Today's Hotness: Low Low Low La La La Love Love Love, Julius Earthling, 28 Degrees Taurus

>> Low Low Low La La La Love Love Love has one of those names that make this blogger say "ugh" and throw up his hands like a salty, aging newsman from the era of paper broadsheets, in a sort-of "what the hell am I supposed to do with this" gesture. Not that any of you saw that. Nevertheless, the English duo's forthcoming fourth LP Last presents significant, curious charms; it's the kind of record that surprises with noisy unpredictability, quiet intimacy and unflinching sincerity. All of this manifests as a somewhat unsteady aesthetic, with songs ranging from spare, droning folk efforts ("Goodbyes," "Little Heart") to the crashing slowcore gem "Dispel," a highlight of the collection that touts some rocking twinned lead guitars. The fuzzy strummer "Burrow" plays the role of able single, or if it doesn't it should, with a beautiful melody and easy vibe, while the ambitious interstitial "Dandelions" slowly descends from a charred haze of distortion into a slow-turning elegy reminiscent of noise-pop heroes Flying Saucer Attack. Last, incidentally, is purposefully named; the set is the final word from the decade-old band, which for a time had six members but now counts among its number just its founders, brothers Kelly and Ellis Dyson. Last is being issued as a co-release of perennial underdog Audio Antihero and Miami's Other Electricities. The collection, of course, is notable for a number of things beyond its fearless range, but it is interesting that after threatening to throw in the proverbial towel for quite some time, London's Audio Antihero is issuing its first vinyl record. Indeed, the little label that could will handle all non-US vinyl orders for Low Low Low La La La Love Love Love's LP, while Other Electricities will fulfill orders destined for American postal addresses; the set -- which is due Feb. 16 -- will also be sold as a digital download. Last will be celebrated with a release show Feb. 19 at The Servant Jazz Quarters in Dalston, London; also on the bill are mighty Clicky Clicky faves Superman Revenge Squad, as well as Owl + Mouse. Stream the aforementioned "Burrow" and "Dispel" as well as a tune called "Harvesting" via the Bandcamp embed below, and click through to pre-order the LP or download.



>> Boston indie punks Julius Earthling seemed to drop out of sight after releasing its debut EP in 2013, but last week the outfit made a welcome return with the first preview single from its forthcoming sophomore EP NFL Bliss. The Jamaica Plain-based noise-pop trio's short set will be issued March 18, and the frenetic and fuzzy first-listen "575" is a dynamic, deftly executed rocker. Beyond its appreciable hooks, "575" is notable for cycling through a series of moods and rhythms, from chunky garage riffage, to a mathy, odd-timed bridge, and into a smooth new-wave section marked by sturdy reverb on the guitar and a beat anchored by a rain of sixteenth notes against the hi-hat. In our estimation the tune is evidence that Julius Earthling is one of the most promising young acts coming up out of the Boston underground at the moment, so we suggest you keep an ear on them. We as yet have no information about what else NFL Bliss might contain, or whether it will be self-released or issued by a label, but either way the set will be celebrated with a release show March 18 at Allston Rock City's O'Brien's Pub. The bill also features the Clicky Clicky-approved Digital Prisoners of War alongside Grave Ideas and Laika's Orbit. Julius Earthling's debut EP For was released in November 2013 on New Neighbor (or at least, that's what we wrote at the time -- looking at the New Neighbor catalog it appears that the label never actually issued For for some reason). Stream "575" via the Bandcamp embed below, and check out a video for the title track to For right here.



>> Veteran Boston shoegazers 28 Degrees Taurus return to the live stage Wednesday, top-lining a solid night of rock and roll music at Cambridge, Mass.' Middle East Upstairs. The act pledged earlier this month here to release a new long-player in 2015, and teased the new release with a new tune in late December. That song was the very nice "Hearts Were Made," which we'd have more to say about if Bandcamp weren't capping free streams of the song, or at least *our* free streams of the song (is this really a thing? we've never encountered this before). But for those of you not cut off, we suggest streaming "Hearts Were Made" via the embed below. We last wrote about 28 Degrees Taurus here in April 2013, at a time when the band's future seemed uncertain. The proverbial ship seems to have righted itself, an impression bolstered by the act's steady schedule of area gigs last fall, and we look forward to hearing more music from the mind of Mr. Liu and Ms. DaCosta. Wednesday's show also features the slightly skewed, wholly folksy bompedy-bomp of Somerville's Thick Wild, whose 2012 full-length O Sinister Force is both eminently listenable and a very fine way to pass the time. So what the hell, go to a show Wednesday, people.

