Upcoming Shows: Mission of Burma, Les Savy Fav + more

Tonight!!! Wednesday, January 27

El Medio @ Bruar Falls | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $5
El Medio are an awesome lo-fi pop band who hardly ever play live, so go see this. They are sad and restrained and their songs are truly beautiful. [myspace]

Benefit for Haiti: The Walkmen, Ted Leo, Cold War Kids, the Wrens, Here We Go Magic, A.C. Newman, Rhett Miller, Freelance Whales (YUCK), Jimmy Fallon @ Bell House | Gowanus, Brooklyn | SOLD OUT!
This is some line-up! And for a good cause too - no wonder it's sold out. If you can make it, make it. But skip Freelance Whales. I first became aware of Freelance Whales this fall when I was on a subway car with them and eavesdropped long enough to find out their name. Even if the name weren't so stupid, though, I knew the music would be awful just from sitting near them on a train. Imagine my surprise when a few months later, their name started popping up all over the place! And everything we've learned from the blogger buzz deepens my disapproval of their existence. I don't even need to listen to them to know they suck. But anyway, I digress...the rest of this line-up is amazing. You should go.


Tomorrow!!! Thursday, January 28

Mattress, Weird Fantasy Band @ Shea Stadium | Bushwick, Brooklyn | $7
Mattress is a punk band from the New Brunswick scene, which means true, down-to-earth, old-school DIY American hardcore punk. Weird Fantasy Band is kinda the same thing - it seems to be one man backed by a variable collective out of that scene. I haven't enjoyed WFB's music all that much, but "Jasper" says they are amazing live. [mattress myspace] [wfb myspace]


Friday, January 29

Sounds Like Brooklyn: Les Savy Fav + Vivian Girls @ Brooklyn Academy of Music | Fort Greene, Brooklyn | $20-25
Les Savy Fav are one of the hardcore bands fronted a bald, bearded fat dude who strips to his underwear. They aren't the best of such bands, but might come in a respectable second. One of the Vivian Girls just e-mailed me and asked me why I keep taking cheap shots at her band. I take cheap shots because I don't think they are worth the hype and I find them boring. And boring music to me is like waterboarding to most people. But they have improved significantly over the last year and I'm warming up to them ever so slowly. So, I dunno what to say. They mostly still suck, but at least they are better than the Freelance fuckin Whales. [lsf myspace] [vg myspace]

Oneida @ Market Hotel | Bushwick, Brooklyn | $10
I like Oneida's older stuff better and they've changed a lot over the years, but they basically play pretty heavy music that jerks like metal, smiles like punk, bristles like industrial and most of all, breaks your head like krautrock, looping and trancing the hell out. So yeah, it's interesting. [myspace]

Mission of Burma @ Bowery Ballroom | LES, Manhattan | $20
Mission of Fucking Burma, folks. They were one of the first of the second generation of American punk bands, but their music was a bit slower and a lot more complex than the rest of the hardcore crowd - they brought musical sophistication back to punk. And they are still awesome. Go see them Saturday, though, because there are too many other shows going on Friday.

PC Worship @ Glasslands | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $7
PC Worship is amazing lo-fi avant-rock with noise experiments and sadness. But there's too much else going on for me to recommend this show, especially since the rest of the line-up sucks. They are a Brooklyn band, so you'll get another chance. [myspace]

Drunkdriver @ Union Pool | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
One of NYC's most hateful hardcore bands, Drunkdriver put on an unforgettable live show. They seem like really nice people, but would definitely freak your parents out. [myspace]


Saturday, January 30

Mission of Burma @ Bowery Ballroom | LES, Manhattan | $20
See above.

Sisters, Fluffy Lumbers, Total Slacker @ Shea Stadium | Bushwick, Brooklyn | $7
Sisters are the BOMB. Among noise-punk/noise-pop duos, they are easily one of the best. See them now before they go the way of No Age and Japandroids and start playing fewer and bigger spaces. Fluffy Lumbers and Total Slacker are all the rage. I haven't listened yet, but they are probably worth at least checking out. [sisters myspace] [fl myspace] [ts myspace]

PC Worship @ Market Hotel | Bushwick, Brooklyn
See above.

Dinowalrus + Javelin @ House of Yes! | Bushwick, Brooklyn | $10
I've never heard of this place before, but my guys Dinowalrus are playing there Saturday, so if for some reason you skip the above shows, consider this one. Dinowalrus play art. Like Sonic Youth, but only in spirit. Javelin plays throw-away post-disco dance-pop, but I gotta admit, their whole amplification by radio broadcast (BYOB, bring your own boombox) is pretty cool. [dinowalrus myspace] [javelin myspace]


And then there are like no shows worth mentioning for several days...weird...

Album: Los Campesinos! - Romance Is Boring

Album: Romance Is Boring
Wichita/Arts & Crafts, 2010
Rating: ********* (9/10)

Friends, the news is bittersweet: Los Campesinos! are cute no more. That shouldn't be a big surprise, given the leaps in maturity the band made within the few months between Hold On Now Youngster and We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed. Here, with over a year under their belts, Los Campesinos! continue on their dramatic trajectory. But even with the band's explicit attempts to distance themselves from their twee past and their glockenspiel, it would have been hard to see the trajectory reaching quite as far as it has on Romance is Boring, which often barely sounds like an "indie" album at all. Instead, you can hear echoes of every UK pop great of the last 30 years and could almost imagine this band taking their place among them.

Although their compositions and arrangements have grown, the most noticeable change is in the voices. Gareth (gotta use first names, the band doesn't use their last) has changed in his boyish holler for a professional, adult sound - not that the pitch has changed, just the tone. For her part, Aleks has also found a bit richer, more developed voice. Los Campesinos! are all grown up.

And the lyrics are grown up too. The band revealed their darker side on We Are Beautiful, but here, it hits full force and in the context of a fully developed LP (We Are Beautiful was more like an LP-length EP). In a minor key breakdown in "Media Res," Gareth announces "I'm leaving my body to science / Not medical but physics." Maybe this line could have fit with the band's indie pop days, but the delivery makes clear this is no joke but rather a serious meditation on mortality and physical decay. Later in the album comes its masterpiece, "The Sea Is a Good Place to Think About the Future." This track has been floating around for a while so maybe you've heard it. But if not, and especially in the context of the full album, it hits like a ton of bricks. Describing a self-destructive friend, the narration comes restrained, matter-of-fact tone with which we have to deal with life's most horrifying tragedies if we are going to survive them.

It's a far cry from "You! Me! Dancing!"

The musical developments keep up with the emotional strides. Much of the credit must go to producer John Goodmanson (Blonde Redhead, Death Cab, Nada Surf, Sleater-Kinney, etc.), who has beefed up the band's sound from the tinkering twee-punk of 2008 to an almost grandiose sound. The complex parts are still there, but even the glockenspiel solo on "Media Res" does not sound toyish, it's dark and alarming. Who knew glockenspiel could be dark and alarming?

However, while Goodmanson's skills did push the band to the next level, they can take even more credit themselves - their songwriting has become infinitely more sophisticated. The downside is that some songs are not quite as tight as the band's poppier material, but finally, the band's post-rock origins shine clearly, with swells of noise, counterpart melodies, vast choruses and subtle instrumentals. As with much post rock, the compositions seem to closer in mindset to classical than to the rest of pop/rock, but it's not overkill. The band reigns it in and keeps every song focused, without crossing the five-minute mark even once. The album even includes a short instrumental track ("200-102") and a distant, echoey post-shoegaze interlude with vocals ("Heart Swells/100-1").

I'm not entirely wild about the unison on the title track and I have trouble following some of the songs early in the second half, but even despite its rough patches, the album is a powerful statement. From the hyper-distorted, raging opening of "Plan A" (the group's most aggressive song to date) to the gentle ebbing of the guitars in "The Sea Is a Good Place," from Aleks's cynical "We've Got Your Back" (which lyrically and musically revisits and seems to attack "Drop It Doe Eyes" on the band's debut) to the understated closing track, burned on the edges with static, Romance Is Boring is an album to be reckoned with. Hold on now, young and old alike.

[myspace]

Live: Coyote Eyes, Frozen Warnings + No Place, Blast Off!

When: 1/14/09
Where: Death By Audio

First things first. At the Death By Audio show a week ago, the bookers had an interesting idea - have a band play short sets in the back room between bands on the main stage. It could have been pretty cool, I guess, except that they selected a group called Blast Off! to fill this role. Blast Off consisted of aimless "jamming" on instruments including saxophone. And by jamming, I mostly mean repeating the same several notes over and over again for twenty minutes with slight variations. The first break I heard them cover sounded marching band-inspired. Tellingly, that was the best part - awful but at least original. It just got worse as the night went on, repetitive, cliche, totally bland. I wish bands like this wouldn't play in the winter; you have to pick between listening to them and standing in the cold. Tough choice. [myspace]

Now, I've been excited to hear Frozen Warnings for a while, the new project of central Werewolves member Brian Amsterdam. All I knew about the band, other than that it involved Amsterdam, was that it was synth-based. My reaction to the set (of which I missed the first half) was a little mixed.

For one thing, the lyrics were...wanting: "Do you come here often?" repeated eighty times again isn't exactly interesting. Also, the synth sounds seemed a little unrefined - I couldn't understand if they were going for old-school or up-to-date, rough or polished. I imagine that's something that will get worked out over time. Obviously, this is a very new band.

And everything else about them suggests they have enormous potential. The songs are as good as any Werewolves fan would expect - enveloping, intense slow-pop songs with spacey melodies. The sounds, though still underdeveloped, are rich and noisy. Meanwhile, the canned rhythms became much less canned as they devolved into breaking polyrhythms, multiple tempos ignoring each other but somehow interlocked. Frozen Warnings have the talent. Let's see if they have the will and the luck to make it to the next level. [myspace]

Frozen Warnings were followed by a band called No Place, who did not fit with the line-up at all. While the rest of the bands, even the unforgivable Blast Off!, had true artistic ambitions, No Place were rockstar wannabes who sounded like a poor imitation of the Strokes. Now the Strokes are fine, but they didn't exactly tear down any barriers. And No Place is a long way from even that level of merit - usually, a little offkey imperfection adds character, but this was more than a little - it was grating. Meanwhile, the rest of the band kept stumbling. They seemed ill-prepared, moved very slowly from song to song and generally showed themselves to be as unprofessional as they were uninspired. [myspace]

But I had to stick around, in order to see Coyote Eyes, long one of my favorite emerging Brooklyn bands. And DAMN I'm glad I did. Although this band has consistently impressed me with their arty post punk, this show was hands-down the best I've ever seen from them. Last time I saw them, they started out slow and failed to grab their audience. This time, they started the set with their strongest and most familiar song, "Yellow Red," which starts with a demanding half-tempo riff. As the band came in with far more volume and force, the difference in the audience reaction was obvious. While at the Mercury Lounge show, with the gradual build up, the audience drifted over towards the stage for the first few minutes of the song, every conversation was wrapped up within 30 seconds of the opening note of "Yellow Red," the audience immediately turning their attention to the band on stage.

Unfortunately, due to some equipment problems, especially with the drums, some of this inertia was lost during a long break after the first song and subsequent pauses later in the set. The downtime wasn't as well handled as it should have been, but it wasn't terrible either - Coyote Eyes have an intraband banter more amusing than most.

In any case, despite some problems between songs, the songs themselves have taken yet another step forward. In another sign of the band's growing confidence, guitarist and sometimes-singer Manny Nomikos is finally coming into his own as a vocalist. Before, he neither used nor hid the idiosyncrasies of his voice, but this time around, he exploited them. Instead of being a typical indie rock guy who can't sing great but does anyway - which is alright, but a little overdone - he's developing a unique voice that turns any weakness into an asset.

On the other side, bassist and singer Marta DeLeon wasn't at the top of her game vocally. I don't know why - maybe she had a cold, maybe she couldn't hear herself, maybe it was just a tough night. She was a touch offkey, and I look forward to hearing the band when both singers are at their best, when her melodic voice and his oddball yelps and hollers are juxtaposed to maximum effect. Next time, I guess.

Meanwhile, the band's material is great. The songs I know are stronger than ever and the newer ones promise even more exciting directions. Drummer Jeremiah McVay, who has always struck me as exceptionally gifted, seemed to be pushing himself even harder, trying out new ideas and bulking up songs in the subtle ways only an experienced drummer can. Over his unshowy but lavish beats, Nomikos and DeLeon strangled and pounded their guitars into a tight mesh of sonic strangeness. Anyone who saw this show should have no doubt that Coyote Eyes is one of the most bold, original and talented bands in Brooklyn. Is it too soon to say "I told you so?" [myspace]

Upcoming Shows: The Fugs, Screens + more

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]

TONIGHT! Wednesday, January 20

BENEFIT FOR HAITI: Patti Smith, Yo La Tengo, the Antlers @ City Winery Soho, Manhattan $75 SOLD OUT!
OK, this concert is too expensive, but then again, it's for Haiti, and it's Patti Fucking Smith, the punk rock poet without whom music as we know it today would not exist. And Yo La Tengo who invented American noise pop in the 80's and are still the coolest kids in school. And the Antlers, who topped my Best of 2009 list with their heartbreaking ambient/noise/pop album Hospice. But anyway, it's sold out, so that probably ain't happening.

Big Troubles, My Teenage Stride, the Sundelles @ Le Poisson Rouge Greenwich Village, Manhattan $8
This line-up is sick, y'all. Big Troubles played the last Radio Flyer Review showcase where they plastered their audience against the walls with the sheer volume of their loud, catchy pop. Influences must certainly include the Jesus & Mary Chain, Smashing Pumpkins and Dinosaur Jr - awesome melodies and walls of sound blasted as loud as humanly possible. My Teenage Stride is one of the best indie pop bands around, with great songwriting and tight execution. They will make you smile. And the Sundelles also played my last showcase, cranking out spirited garage rock with enough frenzy to break a bass string. FUCK YES. [bt myspace] [mts myspace] [sundelles myspace]


TOMORROW! Thursday, January 21

Darlings, Motel Motel, Gunfight! @ Union Pool Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Darlings make music by insane people for insane people. I find them charming, accessible but unpredictable and quite raucous when it's called for (which is most of the time). Motel Motel are one of those alt-country bands in the indie rock circuit and they aren't earth shattering or anything, but they are definitely a great listen, even for people who aren't usually into that stuff. Their songwriting is just solid. Gunfight! play cow punk and put on a rivetingly fun live show. [darlings myspace] [mm myspace] [gunfight myspace]


Friday, January 22

Screens, Pygmy Shrews, Fiasco, PRSMS @ Death By Audio Williamsburg, Brooklyn $8
@*^$ #*^%# *&@^$!!! << I normally go ahead and write out the words I think, but here it went a little too far. As in "@!*&# &^$%* *@^%! !*#%, THIS LINE-UP IS BLOWING MY #&%&@# MIND!!!!!!" OK, where to even start. Well, Screens are one of my "Bands to Watch in 2010." They are the cutting edge of indie music. Pygmy Shrews show no mercy as they shred your ears with nasty, DISTORRRTED electric guitar. Fiasco I've written about recently - they are a young band that plays HEAVY post-hardcore with intense complexity and fierce noise. And PRSMS I haven't heard, but I've been meaning to. I'm 85% sure they are awesome, but we'll have to find out together. [screens myspace] [pygmy myspace] [fiasco myspace] [prsms myspace]

Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers @ Knitting Factory Williamsburg, Brooklyn $12?
Shilpa Ray is that badass lady of rock and roll who plays a handpowered harmonium while belting out soulful and blues tunes with punk rock 'tude while giving you the finger. Her backing band is one of the most solid groups in Brooklyn. Yep. [myspace]

BENEFIT FOR TULI KUPFERBERG: Lou Reed, the Fugs, Sonic Youth + more @ St. Ann's Warehouse DUMBO, Brooklyn $75-125
This show is another expensive benefit show, this one to aid Tuli Kupferberg with medical expenses after he suffered two strokes last year. Kupferberg was a founding member of the Fugs, a highly experimental, art-rock/folk band whose influence in the 1960's helped pave the for punk and every other experimental and artistic movement New York has since seen. Despite their influence, The Fugs didn't exactly strike it rich, so Kupferberg's bandmates and friends are pitching in to raise some money. These friends include his bandmates, the Velvet Underground's Lou Reed and Sonic Youth, among others. It's a once-in-a-lifetime line-up and for a good cause. But a lot of us just don't have that kind of money lying around.


Saturday, January 23

Pterodactyl, Kid Millions @ Issue Project Room Gowanus, Brooklyn $15
Pterodactyl has been on this blog so much over the last year, you're probably like "shut up already." Well, screw you. Pterodactyl is one of the most interesting bands around. Their math-punk is jumpy, fast and pounding, with soaring, ecstatic melodies drifting over the flurry of guitar and drums. Kid Millions is from Oneida, who make experimental drone/punk/metal/electro music that will put you in a trance, but a HARDCORE trance. And no, I don't even know what that means, but it's true. [ptero myspace]


Sunday, January 24

BENEFIT FOR HAITI: Rosanne Cash, Nada Surf + more TBA @ City Winery Soho, Manhattan $50
Another show for Haiti, slightly less expensive (but with a slightly inferior line-up) to tonight's show. You should be able to spare $50 for relief efforts in Haiti if you aren't in dire circumstances yourself. You could just give that money to an organization, but if you like music, why not check out some music while pitching in?


Monday, January 25

Cheap Trick @ The Fillmore at Irving Plaza Union Sq.-ish, Manhattan $49.50 adv. / $55 dos.
Don't hate, y'all! Cheap Trick were the definitive power pop band of the 70's. Their catchy rock albums may be arena-focused, but power pop built a foundation for much of indie music, taking harder and edgier elements and putting them with pop structures, not to lose edginess but to gain it. Cheap Trick are ROCK and ROLL.


[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
The long view...

January 2010
27
BENEFIT FOR HAITI: Walkmen, Cold War Kids, Ted Leo, Wrens, AC Newman, Here We Go Magic + more @ Bell House

29
Asobi Seksu @ Le Poissson Rouge
Here We Go Magic @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Mission of Burma @ Bowery Ballroom
Oneida @ Market Hotel
Sounds Like Brooklyn: Les Savy Fav, Vivian Girls (yick) @ Brooklyn Academy of Music

30
Mission of Burma @ Bowery Ballroom
Sisters, Fluffy Lumbers, Total Slacker @ Shea Stadium

February
3
Atlas Sound @ Bell House

4
Atlas Sound, Neon Indian, Sisters @ NYU Kimmel
Cold Cave @ Mercury Lounge

5
Sounds Like Brooklyn: Ra Ra Riot, the Antlers @ Brooklyn Academy of Music

6
Don Giovanni showcase: Shellshag, Screaming Females, Jeff the Brotherhood + more @ Bowery Ballroom

9
The Residents @ Webster Hall

10
Harlem @ Mercury Lounge

12
Jonathan Richman @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

13
Jonathan Richman @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
The Magnetic Fields @ Brooklyn Academy of Music

14
Jonathan Richman @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

19
Fucked Up, Kurt Vile, Frankie Rose & the Outs @ Europa
Andrew W-K @ Santos Party House

20
Crystal Stilts, Beets, Beach Fossils, German Measles @ Music Hall of Williamsubrg

21
Dum Dum Girls, Frankie Rose & the Outs @ Mercury Lounge

26
Wild Beasts @ Bowery Ballroom

27
Glenn Branca (record release) @ Le Poisson Rouge

28
Wild Beasts @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

March
5
Muse, the Silversun Pickups @ Madison Square Garden

6
Titus Andronicus, Parts & Labor, Babies @ Bowery Ballroom

10-11
The Magnetic Fields @ Town Hall

12-13
Henry Rollins @ The Fillmore

18-19
Killswitch Engage @ The Fillmore

23
Black Lips @ Brooklyn Bowl

25
Nada Surf play Let Go + surprise guest @ Bowery Ballroom

26
Nada Surf play The Weight Is a Gift + surprise guest @ Bell House
Spoon, Deerhunter @ Radio City Music Hall

27
Nada Surf play Lucky + surprise guest @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

30
Big Pink, A Place to Bury Strangers @ Webster Hall

April
15
Liars @ Bowery Ballroom

18
Liars @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]

Upcoming Event: Haiti Fundraiser

I got a coverage request that I figured I'd put up here, even though it's not anything I think most readers here are into. But it's for Haiti, so just in case you're interested...

*          *          *
(New York, NY - January 20, 2010) - On Wednesday, January 20, 2010, a diverse group of New York City’s young professionals of color will raise funds and supplies for Haiti. The HEARTS 4 HAITI coalition is comprised of professionals in the music, media and entertainment communities who want to provide immediate support to Haitians who have been affected by the massive earthquake that took place on January 12th. Hinging on the one-year anniversary of President Barack Obama’s inauguration and his challenge to American’s to “give back”, this event will raise funds and supplies for earthquake victims,, and will also celebrate the cultural contributions of Haiti through its music and art.

HEARTS 4 HAITI has partnered with two organizations: Doctors Without Borders and YELE Haiti. All monetary proceeds generated from the event will be donated to Doctors Without Borders with a designation to the Haiti Earthquake Relief Effort. All food, clothing and supply donations will be given to YELE Haiti.

HEARTS 4 HAITI will feature special performances showcasing the history and spirit of Haiti's culture. On the main level, renowned DJ's including DJ D-Nice, DJ Clue, and several others will incorporate the sounds of Haiti into their mainstream music sets. Downstairs in "The Carnivale Lounge" DJ Franky of the Untouchables will provide an exclusive musicquarium which includes the best of Haitian Konpa & Zouk.

“HEARTS 4 HAITI is for NYC professionals who understand the importance of giving back to the world community,” says Gardy V. Guerrier, one of the event HEART 4 HAITI organizers. “By attending this event they will become the truest embodiment of the motto inscribed on the Haitian flag: strength through unity.”

Guests will enjoy a complimentary open bar from 7:00pm until 8:30pm provided by Hennessy. “Our hearts and prayers go out to those impacted by this terrible tragedy,” says Noel Hankin, Hennessey’s Sr. VP of Multicultural Relations. “Hennessy is eager to do all we can to support the victims of the earthquake in Haiti and we have instituted a corporate double matching program for employee donations.”


WHAT: HEARTS 4 HAITI - Invites You To Make a Difference

WHEN: Wednesday, January 20, 2010, 7:00pm - Midnight

Open bar 7pm-8:30pm compliments Hennessy

WHERE: ARENA
135 W. 41st Street between (Broadway/6th Ave)

*          *          *
But you could also save yourself the trouble and donate directly. As most people now know, Haitan musician Wyclef Jean is raising money through his organization Yele to help in the relief effort. However, there is some evidence that that organization has been guilty of misusing funds in the past, so do your own research before you give.

