Archive Page 2
Long winded. That from a jam-band guy.
Plants and Animal’s album, “Parc Avenue,” their first full length-album following two EP’s, was released in 2007 off Secret City Records. Allmusic.com describes it as “genre-jumping,” I’d say it a stone cold stable, rock-light genre with variant speeds. And it would be good, REALLY good, if it stuck to what that genre was good at: keeping songs within three minutes. With 11 tracks at an average 5 minutes per song (toping out at just under 8 minutes for “New Kind of Love”), many of these songs could have been changed into two separate songs, and others could have just been cut down HEAVILY (“Keep It Real” is 4 minutes, and the last minute and a half is just downright boring, with the same three chords and horn part over and over and over and over and over). It is a valiant first attempt, and has some great build and release moments, it just seems the timing is a bit off, making these builds a little to dwindling and the releases a bit anti-climactic.
Limiting the album further, due to the length and depth of certain sections, is that there are really good parts to it, but one may not get to them or be listening if they get bored. Directly from the lead in of the first track, “Bye Bye Bye,” the pastoral vocals come in solo, and are almost immediately met by the piano for the first verse. It gets picked up pretty quickly, bringing in the band and choral parts right after that. As far as the album goes, this song is probably one of the most popular because is it directly to the point.
If you’ve listened to the second track, “Good Friend,” you’ll hear probably the best lyrics in the album. “It takes a good friend to say you’ve got your head up your ass” and “It takes an enemy to help you get out of bed.” If you listened to the entire second track, you probably got sick of him saying those lyrics as well as “I want to dance,” especially the “dance” bit being repeated some 50 times. The whole song is based off of two chords or so, and non-varying rhythms, so spanning 6+ minutes is a bit long. The last two minutes is . . . what’s the word for “foreplay” if it comes after sex? Well, it’s that.
So by this time, you’re probably already not paying attention, and will probably miss that “Feedback in the Field” has the makings for a good song, solid whistle melody throughout. Then, the band goes and ruins it by getting a minute and a half of verse melody, this time with a whimpy wah-wah’ed guitar noodling around shoved at the end. Cut it out. Either have someone REALLY solo there, or just don’t do it. The first 4 minutes of the same repetitious verse gets the point across.
“Mercy” is the zenith of the bands talent, as far as song structure goes. It has several parts that collide, congeal and morph into other parts, cheerleader vocals that come out of left field and contort the shape of the song while still keeping it prevalent to the same song. “Bye Bye Bye” will probably be the song that everyone knows this band for, but for my money, “Mercy” is the song to hear. Kudos.
So that’s about it. These guys are good, but few bands get it right on their first full length. I say, stick with it, develop it a bit more, it’s definitely getting there.
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The Apes 2/29/08 Black Cat
I did not want to go to The Apes CD release party. I particularly did not want to stay after I heard opening act Kid Congo Powers. But The Apes really did blow me away. In due time, let’s start at the beginning.
Food for Animals was the first act, and came on stage about an industry standard 30 minutes late. Right from the get go, one would notice first that they rappers were having a good time despite the modest crowd size, due most likely to the second fact, the rappers didn’t look at the audience. Interestingly, they interacted with the crowd but never looked at them. Kinda like being fucked without being kissed. They were energetic and actually pretty good. The apple computer based beats (staple of both opening acts) probably would have sounded decent if you could hear any of it. It sounded like being stuck between two H2’s at a stop light in downtown, one blasting the latest rap song with obligatory dance associated and bass too heavy to enjoy, and the other competing with some euro-trash electronica, a throwback to indie blips Bumblebeez 81 only entertaining to huge ass nerds (read: moi). In the off chance you could actually make out the beat, you could here it was well constructed and pretty technically advanced. Overall, it just sounds like they were trying to do too much, stretched beyond their means perhaps. A more modest approach could have shown their strengths instead of the “going-for-gold” technique that just embellished their weaknesses. It’s like when a fat guy goes shopping: You think that buying smaller clothes will make him look smaller since, you know, he’s wearing smaller clothes, but in actuality, it just looks like a hot dog expanding in a microwave. But they did have awesome t-shirts for super cheap.
