Boston’s Future Days trotted to the studio (Project Sound in Haverhill) several months back to work on their debut LP, Tony Plante, and now that album is out and streaming on their BandCamp.
13 well-recorded tunes, some nice branching out from their earlier psych dominant output. Fuzzy, slap you in the face, garage, paired with crafty VU mediumcore arrangements makes for some nice listens.
Dig on “Drunk at Altamont” – definitely my favorite thing that these dudes have done:
Photo from 119 Gallery
DATES
9/14 SILVER SPRING, MD @ PYRAMID ATLANTIC for PYRAMID FEST
https://www.facebook.com/events/159090570941279/
One of our favorite Boston bands The Fagettes are opening up that awesome upcoming Hunx and His Punx show we’ve been raving about for months now. The show is at Brighton Music Hall on Friday, August 23. Hunters and 2pretty are also playing.
Oh yeah and listen to Hunx’ latest LP Street Punk (Hardly Art). It’s the punkest album of 2013!
Listen to Fagettes here: http://thefagettes.bandcamp.com/
YEAHHHH
Bands: The Migs, Nice Guys, Cult Fluorescent, Slimers, Chillcity Icon
Date: Saturday, November 24, 2012
Venue: Wilder Zangcraft (Lowell, MA)
Act I: Chillcity Icon – The chillest of city icons, Travis and Kevin are two good heads you can find around the city of Lowell and tonight’s first band. I don’t even know where to begin here: my description will not even come close to doing justice to their performance, you just have to see it for yourself. But, what the hey, since this is a “review,” I’ll throw in some of my thoughts and reactions. Well, firstly, you have to know about the visual: there’s a table in the middle of Travis and Kevin and upon this table are various objects such as a big bicycle wheel, which the drummers (ohh yeah, I forgot to mention they are both sick drummers) use to get some zounds with their drumsticks. There’s plenty of electronics as well. You could say this is a noise affair, I’m going to say that, despite its quiet, mellow charm. I can’t say that I could watch this over and over again, but for someone that typically doesn’t like 80-90% of music that doesn’t contain immediate pop hooks, I honestly walk away impressed. During the set, I find myself locked in a trance, rarely able to escape it, and that, my friends, usually never happens. It’s cool to watch a performance every now and then that defies the conventional, song begins, songs ends, everyone claps for approval, song begins, song ends, etc. Instead this experience is akin to one colossal vomit session – just hurling out the music until it’s over, feels fresh. I also really dig how there’s complete silence (or no spoken words) from the two performers until the end when they wish everyone a HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Well, after Chillcity Icon, I feel stuffed for sure.
Act II: Slimers– Some slimy punkers right here – Migs/Mmoss men Keven and Lukas in a two man musical attack on all the senses. The pair are decked out in matching army jackets, it looks like they are fresh off a hunting trip, ahh these two fine lads couldn’t hurt a fly, or could they? They take it all out on their drums and guitars, with Keven shouting vocals and slamming away on the drums and Lukas up front strumming thee olde 12 string and screaming his pipes off as well. If you dig Migs, you will probably be down with Slimers, they have that gah ridge feel like Migs, but the songs are stripped down and a bit more intimate. These fellas know the meaning of punk slime (they ought to, being Silmers), which is great because I have no idea what the fuck that means. Little help? Here’s my grandmother’s favorite Slimers stain, “Spaghetti Ann,” when the band was briefly known as Heroin Mom, ahh those were the days. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XOdRrox28ew
Act III: Cult Fluorescent– Saw this motherfucker last February at the Dirty Douglas, alongside New Highway Hymnal, Big Mess, and Dirty Virgins. Easily one of the most memorable sets all year. Now Now, you may be thinking that that is some cheesy stock line and granted the syntax and lack of more enticing adjectives may make it appear as so. Let me assure you that’s the truth and several AIM chat convos w/ Gangbang Gordon have occurred since then discussing that very performance; yep we still use AIM, cuz Facebook chat just doesn’t feel right. Why have nostalgia when you could just constantly relive your life experiences over and over again? Well, I’d certainly love to relive that show experience again, and in a way I can and so can you, here take a gander: https://klyam.com/2012/03/13/concert-review-new-highway-hymnal-lowell-7-release-show-dirty-douglas-21712/ Back then he was known as Between Tall Saints and Sinners, and now Brad is back as Cult Fluorescent. Just like last time, he is a unique performer, simultaneously permeating chaotic, yet gentle vibes. This time around, the songs seem more accessible, but still retain the same atmospheric, dreamlike quality I felt before. [My memory is a bit fuzzy, longgg week, then and now] Brad Cult Fluorescent concludes his set by slamming his keyboards to the floor and removing his shirt (or some variation of that, use your imagination). Do something for good once in your useless, moronic life and like him on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CultFluorescent?fref=ts
