Show Alert
The Decemberists with Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3
The Bank of America Pavilion
The Decemberists are in town tonight to support their epic fifth album The Hazards of Love. An ambitious folk play and not the rock opera as some have suggested. Hazards is a bombastic rock record that tells the tale of a love between a mythical forest creature(Colin Meloy) and a delicate mortal (Becky Stark of Lavender Diamond) as well as the vengeful forest queen (Shara Wooden of My Brightest Diamond) who tries to put an end to it all. If it sounds a bit over the top that's because it is, not to worry The Decemberists provide the necessary pop firepower to pull it off with ease.

Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 open the show. Alongside Hitchcock, The Venus 3 features Scott McCaughey( Young Fresh Fellows), Bill Riffin(REM/Ministry), and Peter Buck(REM) respectively. The band is touring in support of their excellent Goodnight Oslo LP released via Yep Rock. Get there early so you don't miss a note.

Doors are at 6:30

Tobin Sprout & Bevel Web
With the recent release of his first children's book Elliott published via Mackinac Island Press, I assumed there would be a long wait before we heard any new music from Tobin Sprout. I am glad to say that I was wrong. Tobin's been busy recording and is planning to release these new tracks under the name Bevel Web. If that name sounds familiar that's because Toby used it to issue a single and split EP in the mid 90's, although with a slightly different spelling.

Wedding Song is the first track from the forthcoming Bevel Web album due to be released this fall.

Listen/Watch:


tobinsprout.net
tobin's myspace page

Life After Grandaddy

After 15 years and five albums Grandaddy packed it in back in January of 2006. So it's great news to have them back with new music, well sort of. Earlier this week Jason Lytle released his first post Grandaddy album Yours Truly, The Commuter on Anti. I'll try to curb my outright excitement for this release but the truth is, I like this album a lot. Recorded at his home studio in Montana Jason played and recorded every instrument on his own. Although the album doesn't break new ground, Lytle has turned in another excellent set of songs. A welcome return.

[MP3] Jason Lytle- Yours Truly, The Commuter

[Video] Jason Lytle- I Am Lost(And The Moment Cannot Last)



As for former Grandaddy guitarist Jim Fairchild he's preparing to release his second album under his All Smiles moniker. Oh For The Getting and Not Letting Go will be released on June 30th. The new album was recorded shortly after Jim relocated to Chicago and as with All Smiles debut Ten Readings of A Warning he enlisted assistance from some notable friends such as Janet Weiss (Sleater Kinney), Joe Plummer (Modest Mouse), Solon Bixler (Great Northern), and the album was recorded by Brian Deck (Red Red Meat/Ugly Casanova).

Jim has posted two new songs from Oh For The Getting and Not Letting Go on the All Smiles Website.
[MP3/Stream] All Smiles- The Ones I Want To Live
[MP3/Stream] All Smiles- Our Final Roles As Birds

Alright, the vacation sign is hung on The AGP office door and we're hitting the open road. New content will commence around the 1st of June.

Show Alert
Animal Collective with Grouper
The House of Blues
Baltimore via New York purveyors of fearless experimentalism, Animal Collective are in town tonight. The band are currently on a massive tour that will keep them on the road through next fall in support of 2009's album of the year front runner Merriweather Post Pavilion. There self described free form, horror, gospel, hip hop, soul, pop madness will be in full bloom tonight when the band take to the stage in front of a sold-out crowd at The House of Blues.

Grouper a.k.a. Liz Harris will open the show with her beautiful skewed pop songs drenched in distortion. Be sure to arrive early people.
Doors are at 7:00

Animal Collective Live at the 9:30 Club 5/11/09
Presented by NPR's All Songs Considered.

