Band In Boston

Worldmap… I couldn’t come up with a way to describe them until I saw their MySpace profile, where luckily they figured it out: baroque punk. Their songs are somewhat atonal and can be nearly assaulting live, so of course they went the complete opposite direction here. Song list: 1. That’s Pejorative 02:09 2. His Penis 01:52 3. This is the Life We Chose 02:19 4. Sticky Bomb 02:09 5. Paradox in Green 03:09 6. Brazen Bull 01:48 7. Protoleviathan 02:44 Worldmap on MySpace Download individual tracks here, or stream the whole thing:

Landing the coveted (is it?) #250 spot is Boston’s own The Longwalls. A perfect blend of Americana and catchy-as-heck pop, I dare you not to find yourself singing Zombies (source of my current favorite lyric: “It’s not a social commentary when I say there’s zombies at the mall”) at some point this week. And mark your calendar now – their EP release party (with Cassavettes!) is May 1 at the Lizard Lounge! Song List: 1. Playwrights 03:34 2. Touchdown 02:57 3. Ghosts 03:51 4. Saturday 02:23 5. Zombies! 03:05 6. Marmalade 02:52 7. Dark Academy 03:50 8. Sargasso 03:15 9. UFO 01:53 The Longwalls on MySpace Download individual tracks here, or stream the whole thing:

The winners of last year’s Happy Valley Showdown, Bunny’s a Swine is a band that loves two things: long confusing titles and playing music. And maybe booze. They also may soon be your new favorite band. They’re definitely one of ours. Song List: 1. Fuck Graph 03:11 download 2. This Place is a Meat Market, but I’m a Social Vegan 03:59 download 3. Haircut 03:39 download 4. Children and TVs 03:16 download 5. She’s Not That Tall, But I’m That Deep (Labrador) 03:28 download 6. Bailout 03:18 download 7. Fuck Bunny’s A Swine 03:25 download 8. Hate Song Love Song (Not So Much Love) Ostev and Overstimulus 03:40 download Bunny’s a Swine on MySpace. Download individual tracks here, or stream the whole thing.

Ambitious Tugboat has one last date (March 7) left in their untraditional residency at O’Brien’s pub in Allston. Instead of the usual weekday night schedule that most bands opt for, they have been playing on Sundays at 2:30, along with some excellent other locals. So go support this cool idea, would you? Song List: 1. Migration Blues 03:15 download 2. Fuck Yeah, I’m Depressed 04:22 download 3. Nice Guy 04:14 download 4. The Misanthrope 04:53 download 5. Your Clown 04:12 download 6. The Traitor and the Captive 05:17 download 7. Age Rings 04:19 download 8. Country Bumpkin 02:29 download Ambitious Tugboat on the MySpaces. Download individual tracks here, or stream the whole thing.

Brooklynites K.C. Quilty remind me of those heady days of the late 80s/early 90s, when MTV learned (or invented) the term “alternative music,” and it felt like music like Nirvana, The Breeders, Pavement, and so on would forever wipe away the scourge of hair metal and neo-disco. Ah, we were so innocent. K.C. Quilty shows that spirit isn’t dead by a long shot. As a bonus, this session features – hands down – the single worst saxophone performance we have ever witnessed. Song List: 1. Shark Week 02:33 2. What is It?! 03:47 3. You Belong To Me 02:27 4. Siiya 02:48 5. Clothes 02:41 6. London 03:25 7. Jack Shit 04:16 K.C. Quilty’s home on the nets Download individual tracks here, or stream the whole thing.

