EDIT SINCE THIS WAS WRITTEN: I have since met Noah and seen Request Freebird and it was awesome. It sounds just like the recordings live and he stilled play all new and old ACLU Benefit songs. He was funny and cool and I almost cried during the set due to pure joy and the songs. I'd still really like to interview him sometime.
FANATIC is anything you want it to be. FANATIC covers indie, pop, and the underground. Here is playlist, reviews, essays, interviews, cool news, ect. all by Keeley. FANATIC was also an indie rock radio show on 91.5 WOOL FM in Bellows Falls, VT. AND a zine compiled of essays, list, and reviews from the blog all about independent, local, riot grrrl, and underground music. pls send in all music, submissions, ideas, etc. to kcormac15@gmail.com
Monday, March 7, 2016
Formerly ACLU Benefit
Saturday, February 13, 2016
An Interview with Colleen Green
Back in August, my favorite singer, Colleen Green, played the Middle East Upstairs. After the show we talked in a doorway across the street. It was a great experience and I feel like I could have asked her 5 million more questions. Here is the interview that I published on the Boston Hassle:
Massachusetts native and L.A. resident Colleen Green is an inspiration to many. Known for her punk-DIY drum machine and stoner-pop, Colleen has been releasing the most relatable albums since 2010, because her planet is your planet and we all feel the same things and wanna be left alone to watch TV sometimes. Colleen returned to Cambridge this past Monday, and I was lucky enough to talk to her for a few minutes after her energy-packed and people-packed show. She talked L.A., self-recording, and her parents’ influence.
Boston Hassle: Were you involved in any music scenes when you lived in Massachusetts?
Colleen Green: Yeah, I interned for Fork In Hand Records when I was in high school. They were an old label, with like Big D and the Kids Table, it was their label. So I kinda knew those guys. I guess, I don’t know. I guess we were friends with a lot of New Hampshire bands. There were a few bands from New Hampshire that my old band would play with.
BH: Was the Colleen Green music your first time using a drum machine and recording yourself?
CG: Yes it was. I had recorded myself in the past, but friends had helped me with it, so it wasn’t just totally on my own.
BH: How did you teach yourself?
CG: Just by trying it out and experimenting and seeing what sounded good and what didn’t. And just having a lot of spare time to do that shit.
BH: When you first started releasing and performing where did you get the courage to share all of your thoughts and feelings?
CG: Well, it was actually incredibly scary, but I kind of just forced myself to do it anyway because I figured if it was something I thought was really scary but I could do it anyway then that would take away the scariness about it.
BH: How different do you think your life would be if you hadn’t moved to L.A.?
CG: Hmmm, I think it would be completely different. I don’t know. I just feel like L.A. is just such a magical place, because when I moved there good stuff started happening to me. Yeah, I think it would be completely different.
BH: Did you start working with Hardly Art as soon as you moved to L.A.?
CG: Well, I moved to L.A. in, it was like in a little less than a year. Yeah, I moved to L.A. in December of 2008. And then then I was signed to Hardly Art in.. oh no, 2009. And I was signed to Hardly Art in September of 2010. So it took like ten months. But I had also started going on tour already at that time, so I was giving a lot of people my music.
BH: Are any overlying themes of your albums conscious or do they emerge naturally?
CG: Definitely conscious.
BH: Do you try to make concept albums?
CG: I don’t know. I love the idea of concept albums, and there are a lot of concept albums that I really like, but I don’t know if I could do it. It seems really hard.
BH: Like a Colleen Green rock opera.
CG: Yeah! I just don’t know what to talk about. Yeah, I guess you just have to have that inspiration to do something like that, but I don’t think I have it at this point.
BH: Why, now, did you decide to stop self-recording and move into a studio with other musicians?
CG: I just wanted to try it out. See what would happen. Do something different, you know. I don’t know, I think it’s always good to try new things, and it was something I’d never really done before. Yeah, I just wanted to try it out.
BH: Do you think you’ll ever go back to self-recording?
CG: Yeah! Definitely, I want to do that for my next album actually, but I’m not sure.
BH: Is there anyone who has really inspired or influenced you throughout your life?
