That Was The Show That Was: Ought, LVL UP, Diet Cig | Great Scott, Boston | 30 Sept.

[PHOTO: Diet Cig by Dillon Riley, from the band's June 1 show] Despite its relative infancy, New Paltz, NY indie pair Diet Cig has rapidly established a singular and appealing voice across two short releases. Most importantly though, the band fronted by singer/guitarist Alex Luciano is a formidable, can't-miss live act. And so we were again pleased to catch Diet Cig -- fresh off playing on a totes sick bill in Philly the night before -- open a similarly loaded bill last week at Great Scott in Allston Rock City. While the quick-hit narratives of the duo's debut Over Easy EP still shine brightly, its recent 7" Sleep Talk seems to bring the best out of the group on stage. Indeed, with its hefty and insistent backbeat, "Dinner Date" is becoming the group's sonic calling card, and Luciano clearly takes great pride in belting its cleverly frank opening salvo. For now, however, the duo closes their Boston gigs with "Harvard," a funny kiss-off that brilliantly skewers Ivy League pretension. During its noisy, crashing outro, Ms. Luciano jumped into the crowd and ran the song’s strummy cadence into the ground before collapsing on stage in a huff. Indeed, throughout the evening Luciano was the consummate fronter, broadly roaming the stage, gleefully perching atop monitors and amps, and letting rip with sharp bursts of shrill feedback. It was quite a show, which is ultimately what is going to net Diet Cig new fans, although weird, incidental TV exposure can't hurt, either.

Hotly tipped Candian post-punk quartet Ought headlined Wednesday, and unleashed a shit-hot passel of tunes from its three Constellation Records releases, including its recent winning long-player Sun Coming Down. The Talking Heads comparisons that chase the Montréal-based band feel even more apt based on the quartet's bracing live show, wherein fronter Tim Darcy's slow-fizzing, nervy energy is especially appealing. The near-psychotic water cooler talk of the mesmerizing recent single "Beautiful Blue Sky" achieves surreal effect on stage; here Darcy's controlled and repeated cadence first complements, then stands in stark relief against, the band's noisy swell. For its encore, Ought were joined by a guest guitarist, a presumed band affiliate, to run through the anxious epic "New Calm Pt. 2," a highlight from the band's 2014 EP Once More With Feeling. The extra manpower freed Darcy for important activities such as running in place and gliding around the stage like a carnival barker declaiming the song's manic lyrics as crowd instruction. It was a great performance from a band that -- in spite of massive acclaim -- succeeds brilliantly by continuing to run with its weirdest impulses.

New York indie rock heroes LVL UP were sandwiched second on the bill and teased some exciting new material during a set that also featured tunes from the New York foursome's still-great second LP Hoodwink'd. Color us intrigued. LVL UP and Ought are rocking Philadelphia tonight, and then play two additional shows together before their time together elapses; LVL UP then tour back east, rounding out it remaining strand of dates with a show in New Haven at BAR Oct. 14. -- Dillon Riley

Ought: Facebook | Internerdz
LVL UP: Bandcamp | Facebook
Diet Cig: Bandcamp | Facebook









Related Coverage:
That Was The Show That Was: Basement, Adventures, LVL UP, Palehound | Royale, Boston | 16 Aug.
That Was The Show That Was: Diet Cig and PWR BTTM | Red Room at Cafe 939 | 1st June
Today's Hotness: Diet Cig
Today's Hotness: LVL UP

Review: O-Face | Mint

There can be an auspicious power inherent in bands comprised of longtime friends (not to mention siblings, although there are the obvious, constantly warring exceptions). When two or more band members have known each other for years, the energies from that bond can trickle through the sound in singular ways. Which certainly seems to be the case with Annandale-On-Hudson, New York’s O-FACE, an act whose guitarist/vocalists Seth Sobottka and Preston Ossman grew up together in Washington before heading to Bard College and expanding their extant bedroom pop project into a full-on rock band. The pair became a quintet, and its new five-song EP Mint is so chock full of ideas, personality and idiosyncratic humor that it really is deserving of its own stylistic descriptor; the group humbly offer the not-quite-big-enough-sounding "G-folk." Presenting with a live, house-show feel, thoughtful guitar histrionics of the sort propounded by erstwhile Philadelphia greats Algernon Cadwallader (notably, Algernon's Joe Reinhart produces this short set), quirky lo-fi synth flourishes, unapologetic and unabashed pop harmonies and rave-ups, O-FACE manage to cram an album's worth of ideas into this short, sweet set.

Opener and highlight "740 Turbo" is bookended with delicate and mesmerizing guitar passages; at the fore are urgent vocals asserting that the singer's car is "a luxury station wagon," inciting listeners to "take the wheel!" The desperate, dual vocals -- which play against the somewhat comical lines of the chorus -- bring into focus the humor and unique logic of O-FACE (the tune, incidentally, is sonically quite similar to the work of Portland, Maine greats Endless Jags -- Ed.), and drives the tune to a electrifying crescendo and hard stop. Despite their tongue-in-cheek nature, the ruminations on the adventurous potential of a Volvo scan as critically important in the context of the youthful moment being memorialized. "When You Assume..." flips the script, beginning as a breezy, straightforward waltz set against quick, dramatic synth-string breakdowns and "doot doot" backing vocals -- it's reminiscent of the too-often-overlooked The Ocean Blue, and with different production it could have been released on Sire in 1988. The bright, wiry guitars of lead single "Yolanda" makes perhaps the strongest case for the band's Algernon fandom -- the song effectively cycles between busy, post-hardcore hammer-ons and a palm-muted, Police-style verse and touts a flowing, nearly tropical melody. A sturdy, shouted outro and lovely guitar architecture (guitarchitecture?) in the bridge recall the opening of "740 Turbo." Closer "Torres" surprises by dropping vocals entirely and instead pursuing a neat, tidy post-rock instrumental. Here props must be given to secret-weapon Dash Flach (what a name!) on synth, who manages to create standout chording and figures that never have to fight for space with the dual guitars.

Mint is being released just as the band is graduating from Bard (the name references the color of their university squat and practice space). But more importantly it evinces a dynamic friend unit with a hyperactive wealth of ideas in which to explore and inhabit moving forward. Like the most academically prepared adults, the five never lose focus or themselves during this experimentation, and that's what makes the EP such a promising and exciting collection. Mint was issued last week as co-release of Father/Daughter Records and Miscreant Records, and it can be procured via either enterprises' Bandcamp on cassette or as a digital download here or here. O-FACE previously released an LP, Taste, in September 2014, and another EP, Shrug Life, in late 2012. Both of those older sets are available via O-FACE's Bandcamp right here. O-FACE head out on a long summer tour Saturday with labelmates Pupppy, and all of the dates are posted below the embed. The band plays O'Brien's in Allston Rock City July 24, and that will surely be a hot rock and roll show. -- Edward Charlton

O-Face: Bandcamp | Facebook



06.13 -- Brooklyn, NY -- Palisades (Miscreant Records Northside Showcase)
06.14 -- Philadelphia, PA -- TBA
06.15 -- Washington, DC -- Above The Bayou
06.16 -- Richmond, VA -- Gallery 5
06.17 -- Columbia, SC -- Foxfield Bar and Grille
06.18 -- Atlanta, GA -- The Mammal Gallery
06.20 -- Nashville, TN -- Exponent Manor
06.21 -- Birmingham, AL -- The Hive
06.22 -- New Orleans, LA -- House Show
06.23 -- Houston, TX -- TBA
06.24 -- Austin, TX -- Beerland
06.25 -- Austin, TX -- Trailer Space
06.28 -- Phoenix, AZ -- The Trunk Space
06.29 -- San Diego, CA -- Soda Bar
07.01 -- San Francisco, CA -- The Knockout
07.03 -- Portland, OR -- Analog Cafe & Theater
07.04 -- Seattle, WA -- Werewolf Vacation
07.05 -- Bellingham, WA -- MAKE.SHIFT
07.06 -- Whidbey Island, WA -- Whidbey Children's Theater
07.08 -- Olympia, WA -- Deadbeat Olympia
07.09 -- Spokane, WA -- Checkerboard Bar
07.10 -- Missoula, MT -- The Real Lounge
07.11 -- Salt Lake City, UT -- Dawg Pound Tavern
07.12 -- Denver, CO -- TBA
07.13 -- Omaha, NE -- Lookout Lounge
07.14 -- Des Moines, IA -- Des Moines Social Club
07.15 -- Minneapolis, MN -- Kitty Kat Club
07.17 -- Chicago, IL -- TBA
07.18 -- Lansing, MI -- The Avenue/The Green House
07.19 -- Athens, OH -- The Creampuff
07.20 -- Oberlin, OH -- Seed House
07.21 -- Pittsburgh, PA -- Bates Hardcore Gym
07.22 -- Philadelphia, PA -- TBA
07.23 -- West Haven, CT -- Crunch House
07.24 -- Boston, MA -- O'Brien's Pub
07.26 -- Brooklyn, NY -- Silent Barn

That Was The Show That Was: Diet Cig and PWR BTTM | Red Room at Cafe 939 | 1st June

For a label based on the West Coast, Father/Daughter Records sure has a firm figurative finger on the pulse of New York's remarkably fertile indie pop scene. To a roster that already included hitmakers of the day Sharpless, Rivergazer, and Pupppy, Father/Daughter has recently added two young guitar-pop duos from the Empire State, Diet Cig and PWR BTTM. These acts approach indie pop differently, but it still makes aesthetic sense that they are presently touring together. And the camaraderie among the groups was noticeably strong when we had the pleasure of seeing them earlier this week at Berklee College of Music's Red Room.

New Paltz's Diet Cig at the start of the year issued a charming and brisk five-song EP entitled Over Easy, which we wrote about right here. As on the EP, Diet Cig in the proverbial flesh plays fast and loose with cadence and tempo. Fronter Alex Luciano enhances the spectacle by presenting the clever lyricism she displayed across Over Easy with a frenetic energy. Despite the cramped, and somewhat sterile surroundings -- the Red Room has the feel of an on-campus lecture hall, rather than a rock club -- Ms. Luciano performed with abandon, darting repeatedly into the crowd, routinely rounding out Diet Cig’s short, snappy numbers with outsized, fuzz solo endings. The pair also tried out a few new, seemingly untitled tracks that comported well with the aesthetic it has established to date. One of these, apparently still in development, found Luciano and drummer Noah Bowman thrillingly improvising at its close, and to our recollection included lyrics memorializing a somewhat illicit romance between Luciano and a boy with the same forename.

PWR BTTM -- which has apparently garnered the sparkly stamp of approval from divisive Boston rock-lebrity Amanda Palmer - opened the evening's short program with tunes that will feature on a forthcoming Father/Daughter and/or Miscreant Records debut LP. Monday evening band members Ben and Liv performed their loud, sludgy guitar rock while wearing dresses and bright, slightly rubbed off facial makeup, which made for a pretty powerful aural and visual performance. The duo recently issued music on a split EP with Clicky Clicky faves Jawbreaker Reunion, which we found to be mighty good and which you can grab here. Over Easy is out now via Father/Daughter on limited edition pink cassette and digital download, either of which you can purchase right here. The Diet Cig / PWR BTTM tour is rocking Philadelphia tonight and heads to Virginia, Maryland and Delaware between now and Tuesday. While you either reflect on your town being rocked or eagerly await the rocking, stream some selections from both Diet Cig and PWR BTTM below. -- Dillon Riley

