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March 30, 2006

Alone? Painfully So? Might I Interest You in a Casiotone?

I was first confronted with the lo-fi electric miserablism of Owen Ashworth's one man band, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, as an opening act for LCD Soundsystem. Impatient for a dance-off, I was underwhelmed. But upon listening to his latest release and fourth full length, Etiquette, it dawned on me that these songs were far better suited to listening with headphones and a lyric sheet than shifting weight among a group of chattering non-fans. They're just too personal and precise to be powerful under fleeting attention. But given time, not to mention a fleshed out sound that incorporates revolving string, piano, and lap steel in addition to the namesake low tech keys, Etiquette stands as the lonely one's most successful attempt to connect.

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - Young Shields

A quarter life crisis with a backbeat, current single "Young Shields" details the slights and setbacks of twenty somethings coming unhinged. The music recalls the cracked and bleeding electronica of Xiu Xiu's more pop moments, but binds them with a narrator who is more relatable (if not likable) than Jamie Stewart's freakshow. Maybe the details of stillborn relationships and money troubles ignored by parents are a bit banal and embarrassing, but have you looked at MySpace lately? Banal and embarrassing is where it's at.

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - Holly Hobby

For those allergic to Ashworth's monotone delivery get a sweet respite in the form of guest vocals by Portland indie popsters' Dear Nora front gal Katy Davidson. Here, washed out organs cradle her story of a one sided relationship hitting a wall. The mean dis of the chorus' "You're just a hobby, Holly" takes on more of a "them's the breaks" gentility than it would have if Owen had handled his own lyrical turn, and proves to be the right approach.

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - New Year's Kiss

Also, like Jamie Stewart, Owen has a way with believably casting songs from a female perspective. With a short story writers' specificity, he sings the deceivingly sophisticated tale of a girl's one night stand in a Smog-like baritone. He smartly starts at the end, treating the proceedings as a foregone conclusion:

"Woke up with fingers crossed/ On a boy's bed with your pants off/ After polite declines of coffee and toast/ Walked home itching in last night's clothes"

By the time we get to the title's event, the suggestion that things couldn't have gone any other way gives the narrative a nihilistic but realistic emotional heft. The nimble wit of the lyric itself recalls the elegance of early Magnetic Fields records, and saves the song from slipping into hopeless depression:

"Not the way that you'd imagined it/ On a balcony with champagne lips/ But in a pantry against the pancake mix"

By playing up the minutiae CFTPA achieves a backwards universality and lets its listeners be alone, together.

Offical band site here.

Tags: Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Xiu Xiu, Dear Nora, Smog, Magnetic Fields

Posted by Jeff Klingman at 04:29 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 29, 2006

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Live @ Bluebird Theatre, Denver 3.28.06

Last night I saw Clap Your Hands Say Yeah play the Bluebird in their first headlining show in Denver. It was the second Mile High City show for the band (and almost six months to the day) since performing with The National at the much smaller Hi Dive.

I first spotted the indie superstars in October during that same tour at the venerable Troubadour in West Hollywood. It was different times. Gushing praise from all press outlets, amateur and legitimate. The peak of the hype carried the group through what can only be described as a manic 2005. I remember the LA show for being equal parts "giddy excitement" and "lets see what these guys are all about." I'd be a lying if I said that most of the Troubadour crowd was attending without similar expectations.

CYHSY circa Oct '05 and CYHSY of twelve hours ago are not much different; same members, same music, but the atmosphere of anticipation has undoubtedly cooled. I do not want to make it appear that Alec Ounsworth and his band were uncomfortable performing in the midst of a relatively unprecedented ascension in 2005. This is not entirely accurate, but they are clearly much more relaxed and engaging as evident in last night's performance. Can we attribute it to road experience? Or is confidence exuding now that they've settled into their new role of headline act (versus thunder stealing warm up)?

Doesn't matter does it. They have more swagger and my observations tell me that the edge is off, and they are a better band for it.

-- -- --
Check out the rambunctious performance of circus-y album opener that I grittily captured during the encore. Never thought I see this played live.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - "Clap Your Hands"

Setlist, remaining tour dates and more pictures after the jump!

Previously: Best of 2005, CYHSY

Bluebird Setlist

Remaining Tourdates:
Far away from West Virginia, Will try on New York City:

3.30 - Lawrance, KS - The Bottleneck
3.31 - Omaha, NE - Sokol Auditorium
4.01 - Minneapolis, MN - 400 Bar
4.03 - Chicago, IL - Metro
4.05 - Newport, KY - Southgate House
4.06 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
4.07 - Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig
4.08 - Toronto, ONT - Lee's Palace
4.10 - Montreal, QUE - La Tulipe
4.11 - Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
4.12 - Boston, MA - Paradise
4.14 - New York City, NY - Bowery Ballroom
4.15 - New York City, NY - Bowery Ballroom
4.21 - Nashville, TN - Vanderbilt University
4.29 - Indio, CA - COACHELLA Festival

5.28 - George, WA - SASQUATCH! Festival - Gorge Amphitheatre
6.16 - 6.18 - Manchester, TN - BONNAROO Festival

//Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - site

Tags: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Posted by Merry Swankster at 12:14 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Retrohump Day - Dance Party Potpourri

In light of the diminishing returns that each new wave of 00's dance rock produces, and fearing what comes after the Editors, We Are Scientists, the Infadels, et al, we devote today's Retro to a reminder that the bar need not be set so low.

Can - I Want More 1976

Eight years after being discovered in Cologne by eagle-eyed James Murphy, and a good 26 years before his DFA label would belatedly popularize disco infused punk rock, we have the artiest of German art rockers cutting a rug in style. Note to would be dancefloor fillers: go cosmic.

This clip is also noteable for its "Be Careful What You Wish For" quality. After years of being a face melting live band way too far ahead of their time for recognition even in Germany, the boys craft an accessible party starter and their reward is lip synching their way through what looks like a broadcast of Die Show von Benny Hill. Dig those dancing girls, though. Good thing ex-singer and possible hobo Damo Suzuki was out of the picture at this point. Telegenic, he was not.

Tubeway Army - Are Friends Electric? 1979

After the Can variety hour, we need an antidote to silliness. Stat.

Cue dour Bowie disciple Gary Numan and his original band, the Tubeway Army. This clip from the untouchable archives of the Old Grey Whistle Test literally shows Gary putting his future shock synthesizers on a pedestal. What's surprising is the punch packed by the live guitar crunch that is fused with his repetitive laser loops. Although approaching Carlos D levels of goth seriousness, Numan is undeniably cool here.

Josef K - Sorry For Laughing 1980

Here, a little from column A, a little from column B. Leader of Scots gloom cookies Josef K, Paul Heig looks pretty straight faced in his sensible vest and shades. The "We Just Discovered the Green Screen and Hey that Putty's Green," video production provides the comic relief. This track combines staggering guitar, pounding beat, and meloncholic croon in a manner befitting Postcard Records labelmates and previous Retrohump honorees Orange Juice. Josef K were tougher and darker than OJ and managed to hold their own with the more ubiquitously name checked post-punk reference points. But it just so happens that working in the vein of Joy Division wasn't so novel, even then.

