MARK LIND & THE UNLOVED
State Line Records
Homeward Bound
8-song CD

 

LOVEWHIP
Juicy Juju Records
Love Electric
11-song CD

 

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Across Their Universe: Lowbudget Records Does the Songs of the Beatles
Lowbudget Records
19-song CD

 

TRIPPING LILY
The Day Everything Became Nothing
14-song CD

 

LOAM
10-song CD
Nervous Grooming Gestures

Founded in Framingham in 2003, Loam is the moniker of singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Chris Rousseau who is, according to his MySpace: “putting the rock back in indie rock.” To my surprise, this is a do-it-yourself project, one in which he has composed an appealing confection in the realm of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, R.E.M, Nirvana, and Nick Cave, to name a few. His fourth release, Nervous Grooming Gestures, is on the whole, entertaining, melodious, and sounds very much like a full band effort. With influences that run the gamut of everything from Weezer and Elvis Costello, to the Psychedelic Furs and Buffalo Tom, Rousseau evidently has a keen musical sensibility. As is stated in his one-sheet: “In an age where the term independent music has become synonymous with deliberate inaccessibility and soporific snooze, Loam has achieved something singular: a wide, energetic, accessible sound that still retains its DIY spirit.” (Julia R. DeStefano)

MASCARA
Mr. Fibuli’s Records
Fountain of Tears
12-song CD

Well, many of us have been waiting a long time for Chris Mascara to make his power move, and this is it. Of course, being something of a mystic, he tells the truth, but tells it slant, right from the get-go. “Dragonflies” is a seesawing and powerful opening incantation. “Retarded” is a lovely, lost, mildly unsettling song. “B261” is a rocking, Bowie-variety anthem about Jackie Wilson, late of the Brunswick label, who tangled with mobsters and lived to meet a truly ghastly denouement. The coldly, brilliantly anthemic “Carry Me” is both majestic and inspired—the one song I keep coming back to again and again. Other selections offer a variegated soundscape. A few are more than mildly unsettling: the ghoulish “Lester”; the eerie and astonishing “Listerine”; the spooky “Deep in Palm Beach.” And at least two songs are full-blown disturbing: the angular “Ainadamar” and the scathing and scarifying “High School.” Perhaps not conciously, Chris Mascara’s compositional strategy seems to be to utilize dissonance to selectively defamiliarize the ordinary: wrenching it from its everyday context to make us question the foundations of what we ordinarily take for granted. In that way he is powerfully in the tradition of artists such as Captain Beefheart and Pere Ubu, but is, nonetheless, sui generis. This is a mixed bag of a song collection, but the first nine songs are compelling enough to hold us for a good long while. (Francis DiMenno)

ESTHEMA
The Hereness and Nowness of Things
8-song CD

The latest from Esthema is another great slab of east meets west, jazz meets world, art meets earth. A follow-up to their critically acclaimed Apart From the Rest, this new album picks up on the framework previously laid down, while refining and blurring the lines of influence. The band has obviously evolved to become more that a sum of their parts. This new release is a much more cohesive singular idea. This thread of continuity gives this album a natural flow lacking in their previous release. The compositions are more of a collaboration of all members than just one, which provides a fluid counterpoint, spotlighting the talents of everyone in the band so eloquently. I could not recommend this more highly to lovers of world and jazz music. (Joel Simches)

BACCHUS KING
Curve of the Earth
Bacchus King
9-song CD

These are the albums that try men’s souls. The bummer soldier and the sinner patriot will shirk from the service of criticism, but he that stands up now, deserves the love and thanks of bro and ho. Nouveau early ’70s screamo HM, like hell, is not easily described; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the riffage, as on the rage-clotted extravaganza “Can’t Get There From Here,” then the more glorious by contrast the tunage on slower lopes like “God Only Knows (What I Do),” as well as on epic workouts like “Medicine Man.” What we account too quickly as merely cheap and derivative, we disrespect too readily: it is a deviation from FORM only that gives every commonplace thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon these songs; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial a band that also ROCKS should not be highly rated. The scene, with acolytes to enforce its tyranny, has declared that it has a right (not only to DIS) but “to RANK such bands in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER” and if being ranked in that manner, is not bogus, then is there not such a thing as bogusness upon earth. Even MY critique is impious... but I love the band that can smile amid rubble, that can project strength from frustration, and wax bold by refracting the borrowed past and forging some manner of new sound for the future. (Francis DiMenno)

