That L Magazine picked their "8 Bands You Need to Hear" for the year is kind of old news. But I just bothered to sit down and read it and then felt inspired to make some observations.
First of all, there are a handful of good picks. Miniboone, Asa Ransom and among runners up Led Er Est and Pet Ghost Project are all bands I told you to check out a long time ago, and L Magazine has finally realized that I am right.
But here's really what I want to get at. Combined, the eight bands selected by L Magazine have forty members. Of those forty, five are women, leaving a whooping 87% of slots for menfolk. And of those five women, one plays piano and sings, while the other four only sing. Proportions by race are similar to those by gender as well. I don't think this is entirely L Mag's fault, I think it's a sad reflection of what is actually happening in Brooklyn. In conjunction with indie music moving towards an ultraconservative folk/pop/baroque movement of non-confrontation and complacency, it seems to me that fewer women are playing indie/rock/pop than were a decade ago. Even if it's not worse than it was, it's certainly not better nor acceptable. Affluent white men are running the show like they always have. But indie used to be punk and that used to be about dissidence, progress and empowerment.
Am I the only person who's seeing this??
[l mag article]
Monday, April 12, 2010
Album: MGMT - Congratulations
Album: Congratulations
Sony/Columbia, 2009
Rating: **** (4/10)
In 2008, the trend of rich college kids making trashy hipster pop reached its zenith (though sadly, that sun has not yet set) and suddenly Wesleyan duo MGMT crashed on to the scene, a little too late. Their trashy hipster pop was unabashedly trash, throw-away psychedelic synth hits catchy enough to land the band on Sony/Columbia well before their full-length debut. But somehow, despite all of this, the band had some appeal, some hint of integrity that their fellow spoiled-East-Coat-collegiate-douchebag bands lacked.
I guess it's because MGMT seemed to be gaming the system. They were snagging serious bucks from the major label machinery on behalf, it seemed, of smart-ass indie kids everywhere. The whole thing had the air of a colossal prank. The band certainly reinforced this by doing things such as suing the president of France for unauthorized use of their songs, then donating the settlement monies to legal aid for artists (I'm getting this from Reuters).
But the band's attitude and ability to not take themselves at all seriously wasn't the only thing that made them worthy of note. None of use would have heard of them and they never would have had these opportunities if their songs weren't so damn catchy. Sure, they're cheap pop songs, but they are near-perfect cheap pop songs that dare you not to like them. If someone tells you they don't like "Kids," they are probably lying.
And this is where Congratulations fails. It explicitly forgoes any attempt at singles. Big mistake. Singles are exactly what MGMT did right. The new album lacks melodies and more generally, lacks focus. It's a random, half-assed jumble of psychedelic ideas. Selecting producer Pete "Sonic Boom" Kember can't have helped the band either - based on my encounters with Kember, I'm perpetually surprised he hasn't died of an O.D. yet. He's certainly not going help anyone make judgment calls or edit themselves.
MGMT are still cool guys and they still know their music is garbage - and for that, I will always respect them. However, bland and nebulous, Congratulations isn't even worth a listen. There are better ways to spend 45 minutes.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
News: Malcolm McLaren Died
Malcolm McLaren died today at age 64. According to the NY Times, he had cancer and was in Switzerland when he died.
McLaren was the manager of the Sex Pistols and in many ways, the architect of British punk. He has received harsh criticism - much of it rightly - for using people around him simply as a medium for his own ambitions. But his ambitions were artistic - he saw the activities of youth like the Sex Pistols as part of a populist movement to live one's life as art and to make that a vehicle for social protest and ultimately social change. He recognized the potential of Johnny Rotten and London's other disaffected youth and helped nurture their genuine desire to create and express. Through his background in visual and performing arts, he contextualized punk and help it create a cohesive and lasting effect on British culture.
Sadly, as the story goes, McLaren's obsessive commitment to his artistic vision caused him to lose all perspective and forget he was dealing with human beings - and often teenage kids at that. If it weren't for McLaren, Sid Vicious might still be alive - but the man didn't introduce Vicious to heroin either. And just as true, if it weren't for McLaren, our own understanding of popular music would be radically different. With a handful of others, from Warhol to Sonic Youth, McLaren explored the intersection of fine art, popular culture and radical social protest, a nexus that has proved the source of the greatest artistic movements of the last half century.
McLaren may have departed the universe of UK punk, and eventually the universe itself, with for more enemies than admirers, but he made a mark in our cultural history and I, for one, believe we're the better for it.
If you're interested in learning more, read England's Dreaming by Jon Savage. For a good story about reading England's Dreaming, click here.
McLaren was the manager of the Sex Pistols and in many ways, the architect of British punk. He has received harsh criticism - much of it rightly - for using people around him simply as a medium for his own ambitions. But his ambitions were artistic - he saw the activities of youth like the Sex Pistols as part of a populist movement to live one's life as art and to make that a vehicle for social protest and ultimately social change. He recognized the potential of Johnny Rotten and London's other disaffected youth and helped nurture their genuine desire to create and express. Through his background in visual and performing arts, he contextualized punk and help it create a cohesive and lasting effect on British culture.
Sadly, as the story goes, McLaren's obsessive commitment to his artistic vision caused him to lose all perspective and forget he was dealing with human beings - and often teenage kids at that. If it weren't for McLaren, Sid Vicious might still be alive - but the man didn't introduce Vicious to heroin either. And just as true, if it weren't for McLaren, our own understanding of popular music would be radically different. With a handful of others, from Warhol to Sonic Youth, McLaren explored the intersection of fine art, popular culture and radical social protest, a nexus that has proved the source of the greatest artistic movements of the last half century.
