the album, particularly on gripping album opener “Barbarian,” but the riff work is classic Darkness, with “Open Fire” and the title track proving to be serious earworms.
The Darkness will be playing House of Blues this Sunday, 11/1, bringing their Blast of Our Kind US tour to a close. We chatted to Dan ahead of the show about comeback albums, production methods and, of course, “I Believe in a Thing Called Love”.
Allston Pudding: I noticed for this upcoming Boston show you’ve been bumped up to a venue over twice the size (House of Blues, Cap: 2425) of the last time you were in town (Paradise Rock Club, Cap: 933). Would you say the band’s been on an upswing in general lately?
Dan Hawkins: Dunno, we’re a bit nervous about that! When we last played in Boston the guy said that we could have played there for two or three nights on the trot, tickets went so quickly. You never know what’s going to happen though, do you?
I think generally across America, it’s inching up. I’d say the last tour we did, the venues were averaging about 700 or 800 and now they’re averaging about 1000, so it’s gradually going up I think.
AP: Last of Our Kind is your second record since reuniting. Did you feel a bit more creative freedom on the album without this one being tagged as a “comeback album”?
DH: Yeah. God, it seems like we’re forever doing fucking comeback albums! It was nice to have gotten that last one out of the way and do something without any agenda. Definitely felt free. Felt like we could do whatever we wanted, which was exactly what we did.
AP: There were a few recurring historical themes on the album- some Norse, some medieval. What drew you to those influences?
DH: I think Justin’s always been interested in history. Particularly the history of East Anglia, which is where we’re from. It’s very rich in invasion stories, and so on and so forth. It’s very heavily invaded, East Anglia. They always seem to rock up there from over the water. So many battles and things that have happened over time. So yeah, it was Justin’s love of history, really. And an obsession with barbarism!
AP: You were the sole producer on the album this time around. How was that experience?
DH: Very cool. The main thing is, I had to mix the record at the end of it this time, so I paid more attention to the engineering side of it to make sure I wasn’t left with a massive turd to polish. So yeah, it went pretty well.
It was the most enjoyable and laid back record that I think all of us have ever made. We really rehearsed it a lot before we went to record it so no one was scratching their chins or wondering they’d done something good. We knew what we were doing.
AP: A lot has been made about the pretty crazy process recording One Way Ticket with Roy Thomas Baker. Would you say that working with someone with that experience on such a grand product, you learned some tricks that helped when you started producing?
DH: 100%, yeah. I was always interested in engineering and producing, and I had a studio anyway. Roy actually helped me finish building my studio, which ended up being a commercially run studio. He’s been a huge influence for me.
When we made One Way Ticket I was right there next to him for every decision, watching him. He’s very open with how he does things if he trusts you and likes you. So yeah, huge inspiration.
AP: Certainly in America, most people still know The Darkness for “I Believe in a Thing Called Love”. At this point in your career, does having the recognition of that one monstrous track still feel like a blessing, or does it weigh down on you a bit?
DH: Oh god, no! It doesn’t weigh me down at all! A lot of bands have one really enormous hit, but they still have a catalogue that their fans know. Thing is, they wouldn’t have reached a lot of their fanbase without that initial hit. So yeah, thank the lord!
AP: The Darkness’ live shows have always been known for their over-the-top quality. When you play, do you still actively think about stage presence, audience interplay, personal flourishes or has that all mostly second nature now?
DH: Definitely second nature now, I think. We’re not thinking of anything really; it’s hard to describe. Everything is happening so fast.
I guess it’s like when you’re on the dancefloor and you’re really busting some moves and you stop becoming self-conscious and you just dance and have a good time. That’s kind of what it’s like for us I think.
AP: Stone Gods- and it’s second album- have been on hold since The Darkness reformed. Is that a project you’re still interested in returning to at some point?
DH: Well, yeah. It’s funny I caught up with Robin Goodrich (the drummer for Bush and Stone Gods) in LA and he was chatting about it. We were like “god, if the day ever comes when Bush have a couple of years off and The Darkness have a couple of years off we’ll probably get together and do something.” To be honest, though, we’re both just very thankful that that’s probably very much pie in the sky. We’re both very busy at the moment!
AP: There was certainly a misconception around the first album from a lot of people that you were a parody band or something. Do you feel like over the years people have come on board with what you’re going for, or do you still experience some misunderstanding?
DH: Yeah… (chuckles) We still experience that. I think less and less, but I don’t think it bothers us anymore. It used to bother me, honestly. But I think people can make their own minds up. I don’t necessarily think that we get dismissed because of that. At least it’s something interesting! For people to not be sure is a good thing, I think.
AP: What’s next The Darkness after this tour?
DH: When we live Boston we’re flying straight to Australia for an Australian tour, then we go from Australia back to the UK to do the UK leg of the tour, then we’re taking the tour to Europe early next year, and then hopefully into Eastern Europe and South America and then we’ll be into festival season. So that takes us to the summer!
At some point within that time we need to write and record the next record. I think we really need to get it out next year. Coming back to your earlier question this whole thing of us constantly having to make comeback records because we leave it three or four years between albums is not good for us. We need to keep releasing; keep building what we’re doing. In that scenario we’re going to try and increase our output.
The Darkness will be playing House of Blues Boston this Sunday, 11/1. Tickets are still available here.
