YouTube Rodeo: The I Want You's Play-Full "Ah Really"

It's the patience and the pulse, the interplay between the steady stream of solemn organ and the awl-punch of the bass playing, that draws us in to the new guitar-pop nodder "Ah Really" from un-peg-able Boston four-piece The I Want You. The song is the title track to a forthcoming six-song EP from the combo, and as you've no doubt gleaned from the big rectangular box above, the act has also concocted a video clip to promote the tune. While not as insanely ambitious as The I Want You's prior video for "Three Short Days," the new clip makes a not insignificant amount of metaphorical hay about games and relationships with its time-elapsed, stationary shots of three people playing Settlers Of Catan. At some point there is a small toy jeep and battleship on the gaming table, which is either some meta-joke about board games, or Settlers Of Catan is a lot more interesting than we'd be led to believe. But let us not let a cat crossing the table or some glimpses at "The Simpsons"-patterned pajama pants distract us from what's really important here, which is a very solid rocker whose downward-spiraling melody is as poignant as The I Want You's arrangement is methodical. The act does a surprisingly wide variety of things well, and its studied synthesis of pre-punk and post-punk sounds makes for some very smart results all across the EP; make sure to throw ears on the agitated lead guitar work in the opener "Off And On. And stick around for the cracking yearner "Drifting," which may actually be the strongest tune on the collection, and which may or may not contain the amazing lyric "I'm gonna come down from the superglue." The I Want You fête the release of the Ah Really EP June 4 with a show at Cambridge, Mass.'s Middlesex Lounge. The evening includes performances from the mighty noise-pop concern Reports as well as Spirit Kid. Full details about the night are right here. In the meantime, you can stream the entire EP from The I Want You via the Bandcamp embed below, which is an advisable course of action.



The I Want You: Internerds | Bandcamp | Facebook

Crash Safely Multiple Sclerosis Society Benefit Shows featuring The Upper Crust, Parlour Bells, Corin Ashley, The I Want You and many more | Sept. 13-14, 20-21

Maybe you are new in town. You'd have to be, at this point, to not be familiar with some of the great things the Boston music community does to help those in need. Anyone living in the area last spring in the aftermath of the marathon bombings will recall the amazing way bands and music people pulled together to raise money for the One Fund and related causes. There's a long history of that here, and this weekend marks the return of one more recent effort, Crash Safely. Now in its third year, the event comprises a series of shows that each aim to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and raise awareness about the disease, which is commonly diagnosed in those afflicted between the ages of 20 and 40. So, prime rocking ages, right? Not only the event's organizers but also all of the bands involved this year have been touched in some way by the chronic, unpredictable neurological disease that affects the central nervous system. Read more about MS here, if you like.

This year's Crash Safely features four nights of something-for-everyone shows in three different towns. Our compulsive desire to categorize and organize -- and, well, general laziness -- makes us wish all our favorite acts participating were slated to play a single venue on a single night, but hey, that's our baggage. What you should know is that strewn across the four nights and three venues are Clicky Clicky-approved acts including The Upper Crust, Parlour Bells, Corin Ashley, The I Want You and Cotton Candy. A digital comp featuring all the participating acts has been put together by the organization, and you can stream that at the bottom of this piece. But before you dig in, click open the four Facebook event pages into new tabs so you can look over the great bills and consider your rock options (roptions?) while you rock out. Maybe tomorrow, Friday the 13th with The Upper Crust and John Powhida International Airport is your night. Maybe you thrill to the prospect of seeing Corin Ashley and The Unholy III back-to-back at the Midway next week. Whatever your proclivity, there's a show for you. And if there isn't, well, you are a very difficult person, aren't you? Well, difficult people can just click this link and make a donation via one of the event co-founder's bike-a-thon pledge page, and then go back to incinerating ants with a magnifying glass or whatever it is they were doing. As a treat for reading this far, here is a link to The Upper Crust playing their stone-cold classic "Let Them Eat Rock."

