2009: My Favorite (Boston-made) Music
Posted on March 3, 2010 at 12:13 pm | No Comments
As I mentioned in my list of favorite full-lengths released last year, there were so many that came from bands based here in the Boston-area that I thought I’d spotlight them in their very own post. To be completely clear, though: This is far from some lesser-category of local releases, but a list of 10 albums that sit proudly alongside my other favorite 20 – the fact that they originate from Boston would be entirely irrelevant if it didn’t give me some major hometown pride. And allow me to see these bands play live a lot more than most of you.
And yes, I do realize it’s March already, and far too late for such a list. I am shamed. Better late than never, right?
So here they are, in alphabetical order, my favorite albums of 2009 that just happened to be created by Boston-area bands, along with a few shorter local releases that made my year better. I’ve included a free n’ legal MP3 with each (all gathered in a .zip file at the bottom), and have linked the label names to where you can buy the full-lengths, in the event you’re compelled to give these talented souls some cash (hint: you are).
Arms and Sleepers – “Matador”
(on Fake Chapter Records)
My favorite ambient album of ’09, from a Boston/Portland duo that’s been around for awhile and finally made it onto my radar with this album’s release in November. Collaborators abound on “Matador”, including this gorgeous duet with Catherine Worsham of Uzi & Ari, which also features a bit of guitar work from Mona Elliott of Travels…
[MP3] Arms and Sleepers – “The Architekt“
The Beatings – “Late Season Kids”
(on Midriff Records)
I wrote a bit about the triumph of persistence that is The Beatings’ sixth album right here, and it still rings true. In case you missed it, be sure to freely download the entire (and entirely excellent) Midriff Records 2009 Sampler on which this song also resides…
[MP3] The Beatings – “All Things You’ve Been Missing“
Caspian – “Tertia”
(on The Myelene Sheath)
My inclusion of Beverly’s Caspian on this list should come as no surprise to anyone who has been reading the ‘Nac for awhile. They continue to grow, stretching the bounds of instrumental post-rock, writing songs that may shine on record, but are near-blinding in a live setting. I love that their label – The Mylene Sheath – treats us to limited edition, hi-quality Caspian vinyl, and that they’ll also be putting out deluxe CD reissues of the bands’ previous work in a couple weeks. Go here for details and pre-order action.
[MP3] Caspian – “Of Foam and Wave“
The Channels – “Cold Comfort”
(self-released)
This album took me by surprise, only because I came upon it in a most unusual and unassuming way – it was handed to me by my temporary bandmate, guitarist/singer/cartoonist Rob Sergel, on the night of our first and only show together (so far?) as the Marvelous Marbles. I had no idea what to expect when I popped it into my computer a couple weeks later – but within a couple listens I considered myself very, very lucky. Rob and his friend Ben have crafted a bedroom pop gem, somber in subject, uplifting in execution, and waiting to be discovered by a whole hell of a lot more like-minded listeners.
Y’know, as much fun as I had playing with my MM bandmates, I wouldn’t have predicted I’d walk away from the experience holding onto one of my favorite albums of the year. I’ve shared one track with Rob’s permission below, but you can stream the entirety of “Cold Comfort” right here.
[MP3] The Channels – “Don’t Come Over“
Hallelujah the Hills – “Colonial Drones”
(on Misra Records)
Hallelujah the Hills’ second album damn well delivered on the promise made by their first, proving yet again that literate songs need not be boring – hell, they can be downright catchy. They’ve found the perfect studio balance, layering dense, detailed instrumentation in a blanket of warm production that sounds like no one else – you hear an HtH song and you know it’s them. Here’s one to make you dance…
[MP3] Hallelujah the Hills – “Blank Passports“
Mean Creek
“The Sky (Or The Underground)”
(on Old Flame Records)
When I first heard this, Mean Creek’s second album, I knew I liked it quite a bit, but that I’d need to spend more time discovering just how much. Before that happened, I caught the band downstairs at the Middle East as part of the Mark Sandman Memorial Concert, and was frankly flat-out blown away. That live performance, the power of it, the perfect sound mix and harmonies of that afternoon set… well, it brought even greater life to the studio versions and elevated the songs in my ears. I’m generally not a fan of music-related awards contests and such, but this is one I can get behind.
