No, Thank YOU: Exploding In Sound Commemorates Protracted Awesomeness With Long Weekend Of Shows In Boston, That Other Place

Anyone with a passing interest in this publication probably has some understanding as to the awesome might of Brooklyn's Exploding In Sound Records. Originally a Boston-based concern, the Empire State label powerhouse is home to arguably the greatest active roster in indie rock, a kudo likely to be burnished further by the recent signings of DC's elastic slowcore trio Swings and extremely curious New York indie four Palm. History lessons aside, the folks over at EIS do it good, and they do it righteously, which is definitely something worth celebrating. And what better way to do so than with a long weekend of shit-hot rock shows across two states, a couple cities and a half-dozen venues? To sweeten the deal, said rock shows are not only highlighting the formidable EIS stable, but also bring under the big tent certain extended and notable family and friends. The festivities are already underway this evening at Baby's All Right in Brooklyn, with the traveling circus not hitting Boston until Saturday. Below we look under the hood of those local bills, running down the sights and sounds of what's being called The Exploding In Sound Presents: "Thank You For Being A Friend" Extended Weekend. So read the good news and spread it wide, readers.

SATURDAY AUGUST 22nd | The Sinclair | Cambridge, MA | All Ages
Palehound, Stove, LVL UP, Big Ups, Krill

The first night of the Boston leg of the extended weekend takes place at what we believe is the biggest venue in the series, Harvard Square's opulent The Sinclair. Although our proposed review got somewhat lost in the shuffle of paperwork, music work, and real work, Palehound’s stunning debut LP Dry Food may very well be Boston's record of the year. An eight-song collection of inventive lyrical, and musical twists and turns, Ellen Kempner and co.'s work stands strong among her labelmates and neighbors, and -- as proven by last Sunday’s opening slot at the Royale -- Palehound proves to be an increasingly formidable live act as well, and we expect their time on stage Saturday will be particularly memorable. Also playing the big, big rock show Saturday is Steve Hartlett’s post-Ovlov (RIP) project Stove, which we gathered last time they were in town also includes other members, both former or otherwise, from hit-makers like Ovlov (duh), Sneeze, Bedroom Eyes, Kal Marks, and Big Mess. We promise we will die happy the day we get to see Stove play the Lemonheads classic "Stove" live, so, you know, keep an eye on us. New Yorkers LVL UP and Big Ups are also on the agenda for Saturday, and both groups have wowed us in the past with their live presentments. Clicky Clicky faves Krill plays last, most likely to little or no fanfare wink wink nudge nudge. Tickets and other info can be found right here.





SUNDAY AUGUST 23RD (Afternoon) | O’Brien’s Pub | Allston, MA | 18+
Coaches, Great Deceivers, Zula, Lady Bones, Swings, Washer, Vundabar

Sunday's slate on the far side of the river features not one, but two stacked rock shows in Allston at two of the city's most popular rock halls. The afternoon plays host to an eclectic bill featuring the talents of some out-of-town friends, some city-bred rising talent, and some new-comers to the fold. Vundabar's set is sure to stand out, as its recently self-released sophomore LP Gawk is chock-full of weird, slippery instrumental turns and expertly crafted phrases. The record is a huge leap beyond their still-pretty-great debut Antics. Other performers toiling in the daylight hours include local noisy rock outfit Lady Bones, formerly local heirs to Boston's shoegaze throne Coaches (whose likely forthcoming EP is like whoa, and whose drum stool for the afternoon we believe will be occupied by Infinity Girl's Sebastian Modak), New Yorkers Washer and Zula, Chicago-based math-punks Great Deceivers and the aforementioned jazzy DC slowcore heroes Swings. We’re given to understand there will be free pizza for those who show early. We repeat: FREE PIZZA. As if all the great rock sounds we’re enough incentive to roll out of bed around noon. Tickets and other info can be found right here.