Here's Animal Collective destroying it on Letterman:

Micro-news

The Decemberists are wrapping up rehearsals in Portland this week as they prepare to head out on the road in support of The Hazards of Love. Before they hit the stage in your town this summer they've booked a couple of TV and Radio performances at the end of this week. Thursday the band will perform on The Tonight Show and then bright and early Friday morning The Decemberists will perform a short set on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic. For those of us not in the L.A. area the performance will be streaming for your listening pleasure on KCRW.com at 2:15 PM EST.

The Decemberists will play The Bank of America Pavilion on June 9th.


In news a little closer to home, Thursday we find two of Baltimore's finest in town. Animal Collective will be at the House of Blues and Wye Oak will be at TT The Bears. The former will be getting a pre show write up tomorrow so lets focus on the duo of Joan Wasner & Andy Stack that make up the magnificent Wye Oak. The band knocked me out last year with there re-released debut If Children on Merge and I'm expecting a similar result when there new album In Knots is released on July 21st. Wye Oak are currently touring the with Ohio's Pomegranates who are supporting there excellent new release Everybody, Come Outside!

[MP3] Wye Oak- Take it In
wyeoakmusic.com

North Carolina's Bowerbirds have announced that they will release there sophomore album Upper Air via Dead Oceans on July 7th. The band is planning a lengthy tour that will have them playing shows in Boston and Providence in July.

[MP3] Bowerbirds- Northern Lights from the forthcoming Upper Air.

Bowerbirds Tour Dates
07/06/09 Washington, DC - Black Cat w/ Megafaun
07/07/09 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's w/ Megafaun
07/08/09 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom w/ Megafaun
07/10/09 Providence, RI - Club Hell w/ Megafaun
07/11/09 Northampton, MA - Iron Horse Music Hall w/ Megafaun
07/12/09 Cambridge, MA - TT The Bear's Place w/ Megafaun
07/13/09 Montreal QC, Canada - La Sala Rossa w/ Megafaun
07/14/09 Toronto ON, Canada - Sneaky Dees w/ Megafaun
07/15/09 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Tavern w/ Megafaun
07/16/09 Pontiac, MI - The Pike Room at The Crofoot w/ Megafaun
07/17/09 Indianapolis, IN - Vollrath Tavern w/ Megafaun
07/20/09 Iowa City, IA - The Mill w/ Megafaun
07/21/09 Minneapolis, MN - 7th St. Entry w/ Megafaun
07/22/09 Omaha, NE - Slowdown w/ Megafaun
07/26/09 Denver, CO - Hi Dive w/ Megafaun
07/27/09 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court w/ Megafaun
07/29/09 Vancouver BC, Canada - The Biltmore Cabaret w/ Megafaun
07/30/09 Seattle, WA - Triple Door w/ Megafaun
07/31/09 Anacortes, WA - Department of Safety w/ Megafaun
08/01/09 Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios w/ Megafaun
08/03/09 San Francisco, CA - Cafe du Nord w/ Megafaun
08/04/09 Los Angeles, CA - The Echo w/ Megafaun
08/05/09 San Diego, CA - Casbah w/ Megafaun
08/06/09 Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room w/ Megafaun
08/10/09 Tucson, AZ - Club Congress w/ Megafaun
08/12/09 Denton, TX - Hailey's w/ Megafaun
08/13/09 Austin, TX - The Mohawk w/ Megafaun
08/14/09 Houston, TX - Walter's On Washington w/ Megafaun
08/15/09 New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks w/ Megafaun
08/16/09 Birmingham, AL - The Bottletree w/ Megafaun
08/17/09 Atlanta, GA - The Earl w/ Megafaun

bowerbirds.org

The Thermals Interview:
10 Questions with Hutch Harris

Does everyone love The Thermals yet? Well they should! The band formed in 2002 in Portland, OR and released their debut More Parts Per Million on Sub-Pop in 2003--A four-track gem recorded in Hutch Harris' kitchen. Since then the band has released three more records and gone through a few incarnations with various drummers while continuing to fine tune and improve their brand of post-punk-pop. This case is best displayed on their excellent new release Now We Can See, where the songs are delivered through the perspective of the dead.

