The concerts are at a lull, the weather is nice, and I'm tired of staring at computer screens. So NMC is taking a tiny break. Posting will resume on July 5th, hopefully the return will bring something new and fresh. In the meantime, I will still be posting concert reviews that I desperately need to catch up on at Sunset in the Rearview. I have been working on some list making and here are my favorite picks of artists/bands that you should get to know, or revisit, that released LPs or EPs over the past 6 months. When I return I will have a more detailed list for you. Enjoy the summer while it's here and dig into some good tunes.
Photo by me
Braids - Shakey Graves - Doloreans - Starfucker - Apache Relay - Kurt Vile - J. Mascis - Alexander - Middle Brother - Rural Alberta Advantage - Mother Mother - Lykke Li - Wye Oak - Woods - Robert Sarazin Blake - The Powder Kegs - Dawes - Other Lives - Chris Bathgate - Givers - BOBBY - City & Colour - Cults - Foster the People - Diego Garcia - Jason Isbell - Sin Fang - Radiohead - Seryn - James Vincent McMorrow - Yelle - Delicate Steve - Chamberlin - Bill Callahan - The Good Lovelies - Joseph Giant - Aunt Martha - I'm From Barcelona - Man Man - Oh Land - Vandaveer - Grown Up Noise - Emmy the Great - Gillian Welch - Hands & Knees - Seedy Seeds - The Generationals - The Rosebuds - Fleet Foxes - Hey Rosetta - Bon Iver
I kind of like when it rains, certain music sounds better when there are big fat rain drops falling on your head. Also, it usually leads to playlist making and finding older songs that I've neglected for a few years. I feel like every time I stepped outside over the past two weeks I got caught in a downpour so I made a massive playlist to distract me from the fact that I was constantly wearing wet clothes. This is a small sampling of what I've been enjoying recently, I think you'll like it too. Typhoon's "Summer Home" is quite possibly the best closing track I've ever had the pleasure of adding to a mix. Just to balance out the songs about rain, you can also download the brand new track from The Knocks "Sunshine". Have a great weekend.
This was sitting in my drafts box and I have no recollection of making this post. I'm just going to go ahead and give it to you anyway. Hope it's something good and not the sound of my blogger cred going down the drain. Have a great weekend. The New Division - Saturday Night by The New Division
The soul revival sound is a hard thing to do well, but when bands have success with it you're bound to hear about it. Pickwick is one you want to....actually need to hear about. If you're like me, and have played Fitz & the Tantrums to death, you might be ready for a new band. They released six of their songs in 3 volumes over the course of a few months on bandcamp called Myths, Vol. 1, 2, and 3. Pickwick is based out of Seattle and I expect they'll be garnering attention from far outside of their locale in the very near future. His voice is so rich and smooth, it's like butter, how can you not like this? Listen/Buy:Bandcamp // Soundcloud
It was the lyrics of "City Kid" that drew me to Boy Without God's music. The song captures such a perfect moment, one you can place yourself in and feel happy. It offers up this perfect snap shot of what being comfortably in love is like, the kind of moment that stands out in your mind even though it looks dubiously like every day life. I have one of those moments I carry around with me from a long time ago and it just so happens to involve dancing in the kitchen, so when I heard first heard this song my heart melted and I became completely absorbed by the music.
and he remembers tall rough green grass and endless sky
and she remembers one look that held all their lives
he says "i'm too drunk from your lips" she says "Hey let's go home and dance in the kitchen"
The lyricism throughout the album, God Bless the Hunger, is some of the best I've heard since the latest Fleet Foxes album. The songs are nimble and relatable stories about love, death, demons, and yearnings, but the songs are composed of much more depth than what is found in the lyrics. There's a discordance throughout the album that rises up to jolt the listener from any complacency. It's an album that requires full attention as it does have an experimental side to it, but if you're willing to listen it can be rewarding. God Bless the Hunger blends a wide array of styles but the one that is the most surprising is the jazz. The title track "God Bless the Hunger" is the pinnacle of the experimental side of the album with a jumble of trumpets that come out of nowhere half way through the song. The ten songs pack a lot of everything but it never feels like too much, and shows that it is thoughtfully arranged and well written music. If you're ready for it, give it a full listen.
