CONCERT: The Hold Steady: June 27th, Ram’s Head Live!, Baltimore, MD

Sorry, no pictures from the show, I left my camera in the car.

If I had to pick one word to describe the Minneapolis, MN quintet’s live show it would have to be ‘fun’.  Front man Craig Finn is just trying to have a ’Killer Party’ and its an open house.  Finn makes up for the fact that he never plays the guitar hanging around his neck by making comical gestures that go along with his stream of consciousness lyrics.  He looks so happy on stage, its hard to have a bad time watching him.  He smiles with every word he sings, or speaks, and is constantly dancing and yelling out words within the songs to the crowd after each line.  There is definitely a sense that the songs mean the world to him, and he is never afraid to thank the crowd.  Every member is into it, especially keyboardist/pianist extraordinaire, Franz Nicolay, who seems to be Finn’s sidekick and even prop at points in the show (Finn says a line about a guy with a shaved head and gestures to Franz), not to mention the fact that his moustache is exquisite.  If there’s anything bad to say about their shows, its that the songs are all pretty similar sounding and tend to get repetitive after a certain point.  The performance got a little slow towards the middle, but they were able to pick it up again for the four song encore. 

Despite the good show, I really have problems with this venue, but the problems are nitpciky and slightly unreasonable.  The place is one of the nicest clubs I have ever been to, but therein lies my complaint.  There is something that detracts from a band’s performance at a small venue, when the place is nice.  It’s like you are seeing a band perform in a convention room at a hotel or something.  The walls are all clean, the bars have LCD screens above them, there’s a bathroom clerk with perfumes and colognes.  For a band described as ‘the world’s best bar band’ it is hard to see them perform in such a nice setting.  I prefer a functional dump for a venue, but that may be just me. 

As far as the music goes, it was all spot on.  As they broke into “Constructive Summer” to start it all off, they were very well received.  The crowd was into almost every song, and favorites such as “Killer Parties,” “Chips Ahoy,” and the new single “Sequestered in Memphis” were sung by everybody in the room. 

A Hold Steady show is definitely an experience, but don’t expect the show of a lifetime, just a whole lot of fun. 

The Most Bad-ass Hip-Hop Performance Ever?

It’s safe to say that Jay-Z has all the respect he needs in this world, but apparently not from Oasis’s self proclaimed god among men Noel Gallgher, who made statements questioning the decision to have Jay-Z headline this year’s Glastonbury Festival.  How better for Jay-Z to give a “fuck you” to Mr. Gallagher than to perform one of his hit songs, “Wonderwall,” to open what would assumedly be an amazing set for Jigga?  He then breaks into “99 Problems” with a “Back in Black” riff. Even Hova knows how to tease songs. This shit is bananas:

apparently, you can watch his whole set here

Bjork and Sigur Ros Concert Webcast

Tomorrow at 7 PM Icelandic time, 3 PM EST, the Icelandic visionaries with take the stage at open-air Nattura in Reykjavik, Iceland. The concert is an effort to raise awareness about the effects of aluminum smelting on the Icelandic landscape, something I had no idea about. The webcast will be available here at the time of the show.

Albums of the Week (6/27/08)

This week was a tough one.  I have been listening to a lot of things this week, new and old, but I think I have come to a decision.

As far as the new album goes, I’ll have to go with Sigur Rós – með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (with a buzz in our ears we play endlessly) read my review here.

 

For old, I think I’m gonna give it to the recently reissued Dennis Wilson album, Pacific Ocean Blue.  A departure from, yet still drawing stylistically from, The Beach Boys, the other Wilson takes on a role of his own.  Writing gloomy and dark songs that display a rough on the edges, weathered Beach Boy singing dramatic, yet powerful melodies, to music similar to that of Brian Eno’s Another Green World.  And just look at that mug . . .

