Interviews from The Lilypad 6/21/13

The show at the Lilypad on June 21 was a great night, and Found Sound succeeded in getting an interview with each band. The videos are in the order that the groups performed: Jules Vincent, Closer Than We Appear, Kevin King, Burglary Years, and Saintseneca. Special thanks to Justin Healy who volunteered to be my camera man, and Owen Bolas for letting me borrow his equipment and editing the interviews into videos.

- Ryan Noss

Track Review: "Reprieve"

Artist: Jules Vincent

Release Date: January 25, 2013

Label: Independent

Note: This review is part of a series of single reviews by Ryan coming out this week leading up to a show on Friday June 21 at the Lilypad in Cambridge, MA, which will feature performances by all the bands reviewed.

Jules Vincent is a young band from Beverly, MA consisting of - full disclosure - good friends of mine and fellow staff writers of Found Sound. That being said, “Reprieve” is an ambitious cut. The live version clocks in at 9 minutes and includes several distinct sections. Realistically, it could be three different songs. The band keeps the track from growing stale by introducing new musical themes throughout, as well as exploring an enormous emotive range, full of peaks and valleys.

Though the instrumentation may be the most palpable element of the song, the lyrics also deserve some attention; it’s as if the band wrote the whole work around the poetry. Mortality seems to be the preoccupation here, with the song exuding fearful sentiments of dying alone. This would be hard to gather, however, without actually studying the words. On a side note, the studio version includes samples of chirping birds that build over the song and peak as they match up with appropriately ornithological metaphors in the lyrics. This isn’t present in the live version, which is a shame. The pastoral effects adds a certain aesthetic to the piece that give the music a more profound impact.

The biggest pitfall with this song is a level of sloppiness commensurate for a band this young tackling such a complex idea. There are a few rough transitions, along with mismatched rhythms and isolated tuning issues, but most of these are lost in the length. Ultimately, the track is interesting, diverse, and demonstrates an incredible level of musicianship, particularly for a group with such burgeoning talent.

- Ryan Noss

Track Review: "Lifesaver"

Artist: Burglary Years
Release Date: November 20, 2012
Label: Independent

Note: This review is part of a series of single reviews by Ryan coming out this week leading up to a show on Friday June 21 at the Lilypad in Cambridge, MA, which will feature performances by all the bands reviewed.

Burglary Years is a dream pop/shoegaze band from Boston. Their song “Lifesaver” is among their higher energy tracks, employing an infectious sound. The song is repetitive, which is characteristic of the genre, but uses subtle changes to keep it captivating. The lyrics deal with a breakup, or a similar situation, but the writer approaches it from a thoughtful, mature perspective. While not whiny, it is somewhat depressing. The sound itself is that of big guitar and consistent drumming, maintaining a high energy wall of sound throughout the piece. It doesn’t really go anywhere until the outro, which is beautifully done by a single guitarist using a multitude of effects. On their “about” page on Facebook they list several bands as influences, including My Bloody Valentine and The Smiths. This influence is wonderfully apparent and the band succeeds in combining different styles to create dynamic music in a genre that is often criticized for being stale. If anything, I’d like the singer to bring out a more tortured tone; he sings in a sad style but I feel like he could do more with it. The bassist could have more input as well, but it is normal for the low end to get buried under guitar in this style of music. Burglary Years undoubtedly succeeds in producing dynamic, interesting music.

- Ryan Noss

Track Review: "Icicle"

Artist: Kevin King (of Maura)

Release Date: February 13, 2012

Label: Independent

Note: This review is part of a series of single reviews by Ryan coming out this week leading up to a show on Friday June 21 at the Lilypad in Cambridge, MA, which will feature performances by all the bands reviewed. 

Kevin King, frontman of the band Maura based out of Somerville, is doing an acoustic solo set at the Lilypad. When I contacted him, he advised me to review the song “Icicle,” as it is the best representation of the sound his performance is going to have. The song has the familiar sound of a folky singer-songwriter that conjures imagery of relaxing in a coffee shop on a rainy day. The guitar chords, repetitive as they may be, reach beyond the normal scope of this style into the region of jazz tonalities, giving the song a warm feel. The lyrics, poetic and thoughtful, seem to take the forefront, as the same melodies and chords are repeated for the majority of the song. While this works in many cases, the energy of the song is largely stagnant, with the exception of an additional voice, a beautiful soprano, late in the song. I would love to hear King put more emotion in his performance, which could be achieved by simply exploring a broader dynamic range or exaggerating the shape in his lines. Overall, the song is warm and comforting, while maintaining a certain thoughtfulness.