It's up to you, dear reader, to decide what you like in this veritable grab bag of songs. I saved the emails for some reason or other but now it's time to clear them out. There's something for everyone, I hope. And there's still plenty more where this came from.
The Milk Carton Kids are two young solo musicians, Kenneth Pattengale & Joey Ryan, who came together to form this duo full of songwriting talent. Their first album together, aptly titled Retrospect, is a freebie on their website and is a live album that they are releasing under their real names. Retrospect takes songs from each of their solo careers that are reinterpreted as a duo and has songs from the past year of their live performances together. Their official The Milk Carton Kids release, Prologue, will be original songs and released later this year.
Ane Brun's voice has to be one of the most hypnotic voices out there. Her songs are the kind that make you want to stop everything you're doing and just listen. This is the first single off her upcoming album due out this fall. The backup vocals are sung by the sisters of First Aid Kit, one of my favorite bands from last year.
Doesn't this band sound like they'd be oodles of fun to see live? Kind of like the type of band that you want to buy shots for and hang out with after the show? I absolutely think so. Plus, they're an americana band that plays the accordion, which is always easy to love. Luckily, it just so turns out that Dastardly is on an east coast tour. They even happen to be playing at 10pm tonight at The Milky Way in Jamaica Plain. If you're in the Boston area and recovered from the Bruins celebrations, I highly suggest checking out this Chicago band.
How can you not love a band that sings "I'm not pretty enough for the mainstream, I'm not weird enough for the underground"? The entire song is chock full of honest lyrics about being an unrecognized small band. "But I want to be a music star instead of playing shitty bars where audience's never seem to come to me." Despite the playing in shitty bars, these types of bands always seem to put on the best shows.
Sometimes songs fit the moment so flawlessly that they can trick you into thinking your life is a movie being perfectly soundtracked. For instance, imagine you took an unexpected detour and sat by the water where you can watch the planes fly in and have a perfect view of the city. Maybe it looks like this:
Perhaps you're having one of those days where you can't tell if everything is falling into place or falling completely apart. You're anxious and weary, but the weather is so perfect you know you need to sit and take it in for a moment. You tilt your head away from the sun and look across the water. The breeze whispers through your earbuds as a new song begins and you can feel yourself breathing for the first time in days. The questions and concerns rattling around give way to the embrace of the sun that wraps its rays around your body, and you can faintly make out the sound of gentle waves lapping at the rock barrier. The air smells sweet and briny like your favorite oysters. Your grateful inhalation of ocean air reminds you that you've been holding your breath for too long. The song comes back into focus with the lyrics "I hate feeling like this" at the exact moment you were thinking those very words. The perfect alignment of song and moment feels like a sign that things are actually falling into place just as they should. Maybe you wish just a little bit that this picture perfect moment of self-reckoning was caught on camera. Now each time you hear the song, you'll be reminded of the very second when life felt like it was just getting started.
Then some more songs play and you're brimming with love for that inexplicable link between music and life, because there is nothing like hearing your feelings sung back to you. Sometimes one song makes the day feel brand new again. Maybe, just maybe, it all sounds something like this. Can you imagine that?
Here's a brand new track from my favorite band from last year. It has been amazing to watch the success they've become, and if you aren't already on the bandwagon do yourself a favor and hop on. This new song would have fit right in with the rest of the songs on their debut album since it's about missing someone and traveling to see them. It starts of slow with their harmonizing they do so well and builds up with some climatic drums and piano with the wonderful repeating of the line: "rivers and roads, rivers and roads, rivers 'till I reach you". The track is not yet embed-able so go to soundcloud to listen, I promise you'll like it.
Being musically unsatisfied can be very unsettling. I deleted half my inbox, scourged my itunes, and nothing sounded like what I needed. Until Chris Bathgate's 2007 album, Throatsleep, came up. I forgot how this song makes me hold my breath as though it was my own lost and confused heart he was singing about. And god damn his lyrics for being so poignant.
