Album: Spot Collins – Birch Beer

Somerville duo Spot Collins’ album, Birch Beer is a stripped-down collection of folk-punk songs. The “punk” label may not be so apparent at first in the face of Spot Collins’ quiet, acoustic sound. But listen to the evocative lyrics, listen to the little twists going against the folk norm. Each song tells a single, encapsulated story, many of them presenting glimpses of life as a musician, especially “Jackie O. In Heat” or “Pretty Girl at the Punk Rock Show.” The simple, sparse instrumentals leave the spotlight on the raw, plaintive vocal line, adding to the overall intimate nature of the album. Overall, Birch Beer sounds weary, but happy, like someone picked up a guitar in the living room as the party’s winding down.

Birch Beer is available for free download on Spot Collins’ Bandcamp page. You can also follow them on Twitter at @ABandCalledSpot.

Upcoming Show: The Shills with Mother Mother in Cambridge, 7/2

credit: the shills

Catch Boston’s The Shills playing with Friendly People and Canadian indie rockers Mother Mother at TT the Bear’s in Cambridge next Tuesday, July 2^nd. While remaining pop at heart, The Shills pull influences from all over the musical spectrum, creating a unique and extremely catchy and memorable sound. There’s four albums and a single available on Bandcamp for both streaming and download, so there’s plenty of awesome music to bone up on before the show.

The Shills online

Mother Mother online

Also, check out this video for The Shills’ single “Move a Mountain.”

And a couple tracks that I’m particularly fond of:

Amanda Cote Project at OneFund fundraiser

Here’s an recent article on one of my favorite local groups, written by Mike Walsh at the The Item:

Clinton’s Amanda Cote Takes Stage

Also, check out some of Mike’s additional photos from the show:

EP: Alexa Renaud Clark – “Coward”

Boston-based artist Alexa Renaud Clark’s “Coward” EP is brief, gentle, and striking. As Alexa writes, “It’s simple, an attempt to identify beauty in frailty, and in some way find self-forgiveness for self-involvement.”

Take fifteen minutes out of your day and give this one a listen, it’ll linger for much longer than that.

“Coward” is available for download on Alexa Renaud Clark’s bandcamp page.

Also, here is the video for “Rites,” the last track on the album.

Upcoming Show: Night Mayor at Cantab in Cambridge

Here’s the June 20^th show flyer for Night Mayor, the new project from Boston’s Dave Crespo and Cat Basile:

“Sounds like a cross between System of a Down and The XX.” – some guy who heard two songs

No tracks are available online yet, but with talent like this behind it, Night Mayor is bound to put on one hell of a show.

Interview: Aisling Peartree

Back in April, I profiled Boston’s Aisling Peartree and her unique brand of R&B and soul. In this week’s interview, she shines some light on her influences, what has happened in her music already, and what is yet to come.