For a list of organizations helping that are taking donations to provide relief in Haiti, click here.

There are also some more rock-oriented benefits coming up. I've listed several here.

Album: Spoon - Transference

Album: Transference
Merge, 2010
Rating: ******** (8/10)

There a number of indie groups who, over the last decade, have managed to establish themselves as household names, maybe not in most homes, but thanks to the support of NPR and news magazines trying to seem hip, in most upper-middle class, white, college educated ones. Spoon is one of these and their every release is anticipated, then celebrated by their pseudo-indie fans almost by rote.

I've never fully understood the popular reaction to Spoon - I think the band at their best are universally lovable, but their output is certainly not universally great. Their last album, 2007's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, was greeted with high praise and I still can't figure out why. If one hadn't heard Spoon before, maybe it would come across as pretty nifty, but as compared to Girls Can Tell and Gimme Fiction, it seems bland, formulaic and uninspired. Sure, it may step up sonically, showing the telltale signs of a bigger budget - added instruments, more meticulous engineering - but the songs themselves are weak.

Not so with Transference. In an established pattern of making a great stride on every second album (Telephono but not Series of Sneaks, Girls Can Tell but not Kill the Moonlight, Give Me Fiction but not Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga), Spoon was due to put out a good one and they have delivered. Transference takes what few strides the band forced into Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga as well as the more heartfelt progress of Gimme Fiction and carries the sum to yet another level of maturity.

It's clear from the opening of "Before Destruction" that Transference is a step forward. The song begins with warm, intimate layers of sound, breaking over Britt Daniel's naked vocals. Some songs are classic Spoon at their best, like the riff-focused "I Saw the Light" and the piano clunk of "Written in Reverse." But others, like "Who Makes Your Money," indicate bold progress, much as the song "I Turn My Camera On" did a few years back. Circling a slick beat, "Who Makes" is tense and edgy but at the same time, peels away another layer of timidity and announces yet another slew of conventionally un-cool influences. Once again, Spoon proves they can pull off almost anything they try.

Lyrically as well, the band has further let down their guard. The songs are the band's most immediate and personal since 2001's Girls Can Tell. Also, as Spoon's first truly self-produced LP, Transference does away with the almost sterile sonic perfectionism of albums like Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. "Trouble" boasts the sound quality of a 60's garage band's high-end home recording. Even the more sonically complex songs like "Before Destruction" and "Who Makes Your Money" have a raw immediacy and the sincerity the last album so lacked.

Transference is the result of Spoon's broadened sonic vocabulary finally finding space to lock in to the band's more emotional, vulnerable tendencies. It's all of the band's explosive creativity and none of their cerebral overreaching. It's everything Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga wasn't and everything Spoon should be. Finally.

[myspace]

Album: Surfer Blood - Astro Coast

Album: Astro Coast
Kanine, 2010
Rating: ******** (8/10)

Astro Coast is one of those albums that is nearly perfect in execution but uninteresting in concept. The one time I heard Surfer Blood live, I walked out after a few minutes because I could not stand another minute. My reaction to this album has been much warmer, but something about it really puts me off.

And that something is that this album is devoid of courage. It's a pop album with a semi-cool underground facade but the band doesn't take risks, emotionally or musically. The last thing we need to start 2010 is another Beach Boys influenced band of white boys making music no one could ever find scary. That said, if we had to keep one, I'd throw out Girls and Real Estate in a heartbeat and keep these guys instead.

Surfer Blood, though recording in a dorm room, have certainly created a masterful record. The production is astounding, with reverb on the vocals that captures the Brian Wilson-style three dimensions so popular these days. The melodies are far more tightly constructed than many of the band's peers - like it or not, it's an album of perfect pop songs, with greater maturity and greater composition than the others of its type. The most obvious reference point is Weezer, but Surfer Blood sound bigger. I suppose if there is an element of courage in Astro Coast, it's that the band doesn't cling to indie falsehoods. They are a pop band and they aren't afraid to sound larger than life.

The only other major flaw in the album is, for all its great songwriting, it manages to rip off more than one source. The opening of "Harmonix" almost exactly echoes the first bars of Arcade Fire's "Neighborhood 2 - Laika" while the major guitar riff in the chorus of "Swim" was lifted from an 80's pop-metal song I can't remember the name of ($10 to whoever names it!). "Anchorage" barely alters a few guitar licks on loan from the poppiest of late 80's/early 90's Sonic Youth. There are more familiar pieces than these, but none are nearly enough to constitute copyright infringement and given the limited possibilities of major key pop guitar tunes, I'm sure the band didn't consciously rip anyone off. But if you're well versed enough in music, you'll hear a lot more of other bands than you'll hear of Surfer Blood themselves.

That isn't to say the record is jumbled - it's a cohesive digestion of vastly varied pop influences, each song fitting well into the package. A few slower, longer, more involved songs like "Slow Jabroni" and "Anchorage" grant the album a little depth. Though not remotely groundbreaking, Astro Coast is an appealing record of professional quality and I wouldn't be surprised to see this band selling out some huge venues in the near future. I just won't one of those buying a ticket.

[myspace]

Live: Drunkdriver + Blues Control

When: 1/9/10
Where: Death By Audio

It was a confusing night for me at Death By Audio, seeing bands I thought I knew and discovering they were not who I thought. First up, Blues Control. This duo uses synthesizers and guitar, but more of the former, which is certainly not what I expect from a band on the lo-fi, "shitgaze" label Siltbreeze. The band clearly has talent but their songs, which have no vocals, didn't really hold my attention - Blues Control's skills lie in sound-making and certainly not in composition. Their image was also off - I don't like when bands dress up all fancypants for gigs, but the baseball cap gave me the feeling the band would rather be home eating potato chips or something than playing a show. Maybe I was the only person to have that reaction, but it certainly threw off my enjoyment of the set.

"Jasper" thought the line-up pick didn't make sense, but I understood it to an extent. Blues Control may not be a guitar-based band or a punk band, but they have a similar aggressive artiness. Unfortunately, the band didn't live up to their potential or their reputation, instead meandering aimlessly through their way-too-long set. [myspace]

Now, I also thought I had seen Drunkdriver earlier this year but when they took the stage, I was pretty sure I'd never seen them before in my life. The three members are much younger than I thought and their music much more straightforward hardcore. Frontman ("singer" is not appropriate) Michael Berdan clearly follows in the tradition of great hardcore vocalists like Henry Rollins. Heavily tatooed, he paced the stage like a caged tiger, yelling "FUCK YOU" to hecklers (and some non-hecklers) and stage diving early and often. The audience seemed to know the routine, shouting insults between songs.


Drunkdriver
(photos from Parts Unknown Records myspace, not from this show)
And while Berdan is definitely the showman of the band, Kristy Greene (guitar) and Jeremy Villalobos (drums) are musicians. Greene's guitar was positively brutal, with sick, weighty riffs that your parents would hate. She and Villalobos locked in tightly, taking cues from noise, math rock, post hardcore and industrial music in their sheer sheet-metal sound and relentless complexity.

I like a band with a vocal melody, so I can't count Drunkdriver as a personal favorite. But they are masters at what they do and put on a classic live show for all your moshing needs. [myspace]

News: Jay Reatard Died Last Night

Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr., better known as Jay Reatard, died in his sleep last night, at age 29. He was a brilliant songwriter and put on one hell of a live show. Above all, he was an inspiring figure both musically and personally to many in our scene. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.


Official statement by Matador Records...

