Read more "Preview of Boston Not LA 4 (III)"
The post Preview of Boston Not LA 4 (III) appeared first on I Heart Noise.
]]>
Another volume of Boston Not LA is upon us and here’s another snippet of what’s up ahead…Charcoal Sketches of the Invisible Man – Anomaly Jones
CSOIM is just one nom de plume used by Dorchester, MA resident Chris Bynes – he also recorded as Lightning Pill, Daydreamers Club and Blue Skye (he contributed Heart Science as former and Alone Time as latter to Boston Not LA 2).
Chris’s music is as varied as his monikers and his new contribution sounds little like its predecessors (both of which were instrumentals) – this time the focus is on vocals. Initially his vocals may sound brittle but come chorus and they soar and blend beautifully with the sound of the piano.
Twink – Sparklemuffin
Its no secret that Twink the Toy Piano Band / Mike Langlie have obsession with/fixation on critters of various kinds and in case of Sparklemuffin the object of said fixation is dancing spider (as seen in corresponding music video)! Its quirky, its whimsical and it will probably make you dance too.
The Forgotten Jam – The Forgotten Jam
Con-Tex solo track Somehow There You Are (which he contributed to Boston Not LA 3) could’ve easily been one of Ween outtakes/b-sides whereas this self-titled track he recorded with his band TFJ is more of a tribal/psychedelic workout. The entire track is akin to an arc – starting out as a seemingly random collection of drumming, yelps and various noises it gradually turns into a tight psych jam a-la Grateful Dead.
Audrey Harrer – Ancient Honey
A stylish piece of pop noir, this piece taken off of Audrey’s debut Alphabet Rain just begs to be played during credits of one of David Lynch movies. Think soaring females vocals, strange atmospheres and cryptic lyrics – it all fits a narrative of a heroine being sucked into a murderous vortex of love and revenge.
Final version of Boston Not LA 4 will include 20 tracks, but in the meantime you can listen to previously available contributions from Anda Volley, The Prefab Messiahs, Skyjelly, The Lowbred Watts, Jenova 7 and Clown (aka Rusty Rabinowitz):
The post Preview of Boston Not LA 4 (III) appeared first on I Heart Noise.
]]>Read more "Preview of Boston Not LA 4 (II)"
The post Preview of Boston Not LA 4 (II) appeared first on I Heart Noise.
]]>The Lowbred Watts – Adult Things
TLW is Ryan Stapler whose gritty mix of homemade/lo-fi blues and folk makes you want to smoke a cigarette even if you’re not a smoker (according to The Wild Honey Pie). Stapler’s most recent release – 2014 This American Hide – draws you in despite the coarse production (or perhaps because of it) and the opener Adult Things provides an excellent showcase of the projects’s strengths:
Jenova 7 – Heartless
Borrowing heavily from Three Dog Night late 60s hit Easy to be Hard, Heartless is a melancholic journey into the night and space guided along by beats and saxophone samples. The version presented here was recorded live at WBER radio station in 2014.
Clown – Romance
Out of 3 LPs released so far by Worcester’s Clown (aka Rusty Rabinowitz) 2013 Kong is the epitome of uneasy listening with its swirling vortex of noises, orchestration and disembodied vocals. Same can be said about the album’s opener Romance – initially off-putting and ugly it makes more sense with repeated listens especially if are familiar with the recent work of Scott Walker and/or many industrial/ambient/noise classics.
In addition to tracks listed above, you can stream 6-track preview of Boston Not LA 4 in its entirety below:
The post Preview of Boston Not LA 4 (II) appeared first on I Heart Noise.
]]>Read more "Preview of Boston Not LA 4"
The post Preview of Boston Not LA 4 appeared first on I Heart Noise.
]]>Anda Volley – Butterfly Melt
This little creeper of a tune was born in the Flawless Computerized Mind of one Anda Volley – think soundtrack for a funeral of civilization ruined by nuclear wars coupled with a long walk through resulting wasteland.
The Prefab Messiahs – College Radio
Story of this Worcester garage/psych quartet goes back all the way to the early 80s when they released an excellent Franz Kafka/Prefab Sun single. After some 20-year long hiatus they came back with a vengeance and this ode to the spirit of independence can be found on their latest album Keep Your Stupid Dreams Alive.
Skyjelly – Move on 45
Just one of countless unreleased tracks by Skyjelly, this one is a sublime excursion into ambient/shoegaze/psychedelia. An odd love song and a tribute to no one particular, Move on 45 keep its chilled throughout six minutes of its duration.
The post Preview of Boston Not LA 4 appeared first on I Heart Noise.
]]>The post Boston Not LA Recap – Ghost Box Orchestra + Skyjelly + Walter Sickert and the Army of Broken Toys appeared first on I Heart Noise.
]]>Whether you choose to call them space rock or post rock or shoegaze, Ghost Box Orchestra are true to their name – both LPs that the band released so far demonstrate the skills to create music that is both groovy and ethereal (and also haunting at times). These are the soundscapes that you can dance to and if Mars had nightclubs along with the water then GBOs music would be welcomed there with both arms!