The Thermals will play the Middle East tomorrow night in support of Now We Can See which comes via there new label Kill Rock Stars with support from Shaky Hands and Point Juncture, WA.

I'm pretty damn excited to finally get to see The Thermals this week and equally excited that front man Hutch Harris agreed to field some questions from us via e-mail. He was gracious enough to fill us in on all things Thermals. Thanks Hutch!

[MP3] The Thermals- Now We Can See



The Ash Gray Proclamation: A lot of changes have occurred over the last year with The Thermals--you signed to a new label, hooked up with a new producer, and added a new member to the band. How did Westin Glass come to be your new drummer?

Hutch: Westin was living in Seattle. He emailed us when he heard we were looking for a new drummer, then came down and played with us a few times before we asked him to join the band. We auditioned a lot of drummers. Westin had the best style and the best personality.

AGP: How did the decision to move from Sub Pop to Kill Rock Stars come about?

Hutch: We wanted a different contract than the type Sub-Pop was offering us. Kill Rock Stars offered the deal we wanted. Plus they just moved to Portland, which is so awesome. It's great to have them in town and to finally have a really good record label in Portland.

AGP: After the success of The Body, The Blood, and The Machine and it's political and religious themes, did you feel a need to take The Thermals into a less conceptual direction for the new record?

Hutch: Not less conceptual, just less political and less religious. There is very much a concept happening in this record... this record is all about life, from the point of view of the dead.

AGP: The new album is fantastic. What was it like working with John Congleton who handles production duties on Now We Can See ?

Hutch: Thank you! It was great working with John. He got in touch with us. He was a big fan of The Body,The Blood, and The Machine and was very enthusiastic about doing this record. John is the same age as Kathy and I so the three of us pretty much have all the same reference points. He also encouraged us to sign with KRS.

AGP: How do you feel Now You Can See compares with your previous work?

Hutch: We think these are some of the best songs we've ever written. We wouldn't release it unless we felt that way.

AGP: There seems to be a more positive tone with this record. Did the end of the Bush Administration and the Inauguration of President Obama have any influence on that?

Hutch: Closing the chapter on Bush's two terms definitely played a big part in it, but all of the music and most of the lyrics were written before Obama even had the nomination, so I can't say that affected it. The title works well, obviously, and we're happy to ride Obama's coattails and cash in on his success just like everyone else.

AGP: I read somewhere that you were planning a solo album in the future--do you have any details you can share on that project?

Hutch: Yeah it's gonna be called Portland Girls and I hope to record it this year on an 8 track 1/2" reel to reel. Some of the song titles are "J-J-J-Jen" and "When Mallory's Around".

AGP: Do you think that lost Thermals album will ever see the light of day?

Hutch: Yes, for sure. It's called We Sleep In A Holy Bed. You'll be downloading it illegally in a few years.

AGP: You've been touring the country by mini-van in support of the new record-- what have you guys been listening to on those long drives?

Hutch: We're in a Sprinter now, thankfully. The mini-van was just for a quick trip we took to Bethlehem, PA to play with The Roots. We listen to a ton of stuff. Today already we've listened to The Hot Snakes, The Beatles, and The Rentals.

AGP: I woke up this morning and saw that I had 80 twitter messages or tweets and I think 60 were from The Thermals, are you guys twitter junkies?

Hutch: Uh, yeah, we're fucking addicted to this bullshit. You probably have another 60 from us since you read this interview. We are going to encourage people to visit our twitter page to see what's up with us, 'cuz following us must be fucking ridiculous.



thethermals.com
Grab tickets for The Middle East show here.

Show Alert(s)
Mogwai with The Twilight Sad
The Wilbur Theatre
The long awaited return of Mogwai to our fine city is upon us. The Glaswegians are in town tonight to play the Wilbur Theatre in support of last years The Hawk is Howling. Get there early so you don't miss the opening set from fellow Scots The Twilight Sad. Over the years I've missed a handful of opportunities to catch this band Live, so to say I'm looking forward to the sonic assault that awaits me is a bit of an understatement, and yes I'm bringing ear plugs. Tickets are still available here.