Upcoming Shows: Dinowalrus, Gang Gang Dance + more

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]

TONIGHT!!! Wednesday, January 13

Mahogany @ Bell House | Gowanus, Brooklyn | $7
Mahogany have been one of the very best dream pop bands for over a decade. Their dense, shimmering walls of sound are made up of intricate guitars, synthesizers and drums locking in like gears. And the melodies are good too. [myspace]


Tomorrow!!! Thursday, January 14

Frozen Warnings, Coyote Eyes @ Death by Audio | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $7
Two of the bands I told y'all to watch in 2010 are playing together tomorrow at Death by Audio, only the best DIY venue in town. Frozen Warnings are new but probably psychedelic and noisy with deep understated melodies - we'll see. Coyote Eyes play arty post punk with great singing and an amazing use of rhythm. They are both just so friggin awesome. Go to this show. [fw myspace] [ce myspace]


Friday, January 15

Gang Gang Dance + DJ /rupture @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $15
Gang Gang Dance are some hardcore motherfuckahs. Their intensely rhythm-focused experimental dub has club/dance smarts but builds eclectic sonic art around that core. The result is relentlessly inventive, dark and enticing. Gang Gang Dance are too cool for words. [ggd myspace] [dj/r myspace]


Saturday, January 16

Dinowalrus (record release!), Aa + PRSMS @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan
I just reviewed Dinowalrus's new record. It is awesome and they are even better live. Go celebrate with them and their even odder, more drum-focused pals Aa at Cake Shop. Do it... [dino myspace] [aa myspace]

Bell, Grooms @ Glasslands | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $5
You should go see Dinowalrus but if for some reason that doesn't pan out, you should check out this show instead. Bell is one of the better Bjork-compared singers, with an odd but powerful voice and pretty strange music to back her up. Grooms sound a lot like Sonic Youth, with experimental, noisy post punk that explores dark melodies and deafening sound. [bell myspace] [grooms myspace]

Dinosaur Jr. @ Bowery Ballroom | LES, Manhattan | SOLD OUT!
Dinosaur Jr. put the guitar back into indie rock in the 1980's. Let's hope they can do it again now! At the time of writing, there are still tickets available for the 1/18 show at Brooklyn Bowl. [myspace]


Sunday, January 17

Dinosaur Jr. @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | SOLD OUT!
See above. [myspace]

Mos Def @ Highline Ballroom | Chelsea, Manhattan | $45 adv. / $50 dos.
I don't care how much white people like him, Mos Def is not worth $50. But if you just won the lottery or something and want to go see a rapper who white people aren't afraid of, you couldn't do better than this show.


Monday, January 18 - MLK Day!

Dinosaur Jr. @ Brooklyn Bowl | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $20
See above. [myspace]


[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
The long view...

January 2010
20
Big Troubles, My Teenage Stride, the Sundelles @ Le Poisson Rouge

22
Bob Mould @ City Winery

23
Pterodactyl @ Issue Project Room

25
Cheap Trick @ The Fillmore

26
Beach House @ Bell House (sold out)

29
Asobi Seksu @ Le Poissson Rouge
Here We Go Magic @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Mission of Burma @ Bowery Ballroom
Oneida @ Market Hotel
Sounds Like Brooklyn: Les Savy Fav, Vivian Girls (yick) @ Brooklyn Academy of Music

30
Mission of Burma @ Bowery Ballroom
Sisters, Fluffy Lumbers, Total Slacker @ Shea Stadium

February
3
Atlas Sound @ Bell House

4
Atlas Sound, Neon Indian, Sisters @ NYU Kimmel
Cold Cave @ Mercury Lounge

5
Sounds Like Brooklyn: Ra Ra Riot, the Antlers @ Brooklyn Academy of Music

6
Don Giovanni showcase: Shellshag, Screaming Females, Jeff the Brotherhood + more @ Bowery Ballroom

9
The Residents @ Webster Hall

10
Harlem @ Mercury Lounge

12
Jonathan Richman @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

13
Jonathan Richman @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
The Magnetic Fields @ Brooklyn Academy of Music

14
Jonathan Richman @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

19
Fucked Up, Kurt Vile, Frankie Rose & the Outs @ Europa
Andrew W-K @ Santos Party House

20
Crystal Stilts, Beets, Beach Fossils, German Measles @ Music Hall of Williamsubrg

21
Dum Dum Girls, Frankie Rose & the Outs @ Mercury Lounge

26
Wild Beasts @ Bowery Ballroom

27
Glenn Branca (record release) @ Le Poisson Rouge

28
Wild Beasts @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

March
5
Muse, the Silversun Pickups @ Madison Square Garden

6
Titus Andronicus, Parts & Labor, Babies @ Bowery Ballroom

10-11
The Magnetic Fields @ Town Hall

12-13
Henry Rollins @ The Fillmore

18-19
Killswitch Engage @ The Fillmore

23
Black Lips @ Brooklyn Bowl

25
Nada Surf play Let Go + surprise guest @ Bowery Ballroom

26
Nada Surf play The Weight Is a Gift + surprise guest @ Bell House
Spoon, Deerhunter @ Radio City Music Hall

27
Nada Surf play Lucky + surprise guest @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

30
Big Pink, A Place to Bury Strangers @ Webster Hall

April
15
Liars @ Bowery Ballroom

18
Liars @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]

Album: Dinowalrus - %

Album: %
Kanine, 2009
Rating: ******** (8/10)

When I first heard Dinowalrus recorded, I wasn't taken with the music. I didn't understand it and I couldn't digest it. However, after seeing them live, I began to grasp what they're all about. And I decided with their album release this week, it was time for me to give their recordings another go.

From a relatively young band with a name like Dinowalrus, you'd certainly be justified not expecting a particularly mature album. But for a very indie Brooklyn band, Dinowalrus proves with % that they are as grown up as anyone. The record is sophisticated and polished and is certainly a serious and substantial undertaking. This isn't scene, it isn't attitude, it's music. And maybe that sounds obvious in a music review, but it's really not - most bands are at least partially about something other than the music - and there's nothing inherently wrong with that. But if Dinowalrus has another motive, it doesn't show here.

Peter Feigenbaum, Dinowalrus's frontman, told me he doesn't listen a whole lot of to contemporary music, partly "in order to maintain aesthetic sovereignty." And that clearly works for Dinowalrus, because % sounds like no one else. It's dense, spacey psychedelia with deep grooves, raging guitar riffs and a million noises you can't quite identify. The songs are epic and multidimensional but rock hard. Sounds here are clearly a medium, the album a collection of art pieces, but that makes this sound pretentious and burdensome. Instead, it's fun and beautiful and badass, all at the same time.

My main criticism of Dinowalrus in the past has come from a certain amorphousness and I still see that here to some extent. It's not defining of the entire album, but there are certain places where I wonder if a particular chorus or verse might work just as well in a different song. The large components of each song aren't always glued together as well as I'd like.

But on a smaller scale, it would be impossible to fault the band for their arrangements. Each song is a complex mesh of sounds, painstakingly engineered and carefully, dynamically mixed. The songs are at once wild and disciplined, improvisational and meticulously planned.

Though the band's sonic palate is uniquely their own, it sometimes seems to want for breadth - every song is slathered in a similar dark, reverbed haze. However, there is always a trade-off between cohesion and variety and % manages a better balance than most. From the tightly-wound half-kraut, half-punk "Electric Car, Gas Guitar" to the bluesy riff of "Cage Those Pythons" to the warm, dreamy "Haze on the Mobius Strip," the songs create their own rich space for the listener to crawl inside.

