Review: Playlounge | Pilot

We devote an inordinate amount of time to thinking about sound, the intentions behind deliberately expressed noise, the emotions achieved with aggressively cacaphonous indie rock. One unsurprising conclusion that we return to again and again is that often less is more. This determination is vital to approaching Pilot, the full length debut from London fuzz-rock pair Playlounge, a record that exhibits the great lengths an act can go with only four arms. Much like the best tunes on Blame Confusion, the recently released debut from sonic kinsmen Solids, on its long-player Playlounge achieve a cavernous boom-bap with little more than a few guitar overdubs, sizzling, cymbal-centric drumming, palpable, in-the-red distortion and tastefully applied reverbs. Importantly, Playlounge's blunt attack and appealing songcraft distinguish Pilot from even Solids' undeniable LP and similarly superlative contemporary guitar-pop.

Rather than trot out lively indie rock signifiers under a thick haze, or charm its way via shambolic song structuring, Pilot comes out guns ablaze, barely able to keep up with its own breakneck pace. Few records this year will sound as good blaring from a pair of external speakers in an otherwise empty bedroom/air guitar rehearsal space -- trust us, we would know. The biggest hooks come early and often, with guitarist Laurie Foster typically concocting even more melodies with his six-string than drummer Saam Watkins does with his often buried vocals. Album opener "I Am Lion" and infinitely spun preview track "Zero" -- which teases with chords that hint at Yo La Tengo's towering pop classic "Sugarcube," and hey look rad vid -- in particular pack plenty of ideas into mini-epic song suites.

The context of the rising success of their pals, Topshelf signatories Nai Harvest, draws the significance of regularly thrilling Pilot into sharper focus. That, along with the breakout success of noise-pop greats Joanna Gruesome, may lead neophytes to declare there's a bona fide movement going down across the pond -- although Clicky Clicky readers have seen regular coverage of these sorts of sounds from deep inside the fertile UK scene for something like eight years at this point. Indeed, heady, noisy, emo-gaze recordings have been crossing the Atlantic for years, and we don't expect that to abate any time soon. But Playlounge's maximal minimalist sound is very now. As of now, that act has no announced plans to tour America, but we hope that that will change soon; the duo has a half-dozen engagements pending in the UK and will announce additional late May dates soon. For now, pick up a copy of the Pilot on pink-with-glitter or pink-blue smeared vinyl via Dog Knight Productions right here. The record was available with an alternative cover in the UK today for Record Store Day, but those are now long gone. Stream "Zero" and "Wave And Waves And Waves" via the Soundcloud embeds below. -- Dillon Riley

Playlounge: Internerds | Bandcamp | Facebook | Soundcloud | Twitter

Keep Doing What You're Doing: As Topshelf Records Hits New Highs With A Powerhouse Roster, Local Media Remai -- Hey Wait Is That Aerosmith?

As with a lot of things in Boston, we worked our way around to Topshelf Records through the wrong end of the telescope. We had a general awareness of the label, but it was a long time before we realized it was based right here in our adopted hometown. Then, a couple years ago, we had a message from the head of a favorite UK label saying he'd be in town soon to visit Topshelf, then based in the Back Bay. Last May Topshelf signed (for the US) the very promising UK emo-core combo Crash Of Rhinos, a move that also raised our eyebrows. Topshelf's late 2013 signing of hotly tipped Sheffield, England-based slackercore duo Nai Harvest flat-out surprised us, and made us wonder just who was this local label signing some of our favorite overseas talent? And why -- as a fifteen-year Boston resident, and besides the reason that we might just suck -- didn't we know more about Topshelf? After an hour of Internetting, we got a sense of just how big the label is, how deep its Massachusetts roots reach, and rapidly our curiosity transformed into bewilderment. How could such a successful operation be just under our noses for much of its existence, yet there was no sign of them in the local press, and little indication of them (until recently) even in our fairly healthy blogosphere?

The same can't be said for national and international press, which recently has found a lot to like coming from the Topshelf stable; in October Pantsfork published a primer that perhaps was unfairly tagged around social media as "the emo revival piece." Given the very strong 2013 Topshelf had, which included, among others, notable releases from the aforementioned Crash Of Rhinos and majestic The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die, and a very strong start to 2014 with the release of the brilliant new one from Florida's You Blew It!, the attention from the overground is little surprise. But that the overground was taking notice while there was still relative silence in the local market highlighted even more this weird disconnect we were feeling. What the hell does Topshelf have to do to get props in Boston? We decided to put the question to Kevin Duquette, who, along with partner Seth Decoteau, has operated Topshelf from various perches across the commonwealth since its formation eight or nine years ago. Mr. Duquette very graciously agreed to talk, and was even more gracious in pointing out that his label is far from alone with regards to receiving little play with local press. Let's pick up the conversation there...

Clicky Clicky: Our initial discussions about this piece weighed my contention that Topshelf and Run For Cover are among Boston's two biggest labels, yet they paradoxically get little mention in the local press. At the same time there has been some very good national and international coverage, even recently. Why do you think there's that disconnect? Have you ever had that "I'm STANDING RIGHT HERE!" kind of moment, sitting around the Topshelf office?

Kevin Duquette: I am not 100% sure what to make of it. I can be pretty bad at meeting people and networking and that type of thing in person — and rarely talk to strangers at local shows (not that I'm opposed to it). I don't really know anyone involved in local press personally or professionally, and we're definitely not actively soliciting that type of thing, so maybe it's just a combination of all of those things? We're equal parts thrilled about and humbled by the national and international coverage that we've been getting of late, but it'd definitely be cool to see that translate to some local support, too. Maybe they don't know or care about what we're doing? I mean, haha, I sincerely don't know. I don't harbor any ill will over it, though, and I think there's plenty of deserving and talented people in this city also worth mentioning aside from anything our two labels have going on.

CC: Is there something inherent to the community of musicians and fans that surround Topshelf that makes it (much) less visible to the mainstream? Are the bands and fans too young, the scene too DIY? Or is it that maybe your biggest acts are not Boston acts? Can it be as simple as the scene doesn't care about that kind of affirmation, so it doesn't seek it out?

KD: With regard to us and anything we're doing, specifically, I think there's a little bit of most of what you just touched on at play. Probably the biggest being that, aside from a handful of long-since defunct acts, we don't have any bands that we work with locally. I think there's something inherently less visible (to the mainstream) about most "alt" sub-culture type things. Not to claim that we're exclusively at the forefront of — or leading anything by any means — but we're definitely a part of a niche that, although gaining a larger following, is still just a small blip. With a few exceptions, the biggest shows our bands play around here are more often than not in a packed sweaty Elks Lodge basement than on the stage of Middle East Downstairs — for what that's worth.

CC: Clicky Clicky certainly hasn't helped the situation much to this point. I honestly didn't realize Topshelf was based in Boston until a few years ago when Kevin from Big Scary Monsters mentioned to me that he was coming to town to visit you guys. I know Topshelf has actually been stationed in different places around the state since its inception. Setting aside the lack of support from the press, do you think the label derived some benefit from being based in and around Boston?

KD: Ah, Kev. We love BSM. Being in Boston the last five-ish years now has certainly helped us to provide better support for our bands while they're on tour, if nothing else. They can play in Boston, Allston, Cambridge, whatever and drive a mile or two down the street afterward and have a place to crash, have their albums and merch re-stocked, hangout at the office, we pick up some lunch for everyone... that type of thing. It really creates an atmosphere of camaraderie and community amongst everyone involved with the entire label. I don't think we had that before when we were in Western Mass., as just not too many tours typically go through the small towns we're from. I think when there's a really good thing going on internally, that becomes palpable externally and people notice and gravitate to that... I do, anyway. Outside of that, I feel like the profile and general awareness [of the label] has been upped for sure. But it's a totally intangible thing for me — I just kinda get the sense it has, rather than some obvious indicator that it has, if that makes sense.

CC: You moved the office to Peabody recently. What prompted that?

KD: I know, our physical address has been like the LOST island over the years, haha, but this is actually a spot that we've been at for some time now. You touched on this earlier, but we've hopped around a lot. Having started the label while in college, our actual "operating" address has shifted from Westfield, Monson, Northampton, Springfield, Hampden, Boston and Peabody. I won't even try to explain it save for that it involves a lot of dorm rooms and gross overuse of our parents' garages. Peabody came about because it's actually a shared space between a few businesses — namely Bridge Nine Records. Seth started interning at Bridge Nine *years* ago and eventually got hired. He's the label manager there now so our growth as an offshoot out of that space was probably more natural than it comes across from the outside.

