PLAYGROUND BOSTON

Memoryhouse - Photo Credit: Adrian Joseph Vieni

Great Scott continued their epic summer line up this past Monday with a killer triple bill featuring local act Avoxblue opening up for Long Island’s Twin Sister and Memoryhouse, a dream-pop trio from Ontario.

Avoxblue, the electronic solo project of Cambridge-based Jimmy Rossi Jr., provided a pleasantly solid opening act for this night of dreamy, ambient, mood music. Set up behind his laptop and other musical equipment, his droning sounds had the crowd bopping their heads along to his experimental beats and grooves.  Avoxblue played a short set but was able to gather the attention of both headliners who were out in the crowd watching his performance. The early arriving crowd at Great Scott gave Avoxblue his love, and Avoxblue returned the favor by closing out with a great rendition of his track “TimeWaves.” An EP dropping in the fall should be something to look forward to from this talented solo act.

Twin Sister - Photo Credit: Nir Landau of Foundwaves.com

Twin Sister performed next. This was their third show in Boston in the last six months – the band’s relentless touring and critical acclaim has earned them quite a following as the venue reached its peak audience during Twin Sister’s set.  The band showed a more confident and raucous vibe than they did in their previous performances at TT the Bear’s and The Middle East. Lead singer Andrea Estella led the band through an inspired performance of “Lady Daydream” to open, as her glass of whiskey and neon pink pocketbook rested at her feet during the performance. Estella brings an “I just walked up from the bar” accessibility to the band but it is the cohesiveness of the whole group together that really makes Twin Sister something to write home about. Their two EP’s this year, Color Your Life and Vampires with Dreaming Kids have received well-deserved massive acclaim, and the band’s live performance is equally as impressive. Lead guitarist Eric Cardona (totally thought he was Jewish, guess not) turned in an inspired performance. His distorted guitar solos took over on improvised versions of “Milk and Honey” and “Other Side of your Face” The addition of Cardona’s shredding is a welcome weapon in the Twin Sister arsenal. This might have been your last chance to catch Twin Sister before they move onto a certain bigger venue about half a mile down Comm Ave.

Twin Sister Live @ Great Scott 8/9
Video courtesy of Michael Marrotta of the Boston Phoenix

Memoryhouse headlined the show, and even though they suffered a little from some of the crowd trickling out after Twin Sister’s performance, you would never have known it. Memoryhouse really stole the show this night. The band’s debut EP The Years clocks in at a dainty 14 minutes long, which is even more surprising considering the solid 45 minutes the band clocked in during their set. (Download the EP for free here!) Another band in the Cocteau Twins / Mazzy Star inspired dream pop mold, Memoryhouse’s fresh take on the genre features a more rhythmic backdrop and a more in-your-face guitar punch than other bands of that style. They even finished their set with a crowd pleasing cover of My Bloody Valentine’s “When You Sleep.” This was the first stop on a brand new US tour for the Ontario trio, and it should be the start of a long and productive career making music for this experimental, yet listenable band.  An added bonus, and further incentive to catch Memoryhouse next time they come around – lead singer Denise Nouvion’s dance moves are unmatched by anyone in indie music today.

Memoryhouse Covering My Bloody Valentine, Live @ Great Scott 8/9
Video Courtesy of Liz Pelly of The Pelly Twins Blog

Check out Foundwaves’ full gallery of Twin Sister and Memoryhouse!

Avoxblue

Twin Sister

Memoryhouse

Great Scott

“Waiter/Guitarist/Music Producer seeks female teacher, preferably teaching in a rough area, to form one of the most buzzed about bands of 2k10. Must like KoRn.” Not only is that the start to a potentially awesome fairy tale, but it is also the basic circumstances under which Sleigh Bells were formed. Working as a waiter, guitarist/producer Derek Miller encountered Alexis Krauss as she ate lunch with her mother early in 2009. Fast forward to now, and this former school teacher/waiter combo combine to form the hottest act in America right now.