Dan Shea has been putting out some great albums through his label, Bodies of Water Arts and Crafts for quite a while. Now he steps out from behind the microphone (is that a phrase?) to lead The Needy Visions. They’re what you might expect The Kingsmen to sound like if they formed today. Since they were between drummers at the time of their session, they decided to use the less-than-reliable drum machine built into our Hammond organ. That resulted in some interesting versions of their songs, which is fitting for a batch of songs that include references to Brian Wilson’s missing brain, Unsolved Mysteries, and Neil Young’s famous Last Waltz faux pas. Go check them out at PA’s Lounge on Thursday, February 4th! Song List: 1. Fuck teh System 03:27 2. Island Logic 02:54 3. Endless Possibilities 02:17 4. Magic 03:35 5. Brain Wilson 01:54 6. Mystery of the Year 02:49 7. Be Together 03:00 8. Outta Gary 01:42 9. Mac’s Big Secret 03:18 10. Neil Young Coke Nose 04:05 11. Shitty Magazine 03:45 The Needy Visions online Download individual tracks here, or stream the whole thing.

They say that everyone’s a Beatles person or a Stones person. (For the record: Andy=Beatles, Jen=Stones.) Philadelphia’s The Day Life is clearly on the Beatles side of that demarcation, but not only due to their great cover of Don’t Let Me Down (and possibly band name reference?). From some of the smoothest harmonies we’ve had in the living room to the Jeff Lynne-esque nearly (electric light) orchestral musical hits, they remind us a bit of a less glammy Jellyfish. Honestly I had trouble not going crazy with trying out all of the Abbey Road tricks that every engineer dreams about. Definitely another band giving Philly a great name. Song List: 1. Real Life 05:41 2. Home 03:04 3. 1963 04:26 4. Don’t Let Me Down (Beatles) 03:15 5. Other Plans 02:19 6. The British One 04:36 7. Cain and Abel 04:50 The Day Life online. Download individual tracks here, or stream the whole thing.

TAB the Band has a brand new album (Zoo Noises), and a CD release show this Saturday at the Middle East. Since their first visit to the Flophouse, their sound has really matured beyond the straight-out rock of their earlier offerings. For this session they went all acoustic and showed us a whole new side to the band – a side we really enjoy. Side note: Doing the Flophouse Sessions frequently reminds me of the radio station scene in O Brother Where Art Thou: “There’s a feller in there that’ll pay you ten dollars if you sing into his can.” But minus the ten dollars. So it was nice to finally have a chance to record a Soggy Bottom Boys song on our collective cans. Song List: 1. Because I Want To 03:21 2. A Girl Like You 02:14 3. Man of Constant Sorrow 02:54 4. Your Mission 01:43 5. She Said No 04:09 6. Drinka Cuppa Poppy 01:29 7. It’s Over 01:19 TAB the Band online Download individual tracks here, or stream the entire thing.

We lose so many bands to NYC up hear, it’s good to see a great one go in the opposite direction. Dania and Zilpha play what they may have inadvertently labeled “folk music in space”. Sometimes a duo, sometimes, a trio, maybe occasionally a quartet, for this session they brought along sometimes-bass player Jerrick (confirming the “weird name” clause of being in their band) who treated us to a video and backing track accompaniment. They do an incredible job of mixing great songs, radio friendliness, and a general wealth of talent. It’s good to have you in town! Song List: 1. Wilt 04:02 2. Estimate And Then 04:48 3. Confetti 04:04 4. Leave Sonny 05:06 5. Saturn Starter Home 04:27 6. Fleet 05:57 7. Fit Fit Fit 04:16 8. Okay To Look Now 04:20 9. Cynthia 05:24 Starnes & Shah online Download individual songs here, or stream the whole thing.

From “North of Massachusetts” (Maine, to be more exact), Tiny Fires is a musical trip through a truly impressive range of influences. Featuring members of Tiger Saw, South China, Brown Bird, and a variety of other two-word-named bands, i pick up hints of The Velvet Underground, Pink Floyd, and, for some reason, My Bloody Valentine. But by no means are they come off as derivative. Even when they cover a traditional song like Sinner Man (popularized both by Nina Simone and The Wailers), they completely make it their own. Song List: 1. Wild at Heart 03:15 2. Certain Ghosts 05:02 3. Stronger Than Wedding Rings 03:40 4. Magpies 04:59 5. Sinner Man 03:36 6. Beacon 04:35 7. Dreaming Through Days 02:33 Tiny Fires on MySpace Download individual tracks here, or stream the whole thing:

