Review: Guillermo Sexo | Eclipse

Boston psych-pop veterans Guillermo Sexo returned last week with Eclipse, a cool but reliably electrifying sixth set that presents more focused, yet more expansive-feeling jams. Despite 2016 being the band's 10th year, the long-playing record -- the band's second with Boston and New York-based Midriff Records -- surprises with its further refinement of Guillermo Sexo's signature sound, and delivers a closer binding of intent, theme, and instrumentation.

Eclipse (paradoxically, given its name) reveals a thriving quintet more strongly embracing space rock -- and the reverberant space surrounding it. While the sonic signifiers -- the reverb, the glistening guitar tones, and so forth -- are all there, the album even addresses space thematically: songs like the rousing opener "Distant Star," "Eclipse," and the wonderful video for "Graffiti Sky" not only convey a sense of romance and adventure, but also underscore that on the new record, more so than on prior efforts, space is the place. So the rugged edge of the band's punkier past -- as captured on 2006's Oh Wow -- is smoothed away; the charming English folk influence manifested at least as far back as the haunting "Settle Down" from the band's terrific 2010 LP Vivid Nights is played down. Even the delicious fuzz that powered 2013's Dark Spring is on the new record reserved for strategic moments. There it is, driving the ripping response sections countering the siren call of co-fronter Noelle Dorsey's vocals in album highlight "Vision Owl," there it is, again, in the thrilling conclusions of that song and the corking closer "Heavy Shadows."

Songs such as the cool "True Shell" -- whose ambient opening feels indebted to Dark Side-era Pink Floyd -- float in clean, airy reverbs conjured in Boston-area studio 1867's massive 50 x 50 x 30 live room. Focusing more intently on space rock isn't the only way Guillermo Sexo consolidates its sound on Eclipse. That yen is also manifested in the arrangements of its 10 tunes. Indeed, the record proffers tighter compositions -- for the first time since 2011's Secret Wild, no track exceeds the five-minutes-and-change mark. And so, far from stifling the Guillermo Sexo sound, its core elements -- bandleader Reuben Bettsak and guitarist Richard Murillo's dueling guitars, Noelle Dorsey's otherworldly vocals, the throbbing rhythm section -- feel in full bloom within the more concise settings (another paradox?). That said, the LP's most anthemic tune, the sparkling stand-out "Hyperconscious" -- which if memory serves was given a mind-bendingly good live airing last July at Great Scott -- is longer than five minutes, and wouldn't suffer a bit if its brilliant 75-second coda went several more.

Midriff Records released Eclipse as a digital download FRiday; it can be purchased from the label here or via Bandcamp here. The download is available in a bundle with a t-shirt designed by noted Boston artist/musician Ian Adams; bundles are limited to 280 pieces. The record was celebrated with a release show earlier in the month at Firebrand Saints in Cambridge, Mass. The quintet's next live appearance is June 17 at Somerville, Mass.'s Thunder Road nightclub; the bill includes Sidewalk Driver, Pale Monsters and -- curiously -- the similarly pallored Pale Hands. Stream all of Eclipse via the embed below, and watch the blast-tastic video for "Graffiti Sky" right here.

Guillermo Sexo: Bandcamp | Facebook



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Magic Shoppe EP Release Show with Zip Tie Handcuffs, Bong Wish, S.S. Cretins | Great Scott, Boston | 6 Feb.

Maybe you're feeling it? It's like the opposite of a disturbance in The Force: the mesmerizing infinity vibes of Interstellar Car Crash, the new EP from Boston-based quintet Magic Shoppe. The short stack's four tracks bristle with tambourine-bedazzled and dreamy, Rolling Stones-inspired grooves covered in rich and limitless reverbs and guitar effects. At times, the songwriting brings to mind The Brian Jonestown Massacre at Their drugged and Satanic Majesties Requested-best, but the clarity of the performances and updated production outpaces much of BJM's more erratic moments. EP opener "Salventius" interrupts itself after a minute-and-a-half with delightfully warped shoegaze chords, while lead preview track "City Alight" grooves on a sultry guitar line (check out the video for the stirring tune right here). The highlight of the EP is the title track closer, which takes a handful of mid-tempo chords and rides along a drugged and autumnal crest. It's like the first rays of sunshine, an epiphany arriving through the blinds with the morning after a life-changing bender, the taste of too many cigarettes and the worn smell of a leather jacket meaningfully lingering.