Next on the bill was Kid Congo Powers. Ugh. He slithered on stage looking something like a John Waters impersonator with no introduction, and the P.A. music still going, and just started talking. He introduced himself which was nice, and then told us about himself, which was odd, and then talked about how he grew up a long time ago, which was teetering on boring, and then talked about where he grew up, and WOULDN’T FUCKING SHUT UP. FOR THE FIRST 10 MINUTES OF THIS GUYS SET, HE READ A PART OF HIS BOOK! The segment of the book that he read just kept referencing semi famous people from the 70’s/80’s and shit. It could have been fact or fiction, I don’t care, couldn’t keep up with it, and didn’t want to. Eventually, a bass player came out, and “Kid” as the lead singer/guitarist was affectionately self titled synched up his mac to play some “madawesomeBeats!!!!11!1!ONE.” Ugh. The first song sounded (and looked) like it was his first time fucking but you could see from his gargoyle face he was too high to enjoy it, as he concentrated on thrusting his phallic guitar into the air more than the noise that permeated from it. The obedient bassist stood by and played angry, open bass chords high on the neck for a standard “don’tfuckwithme” attitude. The second song was at least a song. This time, there were even vocals! Pretty much, this guy killed himself with a bad first impression. Maybe I’m not cool enough to “get it.” Maybe it’s a punk thing that was just way over my head. I just wanted to beat the shit out of him to see if he’d fight back.
So with this, you can imagine how psyched i was to continue watching bands. The organ/keyboardist came out first with a red skimask on, anounced herself as “Majestic Ape,” talking about how she shit her pants from the last set. If one thing could make the last set worse, it would be someone talking about how good it is…and then a girl talking about shitting her pants. Then they started playing, and my entire outlook took a 180. Every member of the band was awesome. The guitarist has bass pickups in his axe, virtually combining two instruments into one. Though it is not a completely new technique (i.e. grunge rockers Local H comes to mind), it definitely has its place in the quirky, dark band. And the player of this Frankenstein never blinked. His eyes were WIDE opened the entire set, reminiscent of a portrait who’s gaze is omnipresent. Damn, it was creepy. The drummer was the most energetic one I’ve seen since Tommy Lee, and just as powerful. He really did look like a toy ape (appropriately) with a snare fused to his chest, and the way he beat those drums made you scared for the cymbals. Also, he donated all of his sweat glands to the lead singer, which was an interesting change of pace. While we’re on the vocals, it was a great milieu of indie rock falsetto and potent, early rock and roll vocals, conscience of what many singers fail to get: knowing when not to sing is as important as knowing when to. While some bands find the inclusion of an organ as something to be constantly accentuating, there was a happy medium in using it as adding to the madness while keeping it in check. She, the organist, Majestic Ape if you will, was a bit eclipsed by the amplitude of the rest of the band. But I can assure you firsthand that this slight slip-up is corrected in the mixing of the new album, the reason for this record release party, Ghost Games. The set consisted of mostly songs from this album with minimal banter between the crowd. It was solid, songs flowed from one into the other, and I only spotted one missed cue, only because the drummer scoffed at another members late entry. There isn’t enough that can be said about this band live, though. To pick up the evening from the declining state it was headed was not only impressive, it was godly. Go see them if you get a chance. Also, go pick up a copy of their CD, Ghost Games. Very, very good stuff.
