Boston Rock Photos And Stuff
Party Bois
“Guest List”
2014
Oh hey, Party Bois. What’s up? What? You released another slammin’ tune? C’mon. You can’t be serious. Oh, dang, you are serious. “Guest List” is on. Everything about this song – and this other song and this other song – just blows my mind. I can’t even deal anymore. It’s time to give it up for Party Bois. They win. Fuzz to the face and I’m gone.
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The Daily Pravda
“The Morning Was The Worst Part”
2014
The Daily Pravda have unleashed a majestic and biting single with “The Morning Was The Worst Part.” A scathing hook, a killer riff breakdown and a thematic shift to a major-key outro are all packed into a tidy, leave-’em-wanting-more 2:42. They also manage to stylistically blend Bowie, The Bends-era Radiohead and The Smiths without breaking a sweat. Impressive. Most impressive.
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The Field Effect
“Jenny (It’s Getting Late)”
2014
Back in June, The Field Effect released a cassingle of “Jenny (It’s Getting Late)” and “Whiskey/Whisky.” The physical media may be sold out, but the songs are still available as digital downloads. The A-side here is just as catchy as last year’s Boston Music Award winning “Ogunquit, ME.” So, yeah, pretty darn catchy. And it sounds fantastic. It’s a hit, I tell ya. A hit! “Whiskey/Whisky” dispenses with any pleasantries and goes for the throat. You can feel the tension pulsing through the wall of guitars. There’s a reason this song goes over so big live. It a release. And, dang, do those bass slides sound good or what?
If you can track down a copy of the cassette, it’s purple and comes with a color j-card.
Where to get it:
Party Bois
“Being In U”
2014
OK, this is getting ridiculous. How do they do this? After trumpeting their arrival with “In Your Head,” Party Bois are back with the gloriously desperate “Being In U.” Digital hearts beat as one as the Prince-meets-Of-Montreal vocals plead their case. Don’t deny it. We were meant to be. Guitar break. My head is swimming. Can you feel it? “I would rather go to hell together than get to heaven on my own.” Let’s dance. Party Bois always dance.
Oh, hey, look. Party Bois just released another song. I can’t even deal with this anymore…
Where to get it:
Aloud
“Twenty-Five Miles”
2014
Aloud cut a scalding live take of the Edwin Starr classic “Twenty-Five Miles” and made it available as a free download. There are so many good things going on in that statement. I don’t think there’s anything more to say about that. My work is done here. Have a good weekend, everybody.
Where to get it:
Petty Morals
Cherry Ice Pop EP
2014
I sometimes have this dream that life is an ’80s teen comedy. Everyone drives a 5.0 Mustang* or a rusted out Chevette and all the action goes down at The Mall. If you’re a cool kid at The Mall you have two things with you at all times: an Orange Julius and a copy of Petty Morals’ Cherry Ice Pop EP for your Walkman. You sang along as “Girl Gotta Do,” “You Get Me Loose” and “Shuddup” tore up the charts over the summer with their hooks and attitude to spare. The unabashed pop of “To The Edge” makes it your favorite track. You play it over and over. The clerk at Record Town says the new EP is OK, but Petty Morals will never top “Radio Action.” It’s a front. He secretly thinks the “Girl Gotta Do” remix is totally tubular. He even put it on the mix tape he gave you when he asked you out. You turned him down because he hit on your best friend last week. Besides, you have tickets to see Petty Morals play The Centrum that night.
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Full Disclosure: The lovely and talented Nicole Anguish of Daykamp Creative did the artwork for this gnarly EP. That doesn’t make it any less righteous.
* There may be a Trans Am or an IROC-Z in the mix.
Party Bois
“In Your Head”
2014
Welcome to the land of the impossibly amazing. The sounds of Party Bois fill our ears with wonder. “In Your Head” is in our heads. We bang imaginary electronic drums. We play air guitar during the solo. We dance and dance and dance. There’s always drama. We’re breaking up. It’s impossible. It’s amazing. It’s Party Bois.
Where to get it:
This Blue Heaven
Wave
2014
Coming on like a modern, dark, new wave band with a penchant for late-’90s-Radiohead-inspired outros, This Blue Heaven are back with another impressive single. “Wave” builds in a steady and sturdy way. The poised vocal dodges the sharp-edged textures. The sound is confident and controlled, with just enough tumult to make its mark. This is good.
Where to get it:
Township
Will O’ The Wisp EP
2014
With the Will O’ The Wisp EP, Township wraps up a summer of fantastic releases. The band have put out 4 EPs these dog days. Their latest starts with a title track of prog-epic proportions. Phase-shifted guitars and pensive melodies yield to big harmonies, a snarling riff and a grand outro at the 3:02 mark. “The Beggar’s Doubt” is a standout track, painted in shades of Zeppelin folk and Fleetwood Mac. The EP wraps up with the stomping “U”. Township bring out the big riffs and guitarmony one more time before walking off into the autumnal sunset.
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Bent Shapes
“86’d in ’03” b/w “Bridgeport Lathe”
2014
Bent Shapes continue to pop out fantastic Pavement-meets-The-Kinks nuggets. Their latest release finds the snappy and difficult to type “86’d in ’03” backed by the more deliberately paced cover of 2 x 4’s “Bridgeport Lathe.” The former begs vigorous toe-tapping, the latter a steady head bob. Both recordings do all of the little things right. There’s playful guitar and bass interplay. There’s pitch shifting. There are “ah-ah-ah” backing vocals. These are all good things in my book. I dig it.
The record itself is a picture disc of sorts. Instead of being pressed on vinyl, it’s lathe cut into transparent plexiglass. Small hole. 33⅓RPM. Three different color schemes. Did I mention that it’s square? Well, it is. This thing is really unique.
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