[Nac Blogiversary] 14 Live Covers for 14 Long Years

Posted on February 15, 2014 at 8:18 pm | No Comments

While the exact born-on-date of the Almanac is a nebulous one – Is it when I first started sharing songs? Or using an actual blogging platform? Or writing mostly about music? – I decided long ago to settle on the most solid one of record: February 15th, 2000 – the day I registered this URL and began uploading content. Whatever this place was back then is a distant cry from whatever it is today, and even from what it was in 2003, when I began frequent music-centric updates. Lately, it’s the “frequent” part that’s changed the most.

But I’m still around, still sharing songs and news from bands I love, still plugging away. Sure, it’s become more quick-shots on Facebook and Twitter than longer posts here, but I’ve resisted the occasional temptation to shutter this place completely. “The blog is dead, long live the blog“, they say. This post-Chromewaves world is a lonely place, but I’m hanging on.

For kicks, here’s the ‘Nac by the numbers…

Number of years gone by: 14
Number of published posts: 1,117
Number of current draft posts in progress: 42
Number of stale, out-of-date draft posts I’ve deleted: &infin
Number of live sets I’ve shared: ~ 300
Number of live sets I’ve recorded but not had time to share: 312
Number of Tweets: 5,225
Number of Twitter followers: 3,149
Number of Twitter followers that are probably bots: 50%
Number of Facebook followers: 1,046
Number of the Almanac on the Hype Machine‘s blog tracker: 31
Number of those 31 original blogs the Hype Machine is still tracking: 7
Number of band/promo emails I get every day on average: over 60
Number of those emails that include the word “remix”: at least 50%
Number of daily promo emails that are relevant or of interest to me: maybe 5?

It’s those last three stats that have been slowly draining the life outta me. More than a decade of doing this means the Almanac has ended up on every music-related mailing in existence – it’s a constant deluge that has worn me down and drawn me ever closer to closing up shop. They come faster than I can send unsubscribe requests, and more importantly, I can’t possibly listen to all the songs that come my way. I’ve had to master a jaded zen-like state when going through my inbox, and keep my fingers crossed that I don’t miss something truly great.

But I’m not here to whine, I’m here to celebrate. Or at least acknowledge this slightly notable passage of time. So I’ve thrown together 14 covers from live sets I haven’t had time to share over the past few years, along with a photo from each show, and a few words. Dig in, there are some special songs below…

[MP3] Tommy Stinson – “Nighttime” (live acoustic Big Star cover)

From an acoustic set for Record Store Day, April 21st, 2012 at Newbury Comics in Norwood, MA. He was joined by his wife Emily Roberts on backing vocals and (her uncle?) Sippy Roberts on slide guitar.

Stinson’s reunited Replacements have announced a few more festival appearances this year, but I’ve still got my hopes up for an eventual Boston show. ICYMI, grab my recording of their first reunion appearance at last year’s Riot Fest Toronto.

[MP3] Death Cab For Cutie – “I’ll Be Your Mirror”
(live acoustic Velvet Underground cover)

It’s been awhile since Death Cab For Cutie hit the road, in fact I think this series of special shows backed by the Magik*Magik Orchestra in Spring 2012 was the last proper tour (they played the Wang in Boston with Low on 4/21/12). This cover was a nice surprise during the stripped down part of their set, and was well before Lou Reed passed and sparked a rash of VU covers.

The DCFC machine is gearing back up after helping Barsuk Records celebrate their 15th birthday a few months back, and they’ll return to town for the Boston Calling fest in May. I’m assuming we’ll get some new album news before too long.

[MP3] Ben Gibbard – “My Drug Buddy” (Lemonheads cover)

During that Death Cab break, but before the Postal Service reunited in 2013, Ben Gibbard did some solo shows in support of his “Former Lives” LP, including a stop at the Somerville Theatre on Sunday, November 4th, 2012. Not sure if he pulled out a geographically-specific cover at every show, but this classic Lemonheads cut was a nice nod to Boston.

[MP3] John Roderick (of the Long Winters)
“The King of Carrot Flowers, Pt. 1”
(live Neutral Milk Hotel cover)

Another high point of the Barsuk celebration in Seattle last November was John Roderick and his Long Winters reuniting to perform the “When I Pretend To Fall” album in its entirety. It was glorious, and made me even more hungry for a proper new LW record, as if that was possible. Roderick’s been performing solo sporadically since their previous LP (in 2006!), and this Neutral Milk Hotel cover was played at the Paradise in Boston on Friday, June 1st, 2012.

