Hey everyone! It’s former Phoenix music intern Sam Ueda, back again with another installment of NEW SAMPSHIRE, updating you on nothing but the coolest shit going on in the good ol’ Granite State.
Why did it take me more than a month to write another post? Because NOTHING HAPPENS HERE. So when it does, I get really excited. That’s why I was so excited to see a few weeks ago that seven awesome new releases had come out, and I wanted to share them all with you. Let’s jump right in:
INDIE:
Mercy Wizard – Victory is Mine
Part Postal Service (in a good way?), part Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Mercy Wizard whets the palate of the thirsty New Hampshirite begging for lo-fi indie pop. In fact, it opens the floodgates -- this band has recorded a whopping 15 full-length albums since June 2008. Whoever this guy is, he is on some sort of mission to either kill himself from writing too much music or get an award for trying to kill himself from writing too much music. Either way, the quantity does not supercede quality; Mercy Wizard will keep you entertained for hours, or forever.
Son of the Granite State – Dontthinkdo
This is technically a New Hampshire-via-Brooklyn project, but with a band name like Son of the Granite State, how can I resist? Andrew St. Aubin’s jazzy indie pop jams are smooth and tangy like garlic butter and chardonnay. St. Aubin said he was recording a full length, but ran out of money and ended up with five unmixed and unmastered tracks that, despite the humbleness of the artist, are pretty friggin’ awesome. Enjoy with casual company over drinks.
HARDCORE:
Pangea – Hollow Hearts
Heavy hits, two-steppin’ breakdowns, and vocals too powerful for singer Andrew Mckenny’s slim frame are the three main elements of Pangea. You seriously wouldn’t expect this amount of power from the way these guys looked: wiry, affable, and smiling. Their live show is like a full moon werewolf transformation, where they rip off their human skin and show their bloodthirsty side. This album is bigger and badder than their previous works. Get yer brocore pants on and kick some faces.
EXPERIMENTAL:
Ice – Plexiglass 7-inch
What you are listening to is a record cut from plexiglass on a handmade lathe. It’s muddy and lo-fi to the point of almost being indistinguishable, but the blips and distorted vocals are present and heavy as hell. These guys are New Hampshire’s Hunnie Bunnies, and I wish there was more of it.
Plexiglass 7" by Rick Deckard SFPD
PUNK:
Burning Bridges – S/T
With song titles like “Butt Cheese America” and “You’re No More Progressive Than Progresso Soup,” you can tell that Burning Bridges has a sense of humor coating their punk angst. Hailing from Keene, which is home to the successful DIY punk record label Get Better Records, Burning Bridges is making political punk fun again.
EMO:
Confidon – Excerpts from the Devil’s Threesome
Confidon writes songs about drinking in the morning while mourning the loss of a love comparable to a summer’s day. This band has been rumored to have a lifetime warrantee on their merchandise, providing that it was damaged in a drinking-related accident. Let the beer tears flow as the sudsy waves of Confidon drown you in your own emotions.
Old Gray – Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?
This came out a few months ago, but iit's still worthy of a New Sampshire review. Old Gray is the coolest new basement-fi emo band from Manchester, and they are bringing back some classic Kinsella-esque '90s punk shattered by the raspy screams of frontman Cameron Boucher. The guitarist has an artistic eye, providing the band’s super snazzy album and t-shirt designs. These guys are doing everything right, and hopefully they’ll make it to a basement near you.
There we have it. Hopefully these guys will book some gosh durn shows soon so I can take some videos and post some show reviews. Until next time, I might see you all at a show in Boston soon.
God, I miss it…