tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30751122010-04-28T12:36:15.500-04:00Bradley's AlmanacA Bostonian shares the music he loves, plus various pop culture writings on comics, movies, and more. Downloadable mp3s from random indie bands, photos from shows by bands you know and ones you should, and lots and lots of links.Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028bsearles@gmail.comBlogger1013125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-8886927310404539702010-04-22T12:26:00.002-04:002010-04-22T15:12:16.244-04:00Boston Giveaway: MAGNETIC FIELDS vinyl + documentary screeningA gift for one of my Boston-based readers, courtesy of the now-officially-underway Independent Film Festival and Warner Bros. Records' new all-vinyl online record store, Because Sound Matters.This Sunday evening, the IFFB will be hosting the New England premiere of the Stephin Merritt / Magnetic Fields documentary "Strange Powers" at the Brattle, and not only do I have a pair of screening ticketsBradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028bsearles@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-51632542465021992802010-04-21T17:39:00.002-04:002010-04-22T07:27:04.709-04:00It's Here: The 2010 Independent Film Fest of Boston starts tonight!In just a number of hours, the 8th annual Independent Film Festival of Boston kicks off with an opening night at the Somerville Theatre, then spreads to a few other area cinemas for a week-long celebration of all that is good about goin' to the movies. Lovingly (and tirelessly) curated by an all-volunteer staff, it ranks very high among the reasons I love this town, and I haven't missed a singleBradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028bsearles@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-11970251106798864902010-04-19T08:30:00.003-04:002010-04-19T15:22:14.613-04:00Tuesday in Somerville: a New Pornographers "Get Together" listening partyAs a longtime fan of Canadian super- uber-group The New Pornographers, the weeks leading up to a new album release are like a prolonged Christmas Eve. All anxiousness and anticipation and 'Hurry up!'. In the run up to the May 4th holiday shelf date for "Together", we've been teased with two very-promising peeks at our long-awaited present in the form of preview MP3 "Your Hands (Together)" and Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028bsearles@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-3004849236424762412010-04-08T11:08:00.001-04:002010-04-08T11:08:51.988-04:00TONIGHT!: BLACK TAMBOURINE listening party at RIVER GODS in Cambridge, MALive near Boston? Got plans tonight? No? Well, lemme take care of that for you...Understatement alert: I love Slumberland Records. Like, really, really love them. So much so that I flew out to California a couple weeks ago to attend one of the label's 20th Anniversary shows at the Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco. And while I had to endure the incessant death-breath of a fellow JetBlue Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028bsearles@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-72512333033923647762010-04-07T15:19:00.002-04:002010-04-07T15:38:07.541-04:00Ticket Giveaway: Ted Leo + the Pharmacists in Boston (with Obits + Screaming Females)Another post, another giveaway. One of these days I'll get around to posting actual content instead of just handing out free stuff. Not that the winners are complaining, mind you...This Saturday night, being the 10th of April, 2010, Mr. Ted Leo and his fellow Pharmacists come back to Boston to showcase tracks from their first full-length for Matador Records, "The Brutalist Bricks". But Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028bsearles@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-81215523296517929532010-04-01T16:30:00.002-04:002010-04-01T16:41:33.696-04:00Ticket + Vinyl Giveaway: Serena ManeeshWell, hello there. Miss me? Wait, don't answer that.If you've been following the ol' 'Nac Twitter feed, you are well aware of the fact that I've been sojourning in sunny San Francisco for the past week or so. The highlight and primary reason for my trip? Slumberland's 20th Anniversary bash at the Rickshaw Stop. One word summary? "Wow". More later.Boston was rainy when I left, and rainier Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028bsearles@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-6118661571186672932010-03-19T16:01:00.009-04:002010-03-20T08:41:00.738-04:00Last Night's Playlist (Tourfilter DJ Night @ River Gods)So yesterday was the third Thursday of the month, and that meant a spot for me up in the River Gods DJ booth as part of Tourfilter DJ Night with TF main-man Chris Marstall (by the way, go check out Tourfilter's swanky new redesign).While the guidelines Chris sets down for his hosted evenings are pretty straightforward (spin songs by bands coming to the Boston area soon), I was compelled to pay Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028bsearles@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-46716424815609796722010-03-14T21:30:00.005-04:002010-03-16T10:50:43.087-04:00Free Songs On A Stormy SundayAn end-of-the-wet-weekend post to share all sorts of free n' legal MP3s that have been bouncing around my headphones and brain lately, most of which you'll be able to hear played live in the Boston area sometime soon, and a couple of which are world premieres. Kinda. Maybe. Release and show info included...[MP3]: Travels - "Smile"Stunning preview track from the Somerville, MA duo's forthcoming Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028bsearles@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-21809539092665995932010-03-08T20:09:00.001-05:002010-03-09T06:37:31.503-05:00[MP3s] In Memory of Mark Linkous: Sparklehorse in BostonWhen I woke up too-early on Sunday morning, looking forward to another unseasonably warm late-winter day Boston day, I was nowhere near prepared for the news that Mark Linkous had taken his own life. Not that I'd ever be. The way we hear about these things nowadays has become so impersonal, so completely sterile, that we're all left to process it pretty much on our own. Just a decade ago, we'd Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028bsearles@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-37519838228652238582010-03-03T12:13:00.005-05:002010-03-03T14:30:06.069-05:002009: My Favorite (Boston-made) MusicAs 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 Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028bsearles@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-81921324668610393182010-02-22T09:30:00.000-05:002010-02-22T10:49:07.675-05:00Monday Morning Miscellany (an anniversary, a nomination, + a couple of worthy causes)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 FacebookBradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028bsearles@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-63361243833414512392010-02-13T00:45:00.006-05:002010-02-13T15:32:16.044-05:00The Magnetic Fields in Boston (aka Stephin Merritt vs. Will Sheff)The second show of The Magnetic Fields' two-night stand at Boston's Wilbur Theatre was full of memorable moments, and for anyone who's seen them before, you know I'm not just talking about the music. The back-and-forth between Stephin Merritt and bandmate/manager/longtime friend Claudia Gonson ranges anywhere from awkwardly amusing to flat-out funny, and we had a whole bunch of that between the Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028bsearles@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-81049844320339460562010-02-10T01:05:00.004-05:002010-02-18T14:19:31.640-05:00Addendum: Anticipated 2010 Album Release ActionAs a follow-up to last week's list of the 2010 album releases I'm looking forward to, here are a few I forgot, some that were recommended, and a couple that have been announced since. Thanks to readers and friends for the reminders, and to the labels and bands who've gotten in touch. FYI, I'll also be adding these to the original post if you want to take a look there for the full run-down...Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028bsearles@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-38431889546881850752010-02-07T15:16:00.004-05:002010-02-08T12:04:51.946-05:00CD Giveaway: Midlake's "The Courage Of Others"After a wait of nearly four years since their breakthrough full-length, "The Trials of Van Occupanther", Midlake returned with last Tuesday's arrival of their third album, "The Courage of Others". Criticism has been wide-ranging, from unqualified raves (see the AVClub) to flat-out dismissals (from you know who), and while I fall somewhere in the middle, I'm definitely heading in the direction ofBradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028bsearles@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-25531913752983756762010-01-27T12:25:00.015-05:002010-02-19T09:21:47.683-05:00Future Faves? Upcoming 2010 album releases...As far as my ears are concerned, yesterday was the first major multi-album new music release day of 2010, so it's past time for my annual list of what I'm looking forward to in the months ahead. I've included albums with solid dates, some with ballpark estimates, a few that are mere whispers on the wind. Oh, and a couple of pure fantasies. A boy can dream, can't he?Keep in mind, this is not evenBradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028bsearles@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-89767747720293823222010-01-24T21:25:00.006-05:002010-01-25T11:21:42.793-05:002009: My Favorite MusicWell, here it is, now pulling into the station... the caboose at the very end of the too-long train of "best of 2009" music blogger posts, three weeks into the new year. And, as ever, it most certainly is not a "best of", but simply a "my favorites" - the albums that soundtracked my own personal year. But you knew that.I've said it before, and I'll say it one last time for emphasis: My 2009, Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028bsearles@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-15694065153431664932010-01-22T12:41:00.001-05:002010-01-22T12:41:28.809-05:00Last Night's Playlist (Tourfilter DJ Night @ River Gods)With the emotional sh*tstorm that enveloped me late last year, a few things had to fall aside, and sadly one of them was my regularly-scheduled DJ night at River Gods in Cambridge. I haven't been up in the booth since August, and while December's Bazaar Bizarre set went