"'Cause I'm a fumblin' fake and a fuckin' fool
And that's why I can't fall in love with you
And why to and fro
Are all I do"
And then there is my favorite track from his new album Salt Year, "Poor Eliza".
Maybe I've glossed over my love of Good Loveliesbefore in doing a post that looks like any other. But this new album is as much a stand out as their last. So to celebrate the excellence of Let the Rain Fall, I'll do something a little special and different. I hope you like food and short stories.
If you don't know me, you should know that I love to cook. If I had the patience to take decent pictures I'd probably be a food blogger by now. Growing up, my parents were insistent on sit down meals every night. I've learned a lot about cooking from them as well as the importance of sitting down to enjoy a meal and conversation. Looking back, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Often, I would be sent to choose a dinner appropriate CD from my parents collection to play while we ate. Because of this, certain recipes I have borrowed from my parents come with vivid memories of listening to specific albums. For instance, there is one veal dish that we make in the winter that tastes best when George Winston's December album is playing. There are many more like that, but recently there has been one that is overwhelmingly perfect, and both the dish and the music were of my choosing and perfect for sharing with you. "Kiss Me In The Kitchen" - Good Lovelies
Broccoli and shrimp with the Good Lovelies is the epitome of perfection. This is one of the easiest recipes I know, so of course that means I make it often and usually it's likely that I have the ingredients on hand. Similar to how Good Lovelies is what I go to when I want maximum enjoyment and something easy to listen to. I originally saw this recipe from my long time favorite food blogger, Molly Wizenberg of Orangette, who linked to the Wednesday Chef, who borrowed the recipe from Melissa Clark, author and New York Times food columnist. I've been making this one for a while now and it's a wonderful and healthy stand by that you can make in a half hour easily. You just have to like the delectable combination of broccoli and shrimp. Find the recipe here.
I've been looking for dinner appropriate albums of my own ever since I moved on from my parents outdated standbys. While a few albums come to mind, the Good Lovelies have been my favorite meal time music to play as of late. Their three part harmonies are supremely rich and warm. It's cutesy at times--usually with a bit of sass--and steadfastly romantic at others ("Every Little Thing"). It can be played in the background, but only after you've listened to it at least five times over first. While they consistently win awards for best roots music, they give you a little jazz, rag time, folk, and an old timey sound that I have yet to hear another band replicate so flawlessly. I spent a lot of time with their 2008 debut album, but I think this new one is even better suited to dinner time. It's not just because of "Kiss Me in the Kitchen" either, although there are more than a few mentions of food, kitchens, and cooking throughout the album. Let The Rain Fall can make you smile, sing, laugh, and cry. I've done all of that with this album, but now I just like to play it as much as possible all the way through, and the best way to do that is when I take some time to make something delicious and savor both the meal and the music. It's one of the few times during the day that I'm not trying to do five things at once. Making the meal is stress free and then sitting down and enjoying it with some equally delectable music makes everything so easy. Thankfully all it really takes to make my day is a simple recipe and some good music that I can listen to endlessly, hopefully this suggested combination can do the same for you. "Old Highway" - Good Lovelies
The entire album is an absolute joy, choosing only two songs was difficult because it's really all that good. You can stream more of it at the Good Lovelies' website. It's one of my favorite albums of the year so I highly suggest making the purchase.
Here come the slew of summer songs, they are springing up all over the place and occupying every corner of the internet at the moment. The latest one comes from a band I came across last year, with their song full of hand clapping goodness, "Bone Dry". While I don't remember them sounding quite this much like pop music, it's still nice to hear something new from them. Even though the highs all week are around 60 degrees here in Boston, this video is packed with enough summer footage to keep you warm, or at least make you jealous. You can buy the single on itunes. You can download their EP for the cost of an email on their website.
Future Islands 2010 album, In Evening Air, came in at number 4 as my most listened to album of the year last year and for good reason, it is an outstanding album. So of course when The 405 posted a brand new song of theirs today I was all over it. Future Islands is currently on a big tour with Titus Andronicus and Okkervil River and then taking off for a big european tour. They're definitely a band you want to see live. Enjoy the new tune.
