That Was The Show That Was: Basement, Adventures, LVL UP, Palehound | Royale, Boston | 16 Aug.

[PHOTO CREDIT: Dillon Riley] Let us now take the measure of the fairly meteoric rise of Purchase, NY-spawned indie rock troupe LVL UP. While a known quantity 'round these parts for some time, the Exploding In Sound-affiliated group recently gained the attention of another perennial hit-maker in Boston's Run For Cover Records. RFC signed on to co-release the Empire State act's forthcoming, Fugazi-ly titled Three Songs 7" with EIS' Double Double Whammy imprint. The short set features, unsurprisingly, three songs, is slated for release Sept. 11, and -- based on the readily available stream -- sounds like another winner in what's shaping up to be a stellar discography for the band. LVL UP put its aural gold on full display Sunday, when it performed on one of the summer's hottest rock bills, and certainly the hottest for host venue Royale in recent memory. Not unlike Clicky Clicky eternal favorites Teenage Fanclub (or, we suppose, any three quarters of power-pop lifers Sloan), LVL UP presents the charms of three legitimate songwriting talents, adding a layer of anticipation to its already hotly anticipated performances.

LVL UP labelmates Palehound opened the show, promoting the release of its potentially world-conquering debut LP Dry Food. Although the boundless charm of Palehound's first releases does not seem to dim with age, it's clear that the more assured and nuanced Dry Food is a huge leap forward. Sunday evening fronter Ellen Kempner's cutting guitar work and graceful lyricism shone during a set highlighted by the start-stop dynamics of "Cushioned Caging" and the jaunty, psych-tinged guitar leads on "Cinnamon." The latter also served to emphasize Ms. Kempner's even-tempered, yet commanding stage presence. Her brief but pointed condemnation of aggressive harassment at a past show on Palehound's current tour underscored Kempner's growing comfort wielding her voice as a "public person," something raised in the uniformly glowing press surrounding the release of Dry Food, issued by Exploding In Sound just last week. While its big-sister band Speedy Ortiz has set the most recent and obvious precedent for a big Boston break-out, Palehound may have in its stellar LP just the munitions necessary for a similar assault on the overground.

Pittsburgh-based power-pop quintet Adventures batted third for the night, bringing to the stage an armful of tunes from its still-hot Run For Cover debut Supersonic Home. Much of the early buzz surrounding the group centered around its affiliation with the hardcore group Code Orange, with whom Adventures share three members. But Adventures more than stands on its own right. The fivesome trades in the sort of big-riff vulnerability favored by the standouts on Detroit's Salinas Records, yet with even bigger guitars and a fuller sound. All of which is set off by frontwoman Reba Meyers' otherworldly voice, one capable of chilling harmonies and show-stopping solo turns. The wholly captivating Supersonic Home was released by Run For Cover in February.

UK post-hardcore heroes (at least to the all-ages set -- Ed.) Basement closed out the night with a wide-ranging set that dipped into all three of its Run For Cover releases. While Colourmeinkindness remains as natural a document of RFC's formidable influence as any, it was the tunes off their most recent Further Sky EP that drew the most cheers from our camp. "Summer's Colour," the Failure-tastic lead track from the EP, proved a critical component of Basement's live set, as the pretty, ascending melodies in the chorus offered a brief, yet potent respite from the thrash. The Boston show was the penultimate night of Basement's three-week U.S. tour; it closed out the strand of dates last night in New York's Gramercy Theater. -- Dillon Riley

Basement: Facebook | Tumblaaaaaahh
Adventures: Facebook | Tumblaaaaah
LVL UP: Bandcamp | Facebook
Palehound: Bandcamp | Facebook

Today's Hotness: Alex G, Basement, Camera Shy

>> Philadelphia's Alex Giannascoli is a young man at a threshold. That he is a young man is not entirely why people are interested in him, although his growing profile as a purveyor of fine lo-fi indie pop is informed by a certain ordinariness, which we don't use pejoratively in the least. He's the boy-in-the-dorm-room-next-door, in a sense. The earnest, enigmatic wunderkind known to music fans as Alex G has seen his low-key pop project go from cult fave to, well, an even bigger cult fave in what feels like a matter of months. The recent release of his first-ever vinyl full-length, the wistful, mysterious DSU, has precipitated a gradual unveiling of the soft-spoken musician. Not unlike Frankie Cosmos' Greta Kline, Mr. Giannascoli toiled in obscurity for years creating an extensive catalog to little fanfare -- until recently. His singular songcraft, however, increasingly spurred significant word-of-mouth, and even endorsements from now-label mates Elvis Depressedly and Ricky Eat Acid, as well as a curious boomlet of exploratory profiles including an excellent one from Jersey Beat. As a result, Alex G seems positioned to break out in spite of himself, if not into a wider consciousness in the indie rock world, then certainly into notoriety among lo-fi adherents. Not unlike the songs he pens, Giannascoli comes across like a passive, hyper-aware dude and other recent sit-downs with Impose and The Fader reinforce this, painting him as a talented, if unsure millennial. While he's tagged with comparisons to Phil Elvrum's The Microphones and Mount Eerie, Alex G's homespun indie-pop -- typically recorded with little more than a computer and a duct-taped microphone -- resonates with a singular domesticity and intimacy, despite occasionally inscrutable lyrics. DSU is available now on vinyl and as a free download via Orchid Tapes right here; you can stream it via the Bandcamp embed below. Alex G is touring this summer, and is presently slated to perform at Roggies in Brighton in August -- that date may or may not get moved given the venues's current shutdown. Query a counterculture enthusiast. -- Dillon Riley



