Category: Reviews

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Jenny Dee & Several Men Of Mystery – Jenny Dee & Several Men Of Mystery (2013)

jennt dee several men of mystery
Jenny Dee & Several Men Of Mystery
Jenny Dee & Several Men Of Mystery
2013

Three country tunes from Jenny Dee and some of her very talented friends?* Yes, please. Opening track “You Had It All” is a duet with Roy Sludge. I’m pretty sure I knew this one was going to be great before I even heard it.** “Never” has suitably weary and worn backing vocals from Bill Janovitz and Chris Toppin. It’s always a treat when those two team up. Also, I’m a sucker for a weepy lapsteel. The EP closes with Jenny Dee & Several Men Of Mystery tearing it up on “Looking For Clues.” Jenny notes that this song is a reworked tune from her gig with The Downbeat Five. Given the song’s fiery nature, it’s certainly not hard to believe. The band really cuts loose here. Sometimes sad songs can make you happy.

Where to get it:

* Duke Levine, Bill Janovitz, Chris Toppin, Ed Valauskas, Tom Arey, Roy Sludge, Matt Pynn, and Ben Zecker? Good, Lord. Even Eric Salt gets in on the action, playing the tambourine on “Looking For Clues.”

** It is.

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Gozu – The Fury Of A Patient Man (2013)

gozu fury patient man
Gozu
The Fury Of A Patient Man
2013

What do you call a record with walls of solid riffs built on a foundation of heavy sludge? If you’re Gozu, you call it The Fury Of A Patient Man and you adorn it with memorable melodies, hand-claps, falsetto backing vocals and harmonies of the vocal and guitar variety. This is an album full of hooks and humor that never loses sight of the fact that its sole purpose on this planet it to melt your face via your ear canals. From the killer opening riff of “Bald Bull” to the closing, distorted gasps of “The Ceaseless Thunder Of Surf”, the guys in Gozu show off their many and varied ways to pull off said face-melting. Sometimes they do it with a soulful vocal (“Ghost Wipe”, “Snake Plissken”). Other times they hit you with majestic guitar lines (“Traci Lords”) or thrashtastic runs (“Charles Bronson Pinchot”). No matter their choice in auditory facial liquefaction tools, Gozu always get the job done.

Where to get it:

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Sinnet – “Year of the Whale” (2013)

sinnet year of the whale
Sinnet
“Year of the Whale”
2013

What is this? It’s got a danceable beat and a locked-in baseline, but that piano is haunting. The guitars? They’re just flat out cool. What is Sinnet doing to me? I’m all confused and I like it. “Year of the Whale” has me hooked. The verses are solid. The chorus hits hard. Between the two is a biting little guitar line that is about as subtle as shock therapy. It’s such a great transition riff. Sinnet is on to something. I’m really digging this song.

Update: “Year Of The Whale” is now available on vinyl!

Where to get it:

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Allston Pudding – Boston Marathon Relief Mixtape (2013)

allston pudding marathon relief mixtape
Various Artists
Compiled by Allston Pudding
Boston Marathon Relief Mixtape
2013

By now you’ve probably heard all about the amazing Boston Marathon Relief Mixtape assembled by the fine folks at Allston Pudding. Consider this a gentle reminder to all the procrastinators out there to go download this thing. 130 songs from 130 bands.* All the donations go to The One Fund Boston. Good things come in large zip files.

Where to get it:

* The majority of the bands are from Boston and New England.

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Petty Morals – The Cotton Candy Demo (2013)

Petty Morals - Cotton Candy Demo

Petty Morals
The Cotton Candy Demo
2013

Petty Morals is what happens when members of Tijuana Sweetheart, Cult 45, The Grinds, The Spoilers, Killer Abs and Ghost Box Orchestra get together to play some synthed-up punkish tunes. I’ll give that slightly mind-blowing idea a second to sink in, but then we really need to move along because I’ve got something really important to tell you. Ready? Good. So, the first two songs on this demo, “You Get Me Loose” and “Girl Gotta Do,” have the bite and snarl you’d expect from this crowd. OK. You still with me? Here’s the really important thing I needed to tell you: You need to hear “Radio Action” right now! It’s new wave dynamite! Go, go, go!

Where to get it:

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Cheerleadr – Rock Album (1999)

cheerleadr - rock album
Cheerleadr
Rock Album
1999

Cheerleadr sounds a lot like early Foo Fighters on Rock Album, which is exactly what the Foo Fighters sounded like back in 1999 when this album was released. The two bands share a love of aggressive guitars, driving rhythm sections and the big chorus hook. Vocally, both acts are able to deliver the whisper to a scream dynamic. Singer Will Claflin doesn’t have the near croon that Dave Grohl has in his lower register. This serves Cheerleadr well. It adds a bit of bite during the lulls of the loud-quiet-loud routine. There are some pretty solid songs here. “Telescope” has a great dynamic between the verse and chorus. “Get Faith” is a top-notch rocker. “Death Of Me” features a fantastically vulnerable vocal. “Engage” is a speaker-melter.

On Rock Album, the guys in Cheerleadr managed to put together an album that perfectly captures the sound of alternative hard rock in 1999.

Where to get it:

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Schooltree – Rise (2013)

schooltree-rise
Schooltree
Rise
2013

Schooltree have released an elaborately arranged album layered in majesty and elegance. Rise is impeccably crafted and impossibly lush. The grandiose production serves the band’s updated take on progressive rock well. Every note-perfect performance finds a home in the refined mix. Above it all, Lainey Schooltree’s striking vocals command attention. Rise is an almost unfathomable amalgam of ambition and attention to detail.

Full Disclosure: The album artwork for Rise was done by the lovely and talented Nicole Anguish of Daykamp Creative. Now you know. This album sounds and looks amazing.

Where to get it:

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Thick Shakes – “I Said So” (2012)

thick shakes i said so
Thick Shakes
“I Said So”
2012

“I Said So” is another over-modulated garage rock nugget from Thick Shakes. Boston’s Farfisa dirt royalty seem intent on motivating your right foot to pin the accelerator. The guitars, bass and drums wail away, but it’s the ascending/descending organ part that really puts this one over the top. Dig it.

Where to get it:

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Harris Hawk – Feeder (2013)

harris hawk - feeder
Harris Hawk
Feeder
2013

I’ve been listening to Harris Hawk’s Feeder a lot, but I must confess it makes me a little uncomfortable. I feel like I’m eavesdropping on the band’s therapy session. It’s not going well. Someone keeps yelling “You’ll never keep me here!” I’m afraid outbursts like that aren’t going to help her cause. I want to walk away and pretend I don’t feel guilty about listening in, but the songs are just so damn compelling. There’s a level of agitation to the riffing that keeps me on my toes. I’m just going to hide over here and hope the band doesn’t notice me.

Where to get it:

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You People – You People (2012)

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You People
You People
2012

You People’s noisy indie rock packs a wallop. They pull no punches on their scrappy debut EP. Listen enough times and you’ll see shades of Dinosaur Jr, Hüsker Dü and The Afghan Whigs in the bruise they leave behind. These songs will be ringing in your head for days.

Where to get it: