Premiere: All Talk | upstairs/downstairs EP

While still a young project, All Talk has already shown an impressive ability to navigate transition. Following the release of 2015's Juno -- which principles Tim Mensel and Cole Maxwell consider the band's true starting point -- and an attendant tour, the Boston indie concern's first drummer Tim Carman decamped for the west coast. Undaunted, Messrs. Mensel and Maxwell rigged an Ableton Live setup to anchor the rhythm and then plotted out new songs. The digitally augmented duo self-recorded its newest EP upstairs/downstairs, but has since incorporated childhood friend Dan Shapiro to helm the drum kit. The proverbial shoe fits.

"I felt like it took a couple shows for... the beats to sound right," said Mensel. "I had a MIDI controller and I would try and trigger them with my feet, but we were singing and playing, too, so it was tough at first to do it at spots like the ER without a stage monitor."

Needless to say the addition of Mr. Shapiro has proven beneficial. Both Maxwell and Mensel credit rehearsing with a live drummer, and at Shapiro's spacious Brookline basement no less, with giving new life to All Talk's music; even arrangements have shifted. And while he doesn't play on the new record, Shapiro has clearly played a crucial role in the band's (re-)development as a live act, too.

"[T]he songs have changed a lot, going from the Ableton versions to recording, and then to us playing them as a trio -- especially the drums," said Maxwell. "Part of that had to do with my limitations as a drummer, or what I thought sounded good, but I think Dan's influence changed things a lot, too."

Shapiro's fluid integration into the unit is unsurprising, given there is meaningful shared history among the players. All three grew up together in suburb Needham, Mass., often taking to Shapiro's basement to work out Beatles tunes. To up his game, Shapiro has in recent months -- even before joining All Talk -- taken a more studious approach to drumming, going so far as to take lessons from Mr. Carman's former teacher at Berklee.

"It just happened to be good timing, 'cause we had jammed a few times while they were doing the shows with the beats, and it seemed to go pretty well," said Shapiro. "They saw that I was starting to get serious about drumming and asked me if I wanted to play a show with them. We basically just went from there."

While keen to mention the influence of classic acts like The Beatles, Radiohead, and Wilco, All Talk has been sopping up more proximal influences as well, largely by virtue of attending more shows. More actively participating in the scene has, somewhat counter-intuitively, helped All Talk shape its own identity.

"I definitely don't think we go out of our way to write songs that sound like the bands that we go see or the sort of Boston scene in general," Maxwell observes. "But when I do go out to shows and stuff, I definitely pay attention to arrangements and sounds and try and add some of those things to what we do."

Perhaps the biggest influence on the writing and creation of the new EP upstairs/downstairs was the actual process that birthed it. The collection was mostly recorded in the confines of Mensel and Maxwell's Brighton, Mass. apartment, and the pair passed numerous days clearing and bleaching the floors of their basement, and wiring cables and plugs throughout the space, before rehearsing and recording everything themselves. The DIY approach created a sense of comfort that carried over into the production.

"Being able to work at our own pace, without worrying about time constraints, was definitely a benefit," said Mensel. "It was nice to be able to go back and work on things after playing back certain things immediately."

upstairs/downstairs finds the band doubling down on the sturdily melodic and folk-tinged power-pop that characterized Juno's strongest moments. Mensel and Maxwell have distinctive (although not entirely dissimilar) voices and writing styles, and the songwriters' give-and-take across the EP is among its charms. Mensel-penned tunes including opener "Misled" are often appointed with modest, yearning vocals and sprightly jangle-guitar leads that lead to big distorted riffs, a neat reflex that engenders emotional heft. Maxwell's numbers tend to rely less on dynamics and instead dig in to establish memorable grooves. The upstroked and tremoloed guitars on his "Pay No Mind," for example, play into a sturdy and insistent backbeat that pushes the song ahead.

All Talk is prepping for a month-long tour that will take it as far Texas and Oklahoma with rehearsals in Shapiro's basement, last-minute DIY flyer production and gear purchases, but it is also looking ahead to its next move.

"The next release is gonna be a lot different, for sure," Mensel offers.

All Talk's record release/tour kickoff extravaganza is set for this very Saturday at Cambridge's living room, the great Lilypad. Dreamy folk strummer (and recent Captured Track signee) Lina Tullgren and Erica from surfy indie poppers Littlefoot also perform. Stream upstairs/downstairs via the embed below, check out the complete tour dates at upper right, and order a limited-edition cassette right here. -- Dillon Riley

