Hoist Me Up! 7" review - RIFFAGE:
http://rifffage.blogspot.com/2010/08/riffage-that-started-it-all-little.html
I'll just start off to say this 6 song 10 minute album has kept me content over the past two weeks. I've been listening to it way too much, I'll admit. Every guitar part is insanely catchy, even when Angie is using all six strings (very contrary to normal riffage style), the chords are a complex mesh of major sevenths and melodies layered underneath standard power chords to bring a very full sound only using one guitar. So those who say "Chords =/= Riffage", I say no. Drum riffage is consistent and compliments the guitar riffage in some cases, but isn't overly complex. Bass plays off of the guitar and creates its own counter melodies for MAXIMUM RIFFAGE. Everything is centered off the guitar, which creates a riff friendly environment.
The album opens with a strong riff from "Pet Cemetery", which may throw you off guard since it's only a major third alternating to the fifth, but the riff is carried throughout the song and slowly progresses, coming back in as a powerful octave chord over a standard power chord. The drum fills match with the guitar strumming pattern, breaking the common 2/4 snare pattern present in most music. As the song progresses into its "heavier" stages, the bass plays off the melody and riffs out on sweet harmonies to the root notes, making a very warm sound. Ends in a slow ballad like pattern, BUT STILL RETAINS RIFFAGE.
We then transition into the fast paced second track "Dreary" which keeps the guitar melodies cutting through the root undertones, then to a break-beat gang-shouting chorus. Soon, Angie creates Pen Riffage playing off the days of the week WHILE STILL RETAINING GUITAR RIFFAGE that follows the melody but still keeps a consistent root note, while the bass harmonizes with the root. Obligatory gang shout count off is then present for the slow but still riff-ish chords.
Probably my favorite example of Riffage on this album is in "Loft Coffin". Very first thing you hear is some very fast and very sweet Drum Riffage, coming in with an awesome start-stop single note guitar riff, which once again explodes later in the song. The ending riffage in this song is a little weak, HOWEVER the main riff in the song makes up for this.
"Atlantic Bridge" IS chord riffage. Fast paced upstrokes immediately gets your feet tapping. Vocal riffage is simple but catchy and in Little Lungs style the riff is hinted at throughout the entire song. A sudden stops leads to an exciting change to 6/4 with exploding snare drum riffage. A really solid song.
A standard fast pace pop-punk song, "White and Green" keeps a steady tempo but still uses awesome octave and major seventh chords to create that indie-thrash riffage. Vocal riffage is a bit more aggressive, which is pretty sweet. A sudden slow down leads to a melodic guitar riff with harsh vocal riffage, which makes awesome contrast.
The longest and last song on the album "The Big Six" delivers. Every type of riffage is present here. Starts off again like White and Green, as a fast paced punk song, with a more tragic feel vocally and lyrically. Changes to a swift pop-punk breakdown, then opens into a melodic cluster fuck of INSANE RIFFAGE. Drums keep a swift eight note pattern on the hi-hat over the slow feeling of AWESOME RIFFAGE on the guitar. The bass jumps between the root and major harmonies to create a warm tone over the eerie vocal melody and PEN RIFFAGE where she paints a strikingly straightforward picture over a metaphor. Ends the album in a close to perfect way.
I ranted way too much on this album, you should just listen to it yourself. WHICH YOU CAN FOR FREE! RIFFAGE CAN BE OBTAINED HERE! Also a better review of the album!http://icoulddietomorrow.blogspot.com/2009/05/pop-punk-week-little-lungs-hoist-me-up.html
But the riffage of this album is exceptional, and is what makes Little Lungs, well Little Lungs. I went out on a limb and DIDN'T compare an Indie band with a female singer to Lemuria, because they are nothing like them.
Well, constant riffage. In all forms available. Riffage is also really awesome.
INSANE LEVELS OF RIFFAGE
Hoist Me Up! 7" review - CAN YOU SEE THE SUNSET:
http://www.canyouseethesunset.com/article/little-lungs-hoist-me-up-ep/
Here’s another one to file under “better late than never.” Little Lungs Hoist Me Up! EP (from 2008) is a gem of a record and one that more people need to hear. Evidently the band features former members of Tin Kitchen (a fact that means nothing to me). What drew me into this is the fact that Little Lungs (at times and maybe because of the female vocals) sounds a lot like the almighty Discount, and that’s never a bad thing. Really it’s just a ramshackle marriage of indie rock and pop punk that’s well-written and melodic without being saccharine or overly catchy. Just imagine Slingshot Dakota with guitars instead of keyboards and you might get the idea. It’s energetic, it’s bouncy, it scratches and claws in a way that just a wee bit more angular than the typical band from this genre. Do yourself a favor and get a copy of Hoist Me Up! as it really is worth seeking out. It’s out on Salinas Records and the band has a new 7″ due out soon as well. I can’t wait!
