May 5, 2012

Today's Hotness: Hop Along, Lubec

Hop Along -- Get Disowned

>> What if '90s indie rock footnotes Monsterland traveled through time to 2006 and hooked up with Canadian alt-country luminary Kathleen Edwards? How awesome would that be? Well, through the miracle of modern indie rock we now have an answer: it would be exactly as awesome as up-and-coming Philly indie rockers Hop Along. Or at least one of the trio's wonderful songs. The digital single "Tibetan Pop Star," touts both riff and rhythm not unlike that of Monsterland's epic and glorious "Your Touch Is Uncomfortable To Me," coupled with Hop Along fronter Frances Quinlan's arresting vocal rasp which recalls that of Ms. Edwards. "Tibetan Pop Stars" is taken from Hop Along's full-length debut Get Disowned, which was recorded and produced by Joe Reinhart of Philly indie-punk goliaths Algernon Cadwallader. The record is being released tomorrow on Hot Green Records, the imprint of the aforementioned Algernon Cadwallader, and you can order it straight from Hot Green for $12, presumably postage paid, but what do we know; the first 50 pre-orders (already gone, so don't get your hopes up) were packaged with a cassette featuring "an old, beloved b-side." Get Disowned will be feted June 1 at a record release show to be held at Philadelphia's fabled DIY space at the First Unitarian Church. You know what would be an amazing touring bill? Hop Along and Massachusetts' own Speedy Ortiz -- someone get on that. In the meantime, you get on the embed of "Tibetan Pop Stars" below, because the song kills. And because nobody deserves you the way that I do.


>> Portland, Ore.-based guitar pop champions Lubec announced this week it will issue this summer Wilderness Days, a full-length album compiling songs from the band's previously issued (and excellent) EP Nothing Is Enough! alongside previously unreleased tracks. Wilderness Days is being released on 12" vinyl in a limited edition of 300 pieces on or around July 17. The compilation -- available for pre-order now right here -- apparently comes packaged with unspecified Nothing Is Enough! clothing and accessories, poetry by Robert Laurence Binyon (never heard of 'm), and complete lyric and chord charts for all the songs.  All of which we think you will agree is an embarrassment of riches, considering Lubec is already giving you hits like "Cherry Adair" and "Gang Knife Battles" on vinyl. And while fans will be ecstatic about Wilderness Days, we expect they will be even more excited to learn Lubec is recording its first proper full-length album, which purports to be a concept album. No word on when that will be completed, but we're excited all the same, as the Portland iteration of the band sounds great, based on the recently posted KBOO radio session with which we've been spending a lot of time. Below you can stream a delicious, new-to-us tune, "Holiday Traffic," which will appear on Wilderness Days.



>> Have you heard about this compilation of 11 Boston bands performing RIDE's 1990 classic Nowhere album in its entirety? It's called N O F U C K I N G W H E R E, I hear it's excellent, and you can download it right here.

No comments: