Is Stockholm syndrome so wrong? Prepare to be held for ransom by thick, grisly riffage and tales from the future-punk Odyssey. Connecticut’s shape-shifting aggro-prog outfit Hostage Calm have announced the drop date of their second LP, “Please Remain Calm,” which will hit the streets October 9th thanks to the fellas at Boston’s Run For Cover Records. Unhappy to settle on any one sonic definition, Hostage Calm are a slithering and regenerative Hydra of complex rock flavors with an undercurrent of East Bay punk rage, harkening equally to Pavement, Tom Petty and Rancid while remaining unfamiliar and fresh. With a grandiosity and panache rarely seen since the days of arena rawk and vinyl leggings, each track on “Please Remain Calm” reflects on the illusion of time and the absence of right and wrong – there is only creation.
Hostage Calm will be touring with Into It. Over It. on their first full tour from October 17 to 31, and then flying right back out the door in support of Streetlight Manifesto on the Always Almost Home Tour. Don’t miss them when they come through Boston and New York on November 24 and 25! Listen to the band’s debut album streaming below. – Dean Shakked
Like ever year, The Deli is going to give you the opportunity to play at one of its CMJ Music Marathon parties.
This time we have booked a bunch of shows in the Lower East Side and Brooklyn, and as usual we'll have stages for all major musical genres (see last year's schedule here). See flyer above for the list of venues booked this year.
We are looking to book 5 or more artists for these shows - last year we ended up booking more than 10 from the submissions!!!
To be considered, all you need to do is to apply here - good luck!
Ready, set, bong! Get your fuzzed-out munchies on and prepare to receive the latest rips from Connecticut beach-punk outfit High Pop who just released their second full-length record “Hip Hip Hooray” on August 2nd. Endless foamy waves of guitar crash and swirl against the pulsating and overdriven bass, creating a broken sky of shimmering reverb clouds that hang lazily like stale smoke in the back of a speeding panel van. It’s the Dead Kennedys doing their best Beach Boys impression on April 20th. If you think you can jive with this turkey then head over to their Bandcamp and pay what you will – support underground artists and labels! You may have caught them last week on a very short and sweet tour with label mates The Guru and The Hiya Dunes, but if not then keep your ears aimed to the basements and you’ll hear it when High Pop cough their way back into town. – Dean Shakked
BIG NEWS! The Deli and Rukkus.com have partnered to create a new version of our DIY show listings (this links to the NYC listings), which allow artists and show organizers to promote their shows directly on the home pages of The Deli's 12 regional blogs - and beyond, since Rukkus covers the entire US territory!
Also! For extra exposure, from now on every Deli page will also have a direct link to the local live listings on the main navigation bar!
"Where are they?" - we hear you ask.
Widget on The Deli's Homepages - look on the far right column in this page - scroll down a bit.
Live Listing Dedicated Pages - Click on the "Live Listings" link on the orange navigation bar under the Deli's logo.
