Upcoming Shows: Buzzcocks, Public Image Ltd + more

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
TONIGHT!!! Thursday, May 13

The Buzzcocks @ The Fillmore * Union Square, Manhattan * $35
Um, hello? It's the Buzzcocks. One of the top four original UK punk bands. Then again, it's $35.

Big Troubles, My Teenage Stride, Knight School @ Death By Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $7
These three bands have two things in common - they write great, catchy pop songs and they are noisy. MTS are the most conventional "twee" influenced group of the three. They play tightly but their songs are charmingly dorky. Knight School write amazing little pop tunes and soak them in some distortion and fuzz. Big Trouble are a little more rock'n'roll, with a heftier sound - actually, a sheer roar. Three bands for the price of one. And a great venue to top it off! [bt myspace] [mts myspace] [kf myspace]

Panda Riot @ Lit Lounge * East Village, Manhattan * $6
I don't normally advertise shows at Lit Lounge because the acoustics are horrible and the space is small and poorly managed. But Panda Riot are a really great shoegaze band that come all the way from Chicago and this is our big chance to see what they can do live. [myspace]


Tomorrow! Friday, May 14

Silver Apples, Oneida @ Abrons Art Center * LES, Manhattan * $15/$20
Silver Apples were a super obscure wacked out band in the 60's who really pioneered the use of synthesizers and were a precursor to every synth duo ever. They don't normally exist anymore, so this is a rare thing. Oneida play trance-inducing rhythmic music that doesn't really excite me that much but a lot of people think it's good. [sa myspace] [oneida myspace]

Talk Normal, Asa Ransom, Miniboone @ Glasslands * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $8
Seriously, you would be hard put to find three more different bands in New York. But they do have one thing in common - they are all great. And since Deli Magazine is highlighting the best bands in NYC, they picked well. Miniboone play large-scale, old-school pop with punk rock energy. Asa Ransom make dark, rhythmic dance punk. Talk Normal are pretty avant garde, with drones and pounding and rants. They are both ladies. (The other bands are all fellows.) [tn myspace] [ar myspace] [mini myspace]


Saturday, May 15

Parts & Labor, Talk Normal @ Knitting Factory * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
Parts & Labor are super loud. They make slamming, skull shattering noise with guitars and electronics and distortion. But winding through this soundscape are stunningly beautiful melodies any pop fan would love. Talk Normal, I already explained about (see above). [pl myspace]

The Vandelles, El Jezel @ Cameo * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
The Vandelles play feedback but every second of feedback is tied into high-energy classic pop-rock gems. I haven't heard El Jezel in forever, but if I recall their influences are shoegaze and a little post-rock and lots of regular old cool, melodic indie rock. I could be wrong, though, it's been a while. [vandelles myspace] [ej myspace]

Aa, True Womanhood, These Are Powers @ Secret Project Robot * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
Aa are an NYC mainstay of highly percussive, throbbing-beat music you have to dance (or head-bob) to. True Womanhood, well, they sound like Radiohead. Rhythmically off-kilter songs with spooky guitar. These Are Powers have the same throbbing-beat thing but are not nearly as good. I think they were aiming to fill a certain niche, but someone much better beat them to it. Still, should be a fun night, especially if you like to move. [aa myspace] [tw myspace] [tap myspace]

Mahogany @ Open Road Rooftop (Rooftop Films) * LES, Manhattan * $10
Mahogany, masters of noise pop and decade-long veterans of indie music, will be playing on a roof on the Lower East Side before a movie is screened on that same roof. Nice! [myspace]


Sunday, May 16
Silver Apples @ Coco 66 * Greenpoint, Brooklyn
A show that I'm guessing will be cheaper than Friday's and a little less weird (the other features a light show), I suppose I'd recommend catching Silver Apples (see above) here instead.


Tuesday, May 17

Public Image Ltd @ Terminal 5 * Midtown, Manhattan * $40
Don't go to this show to hear seminal post punk band Public Image Ltd - it's Terminal 5 and I promise you won't be able to hear anything. Go to this show to be in the same room as John Lydon a.k.a. Johnny Rotten. I need to touch him. [myspace]

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
The long view...

