Suicide Bill and the Liquors - A Little Bit … Burned?

Produced by Bill and Scott Rancourt

Engineered and Mastered by Scott Rancourt

Recorded at Summing Point

If Suicide Bill and the Liquors sounds like a very generic name for an alt country (or, if you prefer, y’alternative) rock band, that’s because the name so uccinctly nails the genre’s two main themes: depression and alcohol.

Also, with a name like that, the Providence quartet seems resigned to a fate of perpetual bar band status, an aesthetic that the Liquors wear firmly on their sleeves. The sound here is much like Still Feel Gone-era Uncle Tupelo, mimicking that seminal group’s blend of Gram Parsons style rollicking country rock with punk’s amped-up guitars and breakneck tempos. To modernize the sound a bit, the Liquors incorporate the guitar tones and riff dynamics of the average emo band, often bringing their music up to that genre’s vintage guitar duel crescendos. Bill Cole, the suicidal titular band member, writes all the songs and has a voice similar to current indie darling Rocky Votolato, though his delivery is less sugar-sweet and more endearingly shaky.

A Little Bit … Burned? is akin to a mid-period Goo Goo Dolls album in that the edges are softened to bring out the group’s poppy side and streamlined for greater commercial appeal. Indeed, “Pick Me Up” makes great use of the post-grunge alternative rock formula, alternating heavy, catchy choruses with softer, acoustic layered verses. Lyrically, the song isn’t anything to write home about (“pick me up any time/pick me when you’re mine/pick me when I shine”). Likewise, “Pretend Famous” drudges up the same tired “fame and fortune is bad” theme, while “Sad But Sweet” is sensitive guy rock at its most pandering and patronizing. The overall impression of the Liquors is that of a grassroots version of the same rock music you can find on mainstream radio, albeit far more twangy, but anyone that pens the line “Strawberry Quik/I love the way you make me sick” sticks out somewhat from the rest of the pack. (75 or Less Records)

www.suicidebillandtheliquors.com

-Anthony Saggese

Street Credit - Under the Radar

Produced by Ray Jeffrey and Street Credit

Mixed by Ray Jeffrey and Liberty & Union

Mastered by Eric Baird at Half Son of Audio

Street Credit’s Under the Radar is a 10- song reggae/ska album that delivers hardhitting tune after tune that give your car stereo some much needed sonic exercise.

The first song, “Highway,” is a perfect introduction to what this album is all about. Jon Mulshenock and Will Moehrke surrender an unforgettable guitar lick that quickly becomes imbedded in one’s brain. Bassist Bill Farrell and drummer Eric Milano supply a beefy backbeat. Every song is filled with scratchy-picked guitar sounds that add definition to the smooth bass and one-drop style drumming.

Mulshenock sings brilliantly written songs with a voice frighteningly resembling Sublime’s late Brad Nowell. The band gives a dazzling sound that clashes well with Mulshenock’s vocals. Moehrke’s solos are unforgettable and they seem to be influenced by both Stevie Ray Vaughn and Eric Clapton. Milano’s drum kit has a clear-cut noise and he certainly knows how to play the offbeats. The bass is definitely the backbone of this album and Farrell does not disappoint.

The album also has many surprises that blend well with the band. Stu Cowen offers a helping hand with trumpet on “Drama Queen” and shows his organ chops on both “Settle the Score” and “Goes Around”. Matt DiChiara of The Nice Ups supplies some funky trombone on “Settle the Score.” Cam Allen gives a great performance of lead guitar on the upbeat “My People.” The outstanding vocals by Amy Hilner teams up with Mulshenock on the self-explanatory track “Drama Queen.”

Ray Jeffrey and Liberty & Union’s engineering and mixing work definitely deserves to be mentioned. There is a full sound about the album that many other albums lack in today’s world, which could presumably be accredited to the mastering of Eric Baird of Half Son and Audio.