Toronto's Optical Sounds releases Interstellar Car Crash as a digital download and white 10" vinyl disc Friday, and Magic Shoppe celebrates accordingly Saturday at Great Scott in Allston Rock City, with support coming from Zip Tie Handcuffs, Bong Wish and S.S. Cretins. Full details for the evening are right here; there are additional release shows in Philadelphia tomorrow at Kung Fu Necktie and Brooklyn Thursday at Palisades. Stream the aforementioned "City Alight," as well as tracks from the supporting acts, via the embeds below. Click here to buy Interstellar Car Crash either as a tangible flat thing or a virtual packet of ones and zeroes. Magic Shoppe first formed in Boston in 2010 and was mothballed for a time before re-constituting itself in 2014, but has still produced an estimable catalogue. The band has an LP, two other EPs and at least one comp appearance under its belt to date. -- Edward Charlton

Magic Shoppe: Bandcamp | Facebook

Autochrome with Nightmare Air and Boom Said Thunder | Great Scott, Boston | Aug. 4

[Flyer Design: Boom Said Thunder. Limited edition of prints will be sold at the show] Saturday evening is one of those all-too-frequent Boston nights when there are too many places to be. Of note in particular to Clicky Clicky readers is the Infinity Girl show at Precinct in Somerville [Facebook event page]. But the more hotly anticipated bill is the one listed above, which -- in addition to sets from the hotly tipped Nightmare Air and Boom Said Thunder -- features the debut of what is being referred to as Autochrome "2.0." Readers will recall the darkwave and post-punk-influenced Boston quartet issued its cracking debut Separation Realms in early spring, and feted it with a dominating performance at TT The Bear's Place at the end of March that we reviewed here. Fans were surprised to learn of the departure not long after that of founding guitarist Richard Murillo, whose prismatic guitar work was a key counterpoint -- the pull to the push, if you will -- to the forthright rhythm section comprised of fronter and bassist Jeff Bartell and drummer Patrick Florance. As Autochrome's long-player embraced elements of minimalism, every player's contribution was weighty (the fourth member, incidentally, is rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Katherine Murray).

So the question of what a new iteration of Autochrome will sound like has been something that occupied the minds of more than a few fans this summer. The band announced recently that Deborah Warfield, who has played with Swirlies and others, has joined Autochrome on guitar, keys and vocals. And additional social network buzz suggests the band has written all-new material for this weekend's show. What will it sound like? What will fans see this weekend? We don't know! Anticipation mounts. And it will certainly be exciting to go find out. What's more, we're also hearing that Swirlies fronter Damon Tutunjian may potentially sit in on some numbers. Which is kind of insane, as we think he lives in Sweden these days. More anticipation. While you're waiting for the weekend to roll around, check out the embed below of Separation Realms.

Autochrome Record Release Show With Young Adults, Soccer Mom and Night Fruit | TT The Bear's, Cambridge | 30 March

This show has been steadily approaching for months like a bullet train through the chunnel, a glaring white light relentlessly speeding at us, closer and closer and you get the picture. Act for act, song for song, this is easily the best live bill you will see in Boston this spring, and it would seem Autochrome, which celebrates the release of its full-length debut Friday night, has used the same precision in selecting the support slots that serves it so well in crafting its alluring blend of Chameleons UK's brand of '80s darkwave and modern, antiseptic production sensibilities. So not only will Autochrome officially unveil the collection Separation Realms, but also the evening will feel sets from the creme de la creme of Boston indie rock: the ambient punk heroics of Young Adults, the brutal, shuddering beauty of Soccer Mom and the fetching dream pop of Night Fruit. Any one of these acts could anchor a sweet night of music in our little town, and the fact that all four of them appear here at once suggests the evening will be completely Chiquita (sans the paying terrorists for protection from terrorists. We think).

For Autochrome this big, big show will be the product of a carefully architected wave of buzz that began with the release of the digital promo track "100 Series" a month ago and an appearance at the modern dance night The Pill. Then last week the band gave a dominating performance on WMBR's Pipeline! live music program, which you can download right here. Last night Autochrome graced the airwaves of WZBC with another live set. Clearly the groundwork has been carefully laid, and we expect the only people more excited about the show Friday than Clicky Clicky and some other local bloggahz we've spoken with are the members of Autochrome themselves. Here's the Facebook event page for the evening in question. Now come on: feel the noise.

