Midnight Werewolf | Heartbreaking Bravery

May 13, 2016

Lady Bones – Terse (EP Review)

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Editor’s Note: There’s been a month-long gap in coverage, thanks to near-incessant travel and other extenuating circumstances. The following run of posts that contain this note will be posts that should have appeared sometime within the past several weeks. Use these posts as an opportunity to catch up to the present release cycle or to simply discover some new music. Either way, enjoy.

A lot of words have been printed on this site that focus on Lady Bones and a large reason for that attention can be attributed to the band’s continuing improvement. Even from the onset, the band was releasing music that stood out (and it stood out for all the right reasons). Throughout the past few years, they’ve grown more assured in their own identity and have sharpened their dynamics considerably.

By committing more fiercely to their menacing aggression and penchant for discordant noise while retaining their more melodic sensibilities, they’ve carved out a space for themselves in a scene that’s overflowing with tremendous acts (a handful of which share many of the trio’s tastes in composition and approach). Terse, Lady Bones’ latest EP, is their strongest effort by a noticeable margin.

The EP’s opening two tracks, “Weight” and “Ice Cream“, have already been granted write-ups on this site and set a very high bar for the EP’s ensuing trio of tracks. “Horror”, “Age”, and “Don’t Call Me Sassy” all live up to that formidable challenge. A few of them even manage to surprise with a few of their choices with “Horror”, especially, demonstrating the band’s growth as a unit. By the time the frenetic attack of “Don’t Call Me Sassy” fades into the ether, Terse stands confidently as not just one of the band’s proudest moments but as one of the most formidable releases of the first half of 2016.

Listen to Terse below and pick the cassette up from Midnight Werewolf here.

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May 12, 2016

Lady Bones – Ice Cream (Stream)

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Lady Bones have had a fascinating trajectory. Following through a sensible progression that saw them drawing closer to a sound that their Boston-area contemporaries have all but defined, they’ve managed to carve out their own niche imprint on the varying hallmarks that make up that branch of sludge/grunge-leaning post-punk. “Ice Cream” (and all of Terse, really) is exhilarating proof.

In its opening seconds, “Ice Cream” seems like it could bloom into a sunny powerpop number and there is a strong pop bent to the ensuing proceedings but they’re all mired in the kind of relentless darkness that encourages far more bruising sensibilities. Before long, the trio’s conjuring up an awe-inspiring storm of noises that keep “Ice Cream” hurtling toward its finale. Wisely, the band opts out of a wildly climactic moment and allows the song to vanish into its own smoke, creating an air of intrigue that effectively teases the record that houses “Ice Cream”.

Those final seconds, despite their quiet nature, speak volumes of how much Lady Bones has grown as a band. Never before have they sounded as in control or as confident as they do on “Ice Cream”, which easily registers as one of the finest songs of an impressive discography. It’s a powerful number and it goes a long way in demonstrating Lady Bones’ future is one that never ceases to look increasingly promising.

Listen to “Ice Cream” below and pre-order Terse here.

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April 11, 2016

Lady Bones – Weight (Stream)

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Continuing on with the impressive slate of notable songs that have come out since the start of April, the focus falls — as it has so many times on this site in the past — on Lady Bones. Before turning the attention towards their outstanding “Weight”, it’s worth casting a look over at great new songs from Lost Boy ?, Melkbelly, Pumarosa, Henry Chadwick, Ali Beletic, Honey Radar, Stone Cold Fox, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, FIR, and Keroscene. While those 10 songs were all more than worthwhile, it was Lady Bones’ “Weight” to snag this post’s feature spot.

Last year’s excellent Dying saw the trio continuing to hone their own take on the grunge-meets-post-punk-filtered-through-noise-punk-trappings sound that has become a calling card for many Boston-area bands. Dying saw the band continue to scale back some of the more pop-leaning aspects that populated their split with Horsehands, to considerable effect. “Weight”, once again, finds the band diminishing their more pop-skewing sensibilities in favor of something much more aggressive. Again, it’s a move that pays dividends for the band.

Now, to be abundantly clear, the band hasn’t sacrificed their keen melodic sense, they’ve just inverted it into something that comes across in a much more emphatic manner. On “Weight” they continue to go for their listener’s throats, conjuring up a bruising number that benefits from their murky tones, never quite becoming a sludge song but playing with some of the genre’s more interesting aesthetics. They’ve settled into a confident rhythm and have found what works most effectively for their songwriting and “Weight” is exhilarating proof.

Listen to “Weight” below and pre-order Terse from Midnight Werewolf here.