CG: Probably my parents. Right? Because just generally speaking they kinda like influence your personality and what your life path is gonna be.
Massachusetts native and L.A. resident Colleen Green is an inspiration to many. Known for her punk-DIY drum machine and stoner-pop, Colleen has been releasing the most relatable albums since 2010, because her planet is your planet and we all feel the same things and wanna be left alone to watch TV sometimes. Colleen returned to Cambridge this past Monday, and I was lucky enough to talk to her for a few minutes after her energy-packed and people-packed show. She talked L.A., self-recording, and her parents’ influence.
Boston Hassle: Were you involved in any music scenes when you lived in Massachusetts?
Colleen Green: Yeah, I interned for Fork In Hand Records when I was in high school. They were an old label, with like Big D and the Kids Table, it was their label. So I kinda knew those guys. I guess, I don’t know. I guess we were friends with a lot of New Hampshire bands. There were a few bands from New Hampshire that my old band would play with.
BH: Was the Colleen Green music your first time using a drum machine and recording yourself?
CG: Yes it was. I had recorded myself in the past, but friends had helped me with it, so it wasn’t just totally on my own.
BH: How did you teach yourself?
CG: Just by trying it out and experimenting and seeing what sounded good and what didn’t. And just having a lot of spare time to do that shit.
BH: When you first started releasing and performing where did you get the courage to share all of your thoughts and feelings?
CG: Well, it was actually incredibly scary, but I kind of just forced myself to do it anyway because I figured if it was something I thought was really scary but I could do it anyway then that would take away the scariness about it.
BH: How different do you think your life would be if you hadn’t moved to L.A.?
CG: Hmmm, I think it would be completely different. I don’t know. I just feel like L.A. is just such a magical place, because when I moved there good stuff started happening to me. Yeah, I think it would be completely different.
BH: Did you start working with Hardly Art as soon as you moved to L.A.?
CG: Well, I moved to L.A. in, it was like in a little less than a year. Yeah, I moved to L.A. in December of 2008. And then then I was signed to Hardly Art in.. oh no, 2009. And I was signed to Hardly Art in September of 2010. So it took like ten months. But I had also started going on tour already at that time, so I was giving a lot of people my music.
BH: Are any overlying themes of your albums conscious or do they emerge naturally?
CG: Definitely conscious.
BH: Do you try to make concept albums?
CG: I don’t know. I love the idea of concept albums, and there are a lot of concept albums that I really like, but I don’t know if I could do it. It seems really hard.
BH: Like a Colleen Green rock opera.
CG: Yeah! I just don’t know what to talk about. Yeah, I guess you just have to have that inspiration to do something like that, but I don’t think I have it at this point.
BH: Why, now, did you decide to stop self-recording and move into a studio with other musicians?
CG: I just wanted to try it out. See what would happen. Do something different, you know. I don’t know, I think it’s always good to try new things, and it was something I’d never really done before. Yeah, I just wanted to try it out.
BH: Do you think you’ll ever go back to self-recording?
CG: Yeah! Definitely, I want to do that for my next album actually, but I’m not sure.
BH: Is there anyone who has really inspired or influenced you throughout your life?
CG: Probably my parents. Right? Because just generally speaking they kinda like influence your personality and what your life path is gonna be.
| After the interview I asked her to take a picture with me and sign my poster. |
Thursday, February 11, 2016
G-Eazy
The Rise & Marketing
G Eazy is DIY. Even if he now has gone more corporate, his still in control of his career and everyone on his team. He is on a major label, but I cannot help but thing that he is still in charge and just got the major label to play into his plan. He knows exactly how his fans view him. He has a degree in music business and utilizes it well. His latest album, When It’s Dark Out, is the album that shows that he is where he wants to be. There are no more songs about the journey to the top or what it will be like when he makes it, that is what Must Be Nice was for. On this album he is showing how he got to where he is. Like on the track “Random”, he clearly states “I got it all, yeah I'm young, rich, and handsome. This shit is not random.” He formally introduced himself on his debut The Endless Summer, basically being like ‘Hey this is me. This is what I am going to be, a dapper young rapper who is going to sample the beach boys’. Then on Must Be Nice he laid down his goals and personal agenda. These Things Happen was his stretch into the mainstream. I feel like that album was more about try to garner the masses. Which worked, considering he also only been playing bigger venues and selling more albums since. I first saw him play the Middle East Upstairs, and now he just sold out that arena in Lowell. So many rappers say they are going to make it to the top, but when G Eazy said it in 2011, he was stating a fact. Because he knew it was all business and he had everything planned out. He didn’t rush anything. He focused on the fans in the beginning, by doing free meet and greets at all of his shows and executing every release with the professionalism of someone with a much bigger stature. Most importantly, his first four mixtapes were free downloads, which is definitely the best thing he could of done for himself, because it just makes it that much easier for people to get his music.