This is a reggae-lover’s album and there is something for everyone on this album. Street Credit’s music is definitely one to blare on a nice sunny-day driving in town, windows down. (self-released)

www.myspace.com/streetcreditmusic

-Jonathan Sencabaugh

The Daysleepers - Drowned in a Sea of Sound

Produced, mixed, and mastered by Doug White, Rain Delay Music

After the release of their airy, ultra ambient EP The Soft Attack, the Daysleepers have returned with the full length release Drowned in a Sea of Sound. Although the shoegaze genre has been around for a while, not many new bands have been able to carry the torch, with most fans reverting back to the pioneers such as Robin Guthrie.

But, as relative newcomers, the Daysleepers, formed in 2004, have created their own bridge between the genre-definintng lush reverb of bands like the Cocateau Twins and the chill-out vibe of Slowdive. On Drowned, the New York based band has tweaked their Soft Attack sound, adding a female vocalist and somewhat focusing on creating fullsounding songs. The whole point of shoegaze is really the feel – which the band has somewhat foregone in the quest for a songwriting.

Not to fear, though: songs like “Lovesparkles” and “Space Whale Migration” fully submerge faithful listeners in an ocean of spacey melodythat the Daysleepers have been cultivating for years. If you love the 1990’s shoegaze of yore, if you’re a big Robin Guthrie fan, if you don’t mind straining to listen to lyrics, this is your band. (Self-released)

www.thedaysleepers.com

-Dana Forsythe

The Rationales - The Going And The Gone

Produced by Ed Valauskas and David Mirabella at Q Division

Engineered by Joe Tooley

Mixed by Ed Valauskas and Joe Tooley

The Going And The Gone is the debut album from Boston-based quartet The Rationales. The guitar-driven album is reminiscent of Elvis Costello at his saccharine pop best. Each song is a multilayered hook-fest with carefully constructed instrumentation and vocal balance that makes it one of the better power pop albums you’ll hear this year.

“No Guarantees” is a prototypical power pop song about maneuvering through a new relationship. Everything from the subtle background vocals to the simple yet effective guitar work to the overblown keyboard-bordering-on-organ sound adds layers to the song that create an irresistible mix of swirling ear candy. Three of remaining the tracks on the album (“Far Away,” “On The Vine” and “Cliché”) follow a similar musical pattern, but The Rationales differentiate each song just enough to keep the album moving forward and the hooks interesting.

The real problem with The Going And The Gone is that the album is so short but still features two ballads. There’s nothing inherently wrong with ballads, but it seems like a curious choice for the band to bookend the album with them. “Guardrail,” the opener, is a song about looking at a picture of an ex-girlfriend and thinking back on the good times. The use of keys is atmospheric and the softly wailing guitar adds another layer to the sound, which, in this case, borders on cheese. Opening the album with this tune was a mistake.

“Ruby Colored Halo,” the song that closes the album, will grow on you. The song consists mostly of acoustic and steel guitar and doesn’t need anything else to fill out the sound. It also serves as an excellent example of the solid pop songwriting that is present in The Rationales.

Ironically, it’s also the song that strays the furthest from the sound on the rest of the album. The song works undeniably -- and the band must have known they’d written a good ballad - but it feels tacked on to raise the run time and simultaneously show their range.

But the album is solid. The sequencing could use a tweak but both “Guardrail” and “Ruby Colored Halo” have to stay on the album. Having two weaker songs on a six song album would usually kill any goodwill the rest of the songs built up, but in the case of The Going And The Gone, each track adds to the hypnotic layering and melodies the band created and nothing should be changed. (self-released)

www.myspace.com/therationales

-Brian Kraemer

Revolutionary Snake Ensemble - Forked Tounge

Produced by Ken Field, Andy Pinkham, Chris Strouth, and Brian Jacoby Recorded and mixed at Mortal Music, Charlestown, MA, by Andy Pinkham Remixed by Chris Strouth and Brian Jacoby