CC: What really grabbed my attention about Topshelf late last year was your signing of Nai Harvest. One of the guys in Johnny Foreigner turned me on to them right before Whatever came out, and I was very surprised to learn that such a new act was already getting a U.S. label. Did you get a chance to see them play live before you agreed to do the Hold Open My Head EP?

KD: We've never seen them play (though I've seen countless Youtube performances at this point, haha), but we've met up with them at FEST in Florida the last two years. We *loved* their debut LP Whatever and kinda had them on our radar ever since first giving that a few spins. When we started talking about the prospect of releasing something new, the timeframe wasn't initially very good for us at all, but after hearing the demos and playing them in the office for a few days we knew it was something we had to do regardless. We're really happy to be working with them. Johnny Foreigner's another great, great band. I've just heard their new LP and I'm blown away by it. I think music in the UK has me more excited than anything in North America at the moment.

CC: It looks like Nai Harvest are working on some new recordings right now. Is the EP release just a one-off, or does Topshelf have plans to release new Nai Harvest music in the future? Looks like their spring is already booked up, but are you working on getting them over here before the year is out?

KD: A lot of this is purely speculative and wishful thinking, but we'd love to have them come over and I know the feeling's reciprocated. It's an idea we're definitely bouncing around, so hopefully we can make it happen. We've facilitated it before with international bands we've worked with (Enemies from Ireland, toe from Japan) and I'm hopeful we can make it happen for them, as well. As far as any future releases go, that's a similar situation. We're all on board, but there's no concrete plans for anything as of yet.

CC: You've got two of the biggest acts on the label playing this week at The Sinclair, which is one of the newest and certainly one of the larger venues in the greater Boston-Camb-erville. Sort of wrapping this interview back on itself, is having Into It. Over It. and TWIABP play a venue like that perhaps a better measure of success for both the bands and Topshelf, rather than, say, whether the local press in picking up what you're putting down?

KD: Yeah, A Great Big Pile of Leaves are playing that as well. The local support on many of the dates have largely been Topshelf-affiliated acts and a bunch of the dates have been selling out at pretty good-sized rooms so the whole tour has just been cool to watch from our vantage point. Any one of those three bands are capable of headlining their own tours at this point so getting to see how well all three are doing together every night is awesome. The Sinclair is a really great venue, but the success of the tour in general is what I'm hanging my hat on, moreso than anything else.

CC: Thanks for taking the time to chat with us, Kevin.

KD: Absolutely. I appreciate it. Thank you, Jay!

As of press time, the Into It. Over It. / The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die / A Great Big Pile of Leaves / Dreamtigers show tomorrow night at The Sinclair is SOLD OUT. The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die's highly regarded 2013 collection Whenever, If Ever just went into its third pressing. More signs, we'd say, that Topshelf and its bands are doing great things. Our interview with Kevin doesn't do nearly a good enough job of portraying the amount of hard work it takes to keep the label running; for a more fulsome discussion of that, as well as the label's more remote history, we point you to yesterday's excellent interview published in Made Of Chalk. Nai Harvest's forthcoming EP Hold Open My Head will be released by Topshelf on vinyl and as a digital download March 4. You can pre-order that here and scour the entire Topshelf catalogue for hits right here. For a taste of what the label is cooking in 2014, check out streams below of some forthcoming tunes from Nai Harvest and the recent rockstravaganza from You Blew It!. Who knows how the label will surprise us next?

