Some ended up on podcasts (Jenova 7), others made to End of the Year lists (Anda Volley, Audrey Harrer) and yet others received great reviews (Twink, Skyjelly), but enough of talk….lets walk the walk!
And Then There Was One
ATTW1 is Stevie Caldwell who writes wonderful (and somewhat melancholic) atmospheric pop – she lists Florence and the Machine, Throwing Muses and PJ Harvey as her influences
As Essentially Pop blog points out:
Stevie’s music is hard to classify in terms of genre – lyrically it has something we can’t quite put our finger on – it’s a roller coaster of emotion; introspective and self-exploratory. Love given, love lost, love unrequited. It’s REAL. Sad, emotional. Stirring.
Read their entire piece on ATTW1/Stevie’s music here
Audrey Harrer
A very refreshing change of pace for Boston music – the lyrics are a bit like Van Dyke Parks‘ on Smile and it has a baroque, sometimes mildly eerie art pop feeling.
Connor Malcolm Crowford (Tin Flowers)
Audrey made it onto DigBoston 30 Local Albums of 2015 list with her album Alphabet Rain (which also includes contribution she made to Boston Not LA 4)
Audrey Harrer’s debut studio release shimmers with six poetic compositions where she uses her harp to shape playful, cinematic structures that challenge the precision of Joanna Newsom. Vocally, she leaps through the tones of Julia Holter and Jenny Hval, finding strength within fragility. Harrer has done the impossible: make intricate compositions relaxed in their reveals. Jamaica Plain has something well worth harping on.
Anda Volley
#3 in Top 20 Albums of 2015 (compiled by Tomatrax)
A singer, songwriter and producer based in the heart of Boston, Anda Volley has become a rising talent in the alternatives and electronics scenes lately. Her debut album, ‘Inside the Ghost Machine’ dropped in 2014, and unleased a vivid tapestry of insightful lyrics and improvised electronic grooves, and only one year later, Volley is now back to do it all again with her new EP, ‘My Flawless Computerized Mind’.
A somewhat eclectic mixture of flickering static, vocal recordings, and audio samples, the opening track of the release is not immediately engaging. It’s a twisted storm of sounds and motions, that expands over the course of six minutes without ever truly finding a form, and while it’s lucidity offers some sort of intrigue, it’s often transient at best.
Read more on Anthem Review
Jenova 7
J7 (aka Michael J Sirois) is one of the strongest contributors to Boston Not LA series – his tracks appeared throughout all the volumes!
J/Mike is also a frequent guest on Dave’s Lounge described as:
Podcast that showcases the best in chillout, trip hop and downtempo electronic music from independent artists and labels around the world
Listen to Dave’s Lounge #321: The 2015 Yearbook that features Jenova 7
Skyjelly
When a band comes along called Skyjelly, you generally can’t help but take note.
A fourpiece of Skyjelly Jones, Scott ‘Sheik’ Levesque, Dave Melanson, and Eric Hudson, Skyjelly deal in the self-described genre of “Improvisational Guitar Noise Pop Blues Psychedelia Left Field Soul Loops”, and while it might sound like a mess, it’s ultimately brilliantly enjoyable.
Read more at Anthem Review
Twink
Described as a musical mad scientist, Boston’s Mike Langlie adopted his Twink moniker after finding an old toy piano in a thrift store. From then on his music project quickly took shape and blossomed into a cacophony of bells, chimes, xylophones, synths, and rusted toy textures. Release after released followed, with Langlie solidifying his own unique sound with each new chapter, and now with his new record ‘Dust Bunny’ surfacing, it’s time to celebrate Twink the artist.
Read more at Performer Mag and/or take a look at a long list of press mentions for Twink
Further Reading
Anthem Review
Dave’s Lounge
DigBoston
Essentially Pop
Tomatrax
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