I think When It’s Dark out is much better than These Things Happen. When It’s Dark Out is more of a throwback to his earlier music. He even uses some of the same beats he used years earlier. He can do this because his longtime fans will love it, and his newer fans won’t know the difference. Like I said, this album shows that he is where he wants to be, but also tackles the feeling that maybe getting everything you want won’t make you as happy as you thought it would. The song “Sad Boy” is about just that: “Man stop acting like a bitch. Forgot you're all famous now and rich? Gerald what you so sad for?” He address himself using his really name (Gerald Earl Gillum).
In the video for “Me, Myself, and I”, there is a scene where G Eazy is talking with two other versions of himself, fighting and getting yelled at saying that he signed up for fame and should not complain at all. There are three G Eazys in this scene, a sad one, one that yells at him for being sad, and one that just wants to party. It makes me sad to think that G Eazy is unhappy considering his success and mad at himself for being unhappy, especially after watching him make the climb up the music latter for so many years. He knows that he thought he has already worked so hard, that he is really only at the very beginning of his career, and probably feels more pressure than ever. I always wondering if his newer fans will understand these songs as much, since they have not been along for the whole G Eazy journey. They can backtrack his releases and grasp some understanding, but how could they view the transformation. The new fans may get it, but will they really get it?
G Eazy is DIY. Even if he now has gone more corporate, his still in control of his career and everyone on his team. He is on a major label, but I cannot help but thing that he is still in charge and just got the major label to play into his plan. He knows exactly how his fans view him. He has a degree in music business and utilizes it well. His latest album, When It’s Dark Out, is the album that shows that he is where he wants to be. There are no more songs about the journey to the top or what it will be like when he makes it, that is what Must Be Nice was for. On this album he is showing how he got to where he is. Like on the track “Random”, he clearly states “I got it all, yeah I'm young, rich, and handsome. This shit is not random.” He formally introduced himself on his debut The Endless Summer, basically being like ‘Hey this is me. This is what I am going to be, a dapper young rapper who is going to sample the beach boys’. Then on Must Be Nice he laid down his goals and personal agenda. These Things Happen was his stretch into the mainstream. I feel like that album was more about try to garner the masses. Which worked, considering he also only been playing bigger venues and selling more albums since. I first saw him play the Middle East Upstairs, and now he just sold out that arena in Lowell. So many rappers say they are going to make it to the top, but when G Eazy said it in 2011, he was stating a fact. Because he knew it was all business and he had everything planned out. He didn’t rush anything. He focused on the fans in the beginning, by doing free meet and greets at all of his shows and executing every release with the professionalism of someone with a much bigger stature. Most importantly, his first four mixtapes were free downloads, which is definitely the best thing he could of done for himself, because it just makes it that much easier for people to get his music.
I think When It’s Dark out is much better than These Things Happen. When It’s Dark Out is more of a throwback to his earlier music. He even uses some of the same beats he used years earlier. He can do this because his longtime fans will love it, and his newer fans won’t know the difference. Like I said, this album shows that he is where he wants to be, but also tackles the feeling that maybe getting everything you want won’t make you as happy as you thought it would. The song “Sad Boy” is about just that: “Man stop acting like a bitch. Forgot you're all famous now and rich? Gerald what you so sad for?” He address himself using his really name (Gerald Earl Gillum).
