Today's Hotness: Soccer Mom, Young Adults, Gabriel Saloman, Los Roys

>> For quite a few years we sided with Tom Petty, believing that the waiting was the hardest part. What we learned in the interim is that that feeling sort of subsides once you're an adult and a lot of life's waiting is behind you. Now we feel firmly ensconced in the Johnny Foreigner school of thought, which believes the hardest part is letting go. We were met yesterday with an opportunity to remember that, as news made its way to us that beloved Boston noise-pop goliath Soccer Mom was pulling the plug on its operation after just a couple more live shows. The context here is that The Mom will play as part of the bill for static-blasting scenemates Young Adults' final show Oct. 12. News of Young Adults' dissolution surfaced this spring, and we have steeled ourselves to the idea of living in a post-YA world, so the sting of the noisy power trio's demise has long since ebbed. But Soccer Mom's formal announcement today was certainly a surprise to many. The foursome -- founded by guitarist and singer Dan Parlin about five years ago -- rose slowly and steadily up from the Boston underground on the back of a couple singles and an EP, all of which we wrote about in these electronic pages, and with the release of its fiery self-titled full-length this past spring [review here, stream it via the embed below], it was as if the band had finally, finally arrived. Now after its show Oct. 12 and an as-yet-unannounced final show, The Mom is gone. If there is some consolation, it is that we're already hearing rumblings about new music projects coming from certain of the members of Soccer Mom, and there is similar news about new music coming from Young Adults fronter Chris Villon, and we look forward to bringing you more information about those things at the appropriate time. In the meantime, Young Adults intends to issue to the wilds of the Internets tomorrow two previously unreleased tunes "Old Kids" and "Void," and we can tell you that both of them rage against the dying of the light and are sure to inspire fist-banging mania among the band's adherents. Chances are if you keep an eye on the Young Adults Facebook page tomorrow you'll see the announcement, but you may also want to open a browser tab for this link and this link, too, just to make sure you've got an eye on things. Young Adults' final salvo into the proverbial breech will occur, as mentioned supra, Oct. 12 at Great Scott in Boston; in addition to Soccer Mom, California X and Earthquake Party! will also perform, making the show a wall-to-wall slayfest. All the details are at this Facebook event page. Now get some rest, you.



>> As the autumn leaves begin to turn and ultimately fall to the streets below, the bare trees will in turn make way for winter's eerie, late-night silences that seem to exist simply for fragile, emotional drone music. Overly sentimental, perhaps, but this reviewer will certainly be adding all 34 minutes of "The Disciplined Body" by Gabriel Saloman to his queue of introspective, ambient jams. Mr. Saloman, who operates out of Vancouver and may or may not be better know for his work with noise-duo Yellow Swans, has turned his attention of late to pleasing piano drones and swooping electronic zones for his latest, two-track release Movement Building Vol.1. The set that apparently collects recent work composed by Saloman to accompany a dance performance by fellow Vancouver-ite Daisy Karen Thompson called "Re-Marks on Source Material." Movement Building Vol.1 will be released by Shelter Press Oct. 18. An preview excerpt titled, for some reason, after the record and not the song, offers up a glimpse into Salomon's sonic world. The composition commences with glowing, quavering bass pulses, then slowly unravels. The front end of the excerpt at first sounds synthetic and vaguely electronic, but gradually gives way to a spacious instrumental section that captures the introspective, clenched emotions of the most chilly, starry evening. After two minutes, the overbearing bass steps aside and an impossibly reverberated guitar drapes a wandering, bottom-string motif over a kick drum that mimics a heartbeat -- an arresting move that gives the glacial track a queerly vital immediacy. And that's just a single excerpt! Stream "Movement Building Vol.1 (Excerpt)" as well as a second excerpt via the Soundcloud embeds below. These relatively quick flashes of the larger whole of "The Disciplined Body" makes purchasing the stark, 500-edition vinyl that much more tempting. Buy it from Shelter Press right here. -- Edward Charlton





>> Remember Bozmo? We covered the Berkeley, Calif.-based outfit now and then, noting its awesome, wide-eyed '60s-inspired psychedelia. The act's sound is never too derivative, coming across more as homage than rote reproduction. More recently we turned on to the apparently affiliated California act Los Roys, whose latest self-released digital EP Hag Season seems to be further evidence that there must be something -- something murky and mod-garage -- in the obviously-only-proverbial Northern California water nowadays. Over the course of six tracks, Hag Season grounds itself in bright acoustic strumming while layered harmonies, snappy snare work and clean lead guitar flesh things out. The overall effect is not too far from some of the fractured pieces by White Fence, whose latest single on Famous Class comes highly recommended. Outside of the eponymous opening instrumental and similar closing track, Los Roys' EP offers up four perfectly realized pop songs that showcase humorous crooning and carefree lyrics in equal measure. "One Thing At A Time" strikes this listener as a sarcastic ode to dealing with life's many problems. "Honey Bear" not only revisits the very Lewis Carroll-esque whimsy that dominated much of the British freakbeat and psychedelic scenes from 1966-1968, but further adds to the tongue-in-cheek fun that Los Roys capture so well (Case in point: The dejected "fuck" that begins "Twisted"). Speaking of "Twisted," it's the best song of the bunch -- all fuzzy vocals and funny warbling and cackling that leads right into an odd, lounge-y electric guitar riff. For those who regard the slack, cut-up posturing and atonalism of the Pebbles, Vol.3: The Acid Gallery compilation as the pinnacle of boomer-generation creativity, Los Roys could not be any more appealing. They speak the truth, man! Stream Hag Season via the Bandcamp embed below, and click through to download it for any price. -- Edward Charlton

Carsick Cars, Young Adults, Ladybones, White + | Middle East Up | 2 April

You look like you're just back-and-forth to China all the time. No? Not regularly shelling out $1,200 to hop astride an Air Canada jet for 17 hours en route to Beijing via Toronto for long weekends of rock and roll music? No? Well, even if that were the case, the place to be Wednesday night this week is Cambridge, MA, as Chinese indie rock titans Carsick Cars will perform an extremely rare area show at the Middle East. The act is supporting its tremendous, Sonic Boom- and Hamish Kilgour-produced new full-length 3, which wields infinite jangle and profound motorik vibrations in equal, visceral measure. The rich, technicolor set was released by Maybe Mars at the end of February, and we've embedded a stream of same below, but a warning: 3 will take hold of you. Hotly tipped, trend-shaping "China Wave" trio Carsick Cars rocks from atop a bill that also includes local noise pop heroes Young Adults, Ladybones, and the Carsick Cars side project White +. Wednesday night, China comes to you, and you'd be foolhardy to miss such an opportunity. Foolhardy, madam.