[MP3] Tanya Donelly & Buffalo Tom – “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”
(live Tom Petty/Steve Nicks cover)

This show was something really special – a small room full of friends and fans gathered together for Chris Toppin’s (Fuzzy) birthday party at the Midway in Jamaica Plain on Nov. 9th, 2012. So many great moments on the stage that night, including this team up of Tanya Donelly (Throwing Muses/Belly) and Buffalo Tom to serve up some Heartbreaking.

Tanya has been releasing a string of excellent digital EPs called the Swan Song Series, and she’ll be hitting the stage opening for her old band Throwing Muses for a few shows next month. Buffalo Tom is hibernating, but Bill Janovitz has been offering up some great new solo songs since the year started. Here’s hoping they keep coming.

[MP3] Ted Leo – “Freeway” (live Aimee Mann cover)
[MP3] Ted Leo – “Hybrid Moments / Me & Mia” (live Misfits cover & TL original)

This show was a ridiculous amount of fun. Just after Boston cops started cracking down hard on local house shows, Ted Leo played this one in a Brighton living room on Monday, November 26, 2012. It was crammed, and incident free (unless you count overly-drunk-local-band-guy or overly-intrusive-photographer), and an absolute blast. Ted pulled out a few covers, as he is wont to do, including a song by his then-tourmate/now-bandmate (in The Both) Aimee Mann. The kids didn’t know what hit ‘em, but I ate it up. He whipped out a Misfits cut to rile us up (it did – singalong!), segueing straight into TL/Rx classic “Me & Mia”, when the show hit a crushing crescendo. Bent Shapes opened up. It ruled.

Ted & Aimee will release their self-titled debut album as The Both in mid-April, and will hit the road in support, including a stop at the Paradise in Boston on April 25th.

[MP3] J Mascis – “The Boy With The Thorn In His Side” (live Smiths cover)

Well, this was an odd one. J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. in a shoe store on Boston’s Newbury Street. With (bad) free beer and chips. He probably got paid in purple Doc Martens. This strange scene was on 12/6/2012.

[MP3] Sleepyhead – “Like A Girl Jesus” (live Game Theory cover)

This was a bittersweet moment, but mostly sweet, during Sleepyhead’s set at the Sinclair in Cambridge on May 10th, 2013, just a few weeks after Game Theory’s Scott Miller passed away. Not sure how many in the crowd got the gesture, but I damn well did. This cover was actually the b-side of one of the great indie singles of all time, Sleepyhead’s 1992 (!) “Punk Rock City USA” 7-inch.

Sleepyhead’s long-in-the-making next LP will be out in April on Carrot Top Records. Can’t wait.

[MP3] Telekinesis – “Don’t Change” (live INXS cover)

After seeing that Sleepyhead set, and most of Buffalo Tom’s, at the Sinclair, I raced across the river to try and catch some of Telekinesis at Brighton Music Hall in Allston. Made it in time to see a handful of songs, including this ace cover of one of my favorite INXS tracks. Wish I’d been able to see the whole show, but even a little Telekinesis goes a long way.

[MP3] Quasi – “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, & Understanding”
(live Elvis Costello cover)

Oh, Quasi, how I love thee. Two people who project more joyful noise and energy from the stage than most quintets ever could. This Elvis Costello cover came near the end of their fantastic set at Great Scott in Allston on Thursday, October 17th of last year. Their latest LP is last year’s “Mole City”, and you should own it.

[MP3] Neko Case & her band – “Crazy On You” (live Heart cover)

Not only did we get a Heart cover during Neko Case’s set at the Orpheum on November 1st, but we got two, back to back. First Kelly Hogan handled lead vocals on an amazing “Barracuda” (that riff!), then Neko stepped up to tackle this one. The crowd was rightly, happily surprised when the second song started up, but the band may have been smiling more than we were. And that’s saying a lot.

[MP3] Minor Alps – “Airscape” (live Robyn Hitchcock cover)

When I was out at that Barsuk anniversary bash in Seattle back in November, new duo Minor Alps (Matthew Caws of Nada Surf and Juliana Hatfield) remarked that their set was the first time they’d ever played in front of people. It kicked off a cross-country trip that brought them to the Sinclair in Cambridge two weeks later (11/23/13) for the final show of their inaugural tour. Grateful I was able to see the first and last stops, especially glad that they learned and played one of my favorite Robyn Hitchcock tracks, the gorgeous “Airscape“.

[MP3] Chris Brokaw – “Crooked” (live Wussy cover)

As much as I love Chris Brokaw’s original songs, and as many times as I’ve seen him, I will never tire of hearing him run through Wussy’s wonderful “Crooked”. This particular rendition was by request, played at an uber-intimate house show in Watertown, MA last month (1/4/14). If you’re wondering why we were so quiet in our appreciation at the end, well, there was a baby asleep upstairs. There’s no better reason for repressed enthusiasm.