Burlington, Vermont’s Myra Flynn released her first music video on June 12. The simple, black and white production is a perfect backdrop for the heart-wrenching, spare track. Its three scenes document the aftermath of a fight between two lovers with Myra literally and figuratively picking up the pieces of… the broken relationship? her broken heart? a little of both? Whichever the case may be this is a beautiful piece of cinema. Watch the video on Vimeo:
Sand Reckoner’s self-titled debut full-length release is as genre-bending as anything they’ve done to date. This three-piece, Boston-by-way-of-Pennsylvania band has been making a name for itself in the psychedelic indie underground but their debut proves that they are much more than a throwback to the late sixties and early seventies. Sure, there are healthy doses of Crazy Horse, early Pink Floyd and Blue Cheer, but there’s also an equal measure of Thurston Moore (of Sonic Youth) and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (minus their trademark irony). Each track moves deftly from one influence to another while remaining a cohesive piece of work. The record opens with the rolling, bluesy “Shooting Bullets”, their most Zeppelin-esque track, moving on to the Neil Young influenced “Morning Star”, an acoustic guitar and harmonica-centric ballad. “The Darkest Dye” could be a lost track from The Band, while “Flesh and Bones” is the bastard child of Jon Spencer and Jack White. And here we are, not quite halfway through the record. Later in the album “Terror in the Massanutten Part I” is a surf-rock, spy movie theme song custom made for driving fast with the windows down. The Thurston Moore influence makes its first appearance on “The Deserter” and sticks through the rest of the album. It is most welcome in “No One’s Veil”, a nearly seven minute trip through all manner of psychedelic influences—call and response verses, guitar noise breakdowns, Pink Floyd-ian, dreamy “woo-ooh” choruses. Many thanks to Sand Reckoner for providing the template for a modern psych revolution. Hear it for yourself at Sand Reckoner’s Bandcamp page.-George Dow
For their 6th, ONSLO drop a bite-sized bomb of post-punk, prog-rock goodness. While channeling equal parts King Crimson and Mars Volta, most of the seven tracks clock in at two minutes or less, an amazing feat given the denseness of their songs. As with all of ONLSO’s releases, it’s difficult to tell if the band is dead serious or completely filled with irony. Tracks like “Can You Beat Up A Murderer?” and “I ♥ My Golden Retriever” are delivered with bombastic, wrenching choruses. Their instrumental tracks resemble classical fanfares filtered through the mind of a 12-year old punk rocker. At the end of the day it matters little whether ONSLO are utterly sarcastic or wholly earnest since the songs they deliver are so completely original and filled with hooks. You’ll find yourself leaving this ten minute EP on repeat just to keep the goodness going.
Hip-hop artist Caliph set the stage on fire during his performance at The Middle East Downstairs on Friday, June 1. Hailing from New Bedford, MA, Caliph brings a rare combination of energy, excitement and raw talent to each of his performances, and this show was certainly no exception. While the bill for the night consisted of more than ten Boston-based artists—including one dance company—Caliph proved to everyone in attendance that the Whaling City deserves to be represented in Boston.
Caliph’s air-tight flow and super-fast rhymes were only out-shined by his on-stage antics. It was tiring just watching him as he moved about the stage. Jumping up and down, running back and forth, spinning around with arms out-stretched, it was more like watching an aerobics class than a rap show.
In addition to the killer performance by Caliph, I was impressed by the on-stage collaboration and the genuine interest that each artist showed in what the other performers were doing. I have never seen such enthusiasm and respect from one artist to another. Usually, you go to super-hip “indie” shows around the city and everyone is too concerned with themselves to pay attention to the other acts. At one point, every performer on the bill (plus several of their closest friends) was up on stage, dancing and singing along to the choruses of whoever happened to be performing at that moment in time.
Overall, this was an excellent performance and I will certainly be keeping an ear out for what Caliph will be doing next. --Daniel McMahon
There is something magical in the display and rendering of nostalgia. The Dying Fall’s LP, Driftwood, channels nostalgia from every pore and every crevasse. The album plays as a myriad of send offs: homages to lost loves, depression, childhood, teenagers. Even the overall background sound of the album sounds old. The Dying Falls create a unique, but very familiar underground sound. The title track “Youth Goes Bad,” plays like a dusty old Talking Heads album cut. Throughout Driftwood, there is a strong underground presence very similar to the kind shown in the eighties. Echoes of Sonic Youth and The Pixies are spread across this album, “Old Prisoner’s Song” in particular seems to have crawled right out of 1987.
There are several songs that feel unique simply to The Dying Falls. “The Sun Shines For Everyone (But Not For Me),” sounds wholly original. The most spontaneous and loudest track (in terms of original identity) would be the album closer “Injury.” “Injury” clicks right off the bat, and the sound that comes off this song, needs to be duplicated in later efforts by The Dying Falls. Driftwood is an album of nostalgic and underground charm.--Casey Lowrey