[MP3] Mean Creek – “The Sky (Or The Underground)“
The Novel Ideas – “The Sky Is A Field”
(self-released)
I said it back in December, and I’ll say it again: Songs that make me swoon. Their introductory email hit my inbox just when I needed it most, in October, when various life-related dominoes started falling around me, and this album helped keep my head up. Still does. Stream the whole thing here.
[MP3] The Novel Ideas – “The Sky“
I’m also compelled to mention that Novel Ideas’ member Alex Caplow has released a pretty stunning new album titled “Real Life Color” under the name Magic Man. The songs, co-written and recorded with his old friend Sam Lee (of The Tumbled Sea), came together while the two were working together on organic farms last summer in France. More than worth a free download right here. I’ll be spending a lot more time with this one as winter becomes spring.
Pants Yell! – “Received Pronunciation”
(on Slumberland Records)
The simple fact is that “Not Wrong“, the next-to-last track on “Received Pronunciation”, is hands down my favorite song of 2009. And without the ‘Boston’ qualifier, either. I don’t like to settle on absolute faves, because my mood changes too much for me to be sure of such things, but over and over again I come back to this simple, understated, perfect little gem that gets me every single time. And it sits on this album among so many other pop treasures, showing that these three guys can craft songs that add up to so much more than the sum of their parts.
[MP3] Pants Yell! – “Cold Hands“
Taxpayer – “Don’t Steal My Night Vision”
(on Lunch Records)
A bona fide rock record, refreshingly self-assured without being at-all cheezy. There are far too many bands in this town who cross that line, who are all cocky showmanship but no substance – who have the swagger but not the songs. Taxpayer ain’t one of those bands. There are also a ton of bands here who have some good music, but settle for a mediocre vocalist because he plays guitar and writes the songs. Well, Taxpayer ain’t that either, thanks to singer/guitarist Jared Marsh, who has the confidence and the range to handle what’s going on behind him. Like Mean Creek, these guys deserved all the accolades thrown their way in ’09.
[MP3] Taxpayer – “We Have Arrived“
You Can Be A Wesley – “Heard Like Us”
(self-released)
I’ve professed my love for the Wesleys many times before, and their debut full-lengther was pretty much guaranteed a spot on my yearly faves list from the get go. Can’t wait to see what’s up their sleeves for a follow-up.
Before I put a period on the end of my musical 2009, here are a few other local non-long-players that occupied my ears last year, and a couple that came out last year but I’ve only recently started digging…
I really dug the Christians & Lions “Bird’s Milk” EP, which you can download for free (and under a Creative Commons license) at the bottom of this page. Here’s the title track… I fell quickly for Girlfriends after hearing the five songs from their debut cassette EP, and fell even further after I saw them play Great Scott in January. They are, in fact, the real deal. And they happen to share a member (and label) with Christians & Lions. Which I didn’t realize until after I got into both bands independently. Seems Ben Potrykus has my number. Go listen. I sang the praises of Dylan In The Movies in that December fave songs post, and I can’t resist an opportunity to do so again. The long-in-the-making next album is now titled “Josephine If You Only Knew“, named for what is now the title track, and it’ll be out on American Laundromat this year. Given how much I love this song, how much I played it last year, and how great the new stuff they played on last week’s KEXP studio session was (seriously, go listen), my anticipation has reached new heights. Added bonus: One of the songs on the album features backing vocals from the Watson Twins and the track “Girl With the Black Tights” was co-written with Tanya Donelly (Throwing Muses, Breeders, + Belly, of course). Download the “Josephine” single here, and keep an eye on the American Laundromat site for updates on the album’s eventual release. Age Rings are dead; long live Hot Protestants. With a lineup shift, the new name emerged last summer when the band played their first show at Great Scott and offered up an excellent 4-song EP. A second 4-song blast quickly followed in October, and you can download both (naming your own price) right here. Full length on the way? Here’s hoping. Here’s the first track from that first EP…
As promised, here’s a .zip file with all the songs linked above.