In the video for “Me, Myself, and I”, there is a scene where G Eazy is talking with two other versions of himself, fighting and getting yelled at saying that he signed up for fame and should not complain at all. There are three G Eazys in this scene, a sad one, one that yells at him for being sad, and one that just wants to party. It makes me sad to think that G Eazy is unhappy considering his success and mad at himself for being unhappy, especially after watching him make the climb up the music latter for so many years. He knows that he thought he has already worked so hard, that he is really only at the very beginning of his career, and probably feels more pressure than ever. I always wondering if his newer fans will understand these songs as much, since they have not been along for the whole G Eazy journey. They can backtrack his releases and grasp some understanding, but how could they view the transformation. The new fans may get it, but will they really get it?
Monday, February 8, 2016
Thurston Moore: An Essay
I have very mixed feelings about Thurston Moore. On one hand, I have a deep admiration for him. He is the coolest. He’s published poetry. In interviews he is completely charming and cool and collected, kind of in a manner where he knows he’s being so. On the other hand he cheated on Kim Gordon (his ex-wife, and Sonic Youth member). I know I should not base my feeling on him around something that happened in his personal life, because it is none of my business, but it is so hard not to. Especially after reading her book, Girl in a Band, in which she gives very riveting details about the end of their marriage and the end of Sonic Youth. Basically, he cheated for a good period of time with a woman that Kim definitely never ever liked that he was working on some book project with. I feel guilty reading her book, because I loved reading all the dirt on him, in the same way people enjoy any type of gossip. Mostly on the nosey-ness hidden deep within us that we try to repress. In the end of the book Kim said that she feel sorry for him, but does not forgive him. I called Thurston an asshole in my last zine, which I kind of feel bad about, but also don't because that article was about Kim Gordon, and looking from her perspective he probably is.
Kim exposes so much of Thurston in the book it is almost hard to look at him after. She uses the word narcissistic and rock star showboating. And describes him as stubborn and non-confrontational. And says he views his post-divorce life as being free. He is kind of the reason Sonic Youth broke up. There is never going to be a reunion tour. She talks about him hiding himself, and why she thought she knew his so well and could trust him. Maybe marriage introduces a sense of domesticity that can cause a loss of creativity. I can only imagine how devastating the news of Kim and Thurston's divorce must have been for those die hard Sonic Youth fans. They were so re-closed in Western Mass and were a solid institution for so long that the thought of them splitting probably never crossed the minds of most people.
He seems like a happy person. Why wouldn't he be? He's known worldwide as a guitar legend. He's make a living off art. He has good taste and he knows it. He has put a lot of thought in his rock and roll strategy. He knows his art and facts. I feel like he would know more about any topic than I would. Not in a condescending way, just in a way where he really enjoys art and wants to know everything about it and be able to let you all about it. Intense, wild loves music, not in just a playing sense, put a deep appreciation. Some musicians say they don't listen to music that much, but Thurston probably does. He's an avid record collector.
His solo music, especially his most recent album, The Best Day, is pretty good. It is defiantly is not as experimental, but it has the aura of a guitar great. At what point does someone who has spent so long trying to be experimental and different just kind of throw in the towel and make music that doesn't require as much of an active listener? When that band you were in for over 20 years is over? When you are recently divorced and have that post-divorce middle age reborn glow? When you have garnered enough respect amongst the whole musical world to last the rest of your life? Probably all the above. He has worked hard and feels he deserves to keep doing music and enjoy his life as a rock legend and have people pay attention to whatever he does. I feel like any form of art requires some sort of ego. Just the sheer fact that you would feel the need to share what you have to say or made with others must mean you think it is pretty good. I feel like Thurston Moore is an artist because he feels like others should hear what he has to say.
"Benediction" is my favorite song of Thurson's. It burns so bad that they lived so close to me for so long and I never cared, I only started caring about Sonic Youth in 2015. The video above is from a festival in New Hampshire, not far from where I'm from.
