I compared last year's Tom Thumb to Clem Snide , and the same could be said for this year's EP, "Creatures to Feed." But not this year's "Faux Romantic." Tom Thumb has dropped two EPs that could have easily been an A-side and B-side of an album: Side one, Creatures to Feed, is a gentle collection of acoustic songs about faith and love. Acoustic guitar, a little piano and vocals. Faux Romantic sounds a lot like it's name: It's also gentle, but it's all keyboard, and it's got overdubs and echo and all kindsa studio [...]
The second in a five-part series that features covers of every single Bob Dylan song, in alphabetical order. Today's installment goes from F through J, for a total of over 50 more covers.
RSL Interview Series Q&A by Nick Parker Photos by 5342 Studios Tom Thumb at Toad Cambridge, MA - 1/12/10 One of the Very Best in New England: Tom Thumb Over the last few years, while many musicians and bands have come and gone in Boston, one very talented singer-songwriter has been quietly producing [...]
I'm always the last to know. Everyone, including my buddy Ryan , learned about Tom Thumb last year, when the band released their second album, "We Never Die." And by "band," I mean Andy Arch. Because he plays all the instruments and does all the singing. Even overdubs the harmonies. So if you like it, it's his fault. If you don't, that's on him, too. Fortunatley, I do like it. It's kind of like a more linear Clem Snide-male-centered indie rock Americana that uses classic rock cliches without being predictable or sounding common. This [...]
Photographic Evidence + Live Report by Sean Hafferty & Ryan Spaulding a packed house at Toad Cambridge, MA - 1/12/10 This Machine Kills Terror Best of 2009 Artist - Tom Thumb all photos by RSL's Sean Hafferty [...]
A First Look / New Albums of Note: by Nick Parker TOM THUMB - WE NEVER DIE DATELINE: MAINE - Tom Thumb was already a favorite here at RSL and a Boston mainstay when I joined the crew here a year ago. I had some catching up to do. On the night I [...]
LAST NIGHT: We couldn't have hoped for a much bigger and enthusiast crowd last night at the Cafe 939 - 3 huge bands and some very happy concertgoers. (A full house with very little room to move around in.) This is especially impressive when one realizes how much was going on throughout the region and we are so happy that so many of you are as dedicated as we are to exceptional live music. Thanks go out to Ryanhood , [...]
INCREDIBLE ENTERTAINMENT - On Friday, May 29th the RSL Music Blog takes over the Red Room at Cafe 939 at Berklee for the first of two magical nights. A Ryan's Smashing Life live show delivers remarkable music talent, straight from our digital pages to the finest stages in New England. This tradition of music exploration continues tonight at the Cafe 939 with three outstanding acts that promise to thoroughly entertain, reigniting your passion for exciting new music! [...]
APPEARING THIS WEEK: It's a Sunday night, and we know how you feel. But tomorrow doesn't need to be just the beginning of another grey week working in the city, because you can take our advice and head out to TT the Bear's Place for a night of really great (not to mention cheap) entertainment from none other than Tom Thumb (who produced one of RSL's top albums of 2008! ), along with a rising star who has traveled all the way from [...]
have a little compare & contrast game for you this evening. "atlantic city" makes our all-time favorite springsteen songs list, to be sure (what's less certain is where on the list it lands, but suppose that's a question for another day, no?), so when we recently came across a cover by cape cod's own tom thumb (the nom de musica of andy arch) we were half hoping for and half fearing a transformative rendition. how'd he do? judge for yourself: tom thumb - atlantic city [...]
Growing up on the east coast and going to school in Boston, I spent some time on Cape Cod. One family vacation there was the idyllic Kennedys-throwing-football-in- a-picturesque-compound sort of Cape Cod experience (with the compound, of course). But not all of Cape Cod is like that, there are small, out-of-the-way towns and there's the off-season. I've walked on the beach with a jacket on and it pouring down cold rain. I can imagine the middle of the winter there is frigid and the winds whip around with abandon, the sort of time where even leaving the house seems like a [...]
Indianapolis Part 2 will have to wait. I've been digging and replaying and adding Tom Thumb to friends' mix CDs since I stumbled across his sound at The My Old Kentucky Blog this fall. Perusing his current influences of Spoon, Wilco and My Morning Jacket, you may be tempted to stereotype his music as a cacophony of organized loud sounds lost in a world of drunken fuzz maybe reminiscent of Wilco's Heavy Metal Drummer , Spoon's controlled feedback without losing pop rock fans and My Morning [...]
The Lilypad: Inman Square - Cambridge IF YOU DIDN'T ALREADY HAVE PLANS TONIGHT: LATE NIGHT ACOUSTIC - TONIGHT! Tom Thumb & Twain 10 pm Tonight in Cambridge Two of the most talented names in the Boston acoustic and folk rock scenes in one place - TONIGHT! [...]
DATELINE: BOSTON, MA - Quietly, ever so quietly... there is a profound and amazing modern folk movement going on in Boston. At the heart of that revival and beauty is The best Boston Record Released to date in the young 2008 . It's " The Taxidermist " by Andy Arch whose nom de guerre - Tom Thumb - serves and describes him well. You see, Andy has a very pleasant, easy-going nature. But the nature belies his nature as a ferocious tiger - a quality that emerges during performances and during [...]
Tom Thumb - "Providence" One of the only two-inch medieval Britons ever to become an American general in the 19th century, Tom Thumb is notable too for his tautly arranged, tightly worded east coast pop. Through a previous album and an EP , StG has watched Tom Thumb progress through a series of increasingly delicate, felt melodies toward his essential Tom Thumbness. In every respect - the quality of the writing, the playing and the production - his latest album, The Taxidermist, is the best expression yet of the little guy's vision - a [...]
Now that we're a month or so into the year (and barely into the Year of the Rat), I thought I'd share some of what my favorite Boston-area performers have planned for the rest of 2008. A few of those below put out great albums last year, others have new releases on deck, and most are hitting venues near or far in the coming months. This is by no means a list of all the nearby artists that count
The Beatings : "Feel Good Ending" [mp3] from Secret Songs The Beatings : "Stockholm Syndrome Relapse" [mp3] from Secret Songs The Beatings : "Twins" [mp3] from The Autumn Rhythm The Beatings : "Heavy Metal" [mp3] from The Autumn Rhythm The Beatings : "Brighter than Bright" [mp3] from 6 Hz [...]
- Tuesday, November 27th - 3 Boston Artists, an All-Acoustic Night! The RSL brings you another great line-up - the Secret Show is revealed! Eldridge Rodriguez (aka E.R.) is an exceptional and most unique artist – hailing from right here in the city. ER is the singer for Midriff Recording Artists The Beatings and currently also pursuing a healthy solo career. 2007 saw the release of ER's incredible solo debut with [...]
Tom Thumb's first effort was a solo, mostly acoustic project, but on his 2006 EP, Kindermusik , he brought in The Latter Day Saints to play with him. It was a rich, full sound and the project received a lot of praise from critics and bloggers alike. Tom and The Latter Day Saints have parted ways and now Tom is out on his own again, heading cross-country, playing whenever and wherever he can. I was happy to get him in-studio do so a session for 91.7 [...]
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The Twilight Sad cover The Smiths
Download: The Violet Lights - "Sex and Sound"
Listen: Burial - Kindred [EP]
