It's not a new year's song, per se, though traditionally sung at midnight here and abroad. Rather, its message of friendship everlasting after a life well- and long-lived finds voice in, and brings hope and closure to, a multitude of celebrations throughout the English-speaking world, predominantly funerals and other ceremonies of remembrance. I posted a set of covers of Auld Lang Syne back in the waning days of 2009, too. But the Robert Burns poem and its various melodies seem particularly apt this year. For we heard its [...]
Listen to The Points North and view images from their show at Whitehaus... Dark Dark Dark , and The Points North Tuesday, October 19 at Whitehaus The Points North - Nut Island Photos by Tom Gilmore [...]
Boston, like most cities gripped by cruel winters and at times crueler inhabitants, is fully appreciated only when abandoned. Jamaica Plain's THE POINTS NORTH found redemption in our olde towne upon... Support indie media! Read the rest at thephoenix.com . . .
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I've cheated a little here, penning this a few days in advance just in case something goes awry in our plans, scheduling it to post automatically so you could be here now. But in my mind, it's Wednesday as I write this, legs up in the passenger seat for a short leg of the long drive from San Simeon to Monterey, where my wife's relatives will be putting us up at a seaside conference center and resort that boasts such "authentic" rustic environs that it eschews TV and radio, and provides wi-fi solely in the lobby. [...]
mp3: The Points North - Nut Island A bit of cold and haunting northern folk from Boston's The Points North on a cold and dreary day. Their first album - I Saw Across The Sound - was sent to me a little while back, and somehow I just missed it in the shuffle (sorry guys). The Points North break out a wide array of instrumentation throughout their debut. Flutes, mandolins, accordions and plenty of vocal harmonization all swirl together [...]
Vol. 1: Popcovers Vol. 2: Folk Covers Vol. 3: Indie Covers 26 year old Frank Fairfield plays old mountain bluegrass and country blues standards solo on banjo, guitar and fiddle; he's been compared to Mississippi John Hurt, and played sessions with the Carolina Chocolate Drops. Robin Peckinold of the Fleet Foxes , who has hosted Frank as a sideman, calls him a man "born out of time," and sure enough, his [...]
Celebrating The Points North Chris Dempsey photo / The Boston Phoenix DEBUT - I feel very privileged to share this brand new Bob Dylan cover by one of our favorite acts. Boston's The Points North (RSL Best of 2009 selection) craft careful, beautiful songs with classical instrumentation. And the results, which are often spectacular, are not being lost on deaf ears. Recording on [...]
Quick but heartfelt kudos to indie label Grinding Tapes for posting this timely in-house take on this classic year's end carol from The Points North . The flutes, guitar, and ragged vocal harmonies combine exquisitely, revealing a delicious old-school minimalist pubfolk perfect for a snowed-in New Year's Eve. The Points North: Auld Lang Syne Just as potent, in it's own way, is Sam Billen 's achingly fragile banjo-tinged [...]
- The Arcade Fire's cover of "Born A Train" was featured in Part Three . Here they are again with a version of "All The Umbrellas In London" from a concert in Tokyo: The Arcade Fire - All The Umbrellas In London (Live) - A couple other live covers: Ben Gibbard - The Saddest Story Ever Told (Live) Kings of Convenience - The Luckiest Guy On The Lower East Side (Live) - "The Book Of Love" is nowhere [...]
Someone You Should Know ! New Album this week from The Points North By Nikhil Gupta The perfect 'Autumn Album' What Century Is This? A year and nine months after their founding, The Points North release their debut full-length LP, I [...]
SHOW HYPE: Going Out Tonight by Nikhil Gupta Grinding Tapes Records at Cambridge's Club Passim FOLK IS IN THE AIR... Be sure to check out tiny mtns (previously known as Elijah Wyman), Mr. Sister , and The Points North at Club Passim tonight. When one of RSL's favorite local labels, Grinding Tapes [...]
SHOW HYPE: Going Out Tonight by Nikhil Gupta Grinding Tapes Records at Cambridge's Club Passim FOLK IS IN THE AIR... Be sure to check out Elijah Wyman , Mr. Sister , and The Points North at Club Passim tonight. When one of RSL's favorite local labels, Grinding Tapes Records, hand picks three performers [...]
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