February may have just dumped two feet of snow on Boston, but that’s not all the month has to offer. It’s barely a week in and already there’s tons of great new music to jam to.
James Blake’s haunting trance music makes a return to our ears with “Retrograde,” which was accompanied by this delightfully bizarre video featuring an asteroid attack on Earth. The synth in the background quietly builds to several points in which it truly lets loose, demanding my entire body to spasm with glee.
Scottish synth-pop group CHVRCHES burst onto the scene last year with the attention-grabbing “The Mother We Share,” but it was follow-up single “Recover” that really won me over to the band’s fandom. Lead vocalist Laura Mayberry stole my heart with the first time I heard the chorus and there’s no sign that she’s ever letting go (especially if I keep leaving the song on repeat).
“Before I Ever Met You” from LA-based artist Banks is emotional and honest and totally jam-worthy. I stumbled onto it on a blog early last week and I’ve been rocking out to it ever since.
That’s it for this week. Good luck getting to class on time with all the snow!
It’s like finally being able to breathe after blowing your nose. Handing in the diesel essay you’ve been sweating over for the last week. Kicking your thirty-five year old Beanie-Baby selling offspring out of the basement once and for all. Or, for me this week, releasing my band’s EP.
Hi everyone. I’m Jesse and I’m new to BU Central this semester. Music is my passion and my hobby, so there’s no better place for me than Underground. I play drums in a rock’n roll band called MILK. The guitarist and I happened to room next to one another in Warren freshman year. I heard him playing through the wall, and that was that. Since, we added Sam Taber on keys (when he transferred from Emerson sophomore year — good call) and Luke Savoca (music director of the Dear Abbeys acappella — what a multi-talented dude) on bass. You can catch us playing around Cambridge or Allston most weekends.
It’s my great pleasure to share with you all our debut EP, titled HUBBA HUBBA, after many many hours of hard work putting it together. Download the digital copy and listen on the bus. Tell your friends. Grab a shirt. You know what they say about a glass a day…
Come by BU Central any time to find out about this, and other new music. We love to talk to you and hear what bands you’d like to see perform here next semester. Until then here’s your homework —- go write a song of your own, if you don’t do that already. It’s good for you.
This past weekend, I was lucky enough to attend the National Association of Campus Activities’ annual Northeast conference. The conference consisted of a variety of different events, including education sessions and time slots where schools could show off their programming councils and campus activities boards. During the afternoons, NACA held showcases where various bands, comedians, a capella groups and other entertainers performed for conference attendees.
For me, one of the coolest things about the conference was that after each showcase, performers would set up booths in one of the exhibit halls where each was able to introduce people to their music, talk to attendees, and discuss booking with those who were interested.
I was able to meet a lot of really talented performers, including Boston’s own Darlingside, rapper Kosha Dillz—who has toured and performed with artists such as Matisyahu, Snoop Dogg, Cage the Elephant and Aesop Rock—and a ton of great acoustic singers. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, but I was so happy to discover that virtually every artist I encountered was eager to meet and talk with attendees, and they all seemed to love answering questions and hearing what people had to say about their performances.
It’s not often that I get the chance to talk to performers that I admire—I’m usually at large festivals where large security guards with their arms folded across their chests ensure that that’s not an option. However, looking back at my attendance at smaller shows, it’s safe to say that I’ve had only positive interactions with the bands that I love. Collecting autographs from members of Hellogoodbye (it was my 15th birthday, okay?), getting Yuri from Gogol Bordello to sit still and smile for a picture. I got so much fan-girl joy out of being able to experience all of these moments with my favorite performers, and it seems to make them happy to see their fans so enthusiastic, too.
A photo of me and Forrest, frontman of Hellogoodbye. I was bad at selfies back then.
I think that sometimes people take for granted how important going to live shows is. Live shows are incredible for a variety of reasons (cool stories, great energy, meeting people, battle wounds from moshing too hard), but one of the greatest remains the fans’ ability to show support for the bands that they love. Especially since downloading music illegally is so easy, a lot of performers really count on touring to act as their main source of income.
But ‘support’ shouldn’t just be taken to mean financial assistance. If fans didn’t come out to shows, bands wouldn’t have anybody to perform for. Musicians don’t just want to record an album, try to sell it, and leave it at that; they get their joy from performing and seeing their fans smiling, rocking out, and enjoying the music. In case you’re not satisfied with any of the above reasons, there’s always the fact that you may discover a new artist that you really like since headliners often bring other bands along with them on tour. Finally, going to live shows is just fun. There is nothing quite like the energy that can be created between a band and a sea of their fans.
So get out there and go get to know these people that you’ve got blasting on your ipod all the time! There are always great performances to be seen here at BU Central – including rapper Killer Mike’s upcoming set this Saturday at 9P.M.—and there are a ton of other awesome venues near the BU campus where you can always catch a show, including Paradise Rock Club, Brighton Music Hall, and House of Blues Boston.
For a more comprehensive list of upcoming live shows in the Boston area, be sure to check out websites such as Songkick, Tourfilter, or The Phoenix’s live music calendar.
Hope to see you at some shows!
Allison
p.s. Here’s the video for “The Ancestor” from Darlingside, so I don’t leave you all with a media-less post. These guys just played a sold-out show at Club Passim and seriously, seriously rock.
The summer sun is still burning and all y’all are clearly still hurting for some more tunes, so here’s three more to make your lives all the better.
I randomly stumbled upon this video on a music blog last week and quickly found myself entranced by the faux-hood dancing skills of Berlin-based D E N A. “Cash, Diamond Rings, Swimming Pools” may initially sound shallower than Kreayshawn’s infamous “Gucci Gucci,” but D E N A’s presence in the video exudes an awkward charm that Kreayshawn could never pull off. Her outrageous fashion choices, questionable talk-rapping, and attempts at swagger even evoke a young M.I.A. The song may or may not become my summer anthem, but I do throughly expect it to soundtrack many a mindless night in Allston this month.
It’s been over three years since Passion Pit’s last full-length album, so naturally it’s a pretty big deal that their second, Gossamer, is set to be released in just about two weeks. The band just leaked the R&B-styled“Constant Conversations,” and it’s certainly done its job in getting me mega-hype for the album. Throw this slow jam on if you’re looking to get some major play at a party this summer. Chances are it’ll get anyone in the mood for some late night lovin’.
Perhaps you’re in the mood to feel things this summer and have emotional debates inside your head to the sound of tear-inducing dream pop? In that case, Youth Lagoon is the band for you! Functioning as the stage name for musician Trevor Powers, Youth Lagoon put out its debut last fall and I’m only now discovering it. “Montana” is hardly a new track, but it’s quickly becoming a regular staple in my “I Have Feelingz” playlist. I suggest playing this on repeat through your car’s sound system while laying on the hood with a friend, talking about life and watching the stars glisten. Do this so I can live vicariously through you. The Boston night sky is occasionally a sight to behold, but it is largely starless and for that I am sad.