Tags: Can, Tubeway Army, Gary Numan, Josef K, Orange Juice, Joy Division, Dancing, Rocking

Posted by Jeff Klingman at 09:12 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 28, 2006

On Pitchfork, On IM

Below you will find an IM conversation with a Wu-Tang-loving friend. Note to Pitchfork, I LOVE YOU!

Keith: white kids love the face: Pitchfork's Ghostface review
Keith friend: what I like about ghost is his "potent yarns, barbs, and production"
Keith friend: "Such ambiguities eschew didacticism "
Keith friend: are all the reviews like this?
Keith: just like the source would write
Keith: yeah, they're routinely mocked.
Keith: but they're spot on, especially for singles.
Keith friend: "Hardly akin to the dealer-as-infallible-ghetto-champion guise currently purported by the likes of Young Jeezy,"
Keith friend: him and his crazy purported guise!

Tags: Ghostface Killah, Fishscale, Pitchfork

Posted by Keith O'Brien at 11:18 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 27, 2006

New Long Blondes - "Weekend Without Makeup"

In light of the victory lap that Love is All is now taking around the states, I thought I'd check in with the other girl fronted rad factory on New York City's What's Your Rupture? label, the Long Blondes. While the Sheffield fashion plates are being doggedly tight lipped about plans for an upcoming full length, they continue to tour extensively around their native England, and have now seen fit to post a brand new demo, "Weekend Without Makeup" on their hot pink MySpace page.

The song itself is a slight slice of neo-feminist disgruntlement for all the ladies out there who feel funny around the house while their live-in boyfriend puts in late hours at the cracker factory. Perhaps a bit underdeveloped, but it says demo, don't it?

To pad out this thin news break, I give you a (surprisingly hard to find) link for their fittingly Cindy Sherman-esque video for last year's single, "Appropriation (By Any Other Name)." O.K., so hit this link, and scroll down past about 70 other videos 'til you hit it.

There will be plenty of other cool videos to tempt you along the way.

Be strong, and keep your eyes on the prize.

Previously - Big Infatuation - the Long Blondes, Retrohump Day - We All Come From Somewhere

Tags: Long Blondes, What's Your Rupture?, Love is All,

Posted by Jeff Klingman at 11:47 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Love is All - Live at the Knitting Factory, New York City, 3.24.2006

By the time Love is All finally started their set at a sold out Knitting Factory in New York City Friday night it was probably between 1:15 and 1:30 A.M. I don't know if the late start had allowed anticipation to reach dangerous levels, or if the resulting derangement had more to do with the added number of drinks that the prolongued wait afforded, but from the onset this show was remarkable in its energy.

Lead album track, "Talk Talk Talk Talk," started things off in an immediately visceral fashion. Singer Josephine Olausson exuded a breathless warmth, striking her cowbell, and yelping her lyrics in a charming Scandinavian lilt. The track recalled the rough edges of pre-Fever Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but with a brightening influence from the well utilized horn and backing vocal. Depite an anti-social lyrical ("I can't stand other people! / Please leave me alone!) the effect was somehow friendly and inclusive, deeply felt in an audience barely contained in its devotion.

Mimicking their album placement, "Ageing Had Never Been His Friend" followed. It takes about nine words for this one to kick up the pace and begin piling on the trademark layers of horn, guitar, simple rythym, and shouted vocal. The fist pumping and borderline moshing might have commenced on word three. The repeated phrase "fresh and young" would have been an apt descriptor for the mood of the room, as even drowsy office drones such as myself were swept up in the frenzy. When an also rambunctuous version of "Used Goods" had seen it's final keyboard pulse, the screaming adulation was stunning. From the giggly enthusiasm on stage, it seemed the band was just as surprised as their reputedly jaded NYC crowd. Taking a moment for earnest thanks, you might have thought this'd be time for a breather.

Cue the buzzcut riff of perhaps their purest rock moment, indie DJ lament, "Spinning and Scratching." As the song bounded forth on a wave of Ba Ba Ba and velvet horn stabs, the floor of the Knitting Factory buckled into a liquid bounce of its own. One of those moments when it feels like the whole venue is going to cave in, and instead of taking it easy, you just start hopping like mad. Let's crash this place out for indie pop, Motherfucker!

Such was the pandemonium that the intended pogo respite of stately ballad "Felt Tip" erupted into crowd surfing. Not during the song's build to climax when the tempo picks up mind you, but right at the beginning, in the duet between Josephine's wide eyed vocal and the isolated bassline. When the pace did pick up again (perhaps a bit early due to collective bit-chomping) so did the fist pumps, carrying into the dizzy rallying call of "Busy Doing Nothing."

After a well received new song, the set proper ended with an ecstatic sing-along of "Make Out Fall Out Make Up" (with more crowd surfing, just for good measure). For a Swedish band on a small (but local) label, playing their first marquee venue show in NYC, to hear the words of their just months old album shouted back to them with such force must have been quite the thrill. Josephine's glowing smile, and adorably accented "Thank you so much" was an immediate confirmation. A short set at 8 songs and about 30 minutes that somehow left no one dissatisfied, my unheeded yells of "Motorboat!" not withstanding.

They took the stage sheepishly for the encore, Josephine blushing at the ardor that mandated their return. After thanking us, "so much," once again she played a "very old one." This I didn't recognize. From her previous band Girlfrendo perhaps? Regardless of my ignorance, it was a typically up-tempo pop number that saw Josephine spend most of her time trading lines with guitarist Nicholaus Sperding. As the energy levels continued to point deeply into the red, it could have been "My Humps" and still received a hero's welcome.

Next and last, Love is All ripped through their album's closing blast, "Trying Too Hard." It was sloppy and catchy in a way that made you glad to be in attendance and sorry to see its creators wrap up, whether the ol' Swatch read 2:15 or not. "I was trying way too hard!!!" went the refrain. Funny sentiment from a band that just effortlessly killed the room.

Tags: Love is All, What's Your Rupture?, Knitting Factory,

Posted by Jeff Klingman at 10:00 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

V for Vendetta

Just got back from seeing "V for Vendetta" Awesome movie. I was entertained throughout.

It had one of the greatest movie lines of recent memory:

"Revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having"

If I had to sum up the movie in one word it would be just that, "Revolution."

The closing credits cued the vital, and votively violent apropos Rolling Stones' classic.

Voilà:

Rolling Stones - Street Fighting Man

Tags: V for Vendetta, Rolling Stones

Posted by Merry Swankster at 12:20 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 24, 2006

BREAKING - Franz Ferdinand Frontman Shot By Gavrilo Princip Bassist

Friday fun from the Onion:

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND—Lead singer and guitarist for pop band Franz Ferdinand, Alexander Kapranos, is in critical condition today after being shot by a man identified as the bassist for rock group Gavrilo Princip. "We ask fans to cooperate with Interpol to find the assailant, and call upon British Sea Power, Snow Patrol, and The Postal Service for help," drummer Paul Thompson told music magazine NME Monday. "The suspect had links to The Decemberists and The Libertines, and we are following up on all leads." It is unclear whether the shooting was linked to The Polyphonic Spree's invasion of Belgium earlier this week.

