Clicky Clicky + The Colonnade Present 'The Speakeasy' | Femme LP Release Show with Big Boy Club and Du Vide

Attentive readers will recall that we premiered here last month the final third of Boston indie-pop upstarts The Colonnade's stirring debut LP Femme. The long-player is among the stronger introductory statements we've heard in some time, and features 10 whip-smart, widescreen, and slightly off-kilter guitar-pop numbers set off by three tasteful and artsy interludes. Clicky Clicky, never content to simply catalog the now-sounds of today and tomorrow, are pleased to co-present the band's release gig tomorrow night at Ol' Yeller in Allston Rock City.

The Colonnade are joined by two young acts also poised to leave their stamp on 2016: indie pop luminaries Du Vide and Big Boy Club. The former act is fresh off an appearance at Clicky Clicky's December Winter Ball at O'Brien's, where its uneasy but uncluttered guitar-tistry was well received. Du Vide picked up the Clicky Clicky seal of approval earlier that same month when we appraised its recent Clutter EP right here. Big Boy Club is more of an unknown quantity here in these electronic pages, but we do know the combo features the talents of the heroic rhythm section of Clicky Clicky faves Elizabeth Colour Wheel. While probably the slackest of the cluster of bands orbiting thatlatter group and Dent, BBC's Joe Sutkowski proves himself an adept songwriter whose talents can't be obscured by the band’s goofy streak. We recommend you check out the tune "TRU To The Team" and feel the feels.

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE. Tomorrow's event promises a "speakeasy" theme, in line with The Colonnade's classic, monochrome aesthetic. Punters with a thirst will be able to partake of specialty, song-themed cocktails (The Adolescent, The Commemoration, The Modern Taste) made to order while live jazz selections are performed by friends and collaborators between sets. Not familiar with the venue? Ask a punk or hit us up; additional details are at this Facebook event page. And before hitting the gig, get into its headspace by streaming Femme via the embed below, and click through to acquire a digital copy for the nice price of three dollars American. -- Dillon Riley

The Colonnade: Bandcamp | Facebook

Du Vide: Bandcamp | Facebook

Big Boy Club: Bandcamp | Facebook

Premiere: The Colonnade's Pensive Troisième Moment

Boston has long fielded strong indie pop sides, but 2016 feels like a particularly good time for indie fans who prefer their rock guitars set to "jangle." What with the recent emergence of hitmakers Du Vide and Lady Pills -- not to mention the utter brilliance of last year's long-gestated Funeral Advantage full-length debut Body Is Dead -- it's readily cognizable that some of the city's best talent is bending classic indie pop stylings to their respective wills. With that as context, we're pleased to introduce the latest entry into the city's ongoing conversation with indie pop, dreamy quartet The Colonnade's artful and oft-thrilling debut LP Femme.

More specifically, we are pleased to premiere for you the final third of Femme. The Colonnade elected to unveil its set in thirds, or, in the parlance of the band, "moments." The set's final third is replete with instrumental overtures and cinematic vignettes, and is dubbed by the band, Frenchily, Troisième Moment. Despite containing just three concrete tracks, Troisième ably showcases the range of the group's moods and modi operandi. "Abroad" touts a trebly lead riff buoyed by thick, wall-of-sound guitars and a wily vocal hook that in places echoes defunct 'gazers The Depreciation Guild. The Colonnade's "Modern Taste" at first seems a conservative play over a crisp, ride cymbal-driven beat. However, around the three-minute mark the song files a new flight plan and miraculously swells into a full-band, emo-tinged shouter that eventually, wearily peters out. "Dormancy" presents a tidy conclusion: among lazily strummed acoustic guitars and some diaphanous, clean-toned lead guitar, fronter Sean Camargo tucks into a drowsy, bed-headed vocal, a metaphoric wearied crawl to the finish after scaling a near-insurmountable peak.

