Tag: Lush

Bandcamp Friday Picks 10/3/25

On By Amy Lordan-TrippIn industrial, Music, Shoegaze, Synth PopLeave a comment

Hooray! It’s Bandcamp Friday again! My favorite semi-monthly holiday. Here’s what I’ll be picking up:

  • Sunlight Echoes (Pre-Order) by Whitelands – This album is scheduled for release on Sonic Cathedral in January 2026, which seems like forever away, but it’s actually not! Backing vocals on their track “Sparklebaby” by Emma Anderson, formerly of Lush and Sing-Sing, make this album a must for me.
  • THE BPM (Pre-Order) by Sudan Archives – Due for release on October 17, I’m pre-ordering THE BPM and also getting Sudan Archives’ previous release Athena. The intriguing Sudan Archives is the brainchild of violinist Brittney Denise Parks.
  • Songs For Switches (Pre-Order) by ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ ᴄʀᴏss ʜᴏᴛᴇʟ – This sumptuous industrial/darkwave album is being released on the perfect day: Halloween. The Chicago group features former members of Stabbing Westward and The Atlas Moth.
  • “Girl, so confusing” by Hinds – Once a quartet and now a duo, Hinds take their lo-fi brand of garage pop and put a unique spin on the Charli XCX hit.
  • Pratts & Pain by Royel Otis – I’m over a year behind on this one. “Sofa King” is so infectious, I have to get Pratts & Pain in addition to this year’s (Hickey), which, unfortunately, isn’t available on Bandcamp.
  • Caramel by Coach Party – Synthpop crossed with your favorite industrial-gloom-pop band. Maybe She Wants Revenge? With a dash of The Killers for good measure.
  • Is It Now? by Automatic – If you ever wondered what Ladytron would sound like if they were from Los Angeles, here is your answer and it is gorgeous!
  • “Little Black Dress” by Francis of Delirium – A new single from my favorite artist from Luxembourg.
  • “Doldrum Days” by Miki Berenyi Trio – If it’s new music from a former member of Lush, I’m going to buy it. Lush is pretty much my all-time favorite band. 🤷🏻‍♀️
  • Bury the Key by TOPS – My friend, Phillip, made me curious about this album when he described it as “breezy.” (If you knew Phillip, you’d realize how good an artist would have to be for him to be into a “breezy” sound.) Indeed, Bury the Key is lovely! It sounds like dream pop with a hint of yacht rock.
  • Dance Called Memory by Nation of Language – Upon first listen, I was like, “This sounds incredible.” And then I realized that I was bewitched by the nostalgia of my goth days in college. I’m fine with that. Recommended for fans of Future Bible Heroes.
  • All That Is Over by Sprints – If you haven’t heard the Sprints’ debut, Letter to Self, you need to fix that. After you’ve bought that barn burner, put your headphones on and listen to their sophomore effort. They manage that soft-loud-soft angst so well. And do try to catch them on tour. I’ve already got tickets for their February 3, 2026 show at The Sinclair in Cambridge, MA.
  • Adult Romantix by Winter – It’s shimmering-twee-shoegaze-indie pop and that’s for me!

Concert Highlights of 2022

On By Amy Lordan-TrippIn Music, Pop CultureLeave a comment

Is it too late to still be looking back on 2022 on January 12? I rung in the new year with my second case of Shingles, so I’m going to just go ahead with this listing of my favorite concerts of 2022!

5. Metric and Secret Machines at the House of Blues in Boston on October 25. I know my ears and soul were deprived most egregiously during Covid, but I’ve seen Metric several times since 2005 and I think they’ve never sounded better. Opener Secret Machines were a shoegaze/space rock treat! I hadn’t seen them in ages.

Pet Shop Boys at the Leader Bank Pavilion on September 19/Photo by Amy Lordan

4. Pet Shop Boys, New Order, and Paul Oakenfold at the Leader Bank Pavilion on September 19. This show was originally scheduled for 2020, then 2021, then (third time’s the charm!) 2022. This was an outrageously good performance by the always amazing Pet Shop Boys. We did get a little wet while we sheltered in place under the tent during a strong thunderstorm after the legendary New Order. And when I say “we,” I mean my husband and … my brother! My brother rarely goes to shows anymore, but he’s the best big brother ever because he took me to see New Order in 1993. That was when Peter Hook was still on bass, and quite honestly, best part of New Order live. Don’t get me wrong: I looooove New Order, but they’ve never been the best live band and they end up paling in comparison to the theatrical PSB.