Act IV: Nice Guys– Holy smokes! Batman, we’re at Act IV!!! NICE GUYS!!! Throw your panties in the air, these upstanding gentlemen deserve it. Nice Guys are the Nice Whips tonight, because they play a set full of Coachwhips covers. Y’all know Coachwhips, right? Well, if you don’t check out a fun video of them playing at a Boston basement in 2004, right here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcgwMO23obA Nice Guy Matt Garlick was nice enough to post this vid on the event page, what a nice guy! I myself am not too familiar with The Coachwhips, though I know them because of the John Dwyer/Oh Sees connection. I’ve been listening to them a little bit now and they are pretty sick (with Dwyer on board, how couldn’t they be?), so seeing a solid band like Nice Guys cover the Coachwhips is an absolute pleasure. My fellow KLYAMER Glen is a big Coachwhips fan and so he’s as hard as Chinese arithmetic during this set. We both agree the guys’ version of “You Gonna Get It” is a stand out (listen to the OG here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99w92KScdac). This is definitely the most rocking, pumped up set so far and some moshing ignites during their performance, leading up the explosion of The Migs, the fifth and final act. Got some links for ya to gobble up as a post Thanksgiving Dinner dinner, be thankful for all these KLYAM bands or I should say KLYAM beloved bands. http://niceguys666.bandcamp.com/ http://www.facebook.com/niceguys666?fref=ts
Act V: The Migs–
“”I’ve seen The Migs six times my boy, six glorious times. Magic really.”
“Mister, I don’t even know who you are.”
Manager walks over…
“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave Chuck E. Cheese immediately.”
Ahh fuck em. No, that didn’t happen. But, I have seen The Migs six times and it’s been like Christmas morning each time. And I’m not just saying that to suck their dicks, if I wanted to suck a dick, I could just lean forward and break my neck performing a little bit of the old autofellatio (hey, that’s a word don’t give me that red squiggle line WordPress!), okay I just looked it up, I guess it’s two words. Auto Fellatio or could be combined as Auto-Fellatio. I learned something today. Haha, I love that word fellatio; its meaning aside, I always thought Bill Shakespeare should have named one of his characters, fellatio. Prince Fellatio. Ohhh well, I’ve dived into yet another digression, “I get so lost inside the rooms inside my mind.” MIGS! That’s where we were heading before all this blowjob business reared its ugly shaft into my review! Goddamn, I’ve been listening to way too much Hunx. Speaking of Hunx, y’all like a sweaty, slimy rock ‘n’ roll set? Migs deliver it. Better than ever, for real, in my experience anyway. The audience reaction and/or participation is top notch as well. The moshing continues and never really stops, not even for a breather. Kids are just bashing around to all the classics, “Follow Me Home,” “You & Me,” “Fuzzy Son,” and more. “Fuzzy'”with its waves catchin’, bird doggin’ appeal particularly captures the ears of one Gangbang Gordon. As I mentioned before, best/funnest Migs show I’ve experienced: pants fall down, shirts fly off, and Keven (in classic Migs fashion) bolts into the crowd with his gee tar, as relentless as ever. They close the show with a cover of “Louie, Louie” (the greatest song of all time according to vocalist/guitarist Lukas), but they ask for a little help with the words. To quote Nice Guys, fuck if I know! My dad- Big Guy or Big G as he’s known in hip hop circles- the guy who’s dick would plop right up if he heard The Migs (read here under Migs section: https://klyam.com/2012/10/28/concert-review-sic-alps-fat-creeps-bent-shapes-the-migs-radio-102512/) he used to play in a band in the mid-late 60s known as The Pacers (before the Basketball team) and they would cover “Louie, Louie” at school dances. He told me as a kid that that was the “baddd song” “the song your principal didn’t want your band to play.” Tonight, The Migs made it bad again, in a good way.