Doubly foolhardy, we'd say, because not only is China's biggest indie rock act performing, but the rumor is that this show will be one of the last two played EVER by Boston noise-punks Young Adults. We don't know what is behind the purported demise of the band, but we do know that fans of the static blasters will kick themselves for not seizing on one of the final opportunities to witness Young Adults arcing toward its distinct and lofty aural nirvana. Last we heard from YA, the trio had recorded a short set of tracks at the recently installed Converse Rubber Tracks jawn late last year. We're very hopeful that music sees the light of day before the band checks out. For now, all of the threesome's music is now available for free at their Bandcamp yert right here, and we've taken the liberty of embedding the face-scraping EP Born In '91 below. Under that you will find streams of tunes from the other acts on the bill, which we certainly recommend to your attention. Full details regarding Wednesday's show are discernible via this Facebook event page, and as of press time it appears there are still tickets available, which is sort of insane if you think about it, but maybe you weren't thinking about it, which is one reason why we thought we'd best think about it for you. Now go get 'em, tiger.

That Was The Show That Was | Grooms with Young Adults, Chandeliers, Vegans | Great Scott | 9 Oct.

[PHOTOS: Quinn Banford, special to Clicky Clicky] It's fun to witness the give-and-take between the two preposterously fertile music scenes of Allston and Brooklyn. Grooms, a notable dream-pop trio based in the latter, have played the former a fair amount on bills spangled with local luminaries. Wednesday night at the venerable Great Scott was no different. There the Brooklyn combo bowed a national tour intended to promote its shit-hot new record, Infinity Caller, slotted third in a bill top-lined by Boston-bred heavyweights Young Adults. The mysteriously small crowd that materialized early were treated to opening sets from Vegans and Chandeliers.

Grooms wasted no time hitting their stride, and pumping out should-be hit after should-be hit at a remarkable rate. Fronter Travis Johnson joked from the stage about ingesting great speed just prior to the quartet's set, and, yes, Heisenberg, it was blue. Too soon, indeed. Grooms opened with "Lion Name," much to our delight, and thereafter continued to bring the proverbial and literal noise. Perhaps they were feeding off the energy they knew Young Adults would bring later, or maybe they were extra stoked to be launching the tour, but whatever the reason these dudes really rocked the fuck out. On record Grooms exhibits substantial restraint, but on Wednesday its music was chaotic, explosive and enshrouded in distortion. All of this made the live presentation of new album-highlight "I Think Were Alone Now" even more awesome.

We missed openers Vegans, but did arrive in time for Chandeliers, whose too-brief time on stage was light on banter and heavy on electrifying, math-y rock. Maybe a little *too* heavy at first, as fronter Dan Coulson ripped straight through a string during the trio's very first number. Chris Villon from YA was quick to supply a loaner, however, and the rest of the set went off with nary a hitch. An interesting aspect of Chandeliers' live sound is the treatment that clothes Mr. Coulson's vocals. The sound is distorted and makes his voice sound as if it is coming through a payphone, adding a singular dimension to the oft-busy arrangements.

Young Adults, as is their usual practice, decisively ended the evening with an eardrum-eviscerating performance. It's no secret, of course, that they are very loud -- like "ears ringing for the next business week" loud. But fans know the threesome's shuddering racket isn't simply noise for noise's sake, however: anthemic jams reside breathe from beneath the sludge. The band played tunes from its Born In '91 EP as well as plenty of old jams. Despite battling some serious sniffles, the aforementioned Mr. Villon and his merry men were reliably intense, and blared punk-gaze stompers well into early Thursday morning. -- Dillon Riley

Young Adults, Grooms, Ovlov and Soccer Mom | Great Scott, Boston | 11 July



We snuck a sideways reference to Ovlov into our Speedy Ortiz review last week -- despite the trio not hailing from Massachusetts, which was sort of the point we were making -- as sort of a last-ditch effort to make a timely mention of the rising Connecticut grunge-pop goliath. The act released its full-length debut Am a week ago, but our plate had been too full to really give the LP the attention it deserved. By Saturday, however, Ovlov had been added to this Thursday's upcoming white-hot Grooms/Young Adults/Soccer Mom bill, and voila! A new news peg was born. Ovlov itself is by no means new, as its Bandcamp bastion offers a couple EPs and a single, the earliest of which arrived in 2009. However, Am has significantly raised the profile of the act, presently a threesome of brothers Steve, Theo and Jon Hartlett (as the youngest of three boys, this writer can only imagine the fisticuffs that occur in the van). Theirs is a refreshing and thrilling collection of songs, one surprisingly nimble given the degree of sludge tossed up across the stereo field. It's the kind of record that we expect you'll see compared a fair amount to Dinosaur Jr.'s classic You're Living All Over Me, and we're willing to submit that, goddamn, that's not too far off. It is big melodies and a precise rhythm section that move Am relentlessly forward, and we think that once you latch on to the Soundcloud stream embedded below, you'll find it hard to stop listening. We direct your attention to the opener "Grapes," as it touts the tunefulness of Swedish pop geniuses The Wannadies and the raw power of Glaswegian noise-pop titans Projekt A-ko. Another of the many highlights of Am is the slack strummer "Where's My Dini?", which is one of several tracks that features vocals from Speedy Ortiz fronter Sadie Dupuis. Exploding In Sound Records released Am July 2, and it is on offer as a limited edition 12" vinyl LP (purportedly pressed to "piss yellow" and "swamp green" media) and digital download. You can purchase one or both via Ovlov's aforementioned Bandcamp page right here.

Of course, Thursday night is about much more than just Ovlov, as Clicky Clicky stalwarts Young Adults and Soccer Mom are also slated to perform, and the evening is top-lined by the New York band every band seems to want to be playing with these days, Grooms. All of the above happens at Great Scott in Allston, and as of this writing tickets are still available. While we were at the beach last month Young Adults issued a pretty sweet video for its tune "Spectre" that is well worth your eyeballs, check that out right here. As for Soccer Mom, the band is allegedly in the midst of recording for a future release, and we're hopeful that there may even be new music to hear from the band before the year is out (a man can dream, can't he?). Anyway, go to Great Scott Thursday, make that your way of taking a stand against The Man, at least this week. It's the big, big show in Boston Thursday, and all the dizzles are at this Facebook event pizzle.