Today's Hotness: Winter, The Snowy Owls, Krill

>> We've been looking forward to the opportunity to put this blog post together because of the obvious parallels between the first two items. So here we have it: two Clicky Clicky faves, bearing wintry names, heading into transitions, while putting out killer summer jams for the discerning indie rock aficionado. Let's start local with the new digital single from Boston dream-pop lumnaries Winter. "Alligator" was unveiled last week and the bittersweet ballad may very well be the charming quartet's strongest to date. It comes, however, in the wake of fronter and namesake Samira Winter's disclosure that she will soon relocate to the west coast. The band -- which includes Infinity Girl's Nolan Eley and Kyle Oppenheimer as well as 28 Degrees Taurus's Ana Karina DaCosta -- played its final Boston shows (for now, anyway) this past week. The good news is Ms. Winter and Mr. Eley intend to continue their collaboration despite the long distance, and based partcularly on the strength of the "Alligator" single (although the rest of their catalog is quite good, as well), we're relieved: theirs is a fertile musical partnership that we'd hate to see scrapped. Interestingly, while the song bears Mr. Eley's increasingly cognizable, atmospheric production, the composition is actually co-written with Cloud's Tyler Taormina and a fellow named David Broyles (with whom we are not familiar), and the song addresses Ms. Winter's feelings about the move west. Attentive readers will recall that Cloud and Winter are both part of the Practice Room Records collective, and Ms. Winter and Mr. Taormina attended university together in Boston. "Alligator" is a lush, melodic ballad featuring Ms. Winter's most confident vocal, and, between the song's pulsing bass line and her voice, we're reminded of Joan Jett's 1981 cover of "Crimson And Clover." It's not a perfect comparison, by any stretch: where Ms. Jett brought her tough edge to the Tommy James and The Shondells classic, it is hard for us to imagine the laid-back Ms. Winter being interested in being any tougher than, say, Oz's Glinda The Good Witch of the South. Anyway, with "Alligator"'s cascading vocal hook in the chorus, easy girl-group bounce and a frenetic guitar solo from Mr. Oppenheimer, the song is one that won't be quick to leave your head. It is the group's second digital single of the summer; we wrote about "The View" right here in early July. Stream "Alligator" via the Bandcamp embed below, and see the band (in trio formation) perform the song during the recent Boston Fuzzstival here. Tangentially, let us also note Cloud's coup this week of having the "Mother Sea" single reviewed in Pantsfork; we wrote about the song here in early July as well.



>> Our second summer offering from a wintry act is The Snowy Owls' terrific new Summer EP. The Richmond shoegaze foursome's short collection was released to the wilds of the Interpants Aug. 13 and features the songs "Feels Like Summer," "What Summer Is for," "All Summer Long," and "Next Summer." We're confident you'll identify the theme here. The music is languidly paced and relatively loose compared to the darker, more formalized and restrained compositions found on the band's 2012 Within Your Reach EP, which we reviewed here. The lazy, estival vibe of Summer does not, however, result in more spare and less urgent music. In fact, the surprise here is that -- despite the sense we get that the new EP came together quickly due to the recent departure of drummer Brandon Martin (formerly of another Clicky Clicky fave, Lubec) -- Summer is bigger, denser, prettier and more anthemic. It gives us the sense that The Snowy Owls are just at the cusp of something very exciting indeed. While all of the EP is delightful and makes us think at times that it is not unlike a Jesus And Mary Chain record slowed down, Summer goes supernova at the close of the second minute of "Next Summer." There the song begins to endlessly reach out in every direction into a reverb that becomes increasingly saturated with technicolor guitar feedback and ringing cymbals. It is a beautiful, beautiful thing, and certainly the high point to date of The Snowy Owls' repertoire. With the EP completed and released, the act is now focused on finishing a full-length record, according to this Facebook status update. In the meantime, the quartet -- now featuring James O'Neill behind the drum kit -- will play Richmond's Fall Line Festival Sept. 6 and then make an appearance the following day at the annual Hopscotch music festival in Raleigh, NC. Listen to Summer via the Bandcamp embed below; you'll be glad you did.



