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Year in ReView: Former Krill drummer Luke Pyenson’s favorite Boston drum parts of 2013

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4. Dylan Kumnick of (New England) Patriots — “David”

YIR NEpats

If you don’t live in Boston and don’t have a tape player, which is the situation in which I currently find myself, you’re pretty fucked if you wanna listen to (New England) Patriots. Before leaving Boston, I’d seen the Pats live way more than I’d listened at home, but now that I no longer live around the corner from JP basement venues, I’ve been spending more time with the recordings. Drummer Dylan Kumnick plays pretty ferociously, and the beat on “David” is the perfect backbone to one of the Pats more straightforward songs. Sometimes it’s really satisfying to hear a pretty crazy drummer play a really restrained beat, and sometimes simple beats like this are the most fun to play. His beat on “My Dealer” (recorded before 2013, so not “eligible” for this list), for contrast, is not restrained at all and is one of the greatest in the city, especially when you see it live.
5. Andy Sadoway of Bent Shapes — “Behead Yrself, Pt. 2”

YIR andybentshapes4

The Bent Shapes record is one of the poppiest and catchiest of the year, and Andy Sadoway’s almost militarily tight drumming propels it. He also deserves special mention for singing lead vocals on one song. The beat on “Behead Yrself” makes excellent use of the rim, and complements the punchy rhythm guitar and bass with matching snare hits. The best section occurs from :46 to :56 when there is a dialogue between Ben Potrykus’ little guitar spazzes and Sadoway’s matching 16th note snare barrages.
6. Mike Falcone of Speedy Ortiz — “Plough”

YIR mikespeedy

It was tough picking one song for Mike, but I chose “Plough” for a couple of reasons. Right before each chorus (first at :42), and recurring at different points during the song, Mike busts out what I would call an anatomically perfect fill. It incorporates snare, floor tom, and rack tom, perfectly lasts half a measure, and isn’t too ambitious or too showy. Another great moment happens in the section starting at :58 when he and sweet Darl lock up perfectly, Mike’s bass drum on 1-and and 3-and engaged in a lover’s dance with Darl’s bass. Mike’s drumming is heavy but tasteful, and has a sort of positive looseness about it that works really well with Darl’s more anchoring basslines. But Mike can also lock right in with Darl when he wants, and that happens a bunch in this song.
7. Mark Fede of Fat History Month — “The Future”

YIR markfathistorymonth

Mark no longer drums with Fat History Month and since it was a two-man operation in the first place, Fat History Month doesn’t really exist as such anymore. But this year’s Bad History Month probably made the biggest impact on me, both as a musician and music listener, of any album released in 2013, or ever.

Mark is one of the most creative drummers I’ve ever seen play, and I think the drumming on “The Future” is a good distillation of all the things that make his drumming so distinct. He basically sounds like he has six arms, and his beats often sound improvised, like maybe his first two arms have a plan but the other four are roaming around doing their own thing, hitting the occasional floor or rack tom or splashing the odd hi-hat. The section from about 1:20 til about 1:50 exemplifies this, I think. He manages to fit in so much, and yet still play with a really gentle touch, to express his own ideas yet also constantly reference what’s going on with the guitar. I could really go on and on about Mark’s playing on this and all the other songs on the album, but I have to cut myself off.

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