SUNDAY AUGUST 23RD (Night) | Great Scott | Allston, MA | 18+
Bunny's A Swine, Leapling, Gnarwhal, Kal Marks, Pile

The finale of Sunday's double-header marks what we believe is the Boston debut of New York's Leapling, whose EIS debut Vacant Page caught the attention of our own Edward Charlton a ways back. The set presented a breezier, reverb-ier affair than we're generally used to from the Exploding camp, and yet another winner in a year full of unreasonably great records from the label. It is one that most definitely has us primed for a proper introduction to the indie pop group. Sunday night also boasts the talents of Nashville math-rock duo Gnarwhal and long-running Northampton fuzz-rock crew Bunny's A Swine. Eternal Clicky Clicky faves Kal Marks (!!!!!!!!!!) and the kings of the Boston underground Pile will bat cleanup at the joint, which presumably will be the final gig ever to take place at America's Living Room (a/k/a Great Scott) after the stage inevitably succumbs to all the heavy rock power. Tickets and other info can be found here. -- Dillon Riley

That Was The Show That Was: Big Ups with Krill, Washer, Kal Marks | O’Brien’s Pub | Dec 3

[PHOTO: Big Ups by Dillon Riley] Even in a year brimming with killer split single releases, the Big Ups/Washer 7" from last month looms very large. Big Ups' side of said media is particularly hot, the sound of an act embossing an exclamation point on a breakout year. The New York band's debut LP Eighteen Hours Of Static, issued by Dead Labor/Tough Love at the beginning of 2014, was a howling mass of seething post-hardcore rage that drew wide-eyed attention from Clicky Clicky HQ. But for whatever reason the act doesn't frequent these parts often, so last week we dropped our pencils and vintage X-Puck 'zines to take in Big Ups' outsized rock sounds at O'Brien's in Allston Rock City.

As a frontman, Big Ups' Joe Galarraga cuts a particularly compelling figure. He preens and struts in the manner of Jagger, and is prone to wrapping the mic cord around his neck during instrumental bits like Iggy. He wields a remarkably emotive voice, one as likely to deliver low, gravelly tones as it is lacerating screams; Big Ups' best tunes utilize both. Its side of the aforementioned 7" was aired during the act's set that Friday night, as well as a particularly brutal take on "Justice" from Eighteen Hours Of Static [link], and a few tunes teasing a likely forthcoming record were especially engaging. One of these newer jams illuminated a looser end of the band's sound, unwinding its focused attack a touch while incorporating nifty slide guitar.

Big Ups' strong set was but one highlight of the evening's absurdly stacked bill. Boston downercore heavyweights Kal Marks opened the night, proffering a few numbers from its own recently released Just A Lonely Fart EP, along with a steady helping of of songs from their still-stirring Life Is Murder long-player. Kal Marks have graced these electronic pages many times, and deservedly so. The act's sludge-y channeling of America indie when experienced in the figurative flesh makes for a particularly visceral experience, felt in the body via the sympathetic nervous system as much as it is down in the ear canals. Last week's set -- and the subsequent release show that transpired at a Lower Allston house over the weekend -- were among the best we've witnessed from the trio. It's new songs hit hard, and the band clearly is cresting a big wave as artists at the moment.

Boston bugcore titans Krill headlined. As is now public information, the act's new record A Distant Fist Unclenching [boing] will be released in February on Exploding In Sound. We've seen at least half the record performed live over the last six months or so, and, of course, the act purportedly played the thing front-to-back in August on Boston's fabled Pipeline live, local radio show -- but even so, we are totally stoked to hear the recorded realization of these tunes. The release of a new Krill record is an event the likes of which our (sub-)culture seems to not celebrate as much as in years past. In the meantime and here and now, Krill the live band is just as potent as ever, with regular moments of transcendence. Fronter Jonah Furman sheepishly copped to last week's show being their first in a month, a long gap for a band as active as Krill, but there were no figurative cobwebs to perceive. Dipping into more than a few numbers from Lucky Leaves [review] -- a relatively rare treat in light of the band's more recent setlists -- as well as some previews from the forthcoming Fist, Krill continues to prove to be the jewel of Boston's exceeding excellent music scene.