As if that wasn't enough, after the Mogwai show you should go direectly to TT The Bears Place for one of Boston's finest The Hush Now as they take part in fellow Boston Music Blogger Bradley's Almanac presented show featuring 4 great bands for $10. Check out Brad's site for the details.

The AGP Review Board
Doves - Kingdom of Rust
Heavenly/Astralwerks

Doves are band that certainly don't need any help from this little blog, but the bands long awaited new album is finally out and I've kept my silence on this one long enough. Kingdom of Rust is proving to have been worth the wait and then some. But before I get into the album any further I have to rat myself out. On April 7th when this album was released it didn't get the attention that it deserved as it sat under new releases from The Thermals, Bob Mould, Telekenesis, and the new Superchunk EP. However now that I've had the chance to give Kingdom of Rust my undivided attention I am more than a little taken by it. From the one, two punch that is Jetstream, and the albums tittle track to the outstanding closer Lifelines, Doves have delivered an album that rivals there best work and proves that sometimes it takes four years to make an album as good as Kingdom of Rust.

Doves will play The House of Blues on June 7th.
Tickets can be ordered here
Watch the Doves Documentary chronicling the recording of Kingdom of Rust via the bands site doves.net.

Doves on the Black Cab Sessions.

AC Newman with Nicole Adkins Live on Letterman Last Night 4/13/09

Dusted Trax

Beulah - Emma Blowguns Last Stand
I woke up this morning with this song in my head and as the norm, I felt the need to share. I've always had a spot in my heart for the music of Beulah, and there amazing When Your Strings Break album. Emma Blowguns Last Stand is a perfect pop song and great way to start off this spring morning or any morning for that matter.



Update: I keep hear rumblings about Miles Kurosky's first post Beulah release. All we know at this point is the man is recording music again and after recovering from shoulder surgery last year he is able to play guitar again. Miles also recently put an end to the rumors of an all A Capella album. Crisis averted I guess.

Circus Devils Go Acoustic!

While The Crawling Distance andThe Planets Are Blasted continue to receive regular spins in the AGP offices I'm getting geared up for Bob's next release. On April 14th Robert Pollard will release his 3rd full length of this young year and 7th with experimental outfit Circus Devils via his Happy Jack Rock Records imprint. Gringo will once again feature the Tobias Brothers,(Todd and Tim respectively) taking on the instrumentation and production duties. Gringo is being billed as a kinder gentler Circus Devils, complete with acoustic guitars, while still containing there off kilter experimentalism. Based on the tracks that I've heard Gringo is proving to be this springs most highly anticipated release.

Listen/Download:
Before it Walks - Circus Devils

Every Moment Flame On - Circus Devils

Pre-order Gringo from Rockathon
Circus Devils Official Site

The AGP Review Board


The High Dials - Moon Country
Self Released

It was the winter of 2005 when I first heard Montreal's The High Dials, the band were receiving loads of critical praise and making it onto a lot of year end lists for there superb 2nd album The War of The Wakening Phantoms. Four years have passed, the band has since parted ways with there then label Rainbow Quartz and this time around have decided to release there latest album on there own.

Moon Country was recorded in a stone cottage in Sligo, on Ireland's west coast and in the bands hometown. Weather it was the location for witch they chose to record or a the natural progression from there last record The High Dials have delivered a pristine and powerful pop record and one of the most addictive song cycles I've heard in years. The psychedelic sounds they showcased on there 1st two releases are still present,however they're balanced with power pop in the vein of Big Star and Teenage Fanclub for there most focused and accessible album to date.