Show Us Yours #17: Golden Gurls

[PHOTOS: P. McCracken] We keep in close contact with Golden Gurls fronter Andrew Mabry because the dude is funny, smart and opinionated. Also, his band is great. You might recall Clicky Clicky's wide-ranging interview with Mr. Mabry that we posted on the eve of Golden Gurls' first Boston show last September. And that we were pretty excited to see the trio's debut full-length Typo Magic get picked up for a limited edition release in the U.K. earlier this year. The gals (awww Mabry's gonna hate that...), who we're gonna go ahead and call Baltimore's best guitar band, have been hard at work on a second record and are hodge-podging together some late summer tour dates with Sooyoung Park's new project Bored Spies, so we thought it was high time to get the band back on the record to give some accounting of how they've been spending their time. We proposed to Mabry that perhaps he'd care to submit to our recently resuscitated interrogations about practice spaces, Show Us Yours. Mabry graciously agreed, and below he shows us around his rock dojo and surrounding environs, and offers more details about how the rest of the band's year is shaping up. Let's jump in, shall we?

Clicky Clicky: So why do you use this space, or how did it come to pass that this was the one that you settled on? Or maybe this space is a catch, and people think it's too cool for you?

Andrew Mabry: When we started this band, I was already using the current space for another band I had called Left Channels, it's actually just my basement. For some reason my neighbors don't seem to be affected by our noise; then again, I soundproofed most of it to the point of it just being a loud hum you can hear sometimes. I also live on a block were about five other bands practice, and most of them are a lot more to take in than we are, be it dirge or metal or Sunday gospel jammers going on for four or five hours straight, I think the people around are just used to it always happening.

CC: Is there an idiosyncrasy or quirk of the space that has affected one of your songs, or even your overall sound?

AM: On our demos we definitely used the quirks of this space. I recorded vocals in the bathroom in the basement which has awesome '50s style wallpaper -- you can get lost in that wallpaper for real. The ceilings [in the basement] aren't very high, so you have to record the drums mic'd really close, etc., it makes for some strange home recordings. The entire space is also wood paneling, remember that stuff? I always had a love/hate relationship with paneling. We wind up having to use a lot of early '60s recording techniques on demos in order to catch everything we're trying to catch, [because of] guitars get lost and the bass getting farty, but the drums come out crystal clear, almost decent recording quality.

CC: You walk into your space. What's the first thing that you smell? Why won't that smell go away?

AM: I suppose you smell musty air and stale beer. We drink a lot of beer at practice. Our drummer never finishes his beers, it seems he likes to make the clean-up difficult. The best is when they get super moldy like science projects. I love that. Also there seems to be a constant smell of drummer, drummers know what that smell is, it's a weird smell that never goes away. It's sort of like a soda stain on concrete or a spirit haunting one room in your house.

CC: I thought Typo Magic was amazing. A bunch of our favorite Boston indie rock-type friends thought it was amazing. You might have even thought it was OK. And yet -- like the majority of great indie rock bands -- you are not swimming in money and cars and whatever it is that people swim in these days in music videos. So I guess my questions are these: first, how do you define success for the band? And, second, what keeps that fire burning in you to keep writing songs and playing music despite the fact that Brooke Shields and Elizabeth Taylor never want to hang out and you don't have a pet monkey?

AM: Hahaha, well this is a seriously difficult question to answer: how does one define success in a band context? I look at bands like Speedy Ortiz, they are out there killing it everyday and working hard towards a goal, what it is I am not entirely sure, to me they are successful. Are we successful? I have no idea, I am just glad our stuff got out there and people are listening to it. The modern musical economy and the self-serving nature of youth culture really destroys all of the concepts of success -- from a musical business standpoint -- I had growing up. I think of bands like Fugazi and what they did in the '80s and '90s, no band in the modern era will ever be able to pull that off again.

At the same time it's apparent the measuring stick for all of that has had to change. What that is now is subject to a lot of debate, a few friends of mine and I argue this over and over again on my porch drinking beer all of the time, yet we always come out to a stalemate on it. Some people believe selling records is what matters, others will tell you it's getting people to listen to you at all... which is apparently a thing nowadays. I like to think back to the era when a record label was enough, like Matador or even Caroline Records, you would see they had something new out and just feel compelled to give it a listen at home, hence a purchase was made, because the Internet wasn't full of torrents and all of that stuff yet.

With Typo Magic I have tended to err on the latter side of the argument between record sales and just people listening, we just wanted to get it out there, financial compensation was never something we pondered. If we had a monkey that would be killer, I am guessing it would make it difficult for us to write new songs, though. My wife is more of a mini-pig fan, she wants us to buy one of those pretty badly which could become a solid band mascot with some training, I'd say. For what it's worth, I feel like Boston bands have the best scene period, and all of the bands whom we've ever interacted with there are amazing people. Infinity Girl, Speedy Ortiz, Soccer Mom, Young Adults, Boom Said Thunder, and Pile, just to mention a few, have been nothing but supportive and are all great people. As for Elizabeth Taylor, we often eat dinner under a picture of her at the corner bar by my house...

CC: You've got an album in the works -- what can you tell us about that? Damnably did a limited release of Typo Magic for England -- will they be involved with the next record? Do you plan to tour to support it? What do the next six months look like for the band?

We do have an album in the works, it's about 80% completed, all recorded at Magpie Cage studios (J. Robbins of Jawbox's studio) here in Baltimore, starting about about 3 months ago. I am not sure if Damnably will be involved with our next record's initial release, it very well may be the same scenario as with Typo Magic, we put that out ourselves and we will likely put out the 2nd album as well. We've been looking for a label in the States, but as of yet, nothing has really come to light. I can tell you this though, George at Damnably is one of the coolest people on the planet and he has done more for us in a few months than I think we were capable of doing ourselves in a full year. We plan to tour in support of the 2nd record assuredly, we are going on tour with Bored Spies in late August, well, it's in the works currently, as you and I have bantered about at great length. I think the next six months will see the release of a couple 7 inches and a 12 inch by us, we're mulling over what we'd like to do with our 2nd record a lot more in depth than the 1st record. I guess that's the difference between going into record for the 1st time haphazardly and taking the time to write the material for a 2nd release, as of the moment this will be 35 minutes long and more in depth, sonically speaking, than Typo Magic.

We thank Andrew and the gang for playing along for Show Us Yours #17, and encourage you to stream their excellent 2012 record Typo Magic via the fancy new Bandcamp embed below. For a complete gallery of Golden Gurls photos shot for this feature, hit this link.