It's hard to pick highlights from the album. "BEAD" may be the big hit song (err...) but its psych-funk groove (think ESG, Liquid Liquid or Konk on acid) is matched by the monumental krautrock-influenced anthem "I Hate Numbers." "Nuke Duke 'Em" burns like a fuse to a block of TNT, twisting and turning as it consumes itself.

% is original to its core. Though you can spot plenty of reference points in it, you won't see anything resembling imitation. There is simply no substitute. If you like this, you better get your hands on it because it's one of a kind.

Live: Fiasco + Unstoppable Death Machines

When: 12/18
Where: Death By Audio

Upon entering Death By Audio for the Fiasco show, we were greeted by a delightful sludge-racket called The Unstoppable Death Machines, with a set-up basically equivalent to that of Lightning Bolt (drummer and bassist, effect-laden vocals through mics strapped right on/in the mouth). However, the music isn't so much Lightning Bolt-esque beyond that. Sure, it's heavy and blasted with distortion, but Unstoppable Death Machines rely far less on complexity and speed than their older Rhode Island counterparts. Instead, they base their music off of simple, crushing riffs. That's not to say there isn't a high level of musicianship, but just that these songs would be learnable to most bassists - Lightning Bolt's music, not so much. While not the greatest or most original band on earth, UDM were pretty delicious. They want to rip your face off. [MySpace]

The young Fiasco took the stage next. And "young" is the operative adjective when it comes to this band. Their mistakes are all characteristic of young players, but so is their particular brand of pure enthusiasm and concentration. Musically, the band plays an involved post-hardcore, with little focus on vocals and a whole lot on complex time signatures, technically difficult riffs and DISTORTION.

At times, their music seemed unnecessarily complicated. I've seen young bands do some crazy stuff just because they can. And I like technically sophisticated music, but only if all the time signature changes and high-speed riffing strengthen the songs instead of gumming them up. Fiasco were hit and miss in this regard.

They also made errors in stage presence. First of all, they allowed way too much downtime between songs - I don't know if this was a product of technical difficulties or just poor planning, but they need to work on closing those gaps - if you can't shorten them, fill them up with something, please! Otherwise, all that momentum that builds during the songs - and they are great songs! - gets lost. Second, the band apologized for being underrehearsed and messing up. They were clearly underrehearsed, but apologizing for it just drew attention to it. If you mess up, you just have to own that as part of the show, say "this is how we play, so fuck off." That's much more fun for the audience than being told they spent their time and money to see something subpar.

Jonathan Edelstein and Lucian Buscemi switch on guitar and bass and alternate vocals, and while I enjoy the variety that adds, it did highlight the discrepancy in skill between the two players. When Edelstein played guitar, guitar led the songs. When he played bass, bass led the songs. His vocals were strong and melodic, while Buscemi could only sing whatever note he was playing. Edelstein also had a more engaging stage presence, while Buscemi looked like he might rather hide behind an amp. Musicians in a band certainly don't have to be equal, and sometimes what a particular musician has brought to a band can't be seen on stage. However, I was a bit surprised at the difference and frustrated by Buscemi's many missed opportunities.

Don't get me wrong, the band is great. Their effort and focus on stage is clear and their music is explosive. They just have some growing up to do - and just think how good they'll be when they get there! [MySpace]

Albums to Watch for in 2010

*** DISCLAIMER: As with last year's list, these are albums I would like to see in 2010. Some have not been announced, and some probably don't and won't exist. I'm not trying to start rumors, I'm just an optimist!!***

Dinowalrus - This one is real and it's coming out soon. Like, in a week. I haven't listened yet, but I'm pretty sure it's going to kick ass. The band's experimental psychedelic drone probably isn't for everyone, but if you're into that stuff (and you should be!), this is as good as it gets. [myspace]

Dum Dum Girls - The debut is out in March. Dum Dum Girls are what's right about this whole lo-fi pop revival. [myspace]

My Bloody Valentine - A girl can hope, right? Right?

Ringo Deathstarr - I was hoping for this one last year, but this year it's actually looking promising. The loudest, densest, prettiest shoegaze in ages. [myspace]

Seawhores - Heavy and confrontational, yet melodic, Seawhores have earned their cult following. I don't know if they are planning an album, but since they signed to Death By Audio Records, they must intend to release something at some point. [myspace]

Shellshag - This one is real too, it comes out in February and it's going to rock. The band's two members like to get fucked up and fuck up and fuck you up. What else could you want? [myspace]

Titus Andronicus - Titus Andronicus play hardcore punk that's at once traditional and original, pushing boundaries with their ambitious compositions, shoegaze-influenced guitars and thoughtful lyrics. [myspace]

And keep an eye out for these too...

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (March)

Fiasco (we'll see...)

Interference (February)

Liars (March)

Los Campesinos! (January)

Quasi (February)

Radio Dept. (February)

Sisters (we'll see...)

So So Glos (we'll see...)

Spoon (January)

Who to Watch in 2010: Part 4

PREVIOUS >>
Part 1 (reruns)
Part 2
Part 3

Small Black - This enthusiastic synth-based group made a short-lived splash this fall. Keep then on the radar. I have a feeling that their sincerity and their knack for writing great pop tunes will take them a long way yet. [MySpace]

Street Chant - I don't know if hailing from New Zealand will be an asset or a handicap for this band. All I know is that in a world saturated with DIY bands, this young punk outfit manages to stand out. The songs are just that good. [MySpace]

Trash Kit - I don't mean to play favorites, but one member of this band totally let me crash her night out last spring for no apparent reason. But as much as that may have endeared me to this new trio, they deserve to be on this list. With some of their circle getting love stateside (Wetdog, most recently), they might be able to get their foot in the door. And whether or not they manage that, their take-no-prisoners punk ain't nothing to fuck with. [MySpace]

Young Boys - New York's best kept secret for sure, Young Boys are what would be left if you set a pile of Jesus & Mary Chain records on fire. The duo's music is sparse and gritty but with dramatic, sweeping melodies and enough feedback to annihilate a small city. [MySpace]

The Zookeepers - Boston may have been disgraced this year in the world of baseball, but they do have one thing going for them - the Zookeepers. The band doesn't sound as if they've full come into their own quite yet. But there's a diamond in that rough - being amateur will pass. Being creative [hopefully!] won't. [MySpace]

That's it!

Guest List: Best Live Acts of 2009

The ever alluring "Jasper" put together a list of best live acts he saw in 2009. I threw in links to any reviews I wrote of those shows we saw together.

#15   Sonic Youth put on a just plain great rock show. The fact that they are an essential piece of rock n' holl history in the flesh and the props they get for still doing it this well 30 years later is what elevates them above the hundreds of other great rock shows this year and earns them a place here.
(RFR Review)

#14   Animal Collective makes truly unique and often astounding music, but their shows are about more than just reproducing it live. Considering how many of their tracks are either heavily produced or exude a very personal, almost private, feeling, it is impressive how they transform them to fill the vast concert halls they now frequent. Combined with their quirky, honest, no holds barred stage presence and you have a show unlike any other. Were it not for the occasionally excessive jam sessions, they would have been higher in this list.
(Jasper Full Review)

#13   JEFF the Brotherhood are gritty, loud and rambunctious, yet still technically polished. Simply put, their shows have been some of the most fun I've been to all year. In a underground music culture rife of overly self-conscious, pretentious and just plain wimpy hipster cliches, two guys unafraid to play good old rock n' roll (that is nonetheless innovative) and mean it are as ballsy as they are refreshing.
(RFR Review 1 / 2 / 3)

#12    That the Vandelles' shows make you simultaneously want to dance and sing along AND cower in a corner with your hands pressed tightly against your ears is impressive enough. Throw in a charismatic front man and a drummer whose unmatched aggression only adds to her sex appeal and you've got one hell of a show. Who am I kidding? The whole band is exceptionally good looking and know how to work it and as much as we hardcore music fans want to tell ourselves that it's all about the music, we're only human.
(RFR Review 1 / 2 / 3)