All Talk: Bandcamp | Facebook

Today's Hotness: Plums, Princess Reason, Flout

>> Sudbury, Mass. guitar-pop act Plums was an unknown quantity here at Clicky Clicky HQ until earlier this summer, but the quartet's strong, seven-song debut Jen quickly and most satisfactorily remedied that. The set is rife with the kind of sparkling, fluorescent and classicist pop jams of which we can all always use more. The foursome's springy, delayed guitars and crisp vocals conjure something reminiscent of Philadelphia indie pop luminaries Literature's fantastic Chorus album from last year, if there were actually, well... more chorus, and a yet stronger '60s-indebted dream-pop vibe. After Jen's bouncy opener "Parking Lots," Plums drop "Julia Gloria," a brilliant, Beatles-esque acoustic strummer that sees the Sudburians achieve a certain spectral beauty amidst washes of sound and electric-guitar crescendos. Though the campfire acoustics in each channel persist, the band incorporates sufficient dynamics to maintain the riveting beauty of "Julia Gloria." Follow-up "Lounger" takes that instrumental set-up to its logical conclusion, before "Fine Madeline" reintroduces the Captured Tracks-inspired, rainy-day guitars and the loopy bass work first established with "Parking Lots." Instrumental pieces such as the title track and the trippy, backwards "They Love Me They Love Me" further posit a notion that this young band could be an American response to neo-psychers Tame Impala. Perhaps better, though, than placing heaps of expectation on Plums, it would be best to instead consider this young act one to watch, as such attention will be rewarded so long as the act continues its gorgeous pop experimentation. Jen was released by Minneapolis-based Forged Artifacts July 14 in a limited edition of 100 goldenrod-colored cassettes (only six remain as of last week) and as a digital download. Stream the entire set below, and click here to purchase it in one of the available formats. -- Edward Charlton



>> Baltimore-based indie pop concern Princess Reason are one of those acts we watch that comes 'round with fair regularity, scatters a few strummy lo-fi gems about the proverbial place, and then walks out the door toward the next waiting heartache. Each new release presents an opportunity to take a deep breath, clear one's head and meditate (ruminate?) upon the act's uniquely bummed but capably wrought music. Last month the trio disclosed it had teamed up with Nebraskan Coast records for the imprint's inaugural release, which will be a three-song 7" from Princess Reason titled Your Divorce, which is due Aug. 14 and available for pre-order now. Princess Reason has consistently traded in a certain scrappy subtlety, tucking analog suspense into the edges of its recordings' stereo fields, so we imagine that much-talked-about vinyl warmth will translate well for the trio. The aforementioned single's lightly chugging A-side does, too, while presenting a decidedly more electric, full-band sound than much of the material we are familiar with. "Your Divorce" vamps on a hiccupping melody and full, persistent bass that sounds to this reviewer like Pavement at their twangy, podunk best, although thankfully devoid of Stephen Malkmus' detached irony. The song is instead shot through with some very real and direct sentiments regarding (presumably) a parent's frayed marriage. Following the clenched-throat breakdown in the song's midsection, the rhythm section falls back in to groove during that devastating refrain – "I can't wait for you to leave New York, I can’t wait for you to get divorced." Sure, disappointment looms large on the mind of Princess Reason, but at no point does it fail to enrich such quality homespun pop as this. Pre-order your copy of the Your Divorce single directly from the band right here. -- Edward Charlton



>> We discussed last April here in these electronic pages Flout's charming Gims full-length, noting that the Art Is Hard-issued collection was a subdued and tasteful lo-fi cassette release from the mind of Weymouth, New York's John DeRosso. Full of fractured pop gems, the collection felt worn-in and welcoming, purveying a vibe that is just as appealing during the recent searing summer days as it was during spring’s first bloom. We were pleased to stumble upon a new standalone tune, "Sinker," on Soundcloud in recent weeks. Though tagged as a demo, the introverted and intimate recording would fit well on Gims, as it stays true to that album’s piecemeal song structures and chilled-out fuzz passages with aplomb. Opening with a frail, acoustic guitar lament set against DeRosso's steady and true vocals, the piece reminds of how Flout (much like Princess Reason,discussed supra) uses lo-fi methods to cut to the core emotion of the narrator and tune, rather than the more typical approach of using noisy recordings to mask them. It works wonders, as the production figuratively transports the listener right there into the bedroom, where the distorted guitar and thin, faux-strings from the synth likely sound yet more impactful, even devastating. This reviewer looks forward to LP2, but for now you can stream "Sinker" via the Soundcloud embed below. -- Edward Charlton

Today's Hotness: Benjamin Shaw, The Sun Parade

>> Our natural inclination is to slag off Audio Antihero for releasing a single for the best song from its recent Benjamin Shaw release some six months after said release, but of course the little London label that could has beaten us to the punch, pre-emptively dubbing the single -- actually an EP -- a "cash-in." Despite the weird timing, the You & Me EP is neither a crass money grab nor a strategic misstep, as Mr. Shaw's stand-out tune -- which we spotlighted in our review of the charming full-length Goodbye, Cagoule World in April -- is supported by three exceptionally good cover versions from others unfortunate enough to be tagged with the descriptor "Audio Antihero artist." Indeed, Shaw's marvelous, wry and jaunty original is complemented by terrific and distinctly different versions from Jack Hayter, erstwhile Bostonian Cloud and Broken Shoulder. One of our favorite musical elements of the original is the burbling synth line, which recalls Hypo's amazing "Nice Day." Cloud has taken that piece of the tune and layered delicate layers of icy guitar and angelic, edgeless vocals over top. Mr. Hayter toys with the meter of the lyrics and renders the tune as a Joe Cocker-esque sea shanty, his papery tenor speeding up and slowing down over alternately syrupy and sticky pedal steel. Experimental droner Broken Shoulder plays to its formidable strengths, rounding out the EP with a strong, other-worldly and five-minute-plus rendering that sounds like the scattering remnants of a dream about the original song. Audio Antihero released the You & Me EP Oct. 6 as a digital download, and we unreservedly recommend it to your attention. Stream the short set via the Bandcamp embed below, and click through to purchase for the ridiculously reasonable price of £1, which you should do, before Jamie Antihero starts talking about shutting down the label again.