When all is said and done, Craig, my main man, hands me the set list without me even asking for it. He knows the routine by now. I have a set list fetish – any ladies out there share in this bizarre, quasi psychotic, sexual infatuation? KLYAMERS need love too. So yeah, Craig comes through with the set list, Craig knows best. That should be a show, Craig Knows Best on ABC Family. I’d watch it. That channel could use some subversion.
Set List:
“We’re The Migs”
“Follow Me Home”
“Gravestoned 666”
“When She Says My Name”
“You & Me”
“Pretty Ricky”
“Fuzzy Son”
“Take Take Take”
“Cosmo Nots”
LOOK NEW SHEEEET!!! http://soundcloud.com/the-migs/he-aint-so-great
AND
http://themigs.bandcamp.com/
and for fuck’s sake, here’s da fascist book page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Migs/114318615312674?fref=ts
Now, please put your goddamn wiener back in your pants son, before someone gets hurt!
Artists: Colleen Green, Plateaus, Bent Shapes, Bugs and Rats
Date: Sunday, September 9, 2012
Venue: Middle East Upstairs (Cambridge, MA)
Comments:
Act I: Bugs and Rats– These motherfuckers diminish what is left of my eardrums, which is great. Bugs and Rats are a powerhouse band, a three piece that is LOUD and guaranteed to wake up the neighbors. They would serve as a terrific alarm clock, I must say. I’ll admit much of the music I listen to is of the “wimpy” variety so I’m not as big into Bugs and Rats, but damn they are a solid band and they rock pretty hard. Their music is easy to head-bang to – in fact I would find it hard not to. Though it’s not necessarily my cup of tea, I can definitely recommend it. I also admire the band’s overall enthusiasm, which makes this performance even more fun. The drummer looks like he is going berserk! Lastly, I notice there is a picture of Anne Frank on the guitarist’s guitar, I do not know why, but I find this interesting. I mean I think it is Anne Frank. Either it is her or I am a fucking idiot.
Go nuts http://bugsandrats.bandcamp.com/
Act II: Bent Shapes– So, y’all know Bent Shapes were formerly known as Girlfriends, right? Alright good. Speaking of which, I haven’t seen this band since they opened for Harlem at Great Scott back in April 2010, so it is a real pleasure to see them tonight. I was always struck by their music before and I have been meaning to see them again for quite some time now, but for whatever reason it just never worked out. Fortunately, tonight is my night and I get a chance to see this excellent band. Bent Shapes definitely has some outstanding pop hooks and they remind me of one of my favorite bands, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart. I also hear a lot of pop punk a la Wavves in their music. Glen concurs on this point. Without a doubt my favorite moment is when they play “I Was Here, But I Disappear,” a favorite of mine. Not just a favorite from the band, but one of my favorite songs of all time. I did not expect them to play this song at all, so this is a real treat. Admittedly, I need to listen to more of their material and I plan to. You should too! http://bentshapes.bandcamp.com/
Set List:
Public
Brat (“Brat Poison”)
Panel (“Panel of Experts”)
Bites (“Bits and Scratches”)
Big M (“Big Machines”)
Space
Bhead?