May
19
Public Image Ltd @ Terminal 5 Music Hall of Williamsburg
Diana Ross @ Radio City Music Hall

21
Fuck Buttons @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

22
Fuck Buttons @ Le Poisson Rouge
New York Dolls @ Warsaw
NYC PopFest: Wake, Boat, My Teenage Stride + more @ Bell House

27
Forgetters @ Bell House

28
Holy Fuck @ Le Poisson Rouge

29
Psych Fest: Weird Owl (yay), Hopewell (blech), Golden Triangle (blech), Psychic Ills (yay), Sunburned Hand of the Man (yay) + more @ Glasslands

June
4
Psychedelic Furs @ the Fillmore

6
Brian Jonestown Massacre @ Webster Hall

18
Melvins + Isis @ Webster Hall
Woven Bones @ Mercury Lounge

24
Wavves @ Knitting Factory

July
24
M.I.A. @ Governors Island

30
Big Takeover: Springhouse @ Bell House

31
Big Takeover: Springhouse, For Against @ Bell House

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]

Live: Sightings, Oneida

When: 3/19
Where: Knitting Factory

So a few weeks ago, I went to see Oneida at the new Knitting Factory in Brooklyn and Sightings were opening. I've seen the band before, but the night I know I saw them first is almost entirely missing from my memory, so it was pretty much like coming to the band fresh. And they proved my lack of memory of the last set I saw was not the fault of the band - love 'em or hate 'em, they are memorable.

I do love them! Their noise is like bulldozers razing your eardrums - if any band could challenge A Place To Bury Strangers for the spot of "loudest band in NYC," it's these guys. However, APTBS get you with cutting blasts of feedback, whereas Sightings pile sheer sonic weight on their audience. "Noise" is the only way to describe it, but unlike many "noise" bands, Sightings have meticulous control of their sound. They aren't just playing with shit and getting lucky, they have a vision - a bleak, skull-shattering vision - and they know how to get their instruments make the sounds to do it.

And through all of this massive guitar drone and woven into the heavy, mindless pulse of the bass are songs. There's a pop appeal here - most people probably wouldn't see it, but there are rhythms, structures and the faintest hint of melody that keep the band on point. (This was exemplified with even more clarity when I saw the band at Death by Audio last week.)

The indecipherable vocals, though in some contrast to the inhuman buzz and thud of the guitars and drums, never sound like an afterthought. Instead, delivered by the oddly appealing Mark Morgan, the words are marked with genuine desperation that has not yet turned to nihilism. Pronounced with flat restraint, they form a ominous conversation with band's erratic noise. The result is uneasy, cataclysmic and ultimately, deeply satisfying. [myspace]

Sadly, not so for Oneida, whom, despite my best efforts, I just can't really get into. I do respect the band - it's made up of talented musicians with some truly original ideas. But to my ears, it just doesn't quite come together. The band launched into an instrumental epic and by the time vocals came in, they did seem like an afterthought - they failed to blend with the music. The long passages - and they are all long - are a bit self-indulgent, with slight modulations on repetition after repetition. It's the kind of thing that could be amazing to someone on drugs. Less so to me.

What it comes down to is that, as far as I can understand the music, the whole is never more than the sum of its parts. Each song is a series of good ideas which the band slowly nurtures into robust sections, but they take too long to grow each part and that is all they do, over and over again. I hesitate to speak with definitive sentiment here, because I can tell the band has immense talent and creativity and I keep hoping there's something I'm not getting and once I get it, I'll love the band as much as many others seem to. But there seemed no logic to the sequencing of sections, no ultimate momentum or focus, just ideas fleshed out to the point of exhaustion. I like my music to be written, not just played, but if this was written, composed, it was done so poorly.

I was also irked by the band's stage presence. Guitarist "Hanoi Jane" proved a regular chatty Cathy not with the audience but with his bandmates. He repeatedly walked up to each one to exchange words. No doubt the exchanges were about the music, but there was something in them that seemed disaffected. Perhaps it's too much to ask that bands converse on stage only with great emotional intensity, but the little asides and laughs really gave me the feeling this is just a job for Oneida. I know that's not true, but c'mon, you gotta show us you want to be on stage, you want to be making this music - need to, even - and the way they presented themselves, they might have just as well gone to the beach.