Hopefully you weren't like me and completely forgot about Cults and Guards playing at Brighton Music Hall last night. Luckily the rest of this week brings some equally exciting concerts to town. Here are my weekly picks, at least one concert for every night of the week. For venue information you can find extensive linkage here. Please double check the information provided here, shows are subject to changes and cancellations.
Monday, June 13th Architecture in Helsinki with Hooray For Earth at Paradise Rock Club
$20 / doors at 7pm MP3: Architecture in Helsinki - Contact High MP3:Hooray for Earth - No Love Architecture in Helsinki is a long time favorite indie band of mine whose sound is constantly changing, and Hooray For Earth just released their latest LP, 'True Loves'. For a Monday night, it doesn't get much better.
Tuesday, June 14th Dodos with Gauntlet Hair at Paradise Rock Club
$15 / doors at 7pm MP3: Dodos - Don't Stop
Wednesday, June 15th
Boston Phoenix "Best Music" Awards Party @ Brighton Music Hall
Free with RSVP / doors at 7pm Bands: Bodega Girls, Freezepop, Moe Pope, and Mean Creek She's Into Black Guys by Bodega Girls
Thursday, June 16th Antlers with Little Scream @ Paradise Rock Club
I just saw Pearl and the Beard a month ago but I'm picking this over Antlers because I am infatuated with Chris Bathgate's latest album Salt Year, it's a must listen. Important note: Bathgate is currently not listed on TT's website but his own website says he'll be playing at 8pm and 11pm. I don't know what to believe.
Eli "Paperboy" Reed and Jenny Dee @ Middle East Downstairs
$12 advance/ $15 at doors / doors at 8pm
Saturday, June 18th Kingsley Flood and McAlister Drive @ Great Scott
$10 / 9pm
Sunday, June 19th David Bazan and S. Carey @ TT the Bears
$15/ Starts at 9pm MP3: S. Carey - In The Dirt
Givers and Pepper Rabbit @ Middle East Downstairs
$12/ doors at 8pm MP3:Givers - Up, Up, Up This is the hardest decision you'll have to make all week. Four great bands spread out between two shows, how do you choose? I've seen Pepper Rabbit three times but I don't mind seeing them again especially because the debut Givers' album sounds like summer. But on the other hand (and right next door) you have two bands that make for a perfect Sunday night line up.
Sun Airway does it again with a summery, shimmery, beauty of an electronic song filled with what feels like 1,000 strings. Absolutely lovely and I can't wait to play it loud.
I'm busy this week catching up on concert reviews for Sunset in the Rearview and I'm finally back to my concert going self, seeing no less than four this week. I saw Bell X1 last night (pictured above) and it took me back to the days when I loved just about every song featured on Fox's hit show The O.C.--Bell X1's "Eve, You're The Apple of My Eye" being one of them (they did play it last night). Hearing it again reminded me of other bands from that era of my music obsessions: Doves, Bloc Party, Arcade Fire, Rogue Wave, Modest Mouse, Kaiser Chiefs, Spoon...you get the idea. One of the songs I listened to obsessively back then was Metric's "Police & The Private". Just to jog your memory and brighten your day, I think you should hear it too.
You can also stream all the O.C. mixes HERE. They really did the music well for this show so don't knock it before you try it. Many of the bands they featured became fairly big indie success stories and are still thriving today.
Too many songs. So little time these days. All these songs deserve more words and praise than I can give them. I'm taking the lazy way out today and just giving you what I like. Oddly enough, these three songs fit together quite well. Enjoy
Woods - Sun & Shade Website
Read a review & stream album on Everybody Taste
Take some time to dig into this one, it's fantastic and perfect for summer.
I'm not quite sold on this album, I've only listened twice. It feels too 80s and it has some dull moments. But their song "Woods" has grit and life that the rest of the album lacks. There is the possibility that this is a great bedroom album (I mean literally listening to it while in bed), but I have yet to try that out.
This comes out next week but you can stream the album via NPR's First Listen. I've been fawning over this track for weeks though and the warmer it gets the more I love it.
