i hate the sound of guitars

I’m sort of preparing myself for a hipster backlash against former blog darlings The Joy Formidable, on account of their major label debut, The Big Roar, including 4 tracks that originally appeared on their EP A Balloon Called Moaning.* I’ll admit I was initially a bit disappointed when I saw this, but after listening [...]

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I’m breaking a cardinal rule to write about Darren Hayman (ex-Hefner)’s January Songs project before it’s actually finished, so you have a chance to snag a handful of the tunes in their brief free download window, coz, frankly, owning this album could be a bit expensive for yanks at the Bandcamp going rate. But if [...]

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Ventriloquizzing’s combo of low-register, talky, and somewhat menacing vocal delivery with jittery indie funk reminds me of early Shriekback. A lot. Enough for me to mostly overlook that the lyrics are not much to my taste (repetitive, leaning on familiar phrases and imagery, and in the case of “Sixteen Shades of Black & Blue,” unpleasant). [...]

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The legendary Ed’s Basement shows were before my time as a New Englander, but I suspect their vibe was perfectly nailed based on my experience with house shows, loosely curated open mike nights, and underground clubs and art spaces. Last Saturday evening at TT’s felt like a Sunday afternoon or Tuesday night at one of [...]

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Every new release I listened to in December:
Against Me! – White Crosses
Anika – Anika
Big Kids – Hoop Dreams
The Black Kites – Songs Written While Things Were Changing
Break the Habit – The Last Songs (EP)
Brilliant Colors/Girls Names – I Lose/You Win (single)
Dolph Chaney – Originals: Gumshoe Koalannon (single)
Cold Electrics – Y’Know, for Charity
Daughters – Daughters
Delays – [...]

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