Perhaps the pairing with Sightings was unfortunate for the band - where Sightings were bleeding with sincerity, Oneida were somewhat lackadaisical and aloof. Where Sightings were focused and restrained, Oneida were indulgent and scattered. I wouldn't write Oneida off - they are the real deal - but if given the choice, I'd go with Sightings every time. [myspace]

Upcoming Shows: Bellmer Dolls LAST SHOWS EVER! + more

Tonight! Wednesday, March 17

The Bellmer Dolls @ The Studio at Webster Hall | East Village, Manhattan | $10
Horrible news, friends. The Bellmer Dolls, one of NYC's great undiscovered bands, is calling it quits. They've got a few more shows before they throw in the towel, including this one tonight. The Dolls' garage goth is demonic and intense and their live show has the wild spontaneity that can only come from a legitimate disturbed genius. This is the real thing. [myspace]


TOMORROW! Thursday, March 18

Mahogany + Autodrone @ The Studio at Webster Hall | East Village, Manhattan | $10
Mahogany one of the greatest dream-pop bands ever. Unlike most bands of the genre, however, Mahogany doesn't rely on blurred, amorphous noise. Instead, a hundred distinct moving pieces weave together to create a thick blanket of sound. The whole thing is held together by sweet slow-pop melodies. And this show is all new songs, previewed from their forthcoming EP, so it will be exciting even to old fans. Autodrone play something similar, but with harder edge. Their raging lead guitar draws from proggy metal as much as shoegaze, but it never becomes burdensome. It just gives a sharp alt-rock edge to their dark, dense pop songs. [mahogany myspace] [autodrone myspace]


Friday, March 19

Oneida, Sightings @ Knitting Factory | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $10-12
I'm never quite sure how to describe Oneida, given they don't fit into a genre and given how many different directions they've explored in the last decade. They draw on krautrock and industrial, concentrating on rhythm and repetition. They tend to be heavy, but their latest LP showed as much world and club influence as metal. It's trancy, cold, loud, aggressive and wholly original. Sightings is even more out-there. They draw on noise, avant garde and no wave to create an unforgiving, skull-shattering noise. [oneida myspace] [sightings myspace]



[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
Saturday, March 20

Ain't shit going on. Everyone is in Texas, I guess. No SXSW for me this year...alas.


Sunday, March 21

Bellmer Dolls @ Coco 66 | Greenpoint, Brooklyn | $7
See above. This is their last show. Ever.


Tuesday, March 23

Black Lips @ Brooklyn Bowl | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $17
Black Lips play decent garage punk but I don't like Brooklyn Bowl or paying $17 for a show. Still, I thought I'd mention it, especially since there's nothing else worthwhile going on on Monday or Tuesday. [myspace]


[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
The long view...

March
24
Black Lips @ Bowery Ballroom

25
Nada Surf play Let Go + surprise guest @ Bowery Ballroom
Jello Biafra and Guantanamo Schools of Medicine @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple

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
1
Bonnie Prince Billy @ Monster Island Basement

2
The Bronx, Japanther @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Captured Tracks Showcase: Blank Dogs, Wet Dog + more @ Glasslands
Bonnie Prince Billy @ Monster Island Basement

3
Soft Pack, Nodzzz, Male Bonding @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

6
The Bronx, Japanther @ Bowery Ballroom

8
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ Webster Hall

9
Pissed Jeans + Himalaya @ Knitting Factory
Xiu-Xiu, Tune-Yards @ Bowery Ballroom

10
Washed Out, Small Black @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

15
Liars @ Bowery Ballroom

17
Trans Am @ Santos Party House

18
Liars @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Trans Am @ Market Hotel

20
The Thermals @ Brooklyn Bowl

21
Apples in Stereo @ Bowery Ballroom

22
Quasi, Let's Wrestle @ Bowery Ballroom

25
Shellshag, Noun (Marissa Paternoster of Screaming Females), Black Wine, Pregnant @ Mercury Lounge

May
3
Chapterhouse @ Bell House


[Upcoming Shows Playlist]

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...

Upcoming Shows: Tyvek, Shilpa Ray + more

Wednesday, July 22
The indie pop scene in NY is not really big enough to try to split between two venues, so we'll see what happens on Wednesday.

My Teenage Stride @ Bell House | Gowanus, Brooklyn | $10
My Teenage Stride is the very first band I reviewed on this blog. I didn't want to like them, but I did, and I do. Fun, sweet indie pop played roughly but tightly, like good indie pop should be. [MySpace]

Knight School @ Bruar Falls | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $8
I haven't seen Knight School yet, despite several attempts to catch them. They come with a strong recommendation from a certain person in a certain preeminent twee band, and I like their recorded stuff pretty well. It's lo-fi pop, with outstanding songwriting buried under a solid layer of fuzz. Nothing new, but definitely something good. [MySpace]