>> While Mr. Riley touched on it briefly in his review of the Bent Shapes album release show, we wanted to expand upon what is up with Jamaica Plain-based bugcore champions Krill. The trio disclosed earlier this month that 1) it recorded a number of new songs at Silent Barn in Brooklyn and 2) founding drummer/gourmet Luke Pyenson is leaving the band to study in London for a year. Mr. Pyenson is playing two final gigs with Krill, the first at Great Scott Friday with Diarrhea Planet and So So Glos, and the second a beach-stravaganza with Speedy Ortiz at The Beachcomber in Wellfleet, Mass. the following night. While Pyenson's departure is no small change for the tight-knit trio, Krill will not be sidelined for even a moment. The band hits the road for an extensive tour throughout September with new drummer Ian Becker, an old friend of Krill guitarist Aaron Ratoff and bassist Jonah Furman who grew up with those gentlemen in the same Chicago suburb; Mssrs. Ratoff and Becker have played together in a band previously. The first date of the vaguely square-shaped Krill tour is Sept. 4 in Philadelphia, and the itinerary includes stops down the east coast, a westerly wandering across the south, determined meandering northward up the midwest, and some spry maneuvering back east. As for the new songs, they are said to be inspired by characters in certain songs of Boston indie rockers Pile (who will play on an awesome bill with Obits this fall). There is a new Krill video you should attend to with your eyes and ears; it features the song "Theme From Krill" from the band's recent tour de force Lucky Leaves and can be experienced by clicking this hypertextual "link." We reviewed Lucky Leaves right here in June.

Premiere: Winter's Dreamy, Innocent "Bedroom Philosophies"

It seems like it was just 120 days ago, give or take, that we were writing about the excellent debut EP from upstart Boston dream pop outfit Winter. Since the formation of the band late last year, it has expanded from simply a duo comprised of fronter Samira Winter and guitarist/producer Nolan Eley to a quartet that now counts among its number Mr. Eley's Infinity Girl bandmate Kyle Oppenheimer on bass and Slowdim's Ana Karina DaCosta behind the kit. And so it has come to pass that the foursome has created an alluring pastels-and-shadows video for "Bedroom Philosophies," a key track from Winter's late 2012 entry, the Daydreaming EP (which you can still download right here). The truth is we jumped at the opportunity to premiere the clip because the stills we'd seen within our social networks were so pretty and arresting. We are not familiar with contemporary video directors in the least (well, save for our dog Jeff Stern), but the production marshaled here by director Joseph Holcomb is very impressive, as the soft lighting and loose vibe of the talent on-screen jibes perfectly with Winter's sugary amalgamation of '60s girl group and modern dream-pop sounds. Like the duality inherent in the fabled McDonald's McDLT sandwich, a strong part of Winter's allure is the juxtaposition of fun and cool, the former being very strongly visually represented in the video by Ms. Winter and Ms. DaCosta, while Mssrs. Eley and Oppenheimer and their quiet, focused performances bring to bear the latter. We suppose the video clip for "Bedroom Philosophies" is all the more impressive because Mr. Holcomb is still a student, presumably at Emerson College, where the clip was filmed on the sound stage in recent weeks. So what's next for the quartet? Ms. Winter tells Clicky Clicky that the band is preparing to release a single of the song "The View," and that the band will be back playing shows starting at the end of the July with dates planned throughout the end of the summer. We can't wait to hear new music from the act and to finally see them perform live, but in the meantime, settle in to a dreamy Wednesday afternoon with the video embedded above.

Winter: http://daydreamingwinter.com/ | Bandcamp | Twitter

Today's Hotness: William Tyler, Life Model, 28 Degrees Taurus

>> More music taste-makers should look past the gloss and acknowledge the spiritual connections between all types of music; they're never as different as radio programmers and the guys who magic marker shelf dividers at the record store would have you believe. This idea is reinforced by Merge's recent release of William Tyler's Impossible Truth, a tasteful and gripping collection of solo guitar compositions. The double LP, released March 19 in the U.S. and April 29 abroad, avoids the pitfalls of virtuoso showcase; instead, the pieces are restrained, structured and brim with thoughtful layering and emotive chord sequences. Indeed, Mr. Tyler can say anything with only the basest metallic vibrations, and his tune "Cadillac Desert" serves as a fantastic introduction. Opening with an orchestrated two chord chug, the song recalls the majesty of Joy Division's "Atmosphere," albeit as filtered through the drop tuning carnival and clang-drone of classic Cale-era Velvet Underground. The song drifts gradually into mid-'70s Laurel Canyon folk serenity via delicate picking and distant slide guitar. Still, "Cadillac Desert" never completely sheds the sense of power that defines its opening moments, although it re-focuses eventually into a questioning introspection. Tyler is as much a skilled arranger and producer as he is a guitarist, managing to sound forward-thinking despite a relatively traditional approach. And so Impossible Truth is a record for spring afternoons, preferably with a book and wine and the scent of freshly mown grass. It is also already one of 2013's most beautiful albums. Stream "Cadillac Desert" via the Soundcloud embed below, and buy the record from your friends at Merge right here. -- Edward Charlton



>> Now that the hype surrounding My Bloody Valentine's shocking return has abated, shoegaze devotees can return their attention to listening to and appreciating music being created by newer bands working with the sound in singular and revealing ways. Glaswegian noise-pop upstarts Life Model released April 1 its eponymously titled EP, and the opening number "Glazed" quickly caught our ear. Driven by a baggy Madchester-rhythm, Life Model further appoint the song with a Kim Deal-evoking, root-note bass line and gratifying amounts of fuzz. Underneath it all is storming, clean drumming that seems taken from the mixing boards of Marc Waterman and his god-like production of Ride's towering Nowhere. Floating above is fronter Sophie Evans' voice, and hers is a commanding performance that is dreamy yet full of presence. Taken in sum the sound hearkens back to the more neon, liquid, colorful, and outwardly sexy generation of noise-pop bands working at the turn of the '90s, groups that brought an otherworldly element to the quiet-loud pop formula propounded by the Pixies. And so Life Model show that there’s still a lot of life within an area of danceable dream-pop that references the work of previous heroes. "Glazed" certainly suggests that the quintet's splattered, sensual take on things will make a long-player a record worth partying to. For now, Life Model is certainly about 18 minutes well-spent. The EP, issued by the U.K.-based Viscerality label, is available on a limited edition purple cassette and as a digital download via Viscerality's Bandcamp page right here. Stream the EP via the embed below and then click through to order. Life Model plays a hometown show May 21 with the hotly-tipped Bleached. -- Edward Charlton



>> While its Facebook fans can readily recognize the band is at an inflection point, it'd be unfortunate if that completely overshadowed that veteran Boston psych-rock outfit and DIY stalwarts 28 Degrees Taurus issued late last month a pretty, foreboding new digital single "Vast Majestic." The release, which also includes the tunes "Playing With Fire" and "Out Of The Ashes," is a harbinger of a full-length expected to be released later this year. "Vast Majestic" aspires to its title, as Ana Karina DaCosta's chiming vocals -- which will sound very familiar to Slowdim fans, as she also plays bass in that band -- skate across steady waves of ethereal guitar and reverb and into crashing choruses. "Playing With Fire" ups the tempo and the intensity with guitarist Jinsen Liu's vocals shadowing the syncopated drum beat. The brief rocker "Out Of The Ashes" opens with a skittering, hi-hat-pocked drum pattern that recalls The Cure's "Plastic Passion," although 28 Degrees Taurus' characteristic wet and spacey production markedly contrasts with the uncharacteristically dry sound of that early tune by the legendary British act. The Boston trio had intended to make a short tour out to the midwest last week, but a personal matter led to the band having to scotch the jaunt. The band's next local appearance will be April 20 at the rejuvenated and now-thriving Boston-area psych-pop festival Deep Heaven Now. The festival again takes over Somerville's PA's Lounge and Precinct nightclubs and feature numerous Boston noise-pop heavy hitters including Infinity Girl, Night Fruit, Winter and Boom Said Thunder. 28 Degrees Taurus play the midnight slot at Precinct, and it may be one of the last times fans can see the band for the foreseeable future, so definitely put the set on your list. In the meantime, the new single is streaming in full via the Bandcamp embed below; click through to grab the three songs as a pay-what-you-want download.

