So, both ninjas have been slipping on the concert review front as of late. We've been attending shows at the same rate as usual, but for some reason have failed to document them here. I'll try to do a brief catch up now since my bracket went from excellent to trash yesterday.
Oddity Faire
I bought tickets to this show for a few reasons, the main two being Les Claypool (I had a Primus sticker on my first car) and Saul Williams. The other was to see the newly renovated Beaumont Club. I didn't buy tickets to see Secret Chiefs 3 or DeVotchKa, but if I could make a new list of reasons I bought tickets, it would have five items now.
I'll make this quick: Secret Chiefs 3 wear hooded robes and make music that sounds like "Triad" by Tool, if Tool were from Persia. Their drummer has the biggest cymbal I think I've ever seen, there's no singing, and their music kept giving me that feeling of wanting to smile and run around, but feeling like I shouldn't. It was, in a word, mesmerizing. It's music with motion, a forward movement, momentum. I want to see them again.
Ninja1
Saul Williams was Saul Williams. Strange and poetic, militant and inclusive, confident and insecure. He closed his set with two of my favorite S. Williams jams, "List of Demands," during which he held hands with an audience member for a large portion of the song, and "Black Stacey," my favorite Williams song. Good but not great. His keyboard player was Mos Def playing Ford Prefect from the movie "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." Oh, and he covered "Sunday, Bloody Sunday."
Ninja1
I knew nothing of DeVotchKa before seeing them. Nick Urata (lead singer) reminds me of a latin G. Clooney. Tom Hagerman (violin, accordian, piano) was one of the most impressive overall musicians I've seen in a while. Their music surprised me. I felt like I should have been in a steamy Mexican bar drinking tequila and sweating through a linen shirt. I need to see them again to confirm that they were as cool as I thought they were. I think they're probably a band I would consistently love live, but probably wouldn't listen to very often if I had their CD. I'm not sure.
Ninja1
Ah, Les Claypool, the real reason I was at this show. As much as I am actually just a Primus fan, seeing Les with his other projects is pretty damn entertaining just the same. If you're a bass player, he's kind of your Michael Jordan. Maybe more like your Dennis Rodman. Either way, he's an impressive technician and innovator. Yeah, I know, he kinda sounds like Kermit the Frog, but if that's what's stopping you from seeing one of his shows, leave your Jim Henson bias behind and go check him out...Do it if for no other reason than to see a guy play a cello that you'd swear was electric guitar if you weren't watching a guy play the cello.
Ninja1
March 29, 2009
Silversun Pickups
Ok, so the aforementioned Oddity Faire was the night before St. Patty's Day. Well, Silversun Pickups were on St. Patty's day, and In The Pines were the Monday after St. Patty's day. It felt kind of like a mini festival weekend for this ninja. Add in a sunny 80 degree day on the day of this show, oh and FREE admission, and you can probably guess how it went.
Kansas City Live, the music venue inside the Power and Light District in downtown KC, seemed to be the perfect setting for this particular show. The show started around 4:30pm, which was about as late as I would think one would want a show to start on St. P Day, due to the nose-diving attention spans of most green clad revelers on that particular alcoholiday. We got there right at showtime, pulled up surprisingly close on the side of the stage, and saw a very friendly band seem to really enjoy an hour and a half in the setting sun with all the smiling Kansas Citians.
Their biggest song, "Lazy Eye" was interrupted by some commotion near the stage and I found a video of Brian Aubert (lead singer/guitar) commenting on it. Watch closely and you can see some chick/dude getting slammed by a cop for simply trying to retreive her/his hat. Oh cops. What power you acquire from your badge and gun. Glorified bouncers.
Anyway...Christopher Guanlao (drums) was fun to watch with his nonstop muppet headbanging while playing...and he looks all of about 14. I debated skipping this show due to an early start this day, and a less than favorable account of their Lollapalooza performance, but am really glad I made it downtown to see them. It had a really friendly/happy vibe and I attribute that to the showmanship of the band. Good work, S. Pickups.
March 10, 2009
A new playlist to right...
March 10, 2009
A video from which I got more than a medium amount of enjoyment:
Is it possible to be 50 times better than yourself? Ooh ooh, I'll answer: Yes. The answer is yes, you can. Modest Mouse did it, that's how I know. The March 2nd show at the Uptown Theatre was the third time I have seen the Mouse do their thing live, and here is a one sentence summary of the three shows... The first show was really good, the second show made me wish I had left my ears and brain at home that night, and the show this past Monday made me happy to be a music nerd. Never has such a disappointment of a show (the second time I saw MM) been followed up by such a supreme joy of a show. Well, at least never to this ninja.
It was maybe 30 seconds into "Bury Me With It," the opener, when the three other people I was there with (all who have seen MM before) simultaneously looked at me and each other and sorta smiled, nodded, and professed some version of "Yeah, this is gonna be good." You could just tell. It wasn't a slow burn, a rising action, a deliberate climb to climax. It was a "Here we are, and now we're gonna melt your dumb faces off." And if you were in the crowd you were left thinking "Yeah, my face is dumb!" Well, maybe EVERYONE in the crowd wasn't thinking that, but I bet the dumb-faced ones were.
Isaac Brock (lead singer, guitar) has that energy. It's the kind of energy that keeps you looking for the jumper cables that are undoubtedly attached to some very sensitive portion of his anatomy and connected to a powerful battery or generator. You can see it building within a song, and if you know the song well, and know when it's about to explode, you can almost see the energy rising in him to a point where it has to release itself in a stomp, a headbang, or a scream or he might catch fire. I will bear witness to the fact that there were no onstage fires, so you can infer that there were plenty of those cathartic stomps, headbangs, and screams to dissipate this energy.
I'd give the setlist an A- with it's good mixture of old stuff (see awesome video below of Brock dismantling a crowd member on this topic) and newer material. MM has close to 700 albums I think, so choosing songs that represent the entire catalogue will undoubtedly leave certain portions of the crowd out, but what can you do?
In previous MM shows, I found the quantity of musicians and instruments (two full drum kits, at least 6 full time members on stage) distracting and noisy, but on this particular night I simply found it dynamic and rich. Why, you may ask? That's the thing about music. It's art, and art comes from a place that isn't easy to explain. Talking about music is like dancing about architecture.
I have to say, this MM show for me was my "I really like them" or "I'm done with them live" show. I think it's clear which way I've gone. If the last time you saw them they were less than enjoyable, I'd suggest you give them another shot. I did, and I got this gem of a show as a reward for my resilience.
SETLIST:
Bury Me With It
Never Ending Math Equation
The View
Dramamine
Wild Packs Of Family Dogs
Happy Halloween*
Breakthrough
Tiny Cities Made Of Ashes
Custom Concern
Float On
Bukowski
Interstate 8
All Night Diner
Parting Of The Sensory
Dialogue
Third Planet
Satellite Skin
Dashboard
Baby Blue Sedan
Satin In A Coffin
Black Cadillacs
Here's a great lead singer rant:
Ninja1
February 25, 2009
This is spectacular. Go check out what former NIN/A Perfect Circle/Devo drummer Josh Freese is offering for sale on his website. It's good to see a healthy dose of ingenuity and entrepreneurship in these trying economic times.
A new playlist can be found to the right. It reflects songs from artists already seen this year by the ninjas, or artists who will be seen in the next month or so. An interesting mix.