Mastering by Bob DeMaa

Though there is little to compare with the fun and frivolity of a live RS show – complete with feathered masks, beads, lamé (with an accent over the “e,” thank you!) shirts, etc. – the new album catches a lot of the Mardi Gras flavor the band triumphs. Ranging from the traditional (“Just A Closer Walk,” “Give Me Jesus”) to the, umm … differently spiritual (a layered take on Ornette Coleman’s “Chippie” and a horn-y cover of Billy Idol’s “White Wedding”), the album offers a diverse range of sounds all huddled together under a Second Line parasol. Speaking of covers, the album also offers a sprightly samba through “Que Sera Sera,” a buzzing brass conversation of “Little Liza Jane,” and a spare exploration of “Down by the Riverside” featuring the album’s only vocal by Gabrielle Agachiko. In addition to rearranging these traditional tunes, saxophonic front man Ken Field offers some of his own visions in such songs as the noir-like rhumba “Minor Vee” and the polyrhythmic (all too soon) closer “Under the Skin.” Though the album’s widely varied tempos may be thought to drag a bit at times, this too is New Orleans jazz. After all, respect must be paid to those who were lost before the party can begin. In this way, RSE pays more appropriate tribute to their musical inspiration and keeps its spirit alive even in a time when the memory of recent loss seem to be fading. (Cuneiform)

www.myspace.com/revolutionarysnakeensemble

-Matt Robinson

Sodafrog - Two Days From The Woods

Recorded and mixed by Tom Janovitz and Dan Cardinal

One could, if one were so inclined, wax curious as to what a “Sodafrog” is for quite some time. The top two images that spring to mind are either a cutesy amphibian advertising mascot/kid’s cartoon character and/or a particularly horrific flavor of soda. Luckily enough, the truth is far from both of these hypotheses, and this Sodafrog’s Two Days From The Woods is essentially the brainchild of one Tom Janovitz, also of The Shout Abouts.

Janovitz’s main forte seems to be songwriting and vocal performance. His voice is warm, woodsy and at times, woeful. Janovitz has the sort of voice to which you immediately want to listen. He could be telling a tale of love lost or singing about pancakes; his vocals carry each song through the figurative Woods, but do they make it?

Being a three-song initial EP release from a solo artist, some of the songs have an expected wanderlust to them, as if Janovitz realizes he is travelling on a good road but simply doesn’t know which turn to take next. Most of the truly interesting turns in each song come rather late into their run-times. The addition of ghostly reeds augment “Headed For Phase” towards the middle of the song, and it is a motif you would have enjoyed hearing much earlier. Baleful second track “When I Landed” is a not-unpleasant trip, but it takes a rather long time to go places.

The plodding and nebulous third track, “Counting Backwards” doesn’t seem to go any place. This track is sadly given an appropriate name, as it approaches an anesthetic pace of wide-open guitar and sparse vocals. The concept of space in music is a good one, but listening to “Counting Backwards” is like trying to read a book in which the printer has placed but one word per page. Tom Janovitz clearly has the wherewithal to make it to he should perhaps be ever mindful of the hour and the musical compass, and both he and his listener will find themselves in the same place. And it’s a good place. (Self-released)

www.myspace.com/sodafrog

-C.D. Di Guardia

Annie Lynch and the Beekeepers - Annie Lynch and the Beekeepers

Recorded and Mixed by Jack Gauthier at Lakewest Recording Studio

Mastered by John Mailloux at Bongo Beach Productions

Produced by Annie Lynch and the Beekeepers and Jack Gauthier

A young and earnest quartet, Annie Lynch and the Beekeepers formed at the Berklee College of Music. Combining classical instruments like the cello (Alexandra Spalding) and bass (Ken Woodward) with the folk sounds of a guitar (Annie Lynch) and banjo (Mat Davidson), they meld their disparate musical backgrounds into a sound that is somewhere between acoustic alternative and folk, with splashes of bluegrass.

Their eponymous album weaves enchanted melodies around Lynch’s simple, fluid voice and the unique instrumentation occasionally includes a clarinet, mandolin or accordion. The songs emanate a charming, melancholy familiarity while exploring the fluid area between genres, taking as much from Gillian Welch and David Rawlings as from indie pop.

A haunting strain from an accordion opens the album. Lynch experiments with lyrics; “Charlotte’s Web” tells the famous story from Fern’s perspective and “Dirty Laundry” adopts a washing metaphor for a failed relationship. Davidson plays some beautiful mandolin in “Next To Me” continuing into the next song, “Sad Boy,” giving the ballads a bluegrass feel. Spalding’s cello and Woodward’s bass give a depth and soul to the music, elevating it above simple acoustic music.