The Road To Somerville: The Hush Now Memos Tour Diary Dispatch 2 (Rochester to Cleveland)

[In this episode of The Hush Now's Memos Tour Diary, drummer Barry Marino recounts the Boston-based indie rock quintet's sojourn to Cleveland. We don't want to give too much away, but we will say what is below is NSFW, if your co-workers are sensitive about hot dogs being served with a sunny-side up egg on top. THN is taking the long way around, touring a large swath of the U.S. over the next couple weeks en route to a hotly anticipated homecoming show at Precinct in Somerville, Mass. Oct. 22 with Soccer Mom and Chandeliers. We reviewed The Hush Now's new record Memos right here. -- Ed.]

When we awoke, we found ourselves in a dark and smelly La Quinta hotel room. We cracked the door immediately. Ater Noel had sauntered in from sleeping in the van, we packed our things and walked the 15 feet to our breakfast destination, a midwest staple: Bob Evans. Our server, Linda, took pride in the turnaround of our orders and we appreciated her overall good-natured mothering. You're a doll, Linda. After breakfast, Pat and I had an impromptu songwriting session in the parking lot while Jenny, an employee of the restaurant, watched from the shade of a tree while enjoying her smoke break.

We arrived in Cleveland with time to spare before load-in. The next hour was free-time for the kiddies. we headed over to local music store to pick up some supplies. Pat, Adam, Joel and Jon found a nondescript bar with a patio out front. Noel chose the darker bar with less patrons (as usual). I was on my own mission. Armed with a smartphone, I located the closest FedEx office so that I could print out our tour itinerary. Having to switch between clipboard, emails and text messages for the previous day proved frustrating, and I finally had the opportunity to put all of our information in one place (for safe-losing later). Once the itinerary was printed and organized into an OCD approved binder, I made my way back to other guys. I arrived just in time to finish off Noel's scotch and cajole the fellas into heading to load-in on time.

The ROC Bar is a cool venue, off a side street and on the river. It has a large main room with a big stage, and with 30 bottles of Jameson lining the top of the bar, we knew we were in a fun place. There's a bar on the back patio with a great view: right on the river and underneath a bridge. Throughout the night you could see debris in the water. I think we saw an entire tree float by, though... in the dark it could have easily been mistaken for the Loch Ness Monster.

We did 2 interviews before our set. one with the Corey King Radio Show and another with IndieNation.FM. Both were great interviews, with great people. We also ran into our friend Jim, who had filmed our set in Cleveland last year. He already had his camera set up for this one! Regarding our show, there were some problems with the sound system for most of the night. Apart from the difficulties though, we managed to have a fun time, get through it happy and make some friends on the other end.

Afterwards, Joel, Pat and Noel headed a couple miles out of the city to get a good night's rest, as we had a long drive in the morning. Jon, Adam and I decided to tempt fate and wander the Cleveland nightlife for a bit. We made our way to Tina's Nite Club, a hole in the wall off Detroit St. A couple of Great Lakes (great beer!) and jello shots later we made our way a couple blocks over to The Happy Dog, which serves gourmet hotdogs (hello: egg, sunny-side up on a hotdog?!) our friends 28 Degrees Taurus had just finished their set there. At the end of the night, it was great to run into our old friends in a different city, and ride out a last call together. We then had to part ways, them finishing up their tour, and us just starting out with ours.

Our friend Carly, who had seen us play Cleveland the year before, was kind enough to give us some floor space to crash on, along with a promise to give us a ride to the hotel in the morning! Some people are so kind! we owe you one, lady. The last thing I remember of the evening was sharing a bag of Doritos with a nine-year-old Golden Labrador. He looked hungry. -- Barry Marino

The Hush Now: Internerds | Facebook | Soundcloud | YouTube

Memos Tour
10.06 -- Rochester, NY -- The Bug Jar
10.07 -- Cleveland, OH -- Roc Bar
10.08 -- Chicago, IL -- Miskas
10.09 -- Minneapolis, MN -- Acadia café
10.11 -- Milwaukee, WI -- Frank's Powerplant
10.12 -- Indianapolis, IN -- Melody Inn
10.13 -- Knoxville, TN -- Preservation Pub
10.15 -- Asheville, NC -- Fred's Speakeasy
10.16 -- Nashville, TN -- The Muse
10.17 -- Lexington, KY -- Cosmic Charlies
10.18 -- Columbus, OH -- Skully's
10.19 -- Pittsburgh, PA -- Arsenal Lanes
10.20 -- Philadelphia, PA -- The Fire
10.21 -- New York, NY -- Sullivan Hall
10.22 -- Somerville, MA -- Precinct