Golden Gurls: Facebook | Bandcamp



Previous Show Us Yours episodes:
Shapes And Sizes | Dirty On Purpose | Relay | Mobius Band | Frightened Rabbit | Assembly Now | Meneguar | Okay Paddy | Charmparticles | Calories | Sun Airway | It Hugs Back | Lubec | A Giant Dog | Bent Shapes | Krill

Young Adults, Departures, Chandeliers, Ovlov | Great Scott | 11 June

Now and again you've just got to center yourself and focus in on the face-melting tao of Young Adults. Fortunately it's just a matter of hours until you can do that again, as the Massachusetts-spanning post-punk heroes will topline a blistering bill at Great Scott in Boston that also features Winnipeg-based static blasters Departures, Connecticut grunge-pop messiahs Ovlov and the dark jangle and shake of Allston's Chandeliers. We're presently in the thrall of Departures' melodic, uneasy chord crusher "Being There," which we've embedded below. The tune, from the quintet's 2012 debut long-player Still And Moving Lines, touts dense curtains of distorted guitar and bass that work hard to try to choke out the vocal of fronter and guitarist Nicholas Liang. The aural wash is equal parts melody and power, and taken in tandem with the bashing rhythm section it gives "Being There" a bracing sense of urgency. We're excited about this band, and as they are on a bill with Clicky Clicky faves YA and Chandeliers, and Ovlov has been killing it of late on the strength of its single "Nu Punk" (from the three brothers' forthcoming full-length debut Am), seeing this show Tuesday night seems like a thing that you should do. Not to be pushy about it. Again, find a place where you can focus, and think, "do I really like rock and roll music?" We think the answer is yes. Finally, we've been curious about the goings on in the Young Adults camp, as there was a reference to a video having been made in April, and yet we have seen no video. We'll put our best people on sorting that out. In the meantime, full details concerning the show are at this Facebook event page. We've tossed a few more stream below, including Ovlov's thrilling bum-out "Blue Baby," Young Adults' blazing "College Rock" and Chandeliers' dynamic gem "Temperance."

Young Adults, Suicide Dolls, Earthquake Party, Soccer Mom | TT The Bear's Place, Cambridge | 21 Feb.

Stand up and be counted, for what you are about to receive. Gadzooks. It's gigs like this that make us wish we had our own gig rating system. But what would be the top rating? Would it be something empirically awesome like AC/DC's cannon blasts, which would sit atop a range of discrete things each less empirically awesome than the last? Or would it be an award of a number of the same empirically awesome thing, like one Van Halen flaming gong is worst but 10 Van Halen flaming gongs is the best? Clearly, we have a lot of thinking to do. But whatever that hottest rating would be, tomorrow night's show at TT The Bear's Place would absolutely warrant it. Don't let that innocent little flyer above with the candy hearts fool you: these bands are going to blow your face clean off your head, in the nicest way possible. First up are Clicky Clicky faves Soccer Mom, whose dense guitar assault and desperately delivered tunes make the quartet one of the most compelling bands in Boston. Earthquake Party and its convulsive, over-fizzed indie pop follow, and are in turn followed by Connecticut stoner-punk heroes The Suicide Dolls. Top-lining the bill and closing out the night are the Allston-spawned, reverb-eating indie punk titans Young Adults, who will be celebrating (and vending to willing purchasers) their stellar Born In '91 EP (which we wrote about here last week). In sum, this is an evening of rockutainment from which you may never recover. Ear plugs will likely not be enough; you may want to consider ear plugs as well as some sparring headgear to protect your dome whilst you headbang your life away. This will happen. You can thank us later. Now how about some songs?

Today's Hotness: Young Adults, Bozmo, Silkworm

>> Boston-spawned indie-punk titans Young Adults at long last today made an enhanced version of its electrifying Born In '91 cassingle available as a five-song digital download and (limited edition) CD. The original version of Born In '91 was issued last summer as a cassette sold at the trio's live shows, but the 2013 version is not just easier for the non-tape-obsessed to use. It also touts some newly recorded guitar tracks on the title track and the opener "Context," as well as a "more chaotic-sounding mix courtesy of Justin Pizzoferrato," Young Adults guitarist Chris Villon told Clicky Clicky earlier this week. "The cassette versions are like 'lite' versions of these!" The new-and-improved Born In '91 EP was to have been made available via Bandcamp Feb. 14, but the set was already online as of this morning and you can stream the entire thing via the embed below. The balance of the EP program consists of additional tunes "Spectre," "College Rock" and "Stasis;" fans will recall the cassingle contained only "Born In '91," "Context" and Young Adults' blistering cover of Ride's "Decay," which originally appeared on Clicky Clicky's Nofuckingwhere compilation released in May 2012 [download the comp here]. Young Adults will sell the limited edition CD version of Born In '91 at three shows lined up for the final weekend of February (the CD version comes packaged in a slim DVD case with lyrics and art). The first of these shows is a headline slot Thursday the 21st on an epic TT The Bear's bill that includes Connecticut legends Suicide Dolls, the very hotly tipped Earthquake Party and the mighty Soccer Mom. Dig the Facebook event page for that show right here. Young Adults' previously issued full-length, Black Hole, was released by Prague-based AmDiscs in 2010.



>> We've got the typical love-hate relationship with music PR types, but there have certainly been situations where we've been downright grateful for the right pitch at the right time. For example, we had no idea that Barry Black was Eric Bachmann of Archers Of Loaf until somebody (probably the guy from Alias) got us on the phone and made us pull the disc from the mountain of submissions clogging the college radio music director's office in 1995. Similarly, and more recently, we would not have turned onto the jangly, Kinks-styled brilliance of formerly local (but now Berkeley, Calif.-based) garage rock heroes Bozmo were it not for an unexpected email from a Boston PR concern (we think it was from Sippy Cup Everything). Around the time of the exchange, Bozmo -- the vehicle of mastermind Bo Moore -- had just put out its wonderful long-player Hosanna In The Highest [at Bandcamp here], and after spending an entire evening streaming it over and over off Bandcamp we plunked down for the vinyl, and have been a satisfied customer ever since. Now Bozmo is back with an intoxicating single featuring the overdriven stomper "B A Tree" on the A-side. The tune touts a thunderous call-and-response verse that layers even-more-crushing guitar over crushing guitar, while organ struggles to get atop the mix to join the clattering snare beat and terrific vocals and harmonies. The flip is the more subdued "Lakehouse," a song laced with buoyant 12-string leads that spiral off mild clouds of psychedelia and prop up a gentler, more wistful, but no less affecting vocal. "Lakehouse" apparently also features playing from the aforementioned Earthquake Party's drummer Josh "J-Raff" Carrasco. Taken in sum, "B A Tree" b/w "Lakehouse" is our favorite single of the year to date, and it is available to download from Bandcamp for free/paywhutyalike, so get yourself on that immediamente. Allston Pudding premiered the video for "B A Tree" earlier this month; check it out right here.