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The deep harmonies of “Lump Sum” was an early crest of the vocal awareness of the band all around. All three members had two mics, one with a doubled effect and one regular, an interesting twist which definitely highlighted the winteresque vibes. Unfortunately, 90% of the audience couldn’t see a thing. The whole band was sitting, and because the Hotels’ stage is all of 4″ above the floor or it just so happens that Black Mountain fans are all 8′ tall, no one could see a thing. The consolation was in the form of dead silence during the set, even between songs, was so refreshing. Everyone stood in awe of the art being created in front of them. This is true for all songs except “The Wolves” where Vernon asked for the audience to sing backup: a resounding “What might have been lost.” The drummer during the end of that song was going nuts, like a drunken yuppie breaking everything he can afford in his one bedroom studio 12 floors above the angry, cold night, only realizing after shards of glass cover his blood stained carpet that doing so accomplishes less than nothing, and he fades into the sorrow of the sleepless morning after. Vernon could control the whole crowd. The songs ebbed from self-proclaimed neo-soul to rock influenced singer/songwriter ballads. A very awesome beginning to what’s sure to be an awesome, awesome tour. To listen to the whole show go here and then you can figure it out. As for Jagjaguwar labelmates, Black Mountain . . . Well, I came for Bon Iver. They were good; at least I could see them, they were all standing. The female lead vocalist is the reason people either love or hate this band, as its a mangled sirens’ quivering shriek (guess which camp I fall into), enough to set them apart from the onslaught of other indierock bands. Doesn’t automatically mean different is better, nor does it mean the opposite. I like the 90’s, lo-fi sound, what sounds like is influenced by Lou Barlow with the elegant guitar, enough to know he’s talented but won’t try to push too far ahead of his means. The sensual use of organ from the start of every song hinted at the inevitable picked-up second movement, and was all but perfect for the credits of a vampire flick. The heroin falsetto of the lead male vocal was in contrast to the opening acts honest falsetto. On whole, songs were just a build up to the last minute or two of each, respectively. They may have been good finishing minutes, but out of context, they’d be hardware. I’d like to listen to an album, maybe that would give me a better idea of what they were about.
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Oscars
I’m no oscar buff. I like to think of myself as well versed in films, but that’s generally limited to a bunch of movies no one else really likes, those weird twisted ones that never even get close to nominated (how’d they pass up Sunshine for…. I don’t know, any category. It was super awesome.) I did not seeing Atonement, I’ve never heard of the Diving Bell and the Butterfly, didn’t get a chance to see There Will Be Blood, and everyone who liked The Golden Compass must have been high, which makes sense. Jon Stewart was no Billy Crystal. There’s probably no one else right now that would be a better choice than Jon Stewart, but still. That was as lame as the Daily Show is getting. Which writers are back? Cause As much as I didn’t want to see “Enchanted” before, after listening to every fucking song from it performed on stage, I want to see it a thousand times less. Don’t care that I’m not target audience: annoying is annoying. On the music front, though, The Swell Season performed their hit song “Falling Slowly” from “Once” and was AWESOME. They rock, especially Glen Hansard with his shitty, old ass guitar. So good. To think like a year ago NO one knew who those guys were. The performance from Autumn Rush, “Raise It Up” was super awesome, enough to make me want to see the movie. I don’t know her name, so forgive me, but that little girl was outstanding. Good for Juno for winning best screenplay. Even as a strictly heterosexual male (despite rumors), I really enjoyed that movie. And I feel like that will surely make Kimya Dawson (half of The Moldy Peaches) at least partially famous. Hey and I actually saw the big winner of the night, No Country For Old Men. Still don’t get the title. That was the right pick. It was such a great, vicious movie. And that was the Oscars. I do like the little clips they do of past winners before each award, and like every other year, that was probably the highlight of this years. Real quickly though: Didn’t Superbad come out during 2007? I mean, come on!
