Last week I was shooting the shit with Logan Hardware's store manager, John Ciba, about the year's rash of excellent releases from locals (Disappears, Bare Mutants, Pelican, etc), when he brought to my attention one that had slipped by me. Earlier this month the four-piece Blasted Diplomats dropped their first vinyl release, a self-titled album via BLVD Records. Playing straight-up hole-in-the-wall rock with a tinge of 90s nostalgia (minus the gratuitous angst), the Diplomats have been working the middle of bills for years, sweating it out and stomping through sets filled with melodic guitar hooks and good vibes.…
[ Read more ]