>> To the extent that there was a cat and a bag, and the cat was in the bag, well, now that cat is out of the bag. What? We're talking about Comedy Minus One Records finally coming out and saying what its social media tidbits have been suggesting for a while now: that the label is preparing a deluxe reissue of Silkworm's towering work of genius, the 1993 LP Libertine. The release, to come later this year, will apparently be made manifest in various packagings including a double LP, and there will be various tiers of pre-order delights on offer. Comedy Minus One aims to include among these a download of live versions of the songs from the LP, but the label has come up short in its hunt for recordings of "The Cigarette Lighters" and "Oh How We Laughed." so, if you have recordings of these songs, Comedy Minus One wants to hear from you. Click the hyperlink above or shoot an email to Clicky Clicky Executive Editor Jay and he can put you in touch. For those of you who don't know, Libertine is a startlingly beautiful record that features classic, unfuckwithable Silkworm jams including "Wild In My Days," "Couldn't You Wait?," "Grotto Of Miracles," "Cotton Girl" and "There Is A Party Tonight In Warsaw." Fans of the band should also be made aware of the pending release of the apparently exhaustive documentary Couldn't You Wait? The Story Of Silkworm, which we believe is being released as a download this month. Full details, as well as scads of excellent video clips, teasers and outtakes, can be found at the documentary's Facebook page right here.

Review: Guillermo Sexo | Bring Down Your Arms EP

[UPDATED] Boston psych-pop veterans Guillermo Sexo Wednesday (yes, Wednesday) release a short set of new material that crackles with vitality, the three-song Bring Down Your Arms EP. The collection is a harbinger of the quartet's forthcoming fifth full-length, which is titled Dark Spring and will (appropriately) be released later this spring. The first two tracks of the EP, the strummer "All Whispers" and the more mysterious "Echo Out My Call," were initially intended for a double A-side digital single, but fortunately for fans the band decided more is in fact more and created the EP. The patiently intensifying dynamic of "All Whispers" definitively indicates Guillermo Sexo is operating at the top of its game not only from a songwriting perspective, but also while working in the studio. The song steadily ratchets up the tension, so there is a robust contrast between the easy bounce of the first verse and the thundering, final chorus. After a remarkable, wiry solo from guitarist Reuben Bettsak deliciously slips around the beat, singer Noell Dorsey shouts "I wanna let you know;" her shout lights the fuse for the brief explosion of distorted guitar and ebbing feedback that closes out the number (and which also reminds us that Justin Pizzoferrato, who has pushed buttons and ridden faders for the significantly loud Dinosaur Jr., as well as Thurston Moore, Young Adults, Speedy Ortiz, engineered the sessions that produced Bring Down Your Arms and Dark Spring).

"Echo Out My Call" touts spine-tingling verses spread across expanses of bashed quarter notes. Its chorus' memorable melody and pleasantly scritchy guitars strike a pleasantly jarring contrast with the bright guitar melody that begins the title track, which closes out the EP. "Bring Down Your Arms," which we were privileged to debut during New Music Night 7 last September, pairs a pretty, cascading guitar melody with an entrancing, meditative chorus to create one of the quartet's best songs to date. We expect fans will be able to order Bring Down Your Arms via Bandcamp sometime in the next 36 hours, and we will update this item with an embed of the EP and a buy link as soon as they are available. There is, of course, plenty other Guillermo Sexo to be had, not the least of which is the band's previous long-player Secret Wild, released in July 2011 [review here]. Guillermo Sexo also contributed last year the lead track to Clicky Clicky's Nofuckingwhere compilation, the details of which are right here; while we're waiting for the EP to appear online, why not stream the foursome's cover of Ride's "Seagull" via the embed below? UPDATE: the EP is live, stream it below and buy it here.



Guillermo Sexo: Bandcamp | Facebook

Infinity Girl with Young Adults, Naomi Punk and Soccer Mom | TT The Bear's | 30 Aug.

Just look at that bill. Just look at it [here's the Facebook event page]. Leaving aside that this may in fact be the final time Boston fans will be able to see scene pillars Young Adults perform live (reason enough to see this for sure), the value proposition of this bill is astronomically high. Allow us to run it down. First, upstart shoegaze geniuses Infinity Girl will log what may be its, we don't know, maybe tenth show ever? It certainly can't be more than 10, but the quartet's meteoric rise has been astonishing; as we've written elsewhere, the band formed less than a year ago and has already issued the incredibly solid debut long-player Stop Being On My Side [review]. Noisier scenemates Soccer Mom and its jugular-crushing sonic assault are gripping every time they take the stage. The band is still writing and planning a new record, but it aleady has scads of excellent new material present in its live set that you need to see, including the jam with the hardcore breakdown we loved when it was aired at last month's WFNX Funeral Party show. Ambient punk heroes Young Adults, sadly, are going on hiatus after its current commitments are exhausted this fall. But as we said above, let's not even trade on that issue here. Instead, let's just remind everyone: This is the band that put out Black Hole in 2010, the album that gave us (well, officially, as opposed to the very well-received demo) "Rip It Up," "Let Us Out," "Wasting Time," "Impression" and so many other awesome tunes. And what of this band Naomi Punk, hailing from Olympia, WA? Based on a stream of their LP The Feeling over at Bandcamp, the act purveys a reverbed, pounding and cassette-primitive indie rock that would certainly seem a comfortable fit for Olympia's storied label K Records.

So whaddaya say? We'll see you Thursday. Advanced tickets advised, you don't want to get shut out of this and spend the night crying into your slice of Hi-Fi across the street. Well, do ya punk?

Tiger Mountain With Future Carnivores, Young Adults, DJs Infinite Jeff, Bric-A-Brac and Victrola | Radio | 13 July

We use so often the phrase "make the scene" that we forget it has a literal meaning. But something about the optimism of this recent, excellent article in The Boston Phoenix about the burgeoning local music environment has us appreciating more than ever the people that quite literally make the scene happen. There's exciting stuff happening just about every night in Boston, certainly more than we can keep up with. Take for example the Tiger Mountain dance party, which this Friday presents its first of hopefully many evenings at Radio in Somerville after a three prior events held in Cambridge. On Friday three DJs will deliver dance beats, and their sets will be separated by appearances from two luminaries of the Boston music scene, forward-thinking avant-pop collective Future Carnivores and ambient punk heroes Young Adults.

Readers will recall we lauded the long-awaited debut full-length from Future Carnivores here in March. The very exciting news is the act has a second long-player about 95% complete, it just needs to be mixed, and a video for one of the tracks directed by the band's own Reuben Bettsak is slated for release later this summer. More exciting still is that the band is allowing us to offer a demo of the forthcoming track "Drugs," which is embedded below. The song touts Future Carnivores' characteristic balance of crisp beats and billowing, New Romantic vocals, and steadily builds up from a bed of acoustic guitar into a pillow of winds crafted from looped guitars, cracking snare beats and bright synth lines.