As always, thanks for following along, especially those of you who have been stopping by for years. Without getting too sentimental or self-deprecating, I’ll admit that it still surprises me that anyone still reads my ramblings, and every lingering eye and ear is appreciated. Cheers.

[Future Faves?] Anticipated 2014 Album Releases

Posted on January 28, 2014 at 9:50 am | 2 Comments

Time for my twice-annual list of upcoming albums I’m looking forward to this calendar year. Obviously not all guaranteed gets, but all are long-players (and a couple short-players) that I’m curious about, to varying degrees. Ideally they’ll each get at least a little eartime, but hey, nothing’s ideal.

Since we’re a few weeks into 2014, a bunch are already out, and the flow of new music release announcements that started as a trickle is now a steady stream. There are at least a few new titles and dates that reach my radar every day, so I’ll try and keep this list updated when I can. To listen to many of these songs, check out my playlist from last Thursday’s New Music Night. The links provided below are inconsistent, and in some cases absent – some go to pre-order, some to band pages, some to places to listen. I’ll clean them up as time goes on, but if I keep fine-tuning this list, I’ll never get around to posting it.

First, some personal standouts so far this year…

• The new Mogwai (out last week) and Gem Club (out today!) albums will find themselves on my next year-end faves list, for sure. So, so great.

• Been waiting for that Dylan In The Movies full-length for years. Its sudden availability is a very welcome surprise.

• Can’t wait to get lost inside the new Tara Jane ONeil LP. Hurry it up, postal carrier.

• Speaking of special deliveries, as I was working on this post a few days ago the new +/- {PLUS/MINUS} album, “Jumping The Tracks”, showed up at my door. It’s not out until February 4th, but I’m the beneficiary of pre-ordering from the illustrious Teen-Beat Records. Already, I’m a little obsessed… it’s the best album I’ve heard in ages, from the first note to the last. They somehow exceeded my already lofty expectations, and everything else is going to be fighting for turntable time, because I can’t see this one going back in its sleeve anytime soon.

So, anything I might love that I missed on the list below? Anything you care passionately about that I should share? Leave a comment or drop a note on the Facebook thread…

Almanac Anticipated 2014 Album Releases…

January

• Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks – “Wig Out at Jagbags” [1/7 on Matador]
• Grass Is Green – “Vacationy Vinny” [1/14 on Exploding In Sound]
• Mark Lanegan – “Has God Seen My Shadow? An Anthology 1989-2011″ [1/14 on Light in the Attic]
• Painted Palms – “Forever” [1/14 on Polyvinyl]
• Dylan In The Movies – “Sweet Rebel Thee” [1/15 via Bandcamp]
• Bill Callahan – “Have Fun With God” [1/21 on Drag City]
• Mogwai – “Rave Tapes” [1/21 on Sub Pop]
• The Hidden Cameras – “AGE” [1/21 on Evil Evil UK]
• Hospitality – “Trouble” [1/21 on Merge]
• Damien Jurado – “Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son” [1/21 on Secretly Canadian]
• Reverend Horton Heat – “Rev” [1/21 on Victory Records]
• The Split Squad (comprised of Eddie Munoz of the Plimsouls, Keith Streng of the Fleshtones, Clem Burke of Blondie, Michael Giblin from Parallax Project, and Josh Kantor from the Baseball Project/Fenway Park keyboardist) – “Now Hear This” [1/21]
• Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra – “Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything” [1/21 on Constellation]
• Warpaint – “Warpaint” [1/21 on Rough Trade]
• Reubens Accomplice – “Sons Of Men” [1/24 on Arctic Rodeo]
• Mt. Royal – “Mt. Royal” EP [1/27 on Bella Union]
• Tara Jane Oneil – “Where Shine New Lights” [1/27 on Kranky]
• Snowbird – “Moon” [1/27 on Bella Union]
• Dum Dum Girls – “Too True” [1/28 on Sub Pop]
• Gem Club – “In Roses” [1/28 on Hardly Art]
• Minutes – “Roland” [1/28 on Comedy Minus One]
• The New Mendicants (Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub & Joe Pernice) – “Into The Lime” [1/28 on Ashmont Records] / Stream
• Quilt – “Held in Splendor” [1/28 on Mexican Summer]
• Sleepy Sun – “Maui Tears” [1/28 on Dine Alone]
• Doug Tuttle (of MMOSS) – “Doug Tuttle” [1/28 on Trouble In Mind] / Stream

