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LIZ PELLY

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Twin Sister | In Heaven

Domino (2011)
It's one of 2011's finest pop records: 10 tracks of dreamy, weirdo hi-fi pop that grooves, sparkles, and hums with clipped beats and smooth drums.

By: LIZ PELLY | September 20, 2011

Somerville's first artshare delivers

Fresh paint
Instead of buying into harvests of organic fruits and vegetables, shareholders pay a one-time fee of $300 for nine original pieces by local artists.

By: LIZ PELLY | September 14, 2011

Punk and hardcore's latest heroes: Massachusetts women

Pushing back
In the boys' club world of contemporary music, gender relationships are complex even in DIY punk — the strain of rock that historically prides itself most on egalitarianism.

By: LIZ PELLY | September 15, 2011

Richter Collective (2011)
Amidst Dublin's vibrant musical underground of DIY labels like Popical Island and Richter Collective, this debut long-player by surf-pop trio Squarehead is one of the city's most anticipated 2011 indie releases.

By: LIZ PELLY | September 13, 2011

Saves the Day | Daybreak

Razor + Tie (2011)
After 14 years and six studio albums, Jersey pop-punk quartet Saves the Day return with a seventh serving of nasal-y hyper-introspective power-emo.

By: LIZ PELLY | September 07, 2011

Feminist punks in Russia jailed for up to seven years for their “punk prayer”

Punks against Putin
On a February afternoon in Moscow, ten or so 20-something Russian women enter the city's main church, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, wearing short dresses, neon tights, and bright, matching balaclavas — knitted ski masks concealing their identities.

By: LIZ PELLY | August 03, 2012

HFA visualizes the 'American Punk' rebellion

We film econo
"We are going to do everything ourselves, because we know better than them what we want," explains teenage grrrl-punk Nicky Marotta to a politician's shy daughter, Pamela Pearl, in the seminal 1980 punk film Times Square .

By: LIZ PELLY | September 02, 2011

Male Bonding | Endless Now

Sub Pop (2011)
The trio's punk roots still play out via tight, punchy percussion, but it's the huge guitars and dreamy vocals that are most upfront.

By: LIZ PELLY | August 23, 2011

Sun Araw | Ancient Romans

Sun Ark/Drag City (2011)
The hypnotic fifth LP by Sun Araw — the five-year-old solo project of Angelino Cameron Stallones — is a double-vinyl spiral through deep zones of neo-primitive psych-drone noise.

By: LIZ PELLY | August 16, 2011

Annamarie Pluhar's guide to housemating

Fair housing
Sharing housing is a sustainable choice, especially considering recent reports that average North American households produce 150 pounds of carbon dioxide a day, nearly five times the global average; like other aspects of our super-size culture, America's average homes have grown in size by 45 percent since 1980.

By: LIZ PELLY | August 16, 2011

Out: The third annual Weirdstalk lives up to its name

News of the weird
It's 4:30 pm, and Preggy Peggy is playing in the back of the Cambridge YMCA, as part of "We Are Guest Talk, Free: $10," the weirdly named third annual installment of Weirdstalk, an all-day 34-act line-up of experimental, avant-garde performances of folk, noise, psychedelic, and generally mind-expanding, genre-bending touring and local acts.

By: LIZ PELLY | August 17, 2011

Mornin' Old Sport launch our pop-up video series with jazz-inspired '20s country

Sound on the streets
Allston's Mornin' Old Sport play jazz-inspired country songs, brimming with three-part harmonies and a rare chemistry amongst the group's four members.

By: LIZ PELLY | August 10, 2011

Out: Getting loud with spawn of Sonic Youth at the Ladyfest Boston benefit in Cambridge

Democracy Center in action
The room filled to about 40 kids for Big Nils, a four-piece teenage punk band from Western Mass fronted by 16-year-old singer Coco Gordon Moore.

By: LIZ PELLY | August 09, 2011

La Big Vic | Actually

Underwater Peoples (2011)
La Big Vic's Actually is thus far the most compelling avant-pop record to emerge from Brooklyn's inspired 2011 underground.

By: LIZ PELLY | August 03, 2011

PETA on primates

The animal-rights organization's case against the labs
We spoke with Justin Goodman, associate director of PETA's laboratory investigations, about the use of primates for experimentation in schools and labs around Boston, the US, and the world.

By: LIZ PELLY | August 04, 2011

Out: Dropping some future funk sounds with Jamaica Plain's the Craters at Yes.Oui.Si

Deep impact near the MFA
About 30 kids bopped their heads to tracks from the Craters' 2010 tape Teenage High School , released via JP DIY label Breakfast of Champs, plus newer songs like the soon-to-be-hit "Sunsense."

By: LIZ PELLY | August 02, 2011

Rediscovering Bobb Trimble's long-lost legacy

Tape delay
With the help of Los Angeles re-issue label Yoga Records, Trimble is celebrating the re-release of his third full-length, the long-lost The Crippled Dog Band at Great Scott on Thursday, July 28.

By: LIZ PELLY | July 27, 2011

Brilliant Colors | Again and Again

Slumberland (2011)
Following the San Francisco trio's 2009 debut Introducing, the new jams maintain the same twee-pop roots via C86, Creation, and Flying Nun influences, and continue taking cues from their own label's early noise-pop roster.

By: LIZ PELLY | July 26, 2011

Allston DIY Fest is a collective affair

Artistic freedoms
"There's no need to confirm with us," said Allston resident Clay Adamczyk, a member of the group that has collectively organized the fest. "You don't need to be pre-approved. As long as you are free of any corporate relations, you can do your own thing."

By: LIZ PELLY | July 25, 2011

Cool noise

Our DJ spins you a handpicked soundtrack to your summer
Could this be the summer that the Internet finally gets music right?

By: LIZ PELLY | July 25, 2011

Out: On a boat with the fraternity of Deer Tick

Cruising for a boozin'
Deer Tick's energy was met with unbridled enthusiasm by the drunk bro-dudes grabbing each other's shoulders and screaming the chorus to "Easy," while girls decked in Urban Outfitters' latest went wild during "Little White Lies."

By: LIZ PELLY | July 12, 2011