With an opening line of “Don’t you tell me what to do” listeners are fore-warned; they are about to embark on a mysterious journey through the unexpected, the unknown. Once a Navy air traffic controller, Dave Munro (upon returning home) enlisted his closest musical companions and began writing and recording hoping to attract attention within the local scene. The debut, produced by Bleu and engineered by Ducky Carlisle, is a pleasing blend of folk and rock, one that has already gained recognition: an MTV nomination for the “2009 Best Breakout Boston Artist” award, as well as significant radio airplay. Munro’s voice is similar to that of Paul Simon as well as Jason Mraz, while guitar styles are reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel. Elements of indie pop and classic rock also present themselves throughout; think Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Paul McCartney, and the All-American Rejects. One thing is clear: Munro seeks to make his voice heard, to tell his tale, and successfully does so through a heartfelt first effort. (Julia R. DeStefano)

KEVIN MACDONALD BAND
Temporarily Unavailable
12-song CD

Upon listening to his latest effort, one thing is for certain: singer, songwriter, and guitarist, Kevin MacDonald has a unique voice. This, combined with appealing arrangements and clever, quirky lyricism make the disc entertaining. An instrumental composition, “First Impression,” serves as a beautiful opener, while the rest of the album presents the listener with a keen blend of mainstream, pop-oriented sounds. Temporarily Unavailable, though ear pleasing on the whole, is not a particularly groundbreaking effort. However, MacDonald remains true to himself and his influences throughout, which is essentially, always a good thing. (Julia R. DeStefano)

VARIOUS ARTISTS
KT Records
Boston Underground
22-song CD

SuperPower kicks off this four-band split, and having not previously heard his post-Tree output, I am glad to see that Dave Tree has not lost any of his edge. In fact, SuperPower’s brand of metallic hardcore might be even more in-your-face than his more renowned former band. They are easily the most fully-formed group on here; in fact, they are the only ones who sound remotely professional. I wish their portion of the disc had been a little longer.

I’d like to congratulate Allston Pants for being the first band that ever caused me to have an actual nightmare. It wasn’t one of those cool nightmares where you’re on the run from the C.I.A. or Darth Vader and sure, you’re scared, but you wake up kind of exhilarated. No, this was the type that causes you to wake up pissed off because you ruined what precious little sleep you can fit into your busy schedule because you have some awful music sabotaging your subconscious. The vocals are comically bad and diversely so. You get to hear high-pitched screaming, Cookie Monster barking and generic hardcore/street punk grunting all in one place. Every song is sung like the fate of the world depends on it, except instead of singing about Darfur or an unjust legal system, Allston Pants is railing against Horror Business and the Suicide Girls. Oh, and while I know this recording was done totally DIY, that’s no excuse for the volume level dramatically shifting within individual songs. That said, the drummer’s pretty good.

No Shit sounds like Minor Threat or Bad Brains compared to Allston Pants, meaning they’re pretty average. They sing about trivial things as well (like skateboarding and winter) but at least they exhibit more of a positive energy while doing it. I find my head nodding to some of the grooves, but I also completely space out and don’t always notice when the tracks change.

Colin & the Cancer wrap things up, and I wish they weren’t buried at the end of the record. They’re definitely a young band and the songwriting and singing need some work, but there are some worthwhile things happening here, particularly with Ethan and Cuban’s guitar work. They don’t mind branching out and playing guitar hero a little bit. While steeped in straight-ahead hardcore, there are also just enough little nuances to each song that keep them interesting upon repeated listening. This band hasn’t arrived yet, but at least they’re visible out on the horizon. (Kevin Finn)

THE BOSTON JOLLY PIRATES
Global Warming
14-song CD

 