February

• Needy Visions – “Deuce” [2/1 on Bufu]
• Orange Juice – 4 album reissues [2/3 on Domino]
• Making Marks -”A Thousand Half-Truths” [2/3 on Fika]
• Augustines – “Augustines” [out 2/4] / Stream
• +/- {PLUS/MINUS} – “Jumping The Tracks” [2/4 on Teen-Beat]
• Sun Kil Moon – “Benji” [2/4 on Caldo Verde]
• Xiu Xiu – “Angel Guts: Red Classroom” [2/4 on Polyvinyl] / Stream
• Neil Finn – “Dizzy Heights” [2/4 on Leser/Kobalt]
• Marissa Nadler – “July” [2/10 on Sacred Bones] / Stream
• Nina Persson (of the Cardigans) – “Animal Heart” [2/10 on Lojinx]
• Band of Horses – “Acoustic at the Ryman” [2/10 on Brown/Kobalt]
• Deleted Scenes – “Lithium Burn” [2/11 on Park the Van/Nevado]
• Doug Keith – “Pony” [2/11 on The Village Label]
• Fanfarlo – “Let’s Go Extinct” [2/11 on Blue Horizon]
• Speedy Ortiz – “Real Hair” EP [2/11 on Carpark Records]
• Cibo Matto – “Hotel Valentine” [2/14 on Chimera Music]
• Guided By Voices – “Motivational Jumpsuit” [2/18 on GBV, Inc.]
• Krill – “Steve Hears Pile in Malden and Bursts into Tears” EP [2/18 on Exploding In Sound]
• The Presidents of the U.S.A. – “Kudos To You” [2/18 via Burnside Distribution]
• Solids – “Blame Confusion” [2/18 on Fat Possum]
• Morrissey – “Your Arsenal” reissue [2/24 on Parlophone]
• Beck – “Morning Phase” [2/25 on Capitol]
• Eternal Lips – “Eternal Lips” EP [2/25 on New Mirage]
• M.G. Lederman (Victory At Sea / Thalia Zedek Band) – “I’m Ghosts” [2/25 on Midriff]
• Bob Mould – “Workbook” reissue [2/25 on Omnivore]
• The Notwist – “Close to the Glass” [2/25 on Sub Pop] / “Kong”
• Palehound – “Kitchen” 7-inch [2/25 on Exploding In Sound]
• St. Vincent – “St. Vincent” [2/25 on Loma Vista]
• The Thalia Zedek Band – “SIX” EP [2/25 on Thrill Jockey]
• Vertical Scratchers – “Daughter of Everything” [2/25 on Merge]
• We Were Promised Jetpacks – “E Rey – Live in Philadelphia” [2/25 on FatCat]
• Withered Hand – “New Gods” [2/25 on Slumberland]
• Yellow Ostrich – “Cosmos” [2/25 on Barsuk]
• Dreamtigers – “Wishing Well” [2/28 on Arctic Rodeo]
• Phantogram – “Voices” [2/28 on Barsuk]
• Let’s Wrestle – “Let’s Wrestle” [February on Fortuna POP! / UK]

March

• Mac Demarco – “Salad Days” [3/1 on Captured Tracks]
• Blood Red Shoes – “Blood Red Shoes” [3/3 on Jazz Life / UK] / “An Animal”
• Nothing – “Guilty Of Everything” [3/4 on Relapse]
• Ume – “Monuments” [3/4 on Dangerbird Records]
• Real Estate – “Atlas” [3/8 on Domino]
• Johnny Foreigner – “You Can Do Better” [3/10 on Alcopop!]
• Elbow – “The Take Off And Landing Of Everything” [3/11 on Concord Music Group] / Video
• Joan As Police Woman – “The Classic” [3/11 on PIAS]
• Pile – “Special Snowflakes” 7-inch [3/11 on Exploding in Sound]
• Dean Wareham – “Dean Wareham” [3/11 on Double Feature] / “Holding Pattern”
• Kevin Drew – “Darlings” [3/18 on Arts & Crafts] / “Good Sex”
• The War on Drugs – “Lost in the Dream” [3/18 on Secretly Canadian]
• Faces on Film – “Elite Lines” [3/25] / Stream “The Rule”
• Future Islands – “Singles” [3/25 on 4AD]
• Howler – “World of Joy” [3/25 on Rough Trade]
• Owls – “Two” [3/25 on Polyvinyl]
• Tokyo Police Club – “Forcefield” [3/25 on Mom & Pop]
• Neil Young – “A Letter Home” [March on Third Man Records]

