bradley's almanac - a boston music blog

boston area events of note:

thursday, january 8th

forest henderson

the new collisions

the lights out

sir q

@ great scott

saturday, january 10th

head automatica

radio 4

@ great scott

sunday, january 11th

whistlejacket

voxhaul broadcast

local natives

the union line

@ tt the bears

monday, january 12th

varsity drag

the rationales

nate rogers (ex-scamper)

@ tt the bears

thursday, january 15th

illinois

@ great scott

thursday, january 15th

the raveonettes

@ the paradise

friday, january 16th

dear leader

hallelujah the hills

faces on film

@ the paradise

saturday, january 17th

the rosebuds

the love language

the fatal flaw

@ the middle east downstairs

sunday, january 18th

frightened rabbit

@ great scott

sunday, january 18th

department of eagles

@ the brattle theatre

saturday, january 24th

longwave

wheat

bon savants

@ great scott

saturday, january 24th

arts at the armory benefit

mission of burma

the neighborhoods

@ the somerville theatre

saturday, january 24th

vic chesnutt

elf power

@ the middle east

tuesday, january 27th

annuals

jessica lee mayfield

what laura says

@ the paradise

friday, january 30th

andrew bird

loney dear

@ the orpheum

tuesday, february 3rd

heartless bastards

@ great scott

wednesday, february 4th

the pretenders

@ the orpheum

thursday, february 5th

illinois

mean creek

you can be a wesley (cd release)

@ great scott

wednesday, february 11th

the godfathers

@ the middle east down

friday, february 13th

los campesinos!

@ the paradise

saturday, february 14th

animal hospital

travels (cd release!)

arms & sleepers

mary page

@ pa's lounge

sunday, february 15th

the pains of being pure at heart

pants yell!

the depreciation guild

@ the middle east upstairs

sunday, february 15th

fujiya & miyagi

@ the paradise

wednesday, february 18th

m. ward

@ the somerville theatre

saturday, february 21st

norm macdonald

@ the wilbur theatre

monday, february 23rd

witch (j. mascis)

earthless

@ tt the bears

tuesday, february 24th

jason isbell & the 400 unit

deer tick

ferraby lionheart

@ tt the bears

tuesday, february 24th

ben kweller

the watson twins

@ the somerville theatre

tuesday, february 24th

tapes 'n tapes

wild light

@ the paradise

wednesday, february 25th

comedian eugene mirman

'the will to whatevs' book tour

@ the brookline booksmith

thursday, february 26th

jimmy eat world

'clarity 10th anniversary tour'

@ the new house of blues

thursday, february 26th

blizten trapper

alela diane

@ the paradise

saturday, february 28th

swirlies!

gregory & the hawk

@ the middle east up

saturday, february 28th

fountains of wayne (acoustic)

everyday visuals (acoustic)

@ the paradise

saturday, march 7th

airborne toxic event

alberta cross

henry clay people

@ the paradise

wednesday, march 11th

fleetwood mac

@ the garden

saturday, march 14th

throwing muses

screaming females

50 foot wave

@ the middle east downstairs

saturday, march 14th

a.c. newman (new pornographers)

with dent may & his

magnificent ukulele

@ the paradise

sunday, march 29th

morrissey

@ the house of blues

visit tourfilter for more shows

Friday, July 22, 2005

Take Me Down To (Aberdeen) City

I've been seeing the band name Aberdeen City on Boston-area club schedules for a couple years now, and back when it was simply 'Aberdeen' I took notice, as they shared that original moniker with another band I knew and loved. I appreciated when they added the 'City', no longer unintentionally tricking me into thinking the LA-based others were coming to town, and figured I'd eventually run across them on a lineup I was checking out. It was only a matter of time before I'd finally discover what they were all about.

We never did cross paths, not until a couple weeks ago when I received a promo of their upcoming disc 'The Freezing Atlantic', due out this fall. It sat on my desk for a few days, and lucky for me I decided to grab it as I hit the road for a long drive up to Vermont. Because, well... Wow. With a capital 'W'.

I'm always glad, but often disappointed, to hear recordings from an unfamiliar local band. It's rare that one grabs me right out of the gate, that blows me away from the very first listen. But Aberdeen City, cranked inside my car on 93 North, did just that. Hell, the album kept doing so as I hit I-89, when I restarted it for the third time in a row. I've played the thing many more times in the days since, it hasn't even left the car cd player, and I'm nowhere near done with it. I like a lot of local bands, but I love just a select few. Aberdeen City is now one of those, and I haven't even seen them on stage.

I'll take care of that tomorrow night, and just a couple blocks from my place, as they play Great Scott in Allston with The Cloud Room and Benzos. If you can't make it there on such short notice, they'll be back next month, playing the Middle East Up on Thursday, August 25th. Oh, and for NYC readers, they'll be at the Mercury Lounge in just a couple days, this Monday, July 25th.

Y'know, I'm sometimes at a loss when describing bands, even worse at comparing them to what has come before, preferring to let songs speak for themselves. I'm not going to go off about how much I like their singer's voice, how solid the drumming is, how good the production is, how great the melodic-then-skronky guitar lines sound... as usual, I'll just link some songs in the chance you feel the same.

So here's the tracklisting from 'The Freezing Atlantic', due out in October on Dovecote Records, along with links to a couple mp3s they've already made available...

Aberdeen City
'The Freezing Atlantic'
due out October 2005

1. Another Seven Years
2. Pretty Pet
3. God Is Going To Get Sick Of Me
4. Sixty Lives
5. The Arrival
6. In Combat
7. Stay Still
8. Brighton
9. Best Chances Are Gone
10. Mercy

The label was also kind enough to let me pick another to share, so here's an mp3 of 'Sixty Lives', which you can also stream at the Dovecote site. A.C.'s MySpace page has streams as well.

If any of that stuff moves you like it did me, grab their recent 'Sixty Lives' EP here. It's just $5, and includes two album tracks along with new song 'Incredible Story'. The first five Boston-area people to order it (as of a couple days ago) get two tickets to their Great Scott show tomorrow, so if you were thinking of going, there's some added motivation. Two tickets? $16. One EP? $5. More beer money is always a good thing, so in the chance the tix aren't all gone, order up.

'God is gonna get sick of me, and the accident that takes the beat from my heart will look like it was my fault' - Aberdeen City

posted by brad at 1:49 PM | direct link | rss (1 :2) | |

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