Hoist Me Up! 7" review - OH NO I'M LATE FOR SCHOOL:
http://ohnoimlateforschool.blogspot.com/2009/10/little-lungs.html
You haven't seen much of me lately. I've been pretty busy with school and other stuff. Anyways to make up for it I bring you Little Lungs. Although I'm sure most of you already have this or have heard and liked it or disliked it, I am a fan. A very catchy indie rock style fronted by a female, which typically I'm not a fan of (because I'm extremely sexist, not really) though in this case it's awesome. Enjoy.
Hoist Me Up! 7" review - JADED SCENESTER NYC:
http://jadedscenesternyc.blogspot.com/2009/10/little-lungs-hoist-me-up.html
Reggular JS-NYC readers (this means you, Mom) may recall my being kinda lukewarm about Little Lungs, then catching feelings for them pretty hard after one of their live shows. Well, after only a half-year of slacking, I managed to come up with a copy of their record. Yowza! I am now officially all about Little Lungs. Split between Jersey and Brooklyn, the trio really does a great job of catching their lightning in a bottle on Hoist Me Up. It's a great recording, especially with the vocals. Neither Angie nor Jackie is in any danger of being mistaken for Mahalia Jackson, but they are great to listen to, alone or together. There's a healthy dose of Lemuria / Potboiler end of the If You Make It vibe about the proceedings, as well as some early 90s North Carolina. Rarely is this a bad thing, and Little Lungs do no injustice to the pairing. I can't say enough good things about Little Lungs or Hoist Me Up. Buy it immediately from the good folk of Salinas Records. Here's a link.
Hoist Me Up! demo review - RAZORCAKE:
http://www.razorcake.org/site/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=15584
"This demo CD contains seven songs, six of which are supposed to be released on a 7" by Salinas Records. You may as well mark me down for a copy right now. This trio plays melodic punk with girl vocals that could be placed somewhere in between The Measure [SA] and Bridge & Tunnel, with a bit of Hot Water Music thrown in. If these girls/guy haven't already become a big deal around their area (NYC/Long Island/NJ) then I'm sure they will be in no time." –Dave Dillon
Hoist Me Up! 7" review - RAZORCAKE:
http://www.razorcake.org/site/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=17230
"New York/New Jersey three-piece with shared female vocals (occasionally sung together, which is my favorite. They’ll likely disagree with me, because they seem like they’re probably tough chicks, but it sounds kind of like a cheer and I think that’s really neat). There are echoes of ‘90s college rock acts like Archers Of Loaf and Superchunk, with touches of modern basement punk. Brilliantly catchy, instantly loveable. Effortless strumming, personal and soulful lyrics, and somewhat off-kilter but heartfelt vocals always hit their mark. Would likely pair well with fellow lady-fronted New York popsters, the Besties. This comes highly recommended." –Jeff (Salinas)
Hoist Me Up! 7" review - I COULD DIE TOMORROW:
http://icoulddietomorrow.blogspot.com/2009/05/pop-punk-week-little-lungs-hoist-me-up.html
"I was originally going to write this review as a little bit of shameless self promotion a few weeks ago, but I was crazy busy for the same reason, so it comes now. Prepare yourself for pop punk... it's actually sunny in Cambridge through some wonder. Apologies if this turns into a fan-girl rant, but this is one of my favorite things from the past year. This was put out on Salinas, which -real quick plug- you need to check out. Aside from this, Marco put out the Witches 7", which is one of my favorite indie rock releases from last year, and he's got the P.S. Eliot LP coming out soon-ish.For those unfamiliar, Little Lungs has Angie (guitar + she plays drums in Cheeky) and Jacki (bass) dueling it out with the vocals while Josh sticks to the drumming. I think this recording may beat out Cheeky for favorite 7" of this variety from the past year (and I fucking love Cheeky), but Cheeky probably edge them out with the live act. Both of these bands though, just have so much fun/are so much fun to see play. Anyway...Little Lungs play pop-punk/indie rock with the perfect balance of each. It kind of reminds me of some more upbeat '90s indie stuff like Superchunk or Sleater-Kinney (maybe even more than that, "She's the One" by Heavens to Betsy). Hoist Me Up! has some backed choruses you find in pop punk, but without the stuff that sometimes pushes that genre