New York post-punkers Washer performed second, and the set featured an iteration of the previously mentioned split's tune "Rot," which is the duo's finest work to date. As a live entity, Washer present a convincing tossed-off charm, with occasional notes flubbed and between-song banter brief and often bitingly funny. They are indeed an excellent addition to the ever-growing Exploding In Sound family, to whom we wish, in the spirit of the season, much continued health and success. -- Dillon Riley

Review: Happy Diving | Big World

San Francisco sludge-pop upstarts Happy Diving first breeched our radar at the onset of the year via a digital/cassette EP, but the East Bay act is poised to decisively put its stamp on 2014 with an ear-pleasing, skull-pounding full-length debut titled Big World. Due Nov. 4, the record bears all of the hallmarks of a contemporary classic indie release: recorded quickly (two days); with a hot shot up-and-coming producer (Jack Shirley of Deafheaven, Joyce Manor and Whirr fame); backed by a rising area imprint (Father/Daughter Records). Oh, it also rocks.

As with the likely incessant humming inside producer/The Cars guy Ric Ocasek's head, Happy Diving brings the fuzz. Indeed, Big World channels Ocasek-produced touchstones like Weezer's thrilling blue album and Nada Surf's High/Low -- and, to a lesser extent perhaps, Bad Brains' Rock For Light -- into aggressive punk rock forms. With each pummeling chorus, grit and dirt shudders loose from Happy Diving's sustained, high-output sound like the dessicated refuse from sonic flypaper faced with a strong breeze. And so thick rhythm guitars establish a formidable aural wall along the length of Big World. It's perhaps the most pronounced element substantiating the Weezer comparison (although the band's occasional third guitarist is clearly a big fan), although Happy Diving's melodic sense is fairly keen as well. Even so, the constant clipping and in-the-red tones of songs including "Mikey's Rules" and "Weird Dream," all the searing feedback and sustain, evoke something ultimately darker and more dejected than Rivers Cuomo's adolescent observations. Big World highlight "Space Ooze" follows this model, economizing its down-stroked chords to create a compact punk bruiser with thrilling single-note bends, a quick verse, a sore-and-subtle harmonic "oohing" bridge and a slapdash guitar solo. The tune's breakneck pace implies a sense of danger, leading the song somewhere substantially more troubled. In this context, and especially when taking into account the album art, the album title is less optimistic than it is anxious.

Fronter and guitarist Matt Berry's resigned singing does much to establish the disaffected mood of Big World. Mr. Berry's smooth yet sour pipes evoke the characteristic confusions and frustrations of 20-somethings, specifically that state of feeling one way while being pressured to present another. And so Berry's singing injects another dimension to the sweeter melodies of the more pop-oriented "Sad Planet," and imbues much of Big World with greater emotional depth than a superficial read of its songs might otherwise note. Still, song titles like "Always Noon," "Whatever" and the aforementioned quirky, sci-fi referencing duo "Sad Planet" and "Space Ooze," evidence that Happy Diving don't take all of this rock 'n' roll business too, too seriously. So as the listener can imagine the year-old foursome running through its repertoire in a dimly-lit basement -- pissed off and disenchanted with the world, perhaps -- she or he can still also imagine Berry and co. still goofing off and having fun.

Big World will be released by Father/Daughter Nov. 4. Said release is being celebrated with a release party tomorrow night in Oakland, Calif. at 1234 Records; the show includes Fish Breath, LVL Up and Big Ups. The album is available as a digital download as well as a limited edition vinyl 12" pressed to oxblood, oxblood and baby blue splatter, or classic black media, and it appears there are only 100 pieces of each, so be sure to pre-order one while they last via the band's Bandcamp right here. The entirely un-eff-withable Art Is Hard label will release a cassette version of Big World in the UK Nov. 3; there are only 100 of those available. Stream three tracks from the record via the embeds below. -- Edward Charlton

Happy Diving: Bandcamp | Facebook