 

REVIEW: Wolf Parade – At Mount Zoomer

The sophomore slump is a difficult trend to circumvent as a band, and Wolf Parade has only slightly overcome the challenge. With their latest, At Mount Zoomer, named after the church it was recorded in, the Wolf Parade has definitely slowed to more of a walk. Mellower music has as good a potential to be amazing as any, but when a high energy band sacrifices such energy for a slower sound, that is when we run into problems. Apologies to the Queen Mary was full of life. You can feel the power with every listen, from the clashing drums on “You are a Runner, and I am my Father’s Son” to the album’s finish. With Mount Zoomer, the rabid Wolves have noticeably calmed. The sound remains very much Wolf Parade–overpowering synth, pianos, high speed licking elctro-infused guitars, and of course, those hoarse but pleasant vocals– retaining their unique and great qualities, but it doesn’t necessarily draw the listener in with its pure energy, like its predecessor. It is more than adequate, but has fewer hi-lights. Mt. Zoomer is definitely worth a good amount of your time, but unless it grows on me I think I’ll stick to accepting their apologies.

Who wants to open for Coldplay?

If you live in one of their US stops, believe it or not, you have a chance to open for the pop-rockers. Alls ya have to to do is upload a youtube video of yourself or your band playing to coldplayontour.com and see what happens. Shearwater, Santogold, and __(your name here)_, why not?

“This is the most offended I’ve ever been… this is the maddest I ever will be.” : Kanye West responds to Bonnaroo incident.

Yesterday, Mr. West blogged back to all the ‘haters.’ With an angry cybertone, an effect accomplished by using the Caps-lock key for the majority of the post, Kanye defends himself and apologizes for not “[HAVING] THE ABILITY 2 GIVE THE PERFORMANCE I WANTED TO.” There is definitely a whole lot of disdain over the communication breakdown between him and the nice folks at Bonnaroo: “FOR OVER A MONTH WE WENT BACK AND FORTH ON WETHER OR NOT WE COULD EVEN FIT MY STAGE AT THE FESTIVAL. ONE DAY THEY WOULD SAY YES… WE’D SEND THEM OUR SPECS THEN THEY THEY’D SAY OK… THEN THEY WOULD SEND SPECS BACK THAT DIDN’T FIT THE STAGE. WE WERE OBVIOUSLY DEALING WITH FUCKING IDIOTS WHO DIDN’T REALLY HAVE THE CAPACITY TO REALLY PUT ON THIS SHOW PROPERLY. THEY TRIED 2 GIVE ME A TIME SLOT WERE IT WAS STILL LIGHT OUTSIDE … I HAVE A FUCKING LIGHT SHOW DUMB ASS, IT’S NOT CALLED GLOW IN THE DARK FOR NO REASON SQUID BRAINS!” But in all fairness, he does seem to highlight some oversites in his defense: “MY PRODUCTION MANAGER TRIED TO LOAD IN FOR 24 HOURS BEFORE I WENT ON STAGE BUT THE FESTIVAL WOULDN’T ALLOW US TO DO ANYTHING UNTILL PEARL JAM LEFT THE STAGE. PEARL JAM ENDED ONE HOUR
LATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AT THAT POINT WE’RE RACING AGAINST THE SUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AT 4:20AM DON COMES BACK 2 THE BUS AND TELLS ME, ” IT WOULD TAKE 45 MORE MINUTES TO PUT ALL YOUR PYRO IN!” I SAY I HAVE TO GET OUT THERE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE . I HIT THE STAGE AND PEOPLE HAD BEEN THROWING SHIT ON THE STAGE AND HAD ACTUALLY HIT THE JANE SCREEN WITH, I GUESS BOTTLES OR SOMETHING AND HAD BROKEN MY FUCKING SCREEN . . . WHEN I GOT 2 “THROUGH THE WIRE” I STEPPED ON THE FRONT PART OF MY STAGE AND THERE WAS SO MUCH LIQUID ON THE STAGE I COULDN’T MOVE WITHOUT SLIPPING.” He ends the post by attempting to induce sympathy, and lashing out to those who doubt his investment in his fanbase, “SOMETIMES I GO 2, 3 DAYS W/O SLEEP WORKING ON MY PERFORMANCE… I HAVE TO ICE MY KNEES AFTER EVERY SHOW AND THEY HURT WHEN I WALK THROUGH THE AIRPORT… HAVING AN EXPENSIVE STAGE CUTS MY PAYDAY IN HALF… CALL ME WHAT YOU WANT BUT NEVER SAY I DIDN’T GIVE MY ALL!!!” I think it’s gonna be ok Kanye, don’t cry too many tears. NOBODY REALLY CARES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