Disappear (“I Was Here But I Disappear”)
Hex (“Hex Maneuvers”)
Leave (“Leave It Till You Need It”)
Boys (“Boys to Men”)
Act III: Plateaus– Before tonight’s performance I have never heard of Plateaus, but now I am convinced they are a sound band and I plan on checking out their music. Their songs are not as stripped down and catchy as those of Bent Shapes, but they keep up the same power pop/ pop punk sensibility. I am also feeling some strong garage vibes and in this way I can see them fitting well with the kind of music we typically champion on KLYAM. Their set is definitely fun and gets me pumped up for Colleen, even more so than I already was. http://plateausband.bandcamp.com/
Act IV: Colleen Green– Before I start my little babbling, I am going to take a mini trip back to April 2011. April 29, 2011 to be exact. Glen and I had had little exposure to basement venues (a couple of shows in Lowell and that was about it) and so when we arrived at the Starlab in Somerville to see one of Ottawa’s finest, The White Wires, we were a bit perplexed. As I recall we paid the seven bucks or so for admission (which included a stamp of the word “fuck” on my hand) and then we left the venue momentarily to smoke a bowl. One of the dudes running the show caught up with us and said that it was cool for us to smoke inside. So, we did. More importantly, why am I telling this story?! What I forgot to mention was that Colleen Green was headlining this bill, but at the time we had no idea who Colleen Green was, we came to see White Wires as I had mentioned earlier. I remember sitting down Indian style in the basement of the Starlab, waiting for the band to play- actually the dudes from Luau (also on the bill that evening) were setting up their equipment and I began to aggressively converse about G.G. Allin and Charles Manson the way I often do when I’m left unsupervised. Around this time, Colleen approached Glen and me, oh and Dan, damn I forgot that motherfucker came with us, he’s the man! She sarcastically said something to the effect of “You aren’t those guys that are smoking weed are you?” She then politely introduced herself as Colleen and within seconds I began vigorously raving about my favorite bands as I tend to do if given even the slightest opportunity. I stated that my top three current favorite bands were/are 1)Black Lips 2)Deerhunter, and 3) Hunx and His Punx. This led to a brief discussion of the Hunx tune “Cruisin,” a fabulous song indeed. Alas, we weren’t able to stay long enough to catch Colleen’s set that night, but I remember thinking anyone that appreciates greats like Hunx and His Punx is worth checking out. So, I YouTube’d a few songs and live vids and I was instantly hooked. But, between 21+ shows and lack of transportation we KLYAMERS missed out on all the remaining Colleen Boston gigs :( Until now! Ahh shit, it’s 4:20 (I didn’t plan this btw) why am I still writing this? Why am I still up? I need to be awake and alert in a vapid classroom setting within four hours. Oh well. So yeah, tonight is very exciting on the account that not only do Glen and I get to see Colleen Green live for the first time, but with a whole band including members of Plateaus. The Colleen Green Band opens with a cover of the fine Descendents tune, “Good Good Things,” before moving into what may just be my favorite Colleen number “I Wanna Be Degraded,” goddamn that song is catchy! The whole set is spectacular. Colleen can be pure rock ‘n’ roll and totally mellow all at once. It’s like she doesn’t have to shout, but you can hear every little nuance of her vocals. I don’t know what I’m talking about- to quote a friend of mine-“I don’t know art, but I know what I like!” One of my other favorites is “Dance the Night Away,” a killer tune that surely stood out as one of 2011’s finest. Colleen and crew close the set with “Nice Boy (I Want A),” another classic that leaves me in great anticipation for tomorrow night’s performance in Lowell. I can’t wait! http://colleengreen.bandcamp.com/
Inspired by Glen’s earlier post, I hit shuffle on my ipod and this is what came up….
Black Lips– “Born to be a Man” (2006)- The best way to kick off the list.
Bill Hicks– “My One Man Show” (1990)- Another one of my favorites!
Pixies– “Here Comes Your Man” (1989)- Wow, the third song in a row with the word “man” in the title.
Beat Happening– “Black Candy” (1989)- The first BH song I ever heard; one of their greatest offerings.
Descendents– “Clean Sheets” (live) (1987)- Damn, I’d love to have been present for this recording.
Elvis Costello– “Accidents Will Happen” (1979)- FUN FACT: In E.T. (1982), the character Michael (Robert MacNaughton) can be heard singing this in the scene when he comes home from school and is looking in the refrigerator.
Rage Against the Machine– “Mic Check” (1999)- Top five best 90s bands, end of story.
Minutemen– “This Ain’t No Picnic” (1984)- A lot of 80s underground shit in this mix.
Primus– “My Name is Mud” (1993)- I remember hearing this as a kid and thinking it was the most fucked up thing I had ever heard, until Frank Zappa….
Hüsker Dü– “Turn On the News” (1984)- Maybe the huskers’ best.
I would not say this list is totally representative of my tastes in music, but I enjoy everything here and I have for quite some time.