>> Oh, how we have forsaken The Sun Parade. The Northampton, Mass.-based quartet's terrifically catchy Heart's Out EP was released a month ago, and the set's immediate and revved-up folk-rock tunes have been in steady rotation at the Clicky Clicky dojo ever since drummer Noam Schatz dropped the record on us a few weeks back. Mr. Schatz, long-time readers will recall, previously detonated the cans for the late, great Mobius Band. Schatz has spent time with a bit of musical this-and-that since the end of Mobius Band, but The Sun Parade is the first touring act he's joined up with since the mid-ish oughts. The Sun Parade was out last month with the popular-with-many-people-and-now-Boston-Calling-veterans Lake Street Dive, and we can't imagine its snappy numbers didn't find favor with the headliner's audience. The foursome's Beatles-fed Americana foregrounds sturdy vocal harmonies in its big choruses, punctuates its point with scads of scritchy rhythm guitar, and applies some pretty ripping lead guitar now and again, too, while all the while Mr. Schatz's physical playing spurs the compositions ever onward. EP highlight "I'm Still Here" works itself toward a frenzy in its final quarter, as does the groovier cut "A Plane To New Zealand," but the former tune's crafty chord changes and fluid harmonies in the chorus make for ready hooks that will be hard for listeners to shake. While out on tour The Sun Parade recorded the obligatory Daytrotter session, so if you chew through Heart's Out and need more music, keep your ears open for that. The act has scattered live engagements during the remainder of this fall, including a show in Providence next weekend, and you can check out all show dates right here. Stream the title track to Heart's Out via the Bandcamp embed below, and click through to stream the whole magilla and to purchase the short set on CD or as a digital download. It's worth reminding you that Schatz isn't the only Mobius Band alum with new music out there: last month we reviewed Cookies' excellent LP Music For Touching right here. That act is led by former Mobius Band fronter Ben Sterling.

Today's Hotness: All Dogs, Idiot Genes, Soft Focus

>> You are going to start hearing Columbus, OH-based indie-punkers All Dogs' name quite often. The young, female-led trio is signed to Salinas Records, a label the music cognoscenti have come to know well for releasing the crucial indie rock platters from Swearin', Waxahatchee and Radiator Hospital over the last two years. Indeed, All Dogs' music neatly fits into the label's aesthetic: the threesome's four-four rockers burst with energy even at the mid-tempo that characterizes the opening pair of tunes from the very enjoyable self-titled, debut 7" that Salinas released last week. The rudimentary instrumentation leaves a lot of space for fronter Maryn Jones' clear and evocative voice to take a starring role, and hers (which recalls that of Bettie Serveert fronter Carol Van Dijk at times) is particularly affecting during the doleful closing cut "Say," certainly a highlight even among this very strong four-song collection. The All Dogs 7" is available via mail order now, and easily worth double the $5 asking price, so click this link to get yours from Salinas before the first run is gone, 'cause these are gonna go fast. All Dogs don't have any shows booked until next month, but Boston fans should take note now that further out in the future the band will be at Great Scott Jan. 21 supporting their very, very hotly tipped labelmates Waxahatchee, who just finished a triumphant strand of UK dates. We expect that will be a show everyone will talk about all through the late winter and into the spring, and we advise you to get tickets ASAP because the buzz is only going to get louder. And that may or may not be your tinnitus talking. What? I can't hear you, the phone keeps ringing. What? Stream the exquisite All Dogs single via the Bandcamp embed below. All Dogs are already at work on songs for a full-length, and previously issued a very fine split tape with Slouch.



>> You thrilled the sandpaper-across-the-face vibes of its self-titled EP at the beginning of the year, which included the bouncy shouter "The Charles Mansion," and now Allston Rock City fuzz-pop standouts Idiot Genes are back with another eight-pack of beery, big-muff anthems. Idiot Genes come by all of their bashing and feedback and sludge honestly: the new collection, titled Lousey, was recorded in the quartet's practice space earlier this fall. The set is thronged with throaty belters including the breakneck bomp of opener "Regular" and the more moderately paced "Soaked Pillow." The latter's lyrics evoke an easy smile, particularly the closing chant "WHEN I DREAM I DROOL! WHEN I DREAM I DROOL!" It's tempting to employ the word "primitive" here to try to capture the essence of the foursome's collective appeal, but that word would not do justice to the way Idiot Genes' music will infiltrate your consciousness. Lousey was released via Bandcamp on Hallowe'en; stream it via the embed below and then click and paywhutchalike to acquire the digital files for your personal use. Idiot Genes are playing on a ridiculously good bill (presented by Allston Pudding) Nov. 14 top-lined by UK-based indie sensations Paws and Philadelphia nu-emo stars Little Big League, who rule. We featured Idiot Genes' "The Charles Mansion" during New Music Night 10 last spring.