April

• Aloud – “It’s Got To Be Now” [4/1]
• S. Carey – “Range of Light” [4/1 on Jagjaguwar]
• Cloud Nothings – “Here And Nowhere Else” [4/1 on Carpark/Mom + Pop] / Soundcloud / Live
• Inventions (Explosions In The Sky’s Mark T. Smith and Eluvium’s Matthew Cooper) – “Inventions” [4/1 on Temporary Residence] / “Entity”
• Jon Langford – “Here Be Monsters” [4/1 on In De Goot Recordings]
• Timber Timbre – “Hot Dreams” [3/31 on Arts & Crafts] / Title track
• Mean Creek – “Local Losers” [4/8 on Old Flame Records]
• School of Language (David of Field Music) – “Old Fears” [4/7 on Memphis Industries]
• The Afghan Whigs – “Do To The Beast” [4/15 on Sub Pop]
• The Both (Aimee Mann & Ted Leo) – “The Both” self-titled debut LP [4/15 on SuperEgo]
• Shonen Knife – “Overdrive” [4/16 on Good Charamel Records]
• Damon Albarn (of Blur) – “Everyday Robots” [4/28 on Warner Music]
• Wye Oak – “Shriek” [4/29 on Merge] / Stream song
• Sleepyhead – “Wild Sometimes” [April on Carrot Top]

May

• Hallelujah The Hills [5/20]

On the way, with no exact date yet…

• Beach House
• Beliefs
• Sasha Bell
• Belle & Sebastian
• Amy Bezunartea
• Big Scary – “Not Art” [Spring on Barsuk]
• The Church
• Colin Clary – “Twee Blues” 10-inch [on WeePOP!]
• Cosmicide (Brandon Curtis of Secret Machines)
• The Cribs
• Death Cab For Cutie
• The Decemberists
• DIIV
• Eldridge Rodriguez
• Gregory & the Hawk / Meredith Godreau
• The Figgs
• Ghost Box Orchestra
• Harris Hawk
• Interpol
• Jenny Lewis
• Johnny Marr
• Kasabian
• Let’s Whisper – “As Close As We Are” 10-inch [on WeePOP!] (‘nac note: yeah,i’m in this band)
• The Mary Onettes – “Portico” mini-LP [later this year on Labrador]
• Modest Mouse
• Thurston Moore – “Sexy Secrets” [June]
• Morrissey
• Peter Murphy – “Lion”
• The New Pornographers [Spring? on Matador]
• Jennifer O’Connor
• The Okay Win – “Nothing’s Not Moving” [Spring]
• One Happy Island – “Your Flaws Aren’t Picturesque” 10-inch [on WeePOP!]
• The Pains of Being Pure at Heart [April?]
• Pernice Brothers
• Sharon Van Etten – “Are We There?” [May]
• Shearwater
• Shellac – “Dude, Incredible” [Touch and Go]
• Spoon
• Survival Knife
• Swervedriver
• Titus Andronicus
• Trashcan Sinatras
• Two Door Cinema Club
• Unwound – “Rat Conspiracy” reissue [on Numero Group]
• Jack White – 2nd solo LP [on Third Man]

And here’s hoping…

• Built To Spill
• The Cure
• Ross Flournoy / Apex Manor
• Mammoth Penguins (ex-Standard Fare!)
• Nada Surf
• Skeletal Shakes (also ex-Standard Fare!)
• Ted Leo & the Pharmacists
• … aaaaand The Long Winters. (insert pithy quip about annual mention here)

Alright, lay those recommendations on me. Or let me know what you’ve already picked up from the list above, and how it’s hitting. I’ll just be over here listening to Plus/Minus.

[Last Night's Playlist] New Music Night XIV at River Gods

Posted on January 24, 2014 at 9:28 am | No Comments

The very first New Music Night of 2014 happens to be the 14th installment. By now, we’ve got this thing pretty much down. Or at least we’d like to think so. You’d have to ask all the people who came out last night to listen to Jay Clicky Clicky and I play 4 straight hours of new music to be totally sure. Heads were bobbin’, song identities were inquired about, no one gave us the stink-eye up in the River Gods DJ booth, so I’m guessing they’d agree.

Here’s what I played during my two split-shifts of our song-spinning shenanigans. Keep an eye on Jay’s place for his playlists, but give him some extra time to post ‘em. As of midnight, as he started his last set, he officially turned old-years-old. The slowdown begins! (I kid, I kid. Happy Birthday, my friend).

