wednesday and thursday
february 10th and 11th
the magnetic fields
laura barrett
@ the wilbur theatre
thursday, february 11th
v66 reunion
with rod & cones, big city rock,
the fools, o positive, animotion,
right turn, digney fingus, ernie boch jr.,
lizzie borden and the axes, & more
@ house of blues
thursday, february 11th
found audio
the first annual
the rockefeller fortune
boone
@ oliver's / cask 'n flagon
friday, february 12th
kings of convenience
franklin for short
@ the paradise
saturday, february 13th
one happy island
human hearts (with franklin bruno)
boy genius
free! @ toad, cambridge
saturday, february 13th
a benefit for haiti
the okay win
new son rising
the elevators
@ copperfields
saturday, february 13th
tegan & sara
holly miranda
@ the orpheum
sunday, february 14th
we were promised jetpacks
bad veins
royal bangs
@ the middle east downstairs
monday, february 15th
a benefit for haiti
with big bear, ketman,
chris brokaw, monique ortiz,
art decade, & the dirty dishes
@ the middle east downstairs
tuesday, wednesday, & thursday
february 16th, 17th, & 18th
3 nights with jonathan richman
@ the middle east upstairs
thursday, february 18th
editors
the antlers
@ house of blues
friday, february 19th
28 degrees taurus
el jezel
the broken river prophet
metal feathers
@ o'briens, allston
friday, february 19th
taken by trees
el perro del mar
@ the cambridge ymca theatre
saturday, february 20th
dawes
corey chisel & the wandering sons
jason boesel (rilo kiley)
@ great scott
monday, february 22nd
boy without god
ryan lee crosby quartet
the wailing wall
sleepy very sleepy
@ tt the bears
wednesday, february 24th
wild beasts
still life still
dj carbo
@ great scott
saturday, february 27th
hadoken (cd release)
caspian
irepress
slowest runner
@ tt the bears
monday, march 1st
rogue wave
@ the paradise
tuesday, march 9th
jet
crash kings
@ the paradise
monday, march 15th
one happy island
standard fare
summer cats
@ great scott
monday, march 15th
letting up despite great faults
the brother kite
plumerai
singing bridges
@ the middle east upstairs
wednesday, march 17th
joanna newsom
@ the sanders theatre, harvard
wednesday, march 17th
henry rollins (spoken word)
@ the somerville theatre
sunday, march 21st
the clientele
field music
@ great scott
saturday, march 20th
air
am
@ berklee performance center
thursday, march 25th
aloud
action camp
hello ninja
@ great scott
thursday, march 25th
the donnas
@ the paradise
friday, march 26th
basia bulat
marissa nadler
lady lamb the beekeeper
@ tt the bears
saturday, march 27th
your say party! we say die!
the new collisions
static of the gods (cd release)
@ tt the bears
saturday, march 27th
the big pink
a place to bury strangers
@ the paradise
saturday, march 27th
spoon
deerhunter
@ the house of blues
sunday, march 28th
beach house
bachelorette
@ the paradise
monday, march 29th
the soft pack
nodzzz
beaters
@ great scott
tuesday, march 30th
shearwater
wye oak
hospital ships
@ tt the bears
tuesday, march 30th
manchester orchestra
the features
biffy clyro
o'brother
@ the paradise
wednesday, march 31st
japandroids
love is all
girlfriends
@ the middle east downstairs
wednesday, march 31st
miike snow
delorean
@ the paradise
wednesday, march 31st
a sunny day in glasgow
pants yell!
bearstronaut
@ great scott
thursday, april 1st
girls
dum dum girls
@ the paradise
friday, april 2nd
the xx
jj (late show only)
two shows @ the paradise
friday, april 2nd
drive-by truckers
lucero
langhorne slim
@ the house of blues
saturday, april 3rd
nada surf
@ the paradise
sunday, april 4th
serena maneesh
depreciation guild
@ tt the bears
tuesday, april 6th
wilco
@ the orpheum
wednesday, april 7th
florence & the machine
@ the paradise
wednesday, april 7th
rocky votolato
brooke waggoner
@ great scott
friday, april 9th
midlake
@ the paradise
saturday, april 10th
xiu xiu
tune-yards
@ the middle east downstairs
saturday, april 10th
ted leo & the pharmacists
obits
@ the paradise
saturday, april 10th
pissed jeans
confines
sqrm
@ great scott
monday, april 12th
the wedding present
play their 1989 lp 'bizarro'
with openers girl in a coma
@ the middle east downstairs
thursday, april 15th
red sparowes
doomriders
@ the middle east downstairs
saturday, april 17th
kaki king
an horse
@ the middle east downstairs
saturday, april 17th
the morning benders
miniature tigers
@ tt the bears
sunday, april 18th
the thermals
past lives
@ the middle east downstairs
monday, april 19th
trans am
@ the middle east downstairs
tuesday, april 20th
owen pallett (aka final fantasy)
@ the ica boston
tuesday, april 20th
elvis costello & the sugarcanes
@ the orpheum
tuesday, april 20th
the low anthem
@ the paradise
tuesday, april 20th
quasi
let's wrestle
@ the middle east downstairs
saturday, april 24th
los campesinos!
here we go magic
@ the paradise
wednesday, april 28th
gogol bordello
devotchka
jesse malin
st. mark's social
@ the house of blues
thursday, april 29th
frightened rabbit
@ the paradise
friday, april 30th
corinne bailey ray
@ the house of blues
friday, april 30th
the album leaf
sea wolf
@ the paradise
wednesday, april 28th
little boots
dragonette
fan death
@ the middle east downstairs
monday, may 3rd
yeasayer
sleigh bells
@ the paradise
thursday, may 6th
shout out louds
@ the paradise
tuesday & wednesday
may 11th & 12th
dr. dog
deer tick
@ the paradise
thursday, may 13th
small brown bike
bridge and tunnel
your skull my closet
wallcreeper
@ great scott
tuesday, may 25th
smittens
allo darlin'
one happy island
horrowitz
@ toad
wednesday, may 26th
reverend horton heat
cracker
miss derringer
@ the house of blues
wednesday, june 2nd
the national
@ the house of blues
friday, june 4th
brian jonestown massacre
@ the paradise
saturday, june 19th
james taylor
carole king
@ the garden
visit tourfilter for more shows
|