>> There was little actual use of soft focus employed by Soft Focus, the scrappy, youthful Cambridge, Mass.-based indie pop group whose music we have been enjoying lately, and who, sadly, have apparently already called it a day. But perhaps the threesome's name evinces itself in other ways. Soft Focus gradually resolved over the past year with a couple of singles, and now comes the posthumous Day EP, which showcases well the band's bashing, gleeful style. Jangly, sometimes angular guitar lines announce each of the four songs here, and the ensuing performances and production suggest that the trio's music is an apt soundtrack for a swinging basement show. One can almost see (smell? -- Ed.) the beer stains, smiling faces and taped-up Christmas lights as tunes like the yearning, head-bobbing opener "POG" ply their charms. Drummer Garren Orr keeps the snare tight and fast, while lead singer Joe Holcomb delivers emotional, punk-braised vocals -- which incidentally, recall those of Shout Out Louds fronter Adam Olenius -- without clouding the carefree character of the tunes. On EP highlight "Summer Sin" the band executes perfectly. Crisp lead guitar proclaims a bright melody and presents 12-string resonance, which in sum reminds this reviewer of George Harrison's work on "Nowhere Man." While that influence is likely not front of mind for Soft Focus, their listing of Bloc Party as an inspiration frames the Day EP in an interesting light. It's evidence of a younger generation of DIY musicians taking decade-old references and reshaping them into part of their own musical identity. It is hard to know whether such influences would have continued to guide the band's music, as this EP and one other referenced at Bandcamp would seem to be the final transmissions from Soft Focus (two of its principals have apparently gone to the west coast). Even if that next EP fails to materialize, the Day EP is a fine way to go out. It was released to the wilds of the Internerds Oct. 2 and is available as a pay-what-you-choose download; stream it below and then click through to make it your very, very own. -- Edward Charlton

Review: Hospitality | Hospitality

Hospitality's eponymous full-length debut imparts a sense of spirit before you've even torn the plastic off, simply via the scene on the album cover. The aging family is a fitting symbol for the music herein; a weathered foursome in a regal plank boat, soaking up the sun on the Hudson's first autumnal days. These are people who have lived, who were wild, and now it's time for them to reexamine the memories of youth.

With an EP already under their collective belt dating back to 2008, Brooklyn-based Hospitality seems to have wasted none of the time between in creating an album of stylish, flashing indie-pop. Dreamy fronter Amber Papini and primary instrumentalists Nathan Michel and Brian Betancourt incorporate strings, odd electronics, and full, jazzy chording into their songs, elements that keep the music unpredictable even within the relatively formal conventions of indie pop.

Papini's voice also sets the band apart. Quite awesomely, according to their press release, "she learned to sing by imitating Richard Butler on Psychedelic Furs' Talk Talk Talk." This is made apparent by her odd inflections and tumbling lyrics, which also recall more recent weirdo coffeehouse singers like Thao Nguyen and Joanna Newsom. Opener and album highlight "Eighth Avenue" offers up a strummy vamp while Papini harps on pinging lines like "out of my twenties and bars and bathroom halls, pass 22 to 44." Lead single "Friends of Friends" [video] features the sort of bright horns and left-turn chorus that Feist has employed to wide appeal. The odd "Julie" touts a lost-sounding melody that recalls The Beatles' "Blue Jay Way," while "The Birthday" builds in a pleasantly abstract manner before a brief shoegaze-styled bliss out. Despite the many surprises, Hospitality are at their best when they keep the tempo up on rockers ("The Right Profession," "Betty Wang") that steer the group away from straight-laced singer-songwriter fare. With such an enjoyable debut full-length, it will be worth the wait to hear the group continue to traverse its unique currents. Hospitality was released by Merge Jan. 31. The band launches an extensive series of tour dates later this month, beginning with San Francisco's Noise Pop Festival; full tour dates are below. -- Edward Charlton

Hospitality: Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter | Youtube

02.25 -- San Francisco, CA -- Great American Music Hall
02.26 -- Los Angeles, CA -- Troubadour
02.29 -- Toronto, ON -- Horseshoe Tavern
03.02 -- Boston, MA -- Brighton Music Hall
03.03 -- New York, NY -- Bowery Ballroom
03.07 -- New Haven, CT -- BAR
03.09 -- Chapel Hill, NC -- Local 506
03.10 -- Atlanta, GA -- The Earl
03.11 -- Orlando, FL -- Orange You Glad Festival
03.14 -- Austin, TX -- SXSW
03.15 -- Austin, TX -- SXSW
03.16 -- Austin, TX -- SXSW
03.17 -- Austin, TX -- SXSW
03.18 -- Dallas, TX -- Bro Fest
03.20 -- Birmingham, AL -- Bottletree
03.21 -- Nashville, TN -- High Watt @ Mercy Lounge
03.22 -- Asheville, NC -- Emerald Lounge
03.30 -- New Haven, CT -- Toad’s Place
04.02 -- Washington, DC -- 9:30 Club
04.03 -- Philadelphia, PA -- Trocadero
04.05 -- Chicago, IL -- Metro

Hospitality by NYLONmag

Review: Sloan | The Double Cross

[We welcome back to these digital pages long-time contributor and friend of the blog Jay Kumar. When Mr. Kumar is not doing tons of stuff that basically makes the rest of us look like lazy asses, he hosts the consistently terrific Completely Conspicuous podcast. Subscribe here. -- Ed.]

Twenty years is a long time to do anything, let alone do it at a consistently high level. But quality is exactly what relatively unheralded Canadian power pop veterans Sloan has delivered album by album since 1991. Over two decades, the band has endured major label flirtations, serious shifts in musical plate tectonics, low record sales, a brief breakup and constant touring. On its new album The Double Cross (out this week on Yep Roc), Sloan serves up another impeccable collection of songs that could comfortably fit in any of the last four decades.

