The Hip2besquare 2008 Year End List Part III
Crystal Stilts – “Alight of Night”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/crystalstilts
Listen and Download “Crystal Stilts” – (Download)
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This was a late edition to my listening rotation and it’s been up high in the order ever since I picked it up a month or so ago. I love the lazy, hazy, fuzz and psychedelic tone of this album. There’s a poppyness that evokes the likes of Jesus and Mary Chain. This mix of post-punk and a psychedelic 60’s sound, a sound found from groups like the Velvet Underground, make this album a must have for those avant garde or as Slumberland, their label puts it, “avant-garage” enthusiasts.
Deerhunter – “Microcastle / Weird Era Cont”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/deerhunter
Listen and Download “Nothing Ever Happened”: (Download)
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I don’t say this enough but Deerhunter are slowly but surely becoming one of my favorite bands. Period. It all started back when they played here in Boston at the new Insitution for Contemporary Art. If you’ve never seen a show there or if you don’t know what the new building looks like, then you need to get your butt down there fast. If you don’t live in Boston, click here for slideshow of pics. Here is what the room likes like that I saw Bradford Cox and his Deerhunter cohorts play in:
The show started with the glass covered by a big red curtain. After the first fuzzed filled song was drifting to it’s death, the curtains slowly rised and the Boston harbor appeared. The show started around 7:30 and being the summer, the sun was just about setting. It was a blue sky day and it couldn’t have been more perfect. Mixed in with their heavy guitar fuzz riffs and their well crafted pop hooks, this is one of my favorites shows. Period.
This is when my love for this band definitely started to take form. “Microcastle / Weird Era Cont” has now made this love affair official.
The lead singer, Bradford Cox, is definitely different. And I’m not talking about his unfortunate disease (Marfan Syndrome). More so in how he behaves in the public eye and his sick sense of humor. If you’ve ever kept up wih his blog (http://deerhuntertheband.blogspot.com/), you know what I mean. He’s definitely got a chip on his shoulder and isn’t afraid to let that chip shine. He loves to mess with people and finds humor in creating discomfort. This is most likely due to the fact that people have been looking at him differently all his life because of something he can’t control. So his humor is a form of therapy and so is his music. This aspect of the band and their lead man reminds me of the late great Kurt Cobain.
Watch Brad and the gang working in studio over at P-Fork TV:
Department of Eagles – “In Ear Park”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/deptofeagles
Listen and Download “No One Does It Like You”: (Download)
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The eerie, creepy, dark freak-folk melodies that Grizzly Bear is so good at producing come storming out on this release from Grizzly Bear member, Dan Rossen and his partner, Fred Nicolaus. If you’re a fan of the Grizzly then you either already no about these guys or if you don’t, you should.
I didn’t start to really get into GB until after I saw them live. However, with Department of Eagles I was won over immediately. Perhaps it’s because I’ve already warmed up to GB and DoE sounds very similar but this album also has more of a pop feel with sneaky hooks that seem to appear out of thin air.
Dan and Fred have been playing music together even before Dan joined Grizzly Bear. They put out a bunch of collages back in 2003 under the DoE name called “The Cold Nose”. Now that they’ve resurrected the project, two of Dan’s bandmates from GB, Chris Bear and Chris Taylor, have joined the duo.
If the album grabbed my attention, then I can only imagine what their live show will do. And lucky for us Cantabridgians, they’re making an appearance at the Brattle Theatre on January 18th.
Apollo Sunshine – “Shall Noise Upon”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/apollosunshine
Listen and download “The Coming of the New World Government”: (Download)
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Apollo Sunshine has been making noise up here in Boston since 2001. They put out a couple albums since then (2003 and 2005). It took them three years to come out with their third, “Shall Noise Upon”, but it was worth the wait.
During those three years the band did a lot of touring. They have a strong root in the jam scene as their live shows take their sound to the next level. The threesome (Sam Cohen, Jesse Gallagher and Jeremy Black), enjoy swapping instruments while up on stage and creating enourmous amounts of sound that engulfs their audience.
Unlike some jam bands, Apollo have successfully combined their live performance to a studio release. If you’re a fan of live music, pick this one up today and keep an eye on their touring schedule, which you can do here:
http://www.apollosunshine.com/tour.html
To Be Continue (It’s not 2009 yet)…
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About Editor
Name: Luke "Kip" Owen
Location: Boston, MA
Contact: kippy[AT]hip2besquare[DOT]net
Twitter: twitter.com/kipdog
Youtube: youtube.com/kipdog
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