The album pays homage to the days of the LP by dividing it into two sides complete with a short track of silence in between Seagull Blues and Open Up The Gates. Just like those old black circles we used to play in our bedrooms as kids. Wait a minute I better be careful not show my age like that. One of the things I really like about this album is that it's the perfect blend of the bands strengths. On the first half of the album The High Dials deliver jubilant power pop and the latter half they let there psych tendencies run wild. The results are psych pop perfection.

Moon Country was released by The High Dials in Canada last September with assistance from Fontana Distribution. Although there are no plans for an official US release I highly recommend you seek this album out at one of the several digital shops currently offering it.

I am pleased to be able to offer the Moon Country full album stream. I'll keep this up as long as I can, and as long it's OK with the band and there management.




Buy this album:
Zunior.com
Mapple Music
Apollo Audio

The High Dials/myspace

Free Grizzly Bear Download
Veckatimest has already become one of the years most talked about albums and we're still two months away from it's official release, May 24 via Warp. Luckily the band has decided to offer up a free download of the album track Cheerleader at grizzly-bear.net. I just listened to it for the 5th time in a row and I have to say it's pretty great!



Listen Grizzly Bear - Cheerleader

Grizzly Bear will play the Berkley Performance Center on June 3rd.

Set Guitars to Kill

I thought I'd dedicate some time this St. Patrick's Day to one of Northern Ireland's finest bands. And So I Watch From A Far formed in Antrim in 2006 and have since relocated to Belfast in order to be closer to the Belfast music scene. Since that move the band has received well deserved critical praise and have been dropping jaws with there Live gigs throughout Ireland and the UK.

Hot on the heels of there superb debut EP This is Our Machine and Nothing Can Stop It, ASIWFAF are preparing to release there 1st proper full length. On April 14 the bands label Smalltown America will release And So I Watch From A Far. I can only hope a trip stateside is in the cards for the boys from Antrim.


.

And So I Watch From A Far myspace Page

Love is a Wave
According to Slumberland Records Crystal Stilts will release new music on March 31st in the form of The Love is a Wave 7" single. The release will also feature the b-side Sugar Baby. Considering how I've made public my love for the bands excellent debut Alight of Night, new music from Brooklyn's Crystal Stilts is a welcome find. Not to mention that the A side is a fuzzed out dream pop gem.

Listen: Crystal Stilts - Love is a Wave

Live Dates
Mar 14 2009 8:00P Music Hall w/ Blank Dogs+ Brooklyn
Mar 15 2009 8:00P DC9 District of Columbia
Mar 16 2009 8:00P Al’s Lexington, Kentucky
Mar 17 2009 8:00P Milsap’s Jackson, Mississippi
Mar 18 2009 8:00P Rudyard’s Houston, Texas
Mar 19 2009 8:00P SXSW Buns

Crystal Stilts Myspace

Regurgitation
Welcome to the 1st installment of a new feature here at The AGP that features content found elsewhere. In other words I may not have broken the story, but It's too good not to share. In this inaugural edition I am pleased to be able to share some performances from last weeks Noise Pop Festival in San Francisco.

Just a quick note:
The Deerhunter set is missing the encore, however you get to hear four new songs! Stephen Malkmus' solo performance of Pink India ends abruptly, but that does not detract from it's awesomeness.









For more performances from Noise Pop 2009 check outWolfgangsvault

Deerhunter Official Site/Blog
Port O'Brien
Ra Ra Riot
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks

A Site Update and New Music from Swan Lake

Over the past two and half years I have been using the screen name Evil Speakers for all of the posts and content that appeared on this blog. At first I thought it would be a good way to hide while I became comfortable with the idea of putting my two cents out there. I enjoy writing, although I don't claim to be any good at it. I hope you the reader has found something worth while from time to time on this page. I've dropped the name but my URL will not change, so Evil Speakers will go on.

In other AGP news I have plans to bring more reviews and audio content to this page, so stay tuned for that and as always thanks for reading.