For your further edification (assuming you haven’t had enough reading), have a look at the Metro’s look back at local music in 2009, with contributions from writers Linda Laban, Luke O’Neil, Selene Angier, Pat Healy, G. Valentino Ball, and Nolan Gawron. Globe writer Jonathan Perry shared his own list of ’09 local faves on January 1st. Yes, the man’s punctuality (not to mention his writing) puts me to shame. Next year I’ll do better. Well, unless I don’t.
Monday Morning Miscellany (an anniversary, a nomination, + a couple of worthy causes)
Posted on February 22, 2010 at 9:30 am | No Comments
Been awhile since I’ve done one of these random, multi-subject missives (blame Twitbook and a severe lack of personal downtime), but there are a handful things worth mentioning here in a proper post. A couple are entirely self-serving, others are far from it, but all have been on my mind lately to varying degrees…
With little fanfare, save for some kind Twitter responses and a bunch of Facebook ‘likes’, the ‘Nac passed its official 10-year anniversary exactly a week ago. Yes, on the 15th of February, in the year 2000, I registered the domain name bradleysalmanac.com while sitting in my old office at Mass Pike exit 17 (TPS represent!). A decade in and it is, of course, a very different beast from when it began… took me awhile to find my footing and my focus (well, that’s assuming you believe I’ve found either). In the alternate universe where I have no day job, no family, a clone, and a staff of filthy assistants, I threw a big honkin’ party with some of my favorite bands, a whole lot of friends, and a bunch of free stuff. In this one, I stopped at Deep Ellum on the way home for work and had a raised a pint to myself. In other words, it was a Monday. Huzzah! In case you weren’t aware, or hadn’t taken notice of the little blue square in the upper right over there, for some inexplicable reason the Almanac has been nominated in the “Best Boston Blog” category of the 2010 Boston Phoenix Readers Poll. Which resulted in equal parts total flattery and complete confusion. Y’see, not only is this the first year, I believe, that the category has been changed from “Best Boston Blog/Podcast” to simply “Best Boston Blog”, but it may be the first time a music-related site has been among the nominees. And not just one, but three of them. How cool is that? If you are so inclined (if you’re reading this, I’m hoping you’re doing so because you enjoy it, not out of some strange masochistic compulsion), go vote for me (and make sure you click ‘submit vote’ then ‘skip to finish’). According to the fine print, you can vote once a day, so do with that info what you will. No, I have no idea when the polls close, but I’m assuming that’ll happen about 30 seconds before I click ‘publish’ on this post.
And here’s some wishful thinking, directed at the Phoenix folks: Given that three music blogs ended up in this year’s Reader’s Poll, how about a new category in the 2010 Phoenix Best Music Poll for “Best Boston Music Blog”? Spread the love around a bit more, y’know? I’m obviously biased, but with the number of fine music-related websites we’ve got around this town, maybe it’s time.
Speaking of the Phoenix, their On The Download blog asked me to comment on the recent so-called #musicblogicide2010 (for the layperson: Google/Blogger deleted the entirety of a few music blogs due to some questionable copyright complaints). So, I commented. Go ahead and read my rambling, as if you don’t get enough of that here already.