Tags: Franz Ferdinand, The Onion

Posted by Merry Swankster at 03:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 23, 2006

The Raconteurs Rocked Glasgow 3.21.06

The Raconteurs stiffy is not abating for the Merry Swankster, au contraire. Stereogum posted a review from Glasgow on what was the 2nd ever show for the band. Jack wore a kilt and the Scottish ladies loved it. The show was very good. I'm even more excited than I was 15 minutes ago.

An excerpt:

"They sound as they do on their single released so far; a good blues inspired rock band. Tonight they are a five piece. In addition to Jack, Brendan and the rhythm section from the Greenhornes, they have Dave Fertita on keyboards. The surprise is Jack; without the burden of having to create the background noise hiimself he is free to go off on Neil Young-esque solos." (via STEREOGUM)

Reviewer Andrew C. is surprised by Jack's freedom, I am not.

Quoting myself: "You ever wish that Jack White would form a proper band so that his immense talent could be unleashed without the need for him to literally cover every musical aspect of the music?"

Previously: The Raconteurs - Poised to blow our minds

Tags: Raconteurs, Glasgow

Posted by Merry Swankster at 06:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

SXSW, a visual fairytale

While SXSW wrapped up a week ago, the images and sounds are still in the minds of attendees. The festival, to the uninitiated, combines one week of interactive, film, and music components. Breakout bands like the Fiery Furnaces play alongside up-and-coming ones like the Noisettes. It's a splendid place to be, with barbeque experts diligently slicing brisket while live and energetic music wades in and out. The streets are filled with a cacophony of nearly every genre of music, and Swishahouse and SUC cliques mingle with My Chemical Romance emo nerds and Fiery Furnaces-loving mp3 bloggers. All is washed down with beer and 80 degree weather. Splendiferous! Here is a photo journal of the festivities. [ed note - Click on the SXSW marquee for full SXSW coverage from Keith O'Brien, starr reporter.]

Eleanor Friedberg, Fiery Furnaces, playing version #542 of “Asthma Attack”.

Those of you who have been to a Mates of State show – or read any Mates of State fan fiction online – know the lore of how the married duo look longingly in each other’s eyes when they’re doing a drum or keyboard fill (or otherwise not singing). It’s definitely true and more endearing then you might think.

365-750, depend on Annie Hardy of Giant Drag to combine great musicianship and a stellar voice with puerile banter between songs. Call me a skeptic, but when someone ever so delicately sips from a water bottle, but talks so shamelessly dirty, I think, VISAGE!

The Islands show, while horrendously hot and long-delayed, was spectacular, save for Nick Diamond’s childish rants of calling people assholes and complaining about the ads that invariably allowed the band to be compensated while drawing a free audience of likely influential people who would report how fantastic the band sounds. Excuse me for being Starchy McStarch, but you have a new album coming out and are still (relatively) under the radar. Just play and leave your capitalism commentary for the glowing Spin profile.

Austin, TX darlings Voxtrot trotted out "Start of Something" to an adoring base. Austin dudes, take note: If you need to get your weight up with a chick, just coo, "If I die clutching your photograph, don't call me boring, it's just because I like you."

No, it's not a Steve Nicks impersonator. It's Serena Maneesh, and it is what killed (non-fatally) SXSW.

The Boy Least Likely To is flat-out fun to watch. Band members have this nervous air that makes you think amateur band playing their first show until they actually play and you hear the cleanness of songs, no doubt complicated by the many musicians involved.

Photo (unfortunately) missing:

Look, I've never played a rock show. I played a saxamaphone in elementary school because my parents made me pursue some sort of musical endeavor until I entered high school. However, my antipathy towards it impelled me to pretend I was actually playing at recitals during the last year of our "contract". I have no idea about how the energy of performance produces juices that causes people to freak out and act all weird. Maybe its involuntary. But, from the spectator POV, it looks ridiculous. And the chief practitioners of this "craft" at SXSW were Thunderbirds Are Now, at the Stereogum party. Re: TAN, like some other bands I saw, it's not my cup of tea. TAN is technically proficient, energetic, and displayed some good hooks. But the band’s thrashing around, assembling mics in weird positions, and over-emoting looked silly. Sorry, it did. And to the keyboardist, who decided to climb a ladder in the back of stage to presumably propelling himself onto a rafter or something, man was that crazy uninteresting. I wonder if I was the only one who was patiently waiting until the stagehand came to tell him, "No, you lack the star power to get away with such chicanery." Perhaps some were hoping that he'd reach the beam (or whatever) and be forced down, rather than stopped before he could do it. A little more dignity in the former, I think. No such luck for the keyboardist. Oh well, back to thrashing the keyboard like it was a chocking victim.

Fin.

Tags: SXSW, Fiery Furnaces, Voxtrot, Voxtrot, Serena Maneesh

Posted by Keith O'Brien at 02:39 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 22, 2006

Raconteurs single out on April 24 | UK Radio Webcast

The Raconteurs first single, "Steady As She Goes" will be released on April 24th by Third Man Records/XL Recordings on April 24th. The single is being released on CD and two vinyl 7" version. Track listing below for all three different flavors:

CD
1. Steady, As She Goes
2. The Bane Rendition

7"
1. Steady, As She Goes
2. Store Bought Bones

7"
1. Steady, As She Goes (Acoustic)
2. Call It A Day

The band also recently announced they will be playing the massively huge (and fairly awesome) Lollapalooza festival in Chicago. This is the only US show announced to date. Kind of like Radiohead's Bonnaroo date, but without a twelve hour drive into the Tennessee backwoods.

-- -- --

The band will also be broadcasting a series of concerts on the web care of the Beeb Kicking things off is an an acoustic show this Saturday. [ed note - unclear which timezone these listings refer to]

Saturday, March 25th:

//Live acoustic session on The Dermot O'Leary Show on BBC Radio 2 (5-7pm)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2

Wednesday, March 29th:

//BBC Radio 1 Session with Zane Lowe (7-9 pm)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1

Wednesday, March 29th:

//XFM Session with John Kennedy (11pm on XFM London, Manchester and Scotland)
http://www.xfm.co.uk

Tags: Raconteurs, Steady As She Goes

Posted by Merry Swankster at 09:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Retrohump Day - Roxy Music

Well, knock one more dream reunion off of your wishlist, as the NME reports that art-rock pioneers Roxy Music are reforming with long disgruntled, and longer balding music genius Brian Eno in tow.

When previously asked about his non-involvement in the initial reformation of Roxy in 2001, Eno sang a much different tune (likely accompanied by experimental tape loops):

"I'm not interested anymore. I mean, it's obvious why it's being done. Why does anyone have a reunion? They've suddenly been fired up with a whole bunch of incredible new ideas that have been lying dormant for the last 25 years? I just don't like the idea. It leaves a bad taste."

