Premiere: Boston Shoegaze Upstarts Elizabeth Colour Wheel's Stormy, Eponymous EP

From our vantage here standing on the beach of Boston indie rock (shivering), we see out in the middle distance a new wave of shoegaze forming and heading toward shore. In a way it's not a moment too soon, as the city has had to say goodbye in the past year to stalwart acts -- Clicky Clicky faves all -- Soccer Mom, ambient punks Young Adults, and perhaps (perhaps) even The Hush Now. But the new wave is breaking, and its most promising sounds are presently being emitted by the upstart quintet Elizabeth Colour Wheel

Those finely attuned to Clicky Clicky's affinities will immediately recognize that band name as the title to one of the best songs on the debut LP from our much, much beloved Lilys. So one might argue that Elizabeth Colour Wheel's music could sound like broken glass sliding across the bottom of a cardboard box and we'd still love it. But two solid digital singles in the last eight months proved that the band -- fronter/fiddler Adessa Campbell; multi-instrumentalist Alec Jackson; bassist Billy Cunningham; guitarist Emmett Palaima; and drummer Nate Patsfall -- have the goods, and we are very pleased to be able to premiere for you today ECW's eponymous first EP.

The four-song collection leads with the thunderous "Turbulence," whose opening chug and grungy descent belies the serene verses that follow, and whose moody darkness recalls the work of erstwhile Charlottesville, VA 'gazers Manorlady. "Out Of," which was separately released to the wilds of the Internets both last week to tout the coming EP and as the digital b-side to Elizabeth Colour Wheel's first single, is immediate, recklessly paced and illuminates the five-piece's post-punk edge. The tune also implements what may be the most rocking use of violin in Boston indie music since the days of the late great Dambuilders, courtesy of Ms. Campbell. However, Campbell's assured alto is an even stronger focal point of the fledgling act's music. Her dreamiest vocal is the placid zen center of the relatively jaunty rocker "Lucid," which alternates floating verses and thrashing sections and perhaps most convincingly echoes the influence of the aforementioned Lilys' LP In The Presence Of Nothing (which we're still hoping will be re-released soon). Elizabeth Colour Wheel's enigmatically titled "23" introduces brief vocal harmonies, but the true highlight is the spine-tingling, early Flaming Lips-styled psychedelic freakout in the tune's fifth minute, where Ms. Campbell's unhinged screams send the song reeling.

As referenced above, the quintet released "Out Of" as a single last week, and it is crucial you hit this link and grab it because the virtual b-side "Sugar Cubee" is adventurous, blissful and terrific, and (shockingly) does not appear on the EP. Elizabeth Colour Wheel's next show is in Boston March 27 at an undisclosed location; ping the band or ask a punk for the 10-20. And now, we invite you to listen to Elizabeth Colour Wheel.

Elizabeth Colour Wheel: Bandcamp | Facebook | Soundcloud

Today's Hotness: Age Rings, Manorlady, Tungs/Heavy Midgets

>> Boston institution Midriff Records will release next week Age Rings' AM/PM EP, a companion piece to last year's best-of-2011 long-player Black Honey. The EP is comprised of songs resected from the Boston-based indie rockers' original, two-disc version of the acclaimed long-player it issued to Kickstarter backers a year ago. Midriff's release of AM/PM is no surprise, as it had been the label's plan since releasing its one-disc iteration of Black Honey last November [review] to release the songs it had excised at a later date. And that later date is May 25, when Age Rings plays a release show for the EP on the occasion of this month's installment of the very successful Midriff Records residency at Radio in Somerville, MA -- but more about that early next week. In a sense, AM/PM is a bin of spare arms and legs. But while the EP doesn't explicitly illuminate any heretofore unrevealed aspect of Black Honey (or vice versa), that perhaps speaks to the deftness of Midriff's curation of the portfolio of songs comprising the original, double-disc Black Honey such that the releases are self-contained collections complete in and of themselves. Indeed, the EP is populated with understated but brilliant rock songs showcasing Age Rings fronter Ted Billings' reedy tenor and wry outlook. Standout cuts include the noisier, heavier fist-pumper "Dreaming Forever" and the characteristically uptempo-but-down-in-the-mouth shuffler "Think Myself Sick." It's hard to know what to make of last week's news that Mr. Billings has converted the ongoing sessions for Age Rings' follow-up to Black Honey into sessions for a solo record Billings characterizes as "a bit of a departure from AR." After all, we like Age Rings a lot. But time will tell. In the mean time, rest assured in the knowledge that AM/PM is a known quantity, six tracks of lean, rootsy indie rock.

