CHRISTMAS ON THE ALLSTON-BRIGHTON LINE by ELDRIDGE RODRIGUEZ
— Baby I’m Alone Tonight (Christmas Time) —
— Christmas Eve (At Old Country Buffet) —
— Christmas on the Allston-Brighton Line —
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MDRF024 | December 2011 | 11:32 | Digital EP
Midriff Records is proud to present the event of the holiday season. Just in time for Christmas, it’s Eldridge Rodriguez’s Christmas on the Allston-Brighton Line. This EP marks the artist’s second release of the year and follows up the critically acclaimed full length You Are Released. Christmas on the Allston-Brighton Line contains three original soon to be modern holiday classics that capture all the urban, post-industrial stress, loneliness and confusion of the season. Christmas on the Allston-Brighton Line is the first release in a yearly tradition and a promise of 3 more holidays EPs over the next three years. So much spirit! And in the spirit of giving, when you download Christmas on the Allston-Brighton Line directly from the Midriff Records Online Store you’ll receive bonus material; downloadable alternate album cover artwork and an album songbook so you can sing along as you carol door to door. Christmas on the Allston-Brighton Line is currently a digital only release and will be available on all the online music stores you frequent. Hope you had a great year and happy holidays from all of us at Midriff Records.
“The major Downfall of this three song EP is that it’s only a three song EP, "— METRO
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“Eldridge Rodriguez has never exactly been a ray of sunshine as a songwriter. A brilliant one yes, but never one that brightens days with words of cheer and happiness. Yet somehow Rodriguez’s new EP Christmas on the Allston-Brighton Line manages to turn that frown upside down…or at the very least puts on a happy veneer to what can be a highly-depressing time for those among us who are unlucky or alone.
Showing an evolution of style from his recent full-length You Are Released, Rodriguez blends more of a post-punk sound with his alt-country leanings, as folksy vocals combine with Joy Division and Talking Heads-style sounds. The catchy “Christmas Eve (At the Old Country Buffet)” is a particularly a stunning track.
On the whole, Christmas on the Allston-Brighton Line is lighter fare than previous releases, but maintains the hallmarks of Rodriguez’s sound that makes him an astounding songwriter. The cutting lyrics are there, the tight song-crafting can be found, and the heavy vocals with a surprisingly light touch stand out. This is a holiday EP worth listening to.” — Garrett Lyons, Verbicide Magazine
”There's a point in the listening to this simply amazing 3-song holiday EP - when you realize just how good Eldridge Rodriguez and his crew are... In this humble music writer's opinion, ER (as he is known) is producing some of the best new music in the Boston area, both as an independent artist and with his band, The Beatings. but in the name of keeping things how they are and to truly enjoy the bleak holiday songs, just get into this holiday treat while it's still available and ignore for a minute that this guy's been doing this all year long... Previously in 2011, ER launched one of the region's best studio albums in "You Are Released." (Review) This is one of the area's best musicians and a handpicked group of friends making the best music of their lives.
The Christmas EP is classic Eldridge Rodriguez - the three songs share a realistic if not bleak telling of the season - the history of growing up on the Allston-Brighton Line. Rodriguez's pen often complains of heartbreak, isolationist settings and repeatedly include themes of lost place, - his style also has a pioneer quality - the protagonist, a perceptive character nearly always, is empowered and strong in his will to survive it all... Find out why I once wrote that "Eldridge Rodriguez is Boston's Dark, Beating Heart... " - Ryan Spaulding, RSL