Monday, December 21, 2015
My Favorite Releases of 2015
Gracie – Gracie
This was also the year I started listening to the Fat Creeps, so it was very comforting to be able to follow them up with Gracie Jackson’s solo project, Gracie. Gracie Jackson has acquired a demurred confidence and a penchant for strange guitar tunings, finding influence in Sonic Youth, folk, and grunge. Jackson has gathered a backing band full of friends and fellow Boston musicians and has recorded this debut steadily, only having previously released one song on their Bandcamp in October 2014. Gracie’s brooding allure pull you into the trepid waters that are Gracie’s smokey vocals, rich guitar and themes of nostalgic despair. The album feels both hollow and hopeful, as the listener senses Jackson being guided more by feeling than logic, like when she spills “Climb the ladder, what did you fall for? Climb the ladder, he makes me feel more” on “Jesse”. Gracie is very rich and drippy. It has a big sound, big like the room of destruction Gracie is calmly standing in the middle of on the album’s cover. The themes of angst and despair are reminiscent of 90’s grunge, but more woodsy and eerie at times.
Sun Young – Sun Young
I am low-key obsessed with IAN, so that low-key obsession crosses over to Sun Young, fronted by Damien (bassist of IAN). Sun Young is a three-piece that makes a groovy freak pop that investigates family, life, and identity. I was able see Sun Young twice this year, once in a kitchen and once in a basement. Both times I was enthralled by their semi-goofy manner and grunge-y avant-pop. I’d been listening to one of their earlier EPs a bunch, so I was excited for the release of a ten song EP featuring re-recorded versions of 4 of the old songs and some of the newer ones I’d seen live. Very cool effects on the vocals and guitars, and the general composition of the music makes it more interesting than most. The songs go from happy to sad, but never lose hope, like on “Hell’s a Place Like Cherry Hill”. There is something about Sun Young that really stands out to me, and I wish I could figure out what it is.
Mommy Long Legs – Assholes EP & Life Rips
My super cool friend, Donna, sent me a YouTube vid of Mommy Long Legs slaying KEXP. They are a group of true punk rock prom queens out of Seattle, WA making that special brand of feminist punk and pop I love so much. Crunchy guitars, group vocals, and a comedic angle is what Mommy Long Legs uses to address their feminist agenda and issues with people. They eat all Girl Culture and throw it back up at you. In March they released the Life Rips EP. On which, they cover slumber parties, being afraid of your horoscope, and sororities. Many of the songs come from extreme views on people and jokes. They make big characters out of “Yuppie Moms” who wants an “Oprah Mocha Frappuccino right now”, among other stereotypes. Then they released the Assholes EP, which is just as fun but a bit heartier and less fictional, but very direct. Like on the track “Assholes” where they chant “You can take your asshole and put it in your new car, and drive it in a wormhole, cuz in the end we’re all alone” at some hypothetical asshole modern man. The track that stands out the strongest to me is the anthem like “Weird Girl” that declares “I wanna be a weird girl, a freak girl. I want to freak you out cuz I’m a freaky fucking girl.” I like music that reminds that nothing really matters, so just do and be whatever you want and have fun.

Chastity Belt – Time to Go Home
These Washington natives are making waves with their sophomore album, Time to Go Home. They’ve written the feminist anthem of the year with “Cool Slut”. With lyrics like “We just wanna have some fun /Grind upon everyone.” Chastity Belt is letting girls know that it is okay to do whatever they want and just have some fun. They are writing for the modern girl. They started off writing joke party songs, but have since moved onto more witty and emotional party songs. One of Chastity Belt’s main goals is to encourage more girls to be in bands. Guitarist Julia said “I’d like teenage girls to be able to relate to this album and listen to it and think ‘Oh! I could be in a band too.’”
Ben Katzman’s Degreaser – Venus in Pisces
On Ben Katzman’s new album, Venus in Pisces, he contemplates growing up and breaking up. He is able to take the most universal problems and emotions of people in their young twenties and turning them in to complete Rock n’ Roll. It’s like Glam Rock with more easily relatable topics. Astrology runs heavy throughout the album, hence the title, and the lyric “You’re only keeping me around because your Venus is in Gemini” on “You Shred (But You’re Really Just Playing Me)”. The track “Sad Boi to Bad Boi” summarizes the whole album, the concept of transitioning from Sad Boi 2 Bad Boi, and being a Bad Boi who sometime feels like Sad Boi.