#11   Titus Andronicus - Though I could never much get into listening to their albums, I have to admit that the TA shows I've been to have been some of the best all year. Committed and adept performers, they inspire a contagious enthusiasm in their fans. Beyond that, they embody the true spirit of punk: agressive and confrontational, yet communal and inclusive.
(RFR Review 1 / 2 / 3)

#10   Stupid Party - Forget committed, these guys are just plain nuts. With equal parts agression and abandon, they appear to pour every fiber of their beings into their shows yet exude the spontaneous joy of kids at a playground.
(RFR Review 1 / 2)

#9   Lightning Bolt - Never had I been to a show where the entire room erupted into a mosh pit at the musician's first touch of his instrument - and that was just the sound check! We all know that they are supremely skilled musicians, but there is something in their music that transcends technical virtuosity and sends a jolt through their fans unlike anything else I have yet witnessed.
(RFR Review 1 / 2)

#8   Beluga - Plenty of bands have loud guitars, infectious hooks and effective arrangements. Few have a striking front woman who refuses to remain still, dances with the audience and writhes on the floor. This is the real thing kids, don't miss it!
(RFR Review)

#7   Screaming Females shows are all about the uninhibited yet astoundingly skilled antics of front woman Marissa Paternoster. She sings and screams and shreds with an aggression and technical prowess not typically associated with diminutive women - but boy does she show 'em how it's done.
(RFR Review 1 / 2 / 3)

#6   ...And You Will know Us by the Trail of the Dead put on shows as sweeping and dramatic as their name, without the off-putting excess that's often part of the package. How? They deliver every note and word with unwavering and uninhibited passion. They are truly one of the most powerful bands I have ever witnessed.
(RFR Review)

#5   Fucked Up also perform with grandeur and power uncommon in today's hyper self-aware landscape, although their shows are as much about sonic assault as they are moving their audience emotionally. Not in years (dare I say, since Black Flag?) has anyone so raw been compelling on so many levels - visceral, emotional and intellectual.
(RFR Review 1 / 2)

#4   A Place to Bury Strangers - Speaking of sonic assault, these guys do it better than anyone I know of on the scene today, while simultaneously undermining any image of themselves as traditional rock stars by obscuring their own figures with smoke and strobe lights. To witness their shows is not so much to encounter a rock band but a force of nature.
(RFR Review 1 / 2)

#3   No Age - This one might not be be fair since they are a perennial favorite of mine, but I am hard pressed to think of any band that, no matter where or how many times I see them, it is literally one of the most fun nights of my entire year. Sophisticated, shoegaze influenced soundscapes are backed by a good ol' fasion punk rock spirit. Also, their shows always seem to inspire an unusually spirited yet mostly non-violent mosh pit. Don't miss these guys the next time they come around!
(RFR Review, sort of)

#2   Pterodactyl have pretty much everything I have pointed out so far that makes a great live band: charisma, visceral force, technical prowess, a hint of insanity, a whole lot of fun and the sense that they really mean it. But what puts them ahead of the pack is their undeniable musical originality and, more importantly, the fact that their live shows evolve continually. Rather than finding a formula for success and sticking with it, every Pterodactyl show I've seen has been distinct: sometimes loud and abrasive, sometimes poppy and sing-songy, sometimes noisy and experimental (not to mention, all of these at once). While every band on this list puts on a great show and has something unique to offer, this extra level of risk-taking is exceedingly rare.
(RFR Review 1 / 2 / 3 / 4)

#1   Ponytail - I've detailed the characteristics I value in a live band so many times by this point that to list everything good about Ponytail's shows would be redundant. Suffice it to say they have it all and take much of it just one step further than the rest (in particular, the antics of their lead vocalist, who is physically small but larger than life in sound and personality). What is really extraordinary and different about their shows however, has as much to do with the atmosphere as what the band is actually doing on stage: to be at a Ponytail show is to be surrounded by hundreds of kids literally jumping up and down for experimental free-form noise rock.

This uncommon combination of spontaneous joy and high-art appreciation among fans points to what makes Ponytail's music and their shows so striking and important: their ability to synthesize disparate or even seemingly contradictory qualities. Their music is at once visceral and intellectual, arty yet fun, experimental yet widely appealing. In this way, Ponytail represents all that rock music can be, in the tradition of some of my greatest heroes like the Velvet Underground and Sonic Youth. Such a comparison is a high compliment indeed; however, what makes Ponytail even greater is that they do not achieve what these bands did by aping them. Rather, their music is some of the most original and truly unique out there today. So there you have it: a band that both returns to what was so awesome about the greatest of the past and moves the the art form forward into the future.
(RFR Review 1 / 2)

Who to Watch in 2010: Part 3

PREVIOUS >>
Part 1 (reruns)
Part 2

Knight School - Indie pop has certainly experienced a bit of a revival lately and I have a hunch Knight School will be one of the next swept up the craze. They aren't anything new, but slightly harder-edged and rawer than the Pains of Being Pure at Heart and their ilk, they have a niche. Their songwriting is consistently superb, with Bealtes-esque melody. And they've got all the right friends. Stay tuned. [MySpace]

Male Bonding - This one may be a bit of an easy pick, but so far, the U.S. press hasn't really picked up on these new signees to SubPop. My first thought about this band (aside from the fact that they share a name with an early incarnation of Sonic Youth) was, what do we need with another DIY punk band? But it quickly became apparent to me, especially seeing the band live at CMJ, that they have something special. Their music is simply explosive - let's hope people on this side of the Atlantic take notice soon! [MySpace]

PC Worship - I was originally under the impression this band was quite a bit more avant-garde than they really are. They do build a space in their music for a lot of sonic experimentation, but their murky, echoey noise carries twice-removed psychedelic melodies and lo-fi charm. [MySpace]

Screens - Screens dub their reverby drones with spooky, emotive vocals and organic sounding electronic grooves. The band may be a little too strange to make it really big, but hey, you never know. And whether or not they garner attention, I am willing to bet they will do something bold and exciting in 2010. [MySpace]

Sleigh Bells - This is another somewhat obvious pick. I mean, even my mom has heard of them! But they were little known until this October, when they became the surprise stars of CMJ. They are an electrodance duo, but with serious no wave, punk and noise influences. From searing distorted guitars and searing distorted vocals to ten thousand pound downbeats, this band will make a real impact. And not just an impact on your eardums, but that too! [MySpace]

NEXT>> Part 4

Upcoming Shows: Coin Under Tongue, Agent Orange, Beluga + more

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]

TONIGHT!!! Wednesday, January 6

Babies (mems. Woods, Vivian Girls), True Womanhood, Sundelles, Beach Fossils, Total Slacker @ Glasslands | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
I haven't heard Babies, they might be good or they might be awful. I have heard True Womanhood and the Sundelles and they are both great! True Womanhood play eerie, disorienting rock and the Sundelles play garage rock. Beach Fossils are okay and Total Slacker has been a buzz band lately, so all in all, it's a pretty sick line-up.
[Babies MySpace] [TW MySpace] [Sundelles MySpace] [BF MySpace] [TS MySpace]


TOMORROW!!! Thursday, January 7

Coin Under Tongue @ Death By Audio | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Coin Under Tongue play sludgy, deliberate post-hardcore with a certain intangible indie pop sensibility.