The sixth track breaks up the album, with a short clip of instrument tuning. The others join Lynch on the vocals for “Someone Else,” a slow, simple number reminiscent of Damien Rice’s work with the cello entering in the last fourth of the song. “The Orange Grove,” a short musical interlude, begins with a whistling sound that sounds vaguely like a whale call, until the other instruments join in for a very Andrew Bird inspired tune.

“The Bee Song” features a beautiful bit of clarinet, and some quaint lyrics about an insane Admiral and some buzzing bees. The album ends with “Happy Ending” which is actually soft and melancholy. Though their debut is very short, Annie Lynch and the Beekeepers’ innovative sound and obvious musical talent make this group one to watch in the future. (Self-released)

www.annielynchandthebeekeepers.com

-Priyanka Boghani

Wifflebat - Wifflebat EP

No Production Info

It’s hard not to fall in love with Brittany Asch when she begins to sing on “Black Dress,” the first song on Wifflebat’s selftitled four-song EP. She floats through the song, flirting with the guitars and goading the horn, dragging the rhythms behind her melody. Her voice is strong and determined, while the underlying keyboards build at a steady pace, all guiding her to a final release before the song abruptly ends with a screeching guitar. The EP shifts pace with the second song and introduces Zebolon Croll on “Bordello,” a gyspy-folk inspired anthem reminiscent of Beirut. Carnival accordion backs the song, while Croll powers through the verse in a deep baritone. Both vocalists have an instantly recognizable pop-sensibility to their melodies, which lends itself very well in their songs.

But as strong as the first two songs are, they’re restrained by Wifflebat’s unfortunate penchant for long-winded bridges that typically remain a few notes short of a hook. The final two songs are live cuts, and as live cuts, suffer from the typical detractors – vocals way too far up front, instruments lost in the (un)mix. Croll and Asch both helm a song, respectively, but their vocals are pushed so far out of the mix that they’re almost taken out of context. Both are strong songs, but the production is poor to the point of negating all the hooks. Unless a band is known for their live show, it’s typically a poor decision to release live tracks on a distributed release. (Self-released)

www.myspace.com/wifflebat

-Nick Curran

Twink - A Very Fine Adventure

Produced and Engineered by Twink

Mastered by Jason Dragon

The packaging on Twink’s A Very Fine Adventure allows the listener/manipulator to decide the fate of three pink bunny rabbits floating in a hot air balloon. There are songs on the album called “I Heart Rainbows,” “Dustmuffin” and, of course, “3 Bunnies in A Balloon.” Twinkling toy piano is laced throughout bleeping, phasing synths to create constantly evolving soundscapes backed by makeshift percussive explosions over steady backbeats. It’s sweeping, majestic and innocent – a complete indulgence in whimsy and a positive derivation of Jon Brion’s poptronica a la I Heart Huckabees. And all the above fancy talk is basically me trying to say that this album is cute in the best way possible.

For each installment in the adventure, Twink chooses one musical phrase and builds from there, adding jarring levels of toy instruments to form sweeping movements. The toy piano is never entirely in tune with the backing rhythms, creating an organic feel in an electric environment. The atonal clash of piano on computer turns otherwise beaming songs into something slightly deranged, like a shadow creeping at the horizon on a sunny day.

“Toadstool Tea” is a romantic gondola ride through the waterways of Venice, with bouncing accordion punctuated by irregular percussive hits before breaking into a synth-led bridge, again sounding like a track from Brion’s I Heart Huckabees soundtrack. “What the Dickens” belongs on Manitoba’s first album – strings cut between channels until a frantic, dark-city rave drum beat hits, reinventing the song while increasingly cacophonous percussion joins the fray.

Check Twink’s website for an interactive list of all the toy instruments

used on the album. It’s sickening. But goddamn, it’s cute. (Self-released)

www.twink.net

-P. Nick Curran

The Mystery Tramps - We Are the Mystery Tramps

Produced by the Mystery Tramps

Engineered and Mixed by Jeremy Page

Recorded and mixed at Cybersound Studios, Boston

Mastered by Leon Zervos at Sterling Sound, NYC

For a group with a median age of 18, the Mystery Tramps have accomplished a great deal. Not only are they currently three releases into their career, they’ve also played the Avalon, had their debut produced by Greg Hawkes of The Cars and won the WBCN Battle of the High School Bands. Most teenage garage bands only reach such heights in their imaginations. Still, listening to We Are the Mystery Tramps, it’s very apparent why the group succeeded among many of their peers.