So are we to presume that Mssr. Eno has actually been overwhelmed by new ideas for the rumored new Roxy album that's in the works? It's a tantalizing thought given the strength of the albums the band's original line-up yielded. Here's a sample of early period, Eno-fied Roxy Music, to cleanse the palate of those who would take a cynical view of the matter.

Roxy Music - "Re Make/ Re Model"

A good place to start thanks to the helpful roll call we get at the onset. It boggles the mind to think that with all the ten years too soon guitar noise and sax skronk, Eno twisting atmospherics out of an unidentifiable circuit box, and the inclusion of multiple band members in semi-drag, that this was a certifiably popular, mainstream band.

Roxy Music - "Virginia Plain"

For all the visual camp in the costumes and lounge facade of Bryan Ferry's demeanor, it goes without saying that these guys could just flat out slay. Phil Manzanera is a beast on guitar, and Andy Mackay uses his horns in a truly unique manner that never declines into cliched soul.

Roxy Music - "Do the Strand"

Seemingly from the same performance as the previous clip, but Ferry must have gone in for a costume change. Always the showman, he takes it into overdrive here bounding from mike to mike and bordering on pantomime in acting out his lyrics. It takes quite the frontman to divert attention from the spectacle that is a fully glammed out Roxy Music, and Bryan was one of the best.

Roxy Music - "In Every Dream Home a Heartache"

We end with a personal favorite from the '73 album For Your Pleasure. Ferry reigns in his stage persona, and emotes sincerely even if that's sweat on his face and not tearstreaks. A brilliant lyrical turn about the emptiness of modern conveniance and material gain and one of the very best examples of tension and release in the rock canon. If the initial slow pace isn't sufficiently livened up for you by the surprisingly interesting old time-y TV editing, please, please wait for the freak out that follows the line "I blew up her body....but she blew my mind." Is Eno ripping and manipulating tape from a huge reel to reel playback machine? Kind of makes Jonny Greenwood's fiddling with a transistor radio on stage seem a little half assed, huh?

As any Bill Murray fan knows, Roxy went on to record some classics songs post-Eno, but they can't really touch those first two albums. The push and pull of Ferry's pop-classicism and Eno's art wig out was the catalyst for some of the great songs of the 70's, and though obviously braced for a disappointment, you can't help but wonder if lightning might not strike again. Here's hoping.

Tags: Roxy Music, Brian Eno, Glam Rock, Art, Radiohead, Non Embarrassing Saxophone

Posted by Jeff Klingman at 07:42 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 21, 2006

MS Pick - Liars - Drum's Not Dead

A while back I posted the track "the Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack", the heartwarming swansong from the new Liars album Drum's Not Dead. Not surprisingly, it still sounds great. But to single that one song out is to misrepresent the album as a whole. Hugs and smiles are the exception, as a rule Liars are in it for the paranoid and the mildly psychotic. To that end, they commissioned an entire Cold War era German recording facility to blow your mind. Yours, specifically.

On the day of the album's US release, I seek to make up for my previous out of context offering by priming you with some more characteristic slices from what is easily my record of the year so far.

Liars - "It Fit When I Was a Kid"

With a moniker like theirs, it's understandable that an album title assertion is not enough to convince you of the drum's well-being. Look no further for proof than the lead single. It waits only a few seconds to initiate a superfast beat that demands a new term combining tribal and industrial. Tribdustrial? Indubal? Above it glides the strangely pretty (and heavily treated) voice of lanky Ocker Angus Andrew, selling cosmic nonsense like he means it. He gives further conviction to the chorus, which transcribed, comes out roughly to:

"Aah/ Aaaaaaaah/ Ah Ah Uh Ah/ Ah Ah Uh Ah Uh/ Uh Uh Uh"

The tension between vocal and drum could easily sustain the track's entire runtime, but to their credit the dudes have more ideas and a shorter attention span than that. The beat deserts us halfway in, its place filled by a wash of organs and the occasional well timed crystal sound effect. When it returns, the lead vocal is augmented by a floating backing voice, repeating "Duh, Duh, Duh, Da" into infinity. Which, if you believe the lyrics, is marked by a bunch of chairs.

Liars - "the Wrong Coat For You Mt. Heart Attack"

At no time does this suggest to me a group of musicians playing together. Much has been said about the unique sonic conditions the German studios provided; a room for certain drum sounds, a room for guitar, a room for vocals, etc. This track conjures the image of the compound most effectively, as Angus' hushed vocal nervously stalks the dim lit hallways, with snippets of sound joining and receding as their room's are passed. Field recordings of rushing water here, oddly tuned guitar loop there, a toy piano refrain down the corridor. A marvel of Eno-like production precision to be sure, but I have no clue how it would be assembled live.

I don't have to wonder what the Liars covering Nirvana sounds like though. Answer: a little ragged, but more straightforward than you'd expect. What the band actually looks like playing said song is more open to speculation. Supposedly, former Liars album subject, the dreaded Brocken Witch, is said to inhabit this Parisian rock club. Three film students went in to check it out, and were never heard from again. All that's left is their footage, which was eerily already given titles in iMovie. That's a true story.

Liars - "Territorial Pissings" (Nirvana cover, Nouveau Casino, Paris - March 15th 2006)

Witch sightings, Nirvana covers, and questionable facial hair are sure to figure prominently into the boys' current world tour. Dates (but oddly no venues) provided by the band's offical website, and also me, after the jump.

Tags: Liars, Berlin, Eno, Nirvana, Awesomeness

APRIL
25 – Poznan, Poland
26 – Warsaw, Poland
28 – Milano, Italy
29 – Bologna, Italy
30 – Roma, Italy
MAY
2 - Melbourne, Australia
3 – Melbourne, Auatralia
6 – Sydney, Auatralia
13 – ATP, UK
17 - Philadelphia, PA +
18 - Washington, DC +
20 - Carrboro, NC +&
21 - Knoxville, TN +&
22 - Atlanta, GA +&
24 - Baton Rouge, LA +&
25 - Houston, TX +&
26 - Austin, TX +&
27 - Dallas, TX +&
28 - Oklahoma City, OK +&
30 - Albuguerque, NM +
31 - Tempe, AZ +
JUNE
1 - Tuscon, AZ +
2 - San Diego, CA +%
3 - Los Angeles, CA +%
4 - Pomona, CA +%
5 - San Francisco, CA +%
7 - Eugene, OR +%
8 - Portland, OR +%
9 - Vancouver, BC +%
10 - Seattle, WA +%
12 - Salt Lake City, UT +
13 - Denver, CO +
16 SPAIN SONAR FESTIVAL BARCELONA
18 - Chicago, IL +
19 - Detroit, MI +
21 - Toronto, CN +
22 - Montreal, QC +
23 - Boston, MA +
24 - Brooklyn, NYC +
25 - Baltimore, MD +
26 - Manhattan, NYC +

+ Apes. & Deerhunter. % Rabbits.

Posted by Jeff Klingman at 04:47 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

March 20, 2006

Blogging from Las Vegas – Apple’s 'iPod Gerbil' Attacks!