Ninja1
February 16, 2009
G. Love & Special Sauce
I think a tour is similar to a season in sports. It's different in the sense that in a band you usually have the same members tour after tour, whereas team lineups in sports change constantly. However, despite this stablility in members, each tour is challenging and new in the sense that you're playing new material and presenting it in new ways, whereas in sports even if the players change, the system usually remains fairly constant - given the same coaching staff stays in place. I'm going somewhere with this.
Most people would agree that in a season of, say, Laker basketball, the team is better, more cohesive, and more focused around playoff time than in the first few games of the season. Most people are right. In the same way in a given tour of say, G. Love, the band will probably hit a good stride somewhere in the middle of the tour and be tighter, better, and more cohesive.
This is all well and good. And mostly true. However there is this thing in music. It is discussed with some frequency in my particular circle of friends (typically late at night and after the trash/recycle bin has become overfilled with aluminum and glass). It is the all-important "I saw/heard/became aware of/liked/appreciated 'X' before you did" contention. It's a big deal, trust me. Because this strange little aspect of music appreciation exists, I will now assert my claim that it was cooler to see this show (the first of this tour) than one later in the tour, despite the fact that later shows might be a little "better."
Here's why: It was the first show ever with new member Timo Shanko. It was the first show since G's vocal cord surgery. It was the first show of the tour. There's just something about the first and last shows of a tour. There's a different energy. It's not a job on those days. It's like the first and last days of school. So there. I got to see the first show with the new GlaSS lineup, and if you weren't one of the 700 or so people at Voodoo Lounge on February 12, 2009, you didn't. I win.
All that being said, I would say the surgery was a success, Mr. Love sounded the same as he has in the past, which is good, but really his particular brand of "singing" isn't all that trying on the ol' VCs. It's a smooth rapping/singing hybrid. There was no threat of his vibrato shattering the wine glasses at the bars that flank the venue.
Timo Shanko, the new bassist/saxaphonist was cool, although I did miss Jimi Jazz Prescott's skullet. I love drums and really appreciate the complexity of four-way independent coordination, but typically like drum solos as much as I like that noise that happens in your car that you can't locate because it's behind the vents. Then you find it and fix it...then you realize it's in the far corner of the back window. Then you drive off a trestle. However, Jeffrey Clemens hammered out a couple solos on drums that actually kept a good bass drum beat throughout, making it not be that car noise. It was the good drum solo noise instead.
G. Love and Special Sauce have been around for a while now and have a decent following. A lot of their songs are conducive to sing-a-longs, and subsequently produced them. Because the style of their music doesn't lend itself to much variety, I was going into this show expecting to like it, but not really be blown away by it. That's about how it went, although I did leave with a sense that it was better than I had expected. G. broke into a full-on blues song somewhere in the middle of the set that was a very nice change of pace. The "dirtier" lyrics to Booty Call were good, and a freestyle?? in one of the songs (he did work Kansas City into the lyrics so maybe it was a freestyle), were both good touches.
G. Love is one of those shows I'll probably always get tickets to when they come through town. I doubt one of their shows will ever break into a top 10 list of mine, but I can be almost certain it will always be a good time...
Ninja1
February 11, 2009
The "Unsigned" page has been changed to a page dedicated to local (mostly KC, but not exclusively) music and local bands/artists. Included are links to most of the local music venues for easy perusal of upcoming shows in KC/Lawrence. There really are some good local bands out there right now. We linked mostly to Myspace pages of the bands so it's easy to click and listen. Enjoy.
Ninja1
February 9, 2009
New playlist to the right, it's Pinback-heavy, but that's because you should know them better.
Ninja1
January 29 , 2009
Tapes 'n Tapes
I have to be honest…I wasn’t expecting much from Tapes 'n Tapes Thursday night at the Parish. I severely underestimated the Twin Cities band -- they rocked the cool upstairs stage on the famed Sixth Street in Austin.
It shouldn't be hard to describe the band; at face value, they pretty much simply rock out. But underneath there is something else. Which I can't explain. Which is aggravating. And makes me a bad reviewer.
Anyway...they do certainly rock. Playing a nice mix between songs off of Walk It Off (an ok CD) and The Loon (a really good CD), they managed to keep the full crowd pumped the whole way through.
Three things that really stood out as far as their performance -- Tapes 'n Tapes' stage presence reminded me of The Black Keys...Josh Grier, the lead singer and guitarist, played frenetically through every song, much like The Black Keys singer/guitarist, Dan Auerbach. Second, the quiet to almost-screaming in almost every song is much more effective in a live set than on CD. Third, I'm blaming it on Robin Pecknold for bringing back the 70's hippy look (I think it's pretty cool, actually).
Both openers were very interesting. Wild Light, who played right before Tapes, has an interesting indie rock sound, much in the same strain as the headliner, though not quite as well-defined. It is a band I will be checking out in the future.
All in all, a very enjoyable show, no doubt made moreso by the fact it was in the live music capital of the world. If you haven't heard any Tapes 'n Tapes, I suggest you do. Perhaps you should start here.
Highlights: 10 Gallon Ascots, Insistor, In Houston, George Michael
A little fun from La Blogotheque:
"In Houston", in Seattle:
Ninja2
January 26, 2009
Kings of Leon
If one of your favorite things in life is to only possess one inch of space around your entire body, only to have that inch encroached upon by some dude who just walked in from the beer line (because getting beer number seven is so much more important than seeing the concert you paid to enjoy) and put his junk all up on your leg and leave it there like it's not about to start a fight, you would have been in absolute nirvana at the Uptown Theatre last Friday for the Kings show. I think I have become confused as to two things: the definition of "sold out," and the assumption that it's ok to walk up to a "space" in the crowd (a one inch space...my one inch space) after the third song and physically lean on someone, expecting to literally manufacture space that didn't previously exist. I'm not a concert Nazi. I'm not the old dude, the fun-hater, who thinks he's at a Neil Diamond show and not a rock concert. I'm just the dude who understands simple physics, i.e. where there is no space for a given mass, space for said mass cannot be created through your desire or drunken disregard for the natural laws of Earth. Oh, and I think you know where I was going with the other part of my confusion...I was under the impression that a venue sells out when the number of tickets sold equals the amount of space needed for all the ticket buyers to stand up without melding cells. Enough about me and physics and venue management.
The boys Followill (the last name of every member of the band) opened with "Closer," my number one song of 2008, with Matthew Followill (lead guitar) playing guitar with his face. From there they transitioned to "Crawl," another adrenaline booster, and really had the crowd in their hands from that point forward. I heard a few comments from people who saw the show regarding their showmanship, or lack therof, and I guess I can see their point. There are not an abundance of theatrics at a Kings show, nor did they travel with a very elaborate backdrop or light show. Behind them was essentially a large whitish sheet/canvas, in front of which hung a few strands of light bulbs that flashed occassionally during climactic portions of their songs. Caleb Followill (lead singer/rhythm guitar) isn't overly talkative or animated on stage, although he does possess that certain "presence" of a good lead man, even if he doesn't throw himself all over the stage.
As far as execution/sound/setlist, I thought the show was excellent. It was one of those pleasant surprise shows where they actually sounded better live than on disc, which is comforting to see in a band you really dig, because it all but assures they will enjoy longevity in their craft if they choose. Caleb has one of those voices, raspy and seemingly unpredictable, that you worry could require multiple takes in the studio and some creative production to get to its final state on an album, but apperently it's stronger than I had anticipated. It was on-key and dynamic, and on the parts of songs that one might expect a lead singer to back away from the mic beacause of the challenging nature of that particular part, he belted it louder and carried the note longer than the studio version. Impressive.