In music related news and an excuse to share some new music this Friday, I'm eagerly awaiting the release of Swan Lake's Enemy Mine on March 24th. The new album was recorded in Victoria, British Columbia and once again features Spencer Krug (Wolf Parade/Sunset Rubdown), Carey Mercer (Frog Eyes), and Dan Bejar (Destroyer/New Pornographers). Enemy Mine is the bands second release and is said to be a more collaborative affair this time around.

The bands label Jagjaguwar are offering three tracks for free download, while you're there you might as well check out the pre-order information as well.

Swan Lake- A Hand at Dusk from Enemy Mine.

Show Alert:
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart



This Sunday night Brooklyn's The Pains of Being Pure at Heart bring there noise pop goodness to The Middle East upstairs. The band is touring in support of there self titled debut full length out now on Slumberland Records. I've been trying not to let the newness of this album get the better of me, but after a month of steady listening The Pains debut just keeps getting better and better with each subsequent listen. It's been a while since I've heard an album this good all the way through. Not just that, every song is a sure fire hit, in a different time of course.

Doors are at 8:00 with support from Pants Yell!, Shrinking Islands, and fellow New Yorkers Depreciation Guild.

Another Year End List For The Fire

Punctuality has never been my strong suit, just ask anyone who knows me and they're bound to tell you I'm always a few minutes late for everything. So the fact that I'm just getting around to posting this list should come as no surprise.

In 2008 the small staff at The Ash Gray Proclamation had a few eureka moments thanks to some great releases from Deerhunter, Times New Viking, TV on The Radio, and the pop rock gold found on the debut from Boston Spaceships.

As far as the list goes, these are merely our favorite records of 2008. I've assigned numbers to give this list some kind of order. I started with a simple criteria for witch an album must qualify for this list.

1. The album was released and purchased in 2008
2. No re-issues
3. No greatest hits
4. Spins- how often an album was played

Although I've been doing these lists for a number of years in some form or another, this is only the second year that the list has been made available on this blog. This year I've added some audio links, most of those are single track streams, in some cases full album previews are available. I also added links for purchasing all of these fine releases that saw the light of day in 2008.

Honorable Mention:
Some albums worth mentioning but were not included on this years list.
Elbow-The Seldom Seen Kid
Fucked Up- The Chemistry of Modern Life
Circus Devils- Ataxia
The Mountain Goats- Heretic Pride
The Magnetic Fields- Distortion.


The AGP Top 20

20. Sloan- Parallel Play (Yep Roc)

Listen: Parallel Play full album stream
Buy it at the Yep Roc Store.

19. Crystal Stilts - Alight of Night (Slumberland Records)

Listen: Crystal Stilts- Shattered Shine
Buy it from Slumberland

18. Spiritualized- Songs In A & E (Fontana/Spaceman)

Listen: Spiritualized- You Lie You Cheat
Buy It at Newbury Comics.

17. Times New Viking - Rip it Off(Matador)

Listen: Times New Viking- (My Head)/R.I.P. Allegory
Buy It from the Matador store.

16. Nada Surf- Lucky (Barsuk)

Listen: Nada Surf- See These Bones
Buy It from the Barsuk shop.

15. Los Campesinos! - We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed(Arts & Crafts)

Listen: Los Campesinos!- We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
Buy It from Arts & Crafts.

14. Silver Jews- Lookout Mountain Lookout Sea (Drag City)

Listen: Silver Jews- Strange Victory, Strange Defeat
Buy It from Drag City.

13. Okkervil River - The Stand Ins (Jagjaguwar)

Listen: Okkervil River- Lost Coastlines
Buy It from the Jagjaguwar store.

12. Super Fury Animals- Hey Venus (Rough Trade)

Listen: Super Fury Animals- Run Away
Buy It from the Beggars Group.

11. Portisehead- Third


Listen: Portishead- Machine Gun
Buy It from the Island store.