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More in Summer Concerts
Bonnaroo managed to land The Mars Volta to their bill, those praised as the “new” Led Zeppelin. Maybe that’s not entirely true, but they do get enough comparisons as far as vocals, guitar and overall hype so that the festival’s combination of them, Lez Zeppelin, and Robert Plant should be enough of a consellation of the REAL Led Zeppelin not showing up, despite everyone and their mother saying at some point that it HAS to happen. Who else? Chris Rock will be playing to the anticipated largest crowd for a comedy show ever.However you feel about The Mars Volta, total hype bullshit prog-rock who blathers nonsense when monosyllables would suffice and wades in senseless noise for minutes between anything worth while, or you like them, it’s definitely more incentive to buy into the behemoth neo-suburban-hippie-fest, and I’d say the most incentive you’re going to get. They do put on an awesome show, and like their music or not, to see one of the best shows around these days would be huge. But I still stand behind Coachella as the place to be this Summer.It’s a strange thing knowing what songs will be played before you go to a show, so this Roger Waters performs Dark Side of the Moon is so bittersweet. Half the fun of seeing a show is not knowing if the artist will play the songs you want. If you have to hear a song, buy an album. The sub-headliners maybe lukewarm, but the supporting acts more than make up for it. Portishead should be great, but I’ve always felt the Raconteurs have never been as great a sum as all of their parts. Gogol is one of the best shows I’ve seen this year, though every single person at the show had a moustache. Streets will be there, Holy Fuck (who I like just because I get to say their name), The National, Cafe Tacuba, Tegan and Sara, a whole bunch of bands that are really, really good stuff. By and large, the vibe of the show is a lot more indie based, a lot more based on plugging bands that are on their way in, doing some different things in indie rock, as opposed to Bonnaroo which more just seems like an excuse for corporations to put money into a concert and patrons to just get fucked up. I’m all for people getting fucked up, and in mass quantities, but when people start hiding their reasons to go, that’s just silly. Bonarroo has become more of a small city for people to get fucked up without worries than a celebration of music, so just admit that’s why you wanna go. Maybe that’s my beef: dropping acid and watching Kanye West does not sound like as fun a time as dropping acid and watching Les Claypool. That I have to believe is more a matter of nature than personal taste, but then I’m probably just talking out of my ass. Thanks for reading.
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This Summer in Concerts
And Bonnaroo was doing SO well. At least from the sounds of it. This year’s Bannaroo headliner is Pearl Jam? And Metallica? I can kind of get Pearl Jam despite being years out of their prime, them releasing an album in the past 2 years and all. But Metallica? They’ve gone on record as saying their new album will go back to their roots, the type of good shit they were making when they were still the metalist band on the planet, or at least the best selling metal band. Since those days, you may remember them on one side of the war against downloading. Ironic that the vast number of people attending Bonnaroo will no doubt be the people who owe some artist or another several thousands of dollars, at least from Metallica’s stand. Eddie Vedder at least has a kind of old, rustic rock star vibe, the kind you get with years of road wisdom. James Hetfield is like a guy from “Celebrity Rehab” which, when you think about it, is really just this generation’s version of “Where Are They Now?” So, boo on the headliners. What else we got?<p> The likelihood that Levon Helm will get the crowd that he deserves from a audience coming to see State Radio and Against Me! is about the same of Led Zeppelin reuniting along side the 1/3 of the band already certain to perform: an acoustic set with Robert Plant and Alison Kraus. There will be the jam band festival regulars, obviously Dark Star, Bela Fleck, Yonder, Robert Randolph and Umphrey’s, but they traded Keller for Kanye, a Les Claypool band of freaks for the frat-friendly O.A.R., and STS9 for a Deathcab band that practically wrote the book on modern indie, at least in the hearts of weeping girls everywhere. There are quality acts, some of which will put on awesome shows. I’d go see Gogol Bordello in a shoebox…I might even prefer it that way. Derek Trucks is just a prodigy who’ll no doubt play with uncle Butch Trucks (of the also performing Allman Brother’s Band). Speaking of which, there’s a good group of “see-them-before-you-can’t” bands, Allman Brothers, B.B. King, and Willie Nelson, in addition to Phil Lesh and the afore mentioned Levon Helm. Unfortunately, it all just feels too…hipster. But if you are in the mood for almost a straight up jammy festival, one a little bit more managable, consider Langerado. A little bit lesser known, but more of that neo-hippie smell that made Bonnaroo what it is some five years ago. You’ll keep a lot of the same acts, actually. Phil Lesh, Ben Folds, Umphrey’s, Dark Star, Sam Bush, Ghostland Observatory, but you’ll also get some Built to Spill, Benevento Russo Duo (Marco is just blowing up all over the place, if you hadn’t noticed, working even with Brad Mehldau), the reunion of Blind Melon, Perpetual Groove, STS9, The National, MMW, Les Claypool, and G. Love to boot. Headliners for Langerado are the living legends Beastie Boys, Michael Stipe’s posse R.E.M., and 311. They do have their share of one trick pony’s however (*cough* Matisyahu? *cough*) For full lists, click the links and read where it says line up.</p><p>SO yeah, obviously you can’t have a bad time at a festival…unless you get some bad opium or get a bad acid trip going, or if you’re just stupid about it (LIKE MISSING LEVON HELM IF YOU GO TO BONNAROO). And there’s still a bunch of good ones not yet announcing their line-ups: All-Good, the modest yet blatantly commercial Virgin Festival. Oh, and how can I forget. Coachella. Personally, I’d give a whole bunch to go see Coachella… but later on that.
