July brings a solid list of rock shows—and one good electronic gig—full of intelligent dance music. You should trudge through the humidity and lightning to get to one of these shows. I’d particularly recommend Gary War.
By David Cooper.
Gary War and Bent Shapes. At the Great Scott, Allston, MA, July 10, 9 p.m., $9, 18+.
In 2008, Gary War released a lo-fi pop masterpiece entitled New Raytheonport. The album is one of the few that I can say really benefited from its lo-fi aesthetic. The minimal professional recording techniques added significant layers of depth to Gary War’s well-written psych pop.
Gary War’s output has moved towards futuristic synth-punk since New Raytheonport, and he will soon release Jared’s Lot on Spectrum Spools, Editions Mego’s sub-label curated by John Elliot from Emeralds. The album will probably be much more hi-fi than previous releases. Check out this new song.
MMOSS, The New Highway Hymnal, The Migs and Creaturos. At the Great Scott, Allston, MA, July 11, 9 p.m., $9, 18+.
MMOSS takes their retro-psych rock and jams it out real nice live. The cute, girl singer plays a flute, and it sounds cool.
Refused and OFF! At the House of Blues, Cambridge, MA, July 20, 8 p.m., $30.
Swedish punk band Refused has reformed after a lengthy hiatus. OFF! is the opening act, and they are made up of some legendary punk band members. If you enjoyed hardcore punk in the 80s and 90s, you’ll probably enjoy this show.
Liars and Unknown Mortal Orchestra. At the Paradise, Boston, MA, July 24, 8 p.m., $15, 18+.
Liars is a great live band. Their stream of releases runs the gamut from experimental art rock to post-punk to noise rock and now a decidedly more electronic sound. Regardless, these guys visibly put a lot of effort into their concerts. Unknown Mortal Orchestra makes some catchy songs. I would guess that this show would sell out, so you might wanna grab a ticket fast if this is your thing. As a side note, NPR called Liars’ most recent release, WIXIW, “the best Radiohead album since Kid A.”
DJ /Rupture, Hrvatski, DJ C & DJ Ripley. At the Good Life Bar, Boston, MA, July 25.
DJ /Rupture makes mixtapes that incorporate all types of music into electronic jams. He knows a lot about music, and I would guess that his live show would be a fun affair. Kinda like a mash-up if it was well-crafted out of music you were interested in hearing. You know, as opposed to 30-second clips of songs that you hear too much on the radio. Hrvatski is the idm/ breakcore alias of Keith Fullerton Whitman. I don’t think he’s played shows as Hrvatski in a long time, so you should definitely check this show out. For the heads and those who enjoy “intelligent dance music.”
Shonen Knife and White Mystery. At the Great Scott, Allston, MA, July 26, 9 p.m., $10, 18+.
Shonen Knife makes cutesy, Japanese, pop punk songs.
Leave a Reply