Kudos to the sound guys, because from my location on the floor, I could hear every instrument clearly at all times, with the vocals out front just enough to be focal, but without being overly dominant. And yeah, of course there were songs I wanted to hear and didn't (Arizona), but I would still give the setlist an A. All told, everything the band was responsible for was a success, and although it was too jam packed in that theatre, it was really good to see them play a smaller venue because I have a sneaking suspicion I won't have that opportunity again.
Highlights for me: "My Party," "Milk," "Cold Desert," "Charmer."
Setlist:
Closer
Crawl
Taper Jean Girl
My Party
Molly's Chambers
Slow Night, So Long
Fans
Revelry
Milk
Four Kicks
Wasted Time
Sex on Fire
The Bucket
On Call
Use Somebody
Cold Desert
Trani
Knocked Up
Charmer
Black Thumbnail
Here's a couple from the KC show...
Ninja1
January 23, 2009
Pre-game for Kings of Leon is about to commence. It is 3:56pm and the doors open at 7. Ninja excitement abounds.
The playlist has now been updated to represent a song from each of our Top 10 Albums of 2008 list(s). Lists to come: Top 10 Live Shows seen by the ninjas...Top 10 Songs of the year. Be warned: Ninja2 might list the same two songs 5 times each, he's a bit of a song repeater. Repeater. And so on. And on.
December 31, 2008
Because we are lovers of lists (ninja2 loves Franz Liszt; ninja1 doesn't know who that is), we are posting some lists. Here is our first list(s). Enjoy.
While I was perusing tour schedules for various bands (and there aren't a lot of people touring, especially not in the vast musical Siberia known as the Midwest), I found a couple of fun things that I believe people should visit. The first is Spoon's front page (maybe only if you were an Obama person).
The second is a fun little New Year's note from Jim James, on his very own little interweb, replete with a neat little William DeVaughn tune (Don't know who William DeVaughn is? Maybe you should find out.)
Oh yeah...and if you were dying for new Iron and Wine, it's not really new, but it is kind of cool. Check out their website for some alternate takes on The Shepherd's Dog.
So I knew there was a reason I loved Stereogum. Check out their Gummy Awards, most notably the Best Album of 2008. In order, their top 4 albums this year (as voted by the good peeps who go the website and actually take the time to vote) are
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
TV On The Radio - Dear Science
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
So. I'm not sure how I should feel about this. Apparently I represent everyman (or perhaps everystereogumman), as that is exactly my top 4 for the year (it's a toss-up for number 5 between MMJ's Evil Urges (22 in Stereogum's list), Portishead's Third (7) and Department of Eagles' In Ear Park (19)), and in that order. So does that mean I am just another sheep, or do that many people share the same impeccable taste that I have? Yes.
Check out the rest of the Gummys...pretty interesting (though I don't know how our legion of fans didn't get us onto the Top 10 Music Blog list).
TBD page has been updated, in case you have been craving some new bands to check out...
November 28, 2008
The Smashing Pumpkins
I once had a musical debate with a guy who had the largest music collection I'd ever seen. Every Tuesday this guy went down to the record store and bought 10-15 albums. I think he said he owned 8,000 albums or something, and this was years ago. We were discussing certain artists and I started noticing he was surprising me with who he liked and didn't like. It was literally like he liked Ricky Martin, but didn't like The Mars Volta. He liked Tom Petty, but he didn't like The Velvet Underground. This was not what I expected from such a connoisseur. I expected a certain degree of snobbery towards "pop" and a certain degree of arrogance with respect to his knowledge of lesser-known or more experimental bands. After I named a few of my favorite Prog-Rock and Jam bands, he concluded by simply saying "I like songs, I don't like music." He would have lasted maybe 9 minutes of the 2 hour 55 minute set Billy Corgan and the new (although calling them that apparently really aggravates him) Smashing Pumpkins put on at the Midland Theatre on the 25th.
With lengthy, drawn-out instrumental jams and Dave Matthews-esque endings but not endings but surely-this-time-when-he-raises-the-neck-of-his-guitar-and-dramatically-holds-the-note-and-then-violently-strums-downward-with-an-emphatic-stomp-it's-the-end-of-the-song,-but-then-it-isn't-the-end-of-the-song moments, it was easy to long for any one of the 20 Pumpkins songs the whole crowd knew by heart. Don't get me wrong, I love Psychadelic Jam rock. I love innovation. I think Pink Floyd were genuises. I just really like so many Pumpkins SONGS, you know, the SONGS. Some of these drawn-out instrumental jams would have been absolutely great in one of those midnight-4am Bonnaroo sets where 73% of the crowd is hitting the peak of their final trip of the day, but on this night I could feel Billy and the boys slowly losing the crowd with their lack of concern for our desires.
Corgan addressed this in the encore saying something to the effect of, "These are my fuckin' songs. Who wrote them? That's right, I did. We're not a fuckin' jukebox, you can't just hear what you want." That's somewhat paraphrased, but that was the gist. Normally I like it when an artist is kinda dark or unstable or pissy. I think good art usually comes from a dark place. However I have developed a bit of a theory on this particular form of artistic expression (touring). Please preemptively forgive this little soapbox moment. If a musician chooses to write a highly experimental, strange, horrendous, or otherwise uncharacteristic album, that's 100% their prerogative. It's art. They have no obligation, in my opinion, to write the same album over and over again for their fans. That's right, Celine, you have my permission to finally record your death metal album. You're welcome. However, touring is a completely different animal. The writing process, the recording, the editing and mastering...that's the art. The touring is the commercial side. It's the money-maker. In this time of file sharing and piracy, touring is how these bands still have a chance to rake it in. This, again in my opinion, does impart upon these musicians a certain degree of obligation to the thousands who coughed up $60+ for a ticket to the show. I'm in no way saying they should take requests or play a greatest hits show, but when two segments of your show consist of defensively telling the crowd you are going to play what you choose to play, despite obviously knowing it isn't what everyone paid good money to see, you're not holding up your side of the "bargain." If someone (me) knows 5 of your albums inside and out and only recognizes maybe 30% of one of your shows, you're playing the "deep cuts" and you're trying to prove a point, I don't care how good the jams are (and they were really good, by the way). Rant complete.
There were some definite highlights, despite the aforementioned disregard for the desires of the crowd. One of the criteria I used to deem myself worthy of speaking for the whole crowd and our disappointment was the crowd's supreme happiness and emotional energy during the great moments. "Soma" was an absolute heart-shredder. Damn I love that song. In complete condradiction to my earlier rant on how bands are obligated to appease their crowds with popular songs, I would have been completely happy hearing them play "Soma" nine times in a row. It was that good. They went from that to "Cherub Rock" to "Zero" to "Bodies," in a section of the show that was almost worth the price of admission in and of itself.
The stage setup was fairly simple, but the light display as seen from the upper seats was beautiful. Green and purple swirling designs dominated the atmosphere on stage and somehow perfectly complimented the emotion of their songs. B. Corgan walked out for the first song, "Ava Adore" in his standard goth man-dress and holding a glowing Jack-O-Lantern (pumpkin). It was an effective gimmick, he's a creepy dude and that's a good opener.