Sleigh Bells - Photo Credit: Kyle Dean Reinhard

Sleigh Bells brought their hard rocking, abrasive sound to the Royale last week as part of a killer double bill with South African rap stars Die Antwoord. Sleigh Bells‘ live performance has helped transform them from local bar band to national act, currently signed to MIA’s N.E.E.T. Recordings, and Thursday night at Royale they did not disappoint. The band played for an energy packed 40 minute set, as they played through eight of the ten tracks on their debut album Treats, along with one currently unreleased song. With a back drop of strobe lights and an eager crowd before them, vocalist Alexis Krauss jumped around the stage, doused the fans with water, and crowd surfed her way into the audience’s heart as she sang the energetic anthems that have made Sleigh Bells a popular choice in both raucous bars and spin classes alike. Guitarist Derek Miller mostly stayed in the back and shredded away on his red Gibson as he let Krauss pander to the crowd – but it’s Miller’s riffs and song writing ability that have helped catapult Sleigh Bells to the heights they now reach.

Die Antwoord - Photo Credit: Exile On Moan Street

Foolishly, much of the crowd left after the Sleigh Bells performance and missed an opportunity to see Die Antwoord do their thing on stage. Die Antwoord is a three piece rap collective from South Africa. Charismatic lead singer Ninja looks like Dolph Lundgren minus 20 lbs of muscle, while his female counter part Yo-Landi Vi$$er looks like a shrunken down Lady Gaga. The two played off each other brilliantly as a mostly reluctant crowd was quick to come around to the band and their “Zef” stylings. The band opened with their hit single “Enter The Ninja” and turned in a set that had everyone urban dictonary’ing Zef upon their return home.

Ear drums pounding and caked in sweat, the crowd at Royale this night was treated to an excellent double bill. Both bands then made their way to New York to play the M.I.A curated HARD festival where, by all accounts, they stole the show from the truffle fry eating curator. It won’t be surprising to see both these acts in much bigger venues on their next trip though town

Sleigh Bells – “Treats” Live @ Royale, 7/22 – Video c/o Barelytomson

Die Antwoord - Photo Credit: Gemma Simone

Sleigh Bells

Die Antwoord

Royale

Destroy Babylon - Photo by Sheryl Lanzel

Yes, I’m pretty sure they ran the recording of “I’m on a BOAT!” during the set change….

But that truly wasn’t the highlight of the night’s voyage around the bay, which was filled with frivolity and fluids (of the alcoholic variety), set to the disarming sway of the vessel and inspirational performances by two of Boston’s finest groups of groovesmiths.

The Macrotones (Check out that friggin' sunset!)

The night’s opener, The Macrotones, are admittedly a little hard to pin down sonically. Obviously the creative solos and refreshing changes in leads between their horn players require some improvisation, but to call them a “jam band” really undersells the elaborateness of their ensemble sections… not to mention the vast array of influences as they dip into the wells of Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, Reggae, and even Celtic styles – all the while providing a steady thump that kept
listeners’ feet shaking the upper deck!

And shake it did! With a full house up top filled with semi-random cheers at the particularly rousing moments of the performances, the bands incessantly continued their cavorting with admirable fearlessness as the boat –quite literally– rocked in the waters on a backdrop of a vivid sunset over the Boston skyline.

Destroy Babylon

As the second and final band on the bill, Destroy Babylon began their set with four well-placed and well-played originals to warm the crowd back up against the ocean breeze. Even though I love the Clash at least as much as the next guy, I was quite impressed by their original material – filled with extra-intricate harmonies, adrenalized backbeats, and very satisfying guitar tones to round off a very tasteful and appropriate prelude for their cover set.

Inevitably, that favorably-anticipated moment arrived for us all to hear London Calling, in its entirety, but what I wasn’t expecting was to hear some medleys and segues tacked on and scattered about the various London Calling favorites, such as DB-covering-The Clash-covering-Toots and other Clash favorites from Super Black Market Clash, Sandinista!, Combat Rock, and their self-titled debut. These boys know and love their Clash!