over the edge. It's the indie rock moments of this where it really shines- stop and go breakdowns, starting things off with high hats, and so forth. They've got some of the sloppiness of pop-punk without degenerating too much.It really doesn't get any better than "Atlantic Bridge." The sweet and subtle bass lines under your usual pop-punk strumming. And as I count down the months (month at this point) and days, I can't wait for "Back when we just turned 21 couldn't forget it if I try!" to be my anthem even more than it already is. Seriously... I can't get enough.I could go on a rant about every song on this, how they're awesome people, how I have a giant crush on the whole NY/NJ pop-punk scene, but I'll spare you. Just do yourself a favor and listen/buy." -Catherine
Hoist Me Up! 7" review -PUNK NEWS:
http://www.punknews.org/review/8265
"Little Lungs are a Brooklyn and New Brunswick-based combo playing upbeat, choppy and melodic indie-punk that sounds mighty impressive for only having released a demo so far (these tracks). The songs on Hoist Me Up! fall comfortably within the Lemuria/Discount camp, offering female-fronted quarter-life desperation in the form of scrappy, usually uptempo songs bursting with perfect rawness and sincerity. Due to certain elements, though, I could see fans of the Measure (a female presence without a trace of forced feminity and overall spunk) or Bridge and Tunnel (sometimes noodly, sometimes mournful guitars) being into this, too. My favorites on this are "Dreary," where there's an absolutely sick tempo change that provides the 7-inch's biggest moment of dynamism, and closer "The Big Six," where she sounds like she's on the verge of collapsing and the emotion hinges on aching despondency ("When is enough enough? / When is enough enough? / When are you going to quit it? / When will you give it up? / When is enough enough? / When is enough enough?"). The only weird thing about this 7" was that a bonus song is offered for free download with the record's purchase, but no digital download of the whole thing (mind you, this 7" was originally released as a six-song demo CD-R in August 2008 anyway). In any event, it's still a treat and you have to wonder what's in store next."
Hoist Me Up! 7" review - MAXIMUM ROCK N'ROLL:
"This is a pretty solid 7" right here. It came as absolutely no surprise to find out these kids are from the NYC/ New Brunswick area, 'cause they borrow a huge amount of influence from many bands from around there. LITTLE LUNGS has that kind of indie-rock mixed with pop-punk style popularized by bands like LEMURIA and THE MEASURE (SA), but they do it with a chaos and sloppiness that reminds me of the CHEEKY records (that's a good thing). Like CHEEKY, LITTLE LUNGS takes this region-specific style of music and creates something original and exciting out of it. You can also hear slight influences from SCREAMING FEMALES and THE MINUTEMEN in there (also a good thing). But yeah, this is one of the better recent records to come out of the NYC/ New Brunswick scene." (FS)
Hoist Me Up! 7" review - WHAT WE HATE:
http://whatwehate.com/2009/03/15/little-lungs-hoist-me-up/
"Now here’s a special record. New York/New Jersey three-piece Little Lungs come out of the gate swinging with this six-song EP (check out their CDR demo for a bonus track, it’s worth hunting down). This band reminds"Now here’s a special record. New York/New Jersey three-piece Little Lungs me of what the underground could (should?) be about - creativity, free expression, enthusiasm for one’s projects and community.Little Lungs manage to sound energetic but never angry, compassionate but never whiny, and do it in a style that is entirely their own. Some of the guitar work may sound familiar to fans of Lemuria, Discount, Jawbreaker, etc. Similarly, some of the rhythmic shifts and stop/starts might ring a bell. The awesomeness of this record, however, lies in the way that they’re able to combine elements in such an idosyncratic way. Top it off with not one but two awesome singers and this is a package that demands to be noticed. There’s an endearingly amateurish quality that offsets the fully-formed ideas that are consistently evident. It’s hard to capture exactly what it is that lends this air of accessability - certainly the rhythmic work and guitar fireworks display some serious chops. It seems like the answer is the pure passion underlying this music. Check this out please. It’s available from Salinas Records, one of the best And most underrated labels going."