Today's Hotness: Best Friends, Sapphire Mansions, Radstewart

>> Art Is Hard Records continues to command attention, not only for its fine curation and great taste, but also due to brave and unconventional packaging concepts. Perhaps it's because of their singular methods that we sometimes lose sight of the fact that they still function as a tried-and-true label with a steady supply of CDs, tapes and vinyl. Which, of course, brings us to their latest 7", a stunning double A-side for the manic Sheffield, England quartet Best Friends, due Sept. 23rd. One side of the disc, "Happy Anniversary," reveals the scrappy band wearing a bit more production polish that we've heard from them previously, as well as more mature subject matter (their earlier, surf punk-inspired numbers explored such multi-dimensional aspects of the human condition as "Surf Bitches" and "Dude Love"). While there's still plenty of thick, churning guitars, one can't help but notice the way "Happy Anniversary" unfolds – full of space and a crooned vocal. It evidences a band unwilling to adhere to one approach for too long. After its delicate intro, "Happy Anniversary" introduces a descending surf lead and fuzzy flange on the rhythm guitar that each add thoughtful and evocative texture to the band's brand of bash 'n' pop. Best Friends has consistently exhibited a steady hold on the mid-range of their productions, and this thankfully remains true here: the mix is thick and pleasant, the drums splash along, and the chorus follows the guitar line for a great melodic punch. The flip of the single is quick-paced strummer "Nosebleeds," which -- impossibly -- is even more catchy, melodic and direct than "Happy Anniversary." All of which has us wondering: is this the best single of the year? When all is said and done, it will certainly be a contender. Both sides of the cracking single are embedded for streaming below; judge for yourself. Pre-order "Happy Anniversary" b/w "Nosebleeds" -- which comes packaged with a comic drawn by Nai Harvest's Lew Currie, and the option of adding a t-shirt to the deal, as well -- from Art Is Hard right here. -- Edward Charlton





>> We recently noted the head of a certain terrific American indie label recommending to the attention of friends an act called Sapphire Mansions; the label is constantly putting out first-rate stuff, so we thought we'd best have a listen. Brooklyn-based pop upstarts Sapphire Mansions are preparing to self-release Oct. 23 a debut six-song EP (eight songs if you buy the cassette, or even more if you buy a CD-R) titled Over America. Despite its title, the short set's hazy but spare indie pop suggests the influence of decades-old U.K. and even Kiwi acts as much as it does bands closer to home like The Ocean Blue and The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. Sapphire Mansions distinguishes itself via the unconventional application of mixing EQs and reverbs, something that makes the quartet's EP a compelling listen. Often the tracks feel at arm's length, squeezed and swirled, so that what would otherwise seem conventional production assumes a foreign quality via, for example, the mysterious, hissing treble in fronter Jay Hough's vocals, or the mechanistic whooshes surrounding drummer Josh Feldman's snare beats. The overall flavor is one of slight unease, giving Over America an intriguing tension, even a sense of danger, despite the sturdy pop skeleton underneath. The EP is refreshing and definitely worth pre-ordering, so that blasting it on the hi-fi can become a reality come late October. Be the first kid on your block to own one by pre-ordering it at Bandcamp; click through the embed below to find out how. -- Edward Charlton



>> This reviewer often takes a sharp turn in terms of rock music consumption once summer starts to inevitably wind down. Gone are the gleeful and blissed records that encouraged lazy afternoons. Instead -- as if in preparation for the cold -- the harsh, aggravated noise of detached garage singles and the cool, mechanical precision of post-punk suddenly seem the best aural accompaniment. Our good and perhaps telepathic friends at Alcopop! may be feeling the same way, based on its recent announcement that it has signed and will release an EP in October from the spectacular Cardiff, Wales-based slack-core foursome Radstewart. The year-old act -- part of the aforementioned Art Is Hard's constellation of acts, as well -- is just the kind of band the world needs right now. Mixing a sense of The Fall's humorous and wordy motorik antics, a pinch of the Velvet Underground's taste in chords, and the goofball chemistry of early Pavement (which, we suppose, also comes by way of The Fall), this young Cardiff unit has hit upon the perfect indie cocktail. The promotional single "Beer Swindlers" is a fuzzy, grinding bit of tongue-in-cheek noise-punk. The singer's deep but nasal speak-drawl imbues the recordings with an agreeable and easy character, not unlike that of popular American peers Parquet Courts (who have seen great success with their updated, millennial take on the roots of punk and DIY). "Beer Swindlers" can also be found on the group's superb self-released and about-to-sell-out three-song CD, the last five of which are on offer at the band's Bandcamp here. If that short disc (and this video for the sublime "Hot Dog") is any indication of what Alcopop! has in store for us, be ready for greatness; we advise keeping an eye on the Alcopop! store for the appearance of pre-order details. Radstewart have landed a plumb spot supporting Sky Larkin's fall U.K. tour, the dates of which one can inspect right here. Listen to "Beer Swindlers" via the embed below. -- Edward Charlton