Can you say Mighty Mighty Bosstones? Okay, let’s get that out of the way. Obviously, this band’s been influenced by them but they’re a ska/punk band from Boston, what do you want? So these lads got the ska beat alternating with the punk beat and two trumpets chirping away like a goddamn mariachi band just strolled into a punk show at the local VFW. But they pull it off, keeping the energy up with good tunes and musicianship all around. I particularly like Andy Misberger on the bass but they all do well. I like the first and last songs the best and is that a theremin I keep hearing on some tracks making that “flying saucers are landing” noise? So I recommend them if ska/punk is the type of dish you would order; well, get this to go. Bet they’re hell of a live band, also. (Slimedog)

TOKYO TRAMPS
Vagabond Entertainment
With These Hands
12-song CD

There’s not a thing I don’t like about this album: the nifty surf green color, the elegant cardboard jacket, the properly licensed blues cover tunes. Get ready folks, here’s a Japanese trio that’s ready to blast out authentic American-sounding blues rock tunes. That may sound novel. It is, in such a way that it’s hard to not cross over the PC line and remark, whatever the American can do, the Japanese can do as well, and usually, better. The sound of this band is extremely enjoyable and has to be heard to be understood. Rich male and female vocals blended just so, and great playing delineated through really cool writing and arrangements. They’re taking a basically boring and worn out form of American music, adding their know-how and talent and giving it back. Did I offend anyone? How can you talk about music without referring to cross-pollination? How can you not like the blues? How long is this review? Done. (Mike Loce)

 

Formerly a cover band, Grab Brothers have released a full length of original music. Far from derivative, this album offers up a fresh slice of Americana, owing a lot to the sound of seventies bands like Pink Floyd and the Eagles, while also delving deep into independent influences like Wilco, Grant Lee Buffalo, Chris Smither, and the Blood Oranges. The result is an easy blend of folk, country and classic rock. This album really succeeds on the easy, laid back flow of melodic ideas, but stumbles occasionally when it makes an overt attempt to be tough and rock out, as in their second track, “Holly Would,” which attempts the typical “rocket in my pocket” type of classic rock innuendo this album could easily live well without. Despite the copious amount of session player contributions, this CD stands as a cohesive band album and an album that bears repeated listening for those who want a little flavor in their classic rock without sounding trite or cliché. (Joel Simches)

SIDEWALK DRIVER
For All the Boys & Girls
12-song CD

 

 

Sidewalk Driver is one of the very few Boston bands that has caught my attention lately. Granted, I hadn’t heard of them before their CD landed on my doorstep, but now that I’m listening to their music, I wonder why I didn’t hear of them sooner. What I’m trying to say is that I think this album is pretty darn good—I dig its pop-indie-rock vibe and the sickeningly catchy choruses of songs like “Dancing With Her Friends” and “Fremont, NE.” You just can’t go wrong with a healthy combination of poppy guitar lines, syrupy vocals, and fuzzy guitar riffs, and so it is that Sidewalk Driver’s new album is so, so right. (Emsterly)

JOHNNY STRANGER
Galacticus 9
10-song CD

 

 

You know what I love about a band that decides to do a concept album? I love that this is ambitious—you can’t be lazy when you need to construct a series of songs that tell a story, and in the case of Johnny Stranger, they do it very well. It may be a concept album but the songs are all distinct and if one didn’t know they’re supposed to string together to tell a story, one could easily listen to each of these songs as separate entities—so the fact that this works just as well as individual songs as it does as a whole story is a reflection of an enterprising, energetic band. This is a sci-fi story about “an intergalactic space traveler and his desperate quest to save his beloved starlet.” An attempt to check out the lyrics on their site failed but I can say musically, it’s at times dramatic and theatrical, at others, catchy, alt rock, laced with great grooves and some cool sci-fi vibes. Super excellent. (Debbie Catalano)
 

THE SUN LEE SUNBEAM
Beneath the Burning Sky
15-song CD

I find the sound of this CD matches my mood perfectly. That is, when I’m in the mood to be aggressive and melodic, but singable and structured. What I like is the punk rock type melodisicm. At times I also am reminded of running a loud lawnmower over a basketball court, in a nice powerful way. I find it easier to describe images in my mind. This band is tight and hard (opposite of loose and soft?) and they know what they’re good at. I like that. Some moments remind me of good Babes in Toyland tunes, with attention paid to the construction and the production of the song. Crankable tracks, nicely balanced with just enough mellow songs, a couple of them. Jessica Sun Lee is the mastermind behind this well rehearsed entourage, and I admire her tenacity... you can hear it through all the ones and zeros. Only one question to Jessica: why BMI and not ASCAP? (Mike Loce)

