The Daily Pravda brought a touch of glam-laden Britpop to Somerville. They closed out a night at Precinct that celebrated the release of their new Dead House EP.
Parlour Bells – “O Holiday” @ Precinct 5.11.2012
There has been a lot of Parlour Bells coverage up on the site this week. We had a live video from their recent Precinct show of their noir-pop gem, “You Don’t Wear That Dress, The Dress Wears You.” We also had photos from the show. Now it’s Parlour Bells Bonus Time.* Here’s a video of their set closer, “O Holiday.” The sound is a little crispy at times on this one, but it’s such a vibrant performance it deserves to be shared.
*Patent Pending
The Dirty Truckers – Tiger Stripes (2012)
The Dirty Truckers
Tiger Stripes
2012
Has it really been four years since the last Dirty Truckers release? Dang. No matter. The important thing is that The Dirty Truckers are back with a new EP, Tiger Stripes.
The ‘Truckers manage to pack all of their trademarks into this 18 minute collection. Guitars run ragged, driving bass lines and lyrics that hit a little too close to home can all be found within these six songs. “Stranger In Disguise” kicks things off. It’s one of those barn-burners The Dirty Truckers do so well. “Human Contact,” “Feedback” and “Arms Length” trade a little bit of the opener’s rambunctiousness for bigger hooks, proving it’s not all about being rockingest bands in the land.* “Not That Into You” and “Just Run Away” mine the alt-country territory the band often flirts with. The former is nicely augmented by some well arranged backing vocals and a subtle organ part. The latter features a Vibra-Slap. You can’t go wrong with a Vibra-Slap.
Where to get it:
* Their recent show to celebrate the release of Tiger Stripes suggests their still in contention for that title.
Parlour Bells @ Precinct 5.11.2012
Parlour Bells’ first show since their fantastic Rumble appearance did not disappoint. The band brought the same spark that impressed so many people during last month’s main event into Precinct last Friday night. A couple of quick notes before we get to the pics…
- The band played a brand new song called “Bachelor Hours” which contains the most fabulous St. Patrick’s Day related lyric ever.*
- The interplay between guitarist Nate Leavitt and guest saxophonist Joel Endinberg during the noir pop of “You Don’t Wear That Dress, The Dress Wears You” is so, so good.
* The band posted their “Bachelor Hours” performance to YouTube so you can hear for yourself.
Parlour Bells – “You Don’t Wear That Dress, The Dress Wears You” @ Precinct 5.11.2012
Here are Parlour Bells melting the walls at Precinct with a smoldering rendition of “You Don’t Wear That Dress, The Dress Wears You.”*
*It’s almost as if Parlour Bells and Eddie Japan were having a longest song title contest at this show.
Eddie Japan @ Precinct 5.11.2012
The dapper gentlemen of Eddie Japan put on a wonderful show last Friday. Their timeless lounge-pop numbers played well against the red-curtained backdrop of Precinct (check out this video of “You Will Find Me Dead In My Comfort Zone” for proof). Of course, their timeless lounge-pop numbers play well just about everywhere.
Crooked Streets @ Precinct 5.11.2012
Crooked Streets came down from Salem to open a night at Precinct. These guys are tough to pin down. They flirted with everything from dark new wave melodies to bursts of Superchunk-style energy. I’m glad they made the trip.
Black Fortress Of Opium – Stratospherical (2012)
Black Fortress Of Opium
Stratospherical
2012
Black Fortress Of Opium have crafted a weighty work with Stratospherical. The record opens ominously with “Blood Diamond”. The song features dynamic guitars* and bombastic drums supporting Ajda The Turkish Queen’s haunting voice. We stay immersed in this Led Zeppelin meets Siouxsie And The Banshees world on “Afyonkarahisar Battle Cry”, this time adding mandolin and a melodic bass line to the mix. “Blind” brings lush vocal harmonies to the fore.
Stratospherical branches out a bit at its midpoint. “Right Around Here” parts the dark skies with an indie-pop arrangement that would be tagged as upbeat were it not for the subject matter. The melody and vocal treatment make Ajda sound like an in-tune Liz Phair. Tony Savarino drops a timeless guitar solo into “Southern Hymnal”. “Cherry Blossom” has a killer swampy guitar riff at its core. The acoustic “Get The Timing” has an open feel that stands out among the otherwise dense production.
The album closes with “This Dark Clovd”. The song returns to the same exotic place that launched Stratospherical. We leave as we came, awash in a sea of swirling guitars and enchanting harmonies.
Where to get it:
* Check out the cool “Paranoid Android”-esque guitar line at the 2:38 mark. Awesome.
2370 @ Hi-N-Dry 5.5.2012
2370 performed at Hi-N-Dry as part of Somerville Open Studios this past weekend. Tucked down on the basement of Arts At The Armory, the trio had the kids dancing away to their live-and-looped groove.* Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t “kid’s music”. There’s nothing in what Ian Kennedy, Mike Piehl and Ed Guild are doing that is specifically geared toward children. In fact, the adults in the audience seemed to enjoy the set immensely. They just didn’t jump, shake, spin or twirl as much. It just goes to show that a great musical performance speaks to all ages.
* Seriously, there were little kids go crazy for this. My three-year-old was busting out moves I’ve never seen before.