Diamond Mines
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According to the invoice, 500 copies of the Diamond Mines’ brand new EP, Pave the Whales for Oil, were sent from Syracuse to Boston on January 6 — two whole days ahead of the projected ship date! Talk about a band who have their collective shit together! And if the proof ain’t in the packing slips, then it’s in their sweet, piping-hot psych-soul pop pudding. They celebrate the punctual arrival of their new album by playing every Thursday in February at the venerable Plough & Stars, joined by some of their tightest local bros.
The Diamond Mines, “Little White Pills” (mp3)
The Diamond Mines, “Into the Space Age” (mp3) | February 5
Recorded in “various living rooms and bedrooms” and then mixed to perfection by Justin Pizzoferrato, the new Mines EP takes the slick soul (and occasional twitchiness) of their homonymous debut three years ago and expands on it. Lots of sax, trumpet, big harmonies — “even a lap steel,” says frontMine Ben Weiser. To kick off the residency, they’ll play with Game Boy master Zoig-Ma-Noig and guitar-pop upstarts Hot Box.
MMOSS, “Grow Down” | February 12
I’m not one to jump to conclusions, but if this MMOSS song is any indication of what’s going on in New Hampshire, I’ve got the wrong dealer. Staffed by ex-personnel of beloved art outfits like the Mules, Bakula, and Protokoll, MMOSS add a little avant grit to their tuneful psych-folk homage — and the results are downright sticky. They’ll be joined by World’s Greatest Dad.
Emeen Z Band, “Wait a Minute” | February 19
An addictively wispy voice, a knack for Kinksy melodicism, and a seemingly endless supply of hooks give Cantabrigian singer/songwriter Emeen Zarookian a certain irresistibility. Like, if Elliott Smith and Rod Argent started a band, we’d be equally powerless. That’s impossible, but this is really happening.
Muy Cansado, “Kiss the World” | February 26
It’s hard to say whether Muy Cansado’s “Kiss the World” is a title wink at the Pixies’ “U-Mass,” but certainly the former indulge in the latter’s freewheeling post-punk gusto. If you were fortunate enough to hear last year’s Stars & Garters, you know these three have plenty of their own tricks up their sleeves. They’ll play with the auspicious folk-pop duo Dr. and Mrs. Van der Trampp.