10. Robert Pollard- is Off To Business (Guided By Voices, Inc)

Listen: Robert Pollard- Gratification to Concrete
Buy It from Rockathon.

09. Wolf Parade- At Mount Zoomer (Sub-Pop)

Listen: Wolf Parade- Language City
Buy It from the Sub-Pop store.

08. No Age - Nouns (Sub-Pop)

Listen: No Age- Teen Creeps
Buy It from the Sub-Pop store.

07. Deerhunter - Microcastle/Weird Era Continues (Kranky)

Listen: Deerhunter- Nothing Ever Happens
Buy It from Kranky.

06. Los Campesinos!- Hold on Now, Youngster
(Arts & Crafts)

Listen: Los Campesinos!-Death To Los Campesinos!
Buy It from Arts & Crafts.

05. TV On The Radio- Dear Science (DGC/Interscope)

Listen: Dear Science Full Album Stream
Buy It from Cinder Block.

04. Sigur Ros- Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (EMI/XL)

Listen: Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust Full Album Stream
Buy It from Sigur Ros shop.

03. Boston Spaceships- Brown Submarine (Guided By Voices, Inc.)

Listen: Boston Spaceships- Go For The Exit
Buy It from Rockathon.

02. Frightened Rabbit- The Midnight Organ Fight (Fat Cat)

Listen: Frightened Rabbit- The Modern Leper
Buy It from Fat Cat Records.

01. The Walkmen - You & Me (Record Collection)

Listen: You & Me Full Album Stream
Buy It from Merch Lackey.

The Rake Song

I'm hard at work trying to complete the belated list of our 20 favorite albums of 2008, so I'll keep this brief.

The forthcoming album from The Decemberists The Hazzards of Love will be released on March 24 via Capital Records and right now you can download The Rake Song form the album free or charge. Just pay a visit to decemberists.com.

It's time to get back to work, I must get this list done before February strikes.

The Decemberists- The Rake Song

Show Alerts for MLK Weekend


This weekend is choc full of quality Live shows. Sure the tempertures are in the negative, you could read that book by the fire or you can get out and catch some great bands playing your town this Martin Luther King Weekend.

Tonight finds The Paradise hosting three of Boston's finest, Faces on Film, AGP favorites Hallelujah The Hills and Aaron Perino's Dear Leader.

Saturday brings North Carolina's The Rosebuds to The Middle East, downstairs with support from The Love Language and Boston's popsters Fatal Flaw.

This Sunday marks The return of Selkirk Scotland's Frightened Rabbit to Boston. The band has continued to recieve critical acclaim for there sophomore album The Midnight Organ Fight, deservedly so. You may have noticed that they've been named in just about every year end list worth a damn. Frightened Rabbit play Great Scott with David Karsten Daniels and Pants Yell!. The Show is sold-out so if you're lucky enough to hold a ticket enjoy.

Frightened Rabbit - Heads Roll Off Live on WOXY.com



Finally on Monday the weekend will be put to rest with a band who has me reliving my Hardcore days as of late with there excellent The Chemistry of Common Life. Toronto's Fucked Up play The Middle East Upstairs with Clouds and Viva Viva

The book and your DVR will still be there on Tuesday I promise.

January Goes Pop


The New Pornographers frontman Carl Newman aka A.C. Newman is set to return with his second solo album Get Guilty. The album's release is set for this Tuesday, Inauguration Day via Matador. Get Guilty was recorded last summer at Brooklyn's Seaside Lounge with Phil Palazzolo. Some notable guests show up on the new album including Jon Wurster (Superchunk), Nicole Adkins and Mates of State. Newman is streaming two of the albums tracks, Submarines of Stockholm andThere are Maybe Ten or Twelve over at his Myspace page.

On February 20th A.C. Newman will kick off a tour in support of Get Guilty in Vancouver before playing two Boston area shows in March.