Hoist Me Up! review - POCKET FULL OF CHUMP CHANGE:
http://pocketfullofchumpchange.wordpress.com/2009/01/01/the-chumpchange-retrospective-best-of-2008-get-stoked-list-of-goodies-part-two/
"Comparisons to Sleater Kinney are inevitable (and a sign of laziness on my part) but goddamn if that opening “stop-skip-stop-start” riff on “Pet Cemetery” doesn’t kick my ass every time. Easily one of the best bands at the Kickstand this past year’s Gainesville Fest."
Hoist Me Up! demo review - MUSOS:
http://www.musosguide.com/?p=1803
"Comprised of members and ex-members of various New Jersey indie outfits – irrepressible pop-punks Cheeky and the lovely (but completely different) Tin Kitchen foremost among them – Little Lungs specialise in the kind of indie rock knocked out with such irresistible force by the likes of Superchunk and Archers of Loaf back in the day.Scruffy, scratchy guitars, defiantly off-kilter vocals and relentless hooks are the order of the day here. The band resolutely refuses to let up for even a split second, rattling through this EP’s seven songs in just over quarter of an hour, keeping the nonsense to a minimum andconcentrating on cramming as many infectious melodies into as littlespace as possible. This is officially a good thing, in case youwondered.Opener ‘Pet Cemetery’ sets out Little Lungs’ stall quite neatly,with its array of smart riffs and neat tempo changes, but ‘Atlantic Bridge’ is even better and its nonchalant hook is the type that sticks in your head for weeks. The driving ‘Loft Coffin’, complete with particularly neat, rubbery bassline,bounces along with vigour but ‘Ten Sets of Jaws’ is my own personalhighlight, vocalist Angie sounding simultaneously desperate and defiantwhilst the band knock up yet another catchy racket behind her.So, in a nutshell: Hoist Me Up! is quarter of an hour’s worth of rugged, exuberant indie rock, rammed with tunes and brimming with energy. It’s a blast and quite frankly you’d be a fool not to give it a whirl."
Hoist Me Up! demo review - COLLECTIVE ZINE:
http://www.collective-zine.co.uk/reviews/?id=6557
"When I hear a demo like this, it makes me wonder just how much music is out there that I'd fall in love with, if just given a chance. Because a band puts out a CDR and gives it to 9 of their friends and then disappears, how rude of them! Not that Little Lungs have disappeared or anything, just that I wouldn't even know who they were unless I had stumbled over Tin Kitchen, and clicked on a few links and wound up on Little Lungs Myspace page.This seven track demo is mostly short songs, around two and a half minutes at most, but I was instantly hooked in. It's mussy, scruffy indie rock, off-key female vocals, bouncy melodies and sneaky bass, ho yeah! Top notch. Anklebiter? Lovesick? Superchunk? Little Lungs are lost somewhere in the middle of that shambolic tussle, probably they crawl out of the bottom of it leaving those other three to get on with it. The music sways and creaks, it's held together with a staple or maybe a bit of chewing gum. It's unfathomly endearing and the exact kind of guitar cranking indie rock that I am more than happy to listen to quite a lot. They even have a geocities website. And this was recorded a day before my birthday. Happy birthday! Plus Salinas is going to release their 7". I got ya seal of approval right there. GOOD WORK, BAND!"
Hoist Me Up! demo review - SOUND AS LANGUAGE:
http://soundaslanguage.com/2008/10/15/little-lungs-hoist-me-up/
"From the ashes of Each Other's Mothers and Tin Kitchen, rise Little Lungs. As much as I was stoked on the initial EPs from EOM and TK, Little Lungs' Hoist Me Up! sees my enthusiasm at an all-time high! The band barrels through 7 songs in less than 15 minutes and it is a breath of fresh, rejuvenating air. Imagine if Sleater-Kinney went pop-punk but kept their angular approach. Little Lungs can play their instruments with the best of themand they show it off to a certain extent. But the band also keeps the noodling to a minimum and the pedal to the metal! "Atlantic Bridge" and "White & Green" are awesome, sounding like the discordant drivingpop-punk of the great Discount. And I'm a sucker for anything resembling that band. "Dreary" should be a show stopper with its fist-pumping chorus. Hoist Me Up! is full steam ahead and it is an absolute blast because of the band's energetic approach! Unbridled enthusiasm can only carry a band so far though. You got to have the songs to back it up. But no doubt about it, Little Lungs got the juice! EOM and TK bit the dust after debut EPs that truly teased the ears. Let's just hope Little Lungs don't suffer the same fate."
