Here’s Rule barreling through their song “Das Brute” at Church last week.
Rule – “Das Brute” @ Church 5.24.2012
Rule @ Church 5.24.2012
Rule opening for Manitoba?* You know I’m there. The band blasted through their set (and a kick drum head!) at Church. Rule doesn’t mess around.
* I know they aren’t local, but I’d be remiss not to mention how great Handsome Dick and his band of merry men were. Hopefully Manitoba will be back around these parts again soon.
Muy Cansado – “Not For Nothing” (2012)
Muy Cansado
“Not For Nothing”
2012
When I caught Muy Cansado at The Rosebud, I commented that their sound had “echoes of Boston bands gone by.” I stick by that assessment with their latest single,* “Not For Nothing”. Muy Cansado manages to evoke thoughts of The Pixies, Permafrost and Trona without ever sounding like any of those bands. The song’s signature is a danceable groove offsetting a cool, reverb-drenched guitar riff. Throw in some boy/girl harmonies and you’ve got the makings of a pretty great indie rock tune. If only it had a fantastic breakdown in the middle with cool backwards-masked sounds to put it over the top. Oh wait, it does…
Where to get it:
* They’ve got a video, too!
Roy Sludge Trio @ Lexington Battle Green BBQ Festival 5.19.2012
What better way to head into Memorial Day Weekend than with some pics of Roy Sludge playing at a BBQ festival? The Roy Sludge Trio, with special guest Kevin Barry* on lap steel, entertained the hungry crowd at the Lexington Battle Green BBQ Festival. Roy’s originals blended perfectly with the group’s tasty cover selections. Great songs, impeccable musicianship and Roy’s voice. That voice! So good.
* Roy Sludge Quattro if you will…
Bang Camaro @ Brighton Music Hall 5.18.2012
Riffs! Solos! Choruses! Dudes! Sweat! Bang Camaro!
Bang Camaro brought their army to Allston. These were their people. This was their crowd. This was their music. They love it loud. Nobody’s going to change them, ’cause that’s who they are.
What a crazy, crazy night…
Sidewalk Driver @ Brighton Music Hall 5.18.2012
Sidewalk Driver at Brighton Music Hall is always a good idea. Friday night was no exception. These glam-poppers played a nice mix of recent tunes* and songs from FATBAG. They debuted a fantastic new song called “My Face” that found Tad confettiizing in ways previously unknown.** They even busted out a cover of The Turtles’ classic “Elenore.”*** Gee, I think Sidewalk Driver is swell…
* They opened their set with “Kidnapped.” It’s probably my current favorite Sidewalk Driver tune. That’s like picking a favorite guitar, though. They’re all special.
** “Confettiizing” is a real word. OK, it isn’t.
*** Boy Wonder used to cover that song. I had flashbacks during Sidewalk Driver’s rendition. Happy-happy-sing-song-sing-along flashbacks. What a great tune that is. Between this cover and their recent take on The Monkees’ “Star Collector,” Sidewalk Driver is sending me to ’60s pop heaven.
Space Cranes – “Apricot One” (2011)
Space Cranes
“Apricot One”
2011
Synthy falsetto goodness! Space Cranes (aka Chis n Kate) have a single out called “Apricot One.” It sounds like The Bee Gees, Bananarama and Beck throwing a party in your basement.* This is the song that gets played a little later in the evening, when everybody’s head is spinning but no one is ready to call it a night. It’s a well crafted pop song with a mid-fi aesthetic.** The high-pitched vocals float along on top of a retro-syth drum beat and a slightly fuzzed out bass line. Throw in a distorto-freakout in the middle and a couple of heavily processed dialogue samples in the outro to put the whole thing over the top. I can’t wait to hear more.
Where to get it:
* Or maybe at Moe’s Lounge in Radio’s basement, where the duo can often be found holding court as part of the He Said She Said series.
** In that way it reminds me a bit of The Folk Implosion.
The Fagettes @ Brighton Music Hall 5.18.2012
The Fagettes are awesome for a lot of reasons: They have great songs, they sound like rock ‘n’ roll, they’re fun to watch and they have a name that was edited on the Brighton Music H*ll website.
After Friday night, I have a new favorite reason to love The Fagettes: They reminded me of something important. Just because you don’t care about people liking you doesn’t mean you can’t try to win them over.
* I hope to see the d*y when The Fagettes h*ve enough pull to get their n*me up on the club’s m*rquee.
The Daily Pravda @ Precinct 5.11.2012
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