Friday's appearance by local favorites Young Adults has taken on a sense of urgency in the wake of news that fronter Chris Villon plans to leave Boston later this summer and the band isn't saying (and may not be sure) what will happen beyond three planned shows, another contemplated show, and a five-song EP that is ready to be mixed. Still, Young Adults have survived change before and we are optimistic that we have not yet heard the last of any of these dudes. But you had better get your ass to Radio Friday just in case, right? Right? Young Adults contributed a rattling version of Ride's "Decay" to Clicky Clicky's NOFUCKINGWHERE compilation that we released in May. You can download the whole comp here, but as a special treat, below is an embed of "Decay." So, let's review: Friday night, Tiger Mountain, Radio in Somerville, wear comfortable shoes, bring earplugs and perhaps your spare liver. See you there.

Autochrome Record Release Show With Young Adults, Soccer Mom and Night Fruit | TT The Bear's, Cambridge | 30 March

This show has been steadily approaching for months like a bullet train through the chunnel, a glaring white light relentlessly speeding at us, closer and closer and you get the picture. Act for act, song for song, this is easily the best live bill you will see in Boston this spring, and it would seem Autochrome, which celebrates the release of its full-length debut Friday night, has used the same precision in selecting the support slots that serves it so well in crafting its alluring blend of Chameleons UK's brand of '80s darkwave and modern, antiseptic production sensibilities. So not only will Autochrome officially unveil the collection Separation Realms, but also the evening will feel sets from the creme de la creme of Boston indie rock: the ambient punk heroics of Young Adults, the brutal, shuddering beauty of Soccer Mom and the fetching dream pop of Night Fruit. Any one of these acts could anchor a sweet night of music in our little town, and the fact that all four of them appear here at once suggests the evening will be completely Chiquita (sans the paying terrorists for protection from terrorists. We think).

For Autochrome this big, big show will be the product of a carefully architected wave of buzz that began with the release of the digital promo track "100 Series" a month ago and an appearance at the modern dance night The Pill. Then last week the band gave a dominating performance on WMBR's Pipeline! live music program, which you can download right here. Last night Autochrome graced the airwaves of WZBC with another live set. Clearly the groundwork has been carefully laid, and we expect the only people more excited about the show Friday than Clicky Clicky and some other local bloggahz we've spoken with are the members of Autochrome themselves. Here's the Facebook event page for the evening in question. Now come on: feel the noise.

Young Adults, BDRM Eyes, Chandeliers and The Living City | The Box Fort, Allston Rock City | Jan. 28

While you weren't looking, this coming Saturday night has become totally bonkers, as Clicky Clicky faves are playing out all over the map. There's Night Fruit at the Cambridge YWCA, Guillermo Sexo at the Middle East, and Grass Is Green at O'Brien's Pub as part of Berfest, just to name a few. Hot shows all, but we don't think you'll get more bang for your tango anywhere else other than at the stellar show arranged by the lads in rising noise-pop concern Chandeliers. The trio will perform Saturday night at the Box Fort house in Allston as part of a cataclysmic bill featuring ambient punk heroes Young Adults, rising starrgazers BDRM Eyes and potent emo newcomers The Living City. The show is said to be kicking off early, as early as 8PM, so an enterprising show-goer could potentially make the house party scene on the early and still have time to head to one of those aforementioned venues to see action from those aforementioned acts. We'll be doing a little preview of the big, big show tomorrow night at River Gods, where we plan to include new songs from Chandeliers, BDRM Eyes and The Living City in our DJ sets as part of New Music Night (we as yet don't have any new material to showcase from Young Adults). The Facebook Event page for New Music Night has all the details, check it out.

Chandeliers has just released to the wilds of the Interzizzles a two-song sampler of new jams, "Age Sex Location" and "First Base (At The Model)," which you can stream via the Bandcamp embed below. The first track is an uptempo, dark and stormy rocker that will be familiar to fans. "First Base (At The Model)" is another bracing tune, this one sounds like a nightmare version of Buffalo Tom's "Mountains Of Your Head." Which, of course, means you need to hear it right now. Check the streams below.

Today's Hotness: Mike Quinn, Arc In Round, Young Adults

>> Mike Quinn was smoking with the boys upstairs when he heard about the whole affair. And then he recorded a warped version of Steely Dan's "My Old School," which seems like a nice way to kick off 2012 here at Ye Olde Blogge. Mr. Quinn's version shuffles slowly, drunkenly, a bit like the title track to Arcade Fire's The Suburbs, slack-key guitar briefly trading spaces with Richardsian licks. It's highly enjoyable. We last heard from Quinn in July, when he issued the charming solo set Magico, which we wrote about right here. Earlier in the current century Quinn captained erstwhile Scranton, PA-based indie rock champions Okay Paddy. That band's 2006 set The Cactus Has A Point [review here] was one of our favorite records of 2006. Around the time Okay Paddy hung up its gloves for the last time, Quinn moved on to the more trad-leaning folk/vaudeville/bluegrass concern ...And The Moneynotes, which put out a couple nifty, sometimes wacky, releases including New Cornucopia!, which we reviewed here in late 2008. Will 2012 bring yet more Steely Dan covers? We shall see.

My Old School [Steely Dan] by Magico

>> Delaware Water Gap, PA-based label La Société Expéditionnaire has signed Philadelphia-based progressive pop quartet Arc In Round; the label (which last year put out the excellent self-titled set by SOARS) expects to issue the band's eponymously titled debut full-length this year. Those anxiously rifling through their records right now are likely grasping for this piece of information: while Arc In Round will technically be the foursome's full-length debut, its precursor entity Relay did in fact issue a long-player of its own, Still Point Of Turning, on Bubble Core in early 2006. Arc In Round self-released two EPs in 2011, Diagonal Fields and II. The new record features guest turns from Kurt Vile and Pattern Is Movement's Chris Ward and will be packaged with oodles of remixes concocted by the likes of A Sunny Day in Glasgow, Ape School, Benoit Pioulard and Lymbyc Systym. That is the dictionary definition of not too shabby, and we eagerly await this one. While you wait, why not chew on this video of Arc In Round covering Can's "Oh Yeah." Yeah?

>> Boston-based ambient punk dynamos Young Adults are promising a new EP sometime in 2012, according to this tweet. The short set would be the trio's first new material since its break-out full-length Black Hole, which was issued in late 2010 on Prague-based Amdiscs (buy! buy! buy!). In the interim the band has changed bass players and played some of the most electrifying live sets to hit Boston stages. Young Adults' next move is hotly anticipated, and, if history can be any guide, the contemplated EP will be a scorchah, dood. Catch the band this Saturday at Gay Gardens with Bambara, Ovlov and Guilty Party. Facebook Event page here. For now, burn your face off one more time with this one, "Wasting Time."