Sonically, the Mystery Tramps are merely imitating the sound of bands on the radio; Weezer, Simple Plan, legions of emo bands and so forth. What makes them interesting is that while many groups wrote about teenage problems from adult perspectives, this Lynnfield quartet writes songs from the trenches by virtue of being actual teenagers. This isn’t to say that there’s anything profound here; “She Said” attempts to be a love song, but becomes a story of adolescent self-delusion; “Last In Line” is your standard low self-esteem angst; and “Say Good Night” is a fake tough guy anthem at its most transparent. Listening to these songs, if you get past the awkward and flowery lyricism, it’s hard not to see a bit of yourself; not as pathetic or noble as hindsight might color you, but as you actually were and how you actually thought.

Sonically, We Are the Tramps is as slick as they come, mimicking the squeaky clean, mainstream radio sound with cleanly distorted guitars, a clockwork perfect rhythm section, and overdubs galore. Where the record falls flat is in its familiarity, since these are hooks that have been used countless times before, usually in the same pop/rock context. Still, flashes of technical superiority are displayed, namely in the guitar solo on “Red Handed,” while a few songs incorporate the odd ska-influenced flourishes. (Queue Records)

www.themysterytramps.com

-Anthony Saggese

The Pathetics - Didn’t Mean To Offend You

Produced, recorded, and mixed by The Pathetics

Mastered by Laurie Flannery at The Treehouse

Engineered by Captain Insane-O | Recorded at Vinnie’s House of Sound

Hailing from Worcester, MA, the Pathetics have been a part of the Massachusetts punk rock scene since the mid 1990s, putting out a pair of albums that kept the flame of politically incorrect punk sing-a-longs burning brightly. As alcohol obsessed as Fear, as crude as the Circle Jerks and as energetic as the early Lemonheads, the group is punk rock boiled down to its core essentials: loud guitars and drums, a few axes to grind and a sense of humor. Their third and latest album, Didn’t Mean To Offend You, gladly continues this aesthetic.

Vocals are traded by guitarist Dave Strandberg and bassist Rich Lorion. Strandberg sounds like a cross between Ian MacKaye and departed Minutemen member D.Boon, exuding both a confident, goofy guy swagger and an aptitude for bile spewing rage. Lorion’s voice is a bit more nasally, but ultimately nastier and more obnoxious, not dissimilar to the drunken brattishness of David Johansson. Musically, the group sticks to the usual hardcore chord sequences and tempos with little variation, though a few musical left turns do exist. The stalker love song “Crazy Over You” is a bonafide power pop song, complete with the warm, jangly guitars of early R.E.M., while the Kiss-loving “Rock The Shit Out Of It” has a distinctly ‘70s rock feel. The more standard punk songs, at the very least, give new takes on the genre’s classic themes; “Porno Picnic Basket” is a love song in the gleefully mischievous tradition of The Buzzcocks’ “Orgasm Addict” and “Murder At The Meathouse” pays homage to slaughter flicks in the same way as The Ramones.

Production-wise, Didn’t Mean To Offend You has the very same lo-fi values as many of the early ‘80s records that inspired it, though one suspects that this sound was dictated by monetary factors and not by the choice to adulate their idols. Some might label the recordings here as being “bargain basement” quality, but for the genre of choice and the band’s straightforward demeanor, the stripped down and no frills approach fits the music as well as any other. (Angry Monkey Records)

www.myspace.com/thepathetics3

-Anthony Saggese

Sharks Come Cruisin’ - Four Years Before The Mast

Recorded and mixed by Raymond Jeffrey at Liberty and Union Recording, Taunton, MA

Mastered by Eric Baird at Half Son of Audio

“Cape Cod boys don’t got no sleds/ They slide down hills on codfish heads,” declare the lyrics of “Cape Cod Girls,” the opening track of the gleefully quirky Four Years Before the Mast. Silly, seaworthy verses are par for this record’s course, along with a punch-drunk mix of punk, ska and sea shanties (one might be tempted to call it “pirate rock”). It seems the band has taken the saying “That’s so crazy it just might work” to heart — and, shiver me timbers, it has.

