Resolution

2017 will find us posting a great deal more frequently.

On deck:

• Several live show recaps.
• Free music links.
• The usual updated local music dates.
• And finally, a 5th Wyman's Pond Music Fest!

Time to get back to work...

Just Can't Wait

We've had three blizzards in the span of ten days here in New England, which means a lot of downtime. Now I don't know about you, but it's given me a chance to do some thinking about music. In addition to signing up five of this year's acts to (and designing a new website for) 2011's Wyman's Pond Music Fest, I've also done a lot of reading about the national music scene, my favorite musicians, and the new albums that many of them are releasing this year.

Which of your favorite bands and/or singers have albums coming out that you are just dying to hear? We would like to know. Do this music-loving community a favor, and leave a recommendation or two for all to see. We want your enthusiasm to ooze through this site. We beg of you to favor us with your ideas of 'good' sounds for the upcoming seasons. Share with us the names of artists whose new songs you think deserve space in iPods other than your own. We want to see tons of comments on this topic. If we get twenty or more responses by Valentine's Day (as good a cut-off as any), one person will be randomly selected to win a ten dollar iTunes gift card as a thank you, so that he or she may acquire the anticipated album of his or her choice, merely for spreading the word to friends!

I personally am excited for the following:

• R.E.M. - "Collapse Into Now" - Due out in early March. I have rarely been disappointed by an R.E.M. album, and this one looks to be a real rocker. From the songs I have been able to hear so far, it is as if they took the hard edge of "Monster" and blended it with the very early jangle of their first few records. I'm sure there will be many surprises too. For example: "Oh My Heart" sounds like it could have been lifted from "Automatic for the People". Check out "Mine Smell Like Honey" below...
• Fleet Foxes - Title TBD - Due out in the spring. The first album from these Seattle songmakers was so amazing, I still have several of their songs popping into my head at random times, and the album is on my iPod to this day. They are still working on a title for the new disc, but if the songs are as memorable as their debut, then the title really won't matter in the long run.
• Lykke Li - "Wounded Rhymes" - Due out 02/28 - I find this songstress' catalog to be a mixed bag. Some songs are brilliant, and others truly grate. But when she succeeds (in my mind, as music is a subjective experience), it's truly memorable. For example, 2010's "Paris Blue" is hauntingly beautiful, and yet the upcoming "I Follow Rivers" is a jolt of eighties-ish oddness. Perhaps this is a good thing...

I am also looking forward to upcoming releases from local favorites Elizabeth Lorrey (EP: due March/April), Lee Villaire (6th album: date TBD), and Endless Wave (1st full-length: spring). And I have my fingers crossed for some new songs by Vanessa Kafka. So get to scanning the music sites, stations and channels, and let us know in the comments section what we should be keeping an ear out for in 2011. You'll be helping your favorites and your friends. ♫♪♫♪

2010 Plans

We here at Not Lame Minus would like to thank everyone who has stopped by, both casual readers and steady followers alike, to see what we have been babbling about, reviewing, or recommending since our debut in early June. And a heartfelt "Aw, shucks, it was nothin'..." to those of you who have found us to be a useful source for local music dates and links to outdoor (and some indoor, during the cold of winter) family fun.

With all of the holiday mayhem, lack of funds, and the dearth of local music performances, there hasn't been much to babble about in the last month or so, but in 2010 we will hit the ground running with some "Best of" columns, more frequent reviews, another contest or three, and hopefully, so much music stuff that you'll want to track us down to receive and/or cash in those wooden nickels!

And from Ken, Brian, Jay and Rob:

Happy New Year
Feliz año nuevo
Bonne année
Hyvää uuttavuotta
كل عام وأنتم بخير
Ευτυχισμένο το νέο έτος
あけましておめでとう