Chastity Belt – Time to Go Home
These Washington natives are making waves with their sophomore album, Time to Go Home. They’ve written the feminist anthem of the year with “Cool Slut”. With lyrics like “We just wanna have some fun /Grind upon everyone.” Chastity Belt is letting girls know that it is okay to do whatever they want and just have some fun. They are writing for the modern girl. They started off writing joke party songs, but have since moved onto more witty and emotional party songs. One of Chastity Belt’s main goals is to encourage more girls to be in bands. Guitarist Julia said “I’d like teenage girls to be able to relate to this album and listen to it and think ‘Oh! I could be in a band too.’”
Ben Katzman’s Degreaser – Venus in Pisces
On Ben Katzman’s new album, Venus in Pisces, he contemplates growing up and breaking up. He is able to take the most universal problems and emotions of people in their young twenties and turning them in to complete Rock n’ Roll. It’s like Glam Rock with more easily relatable topics. Astrology runs heavy throughout the album, hence the title, and the lyric “You’re only keeping me around because your Venus is in Gemini” on “You Shred (But You’re Really Just Playing Me)”. The track “Sad Boi to Bad Boi” summarizes the whole album, the concept of transitioning from Sad Boi 2 Bad Boi, and being a Bad Boi who sometime feels like Sad Boi.
Colleen Green – I Want to Grow Up
On this album Colleen sheds her D.I.Y sound and adopts a bigger rock persona with stronger vocals, heavier guitar, a drummer instead of a drum machine, and a bassist. The album is called I Want to Grow Up, and you can tell she really means it. The most major step the punk songstress takes in growing up on this album is identifying that she needs to. All of her releases have shown progression, but this album was the most drastic. The biggest change was the studio recording, it makes the songs sound clearer and fresh. The themes of the album cover figuring out what her problem is, getting healthy, and even dying alone. Colleen's realest and maybe most personal song to date, "Deeper Than Love," is an almost haunting account of her past and fears about relationships, featuring lyrics like "How can I give you my life when I know you're just going to die?" It digs deeper, but still keeps the good old fun CG punk charm. The most empowering song on the album is the closing track, "Whatever I Want," where Colleen realizes that she doesn't have to be scared, her world is a design of her own, and she can truly do whatever she wants. It’s super awesome to see Colleen do new things. Colleen Green focuses on being the best she can be, and Colleen Green continues to be the best.

Mannequin Pussy – Kiss me tender demos
I love these three songs by Philadelphian punks, Mannequin Pussy (the whole EP is under 5 minutes). “I am not ashamed to be lonely, but I’m afraid to feel it so deeply.” Guitarist and vocalist, Marissa screams in way that completely transfers what she is feeling, the exertion of pent up anger makes a relieving and positive vibe. She is so strong and, what’s a different word than aggressive but just as powerful? Assertive, energetic, and dynamic are what’s coming up when I just searched for synonyms, and they fit. The drums and guitars swirl together in a fury. It’s punk with a drive, they work hard and know how to play the s of their instruments, and won’t take any, like on “Anything”: “Don’t you try to lie or mis-treat me/ I want this more than anything/ I want it more than you.” Very excited for these demos to be made into an album in 2016.

Tomboy – Sweetie
Featured on my list last year, and probably any list of favorites I make until the day I die, Tomboy is one of my favorite bands. Formed in Boston, Tomboy is now spread along the East coast. Sweetie, their first full length, they tackle and conquer cat-callers, assholes, and relationships with dominance, grace, and wit. The sound of this album is just so strong, the fierceness and determination of Madeline's vocals carries the songs messages and themes. The rowdy drums and fuzz-strong guitar give them a sound similar to all of the strong female-lead rock bands of the nineties. These feminist are inspiring. On "Sweetie" they are calling some unknown figure out for treating them like some 2-D toy object. After they call him out and say "No!!" that is not what they are or what they are there for, they assert this with wicked lyrics such as "You call me sweetie/ but that's not what you mean/ 'look pretty with that smile'/ well, I think you're fucking vile." And they can see threw them: “You read my mind, well I read your diary.” The songs may have some anger in them, but it's an anger that makes you dance, then when you are dancing you have fun, so the joke is really on any asshole that has ever wronged Tomboy. They are sort of an angry-pop that makes you have fun. It's beautifully written and simple, the smooth track ends album in impeccable standing. Every girl in the world should listen to Tomboy.