This is the third track released from the now slightly less elusive and haunted band, BOBBY. This new track has less of the ethereal qualities that their first single, "Sore Spores" and instead has a more grounded and structured sound until Mountain Man's Molly Sarle takes it over with her vocals and lifts it up. As per usual BOBBY style the song goes the distance, changing and evolving over the 5 minutes and 8 seconds into a distant cousin of the beginning section of the song. You can stream their album over at NPR.
The last time I saw this band they opened for The Low Anthem at an old church and it was nothing short of stunning, as I got to listen to thier sounds floating up through the old architechture. Tonight BOBBY is back in town to start their tour as they pick up speed before their debut album is released on June 21st.
See them tonight, June 7th, at T.T. the Bears in Cambridge, MA. Their tour with Thao + Mirah takes them all over the country so check out the rest of the dates after the jump.
It's been a long weekend of beer events and it was an unbelievable joy to switch gears for a few days and talk about beer and only beer. Of course when I went to the volunteer brunch I sat with some serious beer geeks. The kind with specialty beer cellars that stock up on every special release and hard to find beer. When they did talk about music, they were talking about an Iron Maiden concert. The chances of both beer and music talk going over my head are pretty slim, but so it goes. Anyway, I hardly listened to any music this weekend but this one song was stuck in my head. It's one I always seem to be going back to. If you are unfamiliar with Great Lake Swimmers, you should change that. "Your Rocky Spine" was from their 2007 album, Ongiara. Their last album released in 2009, Lost Channels, gets a lot of play around here.
American Craft Beer Fest is a joyous occasion that I've been looking forward to since the last beer fest I attended in March. There will be over 100 brewers and 500 + beers to try at the World Trade Center in Boston over the course of 3 sessions taking place June 3-4. You know that song from Rent that asks "How do you measure a year?" Well, I measure it in beer festivals. I count down days, I plan out the beers I have to try, and then when it's over I'm always looking forward to the next one. I always volunteer when I get the chance, and I can't stress doing it enough. Perks usually include:
free entry
snack ticket
a t shirt
hanging with fellow beer geeks
getting excellent and knowledgeable beer recommendations and lots of beer talk
skipping lines to taste
meeting people from other parts of the country to trades with
probably enjoying yourself more than if you paid the $45 + entry fee
Curbs your consumption and prevents you from over indulging. Craft beer headaches are the worst anyway.
I don't look forward to birthdays, new years, or equinoxes, but time does go by faster when looking forward to beer festivals. When I care about something this much, whether it's a person or event, a mixtape is in order because everyone knows that if you love something make it a mix tape. I ramble some more about my love of beer and music after the jump. Go get yourself a growler, a six pack, or crack open that special bomber you've been saving and press play.
This could be the year of indie super groups between Middle Brother, Mister Heavenly, and Gayngs winning that law suit against that bus company. If you know Man Man you'll recognize Honus Honus's vocals right away on this track the other two members that make up this talented trio are none other than Nick Thorburn (Islands/The Unicorns) and Joe Plummer (Modest Mouse). It's an interesting mix of each band member's sound that results in something very different and unexpected with bits of 50s doo-wop infused in the mashup of each band member's style. Their album Out of Love will be released August 16th via Sub Pop.
Last night Boston got to experience one of the most terrific and impressive thunder storms we've seen in a long time. In the early evening their were a few lightning bolts and heavy winds. My sister was holding on to a large golf umbrella and was nearly carried away by the wind Mary Poppins style. The real show was later in the evening when the sky was lit up for an hour with the constant strike of lightning and the thunder boomed and echoed throughout neighborhoods as the rain flooded the streets. The point of my storm watching story is that my ipod was keen on playing this one french pop song each time I found myself walking through the rain and wind, and in many ways it seems like the most perfect choice. When I walked home later that night, without the company of my ipod, I found I was skipping over puddles in time to this song that I was still singing in my head.
These songs were written for a film called "Waiting for Forever". They do the quirky indie pop song quite well and listening to this with my breakfast already has me in a joyful mood and forgetting that I only slept four hours last night. You absolutely must check out their slew of songs on bandcamp, including a brand new single called "Triumph of Hope". Enjoy.