Japanther @ Santos Party House | Chinatown, Manhattan
Japanther are an arty pop-punk duo with GREAT songs.
[MySpace]


Friday, January 8

Ex-Humans @ Don Pedro | Bushwick, Brooklyn
Don Pedro is a lousy place to hear bands - its stuffy and has poor sound. On the other hand, Ex-Humans are cooler than you and they make good punky music.
[MySpace]


Saturday, January 9

Drunkdriver + Blues Control @ Death By Audio | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Drunkdriver are loud and not very friendly. Their noise/hardcore/punk is extreme and amazing. Check them out.
[MySpace]


Sunday, January 10

Agent Orange @ Mercury Lounge | LES, Manhattan | $10 adv. / $12 dos.
Original southern California hardcore, still at it.
[MySpace]


Tuesday, January 12

Beluga @ Cameo | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Beluga are lady punks (and one guy). The singer is a Brazilian (ex-?) fashion model who screams and writhes on the floor. They are one of the best and most underrated bands in NYC. They are angry but also fun and their simple, Nirvana-influenced songs stick in your brain.
[MySpace]


[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
The long view...

January 2010
13
The Drums + Surfer Blood, Depreciation Guild @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

14
Coyote Eyes, Frozen Warnings @ Death By Audio

15
Gang Gang Dance, DJ/Rupture @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

16
Dinosaur Jr @ Bowery Ballroom (Sold Out)
Dinowalrus record release with Aa @ Cake Shop

17
Dinosaur Jr @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (Sold Out)
Mos Def @ Highline Ballroom

18
Dinosaur Jr @ Brooklyn Bowl

22
Bob Mould @ City Winery

23
Pterodactyl @ Issue Project Room

25
Cheap Trick @ The Fillmore

29
Asobi Seksu @ Le Poissson Rouge
Here We Go Magic @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Mission of Burma @ Bowery Ballroom
Sounds Like Brooklyn: Les Savy Fav, Vivian Girls (yick) @ Brooklyn Academy of Music

30
Mission of Burma @ Bowery Ballroom

February
3
Atlas Sound @ Bell House

4
Atlas Sound, Neon Indian, Sisters @ NYU Kimmel
Cold Cave @ Mercury Lounge

5
Sounds Like Brooklyn: Ra Ra Riot, the Antlers @ Brooklyn Academy of Music

6
Don Giovanni showcase: Shellshag, Screaming Females, Jeff the Brotherhood + more @ Bowery Ballroom

9
The Residents @ Webster Hall

10
Harlem @ Mercury Lounge

12
Jonathan Richman @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

13
Jonathan Richman @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
The Magnetic Fields @ Brooklyn Academy of Music

14
Jonathan Richman @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

19
Fucked Up, Kurt Vile, Frankie Rose & the Outs @ Europa
Andrew W-K @ Santos Party House

20
Crystal Stilts, Beets, Beach Fossils, German Measles @ Music Hall of Williamsubrg

21
Dum Dum Girls, Frankie Rose & the Outs @ Mercury Lounge

26
Wild Beasts @ Bowery Ballroom

27
Glenn Branca record release @ Le Poisson Rouge

28
Wild Beasts @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

March
5
Muse, the Silversun Pickups @ Madison Square Garden

6
Titus Andronicus @ Bowery Ballroom

10-11
The Magnetic Fields @ Town Hall

12-13
Henry Rollins @ The Fillmore

18-19
Killswitch Engage @ The Fillmore

25
Nada Surf play Let Go + surprise guest @ Bowery Ballroom

26
Nada Surf play The Weight Is a Gift + surprise guest @ Bell House

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Nada Surf play Lucky + surprise guest @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]

Who to Watch in 2010: Part 2

I already gave you the rerun list for bands to watch in 2010. Now for the new names:

Big Troubles - Big Troubles seem to me to combine the best of two worlds. They come from the media-savvy New Jersey in-crowd that brought us Real Estate and the Vivian Girls. But unlike most of these aloof bands, Big Troubles crank up the volume and distortion to 11 and aren't afraid to acknowledge a love of the Smashing Pumpkins and Oasis. In other words, they are a rock band who don't stake their music on cooler-than-thou posturing. Their songwriting is excellent, their sound rich and full and their live performance arresting. [MySpace]

Bonus Eventus - This band has been around a while but has only just started to unleash its charm upon the indie world at large. Simplistic pop-punk about being young and drunk isn't exactly a new idea, but these guys do it right. The bare hooks and raw enthusiasm combine to make great songs that will worm their way into your heart. [MySpace]

Ex Wife - Another New Jersey band, but this one from the less aloof New Brunswick scene, Ex Wife released a stunning EP in 2009 and have all the pieces in place to take off in 2010. Their music is punk-smart but emotive, raw but beautiful, gritty but lush. The band is young and sounds it, and it's too early to tell for sure, but I have a feeling this is just the beginning of something massively important. At once pained, agitated and inviting, it all sounds very contradictory, so I suggest you listen for yourself. [MySpace]

Frozen Warnings - With the Werewolves on hiatus, defacto band leader Brian Amsterdam has turned his attention to a new project, Frozen Warnings. If Werewolves are any indiaction, we can expect something relentlessly creative wrapped in a druggy haze and revealing some damn good songs. I doubt this band will sound much like Werewolves, but whatever direction they go in is probably worth checking out. [MySpace]

Heavy Cream - This female-led punk outfit from the Nashville/Infinity Cat scene is the combination of four very talented (and incidentally, very good-looking) musicians. Perhaps because they aren't quite as young and new to music as many of their punky peers, Heavy Cream have already revealed a level of professionalism and focus rare in new bands. But they are still youthful and energetic, delivering their irresistible tunes with reckless devotion. Watch out for these kids. [MySpace]

NEXT>> Part 3

Who to Watch in 2010: The Deja Vu List

Last year, I listed bands to watch in 2009. I definitely got a few right and a few wrong. Others, I think, are just a matter of timing and yet more are just continuing what they started. That means there are a few repeats from 2009 on this years "To Watch" list. These are they:

The Antlers - This is one of the bands I got right for 2009. But despite their massive climb in 2009 (they appeared to have all of fifteen people at a show in early 2009 and recently sold out Bowery Ballroom), I think their ascent has only just begun. They make sad ambient rock a little like Radiohead or Arcade Fire. [MySpace]

Coin Under Tongue - I recommended these guys back in June for the second half of 2009. They've been a bit slow to catch on, but I still think they are headed for greatness. Great sludgy post-hardcore with a keen melodic sensibility.

Coyote Eyes - Another one I recommended back in June. These guys are one of the most promising Brooklyn bands, playing arty post punk with a totally fresh sound. [MySpace]

Led Er Est - This band didn't make as big of strides in 2009 as I expected. But they have a lot of potential and lately, they seem to be gaining some real momentum. Their gothy no-wavey drones are certainly better than a lot of what's been getting hype lately. Expect a lot more in 2010. [MySpace]

Pterodactyl - 2010 might not be the biggest year for these guys because I don't know if they have any plans to release a full-length album. However, given that they remain one of the most innovate and underrated bands in Brooklyn and given that they are on the radars of most indie critics at this point, I think this band is still very much on the ascent. [MySpace]

The Ruling Class - This UK band hasn't yet had the break-through they deserve but I'm starting to see them on the radar at last. They are the most talented britpop group since the early 90's and 2010 should be their year. [MySpace]

Screaming Females - Okay, they weren't on any of my "to watch" lists, but I've talked about them so much, they may as well have been - and then some. They are probably the best indie rock band left on earth and yes, 2009 was tremendous for them, but I think they'll go even further in the years to come. [MySpace]

Sisters - Another band from my list in June, Sisters are an amazing duo with talent and spirit and their name has been in the The New Yorker, so 2010 is certainly looking bright. Their lo-fi noise pop will delight fans of everything from twee to 90's indie to punk rock proper. [MySpace]

NEXT>> Part 2