Ginger Sling, my new favorite hot bassist, was entertaining to watch despite limited movement and an outfit that was reminiscent of Ace Ventura in the mental institution scene (she rocks it better than you though, Jim). She's 80lbs of pig-tailed rock magnetism.
Overall, I have no complaints on how they sounded, their musicianship was impressive and even Billy's voice sounded strong, despite being on the tail end of a self-proclaimed 10 day cold. My general negativity comes from two places: Billy Corgan's open disregard and apparent lack of appreciation for the crowd, and subsequently, the missed potential of this show. That's really a back-handed compliment in a way. For a lot of bands, this would have been a great show. I guess my high expectations, coupled with their flashes of greatness during the set combined to form an odd-tasting stew of unrealized hope.
Setlist:
Ava Adore
Cupid de Locke
1979
99 Floors
Owata
Sunkissed
Soma
Cherub Rock
Zero
Bodies
Cretfallen
I of the Mourning
A Song for a Son
Landslide
Disarm
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Galapogos
Gossamer
As Rome Burns
The Sounds of Silence
The March Hare
Suffer
Age of Innocence
That's the Way (My Love Is)
I Am One Part 2
This is Soma
Posted by Ninja 1
November 14, 2008
You will find an updated playlist to the right. It's good.
November 13, 2008
Is anybody still out there? After almost a month since the last post on here, I happily report that we are back. We've failed to post 3 reviews of majorish shows, along with a few minorish ones. The majors: Ray LaMontagne, Broken Social Scene (majorish), and TV on the Radio. I took more extensive notes at the Ray show than I have at any previous show, and I blame beer for leaving my notepad on the seat where I took it all in (the show, the beer). As a general rule I drink very sparingly when at concerts. I've never understood getting blacked-out drunk or so high you would enjoy Gilbert Godfreid doing a Chewbacca impersonation into a megaphone just as much as you would enjoy seeing your favorite band performing your favorite songs. Moderation is key. And as this night aged, I felt moderation becoming excess, and the smart part of my beer-fogged head took really good notes to make up for the not as smart part. Well, the not as smart part countered by walking my body straight out of the theatre sans the notes that had become my surrogate short term memory. Moral of the story: The Ray LaMontagne show resides in my mind as a dream, and not as the painting I would very much like to show you right now.
Here's what I can tell you. He sounded great. He played almost in the dark-only a dim reddish spotlight shone on him as he sang a set that was "Gossip In The Grain" heavy, but with a good mix of older material too. If you're like me, you regard "Gossip" as his third best album out of three. Maybe his fourth best out of three. I like him best when hearing him sing gives you the feeling of watching an agorophobic at a St. Patty's Day parade, and seeing him sing happy songs about Meg White doesn't inspire in me that same feeling of witnessing something raw and fragile and vulnerable. Just me?
He ended with "Jolene," a song that is both lyrically and stylistically a great representation of his talent and depth and potential and, dare I say, greatness? I recently read a quote from John Mayer in which he called LaMontage a songwriter's songwriter. Having never been called a songwriter myself, I'm not sure if I'm qualified to agree, but I am fully prepared to say he's a music fan's songwriter.
Posted by Ninja1
October 16, 2008
Go over to the Discussion Board (just scroll down on this page) and add your list. It's fun. Someone once said, "A life unexamined is a life not worth living." I'll take that and bump it up (or down?) a notch. A music collection unranked is one not worth talking about. Or something like that.
Also, the playlist to the right (assuming you face the computer screen like a normal human and without mirrors) has been changed. If I were you and not me, I would hit play and just minimize it while I did other computing. It's good.
Posted by Ninja1
October 12, 2008
New TBD band and a new Video. I guess I love Canucks...
So, a dear friend of mine (who might just appear on the 'Unsigned' page of this site...ryhmes with "priss killer") informed me of an unfortunate event at the My Morning Jacket show he attended a couple nights ago in Iowa. Apparently Jim James executed an unintentional stage dive, with fully unsatisfactory results. More details here.
Alright...the new TV on the Radio release, Dear Science, is pretty much insane. And when I say insane, I mean insane. Upon first release, I knew it had a chance to be my favorite TVOTR album, and that is saying something. While their other albums have songs that, in the words of another ninja, "never go anywhere", every song on the new guy does. Anyway, a good article/interview from Jambase:
Fleet Foxes, also (as forementioned) insane. A funny piece from Spin, found by a third ninja, on the proliferation of beards at Fleet Foxes' concerts (including a fun drinking game for the kiddos):
Two ventures into the City of Brotherly Love in one week, for two concerts I really want to see. This one featured the "Sounds most like My Morning Jacket" five-piece band, Fleet Foxes, in another fairly famous Philly venue, The Starlight Ballroom. Starlight proved to be a very energetic yet intimate setting, for a band whose live shows demand both. Holding probably only about seven or eight hundred, you are sure to get the "true" fans (of either the band or the music in general).
I loved the Starlight. It was awesome. Perhaps it was the band I saw play in it though...
Listening to Fleet Foxes new album (Fleet Foxes) and their EP (Sun Giant) sort of harkens back to an earlier age (the early 70's to be more exact) infused with recent southern rock (again to be exact, MMJ). They are extremely comfortable jamming out on their respective stringed and skinned instruments, while jamming out with their primary instruments, their voices. And what a thing of beauty their voices are.
I felt like I was seeing Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young in 1969. Or maybe My Morning Jacket in 1969. Either way, it would have been sweet. The group broke out a very with-it folk rock, that sounded gorgeous. Everyone in the group has a good (and in a couple of cases, great) voice, and they have figured out how to write songs to make them shine.
I can't say too much more without sounding like a (very large, bearded ninja) groupie, so I'll stop now.
Except that I have to comment on the crowd for a second...I'm pretty sure that 93% of the good people of Philadelphia and it's suburbs that own a solid beard were at this show. I felt completely at home.
Highlights: Crayon Angels (Judee Sill cover), Oliver James, Tiger Mountain Peasant Song, Drops in the River, Mykonos, White Winter Hymnal, Your Protector
My first venture to a show in Philadelphia, PA was a promising one, as Pinback played Tuesday night at the Theater of Living Arts in the bohemian area of South Philly. Quite the interesting place...the TLA doesn't hold much more than 500 people, but apparently have had some pretty kick-ass shows (long-time indie group Built to Spill plays later this month). It's not real glamorous; more or less a big room with a concrete floor and a bar area off to the side (you have to drink your drink in the area, I guess so you don't upset the under-18 kiddos).
Worst part of my first Philly concert experience: you can't bring pens into the TLA. My favorite is now currently for sale on the Philly pen black market.
On to the show...one can tell that Rob Crow and Pinback have been performing for a while. Their stage presence (most notably his) was great. He was talkative, funny and didn't shy away from noting sound and instrument issues (apparently they only happen when his mom is in the crowd). He threw out my now favorite live concert quote, which may or may not have been influenced by Jack Black: "We are going to fuck you...with our rocking." Almost zero inflection and the fact that it came after a couple of coed's asked him for coitus made it perfect.
On top of this, Mr. Crow went through a six-pack on-stage, popping each bottle open with a water bottle (you know, that cute little trick that one of your friends can do, but every time you try it you snap off a fingernail? No? Just me? Weird...).
