This is the latest in a series of spotlights on the bands and artists participating in Sound Of Our Town, a free, all-day, and all-ages event at the Lawn On D in South Boston on Saturday, October 4. Sound Of Our Town is a collaborative effort between the Boston Music Awards and Vanyaland, and serves to kick off the BMAs voting season by unveiling the 2014 nominees and showcasing some of the best homegrown acts from our city’s music scene.
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Speedy Ortiz, 7:10 p.m. set time
You know that Giant Glass radio ad that plays every few minutes on 98.5 the Sports Hub, where the guy goes “From Maine to Providence, Worcester to Cape Cod and the Islands?” That’s a good way to describe the year Speedy Ortiz have had, crushing it to the tune of the Konami code not only all across New England, but pretty much around the world as well. Repping Western Mass here in Boston like the Pixies did two decades before them, Speedy Ortiz have put our fine state’s guuitar-rock sound back on the global map, and they’ve got the major music festival footage to prove it.
Last summer’s Carpark Records debut Major Arcana was quite the breakthrough, and this past February’s Real Hair EP, led by “American Horror” and “Everything’s Bigger,” cemented the standing of Sadie Dupuis’ sludgy pop crew. Major Arcana peaked at Number 30 on Billboard’s US Heatseekers chart, and clocked in at Numbers 31 and 48 in Stereogum and Pitchfork’s Best Albums of 2013, respectively.
People had really nice things to say about it.
From wiki (no need to reinvent the wheel here): Pitchfork Media’s Lindsay Zoladz gave the album a Best New Album designation, claiming that frontwoman Sadie Dupuis “writ[es] lyrics that are actually worth poring over”. David Brusie of The A.V. Club also praised the album, writing “a markedly assured debut, one that makes Speedy Ortiz an act to watch”. Consequence of Sound’s Katherine Flynn called the album “strong, punchy musical concentrate”. Robin Smith of PopMatters described “its angular, moody ‘90s feel conjures the image of an overgrown punk hanging around a playground at night, drinking, smoking, wasting”.
They are, in fact, crushing it, and we’ll all be better humans after their show October 4 at the Lawn On D. Get to know Speedy O, if ya don’t already, with some tunes below…
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Follow Sadie Dupuis and Speedy Ortiz on Twitter for Sound Of Our Town updates and other news…
The Sound Of Our Town poster, designed by Daykamp Creative…