The band has always featured songs written and sung by all four members and The Double Cross is no exception. Album opener "Follow the Leader," penned by bassist Chris Murphy, is an uptempo number that segues into "The Answer Was You," a song from guitarist Jay Ferguson, who writes perfect 1970s AM radio ditties. Guitarist Patrick Pentland contributes catchy riff-rockers, including the standouts "Unkind" and "It's Plain to See." In addition to his powerhouse drumming, Andrew Scott continually contributes interesting slabs of psych-rock to Sloan albums, providing a nice counterpoint to the Beatles and Kiss-influenced offerings of his bandmates. Scott’s "Traces" and "She's Slowin' Down Again" are two more top-notch numbers. The album is full of songs that should be all over the radio, but won’t be.

Like 1999's Between The Bridges and 2006's Never Hear The End of It, the songs here fade into each other, and like those albums, The Double Cross is over quickly, leaving the listener wanting more. And really, that's all you can ask for. -- Jay Kumar

Sloan: Internerds | Facebook | YouTube | Twitter

Today's Hotness: The Low Anthem | Parting Gifts | Apple on Apple |

[The Low Anthem at the Paradise, Boston, MA 4/20/10. Photo by Michael Piantigini.]

BE PREPARED: Rhode Island's soul-piercing, magic-conjuring, Americana (in the purest sense) purveyors The Low Anthem have just announced Smart Flesh, the follow up to the widely acclaimed Oh My God Charlie Darwin, which topped my 2009 favorites list. Recorded in what appears to be a cavernous, haunting (if not haunted) space in an old pasta sauce factory, the handful of tracks that the band has played live or teased online (see below) hint at further exploration the quieter parts of the landscape.

Smart Flesh is out February 22nd on Nonesuch, there's no single just yet, but "Ghost Woman" is a strong contender. And there's lots more fun in-the studio stuff here, here, here, here, and here.

The Low Anthem: Intertubes | Facebook | Twitter

THE PARTING GIFTS are the the latest project from Oblivian and Reigning Sound frontman Greg Cartwright, this time in collaboration with the Ettes' Coco Hames along with Raconteur Patrick Keeler, Black Key Dan Auerbach. The result is their cool new LP Strychnine Dandelion (In The Red) that doesn't stray so far out of their comfort zone, and ours: these are just great strummy garage poppers (along with a few rockers) that are worthy of both of their main gigs.

Parting Gifts: Facebook
Reigning Sound: MySpace
The Ettes: Intertubes | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter

HOT APPLE-ON-APPLE ACTION: The sort-of big music news of the day was that The Beatles are finally on iTunes. Big whoop, right? There was a lot of backlash on my social networking platforms - and it's true that it's hard to believe that anyone who wanted Beatle music was seriously waiting around for this to happen. But, it had to happen eventually, especially since we seem to be in the waning days of physical media (resurgent vinyl notwithstanding). Hard to blame Apple (both of them) for trumpeting the news. Now, with the complete catalog "Box Set" going for $150 on iTunes, I feel a little bad for people who shelled out $280 for this, since they've essentially paid $130 for a plastic apple. On the other hand, both the stereo and mono box sets are going for $129 on a major online retailer, so why wouldn't you do that? Those box sets are pretty sweet.

Anyway, the big Apple news by my reckoning, though, was the reissuing of a chunk of Apple Records' non-Beatles catalog. Which has been out of print and pretty scarce since their last early 90's reissue. Remastered by the same team that did all The Beatles campaign, the handful of Badfinger and Billy Preston titles I've heard all sound as great as those of their label bosses'. The easy must-gets: Badfinger's pop classic Straight Up and Billy Preston's soulful Encouraging Words. The label-wide compilation Come And Get It: The Best of Apple Records, is a great primer and an interesting peek into what was going on in that universe at the time.

Apple Records has a slick new website too.

In other Beatle news, while I'm at it:
Paul McCartney's new reissue campaign (on his new coffee-fueled label) kicked off with multiple configurations of Band On The Run. The album sounds as great as ever, again remastered by the above team, but the DVD's inclusion of a period TV special One Hand Clapping with it's live-in-the-studio performances was the big draw for me.

The post-Thanksgiving "Black Friday" holiday shopping kickoff is a little less soul crushing this year thanks to the full on deluxe vinyl replica reissue of George Harrison's masterpiece All Things Must Pass on the 40th anniversary (minus a day!) of it's original issue. The original 3-LP boxed set isn't too terribly difficult to find used, though they're usually a bit beat up. So, mastered from the original analog master tapes, getting a clean copy of this sounds like a good 'un to me.

-Michael Piantigini

Reader Rewards: Win A Beatles Lithograph From Clicky Clicky

Hearda The Beatles? The greatest rock (or pop, depending on how much of a music nerd you are) band ever? The band whose name seems to always precede the words "and The Stones" when you are talking about music with non-music nerds? Whose music we used to listen to through the ceiling of our bedroom as a child as our brother spun the records upstairs? Anyway, in case you live under a rock, The Beatles (well, EMI) are selling from today remixed/remastered boxed collections of all of their studio albums in mono and stereo sets, as well as remixed/remastered versions of the individual albums. If you've followed the message board chatter as our Senior Writer Mike Piantigini has, you know that there has been talk of the box sets selling with such velocity during pre-orders that they are hard to come by. A message at Amazon.com Sunday morning read: "Important Beatles "Stereo Box Set" Availability Message -- We have sold out of our initial allocation of Beatles stereo box sets, but we will be receiving more inventory after release date. Sign up to be notified as soon as more stereo box sets are available. If you have already pre-ordered your stereo box set, you will receive your order."