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Bon Iver
Bon Iver’s story is just amazing. It really does sound like fiction, just too perfect, too poetic to be true. According to bio, Justin Vernon moved out to the woods, to his father’s cabin all alone to concern himself with somewhat a simpler life. What occurred was three months without distraction (besides, you know, eating and stuff) of song writing/recording, up to 12 hours at a time. I was pretty slow to jump on this bandwagon, I know (Stylus and Pitchfork), really just slow to hear about him, but god damn is this guy good. Just one man and a couple of mics, it certainly is a very organic, romantic idea: being secluded, self-deprived of socialization, and purging confessions. It has to be at least part of a fantasy for every real artist. After returning to civilization, he got a record deal with Jagjaguwar, the label that is putting out his first album “For Emma, Forever Ago.” I’ve heard what I believe is the entire album, and as one reviewer stated, “it’s like acoustic TV on the Radio.” At least his voice is similar. Beginning with the first song most people hear, the headline of his myspace, basically his “single” if such a thing still exists, “Skinny Love” is aching. It will get you hooked and drag you down to the bottom of the ocean, the loneliest place on earth. This is without a doubt the best, most inventive and inspiring music I’ve heard this year (granted its only February.) He’s coming to Rock N’ Roll Hotel on Tuesday the 19th with Black Mountain. Come. Seriously.
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Shortstack @ Black Cat, 2/1/08
What the fuck is a listening party anyway? I always thought it was just a bunch of kids smoking l’s, sitting around a record player with a new vinyl, eating cheetos and geeking out. Apparently, I’m an idiot. Last night’s listening party for Shortstack’s The Covers EP showed me on what I’d been missing out.
To head off the night on mainstage was an obstreperous Suns of Guns playing their 4/4 hardcore, who did all they could to illicit response from the scenester army of 50. It was pretty clear that no one in the audience knew who they were except the band’s guests. And that’s cool, good for them. They mumbled each and every song title, but just like the lyrics during the songs, none of them could be understood (I THINK one of them is called “Snakes are Pregnant”). It was pretty standard punk-influenced hardcore, not exactly what I had come to see, but then the headliner is fairly unique. The vocalist had a pretty good scream going on, sounded like he really had a good understanding of his voice. While the rest of the band wasn’t bad, they were just kinda boring; an average drummer and bassist. Until we got to a specific guitar solo. It was just obnoxious. Burleigh Seaver (of Shortstack) sat in playing lap steel, but instead of adding shape and ambience, it just added to the dissonance accrued from the shrieking guitar. It wasn’t progressive or inventive, just offensive. My ears demanded I leave, so I made my way to Food for Thought and enjoyed a vegan hotdog quietly.
Junior League stepped in as a last minute change to fill in for Celebration’s cancelation. They came out like a typical bluegrass band; upright bass, mandolin, acoustic guitar, banjo, abbreviated drumset, and just to round things out, a harmonica. Their music, unfortunately, was not bluegrass, and the crowd was not a straight up country fanbase. Something had to be wrong with the sound guy. During the opening few songs, the volume was way down, so much so that you could barely hear the band. The entire crowd just talked over them with ease, and you could see the bands falling enthusiasm. Each solo, be it guitar or harmonica or mandolin, while may not have been the most amazing performance, was virtually inaudible. For the first 20 minutes of an hour set, the only thing I heard was the drummer spending all day on the snare, kickdrum and high-hats, a glorified walking bass, and some vocals.