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Osiris Entertainment
Still Green—Music From the Motion Picture
14-song CD

This soundtrack features some great indie artists and bands from L.A., Miami, Brooklyn, Hartford, San Diego, Charleston, and Boston. Much of this music is moody songwriter and emo pop, which perfectly illustrates the story of a group of high school graduates who rent a beach house for the summer before going their separate ways. The highlights of this disc are, without question, the bands from Boston. Orange Island present an epic angst fest in their anthemic “Pyretic Eyes.”

Also featured is central Mass. hip hop artist Future Joyner, another brooding classic from the Curtain Society, the deliciously jangly title track by Steve Mayone, and the introspective “Fears” by Jediah. Hopefully people will seek out this fine independent film and revel in the depth of the relationships explored, and lovingly illustrated in song. (Joel Simches)

THE DESTRIES
Untimely Records
Metropolitan Holiday
12- song CD

Ah, yes, Mrs. Slimedog here, the jet setting, trendsetting, cosmopolitan, (why yes, thank you, I’d like one very much), all-knowing top writer of the Noise. And modest to kick! But let’s not waste any more mimes.

Now, on the little yellow stickee that was attached to this CD, the band refers to themselves as “loser rock.” Puh-leeze boys, have you ever met Slimedog? I believe they have his picture next to the term on wikipedia.

So this is indie music (bellybutton) with grungy guitars where they don’t wash their strings or something to get that grimy sound. Now, Slimedog was hoping their name was referring to Jimmy Destri, a keyboard player from Blondie, a New York band I’ve never heard of. And their version of “Schools Out” has different words and music than the song by ’60s female folk singer Alice Cooper.

The songs are fast, breezy and catchy at times, but I can’t recommend them as much as I can Andrea Bocelli’s Christmas Album, and I could be wrong but I believe he’s from Stoughton. (Mrs. Slimedog)

MYRA FLYNN
Crooked Measures
11-song CD

 

 

Greetings, Zortar here, alien from another planet inhabiting the antag-onistic, assholish, almond shaped, Airedale fucking waste of human debris known as Slimedog. Glad to be manning my ice cream truck through the easy to drive streets of Boston as children run up with joy on their faces only to have it turn to dismay when they learn I have no crack for sale.

Which brings us to Myra’s lovely album of lilting falsetto vocals over pleasant acoustic guitar strumming and subtle drums—she looks like a sweet young girl but I disapprove of the guy on the cover trying to look up her skirt while pretending to fix something underneath the kitchen sink!

She mentions influences such as Joni Mitchell and Sarah McLachlan so if you care for them you might like her as well as she does a fine job. But for me I would rather drive my ice cream truck off the Tobin Bridge to avoid hearing another second of this. (Slimedog)

THE WILLOWS
Roots Run Deep
10-song CD

 

 

I felt the desire come through in the Willows’ style and music but unfortunately this recording was so one-dimensional, it didn’t do the band justice—especially for a genre that should be big, fat, and full. Roots Run Deep did not reach the depth their music demands—and deserves. They have the talent, the good intentions, and good tunes, but the recording lacked a major element: dimension. Allow me to clarify something, however: the recording was not lacking for quality. It’s clear, warm, and mixed well… it’s just flat-sounding. I appreciate their passion and the Americana/roots pop vibe so this is really an example of constructive criticism: next time you go into the studio see if you can get your songs recorded and produced so it’s less comparable to a flat, dry desert and more like a full, stormy ocean… if that makes any sense. Fave tune: “Keep Moving.” (Debbie Catalano)

DEAD CATS DEAD RATS
Riff
9-song CD

 

 