>> One thing we can all agree on is that a number of bands signed to the venerable Boston indie label Run For Cover have a very loose understanding of the term "hiatus." This week saw the release of Scranton-based punk collective Tigers Jaw's Charmer, a record that came to fruition in spite of (or perhaps because of) a significant lineup change and subsequent hiatus notice (it also happens to be the band's strongest work to date). In the fall of 2012, Ipswich, England-based post-hardcore heroes Basement countenanced a similar inflection point, and elected to put the band on ice in favor of school and work endeavors. Earlier this year, however, Basement surprised fans by announcing reunion shows in the states, Australia and Japan. The dates sold out quickly, proving that fans continue to carry a torch for the band. In tandem with these shows, the wuintet has announced the arrival of its first new material since 2012's Colourmeinkindness in the form of a three-song EP entitled Further Sky. The first, and likely only, preview tune from the EP is the stunning and pretty "Summer's Colour," wherein the band slightly subdues its heavy guitar attack in favor of a denser chug more characteristic of the space-rock vibe of unsung '90s heroes Failure. Britpop fans will be delighted to learn the new short set also includes a cover of the Pulp classic "Animal Nitrate." Preorder Further Sky via Run For Cover right here. Basement will perform at The Sinclair in Cambridge, Mass. in late August. It's a killer lineup including RFC affiliates Pity Sex and Superheaven, as well as the mighty Ovlov, and the show -- as well as all of the rest of the US dates, apparently -- is already very, very sold out. Stream "Summer's Colour" via the embed below and kick yourself repeatedly. -- Dillon Riley



>> In other RFC news, Jack-O-Lantern, the debut EP from the upstart dream-pop combo Camera Shy, is slated for release next week. The act features current Whirr/Nothing/Death Of Lovers guitarist Nick Basset alongside former Whirr vocalist Alexandra Morte. The duo takes a decidedly more delicate, candied approach to the dream pop template than that of the related acts: in the context of Camera Shy finds Mr. Bassett sticks mostly to acoustic strums with the occasional bright and clean electric guitar noodling, and Ms. Morte's vocals are up-front and unmarred. Unsurprisingly, Camera Shy is widely considered to be Bassett's most accessible project yet, and while we feel the huge melodies found on Whirr's debut Pipe Dreams were very appealing and fairly conventional (albeit loud), we understand the sentiment. If Camera Shy ever decide to play some shows its music will likely be delivered well under the sonic pain threshold, which will feel sort of novel in contrast to the work of Bassett's present "day-job" band Nothing. Two gentle and sunny preview tracks, "Spin Me" and "Come Around" can be streamed via the Soundcloud embeds below. Preorder Jack-O-Lantern on Halloween-themed vinyl -- obviously -- from Run For Cover right here. -- Dillon Riley

Review: Little Big League/Ovlov | "Year Of The Sunhouse," "Pure Bliss Choices" b/w "The Great Crocodile"

The venerable Tiny Engines label will release in August a split 7" featuring tremendous tunes from Philly indie-rock dynamos Little Big League and Connecticut fuzzmasters Ovlov. Two-thirds of the record has been in the wild for some time, in the form of advance streams of Little Big League's "Year Of The Sunhouse" and Ovlov's possibly career-defining tune "The Great Crocodile," and just today the final piece of the aural puzzle was revealed. We feel pretty comfortable saying that if you buy just one split single this year (which would be weird, but let's not make this about us...), this is the one.

With "Year of The Sunhouse," fronter Michelle Zauner and co. channel the electrifying sprawl of the foursome's terrific 2013 long-player These Are Good People, whilst simultaneously tightening the space surrounding the act's dueling guitars. Essentially the tune delivers 2:10 of unmitigated hook, and -- despite that fidelity to and focus on the said hook -- "Year Of The Sunhouse" is perhaps their most expressive track to date. The song gives voice to Ms. Zauner's convictions about her future and contrasts them against the apprehension of those around her. Just today LBL premiered its second tune from this doozy of a release, "Pure Bliss Choices," over on Wondering Sound. The slightly longer workout boasts the same cutting guitar work and evocative imagery upon which the band has built its reputation. The song's double-barreled chorus delivers ringing distortion alongside a wholly arresting vocal melody.

Ovlov's side, "The Great Crocodile," plays out like a response to its titanic full-length am's finale "The Great Alligator." It is a towering, six-minute tour de force, rife with riffage seemingly cloned from the classic Dinosaur Jr. release You're Living All Over Me, with chugging rhythms courtesy of Ovlov's current all-Hartlett-all-the-time back line. The recording is the first to feature the relatively recent 'lov addition, second guitarist Morgan Luzzi, who has been performing with the Hartletts of late. Of all the Exploding In Sound bands, Ovlov has always seemed most suited to emo comparisons, so its pairing on the split platter with LBL makes a lot of sense. The Nutmeg staters make further inroads into that scene this summer, as future dates include shows with Topshelf's Donovan Wolfington and Run For Cover's (recently reactivated) Basement (that's a house show in JP and opening slot at the Sinclair, respectively). "Year Of The Sunhouse" and "Pure Bliss Choices" b/w "Year Of The Crocodile" is available for pre-order now in a limited edition of 1,000 flat vinyl circles with a groove cut in each side. The pressing includes 125 opaque bright orange singles, 225 opaque bright yellow singles, 300 translucent peach singles, and 350 boring old white singles [completists can get all four for $20 but, really, will four copies of the same single really fill that void in your life? -- Ed.]. Pre-order yours from Tiny Engines right here before they disappear. We last wrote about Little Big League here in November, when the quartet played a hot and local show with Paws and Idiot Genes. More recently, Zauner released under the moniker Japanese Breakfast a collection of seven solo tracks written as part of a blog exercises; check out the excellent Where Is My Great Big Feeling right here. -- Dillon Riley