May 8, 2011

Today's Hotness: Bos Angeles, Hot Molasses

Bos Angeles is better than your band and they have never even played a show
>> Just catching up with the cognoscenti on this one, but am completely bowled over: Bos Angeles, who the hell are you, and why are you awesome? The Boscombe, England-based trio -- comprised of chaps named Dick, Ben and George who apparently "met making ice cream on Bournemouth beach" -- has recorded but a single track, "Beach Slalom," and you can download the thing for free at Bandcamp right here, and we highly recommend you do. The track is melodic and spare in the same way the best, non-synth-oriented early New Order tracks are. Frank Chromewaves did a little legwork and has determined that Bos Angeles is so newly minted that its live debut is still a few weeks away: May 26 in Bournemouth, England on a bill presented by This Scene Isn't Dead. We can't wait to hear more from this act.



>> Somerville-based fivesome Hot Molasses' jittery, smiley power-pop has garnered a number of spins at the Clicky Clicky dojo. The act issued in March a sophomore EP Frankly that isn't easily slotted, and, really, it was the track "Mendoza Lines" from Hot Molasses' debut EP Molassachusetts (awesome name) that made us a firm convert, since we were huge fans of the late great Athens-spawned, Brooklyn-buried indie rock collective The Mendoza Line. Frankly offers a fizzing opener in "Too Many Volts," which touts swerving synth leads and punchy vocal interplay. "YHMT" delivers on the band's promise of treading ground similar to Canadian powerpop superheroes New Pornographers, and you will find yourself hanging on to the tune's huge, bending guitar chords in places. Elsewhere, it is Julia Dickinson's steady alto -- reminiscent of that of Velocity Girl fronter Sarah Shannon -- the provides the focal point. Hot Molasses self-released Frankly March 25; you can download the set from Bandcamp right here. According to Bandcamp, the quintet's next local appearance is July 22 at the Middle East Downstairs (although the date isn't on the Middle East web site yet).

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