Diet Cig: Bandcamp | Facebook | Soundcloud

PWR BTTM: Bandcamp | Facebook | Soundcloud

Today's Hotness: Weed, Samira Winter, Diet Cig

>> Lefse Records has unveiled a real blinder from Vancouver three-piece Weed in the form of "Thousand Pounds," the first single taken from the band's forthcoming sophomore set Running Back. "Thousand Pounds" bursts open with a two-chord curtain composed of distorted guitar and white-out cymbal crashes, which enshrouds a relatively serene, slap-backed vocal from fronter Will Anderson that ultimately leads the song to an uneasy, clanging denouement. The flipside, a tune called "Turret," is a "super old b-side" taken from the band's first-ever studio session. For context, Weed issued its debut long-player Deserve in September 2013 on Couple Skate, and also has an EP and another single under its collective belt. Lefse will release "Thousand Pounds" b/w "Turret" as a vinyl 7" and digital download Feb. 24, and pre-orders are being taken right here. Running Back is a 10-song set slated for release April 7, with a limited run of vinyl being pressed to bright pink media. These LPs will come packaged with a lyric sheet and large newsprint poster, and -- magically -- they, too, are also available for pre-order. Stream "Thousand Pounds" via the Soundcloud embed below. Weed embark on a brief West Coast tour Feb. 5 -- its first since 2013 -- and all the dates are listed at the act's Bandcamp right here.



>> The original inspiration for Clicky Clicky's sorta neglected Regolith songwriting challenge feature, Samira Winter, is back at it, hammering away at a song-a-week project that is producing terrific results. Ms. Winter's latest entry, the eleventh in the present series, is the hazy dream-pop gem "She Said No." The tune is a collaboration with a producer/engineer named Scott Barber, and its power is in its simplicity: while it is of average length, the entire thing feels like one long, affecting chorus. The actual chorus is a knockout, pairing a rich, descending guitar melody with Winter's arresting voice -- backed, presumably, by Mr. Barber's -- insistently repeating "all because she said no." Ms. Winter recently soft-announced the sophomore set from her full-band project Winter -- the first recorded with her more recent left-coast lineup -- which will be called Supreme Blue Dream. The set will be issued by LA's Lolipop Records, according to this article in LA Weekly, but there is no official word yet on formats or a release date (although our recollection is Lolipop favors cassette releases). We've heard the record and expect fans will be very pleased to hear what is coming. The band Winter has been gigging very regularly since relocating to California about a year ago; it is on a hot bill next week supporting Dead Meadow at the Continental Room in Fullerton. We previously wrote about Samira Winter's first song-a-day thing right here in September 2013, and have a written a bunch of other stuff, like this piece about Winter's "Alligator" single here, and we premiered the video for "Bedroom Philosophies" right here. Considering how strikingly strong the material from the current songwriting challenge is, we would be very surprised if some of it didn't end up on a forthcoming Winter record, especially as -- although we don't want to give too much away -- certain tunes from her first songwriting challenge will appear on Supreme Blue Dream. All of that, of course, remains to be seen. But we highly recommend "She Said No," which you can stream and download via the embed below, to your attention.

>> From the same fertile scene that brought the indie rock world What Moon Things comes the fresh new indie punk duo Diet Cig. Fronter Alex Luciano and drummer Noah Bowman ably conjure the sort of scruffy charm that made Tiger Trap records so listenable, oh, a 100 years ago. Which, if you don't know from Tiger Trap, means strong pop fundamentals, substantial vim and appealing rough edges, with occasional inbursts of classic girl group reverie ("Scene Sick"). It's a sound that places Diet Cig in the good company of contemporary acts like Swearin' and Radiator Hospital. Diet Cig are debuting with an almost absurdly strong five-song EP called Over Easy, which will be released by Father/Daughter on cassette and as a digital download Feb. 24. The short set is already drawing raves, and it is easy to hear why: we've listened to the thing on repeat for hours at a time and Over Easy has yet to feel stale. Stream the scathing rocker "Harvard," with its defiant chorus "fuck your Ivy League sweater," and the aforementioned, concise and more introspective (but similarly fuck-filled, radio programmers be warned) ballad "Scene Sick" via the embeds below. Pre-order Over Easy from Father/Daughter right here, it's the right thing to do and the tasty way to do it.