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June 18, 2015

Painted Zeros – Live at Alphaville – 6/17/15 (Pictorial Review, Live Video)

Another night, another absolutely stacked bill of site favorites. Last night, the always-reliable Exploding in Sound presented a smaller show at Alphaville, boasting a strong four-band line-up. Doubting Thomas Cruise Control, Lady Bones, Snoozer, and Painted Zeros (a band that includes a member of a recently-covered act) all played themselves into a sweat, with each seemingly determined to push the venues capacity for volume.

Doubting Thomas Cruise Control played first and their set proved to be a strong introduction to the band’s relatively subdued but occasionally explosive basement pop. With this being an Exploding in Sound presentation, the band’s frenetic songwriting approach was expected and a recurring theme throughout the night. Lady Bones, who have earned a lot of words from this site, responded with an exhilarating (and punishingly loud) set that continued to tip Dying towards a viable status as a year-end candidate.

After all of the smoke had cleared from Lady Bones’ set, Snoozer was up and tearing through everything with a charisma that was almost maniacal. As their set continued at a sprint, the complementary aspects of their pairing with Lady Bones were clearly evidenced in both their musical quirks and affinity for in-the-red volume. Easing the lineup’s sense of tension, they also delivered some deft, well-timed banter.

By the time Painted Zeros took the stage, the small (but appreciative) crowd had noticeably grown in size and they were rewarded with a memorable set from one of Brooklyn’s finest emerging acts. Leaning heavily on last year’s excellent Svalbard (an EP that very neIarly made it into this site’s list of last year’s 14 best and included “Too Drunk”, a song that came similarly close to making its way into the top songs list), the trio delivered their set with the kind of confidence usually found in a band that’s threatening “breakout act” status. If they keep delivering on the level they are, it’s a status they’re bound to achieve sooner than later.

Photos of the show can be seen below and a video (or two) of each band can be found in the player embedded beneath the photographs.

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May 26, 2015

Lady Bones – 24 Hour Party Girl (Stream)

Now that the site’s caught up to the current release cycle on all fronts, their may not be as much material in the ensuing posts as some of the more recent entries. Even with that note, it’s extremely clear that 2015’s not going to bother to slow down its astonishing pace in regards to great new releases. While not a lot of publications or bands offered up new material over what seemed to be a slightly extended Labor Day weekend, there were still a few slivers of gold. The music video format found strong representation by way of Mick Jenkins’ stunning “P’s & Q’s” and Skating Polly’s delightfully whirlwind “Nothing More Than A Body“. Single streams saw another compelling duo ushered forth in Terrible Feelings’ new noir-tinged basement pop classic “Black Water” and Drowse’s slowly-unfurling, dread-induced “Melt“.

Full streams were in much larger supply, with no less than six outstanding titles vying for greater attention. Soul Low hit a new career with the surging, shambolic Sweet Pea EP, reaffirming their potential in the process. La Lenguas proved that “Love You All The Time” was no fluke by padding it out with two more stunners on their debut EP, Tears In My Milkshake. Rightfully-vaunted punk label Dirt Cult found another strong release in Blank Pages’ urgent No Reception EP while Heyrocco got their career off to an extraordinarily promising start with the powerful Teenage Movie Soundtrack. Both Communions and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin exceeded heightened expectations with The High Country and Communions, respectively, to bring everything home.

All of those songs, records, and music videos- as always- are worthy of praise and greater scrutiny. It’s Lady Bones’ latest, though, that earns this post’s featured spot. The band recently began teasing their upcoming Dying with a song, “Botch“, that suggested a bold atmospheric shift. Now, “24 Hour Party Girl” has arrived to confirm the band’s new era. Lady Bones had initially caught this site’s attention by virtue of an incredible split release with Horsehands. Any of the band’s more vibrantly bright tendencies evidenced in that first release have all but vanished, replaced instead with the dour relentlessness that drives bands like their labelmates (and site favorites) Kal Marks.

“24 Hour Party Girl”, like “Botch” starts murky and intent, working itself into a contained furor that seems as if its on the verge of toppling everything over at any given moment. Incredibly dynamic, restless, and unnervingly foreboding, the song’s unavoidable proof of the band’s sudden ascension to an unthinkable level. Coming in 15 seconds shy of five minutes, it hits its fiercest moments in its closing passage, erupting into a bruising, cathartic release. The guitar sings while the rhythm section punishes, bringing everything to an unexpectedly explosive finish, leaving nothing but smoke in its wake. Two songs in and Dying is already looking like a surprise candidate for Album of the Year.

Listen to “24 Hour Party Girl” below and pre-order Dying in advance of its June 3o release date from Midnight Werewolf here.

