New Music Mondays

New Music Monday: The Cribs

The Cribs have made a name for themselves by constantly releasing new albums and touring heavily for the past decade. Yet how did they go under my radar for so long? Luckily the well timed release of their most recent album In the Belly of the Brazen Bull coincided with my recent fascination with everything British. This release has almost everything I am looking for in an album. The loud start provided by the lead track “Glitters Like Gold” then diving right into my favorite single off the album “Come On, Be a No One” gets the tempo up and the blood flowing. “Glitters like Gold” deserves praise in the sense that it gives you a nice layout of what to expect from the album, catchy melodies that are not too fine tuned, loud guitars with feedback and a little rawness that might turn some off, but anyone who can appreciate early Weezer will find something in this album for them. Track 6 “Uptight” might be the best comparison for this.

What really strikes me about this album is how bold the band seems to be moving from one theme to another. As I mentioned, the opening couple of tracks have college pool hall anthem written all over them and at the halfway point of the album we hit the climax with “Chi-Town,” a song that is also bound to be released as another single and to gain a certain level of celebrity in Chicago for obvious reasons. Moving past this point we enter the second half of the record which seems to be the heart and soul of the album’s message. Songs like “Back to the Bolthole” and “I Should Have Helped” utilize a lo-fi sound to provide overtones of ’80′s mix tape heartbreak.

The last four tracks are strung together using a reoccurring military snare march, an explosive sendoff that sounds as big as you would hope it to be played live. Starting with the chaotic “Stalagmites” we move quickly through the short “Like a Gift Giver” which sets up for the catchy upbeat “Butterflies” bound to be the most underrated track on this album. The album finishes with “Arena Rock Encore with Full Cast” which uses soaring gang vocals and heavy rock riffs to counter the airy track of “Butterflies” and leaving you with a still bobbing head.

New Music Mondays: The Civil Slingers

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Eric in New Music Mondays | Leave a comment

Some of you may recognize The Civil Slingers from our show at O’Brien’s Pub a couple weeks back, but for those of you who weren’t able to make it out we’ve got some high priority listening for you on this sunny Monday afternoon. The trio of Mike Sampson, Joe Aaskov, and Sean Taggersell have just released their debut LP, Tried and True, and as we mentioned in the recap of our show, it is going to be exciting to keep tabs on these guys as they grow into their sound.

In my opinion, Tried and True is a folk record with punk sensibilities, think Ted Leo or Frank Turner, and through 10 foot stomping tracks the band shows off a wide range of sounds and styles. The album opener “King of the Swamp” finds Sampson grabbing your attention straight away with a guttural scream over distorted guitar and a breakneck drum beat. On tracks like “Cope” and “You’re On Your Own” the boys lay off the distortion and deliver a sound that warranted the aforementioned folk designation (watch a clip of “Cope” from our show here).

With Tried and True The Civil Slingers have created something that is part Americana, part rockabilly, part punk and all awesome. Check out two of our favorite tracks from the record below and make sure to visit The Civil Slingers’ bandcamp page where you can name your price for a digital download of the LP.

New Music Mondays: Moss Points North

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Eric in Concert Preview, New Music Mondays | Leave a comment

Last week I had the pleasure of catching a behind-the-scenes look at Moss Points North, who will be rocking the stage at O’Brien’s Pub in Allston this Friday April 27th for a showcase presented by yours truly. The show starts at 8pm and you can find out more info about how kick-ass it is going to be here and while you’re at it, buy your tickets here.

But back to the real reason why we started talking about our showcase in the first place– Moss Points North. The Boston based quintet was kind enough to invite me into their home and capture some footage of their rehearsal, where they were not only working on a setlist for our show this Friday, but also working out some tunes from their forthcoming record. The LP doesn’t have a name yet or even a tracklist, but the band already has four tracks solidified and aim to whittle down the dozen or so remaining song ideas in to a 10-12 song full-length.

We were able to capture two of these new tracks below and you can take a listen for yourself to “Carnivore” and “Black Orchid.” The band worked through a cover of David Byrne’s “Strange Overtones” which you can expect to hear alongside the fans’ choice of My Morning Jacket’s “Mahgeetah” to be performed at the Maimed & Tamed show on Friday at O’Brien’s. If you like what you hear below and you want to check out some more new tunes as well as old Moss Points North favorites, don’t forget to grab your tickets for the show on Friday before they sell out!

New Music Mondays: Darlingside and Jamie Kent

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Eric in New Music Mondays | Leave a comment

Two of our recent favorites, Darlingside and Jamie Kent, will be teaming up for a string of record release shows to promote their newest material. Darlingside has just released The Ancestor 7″ which features “The Ancestor” and “The Woods” as part of their subscription album Pilot Machines. In addition to the two songs, the group has also released a masterfully animated video by Eric Tostevin for the latter of the two tracks (see below).

Meanwhile Kent will be officially releasing his sophomore LP Navigation on April 20th. The album features work from Charles Neville on sax (of the Neville Brothers), Jon Graboff on pedal steel (Ryan Adams & The Cardinals), and Scott Murawski on electric guitar (Max Creek and the Mike Gordon band). The album takes on songs like “Rosalita” which is a staple of Kent’s live set and the title track which sounds to me like it could be a lost b-side from The Band.

Both bands will be performing together on Friday April 20th at the Iron Horse in Northampton and then will be individually playing shows in town on Saturday April 21st. Take a look below for tracks from each release and full tour dates for both groups.

4/20/2012- Darlingside and Jamie Kent @ The Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, MA

4/21/2012- Darlingside @ Bullmoose Records in Salem, NH (2pm Record Store Day performance) AND Lily Pad in Cambridge, MA

4/21/2012- Jamie Kent @ The Middle East Upstairs in Cambridge, MA

4/26/2012- Darlingside and Jamie Kent @ The Tin Angel in Philadelphia, PA

4/27/2012- Darlingside and Jamie Kent @ 92Y Tribeca in New York, New York

4/28/2012- Darlingside and Jamie Kent @ Ebenezer’s Coffeehouse in Washington, DC

New Music Mondays: Charles Ellsworth and the Dirty Thirty

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Eric in New Music Mondays | Leave a comment

This week’s New Music Monday features Utah via Arizona crooner Charles Ellsworth. His newest release Charles Ellsworth and the Dirty Thirty is a perfect piece of Americana. The album, recorded with the help of “creative collective” the Dirty Thirty, has everything you want to hear in a well-crafted folk album. Ellsworth blends his vivid storytelling with simple yet beautiful arrangements, making for an accessible and engaging record that holds your attention from the first track to the last.

If you dig other New Music Monday vets from 2012 like The Wooden Sky and Wooden Dinosaur, then Charles Ellsworth and the Dirty Thirty will be right up your alley. Take a listen to “Arizona Pines” below and check out a video made by Ellsworth that gives a deeper look into the Dirty Thirty.

New Music Mondays: Spotify Playlist of the Month

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Eric in New Music Mondays | Leave a comment

In March we kicked off our monthly playlist series with a bang, featuring new tunes from artists such as Delta Spirit, Dr. Dog, My Best Fiend, Heartless Bastards and more. Now that we’re in to April, with a new month you get 20 new tunes, with the best part being that you don’t even have to move a muscle. If you subscribe to our most recent Spotify playlist (see the widget on the right sidebar or the link in the menu to the left), it will automatically be updated each month with 20 fresh tracks. Make sure to subscribe to the April playlist and if you check out the Playlist of the Month link in the menu to the left you can also find playlists from previous months. Check out the tracklist and the link for the April playlist below–

Maimed & Tamed April 2012

1. Plants and Animals- “Lightshow”

2. American Royalty- “Matchstick”

3. Beach House- “Myth”

4. Band of Skulls- “Bruises”

5. Daughter- “Landfill”

6. Tim Fite- “Hold Me All Night”

7. Howlin Rain- “Self Made Man”

8. Miike Snow- “Paddling Out”

9. Moss Points North- “Setting Sun”

10. Sene- “Brooklyknight (with Jay Jennings)”

11. The Temper Trap- “Need Your Love”

12. The Men- “Turn It Around”

13. St. Lucia- “Paper Heart”

14. Trampled By Turtles- “Alone”

15. Lower Dens- “Brains”

16. Zeus- “Anything You Want Dear”

17. Tanlines- “Brothers”

18. Chairlift- “I Belong In Your Arms”

19. Yellow Ostrich- “The Shakedown”

20. Moonlight Bride- “Lemondae”

New Music Mondays: Beach House- “Myth”

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Eric in New Music Mondays | Leave a comment

This one has been blowing up the blogosphere for the last week or so and if you haven’t heard it yet it is certainly worth a listen or 50 as I have given it over the past few days. Beach House’s new album, Bloom, is due out May 15 and you can check out “Myth” below as well as the full tracklist for their forthcoming LP.