a long way towards satisfying my DJ jones, the five-month break from RGs was too damn long. Last night, that break ended as I Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028bsearles@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-60141297441332898612010-01-10T22:47:00.004-05:002010-01-11T20:37:46.683-05:00Live Mp3s: David Bazan + his band in Cambridge, MAIn preamble, let's examine David Bazan's 2009: Play dozens of intimate, solo acoustic, and very sold-out house shows in living rooms across the country. After wrestling with it for a few years, finish up and release "Curse Your Branches", a genuinely revealing diary of his struggles with faith and alcohol - and the first full-length bearing his own name. While promoting said album through Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028bsearles@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-47845790370449804942010-01-06T20:05:00.003-05:002010-01-06T20:16:34.576-05:00Boston Ticket Giveaway: Mission of Burma at the ParadiseAnd just as 2009 ends on the Almanac, so does 2010 begin... with a giveaway. Hey, I'm just trying to kill time while I work on my "faves of '09" post. And you're the beneficiary. Maybe.So 2009 was a pretty damn good year for the men of Mission of Burma: They started with an amazing January live set at the Somerville Theatre (a benefit for the Arts at the Armory), spent much of the Spring in Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028bsearles@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-84896779612209116162009-12-31T13:23:00.005-05:002010-01-02T15:44:56.458-05:00Year-End Giveaway: Mucho Merge Records Merch!Let's send off the year with an Almanac giveaway, shall we?As 2009 fades into the sunset, so does the year-long celebration that marked the Merge Records' 20th Anniversary. The beloved North Carolina-based label, which has helped soundtrack nearly the entire second half of my life, commemorated in a variety of ways: with some special releases, a 5-day live music blowout in July, and the massive,Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028bsearles@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-83528347432579682142009-12-29T16:28:00.008-05:002009-12-30T08:55:48.530-05:00Some '09 Faves: My Bazaar Bizarre Boston playlistA few Sundays back I once again had the honor of DJing the annual Bazaar Bizarre Boston, a massively multi-vendor crafy-fair that I'd attended many times before I was invited to actually show up and share a personal playlist. For me, it only starts feeling like the holiday season after I've spent an early-December afternoon there, and the fact that I get to provide the shopping soundtrack for a Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028bsearles@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-56871315763149750702009-12-11T17:40:00.004-05:002009-12-11T18:17:00.911-05:00Live Mp3s: The XX in-store at Newbury ComicsUnfairly or not, there's that uncontrollable part of me that shies away from listening to or writing about quote/unquote 'buzzbands'. If I hear too much hype before I actually hear any of the music, well, I may not ever hear it. Silly, I know, but hey... there's just so much other stuff to listen to. Does it mean I miss out on things I might love? Sure. Do I feel sheepish if I eventually Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028bsearles@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-45003297563580126432009-12-02T05:36:00.001-05:002009-12-02T10:01:26.384-05:00Ticket Giveaway: Wye Oak at Allston's Great Scott this SundayWhen I pull together my list of favorite albums of Oh-Nine (*spoiler alert!*) Wye Oak's "The Knot" will be on it. Hell, I knew that after just a couple of close listens. The Baltimore duo of Jenn & Andy deftly avoided a sophomore slump by taking the qualities that made their 2008 debut ("If Children") so mesmerizing and adding an extra layer of emotional depth. If their first record was a Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028bsearles@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-59828672042911984822009-11-14T12:00:00.002-05:002009-11-14T19:28:55.072-05:00My Week In Music Tweets 1It's been quite a while since I've pulled together one of those 'music miscellany' posts, in which I gather all the various music-related news and links that have struck a chord with me, and there's a pretty straightforward reason: The 'Nac Twitter account. It's been fulfilling my compulsion to share the cool, quick stuff, but it leaves the 'Nac slightly neglected, and leaves you surfers and Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028bsearles@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-34866898478273920312009-11-10T08:30:00.004-05:002009-11-10T23:21:53.633-05:00Ticket Giveaway: The Jesus Lizard at the ParadiseI've said it before, and I'll say it here again: If forced at gunpoint to pick my favorite live show of all time, odds are I'd yell out the three-headed beast that was The Jesus Lizard, Six Finger Satellite, and Arcwelder at Metronome in Burlington, Vermont in '93. To my ears, each band was pretty close to their peak, with JL still touring on the powerful "Liar", Arcwelder playing songs from Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028bsearles@gmail.com