Hoist Me Up! - #7 of Top 20 EPs of 2008
http://wisdomtoof.blogspot.com/2009/09/girl-germs-brooklyn-scene-report.html
SOUND AS LANGUAGE:http://soundaslanguage.com/2008/12/22/top-20-eps-of-2008-1-10/
STUFFED IN THE BASEMENT:
http://goodnightollie.blogspot.com/2008/09/stuffed-in-basement-little-lungs.html
NJ MUSIC:
http://newjersey.tumblr.com/post/73889874/little-lungs-straight-outta-new-brunswick-with
THE MUZACK:
http://themuzack.blogspot.com/2009/10/little-lungs-hoist-me-up.html
07/08/09 at Meat Town USA
ROCK AND THE SINGLE GIRL:
10/17/08 Albany NY -
On Friday, October 17, New York metro-area band Little Lungs made the long and tedious journey to Albany. They endured hours of weekend upstate traffic in a tiny vehicle packed to capacity with musical equipment, all to play a show in the comparatively sleepy Capital District.And so, on Friday, October 17, I put away the books for a night and stepped far beyond my comfort zone. I went several blocks from my house, in maddening Friday night college town traffic, to the heart of the 'student ghetto', all to see Little Lungs, the only decent band that had come to town all season. Fortunately, I did not have to do this alone: my protegee and friend Stephanie came with me, to provide moral support, and also to indulge her own curiosity about the band.I am happy to report that the band did not disappoint. Little Lungs played a short but tight set that seemed to entertain even the most jaded Albany scenesters who were in attendance. Little Lungs really stood out that night, and not just because of the high quality of their performance and their songs -- they really are different from most of the bands that were on the bill in a number of ways. First, Little Lungs were the only non-local band playing that night. Second, they were the only band on the roster not playing seven minute posthardcore masterpieces that featured overwrought guitar work. Third, they were the only band that didn't employ screamed vocals or a heavy, masculinist sound made to be moshed to. And finally, and maybe most importantly, Little Lungs were the only band there that night that was not comprised of white guys who felt the need to antagonize the small audience gathered in the basement space that night. That's right, I said it: there are actual girls in Little Lungs.But Little Lungs deserves more credit than "they were the band that didn't suck". Regardless of who they played with, or where they are from, their style of music, or the male-to-female ratio of their members, Little Lungs sounded really good that night.Little Lungs write songs about ambivalence. From what I can tell, it seems that they are frequently inspired by that vaguely uncomfortably mid-twenties malaise, a malady that typically entails a disconcerting alternation between fervor and apathy, and an uncertain quest to figure out if there's really any point to any of this. They are the Reality Bites of current postpunk, and they are able, somehow, to recreate this feeling in the live setting. They play unsteadiness and vicissicitude with assurance and stability. Their songs might shift their weight from one foot to the other nervously, like a boxer who's considering throwing the fight while warming up, but Little Lungs never pull any punches. They carry off the contradiction, and the result is surprisingly uplifting; a cold, unfinished basement in a city that feels like the middle of nowhere never sounded so good.p.s. Want to see for yourself? Catch Little Lungs on tour this winter -- dates are posted at ther myspace.
JADED SCENESTER NYC:
02/19/09 at Lost & Found -
"I hadn't been all that impressed with [Little Lungs] in the past and didn't figure I'd be having an epiphany at midnight on a school night, but I will definitely admit that the three-piece kinda brought it. They had been out on tour for a couple weeks recently (maybe with The Measure? If not, there sure were a lot of civilian Measure personnel out) and evidently brought a lot of Husker Du records with them in the van cause the ladies and gent channelled 80's Minneapolis admirably. The trio were tighter than I had ever seen them previously, and if Angie has always been fingertapping up a storm on that Les Paul of hers, I've really been giving Little Lungs a short shrift. I'm definitely going to scare up their records. Look out for a review soon."
"[Little Lungs] are pretty decent, but young, so I see leaps and bounds being made in the next year or so. The rocking is in the trio format, with two ladies up front on strings and microphones and a lone gentleman pounding the skins. Think Sleater-Kinney with a dose of The Measure and you've got a good start. The things was, they were not Get Bent, begging the question: where exactly does a project band with only five (non-Pelican length) songs appear in a set in this day and age? No one really seemed to know."
OBSESSION COLLECTION:
07/09/09 at Silent Barn -
"Little Lungs enthusiastically closed the show with high energy and great playing. With this group it is not just making sure they play the songs it is totally about doin it. Nice bass playing as well. The multifaceted Angie Boylon plays guitar in this outfit but was the drummer for Each Other’s Mothers (reunited show in August Silent Barn) and Cheeky."
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