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recommended boston area events

tuesday, december 4th

kelly hogan

@ johnny d's


thursday, december 6th

conor oberst

@ converse hall, tremont st.


thursday, december 6th

jason isbell &

the 400 unit

@ the sinclair


friday, december 7th

the weisstronauts 14th

annual holiday jubilee

with guests tsunami of sound

preacher jack, & the derangers

@ the midway cafe, jp


friday, december 7th

caspian

moving mountains

o'brother

@ the sinclair


saturday, december 8th

patrick watson

@ the sinclair


saturday, december 8th

the faint perform

"danse macabre"

trust

icky blossoms

@ the paradise


sunday, december 9th

band of horses

@ house of blues


sunday, december 9th

japandroids

diiv

@ the paradise


wednesday, december 12th

concrete blonde

jim bianco

@ the sinclair


thursday, december 13th

annual boston christmas cavalcade

benefit for the homeless

featuring tons of artists

(see fb event for details)

@ johnny d's


thursday, december 13th

nada surf

eternal summers

@ the paradise


thursday, december 13th

mates of state

in the valley below

@ brighton music hall


friday, december 14th

forgetters (blake from

jawbreaker's band)

& more tba

@ democracy center, harvard square


sunday, december 30th

sufjan stevens

sheila saputo

@ the royale


monday, december 31st

my morning jacket

@ agganis arena


monday, december 31st

deer tick

two gallants

@ the sinclair


monday, january 7th

quicksand

@ the paradise


tuesday, january 8th

hospitality

@ great scott


saturday, january 19th

mission of burma

@ the sinclair


sunday, january 20th

camper van beethoven

cracker

@ the middle east down


sunday, january 20th

soundgarden

@ the orpheum


sunday, january 20th

ra ra riot

@ the paradise


sunday, january 27th

widowspeak

@ great scott


tuesday, january 29th

kathleen edwards

sera cahoone

@ brighton music hall


wednesday, february 13th

yo la tengo

@ the paradise


saturday, march 2nd

unknown mortal orchestra

@ brighton music hall


tuesday, march 12th

tame impala

@ house of blues


thursday, march 14th

jukebox the ghost

matt pond pa

lighthouse and the whaler

@ brighton music hall


tuesday, march 26th

yo la tengo

@ the paradise


wednesday & thursday

april 3rd & 4th

they might be giants

@ the paradise


visit tourfilter for more shows






Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Mp3s: Syme in Cambridge, MA (See 'em at CMJ)



One of the best side-effects of running this little music blog is that rare occasion when an Almanac reader (as opposed to, say, a promo person, label staffer, or band manager) turns me on to an artist I hadn't heard and instantly love. My inbox overflows with "listen to this" emails, but every so often I get one from someone who has no stake in the band's success beyond a fan's desire to share them with the world (which, really, is exactly why the Almanac exists). And so it was when reader Roman let me know about Norwegian five-piece Syme last month, and that they'd be making their first-ever visit stateside.

Together since 2002, the band is nearing the end of their very first North American visit, which wraps up this week with a couple CMJ shows in NYC (see dates below). They list Mogwai, Radiohead, and Sigur Ros among their influences on their MySpace page, and there are certainly touches of all in their sound. There's noise, beauty, and sonic depth underneath what are essentially two lead singers in Ketil Endresen (vocals & keys) and Fredrik Vogsborg (vocals, guitar, & keys). While Endresen did take a primary vocal role for most of their short set at TT the Bears in Cambridge last week (and played the dancing frontman around his keyboard), Vogsbord's vocals made him more than just lead guitarist and harmony provider. Their dual-layered vocals lasted for long stretches, and set the band apart from many contemporaries. Hopefully that'll come across in the set I'm sharing here, with the band's kind permission...



Syme

Live at TT the Bear's
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
on Thursday, October 11th, 2007

01. Rocky Rocky Mountains
02. 250 / 300 (new - fades out) *
03. Little Drum (new)
04. Fireplace (new)
05. No Spark, No Heart (new)
06. Krdish


* Yes, the excellent new instrumental "250/300" fades way too early, and you can blame my recorder for that one. Fortunately, the band has provided us with an early rough mix of the song on their MySpace page, which will appear on their next album, due sometime next year. Here's an Mp3 of the track...
Mp3: Syme - "250/300" (rough mix)
Joining that song on their in-progress full-length will be those three other new songs above, while "Rocky Rocky Mountains" and "Krdish" can be found on their 2005 debut disc "Swing Swing". If you're able to catch the band this week at CMJ, they've got a limited edition 2007 version of the album in new packaging with them, so pony up and avoid overseas fees. Also at their merch table is their 2006 "Modern Love" EP, which features, yes, a cover of the Bowie song, along with two new tracks and a number of remixes of songs from "Swing Swing".

While the Boston area was fortunate enough to get two different visits from Syme on this short tour, I hope it won't be too long before their next trip over, as they deserved a far larger crowd than the 9pm slot at TT's gave them. I know Roman will be doing his part to make sure that happens, and I'll be here doing mine.

Some Syme links...
  • Their official site, MySpace page, and Karisma Records page.

  • Additional Audio: Nothing up for grabs at their official site, but you can stream four tracks at MySpace, or grab the Mp3 I linked above.

  • Video: Just one, a clip for the song "Planetarium".

  • Photos: Mine are here, and a couple other Flickr users have pics here and here.

  • Tour dates: Here are Syme's CMJ-related appearances this week...
    October 16th, 2007
    CMJ Music Marathon, NYC
    @ The Ace of Clubs

    Oct 18th, 2007
    CMJ Music Marathon, NYC
    Musebox Showcase
    @ The Delancey Lounge
  • As ever, easily listen to all 'Nac-hosted tracks on the new Hype Machine.

  • the ol' footnote... If anyone has an issue with these Mp3s being made available, just let me know (my contact info in the 'nac faq). Live sets recorded with a Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav and then edited to 192kbps Mp3s. Files are made available for a limited time, and are not reposted once removed.

    Labels:





    featured mp3 download
    neil halstead
    live in cambridge, ma
    on november 14th, 2008
    previously: joy formidable - boston 2011




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