New Music Night XIII
at River Gods in Cambridge, MA
on Thursday, January 23rd, 2014

* Boston-ish-area artist

Set One / Brad Almanac / 9pm – 10pm

* 01. Marissa Nadler – “Was It A Dream?” / Soundcloud
[ From her upcoming LP "July", out 2/10 on Bella Union ]
02. Doug Keith – “You Can’t Stand To Be Alone” / Bandcamp
[ From his upcoming record "Pony", out 2/11 on The Village Label ]
03. Let’s Wrestle – “Codeine and Marshmallows” / Soundcloud
[ From their self-titled third LP, out next month on Fortuna Pop ]
04. Kevin Drew – “Good Sex” / Soundcloud
[ From his next solo LP "Darlings", out 3/18 on Arts & Crafts ]
05. The War On Drugs – “Red Eyes” / Soundcloud
[ From the "Lost in the Dream" LP, out 3/18 on Secretly Canadian ]
06. School of Language – “Between the Suburbs” / Download
[ From David of Field Music's solo LP "Old Fears", out 4/7 on Memphis Industries]
07. Hospitality – “Rockets and Jets” / Soundcloud
[ From their brand new LP "Trouble", out last Tuesday on Merge ]
08. Eternal Lips – “Dream Hesitate” (with Sharon Van Etten) / Soundcloud
[ From a self-titled EP due out 2/25 on New Mirage ]
09. Dean Wareham (Luna / Galaxie 500) – “Holding Pattern” / Soundcloud
[ From his self-titled solo LP, due out 3/11 on Double Feature ]
10. Making Marks – “Bruises” / Soundcloud
[ From their debut full-length "A Thousand Half-Truths", out 2/3 on Fika ]
11. Stanley Brinks & the Wave Pictures – “Orange Juice” / Soundcloud
[ From a new joint 7-inch, out earlier this week on Fika ]
12. Skeletal Shakes – “The 189” / Soundcloud
[ New music from former Standard Fare members ]
13. Quiz Kids – “I Want You To Know” / Bandcamp
[ From their "Dynamite!" LP, released 12/1/13 on February Records ]
14. Owls – “I’m Surprised” / Soundcloud
[ From the album "Two, out 3/25 on Polyvinyl ]
15. Real Estate – “Talking Backwards” / YouTube
[ From "Atlas", their upcoming full-length, out 3/8 on Domino ]
16. +/- {PLUS/MINUS} – “The Space Between Us” / Soundcloud
[ From their next LP, "Jumping The Tracks", due 2/4 on Teen-Beat ]
17. The Notwist – “Kong” / YouTube
[ From their upcoming "Close to the Glass" LP, arriving 2/25 on Sub Pop ]

Set Two / Brad Almanac / 11pm – midnight

18. Cosmicide – “Talos Corpse” / Soundcloud
[ New project from Brandon Curtis (Secret Machines) ]
19. Tancred – “The Ring” / YouTube
[ Jess from Now Now's solo project, LP released last October ]
20. Tokyo Police Club – “Hot Tonight” / Soundcloud
[ From their upcoming "Forcefield" LP, out 3/25 on Mom & Pop ]
21. Dum Dum Girls – “Rimbaud Eyes” / Soundcloud
[ From the "Too True" full-length, out next Tuesday on Sub Pop ]
22. Guided By Voices – “Littlest League Possible” / Soundcloud
[ From the forthcoming "Motivational Jumpsuit" LP, out 2/18 on GBV, Inc. ]
* 23. Krill – “Steve Hears Pile in Malden and Bursts Into Tears” / Bandcamp
[ Title track from their upcoming EP, due out 2/18 on Exploding In Sound ]
24. Solids – “Haze Away” / Soundcloud
[ From their "Blame Confusion" LP, arriving 2/18 on Fat Possum ]
* 25. Split Squad – “Now Hear This” / Soundcloud
[ Title track from their just-released debut full-length ]
* 26. Mike Gent – “Last Boat To Japan” / Bandcamp
[ From the recently-released 4th solo LP by the Figgs' vocalist/guitarist ]
27. Fuzz – “Til the End of the Day” (Kinks cover) / Bandcamp
[ From a new split 7-inch with CCR Headmaster ]
28. Nothing – “Dig” / Bandcamp
[ From their "Guilty Of Everything" LP, coming 3/4 on Relapse ]
* 29. Grass Is Green – “Big Dog Tee Shirt Birthday Weekend” / Soundcloud
[ From their just-released "Vacationy Vinny" LP on Exploding In Sound ]
* 30. Speedy Ortiz – “Everything’s Bigger” / Soundcloud
[ Off their upcoming "Real Hair" EP, due on 2/11 via Carpark Records ]
31. Blood Red Shoes – “An Animal” / YouTube
[ From their self-titled next full-length, due 3/3 on Jazz Life / UK ]
32. Howler – “Don’t Wanna” / YouTube
[ Off of their "World of Joy" LP, scheduled for 3/25 on Rough Trade ]
33. Swervedriver – “Deep Wound” / Bandcamp
[ From a forthcoming full-length, due out sometime this year ]
34. Built To Spill – “Jokerman” (Bob Dylan cover) / Download
[ From a new Dylan tribute/covers compilation ]
35. Mogwai – “Hexon Bogon” / Soundcloud
[ From their (amazing) just-released new LP, "Rave Tapes", on Sub Pop ]
36. Sleepy Sun – “Outside” / Soundcloud
[ From the upcoming full-length "Maui Tears", out next week on Dine Alone ]
* 37. Gem Club – “Hypericum” / Soundcloud
[ From their sophomore LP, "In Roses", out next week on Hardly Art Records ]

If all goes according to plan (and why wouldn’t it?), the next New Music Night will take place in March… two months closer to glorious, glorious springtime. Same night of the week, same two guys, same DJ booth, same great bar. The only thing new about it will be all the songs. Join us, why don’tcha?