Tall Juan - Why Not
BUFU Record’s supreme rocker Tall Juan, previously seen in The Beets, is an extremely tall and lanky Argentinian rocker who is known for being a lover of the Ramones. He released a two song cassette for “Falling Down” late last year, and released it on a 7” again in 2015. Then he released It’s True, which doubled in length from two songs to four. Both of these EPs were recorded by Tall Juan’s friend and roommate Mac Demarco. Why Not is three originals and one Ramones cover that features Dee Dee Ramone's wife Barbara. The songs are fast and fun with guitar and drums that do not stop. It is lo-fi poetry laced with Ramones influence. Saying the Ramones influences Tall Juan feels like I’m putting too lightly.

Erica Eso – 2019
If Cloud Becomes Your Hand is avant synth rock, then Erica Eso is avant synth pop. From the mind of CBYH composer and synther, Weston Minissali, comes Erica Eso. Erica Eso is not an alter-ego, it is an explorative Brooklyn-based pop group. They’ve combined their transcendent musical affections to bring you some of the freshest and most exciting pop I have heard in a long time on their debut album, 2019. Erica Eso features many elements modern pop. It is very clean dance music, with existential feminist themes, no unnecessary sounds, and a calm pace. It has an electronic R&B vibe. Autotune is used on the already very high pitched vocals to keep up with the synths. It’s the most tasteful use that I have ever heard. When I asked Weston about Erica Eso, he said this: “Erica Eso is my baby… or maybe duel identity is more appropriate… or maybe she’s pregnant with me… It has been such an intimate process writing and now performing this music, it really has been unlike any other project. I started to imagine this loner voice cruisin’ all sexy and fragile over loose synth rhythms and crackles”. Minissali is able to achieve amazing harmonies with the synths and every instrument. 2019 draws attention with its pop melodies that sound strong but fragile, like glass.

Tredici Bacci – Vai! Vai! Vai!
Tredici Bacci is the smoothest, sultriest, and most Italian pop ensemble in Boston. They are one of the only bands doing what they are doing right now, and if they are not the only ones, they are definitely the youngest. It’s a 14-piece orchestra that is describes as an1970’s Italian film soundtrack. On the latest TB tape, Vai! Vai! Vai!, they’ve made the soundtrack to a fictional lost film. This one sounds bigger than The Thirteen Kisses EP. The horn, the keys, the strings, everything sounds augmented, like everything was paid more attention to in the studio. I like how Tredici Bacci is basically band leader Simon Hanes’s way of praising Ennio Morricone, because I know all I wanna do is praise my idols and make fan art all day, and it cool he’s got other people to help him do that. It’s like spaghetti western, but in reverse. Because instead of being western stuff made by Italians, it’s Italian stuff made by Americans. Tredici Bacci is melting the world of composition with the world of more abrasive abstract style, and a prime example of how much depth there is in Boston music.

Lily Konigsberg & Kassie Carlson - Muriel: Utter Perfection
Muriel means utter perfection. This tape project on feeding tube is a solo spilt. The first side is six songs by Lily Konigsberg (of Palaberta) and the second side is three songs by Kassie Carlson (of Guerilla Toss). This project sounds like a theory, like building one. The recording process is a learning process. Side A, Lily’s, has an eighties science fiction feel. Feels like it’s swarming around you. The tracks sound like techno music was dismantled and put through a filter. At some points there is an utterance of grand synths, like on “Swept by SH”. The vocals are heavily filtered and effected, and are on the verge of becoming an eerie chant. Along with some creepy keys, this side has a chaotic and otherworldly aura. Side B, Kassie’s, is intimate pop. It is recorded by Kassie and features her vocals, a drum machine, and which ever other instruments she plays. The drum machine gives the three songs a good beat, which gives an upbeat feel, even on the morbid “Nobody Loves Me”, with a retro twist. Kassie’s music is about feelings, like feeling something hyper-real or interpenetrating feeling, very specific. Such as the levels of body language. She writes great lyrics and that gets more of a light shown on it here than in gtoss. Everything she write has meaning, no random lyrics. Hopefully your familiar with Kassie’s other solo music, under the name Jane La Onda, this tape and the Jane tape are my two favorite tapes ever.