Anyhoozle, clearly we are NOT giving any box sets away. We don't even have them ourselves. But we are able to give away, through the largesse of the fine people at Cornerstone Promotions, a lithograph of the image posted above. It is not our favorite image of the band, but it's still cool to win, cool to feel the un-phony Beatlemania not having bitten the dust, and et cetera. Here's the deal: the first U.S. resident (sorry other people!) to email us at our address linked in the sidebar at right gets the litho. Plain and simple. We'll email the winner back, get your snail mail deets, and the folks at Cornerstone will ship the thing right to you. And then you can walk around with your head held high the rest of the day. [EDIT: We have a winner! Congrats to reader Deb!]

Prelude To The Beatleocalypse

We’re now just a week away from the Beatleocalypse and trust me, 9/9/09 may just end up the end of the world or the heralding of paradise on Earth if you follow any of the online forums discussing such matters. On one such den of iniquity (where I admittedly lurk. sigh), one of the key engineers in charge of remastering these Arcs of the Covenantses for the masses and smaller mass of obsessives actually posted and provided helpful corrections and calming words about the process and the source material. NOT GOOD ENOUGH. To paraphrase one response, “Are you sure they’re using the original original masters for Pepper? Are you sure? ‘Cause I heard they were lost…”

I won’t even get into the concerns over loudness. Or the count on the numbers of mono box sets left in the world. Or the great news that a collection of the oft-shoddily bootlegged Beatles Fan Club Christmas messages will finally be made available, but only locked deep within the Rock Band game.

How to calm my nerves then? Well, how about some Beatle tributes?

WAIT – DON’T CLICK AWAY YET! Look, I hate tributes. Especially Beatle tributes. Why? How can you win? Too close a cover, and what’s the point? Make it your own and you’re rolling the dice I’m not even going near that new Sgt. Pepper set that Cheap Trick put out last week (which seems to fall into the former category).

The solo stuff is even tougher. Remember Listen To What The Man Said: Popular Artists Pay Tribute to the Music of Paul McCartney? Didn’t think so – who thought that the world wanted to hear SR-71’s take on “My Brave Face?” (Side note: this set does, however, have one track worth seeking out: Sloan’s truly great cover of McCartney II’s “Waterfalls”).

Once in awhile, though, collections come through that have just the right spirit. Tom Scharpling, the host of the WFMU’s legendary “Best Show on WFMU,” a call-in show featuring the hilarious and strange characters of Superchunk (and usually several other bands) drummer Jon Wurster and whoever else calls in (who are sometimes even more strange), is known to regular listeners as an unabashed fan of McCartney (and Abba!) so it isn’t surprising that Tom: A Best Show on WFMU Tribute to Ram is a lovingly-curated tribute to McCartney’s second post-Beatles set.

The A&R on this is nearly perfect: the chamber-pop opener “Too Many People” goes to Aimee Mann; the demo-y solo track “Ram On” goes to Portastatic; the finely crafted “Dear Boy” could have been written by Death Cab For Cutie; the really strange one, Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” goes to Dump, the rollicking “Smile Away” gets torn up by Hank IV, the other strange one, “Monkberry Moon Delight” is inhabited by Danielson, and the soaring “Back Seat of My Car” is knocked out of the park by Ted Leo.

This is so good and worth your time that it pains me to tell you that you blew it. This was available only as a premium to donors to WFMU’s annual pledge drive. That’ll teach you. Give ‘em some money next year – the show and the station in general are well worth it.

All is not lost, though. You can drown your sorrow of missing out on Tom by spending some time with Tribute To, a somber and absorbing tribute to George Harrison by My Morning Jacket’s Jim James (operating here under the name Yim Yames for some reason). It sounds every bit like it was recorded shortly after Harrison’s death in 2001, which it apparently was. These sparsely arranged takes really capture a certain spirit that almost feels closer to the heart of these songs than some of the original versions. This may not be surprising to Harrison fans – when All Things Must Pass was reissued in 2001, Harrison indicates in the liner notes that he was tempted to strip some of the songs back from Phil Spector’s bigger production values, and the bootlegs of demos from that era certainly portray a haunting quality that, for all of its greatness, the finished piece downplays.

So there you go. Next week, I’ll either be listening exclusively Beatles for the next 6 months, or trying to avoid it. I suppose it’ll depend on how the already simmering marketing blitz goes. -- Michael Piantigini

The Beatles: Internerds | MySpace | Vidya Games |
WFMU: Internerds
Best Show on WFMU: Streaming Archive | Internerds | Recaps | Scharpling and Wurster | MySpace
Yim Yames: Internerds | MySpace

Today's Hotness: Johnny Foreigner, Projekt A-ko, The Beatles

>> The wait is over, and it was surprisingly short: the first single from the planned sophomore set from Birmingham, England noise-pop titans Johnny Foreigner will be for the new tune "Feels Like Summer." The single, which will be issued by Best Before Records in the UK in May, is likely to appear on the forthcoming record, which according to our intrepid KSDS colleague Luke Cotton will be released in September or October. Mr. Cotton, who saw Johnny Foreigner Monday night at Islington Academy in London, also reports that the tune "Custom Scenes And The Parties That Make Them" has definitely been re-christened "Criminals," as first reported by another KSDS correspondent last week. Johnny Foreigner's fourth and final single from their smashing 2008 debut Waited Up Til It Was Light was the double A-sided, digital-only "DJs Get Doubts" b/w "Lea Room," which was released in January. The band completed its planned second full-length last month; it was recorded in Brooklyn with Alex Newport, who is most famous to us for recording Knapsack's This Conversation Is Over Starting Right Now.