The accused gerbil is of course the tiny one inside every shiny iPod that’s sole job is to churn random songs when in shuffle or random mode. Sometimes it seems the iCritter cues up the exact song for the moment, while other times it trips and spits out a hidden Dave Matthews song you thought you deleted leaving you red in the face when trying to impress your cool friends with the latest Tapes ‘n Tapes mp3.

This afternoon I landed in Las Vegas (that’s right Motherfuckers, Vegas on a Monday – Merry Swankster.com, setting a new jet set standard) and on the taxi ride to my hotel I was rocking out to some tunes in lieu of cabbie - Merry Swankster conversation. What follows is a true account.

The spinning little rodent started off great…

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Gold Lion

“Gold Lion gonna tell me where the light is”
“Take our hands out of control”

Two things that are fitting in the city of sin. Coming from beer - guzzling & pouring-on-herself Karen O, even more so. Lets hope MGM Grand doesn’t adopt this song as its own.

Belle & Sebastian – Sukie in the Graveyard

I love the new Belle and Sebastian album, The Life Pursuit. This song has a distinct Bowie vibe. With a character driven story named in the title and everything. Funky organs, and later horns, give it a variety show band feel which fits this here Vegas theme. Lines like ”Be my photo bitch and I'll make you rich” seal the deal.

Next, the little bastard veers off his wheel and leaves me high and dry…

Destroyer – A Dangerous Woman up to a Point

Perhaps the title is an omen for the next few days (if not a metaphor for this vengeful, evil desert metropolis. Begs the question though, is ‘Vegas’ a feminine city?) Not feeling this track at all. I attempt to converse with the cabbie, but alas…he must have received training from professionals in NYC because he does not respond to what I thought was safe, template chit chat openers – “how goes it?” and “is it busy on the strip?”

Screw that gerbil. If those buggers had a caste system it would barely sit above sewer rats in hierarchy. I’ve been in this town for 8 minutes and my left hand is in perfect cocktail gripping form, ready to quench my late afternoon parchedness.

Partial redemption…

Friday Bridge – It Girl

Electro pop synths + cute female whimpering Swedish vocals. Aviator sunglasses are locked in place, the cabbie is dead to me and I’ve arrived. Viva Las Vegas.

Tags: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Belle and Sebastian, Destroyer, Friday Bridge

Posted by Merry Swankster at 11:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Giant Drag - Kevin is Gay | the meow song

Anytime guitar chords successfully harmonize a bridge perfectly with meowing, and keep it faithful, it deserves praise and recognition.

Giant Drag - Kevin is Gay

Buy Hearts and unicorns by clicking on the red words announcing themselves. This here in red.

Tags: Giant Drag, Kevin is Gay, Keith's posts from SXSW were funny

Posted by Merry Swankster at 11:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Silver Jews - Live at Webster Hall, New York City. St. Patrick's Day, 2006

"You wanted the Jews? You got the Jews!"

A lyricist and poet par excellence, David Berman knows a thing or two about a good opening line. The first words spoken by the Silver Jews frontman at Friday night's Webster Hall concert suggest he has a firm grasp of understatement as well. New Yorkers aren't used to waiting for anything, and a fifteen year gestation time for a live show from the beloved indie rock group had whipped up the rowdy sell out crowd into an expectant froth.

The oddly chosen opener, "Slow Education" (from Bright Flight) started things off in a shakier fashion than you'd expect. Never having lead his crew on an actual tour, Berman came across more as a not yet tenured Comp. Lit Professor than an indie rock luminary. He sang his word-y epics from a lit lyric stand and struggled to portray the world weary know it all that narrates his albums. But really, the man had no one here to impress. It was a chapel of the converted for sure, and anyone who didn't already know these songs by heart was certain to feel a tad self-conscious by the ardor of the folks surrounding.

The roof was poised to blow off during a sleek and minimal version of the classic "Smith and Jones Forever," but was slightly marred by Berman's constant efforts to wrangle a contact lens back into place. When reading complex lyrics as you go, a missplaced lens can really cramp your style. He rebounded with a quick and easy "Animal Shapes" as the crowd waited to really, really go nuts.

"In 1984..." was all that was needed to trigger total hysteria followed by a truly massive sing along. I don't think I've ever been in a crowd as ready to hear a song performed as this crowd was for American Water's lead track "Random Rules." From "...I was hospitalized for approaching perfection" on, it was word for word. A nervous Berman may have needed the lecturn to recall his own literary phrasing, but 10 years of devotion had branded every word of the song into the collective brainspace of his well wishers. When the song built to it's electric chair conclusion, and collapsed into breathless appreciation, it became obvious that shaky nerves and an underdeveloped stage presence by Berman was not going to be an obstacle for the wish fulfillment set. This show would live up to expectations if Dave had to be carried along on tightly t-shirted shoulders. "Random Rules" made this known to everyone, including DB, and he started to stand just fine on his own, thanks.

A few songs under his belt, and gaining confidence from all the adulation, Berman loosened up a touch and even made it away from the lyric sheet. Three or four downtempo numbers which may have tranformed the Webster Hall into the world's most sarcastic Barnes and Nobles' poetry reading were saved by Berman's jitters expulsion. "Black and Brown Shoes" especially benefitted from a more relaxed reading from the Actual Air author.

At this point, Berman welcomed tour manager, occasional Silver Jew, and ex-Pavement utility man Bob "Nasty" Nastanovich to the drum kit. Looking perennially like a drunk twelve year old, the Nast soaked up the crowd's warm feelings and channeled them into the steady beats of old favorite, "Trains Across the Sea." He stuck around for a lively rendition of Tanglewood Numbers' catchy standout, "How Can I Love You If You Won't Lie Down?" Then, it was another round of applause and Bob went backstage to manage the mini-bar, presumably.

Taking a second of stage banter to deflate the surge of good will that Nastanovich begat, Berman informed us that he'd been demystifying the title of the next track all along the Eastern Seaboard. As if liberated by the admission that "Buckingham Rabbit" was a menu item, the band launched into a superbly fleshed out surf rock version of said song, culminating in a guitar solo epiphany that was much bigger than the revered album version.

Soon, Berman took the mike to acknowledge that a few in the audience were probably dragged here. Judging from the deep register of the shouted lyrics, they were probably good natured girlfriends. Fittingly, Berman's good natured wife stepped to the mike for a song dedicated to the non-converted. With a clear voice and a smoking Grand Ole' Opry brown dress, Cassie Berman captivated the intoxicated with a pretty, countrified version of "the Poor, the Fair, and the Good." Dave sweetly let his affection for his lady be known, borderline nuzzling behind her as she finished. Not one to front with "will they or won't they" encore theatrics, DB announced that they'd be off for a quick smoke break, and then return to geek out the die-hards once more.

The "smoke break" was indeed short, as Mrs. Berman and the boys quickly filed back on to cook through a couple of Tanglewood numbers. Both "Sometimes a Pony Gets Depressed" and "Punks in the Beerlight" were comparable in energy and delivery to their recorded counterparts. The latter was raised to fist pumping anthem level, because after a concert long dose of trying to keep up with Berman's brainy word collages, "I Always Loved You to the Max!" is a pretty killer line to shout repeatedly.