The Colonnade plays a WEMF-sponsored gig at PA's Lounge in Somerville, Mass. Feb. 4, but sources tell Clicky Clicky that the act also has a record release party planned for Feb. 12 somewhere in the depths of Allston. The event is said to include song-themed specialty cocktails and French New Wave film projections, which sounds like one hell of a party. We suggest eager punters consult a counterculture enthusiast about additional show details. In the meantime, you can acquire a digital download of Femme for the nice price of $3 USD right here. Stream Troisième Moment via the embed below. -- Dillon Riley

The Colonnade: Bandcamp | Facebook

The Clicky Clicky Winter Ball featuring Burglary Years, Du Vide and School Shoes | O'Brien's Pub | 13 Jan.

Hey, we made it -- it's 2016! Pat yourself on the back. You know what? You deserve a night out, a real good time with three of the finest bands currently patrolling Boston. It just so happens we can help you with that, as this coming Wednesday, Clicky Clicky's series of rock shows at O'Brien's Pub in Allston Rock City rolls on with a slate so strong it makes us giddy. The evening -- dubbed The Clicky Clicky Winter Ball by The Don of Clicky Clicky Presents -- is top-lined by 'gaze-pop concern Burglary Years, and also includes rising indie pop combo Du Vide and dream-pop upstarts School Shoes.

So what can you expect? Nothing less than hot rock aplenty, mon ami. Burglary Years' 2015 set 100 Roses has been on steady rotation here at HQ for a couple months, and we are very excited to see cuts from the dreamy five's recent record performed live, particularly the uptempo, reverberant jangler "Hey Do You Want To Come Over?" The tune, which hints at a bit of an Echo And The Bunnymen influence, has "hit" written all over it. A second cassette edition of 100 Roses -- limited to 100 pieces that include a lyric booklet, alternate cover and three previously unreleased demos -- is due Feb. 26 from Disposable America; the album had been tipped for a vinyl release via UK-concern Dog Knights Productions, but that has apparently fallen through, so all you label guys out there looking to pick up a hot release, well, you just landed on Boardwalk. Open thy wallet.

As for the supports, we wrote about Du Vide right here in December, not long after the release of the trio's terrific short stack Clutter. The act would seem to have one foot firmly in the Chicago school of '90s indie pop, and strolling through Du Vide's entire catalog is amply rewarding. The recent EP's opener "The Hell It Is" is terrifically affecting, so we suggest you click on the Bandcamp embed below to get familiar if you are not already. Du Vide is nearly finished a debut long-player, and we hope the band will have some new songs in the quiver for us to enjoy Wednesday. For those of you keeping score at home, Wednesday is but the third show since John from Horse Jumper of Love has signed on to play bass for the act, as Du Vide's prior bass player moved south recently. We were fortunate to premiere one of School Shoes' only releases to date, a stellar summer single we wrote about right here in June. Wednesday will be the band's first show in at least a year, so we are especially stoked to see them play. Like Du Vide, School Shoes has been working on a record, but it is unclear how far along the process is. But if you want a bit of perfect sad sunshine, we highly recommend you check out the band's undeniable gem "Cults" via the embed below. What else can we tell you? As the powers that be have dubbed this a Winter Ball, we hope to see some semi-formal garb, although that is certainly not required. What's most important is the gift of your presence. So come on, pilgrim.

Burglary Years: Bandcamp | Facebook
Du Vide: Bandcamp | Facebook
School Shoes: Bandcamp | Facebook