Monday, December 31, 2007
2007: My Favorite Music
 Year-end lists used to be an annual tradition here on the 'Nac, up until 2005, when the overabundance (and gun-jumping) of online list-makers prompted me to keep quiet. For the first time, I just didn't feel like adding my signal to the overwhelming amount of noise, and the same held true at the end of '06, as the listers grew exponentially, and the earlier-than-thou mentality got out of hand. But a two-year break is just long enough (and a bunch of this year's releases were just great enough) to get me to chime in again. One thing, though: I've decided I hate ranking my faves. Assigning a numerical order to the things I love is such an arbitrary exercise - things mean more to me depending on the day, week, or season - so what follows are my favorite albums and live shows of 2007, but with no numbers attached. Yeah, there are some of the usual suspects that you've seen on every other indie-slanted music blog, but hopefully a few surprises as well (though not too surprising if you visit here regularly). I've left off a few local Boston-area faves that filled my ears this year, as I'll be spotlighting them in another post soon. First, I'll name the 20 albums released during the year that I listened to the most, with my favorite songs from each, and if there was one, an accompanying artist-approved or label-sanctioned Mp3 that was made available online. The label each album was released on also links to where you can purchase a copy of your own...
Arcade Fire - "Neon Bible"(on Merge Records) faves: "No Cars Go", "Keep The Car Running" Mp3: "Keep The Car Running"
Band of Horses - "Cease To Begin"(on Sub Pop Records) faves: "Ode to LRC", "No One's Gonna Love You" Mp3: "Is There A Ghost"
Blonde Redhead - "23"(on 4AD Records) faves: "Dr. Strangeluv", "23" Mp3: "23"
Bottomless Pit - "Hammer of the Gods"(on Comedy Minus One Records) faves: "Human Out Of Me", "Dead Man's Blues" Mp3: "The Cardinal Movements"
Buffalo Tom - "Three Easy Pieces"(on New West Records) faves: - "You'll Never Catch Him", "Hearts of Palm" Mp3: "Three Easy Pieces"
Dinosaur Jr. - "Beyond"(on Fat Possum Records) faves: "Back To Your Heart", "Pick Me Up" Mp3: "Almost Ready"
Fields - "Everything Last Winter"(on Atlantic Records) faves: "Song for The Fields", "You Don't Need This Song" Mp3: "Song For The Fields"
Film School - "Hideout"(on Beggars Banquet) faves: "Two Kinds", "Compare" Mp3: "Lectric"
Interpol - "Our Love To Admire"(on Capitol Records) faves: "Who Do You Think", "Rest My Chemistry" Mp3: "The Heinrich Maneuver"
Kevin Drew - "Spirit If..."(on Arts & Crafts Records) faves: - "Safety Bricks", "Bodhi Sappy Weekend" Mp3: "Tbtf"
Kristin Hersh - "Learn To Sing Like A Star"(on Yep Roc Records) faves: "Winter", "Under The Gun" Mp3: "In Shock"
The National - "Boxer"(on Beggars Banquet) faves: "Mistaken For Strangers", "Brainy" Mp3: "Fake Empire"
New Pornographers - "Challengers"(on Matador Records) faves: "Unguided", "Myriad Harbour" Mp3: "Myriad Harbour"
Ola Podrida - "Ola Podrida"(on Plug Research) faves: "Cindy", "Pour Me Another" Mp3: "Cindy"
Pinback - "Autumn of the Seraphs"(on Touch & Go Records) faves: "Good To Sea", "From Nothing To Nowhere" Mp3: "From Nothing To Nowhere"
PJ Harvey - "White Chalk"(on Island Records) faves: "Grow Grow Grow", "The Piano" Stream songs @ MySpace
Radiohead - "In Rainbows"( self-released) faves: "Videotape", "All I Need" Stream songs @ MySpace
Shellac - "Excellent Italian Greyhound"(on Touch & Go Records) faves: "The End of Radio", "Kittypants" no online audio available
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - "Living With The Living"(on Touch & Go Records) faves: "La Costa Brava", "The Lost Brigade" Mp3: "Sons Of Cain"
Wheat - "Everyday I Said A Prayer For Kathy And Made A One Inch Square"(on Empyrean Records) faves: "Little White Dove", "I Had Angels Watching Over Me" Mp3: "Move=Move"I could've easily added another 10 or more on there, but that would've been a bit too self-indulgent. I should also mention that I shared some thoughts on a couple of the albums above on the year-end edition of Blog Fresh Radio, so if you feel like hearing me ramble, along with aural contributions from a bunch of ace fellow music bloggers, go here. And here are the 20 Boston-area live shows I enjoyed the most this past year, in chronological order, with a link to my own write-up of each (many of which still have the live recordings available for download). There are a few that I'll hopefully be sharing up in the coming weeks...