Again, they leave the stage, again the crowd goes apeshit.

In a display of wishful thinking, the Webster management turned on the stereo and the houselights, feigning the end of a show that those in attendance had no intention of abandoning. Nobody, and I mean nobody, budged an inch. So, with mass stubborness assuring another encore and house lights filling the V.I.P. balcony, everyone indulged their indie fantasies with a round of "Waiting for Malkmus." Steve was pretty easy to pick out, despite a huddled crouch.

Some smug A & R type smoking a cigarette outside the entry line had already planted this seed of expectation in my head with a too loud not to be overheard comment, and I admit to being among those who was dying to hear the Malk-man destroy some American Water tracks on vocal and guitar. Which, understandable though it might be, does a bit of an injustice to the lead guitar of Peyton Pinkerton who had been ably handling Malkmus' skewed guitar parts all night. It should be noted however, that the attempted chant of "Steve!, Steve!, Steve!" dissolved fast, while the chant of "Jews! Jews! Jews!" had legs.

Coming back to the fray, Berman joked "Couldn't you guys come back tomorrow night? I'm lazy, it took me fifteen years to play in the first place." Of course, that was not an option. Those still jones-ing for a more Pavement'ed out Jews line-up ultimately were sated by the shout stylings of Nastanovich providing "Conduit for Sale!" style support to the stunning "There is a Place" ("I Saaaw God's SHADOW ON THIS WORLD!). And that was that.

As the Jews filed triumphantly for the exit, the obsessive fan love took a weird and embarrassing turn when some numbnut jumped the stage, took Berman's hat from his lecturn, put it on, and jumped back into the crowd. Cassie was forced to stand by her man and scold the herb into a delayed return, but it foiled the grace of their finish. Which prompts the obvious question: Why, even on a night so filled with good feeling such as this, can't hipsters, get along with other hipsters?

Soi dissantra. Soi dissantra...

Tags: Silver Jews, Pavement, Webster Hall

Posted by Jeff Klingman at 12:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 18, 2006

The week, oh how she dragged...

Quick post before I board the plane. Currently, I am at Jazz (thanks Jeff) on Sixth Avenue, enjoying a penultimate Shiner Bock.

The last show I officially saw (officially, meaning enjoying and not praying that my relatively old age would impel me to take a cab home. Long story, shortened, I ended Austin the same way I began it: wandering the highways when I didn't do proper bus research and got off too early) was Giant Drag at Emo's Jr. While the Emo's designation was perhaps not literal, there were children at the show. Parents, have fun explaining the song, You F--- Like My Father. [correspondent's note: I'm being incredibly prude here. Apologies].

Jeff, let your tenative embracement go. Heed the words of a certain feline, cartoon pitchit. And yes, Giant Drag played its cover of Wicked Game, and it was brill.

It was great. I have to admit I slept on that album last year (oh, such a noble concession from an amateurrock critic!). Every song was immediately accessible and, while not necessarily complex chord-wise, had layers of intrigue. The between song banter from Annie Hardy was kind of dirty childish -- like when 11 year-olds start learning slang for genital organs -- but what do you expect when you see a band whose video includes simulated urination on persons.

So, pictures and posts to come (including my attendance at the Insound event (bonus points: achieved not by connections but sure will power of standing in line)) once I get NYC-side where people don't blanch if you're talking about walking more than four blocks. Out!

Tags: SXSW, Giant Drag, Shiner Bock, Insound, Jazz restaurant

Posted by Keith O'Brien at 02:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 17, 2006

TV on the Radio on the Internet

Brooklyn art-rock doo wop group TV on the Radio have made quite a stir on the old internets lately, signing to Interscope Records just in time to open for industrial has been Trent Reznor on a massive tour and have their second album, Return to Cookie Mountain (cough), promptly leaked in its entirety. Or, not quite entirety as the word soon followed that the shit's not mastered. Which puts your intrepid reviewer in a bit of a quandary. You don't want to rail against something that's supposedly unfinished, as it's premature and unfair. Praising an unfinished work however, well that's just encouraging for the band and informative for a throng of fans desperate for new material, right? Hopefully the plague of legal department suits now at their beck and call will see it that way...

TV on the Radio - I Was a Lover

I can't imagine how many more layers this one could possible stand. Drum loops, unexpected piano, multi-tracked falsetto, fuzz washes, and buried guitar squeals all figure into the mix. One is tempted to play kindergarten teacher and take the finger paints away from guitarist/producer Dave Sitek before it all turns out a brown blob. As it stands now, it resembles an updated and more muscular take on the mid-90's trip-hop sound, with Tunde Adebimpe's forceful baritone rolling over a lolling drum cycle, and a stuttering horn loop shining through the background noise. The lyrics see the band flirt with politcal sloganeering ("I was a lover/ before this war") but not in as overt a way as their Hurricane Katrina response track "Drunk Dry Emporer." The relative vagueness suits the pea soup fog of the production quite well.

TV on the Radio - Playhouses

This one is a real kicker, instantly supplanting the underappreciated 2004 single "New Health Rock" as the band's most party friendly offering. Persistant drums and foreground vocals dominate, but as always Sitek provides some crazy mized up wall paper to surround them. The chorus is Grade A Anthem quality with TA keeping pace with the drums, shouting "My heart's aflame/ My Body's strained/ and God I like it/ like it!"

Two minutes in the boys smartly realize that their nitro fueled gallop is likely to burn out over the 5 minute run time, and chill the fuck out. For a minute Tunde goes for a more deliberate vocal delivery, and is flanked by waves of disembodied Ooohs and Ahhh's, and some chiming crystal synths. Then, on a dime, its off to the races again.

It's strong work with better songcraft than the band, who's emphasis was primarily on atmosphere, had displayed previously. Here's hoping that the already hyper-dense arrangements don't bulk up to the point of melodic obstruction, and that this whirlwind of sound has truly been mastered to the degree that these un-mastered tracks suggest.

Tags: TV on the Radio

Posted by Jeff Klingman at 12:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Dept. of fair play

As you may guess (or know) SXSW has more than 30 particular showcases competing for anyone's interest. Some shows have blandishments like free beer or food. Others just book the bands you want to see. For those that lack both, there are promoters.

While I appreciate that these guys have a type-A personality that I will never comprehend, I, as a consumer, abhor being accosted on the street. I also hate ignoring someone in need, which ultimately wins out. Below: a transcription.

Both walking
Promoter: What are you doing Friday at 5?
Me: I'm busy.
Promoter: What show are you going to see?
Me: Pause.
Promoter: You're just trying to lose me, right?
Me: Yes.
Promoter: Next time... be honest, that's all.
Me: Silence
Promoter pats me heartily on the back.

Once I got eight steps away from him, I gave my upper shoulder/back area a quick hand inspection, and felt confident that he hadn't stuck something on me. But, this AM, I saw he used me as a walking billboard for the rest of the afternoon/night.