With the moniker of this band, one may think of a little Jim Morrisonian reference. Remember? At that point though, the Doors comparison ends. What we got here is a mixed up mass of sludge, refined with some Cobain-esque howls in some of the lighter moments. True to the disc title, there is quite a bit of formidable alternative-thrash guitar riffery. There’s also an equal amount of boring back and forth hashy slamming going on. Don’t get me wrong; I love hashy slamming, but it tires after a bit. I recommend that this album be listened to while driving to endanger or shooting some concoction of chemicals found in the basement storage closet. It’s a good overall sound to be angry to. File under: aggressive rock type 3B. I wish I had a lyric sheet so I could read what the vocalist/guitarist (Matt Rappucci) is screaming about. Chris Wolz and Mark Zolla fill out the bass and drums, respectively. (Mike Loce)

TINY FIRES
Burst & Bloom
Tiny Fires
7-song CD

Magical, elegant, dreamy… Tiny Fires’ self-titled CD is a beautiful collection of sound and music. I specifically use the word “sound” because they incorporate the joy of sound into their music. For example, they include “stomping” or tap dancing as part of what makes up their music but add that to gorgeous, lilting vocal harmonies and such wonderful instruments as calliope keyboards, toy piano, kalimba, glockenspiel, and castanets, along with guitar, bass, piano. This is an example of being creative with the artistry of music. Some highlights include the beatniky, dare I say slightly Lou Reed-ish (but much prettier) “Wild at Heart,” the truly lovely “Beacon,” “Magpies” a lingering and captivating song, and the slightly garagey, organic number that is “(Stronger Than) Wedding Rings”—which, wow, I feel I haven’t adequately given this song the description it surely deserves. All are really delights to the ear and the soul. I’d also like to add that I love the CD artwork. It captures the essence of this unique collection. (Debbie Catalano)

 

 

 

This album left me speechless. I’m talking to the point where I was just going to let the band’s own words speak for themselves by simply typing out a paragraph’s worth of their not-as-deep-as-they’re-meant-to-be lines. You know, gems like “When hatred consumes us, our children exhume us.” Or “Masculinity lacks virility.” Or perhaps “As Shaky hands trace ancient maps to learn her curves.” But that would be kind of a cheap gimmick. Instead, I’ll say its overly dramatic vocals, Shakespeare references and mentions of powerful rings make me think of a trip to the renaissance faire, only lamer. That said, it would make an excellent soundtrack to a LARP outing. I’ve never said that about an album before, so I guess I can at least give the band points for being unique. Oh, and props to them for making it 79-minutes long. Sure, that adds to the interminableness, but at least they didn’t let any precious digital space go to waste. (Kevin Finn)

SUIT OF HAIR
Yeah! Lou
1-song CD

 

 

This song is catchy as all hell! It’s jangly, hip, and silly in all the many good ways that pop music should be. There are great harmonies and a shitload of hooks in such a short song!! This is possibly the best song that Guided By Voices never recorded! (Joel Simches)

GRAPH
EP2
6-song CD

This new release is a great blend of instrumental imagery and clever wordplay. Musically there are some great shifts in mood and tempo, with each song taking you on a journey through the New Hampshire countryside. While other bands of this ilk could be simply content to just be a jammy, stoner thing, Graph seems to play with the mental intellect with each musical interlude punctuating the mood evoked by the lyric. Fans of Wilco, Animal Collective, and Andrew Bird will easily enjoy this. The rest of us can twist up a number, dim the lights, and revel in the sonic wizardry contained within. (Joel Simches)

FRANK BOOTH’S CAR
Reluctant Records
Punk Rock Garage
4-song CD

I’m driving fast down Route 3 to the energy of these old rockin’ fogies. Just happens that the first song, and the CD concept, is in tribute of my personal favorite car, a Dodge Charger. Don’t ask what year, you know it only can be ’68 through ’70. The fact that I drive an ’02 Solara is not an issue here. What’s good is how a 4-song disc can keep you consistently energized as it loops. The recording sound needs work, however. Kinda thin. Fatten up the mix and rock on. (Mike Loce)

THE 7CS
The 7Cs
6-song CD

Another great, no nonsense, power rock band from Metro West. The 7Cs rock the three-chord verse and chorus, much like Jonathan Richman, early Van Morrison, and the Stones. While neither polished nor gritty, the band just plays rockin’ good tunes without pretense or drama. They stick to the basics and do it well. If you like your rock power trio to be raw and basic, this EP is totally up your alley. Make more music soon! (Joel Simches)