So it's Boston Beer Week in which the breweries that are descending on our fine city for the ultimate beer event, the American Craft Beer Fest (ACBF), do many promotions, tap take overs, beer dinners, meet & greets with brewers and the such all over the city. I am overwhelmingly excited and will talk about it to anyone and everyone. Luckily for you, there is always room for music when it comes to beer. Tonight I have mapped out some of the places I want to be and it requires some walks, bus rides, and subway rides to get to my destinations. Obviously these every day modes of transportation need an extra special playlist. Here it goes...
Point A: Boston Wine Exchange 5-7pm Beer tasting Breweries represented: Cisco, Haverhill Brewing, Cody Brewing, and Brooklyn Brewing Co
4 awesome breweries to kick off the night starting right after work which means I'll be exploding with excitement that I've been harnessing all day. I'll be speed walking through the financial district to get there promptly at five and people better not get in my way. I'll need to start off with these songs and remember to breathe. Caribou - Sun (Pyramid Remix) Sun Airway - Your Moon (BRAHMS Remix)
A few tasty beers and hello's and I'll be off to the crowded red line at rush hour for two stops to get me to point B, which is a very important one. Getting there in a timely fashion means a Widmer beer and taco for $3.99 and a chance to say hi to Rob Widmer and brewer Will Pardon. This is a promoted event for all the ACBF volunteers to attend so it will be crowed with familiar and friendly faces and a chance to chat with the biggest beer geeks around. A little bit like heaven. But getting there could be slightly stress inducing, hence the queueing of something that I can play loud enough to distract me from the slow commute. XV - That's Just Me
Point B: Green Street - Todd's Taco Night Takeover with Widmer Brewery 5-7
I rarely get Widmer on the East Coast let alone on tap so it's a real treat. When I lived in Denver their hefe and Drop Top Amber Ale were my go to sessions beers. I miss them dearly. But I will be excited to try the Pitch Black IPA and the rare Nelson O'Ryely a 6% Rye IPA brewed with Nelson Sauvin from New Zealand. Yes please.
Point C: Bukowski's Tavern - Troegs Tap Takeover 7-9pm
There will be a mystery cask (yum), specialty barrels, and free glassware. I'm in. Over the past few months, starting with my Christmas obsession with Mad Elf, Troegs has slowly worked it's way up to becoming one of my favorite east coast breweries. Delicious stuff.
Point D: Cambridge Common Massachusetts Tap Takeover 8-10
The Bruins game will be on the projector so it's perfect to drink some Massachusetts brews while seated right next to the brewers while rooting for the home team. Hell yeah! I absolutely adore this place and think it will be mighty difficult to stay on schedule after this one. "A word for the weary: keep moving those feet." The Great American Canyon Band - A Song For the Rest
Point E: Stoddards Pub Widmer Brother's Tap Takeover
Yeah, this would be a repeat but I hear Massachusetts Girl's Point Out will be representing making it worthy of a pop in to say hello on the way to the depths of Southie.
Point F: Local 149 - Dogfish Head tap take over -- get Randall'd 8-10pm Randall will be taking on Palo Santo, pulling the dark, roasty goodness through roasted Pablano peppers! Hellhound and Black & Blue will also be on tap. I can only hope I make it to this. It's a new place way down in Southie and I have yet to check it out. Tonight sounds like the perfect opportunity.
There is one song that will be perfect whenever I drag my liquid filled body home. David Vandervelde - Beer
Before we get hit in the face with the haze of summer and the hazy sounds that come with it, do yourself a favor and buy this haze-free, yet undeniably summer, album. Holy drum beats, I could just eat it up like it's watermelon sprinkled with sea salt. Holger hails from Sao Paulo, Brazil although it's not the most obvious thing as they sing in english and it's not exactly like you want to dance the samba so much as jump up and down to this music. Although, my Brazilian friend who tirelessly tried to teach me to samba for a whole year might disagree. There are lots of drum beats and equal parts Latin, Caribbean, and African and straight up indie pop/rock influences. It's the kind of music that has as much a place playing in your car with the windows down, as it does at a bonfire beach party. Frankly, I'm a bit obsessed, and I don't know how I'm going to resist dancing to this while listening on my walk to work. Stream it on soundcloud or buy/stream on bandcamp.