Fair play, young son. Fair play.

Tags: SXSW, Jerk publicists

Posted by Keith O'Brien at 11:10 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

SXSW: the journey home

It's hard getting home from a night at the SXSW festival. For one, my hotel is on a highway. Also: cabs don't work the same way here. Most people are driving, and those cabs that do run, do so infrequently and are usually hailed by calling a phone number.

But that is not what I'm talking about. The complicated journey home is often impeded by an excellent surprise. I left the Islands show half-way through because I was dead tired (this was 1:30). For those of you mocking, try to get up at 8 or 9 every day, be on your feet or in meetings all day, and return home at midnight or later every night. Rinse, lather, and repeat for 8 days.

So, I left the show at Emo's IV; greeting me outside was the guitar loop from Standing in the Way of Control. After seeing a few Gossip songs, I left to take a cab. On the way to the highway entrance, I stumbled (metaphorically) on a Peaches show replete with Burlesque dancers.

Last night I showed how many bands one can see if you lack an aversion to walking: Film School, Noisettes, Fiery Furnaces, Rogers Sisters, Mates of State, Islands, Gossip. I did not see one show in its entirety, but that's fine with me.

Reviews forthcoming. Pictures too.

Tags: SXSW, Fiery Furnaces, Peaches, Islands, The Gossip

Posted by Keith O'Brien at 10:49 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

March 16, 2006

SXSW Dispatch, Wednesday's shows

I covered three venues yesterday and last night: the Canadian consulate, The Fader/Levi’s Dry Goods store, and Emo’s showcase.

The music never stops here... The placid "geeky" calm that pervaded the interactive and film festival has been replaced with guitar squeals, much more open consumption of the "spirits", and celebrity look-alike spotting.

Even the sports bar that I relied on showing the NCAA games had an Irish music showcase (the nerve!) and only the UWM-OK game.

First
Oh, Canada? North by Southwest Tent: 3-7

I caught the first two acts of the showcase.

The Trews
It played a lighter version of Southern rock. Faux-Southern, Northern rock? If I were a Venn Diagramming man, I would say that they stood in the middle of Kings of Leon and Black Crowes, if both were Canadian.

Overall grade: B+

Song of merit: Tired of Waiting, a multi-tempo plaint

The High Dolls
Favoring a Secret Machines form of spaced-jam rock. They also mixed a little Music, The-crunchy guitar loops. One song seemed much influenced by fellow Canadian’s Broken Social Scene’s Cause-Time.

Overall grade: C

Song of merit: These days mean nothing to me

Onto to the Fader/Levi’s show.

I got in at the last song by La Rocca. What I heard sounded very promising – a more up-tempo Elvis Costello.

Overall grade: N/A

Song of merit: N/A

Tapes N’ Tapes
I know this is the buzzed about band, but, to be honest, I didn’t dig their set. Lead singer’s mic wasn’t loud enough, or he didn’t sing loud enough. The band sound wasn’t crisp. I would love to give them another shot, even here, but not something to write home about.

Overall grade: B-

Rumble Strips
Band is a three-piece set consisting of a sax and a trumpet. Now wait, don’t gloss over the rest. They were good. Not necessarily my cup of tea, but definitely a decent band. They played like more generic CYHSY, to be honest.

Overall grade: C

Cities
Here was the first band that made me take notice. They played like the Rapture if they weren’t all that interested in making you dance. The song structure was pretty tight, and the crowd seemed to get into them more than any other band I saw. They have an album coming out, and I could see it doing some damage to those who like the Killers or Rapture or otherwise Cure-like emotive braying.

Overall grade: B

After the jump, Emo’s showcase

Kiss Me Deadly
Really, really good. A Canadian dance punk outfit helmed by a great female vocalist replete with gold lame sweatsuit and WWII Army cap. They played a very solid show. Going through a number of fast-paced songs, then breaking for one slower one, realized that it wasn’t as enthusiastically received, and then moving back to the goods.

Show: A-

Voxtrot
Austin boys do well. You could tell that the Austin flock (those sans badges) was in full-force to see its hometown boys bring their A game. For all those internet fans at home, they played “Start of Something,” which, by measures, received the largest applause of Wednesday. Cover of Talking Heads’ Heaven was also received well.

Show: A
Song of merit: Start of Something

Field Music
I just flat-out got disinterested. I don’t have anything to report. I know it’s unfair, but I went to get something to eat so I could make it through a Serena Maneesh show (see below). This week has taken a lot out of me.

Show: C-

Serena Maneesh
Excellent. A perfect mix of distortion, preening, and great music. Drain Cosmetics, a favorite 2005 song, was even better live as the two singers traded off vocals, harmonizing perfectly. Un-deux was another highlight.

Show: A-
Song of merit: Drain Cosmetics

All in all, a good day. Pictures likely to come in another post.

Today should be likewise busy, if I can drag myself away from the basketball games. We shall see. Should I get out to see more bands, I promise I will get more descriptive than “Known band-esque.” I promise.

Tags: SXSW, The Fader, Canadians, Serena Maneesh, Voxtrot, Kiss Me Deadly

Posted by Keith O'Brien at 01:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Drag Karaoke

When Giant Drag's debut album, Hearts and Unicorns, snuck into the final spot in my Best of 2005 list, I referred to them as a guilty pleasure. I'm not sure why liking the stew of 90's alt rock that Drag queen Annie Hardy conjures up makes me feel that way, but even after living with the album for an extended stretch and diving into non-album tracks it's still my default reaction.

Maybe it's the fact that I realize that I would have been SO into this stuff as a teenager, and feel sad for the complicated art albums that can't reach me in the same place as Annie's burnout tomboy schtick. So, while these covers may not scale any grand new pinnacle in innovation they're still, you know, rad.

Giant Drag - God Only Knows
(Beach Boys cover, demo)

This is hallowed ground for any California girl, so it's understandable that it starts out a little too reverential. Exact down to its sleighbells and warm keys, the only initial draw is hearing Annie's drowsy voice take on a well tread classic. Which is to say, nice, but not entirely neccessary. Thankfully, as it progresses, our girl takes the spirit of Brian Wilson to heart and breaks out a more complex arrangement. As her half assed cascade of doo's and ah's build on and interrupt each other, the rendition approaches something close to grace. But if Wilson's obsessive goal was to record "Teenage Symphonies to God," AH's casual demeanor brings it down a peg. More like a stoned teenagers symphony to her friend Todd.

Giant Drag - Wicked Game
(Chris Isaak cover, UK bonus track to Hearts and Unicorns)

Talk about a guilty pleasure. Any young buck coming of age in the 90's has this tune burned into their frontal lobe thanks to the shirtless antics of Helena Christiansen in the constantly played video. Assuming the sound was on, many probably found themselves humming against their will days later. It is a strong melody after all, but Mr. Isaak's Roy Orbison aping cheeseball-ocity made sure that despite rising to public consciousness because of its inclusion in a David Lynch movie it was certainly not cool.