That Was The Show That Was: Guillermo Sexo Record Release Show with Soccermom, Night Fruit and Young Adults

Guillermo Sexo graciously engineered a dream bill of local acts for its record release show last night at Precinct in Somerville, but the crowd was certainly at its densest for the main event when the Boston-based quartet commenced its set after midnight. Being feted was the band's fourth full-length Secret Wild, an entrancing nine-song set that crackles with energy while charting middle ground between heavy atmospheric shoegaze (put on your good headphones and listen to the album closer "Industry" embedded below several times and see if it doesn't somehow change you) and Led Zeppelin-styled English folk ("Secret Wild"). Guillermo Sexo played a number of songs from the new collection, and highlights of their set included a chilling run through album opener "Color The Noise" and its bashing choruses, and a crushing iteration of the searing shouter "Green Eyes." It was our first time seeing Guillermo Sexo, but we look forward to seeing them a lot more. We first wrote about the band right here a year ago.

As we stated supra, the undercard last night was not one to write off; we'd pay full fare to see just one of these acts, so the fact that we were able to see all four last night was not only convenient, but also approached thrilling. Young Adults' bracing set of reverbed punk fist-bangers was delivered with reliable vim, and we'd be lying if we weren't totally psyched to hear once more our favorite YA jam "Wasting Time." Providing middle support were Cantabrigians Night Fruit. The bass guitar-less trio -- named by the Phoenix in January as one of Boston's best new acts for 2011 -- impressed with songs that recalled Polvo and even late great midwest stargazers (terrible iffy pun) Hum. In a live setting Night Fruit comes across grittier and tougher than the music on their Triangles EP, which was released a year ago. Clicky Clicky favorites Soccermom delivered a triumphant set of bending, suprematist guitar anthems and stop-start bludgeoning which included two songs we'd not yet heard tentatively titled "Four Deep In The Left" and "Thoughts & Prayers." Which sadly means fans will have to wait to possess these tunes until there is a release following the band's long-awaited 10" You Are Not Going To Heaven, which will be available in early October, and is already listed at Amazon. Soccermom plays a release show for You Are Not Going To Heaven at TT The Bear's Place Sept. 23, and tickets are already on sale here.



Guillermo Sexo: Facebook | Bandcamp | YouTube
Young Adults: Facebook | Bandcamp | YouTube
Night Fruit: Facebook | Bandcamp | YouTube
Soccermom: Internets | Facebook | MP3s

Guillermo Sexo Record Release Show With Soccermom, Young Adults | Precinct, Somerville | 16 July

So we know earlier in the summer, we were all like "the Ringo Deathstarr/Young Adults show is the show of the summer," or some such. Which may turn out being true. But what if it becomes a close call? What if the Guillermo Sexo record release show next weekend turns out to be seriously off the chizz-nain? After all, the new Guillermo Sexo record Secret Wild is wonderful [review forthcoming]. And also Clicky Clicky faves Soccermom AND Young Adults are also on the bill. And both of those acts are seriously at the top of their game right now. Young Adults played "Wasting Time" during their headline slot for the Deathstarr gig [review here] and the entire crowd hollered along, the room started to get that heat ripple look that you see when you stare across asphalt parking lots on a boiling-hot summer day. It was amazing. And Soccermom's headline set for the Get Help record release show at the end of May was a jaw-dropper [review]. What we're saying is all the ingredients are in place. Next Saturday is going to be bonkers. This isn't just about you buying us beers. This is bigger. This is about awesome indie rock in Boston. Be there.

Young Adults - Wasting Time by Tympanogram

That Was The Show That Was: Ringo Deathstarr with Young Adults | Great Scott | 2 July

Oh man, we wanted so badly to believe, and our faith was totally affirmed and rewarded. After missing two prior area appearances by the mighty Ringo Deathstarr, we were finally witness to the chaos and awe-inducing moments for which the trio's live shows are known. Certain small details go great lengths to convey the fury of the spectacle, and here's one: about two-thirds of the way through the Deathstarr's soon-to-be legendary set, co-fronter Elliot Frazier opted to forego crowd surfing, and instead -- after a couple deft adjustments to his army of guitar pedals -- carelessly threw his guitar into the crowd. It traveled perhaps a half-dozen people deep into the frothing mass, and then returned to the stage as if delivered by a persistent wave.

Thankfully the performance wasn't as deafening as we'd heard they could be, but it was still gloriously loud, and breathlessly paced. When the Austin-based shoegaze titans took to the stage it asked that the lights go down and the monitors go up, and from the first strum of the guitars it was on. The set included catalog cuts like "Sweet Girl," "Some Kind Of Sad" and "Down On You" from the band's debut EP, both cuts from the In Love single, and highlights from the long-awaited full-length Colour Trip, including "Imagine Hearts," "So High," "Two Girls" and "Kaleidoscope." That latter track is one of our favorites of the year, and the live rendering was terrific. Ringo Deathstarr delivered on every front, the power, the attitude, the songs, the showmanship. We believe. We totally fucking believe.

Not to be outdone, local noise-pop heroes Young Adults turned in an efficient, bracing headline set of non-stop anthems. With recently ensconced bass player Danny O'Neill seamlessly holding down the low end and backing vocals, the band was at the top its storied game. The appreciative crowd -- which appeared to think after the destruction laid by the Deathstarr, but returned in full-force once guitarist Chris Villon stepped to the microphone -- was treated to thrilling versions of Young Adults should-be-hits including an overwhelmingly brilliant iteration of "Wasting Time" and "Bummer Summer," which Mr. Villon stated was not going to get played live much longer. The band's full set list is below, and we can not wait to see them again in two weeks' time as part of the bill for the big, big Guillermo Sexo record release show, which bill also features the transcendent locals Soccermom. That show is July 16 at Precinct in Somerville, per the listing in the Clicky Clicky Club Picks in the right-hand sidebar. Here's the full Young Adults set list:

"Rip It Up"
"Let Us Out"
"Impression"
"Stasis" (new)
"Life Under Review"
"Bummer Summer"
"Wasting Time"
"Drifting"

Ringo Deathstarr: Internerds | Facebook | YouTube | Soundcloud
Young Adults: Internerds | Facebook | YouTube | Soundcloud

Through The Kaleidoscope: An Interview With Ringo Deathstarr's Elliot Frazier

Clicky Clicky has worshipped at the altar of Ringo Deathstarr since we were turned onto the band by the Spoilt Victorian Child blog and record label in early 2007. The Texas-based shoegaze titans (back then we think HQ was Beaumont, but these days it's Austin) made a formidable first impression with beautiful, delicate demos and squalling guitar anthems, and -- as we note below -- singer and guitarist Elliot Frazier has consistently delivered on the promise of those early recordings. The band's performances are riotous, the Deathstarr's "fuck it" attitude is refreshing, and we couldn't be more excited for the trio's show this Saturday at Great Scott in Boston, Mass. Although Twitpic currently places Ringo Deathstarr at Steve Albini's Electrical Audio studio, and the band is in the midst of an ambitious U.S. tour, we were able to convince Mr. Frazier to sit still long enough to type up responses to a couple rounds of questions, which we present below. The Deathstarr has local support for Saturday's show from Young Adults, making the night a no-brainer. Check out the interview below, then come on out for the filth and the fury. We reviewed Ringo Deathstarr's hotly anticipated debut full-length Colour Trip right here in May.