Ghost Box Orchestra contributed Oh The Moon Hangs Low as well as demo of title track off of their second LP Vanished to Boston Not LA series:
Where are they now: Since the release of their debut The Last Light On, GBO played Austin Psych Fest, Deep Heaven Now and Boston’s Fuzzfest, won Best Psych/Experimental act in the Boston Phoenix’s Best Music Poll and shared the stage with countless bands including Wooden Shjips, Psychic Ills, Moon Duo and The Cult.
Motorola Monkey – first track that Providence, RI Skyjelly contributed to first volume of Boston, Not LA (and one of the first things recorded by the band) – reveals just how unconventional their approach to composition is. This track (and accompanying video) starts out with vaguely middle eastern intro that gives way to a bouncy bass layered over the bed of electronics. Think soundtrack to a non-existent movie about Arabian James Bond.
Acosta (which appears on Boston Not La Vol.2) is a different beast – unlike Motorola Monkey it features vocals (it kicks off with muffled/distorted chant of “I was playing with my amp…). In the ideal world it could’ve been a radio hit since its melodic, got a wonderful guitar solo and a tinge of melancholy to it:
Finally, there’s 6 Is Silent – Skyjelly’s most recent contribution to the series. Easily the most upbeat of all three it features a colorful video created by Sarah Jane Lapp which perfectly fits the surreal vibe of the song:
Where are they now: Skyjelly released 4-track EP Skyjelly & SUN in 2014 and also played countless shows around Boston and Providence. Skyjelly & SUN, however, represents only a tiny portion of the band’s back catalog as they constantly put out new videos, jams and song sketches online.
If you can’t ever get enough of Tiger Lillies perverted cabaret (and I would be very scared of you if that’s the case), then you would surely squeal with delight upon hearing anything put out by Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys!
Led by an enigmatic ringmaster Walter Sickert (most likely not the German painter/printmaker from early 20th century), this 7-member troupe revels in all kinds of bizarre and morbid stories and characters. Heroine pigs, Baba Yaga and Lucifer himself are just some of the character that make appearance on their records and there truly are no limits as to how far this band is willing to go in order to explore the forbidden territories.
Walter Sickert and The Army of Broken Toys contributed Sea Song (Mare Carmen) to the first volume of Boston Not LA:
Where are they now: The band latest release is Shockheaded Peter, “reimagining” of the score originally written by Tiger Lillies for a musical based on Heinrich Hoffman children’s book. As WBUR reports:
Company One productions always feel more like rock ‘n’ roll shows than any other theater’s, even Oberon’s. The current production, “Shockheaded Peter,” not only feels like rock ‘n’ roll; it is rock ‘n’ roll. Walter Sickert and the Army of Broken Toys’steamCrunk, to be specific, but close enough. Sickert looks, plays, acts and writes like Dr. John on steroids while his mischievous melodies suggest the Kinks going to darker places than Ray Davies inhabits. Or as he told ARTery contributor Susanna Jackson, it’s music that he hopes evokes a mood of “Charlie and The Chocolate Factory” meets “Hellraiser.”
The post Boston Not LA Recap – Ghost Box Orchestra + Skyjelly + Walter Sickert and the Army of Broken Toys appeared first on I Heart Noise.
]]>Read more "Another Preview of Boston Not La Part Deux!"
The post Another Preview of Boston Not La Part Deux! appeared first on I Heart Noise.
]]>
More music from local artists (and some former Bostonians)….grab the first 19 tracks from the compilation here or check out track-by track breakdown below.
Oh, and don’t forget that this one features great artwork courtesy of Frank Germano!
Bands: Destroy Babylon | RIBS | Uranium Daughters | Many Mansions | Skyjelly
Static Of The Gods | Ruin/Renewal | Il Abanico | Red Bellows
Beware The Dangers Of A Ghost Scorpion | Blue Skye | Incus | Daydreamers Club
Darkhorse (a.k.a. Jenova 7) | Young Adults | The Doctors Fox | Gun Shop Daddy
Grass Is Green | Whir
Tracks
Destroy Babylon – Mega Dub Inna Orbit City
RIBS – Cosmos
Uranium Daughters – Cup Of Instant Smiles
Many Mansions – WHALES pt.1 (Live On WMBR)
Skyjelly – Acosta
Static Of The Gods – Lake Effect
Ruin/Renewal – One Of The Four Humors
Il Abanico – Solo
Red Bellows – L.S. Blues
Beware The Dangers Of A Ghost Scorpion – Zombie Dance Party
Blue Skye – Alone Time
Incus – Deadwood
Daydreamers Club – Heart Science
Darkhorse (Jenova 7) – Love On A Bed Of Nails
Young Adults – Rip It Up
The Doctors Fox – Whole Foods
Gun Shop Daddy – Demon In Disguise
Grass Is Green – Blueville
Whir – Collider Wheel
There’s more to come – stay tuned and/or visit I Heart Noise on Bandcamp!
The post Another Preview of Boston Not La Part Deux! appeared first on I Heart Noise.
]]>