It’s gonna be a scorcher out there, khed. Grab that Enduracool Towel you rush-ordered off the teevee and hit Dunkies on the way to Boston Common, because temps are supposed to flirt with triple digits out there around the city. The week-long Outside The Box music and arts festival provides two bits of Chillow-level of refreshment on this manic Monday: Around 1pm at the Boston Common “Squirrel’s Den,” the New England Aquarium’s tidepool exhibit promises to drop knowledge on sea urchins and other residents of our world’s oceans, and then an hour later Air Traffic Controller serenade us with indie-pop. They’re our music pick for today (though, real talk, if you can find those acrobatic people in stilts that entertained the masses yesterday, add that to the list; that was bonkers):
:: Monday, July 15 : Air Traffic Controller : 2pm @ the Boston Common “Beacon Stage”
Crazy it was a year ago that Air Traffic Controller released latest LP NORDO, but it’s really the gift that keeps on giving. Early singles like “Hurry Hurry” and “Pick Me Up” captured the hearts and minds of everyone from the Phoenix, Boston Music Awards (song of the year nomination!), WERS, and RadioBDC, but dig deeper into the record’s Side B and you’ll find lost indie-pop gems like the shimmering “Ready Or Not” and the weighty “Magic.”
The common thread is frontman and former US Navy air-traffic controller Dave Munro’s penchant for storytelling and lyrical wordplay over the band’s well-crafted and viola-kissed pop songs.
Check out some tracks from NORDO below, as well as the fantastic video for “Hurry Hurry” after the Bandcamp jump. But take that advice and do hurry, hurry — ATC goes on at 2pm sharp. And don’t forget that towel.
Coming up later this week…
Tuesday, July 16: Lonestar
Wednesday, July 17: Boys Like Girls + Augustana
Thursday, July 18: Gentlemen Hall + Abadabad + David Wax Museum + Bearstronaut + Nemes
Friday, July 19: Sarah Blacker + Art Decade + Will Dailey + Walter Sickert
Saturday, July 20: Buffalo Tom + The Lemonheads + The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Sunday, July 21: Get some rest.
And previously…
Saturday, July 13: Tallahassee
Sunday, July 14: Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band