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.

Clicky Clicky Music Blog's Top Songs of 2014: Dillon Edition

[PHOTO: Quinn Banford] This was the first year I can remember in which the sheer volume of incredible music actually overwhelmed me. This is not a complaint, mind you, 'cause you know, there are things far worse than falling behind on the hype cycle merry-go-round. But it certainly made reassessing the highs a more trying process. In all honesty, 100 tracks might not be enough to fully detail how deep this year's roster of shit-hot tracks was, but the 10 below perhaps shine brightest.

Note that a concerted effort was made in compiling my list to exclude tracks that will be represented among my top albums, barring one (slight) exception. This limitation was imposed with an aim to both challenge myself and expose (or re-expose) you, dear reader, to as wide a universe of music as possible. I'd like also to highlight four tracks that just missed the cut and that warrant mention. Those are, in no particular order, Whirr's towering nü-gaze specimen "Ease," Kal Marks' queasy, existential stomper "It Was A Very Hard Year," Soft Fangs' buzzing lo-fi stunner "You're The Best," and Playlounge's powerful emo-gaze anthem "Zero." Thanks again to Jay and Eddie for making my writing look so good by association, and to all of you for reading. Here's to next year's list being even harder to concoct than this one.

1. Ovlov -- "The Great Crocodile" -- Little Big League/Ovlov Split EP [buy]

In our review of this split, we mused about this track potentially becoming Ovlov's defining statement. It's now safe to say it's the year's defining statement as well. A ridiculous 6-minute scorcher, "Crocodile" often feels like an HD scan of one's favorite Dinosaur Jr. tune circa You're Living All Over Me, but fronter Steve Hartlett’s high-register yearnings are crystal clear and as a result perhaps even more emotionally potent than Mr. Mascis' mumble. Plus, the bass is turned up far louder than J would ever allow.

"...it's in your way to walk around beneath your sound."



2. Beach Slang – "Get Lost" -- Why Would You Ever Want Anything So Broken? EP [buy]

In our most humble opinion, no band dealt in wide-eyed nostalgia better than Philly's Beach Slang in 2014, and "Get Lost" is perhaps their high watermark thus far [arguably -- Ed.]. Retelling stories of nights spent at basement shows with a figurative voice heavy on descriptors but light on specifics, the song does an unbelievably good job of replicating that time in an indie kid's life where every chord change feels crucial. It's a situation certain of the CC staff still lives out on a weekly basis.

"...who called the cops?"



3. Charly Bliss – "Urge To Purge" – Soft Serve EP [buy]

We've had our ears tuned into NYC power-pop concern Charly Bliss for a bit now; we're like two degrees separated, in a sense. And we reckon it won't be long before everyone is tuned in, 'cause they have all the proverbial goods. The three-song sampler the act issued this year was a winning combo of sweetly-sung melodies and crunch-y, exacting guitars. It's precisely the kind of a thing that demands repeated listens, especially this second tune, which features some nifty boy-girl harmonies and a killer fuzz-bassline that bounces around like a Super Ball.

"...I cannot help you/I never wanted to..."



4. Krill – "Unbounded Nameless Future" – Steve Hear Pile in Malden and Bursts Into Tears EP [buy]

Jay’s albums list poured plenty of praise on Krill's interpretation and usage of academia within their churning, post-punk attack, so let's instead unpack the sonics that made Steve Hears [review] such a vital release. Namely, the completely bonkers drum work the now-departed and Brunched Luke Pyenson unleashed at the tail end of this, the EP's penultimate track. Beginning around 3:30 Pysenson delivers easily the most stunning drum fill of the calendar year, a backwards roll across the kit that kicks the song's pained final chorus in the ass, hard. The new dude they got is pretty damn good, too, incidentally.

"...I only got two months in..."



5. Ava Luna – “Sears Roebuck M&Ms” – Electric Balloon [buy]

Speaking of Jay's list, he also ripped/riffed on the misnomer that is art-funk, which I'm inclined to agree with. Either way, Ava Luna's Electric Balloon [review] was an absolute stunner of a record, capable of interpolating seemingly divergent styles of music with ease and grace. The thing could also rock out, as evidenced by "Sears Roebuck M&Ms," a track that rests some utterly bat-shit stream of consciousness lyricism on a restless, body-heaving groove that refuses to quit. The tune is a live staple that we were lucky enough to take in more than once this year, including a particularly memorable iteration in a house in JP some months back.

"...Everybody says we’re talking about the new sweet thing WOOOO."



6. Chumped – “Hot 97 Summer Jam” – Teenage Retirement [buy]

We were a little late to the party vis a vis this Brooklyn quartet, having missed out on some previous EPs. But buzz towards the end of the year surrounding the release of Teenage Retirement piqued our interest, and it was "Hot 97 Summer Jam" that solidified Chumped's need-to-know status. A perfect approximation of everything great and fun about pop-punk, and done right, the song presents two-and-a-half minutes of unmitigated fuzz-rock hooks. The longing, hummed-out backed vocals on that chorus get lodged in your skull almost immediately.

"...I would wait for you all summer."



7. Cayetana – “Hot Dad Calendar” – Nervous Like Me [buy]

This year saw a number of insanely satisfying debut records, but perhaps none were more satisfying than Cayetana's. The Philly trio do the punky pop thing damn good, regularly packing hook after tuneful hook into three-minute bursts of charm. "Hot Dad Calendar" rocks hard, with its relatively clean guitar strums and hi-hat skitter setting the backdrop for what is ostensibly a self-actualizing anthem.

"...Kid you'll be ok/you’ll get better with age..."



8. IAN – "I Don’t Care" – IAN EP [buy]

Formerly local trio IAN’s self-titled EP was easily our favorite release of the year from local party-starters BUFU Records. A full-band interpretation of the lo-fi downers Berklee kid Jillian Medford started putting out late last year, the EP takes those folky asides and jolts them forward with abandon. Ms. Medford's jangly tone and idiosyncratic vocal squeaks steal the show, especially on "I Don't Care," the EP's centerpiece.



9. Dæphne – "Driving Down A Country Highway Blasting Weezer" – Family Vacation demo [buy]

Dæphne are somewhat of an unknown quantity even around Boston thus far. As far as we know, few of the reputable local publications picked up on the short, mystical Family Vacation demo the act issued earlier in the year, perhaps due to the fact that its physical release was handled by Texas-based Funeral Sounds. No matter, the demo, and the tune "Driving Down A Country Highway Blasting Weezer" in particular, is an excellent slice of lo-fi dream-pop. That it delivers the kind of math-y and sharp dynamic twists and turns characteristic of contemporary emo only sweetens the deal.



10. Coaches – "amisarewaswere" – digital single [buy]

The imminent sound of something very important, this is. Recently minted Boston shoegaze collective Coaches had a relatively quiet 2014, only loosing to the indiesphere a two-sided digital single, with one of said sides being an instrumental. However, "amisarewaswere" is a gargantuan tune, one capable of establishing a formidable reputation. Boston lost two of its great noisy compatriots this year in Soccer Mom and Young Adults, but Coaches appear poised to step into those large, empty sets of 'gazey shoes.

"...Massachusetts summer nights..."