Musically, Pinback sounded pretty tight...from an instrumentation perspective. Unbeknownst to me, a lot of their music, and almost all of their latest album, is bass guitar-driven. What I at first thought were regular guitar riffs aren't; they are masterfully played by Zach Smith (or Armistead Burwell Smith IV if you prefer).
If only he had the voice to go with it. Singing all of the high parts, Smith strained to reach notes to the point he was almost screaming. It made a few songs fairly painful to sit through.
Two songs I was really looking forward to hearing were "Fortress" and "Out to Sea", as they both have a bit poppier aspects than do the rest of the group's material. A bit to my dismay, both songs were played very quickly (I would say "Out to Sea" was played almost double-tempo).
Songs that stood out (in a good way) were "Loro" (off of Pinback), "Bouquet" and "Devil You Know" (both off their newest release, Autumn of the Seraphs). The two singers played very nicely off of each other (and stayed in key) during "Loro", and it made for a nice change of pace during the set...it was definitely the highlight of the evening.
The band has put together a very interesting slideshow as its backdrop, featuring many tv evangelists, spaceships (it was named for the movie Dark Star) as well as a nice montage on the number 666. No, they're not devil worshippers; they are very much against fear-mongering (just a bit less wordy than, say, Michael Moore is) though.
Other than that, Pinback put on a show I would expect. Tightly played with a couple of glitches, but overall pretty good.
Highlights: Loro, Bouquet, Devil You Know, How We Breathe
Let me begin this review with a caveat; I inexplicably managed to "injure" my neck the morning of this show more severely than I ever have in any previous athletic, mosh pit or other neck-dangerous endevour. It would please me greatly to tell you I suffered this in an heroic, or at least entertaining fashion. It would be cool to tell you Shaq himself walked up to me and Fu-Schnick-chopped me in the neck, rendering me physically unable to attend a Beck concert. I'm afraid the actual story is far less glamorous and possesses a complete absence of a huge and hugely famous NBA/Rap/Law Enforcement star delivering near crippling injuries to my neck. I guess the reason I feel this piece of info is even partially germaine to this review is the fact that I had to take a position in the theatre (the VERY back, so as to not get knocked into) that probably affected my experience of the show overall. I have a theory that correlates one's concert experience to their positon in the crowd relative to the stage. Oh, and I was all hopped-up on muscle relaxers too. But stop distracting me, I thought this was supposed to be about music. Oh, I hurt it stretching. No, I'm not 71 years old. I know.
How does one describe Beck? Is he hip-hop? Punk? Alternative? Folk? Electronic? I think maybe yes. The word I kept falling back on while watching this show and thinking of how I might describe him is "composer." Set aside his proficiency with every instrument on stage. Set aside his stoner-smooth, yet in-key singing voice. This guy is just a master at composing sounds in a way that only makes sense after you hear it. It's like dropping the Plinko chip from the far side and somehow it makes its way to the $10,000 middle slot.
I joked with friends on the way in that he should just open with "Loser" and get it out of the way. He opened with "Loser." It was then, out of the way. He continued on a little barrage of faster/older songs without any real breaks in between, and I began to fear he was just going to power through the whole set. He set my mind and emotions at ease when he and his band broke into "Chemtrails" from the latest album. This was the turning point of the show (in a good way) for me.
I was impressed with the representation of many of his albums in the set, although I was really hoping (since complaining about not hearing a particular song seems to be requisite in most concert reviews) to hear "Soul-Suckin' Jerk." The two songs from Sea Change were a pleasant surprise, and the live renditions of "Hell Yes" and "Clap Hands" were interesting sans instruments and plus Nascar-esque headsets and handheld electronic dealies.
Beck was on my short list of artists I've never seen live somehow, but really wanted to see. Check. Next time I'll be up front where I belong...
Setlist:
Loser
Devil's Haircut
Nausea
Girl
Timebomb
Minus
Chemtrails
Think I'm In Love
Nicotine & Gravy
Hell Yes
Clap Hands
Black Tamborine
Guero
Orphans
New Pollution
Soul of a Man
Walls
Missing
Golden Age
Lost Cause
Where It's At
Gamma Ray
Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat
Profanity Prayers
Mixed Bizness
E-Pro
Deleted most of the older videos on "Videos" page and put up some new ones. Enjoy...
Ok, so this site was never intended to be an album review site, we really want to focus on the live experience, but I need to say a word or two about the new Kings of Leon album. I have not listened to a song more times in a two day period than I have the first song, "Closer" since "Vicarious" leaked a week or so before the last Tool album. If you know me, that's a pretty bold statement. I need someone to take it away from me or I'm going to ruin it for myself. I cannot stop playing it.
Check out the "Videos" page, I posted a video describing the making of the last song on the album, "Cold Desert."
And c'mon people, get to the Discussion Board and post your list...I already feel the need to revise mine after some of the posts so far...
Oh yeah, and happy TV On the Radio and Cold War Kids day too. Take a look at the Discussion Board to the right and down...It's fun to play.
September 23, 2008
Happy Kings of Leon Day. Their new one is out today, I'm $11 poorer. Two new artists were added to TBD, and two were removed. Explosions in the Sky and The Black Keys have been determined. Both pass. As in, they get our nod of approval.
We also added a new page to the site. "Forum" is a page where we welcome reviews from the thousands of you who now check this site daily. Our email, cell phones, mailboxes, and fax machine cannot handle the requests from all of you out there who wish to post reviews of shows YOU saw and we missed. We hope this rectifies that situation. If you post something of value over there, maybe give everyone a "heads up" on the discussion board...
The "Current Tours" calendar has been updated. It appears festival season is drawing to a close this year...Hopefully you got to check out some good shows in the summer of '08, I know I did.
Keep an eye on the "TBD" and "Videos" pages, as we will be updating them regularly for your viewing pleasure. As it becomes increasingly easier and more tempting to become a music pirate these days, make sure you support these artists as they come through your town. Buy a ticket, buy a shirt. The by-product of your support might very well be a great experience/memory for you. Who loses in this scenario? The terrorists, that's right.
Vampire Weekend brought its East Coast thing to Liberty Hall in Lawrence, Kansas Thursday night. They brought with them about 15 songs about Cape Cod, buses among other things, a good sense of humor, and a pretty bad opening act in White Williams.
VW was nothing if not fun. Although certainly not that unique, their sound is hard to describe...if I had to try, I would say a more complex OAR with a hint of Pixies. So obviously I can't...let's just settle on college indie pop rock.
Dancing like he was Gary Numan singing "Cars", Ezra Koenig certainly embodied the fun his songs suggest. None of the band members appear to be overly talented at the instruments they play, and Koenig doesn't have the greatest voice, but together they produce music that is simply fun. On that note, they somehow write cheezy lyrics that don't seem all that cheezy (teeny bop pop stars should take note).
Though the music was pleasureable, I have to admit that their "frato" look was a bit of a turn-off. They certainly had the look of country-club brats on their way back from the Hamptons. It did help however, that Rostam, the band's do-everything man, looked like he was taking hits of the sticky in between songs.
A note to the opener, White Williams...work on your stage presence a little bit, please. Your music may be ok (I heard a lot of Yeasayer in it), but if the crowd can't get past how goofy your German sprocket dance is then nobody will know.