>> As we typed today's post last night we were obsessing over how amazing the Projekt A-ko full length Yoyodyne is. We received it in the mail Tuesday and are blown away by the tracks that are new to us. We also think the mixes for the promo tracks are jazzed up and ring clearer somehow -- maybe we just ripped higher quality MP3s than what the promos offered? But anyway, you must stop at nothing in your efforts to acquire this record. We hear from band fronter Fergus that after the album's official release date (April 20), the free MP3s and free worldwide shipping go the way of the dodo bird, so make certain to avail yourself of his waning largesse. When you are rocking out to awesome tracks like "Xavier," "Scintilla" and "Utopia" (the latter of which seems to name-drop our favorite Versus record) you will thank us. Repeatedly. It is only 10 pounds, you can buy it via Paypal, and this very well may be dollar-for-dollar the best thing you buy this year. Maybe -- let's not forget about that Johnny Foreigner record in the pipeline.

Projekt A-ko -- "Molten Hearts" -- Yoyodyne
Projekt A-ko -- "Supertriste Duxelle" -- Yoyodyne
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[buy Yoyodyne from the band right here]

>> There's really nothing left to be said about The Beatles, so we'll say little beyond the fact that we've started to listen to their records before bed again -- as we did when we were about six or seven years old -- and have been enjoying it immensely. So much so that we are currently beaming Magical Mystery Tour to our still in utero baby via the IPod as we type this. You've likely seen the reportage from Tuesday about The Beatles catalog finally getting reissued in remastered form this coming September. If you haven't read said reportage yet, we think the most complete write-up is this one at WogBlog. The 14 remastered albums will be sold in a few different configurations, including a boxed set, and we expect a lot of people will get that boxed set come the year-end holidays. We hope we are one of those people, even tho we already have a lot of the CDs already. Curiously, we have no copy of Revolver on CD. Just vinyl. Weird.

That Was The Show That Was: The Feelies At The Roxy

We mention in these electronic pages fairly regularly that we turned on to many great bands during our early teenage years due to Spin Magazine's then-very-reliable assessments of the American underground. In March 2007 we wrote here:

"[w]e rhapsodize about this fairly regularly, but time was you could trust your glossy music magazines to make decent recommendations. And so it was that in 1988 or so Spin or some similar outfit gave The Feelies' Only Life a glowing review so we walked across our suburb to the indie store in the basement of a building on the other side of the train tracks and bought it. On cassette, no less. The band broke up three years later after releasing the excellent Time For A Witness. And then we didn't have The Feelies anymore."

Only Life is an odd place to start with the beloved, jittery New Jersey-based indie rock act, which formed in 1976. But we were simply too young during the band's earlier heyday. Even so, we loved those final two records, and delved into the earlier recordings only after arriving at WESU Middletown in 1994.

Last night at Boston's Roxy the band delivered an intense 70-minute set and two equally robust clutches of encores. It was the final performance of the small batch of dates the band has played since first reuniting over the summer after breaking up 17 years ago. The Feelies noticably hit their stride several songs into the evening when proffering "Deep Fascination" and "Higher Ground" back-to-back. Mercer's icy and over-driven leads sliced through the mix, and as the set wore on drummer Stanley Demeski's pounding grew increasingly louder and insistent. A crescendo of white noise mid-set brought down the house, Mercer's quiet demeanor was occasionally punctuated with caffienated pogoing, and the mysterious Bill Million bobbed and weaved as he coaxed chords and licks from his guitar while the songs cascaded by too fast to keep a mental list. Somewhere in there was what sounded like a brand-new song, and "Too Far Gone" and "Crazy Rhythms" were given mind-bending workouts. The encores drew heavily on the familiar cover tunes that The Feelies have been faithful to throughout its career, including The Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black," The Beatles' "She Said, She Said," The Modern Lovers' "I Wanna Sleep In Your Arms" and The Velvet Underground's "What Goes On." Those latter two acts are perhaps the most obvious precursors to The Feelies sound.

As we reported earlier this year, The Feelies -- or at least laconic and cigarette-shaped singer and guitarist Glenn Mercer -- are working on reissuing of its four records, including Crazy Rhythms (1980) and The Good Earth (1986), which are all out of print currently (curiously, Amazon claims to be able to sell you new copies of Only Life). These will apparently be released by Bar/None. A person we've spoken with who is in a pretty good position to know reports that The Feelies are uncertain about their ability to secure the rights for the final two records, which were originally issued on A&M; which was acquired by Polygram; which was acquired by Seagram's and merged into Universal and folded into the label group's existing Interscope-Geffen operations; according to Wikipedia. All of which apparently makes finding an attorney at Universal that can even figure out that the company owns the master recordings to Only Life and Time For A Witness sound impossible.

On a sidenote, more often than not we are one of the older fans at the rock shows we see nowadays. This was certainly not the case last night, as the adoring and vocal crowd at The Roxy was filled with the largest amalgamation of, ahem, mature hipsters we've ever seen in one place. Word on the street is The Feelies have been recording some of the recent spate of reunion shows, but there is no word now what might be done with them. According to this very good story in the Patriot Ledger, all five members of The Feelies are interested in recording new music, so with any luck the story of The Feelies in the 21st Century is only beginning to be written. The band currently has only one additional reunion date planned, a New Year's Eve gig with Hoboken-based indie legends in their own right Yo La Tengo.