- Ryan Noss

Track Review: "Mallwalker"

Artist: Saintseneca

Release Date: December 21, 2012

Label: Mama Bird Recording Co.

Note: This review is part of a series of single reviews by Ryan coming out this week leading up to a show on Friday June 21 at the Lilypad in Cambridge, MA, which will feature performances by all the bands reviewed.

Saintseneca are a fairly established Columbus, Ohio based band who are playing in Boston as part of an East Coast tour. “Mallwalker” was released last December as a Christmas song, but it wouldn’t be identifiable as such if it wasn’t explicitly said on their bandcamp. The lyrics are interesting and thought-provoking, but seem more like fragmented thoughts than coherent ideas. Their sound is that of rich contemporary folk lacking, thankfully, in the pop sound that has come to dominate the genre in recent years (Mumford, The Lumineers, etc.). Instead, they employ diverse ideas into their music creating a unique, captivating sound. The closest comparison that could be made would be if Animal Collective made an album that you could put on during family dinner. But this is reliant on the sound of the guitars, the drummers use of rims, and the singer’s style more than anything else. Thick harmonies are used in the chorus, giving the music a large, communal feel that is always a great feature of folk music. This is juxtaposed masterfully with a barren interlude about two thirds of the way through the song. Aside from the disjointed lyrics mentioned before, the only criticism I could give of this song is a desire for more percussion, which takes the form of simple rim clicking during the climaxes. A more intricate  style of drumming could bring the energy of this song to a different level, and would allow the low points to be exaggerated as well. The sound of Saintseneca is one of contemporary folk music, and is a wonderful balance of thoughtful and fun.

- Ryan Noss

Track Review: "It's Not So Bad"

Artist: Closer Than We Appear

Release Date: May 30, 2013

Label: Independent

Note: This review is part of a series of single reviews by Ryan coming out this week leading up to a show on Friday June 21 at the Lilypad in Cambridge, MA, which will feature performances by all the bands reviewed.

Closer Than We Appear are a younger  band out of Scituate, MA. Recently, they dropped two tracks on their bandcamp, including a song called “It’s Not So Bad.” The song’s sound falls somewhere on the spectrum between Death Cab for Cutie and The Dismemberment Plan, employing both a solid range of dynamics and a few different moods, all presented through a lens of tortured optimism. The title serves as the focal point of the chorus, which is repeated incessantly as if the singer is trying to convince himself of the fact. The lead guitar tone employed is gorgeous and well placed in the mix. Subtle changes presented by the guitarist keep a long song fresh, switching to a more distorted sound at the end to increase intensity. My biggest complaint is the lack of a strong bass. Its clear the bassist is a good player, and a more intricate line given a larger role in the mix could take a song like this to another level. It could probably be shorter, but the intoxicating sound lends itself to a longer form, so it’s a hard criticism to make. Overall, it’s a great track, and I definitely look forward to hearing more Closer Than We Appear in the future.

- Ryan Noss

Hurricane Poor Things

Artist: Poor Things

Release Date: June 10, 2013

Label: Independent



Poor Things' new EP, Hurricane Poor Things, was just released on June 10. A self-described bubblegum rock band, their sugar-coated riffs and delicately sweet vocals certainly match the label. From the opening track, "Beachcomber," they had me singing along. Their carefree aesthetic and solar-inspired riffage is highlighted from the start. Lead singer Craig Angus has a charming vocal delivery; between youthful and nasally is the only way to describe it. For however charming his vocals are, they can drift in and out of tune quite easily, which can sound ugly from time to time.

"Morgan," the second track on the EP, is easily my next summer jam. The sing-a-long vocals and forward momentum throughout the track keep the listener engaged. The wordless hook is delightful, easy to learn, and irresistible to sing with by the song's end. The back half of the track is a bit darker with some thick crunchy guitar biting through the mix. With "Morgan" being the high point of the EP, the remaining 3 tracks don't disappoint but are nothing special. Songs like "Summer Clutch" are catchy at first, but are too similar to the other, more inspired songs that with repeated listens it turns bland. Another track which falls in too close with the others is "Ice Cream." The one new idea in "Ice Cream" is a nice, toned down moment around 2:37. Granted, it only lasted only 10 seconds, but it was a dynamic that severely lacking on the other tracks.

During the EP, it always felt like there was something missing. Some extra melodic idea, some missing timbre, there needed to be something else. As a trio, it can be hard to make yourself sound big on recording and a lot of louder live acts suffer from this. Poor Things sound on record like they would be an amazing act to see live, but don't translate well on record. Messy, sunny, and sugary sweet garage rock with flairs of catchy perfection is a good way to describe Hurricane Poor Things, but then again I just couldn't have been listening loud enough.

-Owen Bolas