A note about the crowd...weird. It surprisingly was not mostly the local fraternity bar I expected it to be, and not quite as high school either...though we did have the pleasure of standing behind (what I hope were) a group of parents, replete with modern beehives, enjoying the show in their position of chaperone. Their reaction to VW's "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" sexually explicit come-on was priceless. The rest of the crowd definitely knew their Vampire Weekend; the exuberance the crowd showed for singing along to VW's homage to the state of Kansas (albeit in the form of a palm beetle) during "Bryn" was both hilarious and cool.
All in all, pretty good show. Too bad it wasn't a little longer; it was nice/funny of Koenig to apologize for not knowing more songs, and to play every song they know, though. And the fact that they played in one of my favorite venues didn't hurt either.
Highlights: One, Cape Code Kwassa Kwassa, The Kids Don't Stand a Chance
Setlist:
Mansford Roof
Campus
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
M79
(new song)
Bryn
Ladies in Cambridge (new song)
A-Punk
One (Blake's Got a New Face)
I Stand Corrected
The Kids Don't Stand a Chance
(new song)
Oxford Comma
Walcott
Artist interaction with crowd:
visuals:
overall:
A fun version (thanks to the Crenshwaw HS drumline) of "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" (minus one very important four-letter word) thanks to Jimmy Kimmel...
Added a couple of interesting/impressive videos on 'videos' page. Removed Fleet Foxes from TBD page. They have been D.
September 6, 2008
As you might have noticed, we tweaked the site ever so slightly. More noticable (and hopefully positive) changes are on the not so distant horizon. We removed the "news" page and have decided to consolidate news, or maybe more accurately "updates," with the homepage.
We also removed the album release calendar, although we still have a "releases" page where we will list the album releases of a handful of bands we really like. Check Amazon.com or Metacritic for a more comprehensive list of album releases, they're better at it than we were prepared to be.
August 26, 2008
I snuck a new non-music video onto the "videos" page. It may not be actual music, but you have to admit it has a certain poetic rhythm to it. Enjoy.
August 20, 2008
It saddens me to report that LeRoi Moore of The Dave Matthews Band has died of complications resulting from a June, 2008 ATV accident. The DMB elected to play their show on the 19th in L.A. despite his passing, dedicating the show to him. He was 46. What a supreme bummer.
Monday, August 18, 2008
My Morning Jacket
So I listen to a LOT of music. And I'm not the guy who always likes a band just because they're innovative or fresh or different or underground. In my own humble opinion, I like to believe I like them because they're good. Or maybe great. I guess WHAT I'm trying to say is I won't endorse a band quickly just to be "first," or because they have a sound that I feel has a chance to increase my "street cred." I guess WHY I'm trying to say that is because I'm trying to add credence to this claim: My Morning Jacket is in my Top 5 bands of all time. They might be #4 (I choose not to provide my list at this time, so as to get on with the review already).
The fact that I have inexplicably failed to make the trip to Bonnaroo in '06 or '08, combined with the fact that they have never played in a city where I was living at the time, resulted in this being my first MMJ show. Needless to say (though I'm saying it), I was more than a little excited.
I've watched the Okonokos DVD so many times it was almost surreal to see the fellas walk on the stage before the opening song, "Evil Urges." It was almost a feeling of being star-struck, which I don't really get. I think I had come to believe these guys lived inside my TV, and seeing them actually walk onto the stage was akin to having, say, Brad Pitt stroll into my kitchen, get a bowl of cereal, sit on my couch and eat it while reading the paper, never making eye contact as if he were my roommate or something. Luckily for me, however, they do not reside inside my TV, and what I got to watch was far more entertaining than B. Pitt eating cereal.
MMJ's music bleeds into so many different and dissimilar genres, it makes for a show that could at times please a Country music fan, a fan of Radiohead, a fan of Prince, or a die hard Led Zeppelin follower. This show was fast, slow, loud, quiet, playful, and reverent. I felt like I was inside my TV (sans any cereal masticating movie stars).
It was good to see Jim James' hair has gotten back to a respectable length for his frequent east-west head banging. The Amish phase seemed weird. His voice sounded really strong and accurate, with those trademark falsetto shrieks that are so resounding I swear you can almost see them. James was very active throughout the the show, even disappearing from the stage momentarily only to reappear on a balcony in the Theatre to play a section of "Steam Engine." I made it up to the front row on the barricade for maybe 4 or 5 songs and noticed that James plays a good portion of the time with his eyes closed, making his gazes into the crowd that much more engaging when they occur.
The light show that compliments the music on this tour is as good as any I've seen in recent years (barring Tool and Radiohead, who rival Pink Floyd). If you have epilepsy I would suggest skipping this tour, as the use of strobe lighting is frequent and all-encompassing. This show really was a treat for eyes, ears, and emotions. Even if you aren't a huge fan of the new album, don't let that be a reason to miss these guys if you have an opportunity to see them. They are special. Highlights for me included: Lay Low, Run Thru, Wordless Chorus.
Setlist:
Evil Urges
Off the Record
Gideon
The Way He Sings
Touch Me I'm Going to Scream Pt. 1
Masterplan
I'm Amazed
Thank You Too
Sec Walkin'
Two Halves
Laylow
Aluminum Park
Mahgeetah
Just One Thing
Look at You
Golden
Phone Went West
Steam Engine
Smokin' from Shootin'
Touch Me I'm Going to Scream Pt. 2
Wordless Chorus
Highly Suspicious
Anytime
Run Thru
One Big Holiday
Artist interaction with crowd:
visuals:
overall:
If you want more, my favorite from a rainy night in Manchester, Tennessee...
It's actually been a while since I've been to a completely sold out show at an outdoor amphitheatre. Is that good? Sad? Bad? Does it make me more "down" because I see shows in smaller, more intimate venues typically? The whole, "I saw them when they were playing the Waffle House for free double patti melts before they sold out" kinda thing...? Is it because gas costs as much as a Chinese baby these days and people don't show up to concerts in the numbers they used to (sorry, I'm just caught up in the Olympic spirit I guess). I'm not sure the exact reason only a few select tours can regularly sell out the biggest venues, but I do know it's pretty cool to be among 15,000 or so people who all agree on at least one thing simultaneously. You can't help but be a little moved. Add to that an unseasonably cool 65 degree night with a large moon overhead, and you have a pretty good palate on which Mr. Johnson can paint his relaxed melodies.
In music, "simple" might be one of the hardest things to pull off. Don't get me wrong, I'm as impressed as the next guy when I hear an overly complicated composition with layer upon layer of vocals, keyboard, guitar, drumming, and other gadgetry. I actually like that stuff. I like hearing a song for the 903rd time and picking up a new little symbol ting deep behind a wall of guitar. If you go into a JJ concert or album hoping for that, you might be a little disappointed. Jack does that other, equally impressive thing in music. He does "simple" with seemingly effortless precision. He has that Hawai'ian surfer moxy that can't be faked.
Jack manages to write album after album of singles. The result of that is a concert that begins to seem like a greatest hits show, which for me is great for about 4 or 5 songs. After that, I personally need that smelling salt song. I need to be smacked or challenged or offended. I want him to insult my mother or cover Slipknot. But alas, this is not 'nam, there are rules, and I think I'm just needy.
Specifically though, his voice sounded great, I thought the crowd was very much into it, the band sounded tight, and short of a few lyric malfunctions, he delivered a fully enjoyable show.
Some notables:
During the song "Go On," I found the guitar solo to be pretty interesting. He played the notes of the solo simply by hammering and sliding his left hand, and instead of strumming or picking with his right, he just tapped the body and neck of the guitar. It makes for a pretty full sound, and again makes "simple" look easy. I found a video of him doing it, posted below.
Zach Gill, the piano player, has a great voice. He sang a stanza of one of Jack's songs and it was beautiful. Who knew? Maybe everybody. I didn't.
Merlo, the bass player, rapped during "Staple it Together" and it wasn't even uncomfortable. It was actually...pretty good? You had to see it, but it really was respectable. He does play bass in Hieroglyphics, so it's not too far-fetched to believe he can hang, right?
Oh Lollapalooza. Can you be any better than Lollapalooza 2007? You know, the one where I saw My Morning Jacket, Kings of Leon and Pearl Jam, on the same stage, on the same day? You're right, probably not. But I'll try you anyway.
I have to say, I did know I was at the right place when I walked in along with 5,000 of my best friends, and lo and behold, my immediately-then 2 favorite people were right in front of me. Unfortunately, my camera was sort of not working at that point, so I don't have a picture, and words won't do it justice. Let me just say that, the world is alright when a.pretty over-weight white guy and Kumar's dorky, psycho curly-haired, frightenly skinny, little brother can be best buds. It definitely brought a nice little grin to my face.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Yeasayer:
What a pleasant surprise. A band that at times sounds like Animal Collective, or Prince, or Spoon, with a little hard core techno-African beat thrown in. Now that's what I call.rock?
The band started with a couple of killer songs that featured chest-thumping bass on top of a fairly slow but sick drum beat, one of which was their first single, "Sunrise". They continued with an array of "Middle Eastern-psych-snap-gospel".yeah, I don't know what that means either, but ok. It still moved me.
Of course, how hard is it to like a band that has a middle easterner, a Devo member, a Kid Rock look-alike and your standard, funny-man indie rocker lead singer? Chris Keating kept the somewhat (due to the early Friday day gig) sparse crowd laughing in between numbers with his commentary on new movies (he's crazy like the Joker apparently) and the state of the crowd (filled with many strapping young men), and rocking the rest of the time. On top of that, they started off as a barbershop quartet. Everybody knows barbershop quartet's are where it's at.
But enough about that. Yeasayer will be getting heavy play in my rotation (which is good for me!). For the rest of you, everybody say yea (it had to be done) to this little fun La Blogotheque clip, as well a good one from Lollapalooza.
The Kills:
So.2-man bands. Or 2-person bands. Right. Whatever. Damn you Whites (talking White Stripes, not ethnicity, people) for making them popular again. They may be cool if you can pull it off (I'm talking right back to you Jack/Meg).but not a lot of you can. I mean, that's what Daryl and John became (Hall and Oates for all of you non-music historians/people who were born after the 70's). And do we really need more of those?
Which leads me to the Kills. I guess the music is sort of interesting. And she definitely has sort of a Karen O thing going on minus the psychosis. And he can sort of play a cool kind of guitar. And then they have a drum beat. THAT NOBODY IS PLAYING. How is that possible? Are they performing some type of strange magic I haven't heard about? Is she going to turn somebody into a toad?
(Yes, I understand how drum beats with no drummer works. I understand also that 2+2 doesn't equal 5. Still, I don't like either of those. Trick me or something. Don't make it so blatantly obvious yet so hidden that you are playing beats electronically. Better yet, just find a good drummer.)
Anyway, I digress. Short story short, wasn't a big fan.
Gogol Bordello:
Ridiculous live. Not so good to put on while busting through my favorite Excel spreadsheet during the day, but pretty good watching on a stage. Energy, freakiness, love, hippies, Eastern European immigrants, old men playing violins, Japanese-Romanians playing accordions, lots of drums, freakiness, colorful clothes, choreography, girls screaming ("CATS AND DOGS LIVING TOGETHER.").you get the gist. And if you don't, you need to see Gogol live at least once.
Grizzly Bear:
One of five bands I came to see in the Windy City, and let me tell you, they did not disappoint. Not real big on extra-curricular entertainment, the Griz just rocks, in that experimental, indie rock sort of way. Every member is extremely talented in what they do, which for every one includes singing (I would love to hear a barbershop quartet-off between them and Yeasayer).
The quartet led off with their fresh-off-of-Dave "Two Weeks", which sounded just as good as it did on TV. They then led into a slowed-down version of "Little Brother", with all of it's Jimi Hendrix-ish riffs. In the middle (after "Knife") they were able to sneak in 3 new songs, only one of which I recognized. All three were good as a first listen.no "I know this will be great" hair-raising moments during the 15 minutes of new material, but good all the same.
The highlight for me was the lead-in to "On a Neck, On a Spit", and then bouncing right into the new fav "While You Wait for the Others". The former shows Daniel Rossen at his best on the guitar; the latter shows the entire band at it's best, especially during their (barbershop-quartet) bantering towards the end.
Unfortunately, the only thing running through my head right now is Chris Taylor's harmony vocals. At times, he seems like a cat meowing away (a friend pointed this out to me - of course, that's all I hear now - thanks, FRIEND). He sounds great, like the rest of them, but now there are only cats. Lots of cats.
All in all, as special as 45 minutes would allow.
Special kudos go out to the tall, skinny, shirtless guy with big sunflower earrings and a pederast-thin mustache. You made my group extremely uncomfortable yet were still able to provide some entertainment by your incessant clapping and weird singing. Way to go.
Setlist:
Two Weeks
Little Brother
Knife
Fine For Now
Untitled
Fix It
On a Neck, On a Spit
While You Wait for the Others (thank you Stereogum)
Artist Interaction With Crowd:
Visuals:
n/a
Overall:
And for a little more la blogo...
Radiohead:
One of these days I will post an ode to Radiohead. Unfortunately, that day will not be right now. Instead, I will give a short, concise review on my favorite band ever, possibly the greatest band ever to grace our planet the Earth, and yeah, my favorite band, ever.
There are three things that were noticable during this glorious night of music.
1. The setlist was much to my liking, and a little different than previous shows (this year). Surprisingly (or not surprisingly, I don't know, maybe I should have expected it), they played 24 songs, which is pretty on-par with what they have played at the rest of their shows. They opened with "15 Step" (I think I prefer "All I Need"), went straight into "Airbag Saved My Life", which went into "There There". Ok.I guess we'll just open with a bang, eh? Across 10 years no less. Yep, I'm fine with that.
After that, they mixed and matched parts of In Rainbows, Kid A (they played "National Anthem", they played "National Anthem", thank the lord), The Bends, Hail to the Thief, and even threw in some Amnesiac for good measure. All in all, a good mix; of course, every R-Head fan is not going to hear one of his/her favorite songs, but I bet they covered a lot of them.
2. Thom was noticeably sick. No more.he was just, vocally speaking, obviously sick.
3. The crowd was subdued. Perhaps it was the fact that In Rainbows is a bit mellow in relation to the rest of their catalog, or perhaps it was due to the fact that they were mesmerized by the insane light show that is the 2008 live Radiohead show. I don't know what it was.no matter though, it probably made the show better.
The City of Chicago (or perhaps Lollapalooza, not really sure) put on a rather lengthy fireworks show right behind the aquarium during "Everything in its Right Place", which certainly added a bit to the aura, though it threw my 5-year-old attention span away from the concert for a solid 5 minutes. Thanks for that.
And lastly, speaking of short attention spans.I knew I was an amateur writer. Who knew I was an amateur concert-goer? I have gone to way too many concerts to pull the shenanigans I pulled 10 minutes before my favorite band (ever) went on stage. So.no beer in your hand? Sure, why not, 70,000 people plus, 7:50 PM, let's check out the beer line! Oh, the shortest line has 30 people? Yeah, let's stand in it. We can get to the front, get our beer and find our way back through a ridiculous number of people, all in 10 minutes! Yep, good idea. Way to use that head.
Alcohol wins again.
Setlist:
15 Step
Airbag Saved My Life
There There
All I Need
Nude
Weird Fishes
The Gloaming
The National Anthem
Faust Arp
No Surprises
Jigsaw Falling Into Places
Reckoner
Lucky
The Bends
Everything In Its Right Place
Fake Plastic Trees
Bodysnatchers
Videotape
Paranoid Android
Dollars & Cents
House of Cards
Optimistic
2 + 2 = 5
Idioteque
Artist Interaction With Crowd:
Visuals:
Overall:
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Foals:
Somebody tell me that the Foals were born after 1990. I dare you.
Apparently the good contributors to wikipedia know otherwise. Apparently all 5 have attended college (and all but 1 quit their respective college studies to join this band). And since everything on the interweb is true, this too, must be true.
So the young-looking Foals (a foal is a "young horse" by the way).can put on a pretty good show. They pretty much sounded good, played aggressive, and more or less rocked. The drummer was legit (I think he was 12), the bass player was legit (I think he was 14), not sure about the third guy, the guitarist was legit (he might have been 18) and the lead singer/guitarist was legit (he looked his age in addition to donning the great 80's Cure look, or Flock of Seagulls, I don't know, take your pick).
It's really hard to describe them.are they "Devo on too much caffeine" as the Lollapalooza guide stated, or a bipolar version of the Cure (as I just stated)? Either way, very enjoyable, as many people must have already known.they had a rather large crowd for what turned out to be (in my opinion) the best stage (that being the Citi Stage) of the festival.
This will be another quick purchase for me.
Explosions in the Sky:
The thing about seeing shows with people who aren't there really to see the shows is.well, I don't know what it is, but I do know that you don't want to do it.
These guys sounded good in between female breaths.beyond that, not real sure.
Rage Against the Machine:
No, I won't do what you told me. I will not take 5 to 10 steps back (primarily because the 300 people behind me will not allow that).
RATM = INSANE. Easily. Most. Insane. Show. I. Have. Ever. Been. To. Not even close. Not even close to that. I'm really not sure how to describe it.
I knew it would be insane after a mosh pit broke out 200 yards away from the stage: I pushed a guy, he turned around, threw up the rock sign, said "YEAHHHHHH!".and smiled.
Imagine being in a sea of, I don't know, 40,000 non-stop chanting, violently moshing people. Do you escape alive? I'm sure 100% of us did, but 90% of us felt somehow a little bit fortunate to.
With incendiary lyrics, a kick-ass beat and a, you know, somewhat decent guitarist, Rage rocked/beat the socks off of many of Lollapalooza-goers' feet when they were in their "formative" years (or maybe just me). Apparently even those who were under 10 when Rage released that infamous self-titled album have found it.
All of us collectively decided to live Rage's fury during this concert. It was blood, sweat, bruises, a hoarse voice, shot legs, shot shoulders (too many raised arms too many times to count) all wrapped up into a 2 hour show.
Really, I don't have more than that. It was 2 hours of jumping up and down, screaming, trying not to get the crap kicked out of you, wondering if Zack really wants to hang presidents, wondering why they ever broke up in the first place.yeah, that's about it. I can't imagine what it would have been like to see them in a small place when they first hit (a la the "Freedom" video).
I will say, I could have done with out the proselytizing. But with Rage, who has played, what, 3 shows in the last 6 years, that's ok.
Highlights: "Testify", obviously "Killing in the Name Of", "Bullet in the Head", "Freedom"
Artist Interaction With Crowd:
Visuals:
Overall:
Sunday, August 3, 2008
John Butler Trio:
I am worn out. And apparently JBT has hit the college frat scene.
Which I am ok with. It's good.it means that he/they are finding a niche. And that people appreciate his music. Which they should. Simply because I do.
This was a good show. A little amped-up for JBT, but nonetheless, a good show. I think John Butler and co. were a little hyped to be playing in front of so many people (and yes, the crowd turned out to be fairly big, especially considering when they played). They more than held their own though.
It's a bit hard to not hold your own when you play a sick 12-string while pedaling a nice bass drum for a solid 8 minutes. I will go out on a limb and say John Butler's "Ocean" should be on any top 10 live-song-to-see list (assuming there are a lot of those lists floating out there). I know it's on my top 10 most-beautiful-instrumental-rock-song-ever list. Which is a pretty good list (can anyone say Mad Season???).
JBT was a bit hyped for this, though, and it showed. They put on a spirited drum "solo" towards the end, with all 3 trio-ettes beating the crap out of Michael Barker's drums (if he's Maori, are his drums Maori?). And "Used To Get High" and "Better Than" were definitely other crowd pleasers.
All in all, I can handle fat guys in frat t-shirts prancing around, as long as JBT is supplying the music and it's a beautiful Chicago summer day (or not - I'll just take the music).
Setlist:
Treat Yo Mama
Used to Get High
Better Than
Satisfy
Ocean
Zebra
Good Excuse
Funky Tonight
Artist Interaction With Crowd:
Visuals:
n/a
Overall:
Iron & Wine:
You can't ever go wrong with a live Iron & Wine concert. That said, I was pretty underwhelmed by this showing.
Sam Beam started his now-illustrious career with The Creek Drank the Cradle and Our Endless Numbered Days, both fairly acoustic, chill though beat-happy albums. Then last year, he made The Sheperd's Dog, which included some acoustic sounds, stayed true to the chill/beat-happy songs, but added an electric element to the mix. It turned out to be pretty good, and certainly critically acclaimed.
Unfortunately Iron & Wine decided to go with an all-electric sound for this show. Electric for some of the show (maybe even most of it) would be ok - the whole show electric, not really. Most Iron & Wine songs have the same feel; when you play them one leading into another with no breaks and all New Orleans-style blues style electric guitar throughout, it gets to be a bit monotonous.
On top of that, the neglected to ramp up "Woman King" or "Wolves", two quicker "electric" songs, electing to mull through them in the same style as the rest of the show.
The lack of difference between anything through the whole set really made the show a bit mundane. It was good music through and through; it could have used a little something though. Perhaps "Trapeze Swinger" or "Sodom, South Georgia" acoustic. You know, something like that.
Setlist:
House by the Sea
The Devil Never Sleeps
White Tooth Man
Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car
Peace Beneath the City
Love and Some Verses
The Night Descending
Boy With a Coin
Upward Over the Mountain
Woman King
Wolves (Song of the Sheperd's Dog)
Artist Interaction With Crowd:
Visuals:
n/a
Overall:
Girl Talk:
No comment.
Alright, one comment/question. Do that many people really love a dude on a stage with 1 microphone, 1 Apple and two balloons (and who invites many people to share the stage with him)? I guess that show answered itself.and the answer was yes.
Second (unfortunate) comment.it was kind of fun. I mean, people randomly monkey-climbing up trees? That's got to be fun, right?
Pretty music, pretty weird language. Hang in there (it takes a bit to get going) to listen to some of, if not the most beautiful music in the world from Sigur Ros...
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