[Nac Faves] My Favorite Music of 2013

Posted on January 16, 2014 at 8:18 am | No Comments

Another year down, another annual list of the long-players that soundtracked 365 days of my earthly existence. Same deal as ever: 20-ish albums (and a couple EPs), listed alphabetically rather than numerically (never liked ranking), with links to buy and shareable audio if it exists.

This time around I’ve also gotten a bit meta with a short list of my favorite year-end music lists, made by a few people whose tastes I respect and admire. Some have a bit of overlap, but they’ve each given me a few more records to check out, and hopefully they’ll do the same for you. That list follows my own faves…

My Favorite Music of 2013
(plus a couple of EPs & reissues)

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Bent Shapes – “Feels Weird”
[ on Father/Daughter Records ]

Stream at Bandcamp / Buy at Father/Daughter

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Bottomless Pit – “Shade Perennial”
[on Comedy Minus One]

Buy at Comedy Minus One

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The Broken River Prophet – “A Dagger and A Dove”
[self-released via Bandcamp]

Stream / Buy at Bandcamp

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Neko Case –
“The Worse Things Get The Harder I Fight,
The Harder I Fight The More I Love You”
[on Anti Records]

Stream at her site / Buy at Anti

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Dowsing – “I Don’t Even Care Anymore”
[on Count Your Lucky Stars]

Stream / Buy at Bandcamp

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Ex Cops – “True Hallucinations”
[on Other Music]

Stream songs at Soundcloud / Buy at Other Music

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Joel RL Phelps and the Downer Trio – “Gala”
[on 12XU]

Stream / Buy at 12XU

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Mikal Cronin – “MCII”
[on Merge]

Stream / Buy at Merge Records

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Guillermo Sexo – “Dark Spring”
[on Midriff Records]

Stream at Bandcamp / Buy at Midriff Records

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The History of Apple Pie – “Out of View”
[on Marshall Teller Records]

Stream on Soundcloud / Buy at Rough Trade

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Kid Canaveral – “Now That You Are A Dancer”
[on Lost Map Records]

Stream a song at Bandcamp / Buy at Lost Map Records

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Krill – “Lucky Leaves”
[via Bandcamp]

Stream / Buy at Bandcamp

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Minor Alps – “Get There”
[on Barsuk Records]

Stream songs at Soundcloud / Buy at Barsuk

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Ola Podrida – “Ghosts Go Blind”
[on Western Vinyl]

[MP3] Ola Podrida – “Staying In“

Download 2 songs at their website / Buy at Western Vinyl

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Overseas – “Overseas”
[on Undertow]

Stream 2 songs at Soundcloud / Buy at Undertow

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Peyton Pinkerton – “Peyton Pinkerton”
[on Darla Records]

[MP3] Peyton Pinkerton – “Pharmacies and Bars“

Buy at Darla

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Sebadoh – “Defend Yourself”
[on Joyful Noise]

[MP3] Sebadoh – “State of Mine“

Stream at Bandcamp / Buy at Joyful Noise

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Slowdim – “Slowdim”
[via Bandcamp]

Stream / Buy at Bandcamp

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Speedy Ortiz – “Major Arcana”
[on Carpark Records]

Stream more at Soundcloud / Buy at Carpark Records

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Superchunk – “I Hate Music”
[on Merge Records]

Stream at Merge / Buy at Merge

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Throwing Muses – “Purgatory/Paradise”
[on It Books / Harper Collins]

Stream 3 songs at Soundcloud / Buy through Harper Collins

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Yo La Tengo – “Fade”
[on Matador Records]

Stream at YouTube / Buy at Matador

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Elizabeth Morris – “Optimism” EP
[via Bandcamp]

Stream / Buy at Bandcamp

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Withered Hand – “Inbetweens” EP
[via Bandcamp]

Technically late 2012, but arrived in my mailbox in early 2013, and spent too much
time in my headphones to be left out. 2014 will be Dan Willson’s year.

