You will find me tapping my foot along to this Eddie Japan number from Precinct the other night.
Eddie Japan – “You Will Find Me Dead In My Comfort Zone” @ Precinct 5.11.2012
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.
Muck And The Mires @ Radio 5.4.2012
Muck And The Mires. The songs of ’64 meet the spirit of ’77. This band never disappoints.
The Dirty Truckers @ Radio 5.4.2012
The Dirty Truckers were back in action Friday night. The band was celebrating the release of their new Tiger Stripes EP and the 7″ single for the song “Human Contact.” It had been a while since the last time I saw these Boston wranglers. I was starting to get the shakes. Their set at Radio was just what I needed. The Dirty Truckers blasted out one of the best sets I’ve ever seen them play. They played the new stuff. They played the old stuff.* They rocked the in-between stuff like nobody’s business. “Sea Pines” and “3 Weeks To Go” blew the doors off the joint.** They threw in a couple of covers to keep themselves honest. In the end, the ‘Truckers reminded everyone that they’re one of the best rock ‘n’ roll bands around, not that we’d forgotten.
* Including “Backpack” from their first record.
** Both off of 2008’s fantastic Loose In The Joints
The Scars @ Radio 5.4.2012
The Scars brought the punk rock to Radio.
Chestnut Gowler @ Moe’s Lounge 5.4.2012
Friday night found an art show at Moe’s Lounge in Radio’s basement. This was the third installment of the Drop Ya Mic Pickup Yer Paintbrush series that is curated by Nicole Tammaro. There was a slate of musical performances to entertain the art aficionados in attendance. I got there late, but I managed to catch some of Chestnut Growler’s set of stripped-down punk folk tunes.
St. Helena @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 4.28.2012
It’s 6:45 on a Saturday evening. It’s still sunny out, not that you’d know it inside TT’s. It’s fitting that we’re here to see St. Helena. Sure, some of their songs have bright melodies, but there always seems to be a bit of a dark undercurrent. Art imitating life, I guess.
Guilty Party @ P.A.’s Lounge 4.27.2012
Guilty Party closed out a night of noisy, stripped-down rock ‘n’ roll at PA’s. This crew brought a little extra fuzz and agitation to the festivities.