Crash Safely Night #1: 9/13/13 at Oberon

Crash Safely Night #2 9/14/13 at Davis Square Theatre

Crash Safely Night #3 9/20/13 at the Midway Café

Crash Safely Night #4 9/21/13 at the Midway Café

Today's Hotness: Big Deal, Youth Pictures Of Florence Henderson, The Nimbleines

>> [Photo Credit: Malia James] Internationally sourced and London-based indie rock duo Big Deal disclosed earlier this week that it will release a sophomore set, June Gloom, June 4th. Which, you know, thank God it's actually being released in June, because, duh, am I right? If the spelling-challenged preview track "Teradactol" that first appeared online in November is any indication, the new collection promises a new, noisier and louder sound for the heretofore relatively reserved pair of Kacey Underwood and Alice Costello. June Gloom was produced by Rory Attwell, whose credentials include production work for Yuck as well as the recently released triumph from London's Veronica Falls. Underwood and Costelloe are abetted in the creation of the record by drummer Melissa Rigby (according to SPIN) and an unidentified bass player, yet another indicator that the softly forlorn Big Deal that first revealed itself with the skeletal and haunting single "Homework," released by Records Records Records in 2010, is a thing of the past. Or at least not quite so softly forlorn. June Gloom will be released by Mute and touts 12 tracks in total, and you can stream and download "Teradactol" via the Soundcloud embed below. A video for the first single from June Gloom has been filmed and, according to Big Deal's Facebook page, it will be unveiled soon. The duo's enchanting first full-length Lights Out was released via Mute in the US in January 2012, and we kicked its tires for readers right here.



>> Oslo-based emo heroes Youth Pictures Of Florence Henderson this week relayed news that its 2005 debut Unnoticeable In A Tiny Town, Invisible In The City has been remastered and will be reissued in March on 180g vinyl by Doognad Records, also based in Norway. The set is available in a limited edition of 250 black LPs, and fans can get one via Doognad's Big Cartel dojo right here for the princely sum of 20 Euros, which according to the Googles Saturday afternoon equals USD $26.76. We're not saying Unnoticeable In A Tiny Town... on 180g vinyl isn't worth that kind of coin, we're just reporting here, folks. According to a Facebook post, the record was remastered by Will Killingsworth at Amherst, Mass.'s own Dead Air Studios. Older and hipper Clicky Clicky readers may recognize Mr. Killingsworth's name from his years playing guitar with screamo giants Orchid (readers may also recall Bedroom Eyes and Best Practices have both made exemplary records at Dead Air). Youth Pictures Of Florence Henderson's most recent release, the 10" EP Small Changes We Hardly Notice, was released last summer and included the stunning opener "All I Remember Is Punk Rock." The set was one of our favorite releases of the year (although, as we got it on vinyl, its aggregate ITunes playcount didn't rate the EP for inclusion in our 2012 year-end list). Small Changes We Hardly Notice was issued domestically by emo powerhouse Count Your Lucky Stars Records -- keep your fingers crossed that the label might get some stock of the reissue of Unnoticable, so you don't have to eat some pesky international shipping. Since it is one of the greatest things since sliced bread, stream the tune "All I Can Remember Is Punk Rock" via the Soundcloud embed below. If you'd like to listen to the old master of Unnoticeable In A Tiny Town, Invisible In The City, it is available for streaming right here at Bandcamp.