The National at Roadrunner on September 22/Photo by Amy Lordan

3. The National at Roadrunner on September 22. I have a huge crush on The National. Singer Matt Berninger’s melancholy and wit suits me perfectly. My first time seeing The National was at Mass MoCA with my bookseller dream girl Lisa (AKA Tigger Girl). I’m guessing that show will always hold a special place in my heart. But this was my first show at the new Roadrunner and I was impressed. The venue is pretty decent from a disabled person’s point of view. I did have issues getting into the bathroom after the show because the line went down the stairs and I needed to use the ramp. Miracle of Boston/The National fans/gender neutral bathrooms: people at the top of the stairs let me in line! Of course I still had to wait for someone without visible impairments use the handicapped stall while I braced myself with my rollator (Hey! Maybe they have invisible disabilities. I do!). The ADA section is down front, stage right. I couldn’t see the excellent brass section from our angle, but the view of the rest of the band was incomparable. Heads up: email Roadrunner to request ADA seating in advance.

2. Itzy at MGM Music Hall in Boston on November 10. This was so close to being my number one show of 2022! See that “YouTube Story” above that I made? It has over 120K views and 19.2K likes on Instagram. Itzy is so fun and popular! Right, Midzi? (That’s what Itzy fans are called). I loved this night of K-Pop confection because it was my nephew’s first concert! I’m such a cool aunt. We even went to El Jefe’s for tacos after.

Nick Cave and Warren Ellis at the Wang Theatre at the Boch Center on March 22/Photo by Amy Lordan

1. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis at the Wang Theatre at the Boch Center on March 22. This was my return show. I hadn’t been to a concert since Local H and Soul Asylum in February of 2020. Nick Cave is one of my top five favorite artists and possibly my most beloved lyricist (I do still have a soft spot for that Morrissey fella, plus Jarvis Cocker, Stephin Merritt, Emma Anderson/Miki Berenyi of Lush, Robert Smith, … wait this is getting too long!) Anyhow, I wept and tried to not steam up my glasses with my N95 mask while Cave and Ellis broke my heart wide open. Here’s the thing: being disabled can suck, but music is transcendant.

I only went to eleven shows total last year. I missed Blood Red Shoes, The Darkness, and Suede/Manic Street Preachers because I was too sick to leave the house. I won’t be going to another show until after flu season because I’m immunocompromised. At every show I attended, I wore an N95 mask. I use various mobility aides because of the degenerative illness that I have (Ehlers Danlos syndrome. I’ve been vaccinated five times against Covid. I got my flu shot as I do every year. I’m due for my pneumonia vaccine in the fall. Because my immune system is so crappy, I have to really measure how important a concert is. When I recently got bronchial RSV with asthma flare, I was out of work for four weeks. I love to live vicariously through others’ concert photos (I’m looking at you jtourtellot, djangiec, eep_97, and Matt Lambert! Keep up the good work!)

Top Ten Albums of 2016

On By Amy Lordan-TrippIn Baroque Pop, Music, Power Pop, Shoegaze, Synth PopLeave a comment

Once upon a time, I worked in the music industry. Newbury Comics, WFNX, Harborlights, Paradise Rock Club, Warner/Electra/Atlantic, Maverick Records, and last, but not least, Ryko Distribution. Remember Rykodisc? Their CDs had green jewel cases? Those guys. In the past few years, I have dipped my toe back in a wee bit as a merch girl for friends’ bands.

So, obviously, you should take great stock in my Top Ten List. No one else is writing Top Ten Lists at this time of year! Also, I am sarcastic.

10. David Bowie – Blackstar

9. Deftones – Gore

8. Butch Walker – Stay Gold 

7. Joy Formidable – Hitch

6. Savages – Adore Life

5. Phantogram – III

4. Daughter – Not to Disappear 

3. Deap Vally – Femijism I am obsessed with this album. I saw this duo open for DFA and BRMC and they killed it. That’s them in the photo up top.

2. Garbage – Strange Little Birds 

1. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Skeleton Tree
And my favorite EPs of 2016 are ..

Lush – Blind Spot

Miki Berenyi of Lush at Royale in Boston. Photo by Amy Galante

Letters to Cleo – Back to Nebraska

Letters to Cleo at the Rickshaw in San Francisco. Photo by Amy Galante

Best Split 7″

Julee Cruise and King Dude – Julee Cruise and King Dude Sing Each Other’s Songs

Of course, as soon as I publish this list, I’ll realize that I’ve forgotten an album or two. On December 23, I hope that I will be impressed with Not the Actual Events EP by Nine Inch Nails. On the Nine Inch Nails website, there’s a quote from Trent Reznor:

“IT’S AN UNFRIENDLY, FAIRLY IMPENETRABLE RECORD THAT WE NEEDED TO MAKE.”

That sounds pretty, pretty, pretty delicious to me.