Band In Boston

There’s not much we can say about RoHS that hasn’t been said before. Expertly-crafted pop rock tunes that are just done RIGHT.

Robbers on High Street on the Web

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The last time Israel Darling passed through town, they didn’t have time to set up the whole band, so we got a great solo performance from Jacob. This time around, we got the whole shootin’ match.

Israel Darling online

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No flowery description for these guys – I’m running out the door. Trust us, though. This is some purdy music. We’ll make up for the crappy description with a bonus video tomorrow!

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The New Highway Hymnal certainly hits the genres you’d expect from their name – Bluesy Americana and the like – but just when you’re getting comfortable, they can mix it up with a 60s vibe, or even what could be a lost Janes Addiction track. They’re playing from New York to Maine in the next few months, so be sure to catch them.

The New Highway Hymnal online

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Straddling that strange meeting point between prog rock, psych, post-rock and a healthy dash of good old noise, we were expecting a much bigger challenge to get them to embrace the Flophouse vibe. Luckily for everyone, they took to it quite nicely indeed.

Pile on the web

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When you have a band made up of about-to-graduate MIT students, you can pretty much guess what they are going to sound like. Lots of computers and samplers, probably some kind of one-of-a-kind instrument made with lasers, and herky-jerky new wave music that could be called the opposite of “Americana”. And in the case of Adrien and the Fine Print, you’d be dead wrong. And with results like these, we’re glad you were. As a matter of fact, the band has just relocated to Nashville, where they are preparing their first full-length album.

Adrien and the Fine Print’s website

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After seeing a duo version of Tallahassee at the Johnny Cash tribute that we helped put together, we knew we had to get them in for a session as soon as possible. Lead singer Brian Barthelmes honed his songwriting chops as a lineman for the New England Patriots (no joke), but the soulful americana that pours out of this band is probably not what you’d expect from a guy who at one time made a living smashing into other people. They just released their second album, Tallahassee Schmallahassee (a cheeky reference to Harry Nilsson’s magnum opus).

Tallahassee on MySpace

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Stopping by for their third session (check out their earliers here), Brooklyn’s The Press continues to be one of those “Why doesn’t EVERYONE know about this band?” kinda bands. In our humble opinion, their brand new album, INTEOTWIJTEOAE (listen closely and you’ll know what it stands for), finally does justice to the intricate patchwork of rhythms and melodies that almost don’t seem to make sense when taken separately, but combine to make some of the most original and yet accessible songs to come out of New York in a long time.

The Press online

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Via Audio came in, wow, over two years ago. In the meantime, they have really honed their sound (and hopefully we’ve gotten better at this whole “recording” thing). They revisit a few tunes from their first visit, and unleash a batch of new goodness.

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It seems like everyone’s been talking about Girlfriends lately. Just a few months into their existence, they’ve been nominated for a BMA for best garage rock band (amidst some very tough competition), and have a cross-country tour lined up that will keep them busy for every single day from July through mid-August. Yow.

This Sunday, they’re at Great Scott. You better catch them soon, because if they burn themselves out soon, they’re set to catch on fire. (That’s as close as we get to hokey music critic writing. Sorry.)

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