Reviewed :: Ovlov - am

When I was introduced to Connecticut's fuzz pop concern, Ovlov a couple of summers ago it only took about 30 seconds into The Valley, the lead track of their terrific debut EP, WASGTC?, before I was hooked. A rare eureka moment that causes you to play the shit out a bands every recorded moment, tell your friends, and pseudo friends and really anyone who will listen of the existence of a band that must be heard. Earlier this month The Hartlett Brothers, Steve (guitar/vocals), Theo (drums), and Jon (bass), issued am, there hotly anticipated and completely satisfying debut full length via Exploding In Sound Records.

The LP kicks of with a combination of crashing guitar fuzz and sweet dual vocals courtesy of Steve Hartlett and Sadie Dupuis, that track is just one of four songs to feature vocals from the Speedy Ortiz fronter, the album also features three member of Grass Is Green, with GIG's Michael John Thomas III getting credited with the albums production. Throughout am the trio discharges an impressive collection of taught and distortion drenched pop song while making use of some 1990's indie touchstones such as Dinosaur Jr., and Blonde Redhead,  but as they exhibit on one of the albums standouts, Moth Rock Ovlov manage to create something unique and exciting yet instantly gratifying and familiar, a little like chatting with that old friend that introduced you to Silkworm in college. On tracks like Blue Baby and Where's My Dini? the trio display an penchant for delivering strong melodies and subtle hooks, albeit those ripe melodies and hooks are covered in multiple layers of dense fuzz, but that only lends to the albums varied and addictive landscape.

All and all, Ovlov manage to exceed expectations they set with WASGTC? and the Not The Same Without single, simply by displaying their strength for crafting material that is as precise as it is cathartic, not to mention an LP filled with 10 high caliber tracks all while burying the needles into the red.

Video Transmissions :: The Flaming Lips - Turning Violent

Back in April Oklahoma's pysch rock luminaries, The Flaming Lips released a real grower with, The Terror. After many listens we are of the opinion that The Terror is possibly the bands most challenging work to date, it's both paranoid and complex in spades. With news of The Lips headlining a show on September 30th at The Agganis Arena, we're eager to hear this material in the Live setting. Last week the band posted a new video for the album track Turning Violent and earlier today a clip that was shot during the same session which finds the band turning in a cover of Devo's, Gates Of Steel which you can access at theflaminglips.com complete with a psychedelic freakout, would you expect anything less?

This Weeks Short Bursts :: Terry Malts, Cloud, + Winter

Northern California's chainsaw pop trio, Terry Malts have announced their hotly anticipated follow up to their 2012 year end list crashing debut LP, Killing Time. On September 10th the trio will release Nobody Realizes This Is Nowhere on the always superb Slumberland Records. The band has just issued the albums lead single, I Was Not There which finds The Malts discharging liberal doses of guitar fuzz and gigantic hooks. Nobody Knows This Is Nowhere was recorded at the trio's San Francisco practice space before being mastered by Monte Vallier at Ruminator Audio.

Nobody Knows This Is Nowhere
1. Two Faces
2. Human Race
3. Life's A Dream
4. I Was Not There
5. They're Feeding
6. Buy Buy Buy
7. No Tomorrow
8. Walking Without You
9. Well Adjusted
10. Comfortably Dumb
11. So Serious


London based Audio Antihero, a label that never seems to steer us wrong has seemingly done it again with their first stateside signing Cloud. The band is the brainchild of a mysterious character and one time Boston resident now living in Los Angeles. Cloud is steeped in bedroom pop but there's a hell of lot more going on the albums ramshackle and freewheeling lead single Mother Sea than your standard singer songwriter fare. The track features lush and layered instrumentation, screeching feedback, and biting lyrics.  Cloud will release the 11 track Comfort Songs on August 5th, in the meantime you can obtain Mother Sea for free over at the Audio Antihero Bandcamp page.


Boston's rising dream pop concern, Winter is collaboration between some notable local players, Samira Winter, Nolan Eley and Kyle Oppenheimer of Infinity Girl and Ana Karina DeCosta of Slowdim and 28 Degrees Taurus. They have just issued a new digital single, The View which has cemented itself as our go to song of the summer and follows up their excellent debut EP, Daydreaming. The track is an ideal soundtrack to a mid-summers day dream with layers upon layers of sonic haze, complimented by shimmering guitars, buoyant bass lines, and a gorgeous lead vocal from Nolan Eley. The last time we were this infatuated with a song it was the summer 1997 and Pavement had just released the Shady Lane single. If you need us we'll be shouting from our rooftop.



Photo Credit: Terry Malts Gina Clyne Photography