Restless Leg Syndrome

image credit: D.L. Polonsky

Hey there, Boston! I’d like to apologize for the delay in posts – late-August American adventures, moving back to Boston, accumulating and moving furniture, choosing and re-choosing classes, and generally getting things together has made the past couple of weeks more than a bit frantic. But rest assured, the Restless Legs are alive and kicking, getting down in Allston-town and ready for more musical goodness.

We’re hoping to get some sort of nifty calendar up before long, but until then, here’s a good old-fashioned list of great shows in Boston that are on our radar for the rest of this month. (For all you newly settled college kids, get out your Crackberry/meticulously organized planner/enormous stack of Post-Its and take notes – these are worth scheduling your study circles and keg stands around.)

9/14 – Prince Rama opens for Deakin (of Animal Collective) @ Middle East Downstairs

Brooklyn/Boston- based deep psych tribal freakout trio Prince Rama puts on an awesome show that just might double as a religious experience. Heavy with chanting and the chimes, moshing and auditory hallucinations, this show promises to blow minds and speakers alike. (Plus, that one guy from Animal Collective, so that’s cool.)

9/15 – Manners, The Points North, The Cups @ Gay Gardens

So, you didn’t hear it from us, but Manners and the Points North just might be coming to a house show near you. Both are Massachusetts natives and both play lovely, heartfelt folk music. Come out to support local artists and enjoy an intimate show that’ll warm even the most frazzled souls. (Hyperactive fun by The Cups also included.)

9/17 – Broken Social Scene @ House of Blues

Bombastic Canadian powerhouse ensemble comes to Boston! Forgiveness Rock Record was awesome,  and will be ten times more awesome live! This is pretty exciting!

9/18 & 9/19 – Sleigh Bells & Wavves at Brandeis University

Snaps to WBRS for booking two sweet shows back to back. Noise pop thrashfest Sleigh Bells are this year’s answer to the Crystal Castles and have caught the attention of heavyweights MIA and LCD Soundsystem alike. Self-proclaimed King of the Beach, Wavves is like a one-man fuzzy 2010 take on the easygoing pop-punk sound of the 90s and besides that one notorious Primavera Fest meltdown he’s been doing pretty well for himself.  Unfortunately for the masses, Brandeis ID is required for entry, but for Deis kids and outsiders crafty enough to finagle their way in, this is going to be one hell of a weekend.

9/22 – Phantogram @ Paradise Rock Club

Haunting vocals swirl over synths and danceable beats to make beautiful, captivating, trippy pop that’s reminiscent of Portishead and School of Seven Bells. Their debut album, Eyelid Movies is aptly named, but if you’re willing to put those closed-eye visuals on hold for a night, these guys should be worth seeing.

9/23 – Mighty Tiny opens for Electric Six @ Middle East Downstairs

We caught Boston-based circus-rock ensemble Mighty Tiny at Great Scott this Thursday and their deft mixture of blues, punk, accordion, sweet Venetian masks, and enthusiastic cabaret-esque showmanship gets the full RLS endorsement. These guys are one of the more original bands to come out of Boston as of late and their live show is a party and a half not to be missed. (Electric Six are those guys that did “Danger! High Voltage!” and “Gay Bar” – both severely WTF-inducing, and hilarious.)

9/25 - Beantown Jazz Festival

Berklee’s annual jazz festival will be bringing impressive jazz heavyweights (such as Kurt Rosenwinkel, The Bad Plus, that lady who sang “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone” and the Dawson’s Creek theme song…) to Boston all week, but the jazz-illiterate and/or seriously broke among us should look to the 25th for a free all-day festival. If the weather’s cooperative, there are few better ways to spend a Saturday than by enjoying good music and quality people-watching while lounging around on grass and eating an unhealthy amount of fried festival food.

9/ 25 – Japanther @ The Temple

There’s also no better way to follow up a classy day of jazz than with a sweaty night dancing and throwing fists and beer cans at a punk rock show! (Note: RLS does not endorse violence but we do endorse dancing and mosh pits and sometimes things just happen.) Japanther are a Brooklyn-based punk-tastic funfest whose shows get the crowd bouncing off the wall with more hyperactive energy than your caffeine-addicted roommate mid-finals week after she just got a new prescription for Adderall. Seriously. Awesome.

9/26 – Kath Bloom @ Whitehaus

Remember this? Nuff said.

9/30 – Menomena & Suckers @ Royale

Menomena is the ultimate sleeper band. For all their dense structures and instrumental intricacies, their subtle songs rarely grab you on the first listen, but after a couple of spins their brilliance creeps up on you and is suddenly irresistible. Suckers, on the other hand, make incredibly catchy songs that get in your head and stay there for days and weeks and months. That dynamic plus the obvious talent and odd charisma of both bands make this a show not to be missed.

There you go, those are about all the extracurricular activities you need. Go play. We’ll see you there.