The Feelies -- "Fa Ce La" -- Crazy Rhythms
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[buy Feelies records from Amazon right here]

The Feelies: Internerds | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr

Review: The Swimmers | Fighting Trees [MP3]

The Swimmers first popped onto our radar two years ago when we first heard their catchy homage to Lancaster, PA, "Heaven." And ever since then it has been a waiting game (punctuated by various small steps forward) for the release of the band's long-awaited full-length debut Fighting Trees. The Philadelphia-based quartet's set finally graces new release bins Tuesday carrying the imprint of Drexel University's student-run Mad Dragon label (although the set actually was released locally in Philadelphia in October), which signed a national distribution deal with Ryko/Warner in 2005 according to Wikipedia. All of which means that after waiting a couple years, this record will be everywhere this week.

And for good reason: Fighting Trees is a drum-tight collection of a dozen winning tracks constructed with economical instrumentation and satisfying Beatles-ish melodies. Folks who buy the set via ITunes will receive three bonus tracks as part of the bargain: the Fighting Trees outtakes "Tonight The Lights" and "The Ocean Lifts Her Dress" (which was previously made available on a limited edition EP the band was selling at shows) along with a cover of Philly pop/soul sensations Hall & Oates' "Rich Girl." That said, the standard issue set is no slouch either, kicking off with the Spoon-esque stomper "It's Time They Knew" before diving headlong into the aforementioned strummer "Heaven." The tracks "We Love To Build" and "Miles From Our Fears" wouldn't sound too out of place on the second Wilco record. Those comparisons not withstanding, The Swimmers do have their own rootsy flavor, and Fighting Trees at long last is a remarkable debut for the band. The Swimmers began a three-week tour supporting the record Friday, and the remaining dates are posted at the foot of this item.

The Swimmers -- "Heaven" -- Fighting Trees
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[buy Fighting Trees from Newbury Comics here]

The Swimmers: Internets | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr

03.05 -- State College, PA -- Bar Bleu
03.06 -- Pittsburgh, PA -- Garfield Artworks
03.07 -- Chapel Hill, NC -- Schoolkids Records 6pm
03.08 -- Chapel Hill, NC -- Nightlight
03.10 -- Houston, TX -- Cactus Music 6pm
03.10 -- Houston, TX -- Super Happy Fun Land
03.11 -- Denton, TX -- Andy's Bar
03.13 -- Austin, TX -- POPPED! party
03.14 -- Austin, TX -- Irie Bean
03.17 -- Newton, KS -- Bethel College
03.18 -- Lincoln, NE -- Box Awesome
03.19 -- Minneapolis, MN -- Stasiu's Place
03.20 -- Madison, WI -- Cafe Montmarte
03.21 -- Davenport, IA -- Daytrotter session & show
03.22 -- Chicago, IL -- Hideout

First Listen: The Get Quick's See You In The Crossfire [MP3]

In its typically understated manner (well, unstated -- the band doesn't mention it on its sole offical web presence, this MySpace dojo), the sophomore set from Philadelphia's power-glammers/paw glimmers The Get Quick was issued May 29. See You In The Crossfire potently showcases the psychotropic rock ("Chemical Reaction"), winking wit ("X-Fire") and disheveled romance ("Angels With Powdered Noses") that characterizes band leader Erik Evol's songwriting. More modest production (or at least less aurally dense versus the more lush material from 2005's solid and more synth-informed How The Story Goes) imbues the set with a palpable energy more representative of the band's live assault. EMusic has the album for sale right here, and the hard-copy is available via all the usual digital storefronts, too.

Opening with a sound collage of cooing women and 'splosions and launching into the scorcher "Renting A Room," from there, our first impression is the set lives up to Evol's promise here of "a no-holds-barred buzzsaw rush of songs designed to melt your face off from the get-go." Face-melting numbers include "Renting A Room," the pounding marcher "My Enemy" and the aforementioned and revamped version of the older Evol composition "Chemical Reaction." The latter song's bridge section and lacerating guitar solo is the closest thing we've heard on a Get Quick recording to the draw-jopping late '90s live performances of the band's pre-cursor, MantaRay (sadly, we haven't seen Evol and his henchmen perform since the night before we moved to Boston in 1999). And yet, See You In The Crossfire has more than one gear. "Fashion Street," which is oddly similar to Love As Laughter's excellent "Canal Street," is an affecting and straightforward pop-rocker, with a wild tremolo/vocoder type effect at the close. And oft-played cover of The Beatles' "She Said, She Said" and album highlight "The Blinds" both plod a step slower than you'd expect, letting Evol land every lyric like a blow and allowing drummer Mitchell Joy to deliberately bring the songs home like one of those guys with flashlights on an airport tarmac. There is but one Get Quick show booked right now; if you are in the band's hometown of Philadelphia July 5, head over to the Khyber. Here's an MP3 of one of the tunes Rainbow Quartz is sort of offering at its page for The Get Quick (the link is there, but it doesn't point to an MP3 file just yet).

The Get Quick -- "Same Mistake" -- See You In The Crossfire
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[buy See You In The Crossfire from Rainbow Quartz here]