Shake Cambridge, MA (Self-Released)
“Energized, experimental chamber pop with summervocals and shimmering guitars” Cambridge, MA’s Friendly People tapped twenty musicians to record Shake. The result edges the quartet closer to the experimental horizon, more Dirty Projectors than Vampire Weekend, yet both influences can are heard. The strength of Shake lies in the use of complex instrumentation, which rhythmically swirls and folds melodies around ambushing instrumentation and tempo changes (“Here We Are” and “Maps”). The difficulty in writing big songs lies in honing succinctness. Most songs on Shake clock in over five minutes. Certainly, some could dive in sooner, but the extraordinary variance and melodic character rises above any residual selfaggrandizing; the songs are catchy. Stylishly employed guitars, banjo, percussion and horns are scattered throughout Shake, baring the specter of Americana roots while the band surveys the edges of pop and experimental genres. Singer Pat McCusker approximates Ezra Koenig (Vampire Weekend) in his boyish lyrical interplay with fiery heaves of instrumentation, uniting and bridging the rambling background. “Branches” showcases one of the album’s strongest songs, which initially tugs the heels of bedroom folk, slowly throbbing into a dazzling arch of acoustic and electric guitars, pounding rhythms and warm harmonic embers. Shake offers a blissful crunch of pop-listenability and furtive experimental tinkering, resulting in surprising cohesiveness. Produced & Engineered by Friendly People Recorded at the Record Company and The Friendly House by Friendly People , Mixed at The Friendly House by Mitchell Stewart and Andrew Sarlo, Mastered at Peerless Mastering by Jeff Lipton www.friendlypeoplemusic.com -Christopher Petro
Hunters Hunters Brooklyn, PA (Mom + Pop Records)
“Grunge rock makes its debut record”
Engineered & Mixed by Greg Norman at Electrical Audio Mastered by John Golden at Golden Mastering Produced by Hunters www.huntershunters.com -Hannah Lowry
Lovers A Friend In the World Portland, OR (Badman Recording Co.)
“Unique, memorable and saturated with emotion” The first thing that jumped into my mind when I heard this album by Lovers is the ’90s era. A few of the songs seem like they should have been featured on The Perks of Being a Wallflower soundtrack, or that they should be the music featured in a scene of a My So-Called Life. Lovers is a band that continues to feed the ‘successful band’ mentality that people associate with the Pacific Northwest, and they sound as if they have been influenced by other bands in the region, such as Postal Service or Death Cab for Cutie. A Friend In the World has a somewhat electronic, psychedelic feel that is beautifully fused with gorgeous vocals and a touch of acoustic instrumentation. These themes are threaded throughout the entire album, and it’s easy to fall in love with all of the songs instantly. The group seems to strike the ideal balance of technology and nature with their latest record. Lovers had the opportunity to work with a number of producers who have, in turn, worked with other highly successful groups such as R.E.M., Starfucker, She & Him and Bright Eyes. The group’s opportunity to work with these producers has surely boosted the beauty of their album and should speak to the quality of A Friend In the World. Recorded at Type Foundry Studios, Portland, OR Mixed by Andy LeMaster, Mastered by Timothy Stollenwerk
Hunters’ debut, self-titled album, is a throwback to Blink-182’s original work back in the ’90s. The first thing that you will notice about the record
TOP PICKS
Friendly People
is the garage-band, distorted sound that so many punk bands of the era adopted. You’ll find yourself head banging and reminiscing about the days when people wore lots of black, baggy jeans and combat boots. It’s definitely worth a listen. The album itself, Hunters, capitalizes on the heavy guitar and drum sound that links it back to before its time; in short, it’s a perfect album to remind you of the good ol’ days. This LP is diverse in its sound, mood and distortion levels. It can be heavy, emotional and fun all at once. It’s an album that shouldn’t be missed, and you can definitely expect the band to grow even more from this point on.
www.loversarelovers.com -Hannah Lowry
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NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 37