>> We were feeling a bit of a darkwave trend coming on when we last heard from Charlottesville, VA's Manorlady. We're not sure that has been borne out, particularly due to the apparent dissolution of the Lehigh Valley's best calling card in years, Soars, whose wonderful self-titled set seemed like another important focal point for the misperceived trendlet. But Manorlady soldiers on, thrives even, and the trio's latest collection Ego Oppressor will be self-released by the band June 18. Ego Oppressor will be issued as a CD/DVD combination; the DVD features an album-length, beat-synched video track to accompany the music on the CD. We don't think this will surprise anyone, but according to Manorlady fronter Aaron Baily, "[i]t's really, really, really trippy." The album remains true to the mid-fi and dark recordings from the band's last record, but the intensity level has increased. More aggressive tunes like the first preview track "Lines In The Corner Of Your Face" rock a little harder, while the dreamier, more subdued songs such as the pensive and nearly still "Sea Beast" -- check the Soundcloud embed below -- are more tightly focused. "Sea Beast," in particular, is exceptionally well-composed and the trio's skillful layering of guitar and synth (and even vocal parts) here hints at wide-open songwriting territory the band will find very fertile. Ego Oppressor will eventually be for sale right here, so keep checking back. We reviewed the trio's prior full-length Home a year ago here.



>> We think it is interesting that the term lo-fi has its heaviest associations bound to Guided By Voices' and Sebadoh's respective brands, while things like early Black Flag and Bad Brains recordings don't get discussed the same way (or at least not anymore). From a production standpoint, Richmond-based quartet Tungs has more in common with the Spot school of audio fidelity, at least based on the band's cracking new split release with scenemates Heavy Midgets, Sisters. There is something like a perfect balance to the overdriven productions contained therein; the split was released on vinyl and cassette by Bad Grrrl Records May 13. The music is boxy-sounding, post-punk that bleeds sizzling cymbals, high-hat and red-lined bass fuzz. The recordings practically throw off sparks due to the barely contained energy of the performances, and the rough edges don't detract from the experience; indeed the gritty power of the music on Sisters is the perfect antidote to the hyperclean, antiseptic recordings from the current crop of popular, smooth-pop guitar bands gracing the pages of a lot of music rags these days. But it's not just the everyman production values that make Tungs and Heavy Midgets stand apart: it's that the bands propound songs with character and imagination. Tungs' "Yossarian's Blues" warrants kudos for its vibrant, bristling take on Joy Division-derived punk. But that song seems almost conventional in comparison to "NewDiety," which touts ghostly, under-fi horns and Alice In Chains-indebted vocal yowling, or the pleasantly dubby wandering of "Bad Information." For its part, Heavy Midgets strike gold with its yearning ballad "Oh Susanna," which ends strong with a vast, feedback-flaring guitar lead, and the stuttering pop of anti-anthem "Come Get Me High," each strong enough to anchor a single in their own rights. Buy Sisters from Bad Grrrl right here or buy the digital version right here. Try before you buy via the Bandcamp embeds below.

Manorlady | Cape Farmhouse, Dennis, MA | 9 July

New Music Night DJ Sets | River Gods | 16/17 June

Here are the songs we played whilst manning the figurative decks last night in the booth at the fabulous River Gods in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Set Two/10:00PM/Jay

1. Bos Angeles -- "Beach Slalom"
[blogged / listen]
2. Gold-Bears -- "Record Store" -- Are You Falling In Love?
[blogged / listen / buy]
3. Rival Schools -- "The Ghost Is Out There" -- Pedals
[buy]
4. The Henry Clay People -- "The Honey Love He Sells" -- This Is A Desert EP
[buy]
5. Soccermom -- "That's When You Know" -- Unreleased 10" Master
[expected release Fall 2011]
6. Let's Wrestle -- "There's A Rock Star In My Room" -- Nursing Home
[buy]
7. Cats And Cats And Cats -- "Celebration" -- Motherwhale
[listen / buy]
8. Maritime -- "Paraphernalia" -- Human Hearts
[blogged / listen / buy]
9. Lilac -- "Days" -- Lilac
[buy]
10. The Feelies -- "Time Is Right" -- Here Before
[blogged / buy]
11. Little Gold -- "Oh Dad" -- 7"
[blogged / buy]
12. Eldridge Rodriguez -- "What A Difference A Drug Makes" -- You Are Released
[blogged / buy]
13. Get Help -- "You Should Be Home By Now" -- The Good Green Earth
[blogged / listen / buy]
14. Point Juncture, WA -- "Bones" -- Handsome Orders
[buy]
15. 11:59 -- "Girls, Girls, Girls" -- Ou Est Le Tisser
[listen]
16. Yuck -- "Suicide Policeman (live)" -- Daytrotter Session
[blogged / listen]
17. Fire Island Pines -- "You Didn't Mean To Hurt Me" -- Bratislava EP
[blogged / listen]
18. Grass Is Green -- "Twinkle Toes" -- Chibimoon
[blogged / listen]
19. Antiques -- "ETC" -- JWNS
[blogged / listen]