It’s easy to go on about a great pair of bands, but a very big hats-off is deserved towards Rock On! Concerts for putting together an entire summer’s worth of similar boat-shows, dubbed appropriately, “Concert Cruises.” Looking at the future for these cruises is just shy of mouth-watering, especially considering the upcoming performances by Township (7/16… Oh, and Electric Six will be there, too), and The Slackers (9/10). (Click dates for ticket links)

(Ed. note: Couldn’t find any video of the Cruise, but did find this one of Destroy Babylon and The Macrotones performing “Rudie Can’t Fail” and a little bit of “White Riot” the following night down at the Brooklyn Bowl)

Destroy Babylon

The Macrotones

Rock On!

Lady Lamb The Beekeeper

Last Thursday, Church celebrated the beginning of summer (only a week late) with a Beach Party, presented by Agent Bishop Productions. Hawaiian shirts, leis and fake tattoos dotted the bar and pool tables as the audience was treated to 4 of the best female fronted bands New England has to offer.

St. Helena - Photo by Perez

First up was St. Helena, a five piece with an interesting, eclectic mix of sounds ranging from the bubblegum pop sensibilities of The Beatles or Dr. Dog to more moody, soulful tunes. Frontman Patrick Teahen took the lead on many of their songs, but those sung by keyboardist Magen Tracy had a more introspective feel, reminiscent of Tidal era Fiona apple minus the pretention. (In case you were wondering, that’s a very good thing.)

St. Helena – “Superheroes Make Mistakes” – Slow Jack
[PGB Track Of The Week #6]

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

After St. Helena, Lady Lamb the Beekeeper trotted up on stage. An unassuming young woman with giant black glasses resting on her nose, Aly Spaltro was the belle of the ball. She smiled and introduced herself: “Hi, I’m Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, and this is my band,” she said with a wave of her hand to the empty stage behind her. Those who were not immediately wooed by her charm became enthralled as soon as she began to sing. A very big voice comes out of that little woman. She oscillates from beautifully constructed metaphors [I want to touch you like the sea touches the soil – I want to hold you like the milk holds the spoil] to statements so obvious that they become stunning [My hair was long – so I fucking cut it.] She commanded the audience with her every move.

Aloud - Photo by JustBill

Next up was rock and roll quartet Aloud. By now, Aloud should be familiar to anyone who lives in Boston and has ears. They were touting the upcoming release of their new record Exile, coming out this September. Along with offering a presale, Aloud played several songs from the new record. “I’m about to say the four words that no audience wants to hear,” Guitarist Henry Beguiristain smiled at the crowd, “We have new songs.” The audience fake-groaned (or perhaps really groaned), and one fan screamed “Marriage has ruined this band!” (in reference to the recent marriage of singer/guitarists Beguiristain and Jen de la Osa.) Aloud’s performance was unconventional to say the least: Like St Helena, they mix light, airy power pop songs that are reminiscent of Phantom Planet (also a good thing, in case you were wondering) with more subtle, instrumentally driven songs. At one point, De la Osa and Beguiristain leapt off the stage into the crowd and played standing and sitting on the club floor respectively.

Aloud – “When The Ants Attack The Queen” – Fan The Fury
[PGB Track Of The Week #28]

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Aloud finished their set by calling up all of the ladies of the evening (not ladies-of-the-evening, rather all the ladies that were on the bill that night) to join them in a rendition of The Supremes’ “Can’t Hurry Love.” (Video courtesy of Michael Epstein from TheMotionSick Youtube Channel)

Naked On Roller Skates - Photo by Steve Wollkind

The last act of the night was Naked On Roller Skates. Travis Richter, drummer for Aloud pulled double duty as lead guitarist for the final band as they played impossibly catchy rock tunes with attitude to spare. NORS’s powerful vocals and strong hooks make them seem as if they were plucked from the soundtrack of a teen comedy about believing in yourself. Once they get rocking, it’s impossible to not find your head bobbing and toe tapping.

St. Helena

Lady Lamb The Beekeeper

Aloud

Naked On Roller Skates

Agent Bishop Productions

Church

Photo by Heather Canterbury

Aloud AND The Beatings on the same bill? You’re kidding, right? Its not uncommon for two bands who have had such a profound impact on the Boston music scene in the past decade to share a bill, but it’s rare when they exhibit such a glaring contrast in styles. Aloud is straight-up rock – catchy hooks, singalong vocals, crunchy riffs. The Beatings are a bit more on the indie-noise-rock side of the spectrum – feedback and distortion used as instrumentation, droning verses giving away to screaming choruses, that type of thing. What might have initially seemed like an odd pairing ended up a match made in heaven though, as both bands had the entire venue howling for more! Apologies to Hello Ninja and Action Camp, who opened the night but I was unfortunately not able to catch.