This is where the So Cal slacker persona really pays its dividends. Softly intoning over a choppier (but recognizable) guitar line, Annie deflates the pomp of Isaak's version. Then, when the chorus comes in and adds a wall of noise the guilt lifts away and it's all pleasure. Not content to simply reframe, the band swings for the fences at the 2:15 mark with a ferocious freakout almost veering into Sonic Youth country. Making the subsequent return to mumbled coos all the more adorable.

I didn't want to fall in love...

Tags: Giant Drag, Beach Boys, Chris Isaak

Posted by Jeff Klingman at 12:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

New Pearl Jam - World Wide Suicide

Is Pearl Jam the biggest band in a generation? They are definitely the last great rock band to reach a level of uber-success that not even the, allegedly huge, Arctic Monkeys can light a match to. Vedder and co. will release their self titled 8th album on May 2nd via J Records.

The cover art is simply a halved avocado. This main ingredient in guacamole and pretty much the greatest vegetable ever. The vessel of delicious Mexican mayonnaise joins the banana as produce vaulted into A-List status after making it big with the rock kids.

New single- Pearl Jam - World Wide Suicide

PJ's site is taking preorders and offering a free copy of a 1992 show as incentive:

"Receive a free bonus disc of the classic 1992 New Year's Eve Pearl Jam show from The Academy Theatre in NYC plus a digital download of "Pearl Jam" delivered May 2nd at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time."

Pearl Jam - The Academy - New York, NY 12.31.92

Setlist:
Wash, Sonic Reducer, Why Go, Even Flow, Alone, Garden, Daughter, Dirty Frank, Oceans, Alive, Leash, Porch

----

Merry Swankster.com Bonus MP3:
Pearl Jam - Indifference (featuring Ben Harper - Live at MSG 9.11.1998).

I was at this show and to this day hearing Eddie Vedder and 18,000 fans sing "I will scream my lungs out 'till it fills this room" still gives me the chills. In terms of a pure full-on rock and roll experience, few bands can match the genuine intensity of Pearl Jam live.

Tour dates in support of the album were announced last week with the excellent (and MS 2005 fave) My Morning Jacket pegged for opening act. Tour dates after the jump.

//Pearl Jam - site
//Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam - Preorder

Tags: Pearl Jam, World Wide Suicide, My Morning Jacket

Live on One Leg:

5.09 Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada Centre
5.10 Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada Centre
5.12 Albany, NY - Pepsi Arena
5.13 Hartford, CT - New England Dodge Center
5.16 Chicago, IL - United Center
5.19 Grand Rapids, MI - Van Andel Arena
5.20 Cleveland, OH - Quicken Loans Arena
5.22 Detroit, MI - Palace of Auburn Hills
5.24 Boston, MA - TD Banknorth Garden
5.27 Philadelphia, PA - Tweeter Waterfront
5.30 Washington, DC - Verizon Center
6.01 Rutherford, NJ - Continental Airlines Arena
6.03 Rutherford, NJ - Continental Airlines Arena

Posted by Merry Swankster at 07:37 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 15, 2006

SXSW: The storm, she has landed

Walking 6th Street last night, you got a sense that the bands playing were the types that were catching the pre-ethers of the all-out explosion that is the SXSW music festival, which officially begins today. But now that the badge pickup lines have swelled and talk turns to the Beastie Boys appearance, there shall be no complaining about bad music.

There's one minor skirmish, that seems to play out on a larger scale each year. Unaffiliated, corporate- and (and, in the case of Stereogum) blog-sponsored day events vie for attendees' attention against the SXSW-endorsed panels. In theory, music fans that are crashing Austin for the free shows would be unlikely to buy badges to attend the conferences, but it causes some enmity inside the Austin Convention Center. I’m not in the business of advocating sides; I just report.

One staffer derisively referred to “those parties.”

One attendee said he planned to do both (unregistered parties and panel events).

One party sponsor said “no one buys badges anymore.”

So: everything is gray.

One thing that I am very excited for is the Canadian Consulate party (SXSW-endorsed) at 3 pm. Free Canadian food and frosty beverages? Uh, okay. But the opportunity to talk to the people behind it (for my real job) and the potential of seeing the next great Canadian hype (or the Guinness-record holding Arts & Crafts' artists’ 713th confluence band of BSS, Stars, and Wolf Parade members)? Priceless.

Other stops on the tour: Fader party, Team Clermont Party, and, perhaps, a 5:00 showing of Danielson: a Family Movie. Onwards and upwards.

Tags: SXSW, The Fader, Canadians

Posted by Keith O'Brien at 01:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Retrohump Day - Punk Rock in relative terms

Merry Swankster is transforming Retrohump day into a concept driven showcase for music that has offended, questioned the status quo, and revolutionized the culture of their time. Just fancy ways of saying that in their day, all of the following scared the crap out of parents.

-- -- --

Elvis

From outrage over hips to Janet Jackson flashing some boobage, who says America hasn't come far?

Elvis Presley - Tutti Frutti

Dead Boys

"Hilarious, disgusting, brilliant, and profane."

The rationalization and justification of violence during Punk's early roots of mayhem make the introduction worthwhile. Hilly Kristal's (CBGB's) attempt to be profound comes a close second.

"The incredible, phenomenal..."

Dead Boys - Sonic Reducer

Loretta Lynn

The woman that most people my age recognize as the "old country lady that Jack White produced," rather than "country legend" Loretta Lynn, caused a stir with a song about the sexual revolution's magical pharmy. "The Pill" was banned from many radio stations yet still cracked the Top 3 on Country charts in 1975.

Sample lyrics:

But all I've seen of this old world
Is a bed and a doctor bill...

...All these years I've stayed at home
While you had all your fun
And every year thats gone by
Another babys come

...Miniskirts, hot pants and a few little fancy frills
Yeah I'm makin' up for all those years
Since I've got the pill

I tried to find video of "The Pill" but failed. For this I am terribly sorry and shamed generations of my children's children. In consolation I present "What Kind of Girl Do You Think I Am." This song may not be quote, unquote controversial, but I'm certain many men with proficiency in wife beating found it abhorrent.

Loretta ain't no ho, son.

Bonus MP3: Loretta Lyn - Have Mercy (From Jack White produced Van Lear Rose)

Loretta Lynn - What Kind of Girl Do You Think I Am

2 Live Crew

Any discussion of punk rock in relative terms must include Hip Hop. The ultimate and current record holder for music parents can't stand. No discussion of Retrohump worthy controversial hip hop can even begin without mentioning 2 Live Crew.

Machine Guns, bikinis and hot tubs. The core staples of rap videos are as consistent as madness in March and the 5-12 upset.

How about a vid? Maestro!

2 Live Crew - Me So Horny

Tags: Elvis Presley, Tutti Frutti, Dead Boys, Sonic Reducer, Loretta Lynn, 2 Live Crew, Me So Horny, Retrohump

Posted by Merry Swankster at 08:12 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Now Listen Up!

Here is a short clip of the end of "Listen Up!" from last night. Enjoy.

Tags: The Gossip, Listen Up

Posted by Merry Swankster at 02:55 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack