This is the final installment of this go-round of Three Stars. On Tuesday we featured Alcian Blue, and yesterday we reviewed the album Proof, by Laura Tsaggaris. Today we tackle Meredith Bragg and the Terminals. Three Stars will return in November.

Meredith Bragg and the Terminals
When the first breaths of autumn blow into the city, darkening its leaves and skies, DCist reaches for a certain subset of our album collection, records reserved for cool, rain-strewn nights, when all one wants to do is reach for a tumbler of whiskey and give play to introspection. Autumn this year brought DCist a new September indulgence, Vol. 1, the impressive debut album of local band Meredith Bragg and the Terminals. The record has been receiving attention from prominent indie publications, but all we care about is how lovely it is to wear a sweater to.

It was a perfect autumn evening when DCist took to the Velvet Lounge to see the band play live. It was a small show, attended mainly by friends of the band, who sat quietly on the floor before the stage. Bragg, who plays guitar and sings, noted that Elizabeth Olson, who played cello on the album, had recently left the band to serve with the Peace Corps in Africa. With only three members remaining (Jonathan Roth on drums and Brian Minter on the keyboards in addition to Bragg) the setting was as intimate as a living room.

They played their set with professional precision, but it didn't feel surgical, like an Interpol gig. Bragg has chosen his vocal melodies well, using his voice to complement the simple instrumentation underneath. The vocal style is reminiscent of a number of softer indie acts, but you forget that listening to him live, when, stripped of the studio treatment, the band's idiosyncrasies come through. The quietness of the music allows Roth to use the skins as an instrument, rather than just a keeper of rhythm, and Minter's keyboard is the linchpin. His choice of sound and melody rounds out the tunes into something unique; he changes a good acoustic band into a great band, full stop.

As good as the live show was, the band's music isn't ideally suited to a club atmosphere. You're meant to be driving away from something when it's playing, windows down, or kicking orange leaves away from some urban park path. But the live show is good. It will still be playing in your head when you get home and reach for that tumbler.

Visit them at: http://www.meredithbragg.com Hear them next: November 29 at the Kennedy Center.

Questions for Meredith Bragg and the Terminals:

Can you talk about how your outlook and approach to music changed in going from Speedwell to Meredith Bragg and The Terminals?

Meredith: Brian and Jon were both in Speedwell and make up the backbone of The Terminals, so in many respects there hasn't been much of a dynamic change. We still bitch about the same things. That said, Speedwell had three primary songwriters and four singers, so there was a lot of compromise going on that -- for good and bad -- doesn't really happen now.

Brian: There is definitely a big difference between creating a song, and playing another person's song. At first Jon and I were mostly playing along to songs Meredith had already written. It's more like being in a band now, where we'll write new songs together, which is more fun. Meredith writes the lyrics and the melodies, and I mostly write the parts that I play. On some songs I'll come up with the chords or the arrangement, and I'll use all the mind-tricks I developed in the Speedwell days to convince Meredith to do it my way.

Jonathan: In Speedwell, no one was the boss. In MB + The Terminals, Meredith is the boss. As it turns out, you get more accomplished when you have a boss.

Your music is frequently compared to that of Elliott Smith and Death Cab for Cutie. Are you happy with those comparisons, or are there other influences you find more appropriate?

Meredith: The first time I heard Elliott Smith was while Speedwell was recording our EP. The engineer said that I sounded like him, and put on Either/Or to prove it. I still don't really hear it, but I'd be a fool if I complained about any such comparisons.

Brian: Meredith sings very Ben-Gibbardly, but that's what moves units these days, so I'm not complaining.

Jonathan: The funniest thing about these comparisons is that Meredith is totally ripping off Jeremy Enigk, and no one seems to catch it.

What are some positives about the D.C. music scene? Negatives?

Meredith: Positive: The growing number of venues for local bands to play. Negative: The fact that we can't seem to support independent record stores for more than a year or two.

Brian: I moved from D.C. to Brooklyn a year ago, and I can testify that New Yorkers think everyone in D.C. listens to Dischord bands and wears dark, baggy sweatshirts. This is, of course, essentially the case.

Who are your favorite local acts?

Meredith: Beauty Pill and Pagoda are high on that list. I've also been a big Tone fan since high school -- though I have an uncanny knack of being out of town whenever they play.

Brian: We're friends with many people making music in D.C. now (Sprites, The Positions, Metropolitan, Lil' Hospital, Nethers), but we don't play the same kind of music. My favorite D.C. bands (Jawbox, Velocity Girl, Dismemberment Plan) are all departed.

Jonathan: All my friend's bands ... Washington Social Club, Faraday, Nethers, Andy Zipf, Kristin Forbes, etc. Also, since Bob Mould now lives in D.C., I'll count him as a favorite local act!

Meredith: Man, we can name drop with the best of em!

What was your favorite part of recording Vol. 1?

Meredith: The whole process of recording is addictive, so picking out one favorite moment is difficult. Hitting a bass drum the size of a VW bug was absurdly fun.

Brian: Meredith also looked a little absurd doing so. My favorite part of the incredibly drawn-out recording process for this record was when we tracked most of the keyboard parts using an old electronic piano, and then went back and did them all over using a grand piano because it sounded so much better. It cost Meredith some money, but it gave me three more months to learn the piano chords.

Jonathan: Recording in the Woodsy Cabin room at Omega studios was cool. It made me want to actually record in a cabin in the woods someday. Also, we worked on the record for about a year and a half with long periods of inactivity in between, so finally finishing it was probably my favorite part.