CC Ever since the time I first became aware of Ringo Deathstarr in February 2007, the band's aesthetic has remained fairly consistent. Even accounting for the more articulated, dancey rhythms of the recent singles and the full-length, Ringo Deathstarr's vision hasn't drastically changed over the last four years. Frankly, as a guy who has had his share of disappointments with bands changing their sounds too drastically (say, Rocketship's transformation from twee-gaze dynamo to the more electronic/dance oriented stuff), we are extremely grateful you've stayed the course. Is consistency something you consciously consider as a songwriter?

EF Yes, we feel your pain. We don't want to change our methods for playing music, i.e. gradually get softer or less guitar-oriented. But, we don't want to do the same record twice. Our sound will evolve, but I don't think we will stop playing fuzzed-out songs with poppy melodies any time soon.

CC Is there still some musical perfection you're trying to attain? Have you ever written a song and said, "well, it's never gonna get better than that one."

EF No, I've never thought that. I do think we can't get our next record to sound any more like Loveless, for example. We don't want to either. So, we will just try and have a different vibe, maybe more energy or whatever.

CC Will the band ever record a studio version of "Your Town?" Do you guys ever play it live?

EF There is a studio version on Sparkler, which is coming out on vinyl next month. We have played it a few times.

CC I think I read Sparkler is getting issued in England now?

EF Yeah, [it's] gonna be on vinyl. Why should Japan be the only place with that album?

CC As far as I can recall, your first release was via a small U.K. label. And the footage of the Japanese shows in particular suggests that Ringo Deathstarr is far bigger in Japan than the U.S. From your perspective, does it seem like non-U.S. audiences "get" Ringo Deathstarr more than domestic fans? If so, can you think of anything to attribute that to? The disparity perplexes me.

EF Yeah, I suppose the other countries get it more, probably because they are smaller... the same thing has been true for many bands in the past.

CC Have you (or anyone in the band) ever had your heart broken by a band that just changed too much, all at once?

EF Death Cab For Cutie, Green Day, Interpol...

CC You work at American Apparel. Alex's Tumblr (I'm not a stalker, I swear) gives me the sense that she is more about fashion than you are. Is the gig at American Apparel just a job, or do you have any greater interest in fashion at all?

EF We are into fashion for sure. I used to aspire to be a fashion photographer, but I didn't move to NYC or LA right after high school so it didn't work out. I like used clothing stores the best. American Apparel is just a job though. I receive and send shipments.

CC Given that interest in fashion photography, it seems odd that Ringo Deathstarr is, shall we say, under-merchandised? I think I've only ever seen one Ringo Deathstarr t-shirt design, and that was recently on Facebook. I don't even know if you actually sold it. And we read things and talk to bands all the time talking about merch being a high-margin, potentially formidable revenue stream for a touring act. Is there something distasteful you find about merchandising Ringo Deathstarr, or is it just a matter of limited resources?

EF We have been making our own shirts since the beginning of this year. but it takes a lot of time and money to make the amount that we need. Time is the biggest resource that we lack.

CC How did you get away with playing a dozen shows at South By Southwest this year? I am surprised promoters in Austin don't come back to you with a little, "well, you guys are here all the time...."

EF SXSW is just its own entity, so it doesn't affect the promoters at all. We try not to play too much in Austin, we did Chaos In Tejas recently in May, and won't play there again 'til July 16th. SXSW is more about playing to as many people as possible, since there's a lot that are from out of town.

CC Do you already have songs for a new record? Will there be new Ringo Deathstarr music in stores before the year is out?

EF Yeah we have some songs. I can't say either way if it will be released before year's end. Probably a single or something.

CC Ummmm. Weren't you a quartet for a while?

EF The band has been a 3-piece, a 4-piece, a 3-piece again, a 4-piece again, now back to three.

CC You collect VHS tapes. Your house is on fire -- which cassettes get stuffed in your pants as you flee the inferno?

EF "Kids," "Encino man," and "Goodfellas."

CC Really? A Pauley Shore movie is in your top 3? Or are you more of a Brendan Fraser fan?

EF If you're edged cuz I'm weezing off your grindage, just chill. Cuz if I had the whole Brady Bunch thing happenin' at my pad, I'd go grind over there. So don't tax my gig so hardcore, cruster.

CC You got it.

Ringo Deathstarr's "Imagine Hearts"

Young Adults with Ringo Deathstarr | Great Scott, Boston | July 2

We don't know how to make this more plain: next Saturday night's show at Boston's Great Scott with Austin-based shoegaze assassins Ringo Deathstarr and local ambient punk heroes Young Adults may very well be the show of the summer. By our count it is The Deathstarr's third area gig, although coincidentally (or not?) we've been violently ill for the trio's past two Boston dates and therefore we have yet to see their brand of deafening chaos live. We'll have an interview with Ringo Deathstarr online later this week and will offer more exposition about them then. Saturday will also be the first time we've seen Young Adults, again due to a series of unfortunate circumstances. Bostonians with their ear to the ground can breathe a sigh of relief: while founding Young Adults bassist Demitri Swan has left the band, Chris and Kurt Villon have recruited a successor and plan to continue Young Adults' remarkable rise out of the basements of Allston-Brighton and into the regional and even international consciousness. Tickets are allegedly still available for the show; don't be stupid. Prague-based Amdiscs is still selling Young Adults' debut full-length Black Hole as an LP or digital download right here.

Young Adults' "Let Us Out"

Footage: Young Adults' "Let Us Out"

Potty-mouthed ambient punk wunderkinds Young Adults' first official (to our knowledge) video, frankly, is too beautiful to really be their video. But seemingly like everything else the band has churned out in its very brief life span, somehow the result matches the trio's ambitions and (likely) exceeds every one else's expectations. Young Adults would like to be seen by you in the passive voice when the act headlines an SXSW show March 18 at the Easy Tiger Patio. The set time is 1AM, so the nit-pickers among you may be correct in assuming that really means March 19. Whatever. Go to the show in Austin and get your head blown off by these guys. Once you've recovered, assuming you recover, you can catch the trio back in the Commonwealth March 27 when it opens for the mighty Titus Andronicus at Clark University in Worcester, MA. Prague-based Amdiscs issued Young Adults' full-length debut Black Hole in late 2010, and you can stream or buy MP3s here; if you are lucky you might be able to buy the thing on vinyl right here.