That Was The Show That Was: Amanda X with Sneeze and Dylan Ewan & The Sulk Scouts | O'Brien's | May 19

You may recall that a year ago we sang the praises of the massively fecund Philly indie pop scene in our review of Radiator Hospital's life-affirming Something Wild long-player [review]. Given the fact that our executive editor grew up in the 215, this publication aspires to stay abreast of what is what in the Philly musical underground, and there is definitely a lot of "what" surrounding that city's garage rock three-piece Amanda X. Fronted by guitarist Cat Park, the act proffers a potent strain of hook-heavy punk not far removed from that of erstwhile Philadelphians Swearin'. The most affecting Amanda X songs pit Park's vocals against those of bassist Kat Bean, a pairing that creates strained, distant and almost subversive harmonies.

The trio performed a week ago at O'Brien's in Allston Rock City, billed behind local noise-pop titans Sneeze. We're given to understand that the fellows in Sneeze helped the Philadelphians get on the bill, but we expect Amanda X's star will only continue to rise, and they won't need much in the way of help scoring gigs in the future. Primarily playing tunes from its forthcoming, Jeff Zeigler-recorded debut record Amnesia for the storied Philly label Siltbreeze (which has released notable records for a quarter century from bands including Bardo Pond, The Dead C and Temple Of Bon Matin), Amanda X pressed a fully-realized, confident sound, a sound that carried an even sharper edge, as the date was at the tail-end of the band's now-wrapped strand of North American tour dates. Scattered shows this summer take the threesome to ports of call including NYC's Rough Trade outlet store/concert space June 13 with Tweens and Marnie Stern; Amanda X is also already booked to play Philly's Underground Arts Sept. 11 with legendary Japanese indie institution Shonen Knife.

Not to be overlooked is the fact that Sneeze also have a new full-length on deck; the Justin Pizzoferrato'd (yeah, dude gets his own verb at this point) Wilt will be issued next month on Glory Kid. Based on a brace of thrilling preview tracks, which we've posted below, the set will be a doozy (pre-order here if you know what is good for you). For its set a week ago, Sneeze delivered its characteristically thick, sludgy riffs and shouty, pained vocals, both underpinned by a sturdy melodic sense. The trio plays O'Brien's again next month for the Wilt release show, an evening that also features the ridiculously great Ovlov; full details for that event are right here. That show presently appears to be Sneeze's only engagement of the summer, but our spidey sense tells us there will be much rocking to be done once Wilt actually drops. BUFU Records affiliate Dylan Ewen & The Sulk Scouts opened with its goofball take on retro-leaning girl-group pop and beachy surf music. Sources tell us future Ewen dates include a pair of house shows in late June, so ask a punk for details. -- Dillon Riley

Amanda X: Bandcamp | Facebook | Tumblr | Twitterz

Today's Hotness: Scott And Charlene's Wedding, Hallelujah The Hills, Speedy Ortiz

>> What keeps us coming back to Soundcloud every day are the surprises, the stuff we love but that we had no idea was out there just waiting to be heard. The latest act we discovered there that caught our fancy is a Brooklyn-via-Australia combo named Scott And Charlene's Wedding (so named, we believe, for a major happening on a popular Aussie soap opera that starred Kylie Minogue, whom most Americans associate with this or even this). The band is the solo vehicle of Craig Dermody, former denizen of Melbourne, where he played in the bands Spider Vomit and Divorced, according to this handy Village Voice piece from October. Anyhoozle, Scott And Charlene's Wedding issued earlier this month via London's Critical Heights label a new 10" EP titled Two Weeks. The five-song short set is filled with cracking, jangly indie rock touting a recognizable slacker bent that suggests '90s indie touchstones Pavement and Guided By Voices. We are embedding two tunes from the 10" for listening below: "My World" and the more uptempo, billowing pop gem "Gammy Leg." The latter track sounds at least partially autobiographical (it references Dermody's move to New York), a lyrical approach characteristic of Dermody. Indeed, one of the more compelling numbers from Scott And Charlene's Wedding's debut long-player Para Vista Social Club [Bandcamp], the big strummer "Footscray Station," recounts Dermody's daily grind driving a truck and the inspiration he took from a friend struggling with a fledgling retail situation. Para Vista Social Club was originally issued in Sept. 2011 in a limited edition of 200 LPs with covers painted by Dermody. The act plans to release a second LP with a new, New York-based lineup later this year via Fire Records. Scott And Charlene's Wedding's next show appears to be at the Philadelphia Museum of Contemporary Art on May 4, supporting the presently white-hot Parquet Courts, and Dermody, et al., are also planning a tour of Europe for July and August, according to this Facebook post. Do the streamiez.





>> Boston indie rock institution Hallelujah The Hills last week disclosed it will release May 7 an odds and sods collecton titled Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Trash Can. The collection will include three new songs, as well as all the band's non-album singles, its Prepare To Qualify EP, remixes, radio performances and a never-released Daytrotter session. Hallelujah The Hills' next area performance is May 3 at The Sinclair in Harvard Square, a date so very proximal to the release of the compilation that we're gonna go ahead and call it a release show. The now eight-year-old sextet recently issued the terrific digital single "The Three Minute Mark" b/w "Meet Me In The Car," and neither song is slated to appear on a planned fourth full-length that Hallelujah The Hills is working on for potential release this spring later this year. According to the HtH web dojo, the record has "a title and a concept and is loud." Which we think is a good sign. The band's prior full-length, No One Knows What Will Happen Next, was released in May 2012. Pre-orders for Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Trash Can are already being taken right here; the set is being offered on the popular compact disc format or as a digital download. While we sit around and wait, shall we revisit a hot one from the 2009 set Colonial Drones? Sure we should. Stream "Classic Tapes" via the Bandcamp embed below.



>> If you were all tl;dr;moarsandwichez this afternoon with the latest update from Northampton, Mass.-based snack rock superlatives Speedy Ortiz, then perhaps you missed the part where they disclosed the name of their full-length debut. The quartet's long-player will be titled Major Arcana and it is "probably coming out in July." Speedy Ortiz also revealed that Inflated Records will release next month a new single featuring two older tunes, "Ka-Prow" and "Hexxy," which were re-recorded during recent sessions for Major Arcana with Justin Pizzoferrato. The art for the single is posted in the update, so click through and scroll down if art is something that appeals to you. There is as of yet no pre-order info online for the single. As we mentioned in prior reportage, Speedy Ortiz is basically on tour for all of April, during which it will take in such sights as the annual MacRock fest in Harrisonburg, play with Marnie Stern in Brooklyn, and do three dates in Canada. Full tour deets are at the Speedy Facebook yert right here. So as to get you pumped up for things, we are embedding below a stream of that older version of "Hexxy," which we think you will agree rocks most steadfastly.