Caspian@ Great Scott in Allston, MA On Tuesday, January 9th, 2007 write-up
Sparklehorse@ the Paradise in Boston, MA On Thursday, February 27th, 2007 write-up
Asobi Seksu@ the Middle East Downstairs in Cambridge, MA On Wednesday, February 28th, 2007 live set forthcoming
Rob Crow (of Pinback)@ TT the Bears in Cambridge, MA On Wednesday, February 28th, 2007 write-up
Sebadoh@ the Paradise in Boston, MA On Friday, March 30th, 2007 live set
Low@ the Somerville Theater in Somerville, MA On Saturday, April 7th, 2007 live set
John Vanderslice & friends@ the Middle East Upstairs in Cambridge, MA On Friday, April 20th, 2007 live set
Dinosaur Jr.@ Urban Outfitters in Cambridge, MA On Thursday, May 10th, 2007 live set
The Arcade Fire@ the Orpheum in Boston, MA On Thursday, May 10th, 2007 live set
Kristin Hersh & the McCarricks@ Hi-N-Dry in Cambridge, MA On Sunday, May 27th, 2007
The Cal Robbins Benefit Shows@ PA's Lounge in Somerville, MA with Ida, Secret Stars, Mark Robinson, Drew O'Doherty, Geoff Farina, Chris Brokaw, Neptune, Helms, @ the Thalia Zedek BandOn Friday & Saturday, July 13th & 14th, 2007 live songs forthcoming
Darren Hanlon@ the Lily Pad in Cambridge, MA On Friday, August 17th, 2007 live set
Kevin Drew & Broken Social Scene with Ryan Walsh (of Hallelujah the Hills)@ TT the Bears in Cambridge, MA On Tuesday, August 28th, 2007 Kevin's live set / Ryan's live set
The Lucksmiths@ TT the Bears in Cambridge, MA On Thursday, September 27th, 2007 live set
Kristin Hersh & Tanya Donelly@ the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, MA On Saturday, October 6th, 2007 live sets shared soon
Film School@ TT the Bears in Cambridge, MA On Wednesday, October 24th, 2007 live set
The National@ Paddy O's in Boston, MA on Friday, October 26th, 2007 live set
Drew O'Doherty, The Soft Drugs, All Smiles, & David Bazan@ TT the Bears in Cambridge, MA On Saturday, October 27th, 2007 David's live set / The Soft Drugs' live set
Yo La Tengo@ the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA on Thursday, November 15th, 2007 live set
Spiritualized@ the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA On Monday, November 19th, 2007 live set and not exactly musical (unless you count a song from "Annie"), but definitely rating a mention...Zach Galifianakis@ the Berklee Performance Ctr. in Boston, MA on Saturday, July 7th, 2007 As usual, a ton of great live music filled my year, which is no minor feat considering my new dadness, and the diminished amount of show-going free time (that's hardly a complaint, of course). It's been a real challenge balancing the fatherhood, the day job, and the blog, and more than a few times I've considered putting the Almanac on the back burner for awhile. But the compulsion remains, and I find myself heading into 2008 with a full head of steam.
So until that momentum fades, I'll keep on sharing live recordings, scattershot music-related info, and the occasional bit of tv/movie/books/comics randomness. I've got some cool posts planned, including a look at what a few Boston-area faves have in store for 2008, some amazing live stuff, and a pretty special giveaway. The comments and grateful emails you guys send really do keep me going, so thanks for those, and best wishes to all of you in the new year.
posted by brad at 12:01 AM | direct link | rss (1:2)
|
$blog_id=7331383304862626260;
$blog_mail="bsearles@gmail.com";
$file_name=$PHP_SELF;
global $blog_id, $blog_mail, $file_name;
include ("blogkomm/module/blogkomm_show_link.php");
?>

|
|

midlake
two copies of their new cd
running until 9am on 2/12

david bazan + his band
live at tt the bear's place
in cambridge, mass.
on tuesday, october 20th, 2009

recent posts on the 'nac...
latest comments...
on the screen
on the nightstand
other boston-area music blogs
boston live show / event info
surf-worthy
|