Frighten up your summer afternoon with a ghastly good record from The Wicked, a gypsy-inspired gothic punk duo from Salem, Massachusetts. Their debut full-length album, “Never Trust the Dead,” out August 9th, shows the duo’s improved compositional maturity, expanding from the two-instrument elegies that defined their demo EP “In Front of My Eyes,” and blossoming into hard-boiled noir nuggets set to a two-step percussive feel. Emerging single “Elevator” forces dancing feet into motion with a happenin’ swing feel and modern punk squeal, while deliciously haunting vocal melodies twist and soar over the top like flying snakes. Do not miss this record, and keep an eye out for the locals on tour. - Dean Shakked
Friendly People’s debut, self-titled 3-song EP gives a concise taste of a promising young Cambridge, MA-based band. Their jangly indie pop is peppered with hints of Americana, roots rock and folk with vocals that owe a debt to Neil Young. The EP’s clear highlight is its opening track—their namesake song—“Friendly People”. It’s a tremendous, positive track buoyed by a horn section in the bridge which lends a mariachi feel. “A Lot of Work To Do” brings out Harvest-era Neil Young, starting as a plaintive acoustic ditty which builds slowly into a passionate electric number. Closing track, “Branches”, follows the same acoustic-to-electric path. As the song builds, it introduces tribal rhythms that are reminiscent of 80s indie-punk legends, the Volcano Suns. Friendly People are scheduled to record their debut full-length in March. If the Friendly People EP is indicative of what we can expect from this young group’s next batch of tunes it will be a record to keep an eye on later in 2012.--George Dow