And now, on to a couple of causes that actually deserve your time and attention…
It warmed my heart last month when I learned that Al Crisafulli had decided to restart his wonderful Jersey-based label Dromedary Records (the original run was from 1993 to 2000), and it warmed my heart even further when I saw one of the first new releases would be “Make the Load Lighter: Indie Rock for Haiti”. The 16-track, digital-only release includes old and new contributions from Dromedary artists like the Mommyheads, Cuppa Joe, + Footstone, as well as Moviola and Jennifer Convertible. Well worth a purchase, moreso because all of the proceeds will go to Vwa Ayiti (“Voice of Haiti”), which is “an all-volunteer organization that has been doing environmentally-conscious community development projects in Haiti since 2005. Right now all donations are going directly to providing medical care to the quake victims.” So get over to the Dromedary site and order up, or look it up at Amazon , eMusic, or iTunes.
A cause that is far, far closer to my heart and home (and those who know me well know why) is the fight against cancer. Since late last year, I’ve been following the creation and launch of TargetCancer and their new Right Track Tunes website. And I quote…
“TargetCancer promotes the development of lifesaving treatment protocols for rare cancers. Through fundraising, outreach, and advocacy, TargetCancer supports those living with rare cancers and funds research initiatives at the forefront of cancer treatment — efforts that treat the individual as well as the disease.”
It’s the rare forms of cancer that, by definition, get short shrift in the donation and attention game. But there are so many so called “rare” forms that they become a larger sample when combined, and they need the research and support that all other cancer fighters (I refuse to use the word ‘victims’) need.
The spark for TargetCancer’s formation came from the fight that Bostonian Paul Poth put up, and regrettably lost, with his own rare form of cancer. I highly encourage you to set aside a few minutes and read about Paul in his touching Boston Globe obituary right here. It’ll make you wish, at the least, that you’d met the guy, and will certainly make you wish he was still around. But he is, really, though the work of those close to him and TargetCancer.
The organization’s first major push comes in the form of Right Track Tunes, a site that allows you to donate and download tracks from a wide variety of generous artists, including Boston’s own Drug Rug, Buffalo Tom, Mike Viola, and the Gravel Pit, as well as artists like Ween, Linda Thompson, Dean & Britta, The Donnas, Cowboy Junkies, and Weezer. That roster will only grow from here, once the word gets out some more. So get over there, get with the giving, and get with the listening. Follow them on Twitter to get the latest, and keep tabs on new songs contributed to the cause.
And three very quick tips before I go…
It is absolutely ridiculous that there are still tickets available for the Clientele / Field Music show at Great Scott next month. Are you people not paying attention or something? The Clientele set will make you swoon, and while I’ve yet to see Field Music, their just-released album “Measure ” is pretty much blowing me away (stream it here). Either of these bands could pack larger places on their own, so when it does sell out, don’t say I didn’t warn ya.
Also very surprising? That you can still buy tickets for the March 1st premiere of director Jonathan Demme‘s new Neil Young concert film at Brookline’s Coolidge Corner Theatre. I mean, not only will Jonathan Demme himself be there to intro the “Neil Young Trunk Show” and host a post-screening Q+A, but his friend Robyn Hitchcock is coming along to play some songs. No, that is not your average, everyday film premiere. It’s part of the Coolidge’s celebration of Demme’s career and his selection as the 2010 Coolidge Award recipient. Lots of cool stuff going on around that event, but this screening is extra-cool. And lastly, I implore you to go see the final night of John Shade‘s very special February residency at the Armory in Somerville this Thursday. I caught the first one, and left in a string-induced stupor. As excellent as the songs from his debut album (“All You Love Is Need”) are, they go to another place entirely when accompanied by the Neave String Quartet. The arrangements that Zack Hickman (who joins in on stand-up bass) pulled together are nothing short of magical, and witnessing them in such a small space (the Armory’s cozy front room) felt like a gift. Rounding out the lineup all month has been Leo Blais and different guests each week, and this final night brings Bo Barringer (from MEandJOANCOLLINS and Mascara) and Adena Atkins. Some strong advice, though: Buy advance tickets. Word has been spreading about the wonderfulness, and last week was a solid sell-out.
Alright, that’s it from me. The workweek is already well underway…