Today's Hotness: Coaches, Du Vide, Big Nice

>> It's been some time since we last heard from shoegaze luminaries Coaches, but that's little surprise. In our interview a year ago with band mastermind Brady Custis, he said Coaches works slowly and methodically. Add to the mix that the band in the past year relocated to Brooklyn and changed up the lineup (for example, drumming duties are now executed by Infinity Girl cannoneer Seb Modak), and one gets a sense of how the quintet has filled its days. But at long last it has announced it is releasing Shush, a dynamic, dynamite and highly textured EP of big-guitar post-punk, later this month. The four-song set explodes out of the gate with back-to-back thrillers. First comes the feedback-spangled, fuzz-bass fueled rocker "That Not This;" the tune starts smart and gets smarter, injecting hard rhythmic changes that culminate in a muscular groove. This is followed by the first preview track from the short set, "Elizabeth Warren," which is refreshingly what one hopes it will be: a raging rocker detailing an infatuation with the wonderful and wise U.S. Senator from the great Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It's safe to say this is the only song you will hear that says longingly of Warren, "Elizabeth, the trouble is you're for the people but I'm just one person." The more subdued but no less engaging "Blond Cop," which alternates between slinky and roaring, and the relatively ambient gloomer "Death Etiquette," round out the EP, and these tunes are similarly strong. And so while Shush is a late entrant in 2015, it surely counts among the best EPs of the year. The increasingly crucial Disposable America label releases the set in a limited edition of 100 pink or yellow cassettes Dec. 11, and you can pe-order a copy right here. Coaches fêtes the release of the EP at the recently announced Noise For Toys II, a Toys For Tots benefit house show in Allston Rock City Dec. 12. The bill also features Western Mass. 'gaze heavyweights Kindling, Boston's rising demigods Elizabeth Colour Wheel, and Gold Muse, the new project featuring members of Soccer Mom, Earthquake Party! and Swirlies. For venue details, ask a punk; in the meantime, go buy a new, unwrapped present for a kid, as that is the preferred entry fee to the big, big rock show. Stream the aforementioned "That Not This" and "Elizabeth Warren" via the Bandcamp embed below. We last wrote about Coaches a year ago here, when we got a look around the band's rehearsal space for our Show Us Yours feature.



>> We're very taken with the gentlemanly pop sound of Boston trio Du Vide. Indeed, not since the heyday of local legends Pants Yell! have we been so hopeful about the state of the city's indie pop. The threesome's recently released sophomore EP Clutter features three accomplished compositions that exhibit terrific playing and songcraft. Opener "The Hell It Is" blends elements of slowcore and coctail jazz drumming and guitar work with introverted, downcast vocals whose vibe suggests Chet Baker and Sam Prekop, while being more sonically akin to those of Conor Oberst. The song hits a firm crescendo and is carried off by one big guitar chord. The succeeding tune "A Sharp Inhale" ups the rock quotient at first, but then vacillates between explosive and delicate moments, highlighted by big emotive singing at one extreme and velvet soft drumming at the other. The pretty, acoustic ballad "Word Vomit" provides the EP's final word, where somewhat morose lyrics share space with thoughtfully layered guitars. The lyrics are particularly strong, grabbing the listener with elongated vowels and presenting some small truth writ large: "it's been a long weekend, a long night so far..." According to this recent Facebook post, Du Vide is nearly finished recording a debut long-player, which we're very keen to hear. The band's next live appearance will be Jan. 6 at Arlene's Grocery in Manhattan, but we've got it on pretty good authority that you'll be able to see the band live not long after that back in Boston, so stay tuned. Clutter was released to the wilds of the Interpants as a digital download Nov. 2; stream the entire thing via the Bandcamp embed below, and click through to download it for any price. Du Vide's prior EP In Hiding was issued as a digital download in May, and the band has also released two digital singles, all of which we'd rate as crucial.



>> Bradford Krieger is a number of things: one-time talent booker at River Gods, operator of Hanging Horse Studios in Norwood, Mass. (where he has recorded hitmakers of the day including Dirty Dishes, IAN and Horse Jumper of Love), and now those of you keeping score at home can also mark Mr. Krieger down as the man behind Big Nice. That a studio guy would also make music is little surprise; that his apparent first outing so deftly packs great detail (such as the vocal harmonies in the Flaming Lips-echoing tune "Upwards," or the backwards stick strikes of "Vino") into relatively spare arrangements is quite noteworthy. The aforementioned tunes feature on a recently released short stack simply titled EP1, which was released to the wilds of the Internerds as a digital download Nov. 4. Krieger coaxes some very nifty sounds, but tastefully downplays them: the second minute of the jaunty instrumental "Vino" builds upwwards from a sturdy 12-string melody line, then throws octave pedal into a knot of particularly slippery guitars. The gently swinging "Ta Dum" underscores the EPs fresh, snappy vibe, bashing and popping its way toward a series of chords played on an organ that meander away like one affected by dementia. Closer "Moss" is not only the most conventional tune of the set, but also its highlight: not bad for a casual strummer that clocks a mere 87 seconds. Stream the entire kebab via the Bandcamp embed below, and click through to download for any price. And keep your fingers crossed that Big Nice eventually manifests itself as a live entity. We'll be waiting.