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Unwound – “Kid Is Gone” Box Set
[on Numero Group]

Stream / Buy at Numero Group

So there you have it. Put a period on the end of the messy, run-on sentence that was my twenty-thirteen.

As burned out as I inevitably get on the ever-increasing number year-end lists that flood my feed, a few in particular have risen above the pack. Take some time, dig around in the following posts, and find more music you may have missed…

A non-ordered list of favorite lists of 2013 favorites…

• Steph Mangan’s Favorite Albums of 2013 over at BDCwire

• Bill Pearis’ Top 20 LPs of 2013 at BrooklynVegan

• Ian’s Favorite Albums of 2013 at Why Are There So Many Records In My Life?

• Chromewaves’ favourite albums of 2013

• Chris Villon’s (exhausting) Top 10 of 2013 at Boston Hassle

• Mike’s Favorite Songs of 2013 at Sippy Cup Everything

• Steve’s List for 2013 at Baby, You Got A Stew Goin’!

• Sebastian’s Top 25 Albums of 2013 and his accompanying 2013 Year-End List Extravaganza at New Artillery.

My previous year-end fave lists can be found here: 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, and 2001. Jeez, some of those early posts are embarrassing – not the picks, but the associated words. They could also use some serious reformatting thanks to my WordPress migration. I’ll add that to the “won’t do” “to do” list.

Finally, I can’t truly leave 2013 behind before acknowledging the loss of some favorite addictions that will be much-missed, each to varying degrees.

And so I bid a very fond farewell to Chromewaves (the best damn music blog there ever was), the Boston Phoenix (I still get the itch to grab it every Thursday), The Best Show on WFMU (counting the days until its rebirth elsewhere), and to the Lemmingtrail board (a love/loathe relationship if ever there was one). To all the people who made those things what they were, well, thanks for helping me pass the time. Onwards, upwards.

Sometime next week I’ll share up my semi-annual list of releases I’m looking forward to this year, and I’ll be spinning songs from many of them at the first New Music Night of 2014, happening next Thursday at River Gods in Cambridge, MA.

[Interview] In-depth with Peyton Pinkerton (on his new solo LP, New Radiant Storm King, Silver Jews, Pernice Brothers, & more)

Posted on December 30, 2013 at 9:24 am | No Comments

Earlier this year, Peyton Pinkerton quietly released his first-ever solo record – an LP that quickly became one of my faves of 2013 – and the only thing wrong with that sentence is the word ‘quietly’. It got lost in the shuffle, maybe due to its summertime release, or the never-ending glut of eponymous singer-songwriter fare, or the relative lack of promotion. Whatever the reason, it just didn’t get the attention and praise I thought it deserved.

I’ve often felt the same was true of Northampton’s New Radiant Storm King – the band he co-fronted for nearly two decades – and have tried in my small way to fight that here on the ‘Nac. My disappointment in the band’s break-up was accompanied by the worry that they’d leave music behind and disappear into the day jobs, so it was with much relief that Peyton’s first-ever solo release suddenly appeared last summer.

While his debut may share similar DNA with his band’s final couple records (like the stellar drum work of J.J. O’Connell), it’s a far different beast. Using a wide-ranging sonic palette, it packs genuine emotional depth while showing off some serious home-production skills. Easily one of the best “headphone-worthy” releases in recent memory, there’s a startling, meticulous attention to detail – even after dozens of listens, its many layers continue to reveal themselves. There’s a striking amount of six-string craftsmanship on display, with a bevy of guitar textures used judiciously – summoned as needed, then retreating, never overwhelming each song’s intent. Alternatingly catchy then weird, melodic then dissonant, there’s so much going on stylistically that it’s hard to pin down, difficult to describe. At its most reductive it’s “indie rock” – the label unavoidably pinned to his former band – but it often transcends that. As much as I love/loved NRSK, it feels like ending the band has set Peyton free.

Over the past couple months, he was gracious enough to honor my request for a back-n-forth email interview, and not only did he honor it, he went above and beyond – he was open to any questions, answered each thoughtfully, and as you’ll see, his genuine candor is refreshing. He dives deep into the early days of NRSK, his musical collaborations (with Silver Jews, Pernice Brothers, Miracle Legion’s Mark Mulcahy), and is very forthcoming about the impact of recently-disclosed mental illness on his creativity.

Peyton was also kind enough to offer up a couple of unreleased non-album tracks for sharing (instrumental “Bouzouki” and the recently-recorded “Silent Grotesque“), alongside my own two favorites from the record (the propulsive, paranoid “Pharmacies & Bars” and the elegiac “Arshile Gorky“).

So dig into these words (and sounds) from Mr. Peyton Pinkerton, look below for links where you can read more, and grab a copy of his LP from Darla. You’ll thank me later…

Continue to the interview…