Tom Lynch

One of the more memorable releases from a local band last year, Brighton MA’s self-titled debut EP sort of lodged itself in my heart after only one listen—maybe it was the nostalgic, bittersweet rock the band executed so well, with strong melodies and mountainous conviction. The band’s celebrating the release of its first full-length tonight, titled “Amateur Lovers,” and while the record lacks the simple, straightforward joys of the EP, it makes up for it in invention and an increased complexity, something leader Matthew Kerstein says was a result of the songwriting process being more collaborative between the band members this time around. As for the new album’s themes, “It kind of works as a progression,” Kerstein says. “It works for me, personally, with how rambling it is, it all seems to be trying to work through, to move forward to get somewhere even though you’re not saying things clearly. The process of trying to move forward. Dealing with the past, dealing with history, but trying to move on, too.” Songs like “Sunblinded” and the album’s title track stand out, the former boasting a big, momentous chorus. (It’s also killer live.) You can tell the band’s grown up. “Everyone is listening a whole lot better,” Kerstein says of the members. “Everyone knows each other’s parts, what the other person’s likely to do… we are more sure of ourselves. We can go in front of the audience wherever, doing what we do, listening to each other, rather than being psyched out from things going on around us.” Catfish Haven plays as well, celebrating the release of its new record, “Devastator,” which, uh, was the title of STAR’s record.

Brighton MA and Catfish Haven play October 11 at Metro, 3730 North Clark, (773)549-0203, at 9pm. $10.

(2008-10-07)

Also by Tom Lynch

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When the Pixies toured in 2004 and played five dates at the Aragon Ballroom, I thought at the time that we’ve seen the last of the great, unlikely reunions, that it was finally time to put a cap on the era and begin searching for potential lasting newcomers. Of course, multiple successful reunions have since followed—Dinosaur Jr. and The Jesus and Mary Chain come to mind—but neither of those bands quite pack the punch of the Pixies, at least not for me. But alas, not even a half-decade later, just last fall, news that another disappeared group, a legend responsible for creating arguably the best record of the 1990s and then famously vanishing, was threatening a return
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Tip of the Week
British electropop group Hot Chip broke through with its second record in 2006, the charming, beat-happy “The Warning,” and this year’s “Made in the Dark” is even better
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