This Sunday, October 2, the mighty, Lowell based quartet, Empty Phrases will be hitting up Gay Gardens in Allston, MA. Go!
Here’s a link to the group’s Band Camp page:
http://emptyphrases1.bandcamp.com/
Band: Mikal Cronin
Release: 9/2011
Label: Trouble In Mind
1. “Is It Alright?” – A-
2. “Apathy” – A
3. “Green and Blue” – A-
4. “Get Along” – A+
5. “Slow Down” – A-
6. “Gone” – A
7. “Situation” – A
8. “Again and Again” – A-
9. “Hold On Me” – B
10. “The Way Things Go” – A+
Comments: Mikal Cronin. Get used to that name. For those of you particularly in-the-know, you might not have to put that much effort into getting to know Mikal. In his own right, he is quite prolific. Perhaps not to the degree of friend Ty Segall, but still prolific at that. Now Ty and Mikal, I’m sure they both listen to the same kind of music. I don’t think picking a song to jam to on a crisp California night has been at all difficult. Hell, when you live in the same state as Oh Sees John Dwyer, it’s tough to imagine anything less than a spectacular event of music making. Of course, we have Dwyer’s flute on the first song and a — oh snap is it that a saxophone? — on “Apathy”. So yes, Cronin has been fed a healthy diet of mixed greens and fuzz rock by farmers near and wide. The bent, so to speak, that Cronin has is a bit more melodic than what we’ve historically seen from Ty. The core of the apple we call pop is ever present on Mikal Cronin. Even in such a heavy assault as “Green and Blue,” we get a drained out sort of Radiohead at their heaviest kind of thing going on. “Get Along” deserves a place right next to the “My Sunshine” and “Melted” of the world. It’s the heavy strumming, brah. Brah-Naymith. “Slow Down” is like “Get Along” slowed down seventy-five percent. Like that time Justin Beiber was slowed down to sound like Animal Collective. Gangsta slowcore shizz. Sounds like an organ/reed to me. A droning one at that. Notes are held. Chord progressions change like seasons. The Beach Boys revival ode “Situation” features Ty Segall on drums. “The Way Things” is particularly odd, but really great bait for the experimental at heart. If you like slow, heavy, weird, funny, etc, this is a particular nice one. There’s like six song ideas all combined into one closer. Good way to go out, I’d say.
Grade: A- (92)
The first segment of many of this new little series. It’s called An Inside Joke I Don’t Get, which features thoughts and opinions on happenings in underground pop culture from an outsider with absolutely no relatable insight.
Odd Future’s Performance at Pitchfork Festival
“Musicless noise. There is no music. Music implies melody and lyrics. There are none.
So what is it if it isn’t music?
They are yelling into an overmodulated microphone.
What about the message of the lyrics, which were present, that said fuck school, kill people.
Put your money where you mouth is. Let me see your diploma and your body count. Did you get a concussion with that broken leg, too? When do the meds kick in?
Black Lips “Family Tree” Video
See, you know what the problem is? I liked the video because I liked the song. In other words, the song deserved a good video. Too many bands have crappy music, but have brilliant directors.
What stood out about this video?
The amount of blood. Not that that shocks me in any way. I assume they are trying to convince me of something. I’m a person to believe a video is a bad thing. When I listen to a song I see something in my own mind. I would prefer to make up my own slideshow. This opinion goes back to the ’80s when the video was invented. There was a belief that bands should have anything other than their playing of their instruments.
Wavves “Nodding Off”
Somewhere behind all that guitar there is someone singing. I wish I could hear them. They might actually have something to say, but we’ll never know.
Okay, how about this other song just released “Destroy”? Did he fix that problem?
Now he is frustrated. He is trying to scream over the guitars. He learned his lesson. If you can’t mix it right, just sing louder.
Nobunny ‘It Tastes Just Like A Milkshake”
No thoughts. Don’t love it. Don’t hate it. Felt more like Cheezits. I like Cheezits.
What does Cheezits have to do with anything?
I felt like a snack.
——-
Submissions are fair game. Please send them along to klyamemail@gmail.com or comment.
With anonymous extremely pretty girl and world famous Mike Long.
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 