REVIEW: Sigur Rós – “með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (with a buzz in our ears we play endlessly)”

Sigur Rós usually personify the term inaccessible.  The music fluctuates between mellow ambient, powerful post-rock, and lush soundscapes, all accompanied with Jón þor (jónsi) Birgisson’s beautifully piercing falsetto, singing hymns in his choice of Icelandic or hopelandic (a self-made hybrid of nonsensical blabberings, English, and Icelandic).  With með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, the latest from the avant-garde Icelandic clan, they have eased up quite a bit, to the point where the music only brushes the realm of inaccessibility.  I mean, we still don’t know what the hell they are talking about, but as far as the music goes, it retains characteristics of pop, including melodies that do not sound like radio waves picked up from another planet.  Take the album’s single “Gobbledigook,”  which has louder than usual acoustic guitar strums, an almost catchy melody, and a “There, There”-like rhythm section to carry it.  I think this is the most upbeat and loud this band has been in quite some time, and right off the bat too, as opposed to their usual steady climactic unveiling of noise.  Of course, there still is plenty of that (“Ára bátur”, where slowly overpowering strings and choir-like vocals take hold), but it is more evenly distributed and varied.  A new direction for the Sigurs, less mood building space exists on the record.

As a whole, the album is enjoyable, but not as gut-wrenchingly mesmerizing as their previous works.  The incorporation of simpler song structure, catchier melodies, and more condensed songs makes for an easier listen, whilst retaining the lush sounds that have always characterized Sigur Rós.  It is certainly much more than a buzz in our ears and the ’songs’ that Sigur Ros have created on their latest are beautiful enough that if they did, like the title suggests, play endlessly, it would not be the worst thing in the world. 

In Recent News . . .

On the popular social networking site, Facebook.com, members are provided an area in which they can display their interests, including a section entitled “Favorite Music.” Many users will put a variation of “Everything . . . except country,” which, up until now, has been acceptable and has passed for factual information. A recent study conducted by an anonymous institution has concluded that when the average person says that they like “everything” regarding music, there is a 1/1,000,000,000 chance that they actually, indeed, listen to everything. In fact, it is becoming more and more clear, that an individual stating such is more likely to listen to less music than those who can actually provide a list of their favorite musical artists. The study has proved, in essence, that when somebody states that they like “Everything” it is because they actually have little taste or discrimination in their music, and will listen to anything people throw their way, and not that they actually listen to every piece of music ever produced. This study is already noted as one of the most important studies to ever be conducted, and those involved, whomever they may be, are sure to win various awards for their efforts to rid the world of imbeciles.

Related article: “I Like All Types of Music”

Weezer and Fans “Creep”

Weezer cover Radiohead’s Creep, live in Portland from Dave Allen on Vimeo.

 

Annuals w/ Hymns: IOTA, Arlington, VA, June, 19th, 2008

I had never been to the IOTA before this Thursday, due to the fact that it is a 21+ club, but was allowed in this time to see my cousin’s band, Hymns, perform. This is the second time that I have seen them, and each time has been great. They presented a powerful, energetic performance of alt-country-rock -pop music combining elements of SPOON, Pavement, Neil Young, and so on. The songs are catchy, but remain heavy. I was impressed with the performance, and see no reason why they have not yet achieved higher levels of popularity. I particularly enjoyed their cover of Neil Young’s “Don’t Cry No Tears Around Me.”

The headliner, Annuals, I had also seen prior. They barely fit on the small stage, a band with 6 members, including 2 drumkits. The style can best be described as emotive, synth infused folk music. I really like their sound, which is also very energetic. I did not see the whole set, as I was with my father who mainly came to see my cousin perform, but what I saw I thoroughly enjoyed.