>> There is a slippery but quantifiable charm to the debut digital single from the new oddball electropop duo The Nimbleines, who recently revealed themselves via the 12" extended mix of the tune "Let's Play Leaving." The song traverses some varied terrain while hewing closely to some familiar touchstones, laying in gentle vocals, synths and electric rhythm tracks that at different times echo vintage DEVO or Yo La Tengo's "Year Of The Shark." Even with the synth and programmed beats there is a lo-fi aura to the tune that gives it an earthy appeal; The Nimbleines certainly are not taking a sterile approach to the production values, something that we appreciate. The band is comprised of Boston musician and music journo Jonathan Donaldson, who some may know from his work from the delightfully quirky guitar act The I Want You, and Columbus, OH-based James Goodman, a fellow heretofore unknown to Clicky Clicky. The Nimbleines characterize themselves and an electropop/psych act, and its Facebook page indicates a full-length is planned. We don't feel the psych stewing on "Let's Play Leaving," just light, hooky, '80s-referencing synth-pop, so we'll be curious to hear more from the pair. In the meantime, the delicate hooks that cycle through the verse and chorus of "Let's Play Leaving" will give your ears plenty to contend with. Stream and download the tune via the Soundcloud embed below.

Varsity Drag, The Suicide Dolls, Unholy III and The I Want You | Midway Cafe, JP | 1 Dec.

Rock fans, lend us your ears. Yes, yes, we stole the image above, for you young people that there is a detail of the cover art from AC/DC's brilliant 1976 set Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. But that's not why we've called you here. You are no doubt aware of the big, big rock show tomorrow evening, that being the apparently not-yet-sold-out Dinosaur Jr. bill at The Paradise, a show that will most certainly sell out now that The Sinclair has had to postpone the competing Titus Andronicus bill. But perhaps you are less familiar with your options for Saturday? This will not stand, because there is a mighty, mighty show occurring down in Jamaica Plain at Midway Cafe Saturday night.

Top-lining the evening are indie punk stalwarts Varsity Drag, Clicky Clicky faves who many readers likely saw early this month delivering a dominating set -- basically spur-of-the-moment -- at the big Clicky Clicky Community Servings Benefit Show. We heard two new numbers from Ben Deily and his henchpersons that night, and the band is promising to play some other newies this weekend to boot. Varsity Drag has recently gone back into the studio with storied producer Tom Hamilton, so it would seem the beast is stirring once more. Speaking of things beastly, that brings us to the main support for the night, Connecticut's own stoner punks The Suicide Dolls, who impressed us greatly -- particularly their totally sick drummer -- at the Tiger Mountain show in September. Also performing Saturday are The Unholy III, which features punk lifer Kevin Stephenson formerly of The Shods and et cetera, as well as garagey Boston upstarts The I Want You, whose recent video for the tune "Three Short Days" kept us amused for easily about that long a few weeks ago. Let us not belabor the point. This is going to be a hot one. Hit the embeds below for a taste of what you've got coming to you, then click over to the Facebook event page to digest the deets and pledge your allegiance.

YouTube Rodeo: The I Want You's Gleeful "Three Short Days"

There's a lot to like crammed into this clever clip from garagey Boston upstarts The I Want You, even beyond the obvious cool factor of "hey! Lego animation!" First and foremost is the very snappy tune itself. "Three Short Days" touts fizzing, six-beats-to-a-measure (a la Pixies) verses and sugary, swaying choruses, all kinetically paced and spaced within a sharp 100 seconds flat. The video was painstakingly animated by the quartet's guitarist Blake Girndt along with collaborator Chris Newell, and it is filled with all sorts of funny details. And even some unfunny but impressive ones: we love how the traffic light is swaying in the shot about 30 seconds into song. Oh, right, the song: "Three Short Days" is taken from The I Want You's debut EP The Ocean State, which is being feted Saturday with a release show at Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, MA. The four-piece is also part of a completely killer bill Dec. 1 at The Midway Cafe in JP featuring all-time Clicky Clicky faves Varsity Drag along with the delightfully brutal Suicide Dolls and something called the Unholy III, who sound, uh, scary? Mom? MOM!! But anyway, The I Want You's entire five-song The Ocean State EP is available at the very nice price of you-name-it at Bandcamp right here.

The I Want You: Internerds | Facebook | Bandcamp