February was a month full of rebellion for the city of Boston, with protests of varying size occurring on an almost daily basis. The Run The Jewels show on February 24th felt very much like a continuation of those protests, containing many tracks from their recently released third album, 

. Killer Mike and El-P, one of the ultimate rap duos, have never been afraid to be political–many songs reflecting their stance on contemporary politics and current events.

An opening DJ has an incredibly difficult task. They must warm up a crowd and keep them interested, but not tire them out before the main act. 

 took this task very seriously, intertwining live drum pad work with chopped up samples. The set was hectic and messy at times, but his willingness to experiment and not take himself too seriously led the audience in having a good time. Hook also brought an entourage of musical guests with him–Cuz Lightyear, Harvard professor Tef Poe, and Three 6 Mafia’s own Gangsta Boo. After all of Hook’s rap accompanied beats, second act 

 played a set with heavy psychedelic influences, combined with trap beats and turntablism. He seemed slightly out of his element performing for a crowd of rap fans, but he struck plenty of high notes with the audience throughout his performance.

After a short wait, Run the Jewels emerged in all of their shining glory–Killer Mike wearing a large gold chain and El-P rocking his signature shades. Upon reaching center stage, the duo raised their hands in the iconic fist and gun, under a bigger, inflatable fist and gun hanging above their heads. Behind them was the elevated DJ booth containing DJ Trackstar, mixing for the crowd throughout the show. He would take the spotlight in a few songs for a scratch solo while Killer Mike and El-P bounced around the stage.

Both El-P and Killer Mike are experienced entertainers, as they made the show feel special and unique to the time and place in which it was performed. They were aware of their placement on the stage, keeping themselves balanced on either side of the DJ booth, coming together directly in front of the booth during high points in the song. By splitting themselves up like that, they were able to pay individual attention to each half of the crowd, making for a very engaging experience.

As the night came to a close night, the concert served as a catharsis for political unrest and angst. With a high profile release like 

, it is easy to see how Killer Mike and El-P are two premier artists using their music as a platform to speak about contemporary issues, something needed in this day and age.

Run The Jewels @ House of Blues

Caspian has been one of my favorite post-rock bands, and an act I’ve wanted to see live for years now. They’ve continually kept their music fresh in a genre that many consider stagnant, and following a recent single release, I couldn’t have been more excited for this show.

Not only was this my first time seeing Caspian, but it was my first time seeing a show at the Royale. The entrance to the nightclub seemed totally out of place. Walking in it felt as if I was about to attend an opera; it was very ornate with antique-looking furniture garnishing the stairs climbing up to the main room. Upon reaching the main room, the Royale quickly became my least favorite part of the show. A raised dance floor directly in front of the stage makes it difficult for everyone who isn’t on the dancefloor or in the mezzanine to see. The Royale did have something going for it, the acoustics. The sound quality was much better than many similarly-sized venues in the Boston area.

Coming into the show, I was thinking that most of the crowd would be college kids from the area, but I would say that the average age of the audience was over 30, with many much older and younger than that. Caspian attracts a large variety of people.

. This was my first exposure to them and, unlike Caspian, who rarely utilize vocals in their music, The Appleseed Cast didn’t shy away from mixing vocals into their more-traditional rock sound. Caspian came out to an excited crowd, ready for more music.

Caspian didn’t interact with the crowd very much, but it worked for their musical style. What would normally be a negative comment on their performance actually made their performance more impactful. By not constantly interacting with the crowd, they left their music as long fluid pieces that blended into each other. This worked really well and created this sense of timelessness. What felt like it could have been 45 minutes or 3 hours, was Caspian’s standard 90 minute set.

There were some obvious popular omissions from their setlist. Track selection is critical for Caspian as the number of songs they can play in 90 minutes is a relatively small number considering the length of many of their tracks. Caspian was left to make the tough decision between maintaining a consistent style and feeling throughout the show and playing what is arguably their most popular song, “Hymn For The Greatest Generation.” While watching the show, I was eager to hear the track, but looking back, I see that it would have felt out of place considering how greatly their style has varied over the last few years.

The last two songs that were played, “Darkfield” and “Castles High, Marble Bright”, were excellent selections to end the concert. The set Caspian played was mostly tracks off their latest full-length album 

. “Darkfield” has a huge sound with aggressive driving guitars. It is the perfect selection as the penultimate song and climax of the show. They ended the night with the title track from their latest single, “Castles High, Marble Bright”, which had been released only weeks before the concert. “Castles High, Marble Bright” has a very peaceful feeling to it with a slow build into higher notes. It is one of their most uplifting tracks, and ending on that song was a great way to send the crowd off into the night.

The show ended at a very early 9:30pm with The Appleseed Cast going on at 7:00pm, Caspian at 8:00pm. Royale severely restricts the times during which a group can play there as they open at 10pm as a nightclub. This definitely had a negative impact on the viewing experience – the concert ended before many acts begin.

Disregarding my complaints about venue, Caspian performed wonderfully with a great crowd-warming act by The Appleseed Cast. Caspian has an amazing stage presence and they visibly give it their all, with many towels on stage to wipe away their sweat. They hit all of the notes I would expect from a 2016 Caspian.

Caspian @ The Royale

Ghostly International • September 30th, 2016

Surprise album drops are gaining popularity, with notable albums 

 by Beyoncé released this way in 2016. Tycho joins this trend with the release of his fourth studio album, 

. Tycho’s previous full-length release, 

, was a resounding success, spawning a world tour and peaking at number 23 on Billboard’s Top 200 albums list. Suffice to say, 

Originally making his living through graphic design, Scott Hansen transitioned into full-time music production as Tycho with the release of the 

 in late 2011. His design style, simplistic and nostalgic, continues to be reflected in album artwork and heard in the music. 

 album artwork is a refinement on previous album designs, as it combines elements into a simplified form. 

 artwork is made up of just two shapes: a trapezoid and a circle at the trapezoid’s apex. Circles have been a recurring theme with Tycho album artwork, being the primary subject of both 

. Trapezoids have been used as the artwork for single 

and in promotional posters. Tycho treats the music within 

 the same way he treats the album artwork by advancing and stripping down elements found in previous work.

One of the more notable tracks, “Slack,” represents a larger departure from Tycho’s previous work. It has a more aggressive beat than what we heard on 

. “Slack’s” aggression is accentuated with a satisfyingly decisive ending, breaking from Tycho’s usual fade out. Out of all the tracks on 

, “Source” is the most reserved. It has a very familiar sound and stays within the style that Tycho has cultivated, starting off with echoey electric guitar, slowly bringing in smooth long synth notes and percussion as additional layers. “Local” has a very full sound. Starting off strong, it does away with the typical Tycho slow build, and instead fades into what sounds like the half-way point of a longer song. It is one of the more complex, layered tracks on 

, but also one of the shorter tracks; clocking in at just under three minutes.

 is experimentation. The title track, for example, tries to catch the listener off guard; it feels improvised and constantly shifts between styles that were successful in 

. Tycho is using the same arsenal of tools, but is creating something that challenges our notions of his musical style. Because of the album’s surprise release, it seems fitting that its namesake track also provides the listener with some surprises.

 isn’t defined by physical albums. There is no 70-minute quota to fill, and 

 ends after a mere 43 minutes, leaving the listener wanting for more. When listening to 

, fans will instantly recognize his unique style and new fans will have a great introduction to the range of his music style. 4.5/5.

Joe Ruane