Thursday, July 23

Shilpa Ray and Werewolves @ Death By Audio | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Two of my favorite bands. Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers consistently put on one of NYC's best live shows. Their seamless combination of influences from blues and soul to punk creates a solid rock music that's familiar but never cliche. Werewolves are less consistent live, but when they're good, they're awesome, taking psychedelic music in entirely new directions. Another blender of styles, Werewolves draw from 70's rock'n'roll, early shoegaze, campy psychobilly and whacked out art rock, but still they pack it all down into a tight, heavy pop music that's entirely unforgettable. [Shilpa Ray MySpace] [Werewolves MySpace]


Friday, July 24

Oneida + Sunburned Hand of the Man @ Market Hotel | Bushwick, Brooklyn | $8
Oneida is an experimental band that draws from krautrock and industrial, using heavy guitars, heavy electronics and sweet grooves. It's a bit repetitive and may be best heard in an altered state of mind. But no matter what state you're in, there's no denying this is one of NYC's best. Sunburned Hand of the Man is a noise band that Thurston Moore likes and put on his Ecstatic Peace label. They are a little too formless for my liking, but you could definitely do worse for an opening act! [Onieda MySpace] [SHOTM MySpace]


Saturday, July 25

Tyvek @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan | $10
Everyone who was at the Woodsist Festival missed one of the crowd's best bands, who had to cancel due to a medical emergency. The good news is that everyone is OK and that they are in NY this weekend. Detroit punks with more heart than an iditerod of sled dogs, Tyvek are nothing short of thrilling live. Really and truly, do not miss them. [MySpace]


Sunday, July 26

Blank Dogs @ Secret Project Robot | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $8
Lo-fi goth pioneer Mike Sniper and his band will perform at one of the few remaining DIY spots this weekend. So far, I haven't been that into the live act, but the music is so good, it's still worth checking out. [MySpace]

Coyote Eyes, Spanish Prisoners @ Cameo | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Coyote Eyes are NYC's finest emerging post-punk band. They are a great live act and getting better all the time. Great melodies, noise-rock guitars, excellent beats, all of this adds up to one delicious set. Plus, they are joined by the very decent Spanish Prisoners, known for staying sonically interesting while playing some pretty straightforwardly charming songs. [MySpace] [MySpace]

Live: Pterodactyl & Oneida

When: 4/25
Where: Secret Project Robot

To celebrate the release of their new LP Worldwild, Brooklyn-based Pterodactyl threw a major bash at DIY space Secret Project Robot, headlined by the longtime NYC rockers Oneida. The combination makes sense because the record was released by Brah Records, the label owned and run by the members of Oneida. But it also makes sense because of the striking musical parallels between the two groups.

Pterodactyl plays a skittering experimental rock, built around the extensive repetition of rhythmic, tense riffs. Despite all the repetition (which is a red-flag word for me when I see a review), the music is crammed full of twisted pop hooks and astonishing harmonies. The rhythmic interplay of major-key guitars is reminiscent of the best of Television – cutting distortion on nimble, interlocking arpeggios. At other times, they ring or snarl, hum or clang.


Pterodactyl
The multi-part vocal arrangements are creative collages of hollers and chants. The band’s willful disregard of key signature makes their music deliciously dissonant and makes the resolution into harmony all the more stunning. Holding up the foundation is a frantic clatter of drums, careening though jolting shifts in time signature at 100 mph. And though it’s sometimes buried under discord, distortion and fury, the band keeps afloat a thread of bright pop melody.

And true to the music’s joyous rage, the band members deliver with passion and heart, screaming, contorting and strangling their guitars into submission. At this show, the band performed behind thin veiling curtains (on which video was projected). It was somewhat of a needless gesture, but the band were active and visible enough that it did not detract, just added a slight air of mystery. And all the setup is irrelevant when the music is that good. [MySpace]

Oneida has been around the area for about a dozen years, but though far longer established, they are a natural fit for Pterodactyl; the two bands aim for the same thing – rhythmic, repetitive, loud music adorned with a tangle of pop hooks.

However, they start in two completely different places. While both give hints of krautrock influence, Pterodactyl’s approach seems to have its roots in punk and indie rock, most clearly through the shrieking delivery and math-rock-esque rhythm section. Oneida’s music, in contrast, shows more hints of prog metal and industrial. Their guitars have more weight and the use of electronics makes their music colder and rather more ominous than that of their younger counterparts.

I prefer Pterodactyl’s approach to Oneida’s, but I think that’s a matter of personal preference. Oneida doesn’t have the hints of jubilant melody that Pterodactyl does. Their live songs wore on rather longer and the repetitions extended beyond their life, with changes coming too slowly and too subtly for someone with my attention span. With far more and longer instrumental sections, Oneida offered little for me to hold on to.

