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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


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


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




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Thursday, August 21, 2008

Preview Mp3: new New Radiant Storm King

If you've been reading this site long enough, you're likely aware of my firm belief that New Radiant Storm King released one of the finest albums of 2006 in "The Steady Hand". That thoughtfully energetic collection of dual-guitar rock songs kept the best aspects of what made this born-in-89 quartet so good throughout the 90s, while at the same time showing enough growth to not sound like a retread. Unlike some of their peers, age hadn't split them apart and put acoustic guitars in their hands, or pushed them towards milking their rich catalog for nostalgia's sake -- their hook-filled creativity was still fully on display, along with a measured dose of songwriting maturity.

We got a healthy taste of their next record when NRSK opened up for reunited old friends Polvo at the Middle East a couple months back -- only 3 songs of their 9-song set were familiar (the excellent "Montague Terrace" from 2002's "Winter's Kill", and two set bookends from "The Steady Hand"), so I assumed the rest would be found on their autumn-scheduled album. Well, I assumed correctly, and thanks to Darla Records, I've been spending lots of time with New Radiant Storm King's upcoming eighth (!) full-lengther, "Drinking In The Moonlight".

The thirteen songs add slightly more intricate production to the mix, and while the band's energy remains (opener "Soporific Slump", "Eraser"), the new album relies a bit more on their cleaner, sparkling guitar lines over a bed of acoustic (yes, I said it) strumming, eschewing heavy distortion in favor of more instrumental depth. Hell, album closer "Fall Prey", with its gorgeous piano line and heavily-panned drum fills, sounds more like the Beatles than anything NRSK has ever recorded, and contains an actual guitar solo, a musical trope the band has rarely, if ever, fallen back on. Fortunately, they have the good taste to pull it off, and even the songs that stretch the band's own boundaries still sound undeniably NRSK. Not sure I can think of another non-twee act who can work "Ooooo la-la-la" backing vox into a song (see "Midnight Comes") and have it sound wholly appropriate. Yes, the hooks are there in spades, maybe less overtly propulsive but no less catchy, resulting in a little more pop in their rock. Lyrically, the band continues to grow, weaving in weighty subjects like religion, the consequences of violence, and of course, the unavoidable passage of time. Fortunately for us, that passage of time hasn't included retiring their band, and it'll be nice to see founding members Peyton Pinkerton and Matt Hunter celebrate their 20th anniversary as songwriting partners next year.

Through the kindness of their record label, I've got what might be the premiere of the first downloadable song from the upcoming album for ya. Here's track number three...


New Radiant Storm King's "Drinking In The Moonlight" arrives on October 7th, 2008 courtesy of Darla Records. You can stream five other songs from the album on MySpace. For the full track list and the band's (very) brief words on each song, head here, and to pre-order, click here. They play tomorrow night in Philly at the M Room and Saturday at Piano's in NYC, both shows with Photon Band. More tour dates are sure to follow later on this year, so keep an eye out.






random mp3s of the moment
week of december 29th, 2008

dirty on purpose
live at the middle east
in cambridge, ma
on october 11th, 2008

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