Hymns

Hymns

Hymns

Hymns

Hymns

Hymns

Annuals

Annuals

Annuals

Annuals

What the hell is wrong with Robert Pollard?

This is a bit out of the blue, but I had to get it out there. What the hell is Robert Pollard’s deal? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I am in love with Guided By Voices, but how does somebody release so much music so fast, to the point where him saying “I am only going to release one album this year” is relieving. I mean the guy had three last year, and let’s take a look at his catalog (courtesy of wikipedia):

• 1996 – Not in My Airforce (CD/LP)
• 1998 – Waved Out (CD/LP)
• 1999 – Kid Marine (CD/LP)
• 1999 – Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department (with Doug Gillard) (CD/LP)
• 2001 – Choreographed Man of War (billed as “Robert Pollard and the Soft Rock Renegades”) (CD/LP)
• 2003 – Motel of Fools (CD/LP)
• 2004 – Fiction Man (CD/LP)
• 2005 – Music for ‘Bubble’ (CD EP/7″)
• 2005 – Zoom (CD EP/7″)
• 2005 – Relaxation of the Asshole (LP)
• 2006 – From a Compound Eye (CD/2xLP)
• 2006 – Normal Happiness (CD/LP)
• 2006 – Moon (live CD included with original mail orders of Normal Happiness)
• 2007 – Meet the King: Asshole 2 (LP)
• 2007 – Silverfish Trivia (CD/12″ EP)
• 2007 – Standard Gargoyle Decisions (CD/LP)
• 2007 – Coast to Coast Carpet of Love (CD/LP)
• 2008 – Superman Was a Rocker (CD/LP)
• 2008 – Weatherman and Skin Goddess (CD EP/12″)
• 2008 – Robert Pollard Is Off to Business (CD/LP)

He’s had 6 albums in the past two years. Its not that I am against productivity, but I think its a bit overwhelming. The guy makes music faster than his fans can even listen to it. I have only listened to two of the ones from 2007, and was not really impressed. They didn’t do it for me like Bee Thousand or Alien Lanes. I just think if he took his time and put a lot of effort into an album, it could be as amazing as some of the GBV classics. Granted, I haven’t listened to Robert Pollard so much solo, but just his level of output bothers me. That’s all for now.

Albums of the Week of June 20th

It’s time for a weekly new recommendation and an old one:

New: Girl Talk – “Feed the Animals” Just read the review and get that jaunt!

Older: GZA – “Liquid Swords”

Arguably the best hip-hop album ever, beating 36 Chambers even. He “swings swords like Shanobi.”

Coldpay are real thieves?

Yes, I know what you are thinking, they have always been thieves in a way (See the music of Radiohead or U2), but apparently this time Coldplay has actually stolen a song’s melody from a lesser known band, The Creaky Boards. I do see the similarities, but they are not striking enough to win a case IMO, and according to Mr. Martin’s Diary, he had written “Viva La Vida” before he saw the band perform the song he allegedly stole, at the CMJ festival. Who knows, watch for yourself:

Fleet Foxes – “Fleet Foxes”

Hey, didn’t like the new direction that My Morning Jacket took with their latest, “Evil Urges?” Then Fleet Foxes are right for you!

If you call now, not only do you get that old My Morning Jacket sound, but also three and sometimes four part harmonies, if you love that old time Appalachian ramble! With just a few dollars, or a few clicks, however you get your music these days, you can have a great band with My Morning Jacket influence, as well as that of Crosby, Stills, and Nash, the beach boys, roots folk music, and more. That old full of reverb voice we loved so much is there as well as that slow finger-picking to the likes of “It Still Moves”’s “Golden.” Plus if you like Grizzly Bear, there’s some of them in there too.

All jokes aside, I have really been enjoying this album. It is as if the old Jim James formed a new band that reverted to old time sounds, adopting styles of all sorts of generations before, going back as far as a century at times. The full sound of Fleet Foxes is derrivative, of course, but in a way that strips the good qualities of its influences, and brings them together to form its own sound. There’s not much to not like about Fleet Foxes.