However, the band has a dedicated following of fans who filled art-house space with genuine excitement. Looking around, it seemed to that when Oneida hit home with someone, they really hit home. The expressions on the bobbing heads indicated this wasn’t just a “liked” band, it was a favorite band.

If you’re not great with a heavy repetition-to-melody ratio, Oneida might not be the band for you. But if you enjoy the longer trances of Suicide, Can or Neu!, if you like to lose yourself in psychedelic trance-dance and rock out, Oneida is sure to please. [MySpace]

Upcoming Shows: Oneida, Calvin Johnson + more

TODAY, Tuesday, April 21

Gracefully, I Feel Tractor @ Zebulon || Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Gracefully (fka So L'il) plays some very tripped out dream pop that, last I saw, was more agressive and uptempo live than recorded. It's crazy music with good melodies and lotsa NOISE. As for I Feel Tractor, I actually haven't heard the guy, but I've been curious for a while just because of the cool band name. [Gracefully MySpace] | [Tractor MySpace]


TOMORROW, Wednesday, April 22

Shilpa Ray and Depreciation Guild @ Bell House | Gowanus, Brooklyn | $10
If ever there was a show worth the crazy trek to Bell House in middle-of-nowhere Brooklyn, this is it. I've written two live reviews of Shilpa, one in December and one in March. Depreciation Guild haven't got much in common with her musically, but they are just about as awesome. Heavy electro-shoegazers, these guys get mile-think walls of sound out of their guitars. Two great bands for ten bucks? C'mon. [Shilpa MySpace] | [DG MySpace]

Psychedelic Horseshit, Drink Up Buttercup @ Santos Party House | Chinatown, Manhattan | $10
These two bands aren't headlining, but they are still hot shit. Psychedelic Horseshit sounds kind of like the name would imply. It's messy and loud, but with a definite pop sensibility lurking somewhere underneath the racket. Drink Up Buttercup is a more straight-forward psychedelic pop that's far less cutting edge and rather more annoying. But some folks like em. [PH MySpace] | [DUB MySpace]


Thursaday, April 23

IfWhen @ Fontana's | Chinatown, Manhattan | $7
IfWhen represents the avant-garde of the shoegaze world, something I like to call "no-gaze." It basically sounds like all of them are playing the different songs. Normally, I'm not so into the highly experimental, but there's something amazing, original and beautiful about IfWhen's music. I think they play early. Also, bring earplugs. [MySpace]


Friday, April 24

Beluga @ Cameo | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $7
Lady punks return to Cameo. It will undoubtedly be a lot like last time, only better. [MySpace]


Saturday, April 25

How to choose...???

Oneida @ Monster Island Basement | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Oneida play a loud-ass fusion of punk and krautrock. They could be compared to Suicide from their tight rhythms and repetition, but they're more guitar driven like that. More like Iggy Pop covering Kraftwerk. Anyway, they've been a New York City classic for years. [MySpace]

Ponytail, Real Estate @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | Williamsburg, Brooklyn |
Ponytail are loud and manic, highly experimental and an outstanding live show. They made my Best of 2008 list. Real Estate are rumoured to be the shit. [Ponytail MySpace] | [RE MySpace]

Ceremony, Screen Vinyl Image and Soren Well @ Cameo | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $13 adv / $15 door
Three of the best electro-shoegaze bands around, with dense guitar and synth sounds, tight beats and haunting vocals. Soren Well is the most pop-accessible/happy of the bunch, while the other two - both in from out of town - have a darker side. [Ceremony MySpace] | [SVI MySpace] | [Soren Well MySpace]


Sunday, April 26

Calvin Johnson @ Market Hotel | Bushwick, Brooklyn
The original ringleader of American indie pop, founder of Beat Happing and K Records, Calvin Johnson is a character and he's got a legacy that makes it worth checking him out.

Spectrum @ Mercury | LES, Manhattan | S10 adv / $12
The main thrill of seeing Spectrum perform live is to see whether Pete Kember (aka "Sonic Boom") will finally kick off midshow. Formerly of Spacemen 3, Kember parted ways with bandmate Jason Pierce when Pierce decided to go clean-and-sober and found Spiritualized. Kember didn't kick his bad habits and despite making some valuable musical contributions with Experimental Audio Research, he's too strung out to make much sense at all anymore. Still, he's got a certain amount of cred and history to him - just don't expect coherence. [MySpace]