This is the last in our series of spotlights on the bands and artists participating in Sound Of Our Town, a free, all-day, and all-ages event at the Lawn On D in South Boston on Saturday, October 4. Sound Of Our Town is a collaborative effort between the Boston Music Awards and Vanyaland, and serves to kick off the BMAs voting season by unveiling the 2014 nominees and showcasing some of the best homegrown acts from our city’s music scene. This year’s nominations will be unveiled at 3:20 p.m. this Saturday, live at Sound Of Our Town!
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The Both, 9 p.m. set time
Fresh off their appearance Wednesday night on Late Night With Seth Meyers, the Both, featuring Aimee Mann and Ted Leo, roll up to Boston for a headlining performance at Sound Of Our Town.
Earlier this year the duo dropped a full-length album of pure power-pop bliss, the culmination of a few years touring together and the constant exchange of musical ideas. The result is a sharp, polished melody factory from two of our generation’s finest songwriters. Mann encapsulates the notion of Boston’s sound, dating back a few decades to her new-wave days in 1983 Rock And Roll Rumble winners ‘Til Tuesday (which it should be noted where the creators of one of the greatest songs of all time in “Voices Carry.”)
But here with seasoned guitar-rock slinger Leo, Mann’s songwriting has shifted into overdrive, especially on standout tracks “Milwaukee” and “Volunteers Of America.” This is a collaboration that doesn’t feel like a simple one-off.
Wrote Pitchfork when the album dropped in April: “On ‘Milwaukee,’ they devise a witty hook and bolster it with handclaps, a growling guitar outro, and lyrics that offer a from-the-stage perspective on their lives as performers. Similarly, the New Pornographic ‘Volunteers of America’ conjures the 1970s pop energy that informed Mann’s last album, 2012’s Charmer.”
Added Rolling Stone: “New Wave heartthrob and master songcrafter Aimee Mann gets welcome vocal and guitar snarl from Ted Leo, a post-punk heartthrob in his own right whose unfussy attack benefits from Mann’s melodic and harmonic touch. Anyone following their aesthetic courtship on Twitter could’ve predicted the lyrical sparks.”
Sparks will fly this Saturday night. And we promise to not embarrass Mann with our love of “Voices Carry.” Sample some of the Both below…
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Follow Aimee Mann and Ted Leo on Twitter for The Both and Sound Of Our Town updates as well as other news from the performers…
The Sound Of Our Town poster, designed by Daykamp Creative…
