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LIZ PELLY

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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

Washed Out | Within and Without

Sub Pop (2011)
Two summers ago, a number of glo-fi buzz bands surfed trendy chillwaves around the blogosphere, reaching mild popularity amongst fans of subtle, retro dance beats and laid-back vibes.

By: LIZ PELLY | July 13, 2011

Ohio

Cloud Nothings
Cloud Nothings

By: LIZ PELLY | July 07, 2011

Georgia

Reptar
Reptar

By: LIZ PELLY | July 06, 2011

Idaho

Youth Lagoon
Youth Lagoon

By: LIZ PELLY | July 06, 2011

Mississippi

Bass Drum of Death
Bass Drum of Death

By: LIZ PELLY | July 07, 2011

New Jersey

Big Troubles
Big Troubles

By: LIZ PELLY | July 07, 2011

Minnesota

Velvet Davenport
Velvet Davenport

By: LIZ PELLY | July 11, 2011

Ty Segall | Goodbye Bread

Drag City (2011)
At just 23 years old, Ty Segall is on his fifth LP, and that's not counting more than a dozen releases with Sic Alps and his four other bands. But Goodbye Bread — his first record for Drag City, in which he plays every instrument — is his most scrupulous work to date.

By: LIZ PELLY | June 29, 2011

The Coathangers | Larceny & Old Lace

Suicide Squeeze (2011)
The Coathangers' abrasiveness goes beyond their band name's graphic, backroom abortion reference: riot-grrrl shrieks, slap-in-the-face lyrics, and badass post-punk energy are all up front on their records.

By: LIZ PELLY | June 22, 2011

For young artists, the Internet is the new local

The music world is flat
Sam Yager stands alone on the raised stage at Allston's O'Brien's Pub. It's a Tuesday night, and the 24-year-old Allstonian is playing "Howolding Girls," a glitchy, psychedelic pop song fit for basement ragers. It's the sort of infectious jam that instantly incites dancing. But tonight no one is moving, because he is playing only to a crowd of four.

By: LIZ PELLY | June 17, 2011

Free from labels, songwriter Marissa Nadler finds refuge in the comforts of home

Think locally, act globally
Marissa Nadler's new fan-funded label allows her to have more direct contact with her audience — and has freed her from the creative restraints imposed even by small indie labels.

By: LIZ PELLY | June 09, 2011

Woods | Sun & Shade

Woodsist (2011)
As with previous Woods records the instantly entrancing element is Earl's Neil Young–inspired falsetto, wrapped in swirls of gauzy tape hiss.

By: LIZ PELLY | June 09, 2011

Out: Touring tales from Toad's 'This Has Been A Disaster -- Thanks For Having Us'

Stage fright
"I thought you would be more æthereal in person," a French fan once told Boston dream-folk songwriter Marissa Nadler at a show in Belgium.

By: LIZ PELLY | June 01, 2011

Vivian Girls | Share the Joy

Polyvinyl (2011)
In 2008, Brooklyn's Vivian Girls pioneered a new breed of quick, punky '60s girl-group pop, inspiring a resurgence of distortion-heavy garage sounds over the next two years.

By: LIZ PELLY | June 07, 2011

Out: Golden Girls show us their Wormhole at O'Brien's Pub

Worcester invasion (again)
May 13 brought a promising line-up to O'Brien's Pub in Allston: Boston avant-pop artist Birthdays and Worcester fuzz-punks Golden Girls.

By: LIZ PELLY | May 20, 2011

The bike messenger is still alive and well in Boston

Technology, bad weather and pedestrians be dammed
We're told that technological advances are killing the bike-courier business, yet messengers still zip around downtown Boston every day, carrying packages to law firms and courthouses. There's even a Boston Bike Messenger Association, a registered 501(c)6 nonprofit, to proove their presence.

By: LIZ PELLY | May 11, 2011

Protecting your dome in DIY fashion

HELL is other people
Kelly Wallace was only 23 years old when a car struck her bike and killed her at the corner of Harvard Avenue and Cambridge Street in Allston. Her death came only one month after her friend Gordon Riker was also tragically killed by a car while biking.

By: LIZ PELLY | May 11, 2011