There’s an obvious comparison to be made between Sharks and Flogging Molly: both boast Irish-tinged styles that make generous use of fiddle. But Flogging Molly doesn’t sing about mermaids, nor does its music call to mind pirates swigging rum in Boston Harbor. Sharks has a style all its own, using fiddle, accordion, banjo and more conventional rock instruments to create a uniquely layered sound.

“Four Years” tells of sailors on shore leave in New England, relating a deliciously debauched story that lends the album direction. “The Mermaid,” for example, describes an encounter with a mythical creature as it trades bracing punk styling for traditional Irish airs. Its rhythms are jolly, its riffs foot-stomping, and one pictures a drunken crowd toasting with a liquor of choice then joining in for the chorus. The liner notes credit “everyone who shows up and sings along” as part of the vocal cast, but it’s hard to really understand what that means until you hear the rowdy, beer-swilling voices lifted in song.

“All For Me Grog” and “Fathom the Bowl” are slap-happy drinking songs, merrily name-checking alcohol of all kinds and offering brassy banjos and fiddle as backing for the spirited masses, who sing as if they’re swinging from the masts of a brig tucked behind the John Hancock tower. “Bully in the Alley” has strong rock flavor, but the presence of a shimmering accordion reminds the listener whose album this is. And closing track “Santy Anno” is a soulful ballad about leaving the shore whose single moment of poor sound quality actually helps the song’s climax become an affecting goodbye to land and to the record itself.

“Cape Cod Girls,” finishes with “Heave away, my bully bully boys, because we’re bound for Australia.” Whether the ship makes it to Australia or not, “Four Years” takes listeners somewhere they’ve never been before. (75 or less records)

www.sharkscomecruisin.com

-Alissa Greenberg

Switchblade Suicide - Switchblade Suicide EP

Recorded by Pete Degraaf

Mixed by Roger Lavallee at Tremolo Lounge

It’s nice to find new rock bands that draw heavily from the old. Switchblade Suicide’s new self-titled EP promotes some of the classic metal founders as they would sound today. The band has taken some great influences (try to imagine Black Sabbath’s sound with the vocals of Twisted Sister and the live rock quality of AC/DC) and modernized them in their sound. Heavy, refreshing, old-school rock distortion similar to Judas Priest or Motley Crue’s guitars are heard throughout the album. It’s always good to hear real singing (as opposed to screaming) in modern rock, plus the harmonies are decent, tight and fitting. The voices, harmonies, and vox effects all sound natural, not forced, and like they were meant to be there. Everything blends in naturally, in a hard rock kind of way. If Motorhead vocalist Lemmy Kilmister could sing without a hardcore British accent, this is what he would sound like. The percussion section, however, could use a little more everything; it’s simple and sparse and basically a metronome on a drum set. The bass generally follows the guitar part in rhythm and pitch and tries not to do anything imaginative like fills. Although sometimes that’s just what rock is, as simple as a kick to the head, nothing fancy, and the tunes are as catchy as they are hard rocking. Unfortunately, the overall effect carries a certain degree of rock pretentiousness. The “we’re too cool for you” attitude prevails in the album’s concept. The track “Rock ’n’ Roll” falls short of its own namesake. The only band who can pull off a song called “Rock ‘n’ Roll” is Led Zeppelin, and to play such a song without a hint of blues or 1950s rock is almost blasphemy. Another unfortunate effect is caused by the shortness of the album (c’mon guys, only three songs? really?). Perhaps Switchblade Suicide is trying to hard to sound like the genre it claims to be. The EP is enjoyable, however, due to it’s refreshing new take on classic metal. Switchblade Suicide is the poster child for the modern interpretation of rock, right down to the attitude. (Self-released)

www.myspace.com/myswitchbladesuicide

-Sean Mahan