Some things I am excited for and hoping for in 2016 are: seeing Birthing Hips live, recorded Bong Wish, and a new Free Pizza record. This article will probably be re-published in my zine.
Thursday, October 8, 2015
NICE GUYS/FREE PIZZA SPLIT TAPE.
Very cool new fast and punky tape courtesy of
Boston’s own BUFU Records. This spilt features one local punk staple and one
that once was local, but now international. One side features two new tunes and
one ballad by Allston bad boys Nice Guys. Their side is loud and lo-fi. “Reels
of Fire” is rolling and tumbling through fuzzy riffs and heavy drums. At just
under a minute, “Best Buds” does not let this tape skip a beat as this song
keep shouting at you. They end their
side with a semimental lullaby about how they “miss my Free Pizza”. Nice Guys
is what garage punk should be: rough and fast and fun.
Free Pizza absence from Boston has surely been felt since they moved to Florida then Germany, but that is just what makes this tapes so sweet. Their three tracks are just like the friendly n’ fun punk Free Pizza you remember. You might even know some of the songs if you’ve seen them live, like “Oh Yeah That Deep Breath.” Free Pizza is so cool because all of the music is so happy, positive, and easily applicable. The lyrics and hooks are catchy, simple, and have the perfect amount of garage rock mixed in with an arty pop. It is very easy to feel good and hopefully while listening to Free Pizza.
Free Pizza absence from Boston has surely been felt since they moved to Florida then Germany, but that is just what makes this tapes so sweet. Their three tracks are just like the friendly n’ fun punk Free Pizza you remember. You might even know some of the songs if you’ve seen them live, like “Oh Yeah That Deep Breath.” Free Pizza is so cool because all of the music is so happy, positive, and easily applicable. The lyrics and hooks are catchy, simple, and have the perfect amount of garage rock mixed in with an arty pop. It is very easy to feel good and hopefully while listening to Free Pizza.
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Guerilla Toss - Flood Dosed
They
recently announced their signing with DFA Records, and they’ve been playing a
lot of shows with their new lineup. Even though they live in New York it still
feels like they are playing just as many Boston shows at the same venues. And
now they’ve released three new songs!If you’ve seen Guerilla
Toss in the past few months, then some of the tracks might sound kind of
familiar. The EP introduces a gentler Gtoss. “Realistic Rabbit” features vocals
the echo through whatever spaceship is was recorded on, then speeds up into
Kassie chanting accompanied by a saxophone and the groove heavy rhythm section.
“Ritual in Light” sounds reminiscent of 367 Equalizer by going in and out of
burst of hyper calls and dour recitatives, and the bass and guitar sound deeper
than ever. “Polly’s Crystal” is very rhythm heavy, cool, and fast. Most
importantly, Kassie sings on all of it! She always has, but her vocals are
heard more than ever before and it’s amazing! Kassie is so clear, it still
sounds Avant, but not screams. It is hard to speculate what the lyrics mean,
but you can understand every word. People can listen to them and try to find
their own meanings, which I think is something people do with Guerilla Toss a
lot, by channeling their own energy into
the band, like when seeing them live or just listening at home. That is where
that certain level of spirituality associated with Guerilla Toss comes into
play. There are more effects, more psych, more jams, and same amount of funk. New
age more than no wave. New age jam-psych with rage is what you could call it. The
music sounds just as nuts as ever, but it’s a different type of nuts. It’s
always exciting to see bands you like doing new shit. This was billed as just a
taste of the new Guerilla Toss direction, because their first full length EP
since Gay Disco is going to be out in early 2016, and I feel like it is going to
get more eyes on it. DFA is based out of NYC and they announced their signing
around the same time they moved, which feels like a big deal. Because now they
are actually getting help with publicity stuff. If you go on the website of
Pitch Perfect PR, Gtoss is listed as one of the clients. And in their bio it describes
their signing with DFA as “the next logical step in the band’s mission to
becoming the world’s largest rage-psych
phenomenon”. It’s like a whole new era in Gtoss ritual. They only made 300 “Flood
Dosed” tapes, so order one while you can!
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