Bloom Tracklist:

1. Myth
2. Wild
3. Lazuli
4. Other People
5. The Hours
6. Troublemaker
7. New Year
8. Wishes
9. On the Sea
10. Irene

New Music Mondays: The Wooden Sky

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Eric in New Music Mondays | Leave a comment

Ever since our friends over at Visible Voice started campaigning for The Wooden Sky to play at Newport Folk Festival 2012 we began to take a closer listen to the Canadian group. With their most recent release, Every Child a Daughter, Every Moon a Sun, the Toronto quartet develops their sound into an ethereal blend of alt-country which results in one of our favorite albums of this young year. The earnestness in singer Gavin Gardiner’s voice is layered perfectly over 13 spin-tingling tracks. Gardiner told Canadian magazine Exclaim that Every Child nearly became an 18 track double-disc opus…oh and how we wish it did. The record certainly doesn’t feel unfinished, but you wouldn’t find me complaining about an extra five tracks.

The video below for my favorite song off of the album, “Bald, Naked and Red,” sums up the record perfectly. Filmed as the first installment of a five part series at the Grace on the Hill Church in Toronto, you can’t help but get goosebumps when Gardiner belts through the song’s final chorus. The Wooden Sky may not be on the lineup for this year’s Newport Folk Festival, but that doesn’t mean that 2012 can’t be a breakout year for the Canadians.

Stream the full album on Exclaim here

New Music Mondays: Delta Spirit

Posted on February 27, 2012 by doucebox in Album Review, M&T Favorites, New Music Mondays | Leave a comment

This week we take a look into the upcoming album from M&T favorites, Delta Spirit. Their self-titled album is due to come out on March 13th, which will be the official date the band shakes off the “Americana” and “Folk” labels that have followed them around since 2008′s Ode to Sunshine. Not that being labeled as “Americana” or “Folk” is a bad thing, and it’s something they have greatly appreciated, it’s just not the sound that the band is apparently most comfortable in.

The transition towards their “new sound” is a smooth one. Delta Spirit kicks off with “Empty House” which has a twangy, familiar feel, but the distortion quickly kicks in with a killer guitar riff, giving us a preview of things to come. The second track, “Tear It Up,” gives off a modern rock vibe that will have fans chanting along this summer at various festivals (i.e. Coachella, Bonnaroo). “California” is a lyric driven, long-distance relationship song, that I’m sure will get plenty of radio play this spring. Some other key tracks on the album are “Money Saves” and “Tellin’ The Mind.” “Money Saves” is a well layered, aggressive piece, where even Vazquez has a little distortion on the mic. “Tellin’ The Mind” is fast paced and features quite the tribal scream (I don’t know how else to describe that noise).

The album as a whole is much more rock and roll than their previous two efforts, with a very noticeable sonic shift, but still staying true to the lyrical aspects of Ode To Sunsine and History From Below. It’s great to see bands progress and play the music that they want to play as I find that my favorite artists tend to experiment with sound and no two albums turn out the same, which also translates to a superior concert-going experience. Frontman Matt Vasquez defines the band’s new direction best when he says, “We found the sound that we’ve been looking for, that we’ve been growing into, and as soon as we hit on it, we ran with it. That’s why it’s a self-titled record, so we could connect our identity with what we think Delta Spirit is”

New Music Monday: Howlin’ Rain

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Neil in New Music Mondays | Leave a comment

This week we have freshies coming from San Fran outfit Howlin’ Rain, led by former Comets on Fire lead man, Ethan Miller. The Russian Wilds is Howlin’ Rain’s sophomore effort, but it couldn’t be further from “sophomoric” with iconic producer Rick Rubin manning the production behind this sprawling, guitar-heavy LP. The record contains some Allman Bros-esque rambling jams, in terms of both pure song duration and groove factor, with the occasional psych twinge. I expect these guys to be making the rounds on the fest circuit this summer, and I couldn’t be more excited to catch one of their ’70s infused, Winterland Ballroom worthy shows. Check out standout “Phantom in the Valley” below, or stream the whole thing on Spinner.