Today's Hotness: Mincer Ray, Autochrome, Black Swan Runners

>> Everybody knows the rap about Robert Pollard: everything he turns out is good, and there are dependably regular moments of sublime and transcendent rock and roll. Berlin- and Chicago-based mid-fi indie trio Mincer Ray would seem to follow suit, although at this point they have a much shorter track record than the preposterously prolific Mr. Pollard. What has us all up in arms about Mincer Ray today is that the act is hiding its most spectacular track, "A Burning Plane," 10 songs deep into its recent 12-song effort Ray Mincer. Don't hide the rock! We will find it! We think Mincer Ray could be excused if "A Burning Plane" occupied the first five slots of the new record, as the song is a dynamite anthem on par with your "Buzzards And Dreadful Crows," your "Game Of Pricks," your "Exit Flagger." Of course, Ray Mincer isn't all riveting, GBV-styled guitar anthems. Elsewhere the collection lazily sprawls across southern-seared "Hair" to the weirdly waltzing ballad "The Feet I Found." In contrast, "A Burning Plane" can't catch its breath and seems to endlessly ascend, lifted by stuttering drum beat and the clarion call of guitars that echo the intense squall of REM's "A Finest Worksong." Stream the song via the embed below; Ray Mincer was posted to Bandcamp in mid-February. Clicky Clicky fans may recognize the name Austin Brown, who recorded the record. Mr. Brown is the man behind High Heels, a band we wrote about here late last month. Small world, eh?



>> We don't suppose there are a lot of people out there who remember the Montreal quartet Kiss Me Deadly, whose full length Misty Medley was among our favorites of 2005. As it happens, the guitar work in the stellar new Autochrome single "100 Series" certainly reminds us of Kiss Me Deadly's "Dance 4" (jeepers, we haven't written about Kiss Me Deadly in six years almost to the day). But anyway, we're really here to talk about Autochrome, who are poised to make a big splash when they issue their debut long-player Separation Realms at the end of this month. "100 Series" is the first single from the record and its alluring blend of Chameleons UK's brand of '80s darkwave and modern, antiseptic production sensibilities is delicious. Autochrome's demo for "Senses" was released to the wilds of the Internets a year ago and made a strong impression based on its minimal instrumentation, soaring melodic sense and detached but passionate vocal. "100 Series" picks up where "Senses" left off, is equally strong, and evidences that the Boston quartet has the goods. "100 Series" was launched at The Pill dance party Feb. 17, and you can watch a live clip from that night for another new song, "Mind Changer," right here. The hotly anticipated release party for Separation Realms occurs March 30 at TT The Bear's Place in Cambridge, MA. Clicky Clicky faves Soccer Mom, Young Adults and Night Fruit also perform, making the bill one of the strongest of the season. Stream "100 Series" via the embed below.



>> We'd been keeping an ear on Black Swan Runners for some time, and our patience has been rewarded with the resolute, mid-tempo strummer "Smart Kids" and another preview track, "Sooner Or Later." The songs tout a slightly more electronic flavor than what we are used to from fronter Kevin Castillo, but his songwriting otherwise continues to trade on the heartfelt vocals (in an increasingly Petty-esque timbre, we note) and persistent guitars that have characterized his music for more than 15 years; Mr. Castillo previously helmed the acts CoCo B's and Retriever. Black Swan Runners are slated to release the full-length debut An Aside sometime this year (late last year it was projected to be released in February, but of course that month has come and gone already). As we said here in January, we were a bit surprised that CoCo B's didn't have more of a break-out moment with its dazzling rocker "Give Up The Money/1982," from its very solid 2007 self-titled set. "Smart Kids" should certainly go a long way toward firing the imaginations of the guitar-loving indie rock set, as it is easily as catchy as "Give Up The Money/1982." Catch the embed below.

Soccermom Record Release Show | TT The Bear's | 23 Sept

One week from tonight, it's the big, big Soccermom record release show for the band's dynamite EP You Are Not Going To Heaven. It's going to be the bomb. Emergency Music, Autochrome and Marconi also playing. Tickets right here.