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May 15, 2015

Lady Bones – Botch (Stream)

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Lady Bones have had this site’s attention ever since sending over a copy of their split with Horsehands last year, and while that release presented Lady Bones as a band with enormous potential, it still would have been hard to predict the direction they take for their latest single, “Botch”. Before diving into their bold stylistic revision, there’s quite a bit of material to catch up on that came out this week. Both this post and the ensuing post will have a handful of songs and full streams that will be featured and, as ever, all of them will be worth hearing. For the sake of time, they’ll all be listed with no other context given than that they’re exceptional pieces of art that deserve attention. Full streams: Toner’s self-titled, Needle Exchange’s Is This My Program?, Really Big Pinecone’s Embrace the Boss, Vexx’s Give and Take, The Barbazons’ Avec Plaisir, Nicolas Jaar’s Nymphs II, Diamond Youth’s Nothing Matters, Liza Anne’s Two, and Young Jesus’ Grow/Decompose (which will likely be making a few more appearances on here as time drags on). Songs: Sorority Noise’s “Art School Wannabe“, Expert Alterations’ “Midnight Letters“, Deaf Wish’s “Eyes Closed“, Anna B Savage’s “III“, Bad Meds’ “Hoax Apocalypse“, Vundabar’s “Chop“, and Ratboys’ “Tixis“. Seek all of them out; they’re linked here for a reason. “Botch” is also the featured song for a reason: it’s a monumental step forward for one of today’s more compelling bands.

Eschewing any semblance of sunnier sensibilities to take a plunge into a realm that sees them shoulder to shoulder with Kal Marks and Pile at their darkest, Lady Bones seem to have tapped into something that many bands have attempted (and failed) to capture. Embracing bleak, Gothic-tinged post-punk to an unprecedented degree, Lady Bones sound completely rejuvenated. It takes them less than sixty seconds to establish this sea change before exploding out into an impassioned furor. For three and half minutes the band provides a masterclass in refined dynamics (with an emphasis on tension) and engage in a total rebirth. There’s an unbridled passion that runs deep in “Botch” that seems set to tie over to the band’s upcoming full-length, the provocatively titled Dying. As a standalone single, “Botch” has enough punch to brand the name Lady Bones into the memory of just about anyone who crosses its path- but where the mystery kicks in is how it fits into the larger puzzle. If all of Dying can sustain this level of grim determination and near-feral energy, then Lady Bones may have a bona fide album of the year contender on their hands. With a battering ram of a track like “Botch”, it’s only a matter of time before they start turning some heads.

Listen to “Botch” below and pre-order Dying ahead of its June 3o release date from Midnight Werewolf here.

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November 12, 2014

Kal Marks – It Was A Very Hard Year (Stream)

Now that all of the great music videos and full streams from the first part of this week are accounted for, it’s time to turn the lens to the handful of single songs that managed to stand out. JOYA crafted a punchy tune that wielded an 80’s new wave punk influence masterfully with “Regale“, The Velveteens unveiled a beautiful indie pop slow-burner titled “Loneliness“, and California X came out swinging with career highlight “Nights In The Dark“- which will also serve as the title for their forthcoming record. My Drunken Haze gave life to the oddly hypnotic “Yellow Balloon“, Step-Panther gave a guided heist tour in their curiously dynamic “Nowhere“, and School ’94 revealed their gorgeous 80’s-indebted ballad “Like You“. Despite all of those songs being worthy of their own write-ups, it’s hard to just glaze past something as powerful as Kal Marks‘ “It Was A Very Hard Year”.

One of 2013’s strongest records was Kal Marks’ sprawling, gloom-infused post-punk masterpiece Life Is Murder, Now, only a year later, they’re preparing to release what will be one of this year’s best EP’s- Just A Lonely Fart. All of the implicit dread that informed Life Is Murder is still incredibly present in Just A Lonely Fart, which was previously teased with lead-off track “Zimmerman“. While “Zimmerman” dealt in political explosives with sharp social commentary, “It Was A Very Hard Year” pulls the reins back and delves into something equally terrifying; what it means to be human. Both songs (and their inspirations) were touched on in the interview that accompanied the song’s premiere, lending a greater insight to the thought processes driving Just A Lonely Fart. Empathy plays a heavy factor and manages to punctuate the incredibly tense “It Was A Very Hard Year” in surprisingly engaging and intriguingly subtle ways. It’s a brilliant closer that builds itself into a hurricane before settling into a quiet oblivion, successfully casting Just A Lonely Fart as one of 2014’s most striking releases. Don’t make the mistake of letting this one fall to the wayside.

Listen to “It Was A Very Hard Year” below and pre-order Just A Lonely Fart from Kal Marks’ bandcamp.

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