Finally, everything was just so and the sound had been all but fixed. The vast amount of songs had great dynamics (read: many quiet parts) that would have been effective if they had the attention of the crowd from the beginning. That not being the case, it was difficult to tell where some songs ended and others began. The most memorable part was a cover of Robert Johnson’s famous “Crossroads.” For those lacking in Delta Blues history, “Crossroads” is the story of Robert Johnson selling his soul to the devil for mastery of guitar. Although the cover was lively, energetic, and probably the best song of their set, Junior League missed the point. A guitarist playing while someone else sings totally takes away from the whole point of the song. The ghost of Robert Johnson was clearly angry as he popped one of the guitar strings mid-song. On whole, the bassist said it perfectly. While referring to the new four song EP, he said, “We think it sounds really nice.” Nice indeed. Junior League played “nice”music accompanying a hapless performance.Then there was Shortstack.
I’ve been stoked for this show for some time now, watching and re-watching the few videos posted on Youtube, listening to the albums over and over again. They came on stage and immediately explained Adrian Carroll was having a bit of a sore throat, something that would become painfully apparent to the now considerably stocked room as the show progressed. His throat was working 60 hours overtime, and every capsule in his neck was cringing, but to his name, he didn’t bitch out. He hit just about every note, belting even those in the clouds without shrieking into a half-assed falsetto. Playing mostly songs from the new Covers EP (OH! That’s what a listening party is!) but also some earlier tunes from “The History of Cut Nails in America,” Shortstack has cohesion that ultimately can’t be depreciated by the illness of one member. Every other member stepped up as a would-be crutch, rocking out that much harder. Bassist Mike Pahn was so zoned in on his upright bass. When songs ultimately picked up, he did this out of control, palm mute, slap . . . thing I’ve never seen anyone do, especially on an upright. Drummer Scott Gursky was onpoint the whole night, jamming out like the best of them, and Burleigh Seaver was, typical of a guitarist, in full out crazy mode when he had the luxury of not being bogged down by the lap steel.
Every song by the end was a rock n’ roll tune, even those that began as ballads, like “Nothing in the World Can Stop me Worrying About That Girl,” originally by the Kinks. They’re live sound compliments the album’s sound in a much rawer form, keeping the rockabilly style with an echo and grunt. They played a bit of an abridged set, probably due to Carroll’s throat pains. The last song, “Commotion” originally by CCR, was so awesome. During the opening, Gursky looked like he was seizing from hitting the kickdrum so much, so hard, and so fast. It came to me then that though the opening bands were very different from Shortstack, the combination between the two of them would probably equate to Shortstack: a rowdy rock band infused with country. It came full circle.
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More Great Shows
SO, it has just come to my attention that SEE-I will be playing several shows around at the Eighteenth Street Lounge in the next few weeks, all of which everyone should come see. Why? Because SEE-I is awesome. A great dub, reggae band, they put on fantastic shows every time they perform. First of all, they’re playing every Wednesday night in February at Eighteenth Street Lounge. This includes, to those who don’t have it on their calendars, Bob Marley’s Birthday, February 6th. Sleepy Wonder from Thievery Corporation will also be performing for the celebration, as well as a slew of other great artists. I highly (heh) recommend you do all of your illegalities BEFORE attending the show, you know, like at your house. Puns aside, it will be an awesome, chill night with some great people and better tunes. If D.C. is too far of a hike for West Virginians, you’re in luck! SEE-I will be coming to the Tap House in Charles Town, WV this Saturday, February 2nd! Check out their website for any further inquiries SEE-I
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SHORTSTACK EP RELEASE PARTAY!
FEBRUARY 1ST AT THE BLACK CAT! THE party of the decade! Make sure you’re there to see local rockers Shortstack release their Covers EP, with songs covered from The Kinks, Captain Beefheart, The Pupils, and more! In fact, I had a chance to sit down with Adrian Carroll and Burleigh Seaver, singer and guitarists of Shortstack to get some better insight to their madness (interview as earlier post). Come check out the show, with Junior League and Sons of Guns (note: Celebration has canceled). It will be an awesome, awesome time. And for only $12 you can afford to pick up the new EP, or three or four even!
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