More Athenites [TTAA55]
29 September, 2013
'Ello, folks. Grad school's kept me busy over the weeks, but I've still been listening out for local music. What I've culled here is only a taster for what's to come.
Timmy Tumble and the Tumblers - You can find EPs in the darndest places sometimes. I popped into Wuxtry’s one evening – as I often do on Thursday evenings – to ask about the unbelievable $3 sale on The New Sound of Numbers’ first LP (trust me, these folk will warrant a review of their own in due time). And, off-handedly, Mike asks if I wanted this lil’ Head Honey EP from Timmy Tumble and The Tumblers. Geez, what a name, I thought at the time. But, eh, free music. Sure.
Naturally, I forget about the slip of a CD for a few days, then stumble into it as I’m cleaning out my bookbag. But when I finally give it a spin – huh! How nice! “Wave of Her Own”, the opener, rocks in an old-fashioned way – clean, clear, and endearing from the get-go. And Timmy! He’s got it, man – the charisma, the passion, the chops. It just feels right – a cozy rock and roll haven without the punky anger, posing twats, or smug lo-fi artistes. The Tumblers are here to show us that rock before punk wasn’t a total waste of time – that maybe Boston could’ve had a soul, if they’d only knocked down their wall of sound and let the fuzz creep in a little more.
“Head Honey”, in particular, proves that rock bliss can coincide with the rough-and-tumble indies. Just soak in those gorgeous vocals, and that trippy guitar trickling down the track. Or the sweet “Dream On My Mind”, a power pop triumph laced with faint psychedelia that’s hidden away as a bonus track on the physical CD (which, heh heh, you can’t hear, unless you actually buy the sucker.) It’s all familiar, all too familiar, for an old veteran of AOR stations. But Head Honey ain’t classic rock, no sir. It’s Timmy’s rock. And he and his Tumblers rock righteously.
Do check out this nice, nice lil’ EP from Gypsy Farm below. If you dig it, head over to their Bandcamp page and snag it for $3.
UPDATE: I saw Timmy drop off the 7"s today, fresh from the press. You can nab one at Gypsy Farm's website (or at Wuxtry, if you're in town).
Naturally, I forget about the slip of a CD for a few days, then stumble into it as I’m cleaning out my bookbag. But when I finally give it a spin – huh! How nice! “Wave of Her Own”, the opener, rocks in an old-fashioned way – clean, clear, and endearing from the get-go. And Timmy! He’s got it, man – the charisma, the passion, the chops. It just feels right – a cozy rock and roll haven without the punky anger, posing twats, or smug lo-fi artistes. The Tumblers are here to show us that rock before punk wasn’t a total waste of time – that maybe Boston could’ve had a soul, if they’d only knocked down their wall of sound and let the fuzz creep in a little more.
“Head Honey”, in particular, proves that rock bliss can coincide with the rough-and-tumble indies. Just soak in those gorgeous vocals, and that trippy guitar trickling down the track. Or the sweet “Dream On My Mind”, a power pop triumph laced with faint psychedelia that’s hidden away as a bonus track on the physical CD (which, heh heh, you can’t hear, unless you actually buy the sucker.) It’s all familiar, all too familiar, for an old veteran of AOR stations. But Head Honey ain’t classic rock, no sir. It’s Timmy’s rock. And he and his Tumblers rock righteously.
Do check out this nice, nice lil’ EP from Gypsy Farm below. If you dig it, head over to their Bandcamp page and snag it for $3.
UPDATE: I saw Timmy drop off the 7"s today, fresh from the press. You can nab one at Gypsy Farm's website (or at Wuxtry, if you're in town).
Antlered Auntlord – Or Ant Lurid Ant Lard. Or Ant Lure Red Ant Lord. Or Aunt Read Antlered. Or…
This may be a trivial thing, to dither about all the different ways that Jesse Stinnard spells his band. But this singer/songwriter/producer/Tunabunny composes wildly varying tunes in the same curious and cheeky way that he toys with spelling. Antlered Auntlord’s Soundcloud page swerves from quirky drum machine incantations (“classic nu new uncomfortable bumblebees dub” – one of my faves, actually) to rambunctious indie pop (“Questions From Our Publicist”) to blazing, snarling destruction (“Sciatica” - also one of my faves). And somehow, this rag-tag bunch of tunes work – perhaps because, in some way, Antlered Auntlord are always off-kilter, no matter how straightforward the tune may seem (although it’s usually not).
I saw an Antlered Auntlord gig – with just three folks in the band - and was often inches away from being whacked in the head by Jessie’s guitar. He staggered all over the floor, leaned perilously against the mic stand, bounced here and there and back again as his animated drummer and laid-back bassist worked the tempo from breakneck to standstill. “This is a song about those who don’t like to wait,” Jessie announced once, before careening into a tune whose only lyrics were “I DON’T LIKE TO WAIT”. Brilliant show. Couldn’t have been more than twenty folks there (including two other Tunabunnies).
Yep. Antlered Auntlord are the best. Aside from Tunabunny, of course. They are cool dudes I wish I could chill with more. And, most unfortunately, they haven’t dropped any downloadable goodies yet. They do, at least, have this Soundcloud page chock-full of quality stuff, which you can sample below. (And, if you’re like me, can replay over and over again.) Keep yr eyes peeled on HHBTM, though, because a grumbly little bird’s told me that an LP is in the works for next year…
This may be a trivial thing, to dither about all the different ways that Jesse Stinnard spells his band. But this singer/songwriter/producer/Tunabunny composes wildly varying tunes in the same curious and cheeky way that he toys with spelling. Antlered Auntlord’s Soundcloud page swerves from quirky drum machine incantations (“classic nu new uncomfortable bumblebees dub” – one of my faves, actually) to rambunctious indie pop (“Questions From Our Publicist”) to blazing, snarling destruction (“Sciatica” - also one of my faves). And somehow, this rag-tag bunch of tunes work – perhaps because, in some way, Antlered Auntlord are always off-kilter, no matter how straightforward the tune may seem (although it’s usually not).
I saw an Antlered Auntlord gig – with just three folks in the band - and was often inches away from being whacked in the head by Jessie’s guitar. He staggered all over the floor, leaned perilously against the mic stand, bounced here and there and back again as his animated drummer and laid-back bassist worked the tempo from breakneck to standstill. “This is a song about those who don’t like to wait,” Jessie announced once, before careening into a tune whose only lyrics were “I DON’T LIKE TO WAIT”. Brilliant show. Couldn’t have been more than twenty folks there (including two other Tunabunnies).
Yep. Antlered Auntlord are the best. Aside from Tunabunny, of course. They are cool dudes I wish I could chill with more. And, most unfortunately, they haven’t dropped any downloadable goodies yet. They do, at least, have this Soundcloud page chock-full of quality stuff, which you can sample below. (And, if you’re like me, can replay over and over again.) Keep yr eyes peeled on HHBTM, though, because a grumbly little bird’s told me that an LP is in the works for next year…