For a bunch of Northerners (as far as we know), Dressing the Debutantes would be right at home on a rickety porch overlooking a swamp. With a vocal style reminiscent of John McCauley from Deer Tick, Chris Hutchison-Jones and company deliver a mix of southern-tinged ballads and boot-stomping testimonies. If these 11 songs aren’t enough for you, you can download 4 of their albums for free! Song List: 1. I Said Hey 02:10 2. Give Up, Give Out, Give In 05:30 3. All We Had Were Diamonds 03:51 4. Pennies Down the Well 04:07 5. Nashville Skyline 04:37 6. Go Away 03:03 7. Scattered by the Rain 03:27 8. We Swam Out Together 03:49 9. Nobody Knows But Me 04:05 10. Up the Coast 04:01 11. Take Up Snakes 02:39 Dressing the Debutantes online Download individual songs here, or stream the whole thing:

Here’s how to make your band hard to pigeonhole: do a cover of a Zombies song and a Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass tune. Mix it with equal parts Elvis Costello, Squeeze, and throw in a pinch or two of Pavement, perhaps a little Built to Spill, and you’ve got yourself Boston’s own The Stereo Flys. Song List: 1. Let’s All Get Carried Away 03:02 2. Holy Shit 02:43 3. She’s Not There (The Zombies) 03:57 4. The Beatless 03:59 5. Infinite Test 03:39 6. Kalifornien 03:36 7. Spanish Flea (Herb Alpert) 01:19 8. The Elevator Machine Room 06:04 The Stereo Flys on the Myspace Download individual tracks here or stream the whole thing:

We switched around our mic setup the day before The Accident That Led Me To The World came in, and what good timing it was. This may be the prettiest sounding thing we’ve ever put out, if I do say so myself. TATLMTTW call themselves a folk band, but we think that may be selling themselves short. They incorporate elements of country and rock, and seem to have the musical dexterity of a group of seasoned jazz performers. Go and see them on Wednesday, January 6th at the Middle East! Song List: 1. Better Lives 02:21 2. Distance ‘Cross the Sea 02:02 3. Trees 02:26 4. From This Dream, You’ll Awake 01:54 5. By Way of Our Own 02:28 6. Try, Try, Try 02:30 7. Caves 02:26 8. Hole of Doubt 02:34 9. Take My Life 02:08 TATLMTTW online Download individual tracks here, or listen to the whole thing:

Philly doesn’t seem to provide an overwhelming number of bands, or perhaps they’re protective of their local talent. But the ones we do hear of tend to be worth noting – Dr. Dog, The Teeth, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, to name just a few. Add to that list Drink Up Buttercup. They put on a truly engaging live show (their last gig at PA’s ended with an a capella in-the-crowd rendition of Lovers Play Dead, complete with mannequin-head-on-trash-can percussion), and have some of the most clever songs you’ll have stuck in your head for days. Observe. Song List: 1. Gods and Gentlemen 02:59 2. Lovers Play Dead 03:59 3. Doggy Head 02:51 4. Sosey and Dosey 03:50 5. Young Ladies 03:27 www.drinkupbuttercup.com Download individual tracks here, or listen to the whole thing:

Bird & Flower from Columbus Ohio is your basic three piece folk band – banjo, ukulele, harmonium, glockenspiel, keytar… Wait, keytar? Yup. Much like the occasional inclusion of an instrument you would never expect, their songs have a freshness and an honest-to-god groove that makes them a lot more than your typical folk group. They stopped in during their first visit to Boston. Song List: 1. Leaves 03:41 2. Hot Boots 01:53 3. Yr Heart 03:07 4. Arctic Sea 03:13 5. Wither 04:27 6. Jump Out of the Way 02:57 Bird and Flower online Download individual tracks here or listen to the whole thing: