SPIN THE BEST BEATS
Local artists such as Carissa Johnson, Hey Zeus drop hot tunes
Grammy music not doing it for you? Tired of today’s anemic Top 40? You need to get local with this playlist of Boston’s best artists of now and an unearthed rarity from decades ago.
“Something Good,” Carissa Johnson
After a couple of big years with wins at the Rock ’n’ Roll Rumble and Boston Music Awards, Johnson should be entitled to a flop. Instead, she doubles down on her finely crafted blend of punk, power pop and indie rock. On new single “Something Good” (out Friday), a wash of guitars and cracking drums provide a base for her catchy vocals and a drawn-out cry of “I just need you!” Bonus points for feeling like something that could be on either the “Pretty in Pink” soundtrack or a modern Sub Pop compilation.
“Love is a Pleasure,” I Tones
Oddly enough, Boston became one of the first out- posts for reggae music in America. By the mid-’70s, our city even started spinning out its own acts. On March 1, record label Cultures of Soul releases “Take Us Home: Boston Roots Reggae from 1979 to 1988.” Packed with gems that haven’t been reissued in 30plus years, the 17-track compilation runs from such rock-inspired tunes as Danny Tucker’s “Our Father’s Land” to such second wave ska as Lambsbread’s “Two Minute Warning.” For the jewel with the brightest twinkle, start with I Tones’ “Love Is a Pleasure,” which sounds like it could have been produced the same week as the Wailers’ ’60s Studio One recordings. Celebrate the release March 3 at Bull McCabe’s in Somerville.
“Bloodsucker,” Hey Zeus
Rockers have so many ways to melt faces. They can slow down the blues, turn up the volume and get dark like Black Sabbath, or blend punk, arena hooks and sleaze like Motley Crue, or find the spaces between stoner rock and hardcore like Clutch. On Hey Zeus’ debut, “X,” the boys dive into all these approaches to facemelting. While the entire disc plays like a master class in walking the line between hard rock and heavy metal, “Bloodsucker” stands out. Only 3½ minutes, the track feels like a Homeric epic as it slips from riff to riff, scream to scream.
“Madame Butterfly,” Nat Freedberg
Best know as the lead aristocrat in the cheeky Boston band the Upper Crust, Freedberg gets serious on his solo debut, “Better Late Than Never.” OK, relatively serious — he’s taken off the foppish 17th century period dress the Crust is famous for. But his new single “Madame Butterfly” keeps a lot of what you love about his past work: maxed-out guitars, ’70s rock swagger and Freedberg’s distinctive, wonderful yowl. Catch Freedberg with the equally cheeky John Powhida International Airport at Union Tavern in Somerville Saturday for the CD release party.