A.C. Newman Tour Dates
* 2/20 Vancouver, BC The Biltmore*
* 2/21 Seattle, WA Neumos*
* 2/22 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge*
* 2/24 Sacramento, CA Harlow’s*
* 2/25 San Diego, CA Casbah*
* 2/26 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour*
* 2/27 Santa Barbara, CA Club Mercy*
* 2/28 San Francisco, CA The Independent*
* 3/1 Eugene, OR John Henry’s*
* 3/10 Ithaca, NY Castaways*
* 3/11 Toronto, ON Lee’s Palace*
* 3/12 Montreal, QC Il Motore*
* 3/13 Providence, RI Club Hell*
* 3/14 Boston, MA Paradise*
* 3/15 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom*
* 3/17 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda’s**
* 3/18 Washington, DC Black Cat **
* 3/19 Chapel Hill, NC Cat’s Cradle**
* 3/20 Atlanta, GA The Earl**
* 3/21 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge**
* 3/22 St. Louis, MO Blueberry Hill**
* 3/24 Minneapolis, MN 400 Bar**
* 3/25 Chicago, IL Logan Square Auditorium**
* 3/26 Pontiac, MI The Pike Room at The Crofoot**
* 3/27 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop**
* 3/28 Pittsburgh, PA Andy Warhol Museum**

* with Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele
** with The Broken West


A.C. Newman performing Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer from Get Guilty on Pitchforktv

Merriweather Post Pavillion

Animal Collective - My Girls

On January 20th Animal Collective will release there new album Merriweather Post Pavillion. To say there's a bit of a buzz building around this release is putting it mildly. With a 9.6 review over at Pitchfork and Stereogum hailing it as a masterstroke, bloggers and critics alike are working themselves into a lather with excitement over an album that won't see the light of day for two more weeks. Animal Collective are a band that have lived up to there hype in the past and judging by My Girls, the track streaming over at there Myspace page they're poised to do it again and quite possible exceed all expectations.

The vinyl enthusiasts will get first crack at hearing the new album as it was released this past week in limited quantity. When I stopped by local Newbury Comics they had not received any copies of the album. I guess that's the price I pay for living in the sticks.

Here's the run down from the bands label,Domino Animal Collective’s 9th full length album, Merriweather Post Pavilion, will be released early on deluxe 2xLP 180 gram gatefold vinyl with full album download (WAV or MP3) January 6th, 2009 in North America. The CD & digital release date will remain January 20th (Jan. 12 UK/Europe).

News from Northridge
Six releases in 12 months, maybe more


It's fitting that our first post of the new year is an update on not only our favorite artist but the namesake of this blog, Robert Pollard.
We also have some audio to share, a sneak preview of two tracks from the upcoming releases.

According to our friends at Magnet Magazine Pollard has six albums in the can and set for release this year. Things will get started later this month with the release of his new solo album and coming in May we will be treated to Cosmos Jar of Jam Ton of Bricks a postal collaboration with Richard Davies (Cardinal & Moles). As per the norm with these collaborations Pollard provides lyrics and melodies over the Davies supplied instrumentation. We can also expect hear Davies providing vocals on four of the albums tracks. Let's just say were awful excited to hear these, but were especially giddy about the soon to be released 2nd album from Boston Spaceships The Planets Are Blasted.

6 Robert Pollard Releases for 2009 (so far)
January 20th Robert Pollard The Crawling Distance
February 17th Boston Spaceships The Planets Are Blasted
April Circus Devils Gringo
May Cosmos Jar Of Jam Ton Of Bricks
June Robert Pollard Elephant Jokes
September Boston Spaceships Zero To 99
All releases will come via Pollard's Guided By Voices, Inc.

Check out these sneak previews from Boston Spaceships & Circus Devils!

“Canned Food Demons” from Boston Spaceships’ The Planets Are Blasted:

“Every Moment Flame On” from Circus Devils’ Gringo:

Thanks to Nina Sabatino for the use of her Live shot of Boston Spaceships.