Set Four/12:00AM/Jay

1. Buffalo Tom -- "Untitled" -- Skins
[blogged / buy]
2. Destroyer -- "Kaputt" -- Kaputt
[buy]
3. The Hush Now -- "Thorns (Remix)" -- Constellations 2.0
[blogged]
4. Cookies -- "Boycrazy" -- 10"
[blogged / listen / buy]
5. Cold Cave -- "Villains Of The Moon" -- Cherish The Light Years
[listen / buy]
6. Johnny Foreigner -- "With Who, Who And What I've Got (With Peach)" -- There When You Need It
[blogged / listen / buy]
7. Good Dangers -- "So Unkind"
[blogged / listen ]
8. Cannons -- "Beef Fiesta Medley" -- Cuddled By Giants
[listen / buy]
9. Ringo Deathstarr -- "Kaleidoscope" -- Colour Trip
[blogged / buy]
10. Fonda -- "Summertime Flight" -- Better Days
[buy]
11. Manorlady -- "International Boys Club" -- Home
[blogged / listen / buy]
12. The Raveonettes -- "Forget That You're Young" -- Raven In The Grave
[listen / buy]
13. Sun Airway -- "Wild Palms" -- 7"
[blogged / listen / buy]
14. Arc In Round -- "Spirit" -- Diagonal Fields EP
[listen / buy]
15. Letting Up Despite Great Faults -- "Teenage Tide" -- Paper Crush EP
[listen / buy]
16. Barry Marino -- "I'm In A Band"
[listen / buy]

Review: Manorlady | Home

We may be even more surprised than you to learn that a very promising shoegaze act resides in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA. In a less-than-well-planned move after graduating college, we temporarily settled in C-Ville. We were very pleasantly surprised to find touring indie rock acts came through town (Archers of Loaf, Jeff Mangum, Cat Power, Versus, Godrays, Dirty Three, Trans Am, Sebadoh, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, et cetera) with thrilling regularity. And we were even more surprised to find some home-grown talent there that we became fast fans of (namely September 67). But there were no local acts during our brief tenure that approached -- or really, even acknowledged -- the density and textures of shoegaze. This was, after all, a town to which people made pilgrimages to see the mecca that was the bar that had once been tended by Dave Matthews, where one didn't have to hang around too long before spotting Silver Jews' David Berman walking on the downtown mall. But, after all these years, it would seem that Manorlady's notable debut full-length Home is proof that things are changing in the 'ville.

Manorlady's chiaroscuro dream-pop -- which attentive listeners will note is sonically akin to that of Pennsylvania-based Soars -- is marked by gothic undertones, often fed with firm guitar leads and anchored by the sort of clunky drum machine that in a certain era almost always boomed within clouds from dry ice. In a couple places it feels thin and the drum programming flat, but that is the exception and not the rule. Indeed, from the guitars-ablaze climax of the curiously titled, de facto opener "Boy And Flippers" through to the end of the 11-song set, there are a number of spine-tingling moments on Home.

The brooder "Trees'" thickly applied guitars, vocal harmonies and varied dynamics make it among the more remarkable tracks. But the towering highlight of the record is "International Boys Club," which launches with the sort of big guitar chords one encounters in a great Morrissey single, before settling on a surfy lead that dances atop of the here crushing electric drums. The whole thing is draped in ethereal vocals, and when that first chorus hits at the end of the second minute you will begin to see the world the way the Virginia-based trio sees it: shimmering and heavy, a little beautiful, a little scary.

Manorlady self-released Home April 23 and you can buy the set direct from the band at its BigCartel dojo right here. The trio has a pretty busy summer planned, and we've posted all the currently booked live dates below, along with a Soundcloud embed of the entire record. Definitely fire it up and listen to "International Boys Club."

Manorlady: Internerds | YouTube | Facebook | Soundcloud

05.28 -- Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar -- Charlottesville, VA
06.22 -- Magnolia -- Charlottesville, VA
06.24 -- Strange Matter -- Richmond, VA
06.25 -- Pterodactyl Art Gallery -- Philadelphia, PA
06.26 -- Mudhouse -- Crozet, VA
07.01 -- Elliot's Revue -- Winston-Salem, NC
07.03 -- Soapbox -- Wilmington, NC
07.07 -- The Happy Dog -- Cleveland, OH
07.08 -- Bar East -- Manhattan, NY

Home by manorlady