Boston Rock Photos And Stuff
While some bands take years to settle into their sound, Velah seem to have emerged with a fully formed musical identity. Will they evolve over time? That’s an exciting inevitability for a unit that is so in tune with each other.
Streight Angular
“Muhsheenz Machines Meschynes (We Were Machines)”
2012
Sometimes a band is so surprising that you forget to be surprised by their surprises. Then there are bands that are even more surprising than that, surprising you with their ability to surprise you even when you thought you found their surprises unsurprising. If I’ve followed myself correctly, Streight Angular falls into the latter category. After an EP of fuzz guitar freak-outs and a Beach Boys-inspired Christmas number, the band has released a synth-heavy new wave single. What? A Streight Angular tune without buzzing guitars? They’re still there, but they take a back seat to the sounds of the electronic gizmos. “Muhsheenz Machines Meschynes (We Were Machines)” does sport a pair of Streight Angular signatures: a snappy beat and a simple vocal hook that will have you singing along in no time. I guess the least surprising thing about this song is how much I love it.
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Here’s Aloud blowing through “Fan The Fury” at Radio.
There’s a fire here. There’s a genuine desire to play the hell out of their songs. Aloud wants your attention. Once they have it, they won’t let go.
Remember all that stuff I said about Mellow Bravo’s Radio set having a different vibe? Yeah, not on this tune.
Look, what you do in your free time is none of my business. That said, I’m going to offer you a bit of unsolicited advice: Don’t die before July 27th, 2012.
Sure, right now you’re thinking “mind your own beeswax, dude.” I can’t blame you. I’m not usually in the business of telling people what to do. I leave that to Richard Bouchard over at Boston Band Crush. He’s always yammering on with his “you’re gonna want to get tickets ahead of time” show crushes.* No, I’m usually the one telling you what you should have done, shoving pictures in your face to prove my point. It’s only fitting that we should team up and present a show together. So here goes…
First of all, take another look at that poster. There’s a flying ice cream cone heart on there, yes indeed. How else would you visually depict such a joyous event?** That’s the handiwork of Nicole Anguish at Daykamp Creative.
OK, now the important stuff. Let’s start at the top. Aloud has been hammering out hard-hitting, harmony-drenched indie rock for ten years now. If their show this past Saturday was any indication, things are going to get sweaty.
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, human picture frames… you never know what you’re going to get at a Sidewalk Driver show. Oh, wait, you do know what you’ll get; a high-kicking, confetti-blasting, glam-popping good time.
Parlour Bells will be opening the show. Wait, what? The most debonair band of this year’s Rumble is opening this show? The band that can do this? Yup. That’s how awesome this show is going to be.
The Springsteen-meets-punk of New York’s Dirty Wings round out this stellar bill.*** It all goes down at TT’s on July 27th. There’s even a Facebook event where you can go tell us how excited you are for this show.
So, I implore you not to die before July 27th, 2012. I’d hate for you to miss out on this wonderful event. If you fail to heed my advice, I’ll be shoving pictures from the show in your cold, dead face. I don’t think that’s something either of us would enjoy.
* This is an actual quote from one of Mr. Bouchard’s finest pieces in advance of Tijuana Sweetheart’s final shows. My favorite bit: …it’s gonna be a total mess. Putting that band in a small space and feeding everyone beer is like tossing four honey badgers in a closet with a pile of meth; it’s gonna be crazy, but you’re damn sure gonna want to see what happens. Classic Bouchard.
** Aquarium legs? Bearded mouse going over a water fall in a barrel? “Axe”-wielding Jason Voorhees? Those ideas were already taken. Flying ice cream cone heart it is.
*** Check out the tune “(Lonely Night In a) Lonesome Town” on their Bandcamp page. Good stuff.
There was a very special episode of the Mellow Bravo show on Saturday night. The band set their “party band” image aside for the night and played nothing but sensitive ballads. OK, that’s a lie. No set that includes “Freshman Prom Queen” will ever be tagged as sensitive, but there was a bit of a different dynamic on display at this Radio gig. Mellow Bravo dug deep into some of their more textured material, showcasing the strength of the songs and their ability to play to them. This is one tight outfit.
I’m mildly obsessed with this song. It’s been running through my head on an endless loop since Saturday night. I think I’m OK with this.
Animal Talk brought their dance-infused indie rock cocktail to Radio. That’s a recipe for good times.
The Daily Pravda
“Ziggy Stardust”
2012
I’ve got to hand it to the guys in The Daily Pravda. They sure know how to do a Bowie cover. They treated us to their pass at “Moonage Daydream” back in January. Earlier this week, the band released a vibrant take on “Ziggy Stardust” to honor the 40th anniversary of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Do The Daily Pravda offer some new insight into this David Bowie classic? No. Do they offer up a version that is full of spirit? Do they give the source material the respect it deserves? Absolutely. These guys are obviously big fans and it shows in the best possible way.
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