Hypnotically moving and shaking its limbs as it emerges from the punk rock & experimental music rabbit hole that is Boston’s underground music scene of today, PARTICULARS are in a way the ultimate kind of band when viewed in the context of the world of the Boston Hassle. In this land of Hassle, genre is never the destination, rather simply a marker along the road of life where music is digested and made sense of (perhaps). PARTICULARS are a band that no genre tag is going to be appropriate for, a band that is going to be tough to describe. That’s where I’m @ right now!! Post-punk is there, krautrocks both electronic and not, MERIDIAN BROTHERS yes, and free jazz vibes and myriad syncopated beats of the world. A picture becomes clearer after that sloppy run down, but just listen and hear the cream rise.

A tenured, respected member of Boston’s underground music community recently told me that this band is BY FAR his favorite band in Greater Boston, and maybe all of New England. Big words, but keep listening (are you listening? if not, start listening, definitely DO NOT wait to finish this madcap pile of text gush before commencing!).

Meet the (large) band:
AJ Durham – Guitar, Keyboards
Matt Delligatti… – Guitar
Billy Mcshane – Vocals, Saxophone, Keyboards
Borey Shin – Analog Synthesizer
Robin Lohrey – Analog Synthersizer
Pat Kuehn – Bass
Nick Neuburg – Drums/Compositions        

7 pieces. Members of CANDY TRUCK, AYKROYD, BILLY’s BOYS LIVE!, LOLCAT, CULT & LEPER, MATT DELLIGATTI TRIO, and no doubt other groups. The arrangements found on this debut release by PARTICULARS, simply called PARTICULARS EP, are strange and often unexpected, and to say that the players are good would be an understatement. Drummer/ composer NICK NEUBERG has brought this collection of purely heady, music experimentalists together, and it is him then that we can thank for this new band that immediately, straight out of the gate, demands attention well beyond Boston, and even the USofA. Challenging music does not often get this groove oriented, or for that matter, fun (Boston contemporaries GUERILLA TOSS have a similar sentiment woven into the fabric of their approach I would say).

PARTICULARS EP drips of electronics, mean saxophone outbursts, worldly beats, and most of all the unexpected. Troubling sounds of mystery mince with cartoon-ish synths. It’s the weirdest dance party that will never happen (unless you’re @ a PARTICULARS show…). Vocals pepper the 7 song album (long for an EP!), but never even engage the forefront  of these pieces, this music. The meatiest melodies come courtesy of various synthesizers, but they are also not the focus. It’s hard to say what the focus is on this EP other than to bring together potentially disparate approaches, and styles in a seamless manner that nearly comes across as classic, despite the fact that I have never heard anything like this before. “Knock Knock” @ 4:34 in length is my favorite track here at least for the time being. Wisps of ASMUS TIETCHENS  float through the air. Saxophones get involved. A guy walks by and shouts something as an unsettling feeling sinks in. Sax and synth trade barbs. An island vibe takes us out McShane’s sax there to remind us that we have not switched channels (bandcamp sites.) This song uses a pile of different synth sounds (some of which you know those skweee folks are also using) and it all works. An Adventure. Each track here an adventure. Each with a different feel, and vibe, a vast spectrum represented. You might fall in love with this band and this EP if you are an adventurous listener and you’ve found your way here. EP is only on bandcamp now, but if there is any righteousness left in this multiverse then that won’t be the end of the tale. In case you can’t tell, I think that this is a really wonderful album.