(continue reading…)

Upon seeing their live performance, Kingsley Flood immediately impressed me with their self-dubbed “Post-Americana” homage to acoustic blues, bluegrass, and Dixieland jazz, all the while filling their tasteful arrangements with strong lyrical imagery, and Dust Windows, the recorded version of this band’s musical arsenal, did not disappoint.

“Cathedral Walls,” starting in at track three, heralds in the next seven tracks that, during every playback, actually made me stop whatever I was doing and just listen.  “Cathedral Walls” opens with a great mellotron-sounding pad that gives way to vocalist Naseem Khuri’s signature acoustic guitar.  Khuri’s scratchy, Dylan-esque (but in pitch!) voice settles in to set the pace on verse one, and the song just builds from there. Drummer Will Davies enters the first chorus and leaves out a much anticipated second stroke, which, accident or not, gives me goose bumps every time it happens.  What follows is a very satisfying, four-minute, musical payoff. Nick Balkin’s bass part is very mid-rangy, but serves the song in a deliciously utilitarian & reliable way. The mandolin & guitar melodies are very sweet and catchy, and the background vocals are excellently written. Khuri’s final benediction before the chorus is his shortest but most rewarding lyric in the song:  “…. so call it a prayer / call it a lie / but nobody gets out of life alive.”

Kingsley Flood – “Cathedral Walls”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

(continue reading…)

Spoon - photo by Tim Bugbee

Spoon’s upward trajectory has been pretty impressive to watch, with their course self-righted after the disastrous foray into the major label feeding frenzy that bit into and spit out A Series of Sneaks, via the mouth of Elektra.  Of course, that’s old news, being released over a dozen years ago, and on the accumulated strengths of the last three records they have steadily marched into the rarefied strata of performing on Saturday Night Live and selling out large theaters – the night before saw them play a sold-out Radio City Music Hall!  This is a band whose strengths lie in their tight songwriting styles and a keen eye for a strong lyrical turn of phrase, as well as leader Britt Daniel’s looks. The teen-aged girls to the left of me made no bones about their carnal desires regarding Britt, shouting out a request (or was that a threat?) that certainly wouldn’t get printed in any family papers.  Likewise, the crowd seemed to have a good amount of women who might have been those girls’ mothers, hanging out in the back of room and dancing to the music.  Spoon: a band that can bridge generations easily.

(continue reading…)

Progressive rock bands always receive far too much stick than they really should.  Yeah, they are the easy targets – the geek who whiled away afternoons diligently practicing their craft while the metal bands chased girls and smoked pot out in the woods.  Perhaps because of their musical proficiency, this collective jealousy has slowly calcified into outright disdain and dislike.  I’ve got more than my generous helping of primitive rock records in my collection, and I cannot deny that the 70s punks had good measure to rally around a new musical form, but on the other hand I cannot argue against the merits of King Crimson, Van der Graaf Generator, and Yes.  When you’ve a band which can meld together a massively complex musical vision without losing the primal urge to rock, well you’ve got a winner by all accounts I can come up with.

(continue reading…)

A three-way marriage.

That’s legal in Massachusetts, right?

Well, that’s exactly what you get out of The Indobox’s Adventure Rock:  a three-way marriage of electric, electronic, and acoustic as they switch at will from the passionately organic to the grindingly distorted and onward to the pleasantly & head-bobbing-ly danceable.

That also means there’s no way to single out any one instrumentalist or even vocalist.

Quinn Ferree’s natural drums give way periodically to drum-machine sounds that ramp up and down in the backdrop of tracks like “Reading,” and “Part II.”  Guitars provide stabbing rhythms and monolithic chords in the background while bright synth lines decorate a track. At other times, those same guitarists take the front seat, dial on the delay, and swim their way into your ears. The vocal styles and sounds also change throughout the record thanks to multiple singers, making for a further varied experience.

(continue reading…)