McLaren may have departed the universe of UK punk, and eventually the universe itself, with for more enemies than admirers, but he made a mark in our cultural history and I, for one, believe we're the better for it.
If you're interested in learning more, read England's Dreaming by Jon Savage. For a good story about reading England's Dreaming, click here.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Upcoming Shows: Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon + more
Wednesday, April 7
Beluga @ Glasslands * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Incomprehensibly underrated lady punks Beluga are playing their "last show for a while" at Glasslands. This band is so damn good. There are four girls and guy and the singer is a blond, dolled-up Brazilian ex-model who screams and writhes on the floor while the others play excellent grunge-tinged punk anthems that pack a punch. [myspace]
Thursday, April 8
Unstoppable Death Machines @ Shea Stadium * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
UDM are two guys who make slabs of insane noise on bass and drums while shrieking into heavily distorted little microphones they keep in their mouths. Badass. [myspace]
Friday, April 9
Screaming Females (opening for Ted Leo) @ The Fillmore at Irving Plaza * Union Square, Manhattan * $16
I'm not a huge fan of Ted Leo or the Fillmore, but I am a huge fan of Screaming Females and neither the price ($16) nor the venue is bad enough to rule this concert out. Ted Leo won't be able to follow Screaming Females, but I think he knows that because he put Obits on the bill and he can definitely follow them - they rather suck. Anyway, Screaming Females are one screaming female and two males and they play the best guitar rock on earth right now and neither Ted Leo nor the Obits are fit to haul their gear - but they are way to nice to say that themselves. [sf myspace] [tl myspace]
Saturday, April 10
Mirror/Dash @ "Family Bookstore" * Tribeca, Manhattan * FREE!
Mirror/Dash is really Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore, the couple who have basically served as mom and dad to America's underground music and art scenes for several decades now. Known, of course, for their work in Sonic Youth, the pair could make any sort of music - from noise jams to tight rock songs. You won't know until you go, and why not - it's free! (The venue is some temporary art gallery, it sounds like - some artsy something or other that's going to be there for the next month.)
Shooting Spires @ Death by Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Shooting Spires overlap with Parts & Labor and from what I can tell, they sound pretty similar - and that's good thing! There are great, dramatic, sweeping pop songs jacked up on a constant flurry of electronic noises, massive bass and crashing drums. Check it aowt. [myspace]
After that run of awesome shows, there are a few days that are fairly uninspiring. Not for long though...
The long view...
April
14
A.R.E. Weapons @ Death by Audio
15
Liars @ Bowery Ballroom
16
Kaki King @ Bowery Ballroom
Pterodactyl, Dinowalrus, Fiasco @ Death by Audio
18
Liars @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
19
Snoop Dogg @ Brooklyn Bowl
20
Snoop Dogg @ Fillmore at Irving Plaza
Sweet Apple (feat. J. Mascis) @ Mercury Lounge
Thermals @ Brooklyn Bowl
21
Apples in Stereo @ Bowery Ballroom
Killing Joke @ Fillmore at Irving Plaza
Thermals @ Brooklyn Bowl
22
Gang Gang Dance @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Los Campesinos! @ Fillmore at Irving Plaza
Quasi, Let’s Wrestle @ Bowery Ballroom
24
Don Giovanni presents: Screaming Females (I called it), Measure (SA) @ Mercury Lounge
25
Don Giovanni presents: Shellshag, Noun (Marissa Paternoster of Screaming Females), Black Wine, Pregnant @ Mercury Lounge
30
Styrenes (mems Mirrors, Electric Eels) @ Death by Audio
May
2
Echo & the Bunnymen @ Fillmore at Irving Plaza
3
Chapterhouse @ Bell House
7
Broken Social Scene @ Webster Hall
Caribou @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
8
Broken Social Scene @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Caribou @ Bowery Ballroom
Primitives, Frankie & the Outs @ Bell House
11
Sleigh Bells @ Market Hotel
15
Parts & Labor, Talk Normal @ Knitting Factory
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
16
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra @ Bowery Ballroom
19
Spectrum, Vacant Lots @ Knitting Factory
July
24
M.I.A. @ Governor’s Island
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]
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]
Friday, April 2, 2010
Live: Pygmy Shrews + TODD
When: 3/12/10
Where: Death By Audio
I've been trying to get out to see the Pygmy Shrews for ages and could barely stand waiting the hour and a half or so the band was late to this show. But damn was it worth it.
OK, so Pygmy Shrews are someone from Drunkdriver and another guy and a girl. The girl, Tia Vincent, plays bass and she looks like the last person you'd expect to see in a hardcore band - she's the extremely shy, slightly stout girl with the conservative haircut and conservative clothes who you see in the elevator sometimes and try to say hi to. Well, that's who she looks like. But instead, she friggin shreds the bass and unleashes melodic but definitely punk vocals over the racket. The guitarist, one Ben Greenburt, is phenomenal too, with lightning-fast post-hardcore riffs and his own even hardercore vocals.
For all their distorted, high-speed fury, the band never loses its focus on songs and melodies. Unfortunately, at Death by Audio, the vocals were a little too quite to fully convey the band's knack for writing, but even here, it's evident each song is as catchy as it is loud. Pygmy Shrews, simply put, are a damn good listen. [myspace]
A band called TODD also played. They live in the UK but their origins are in Texas and their defining feature is a frontman who viciously beats himself about the face and head and yells. He was very drunk and at one point, fell down on the floor and the exited while the rest of his band attempted to keep the set alive. He did come back, eventually. This is a guy who has broken at least one of at least one audience member in his career as a singer. Well, "singer."
As the violence clearly illustrates, TODD is as much performance art as it is music. But they are genuine - you can't fake that, not to that intensity. The only really offputting thing about the show was that I felt like the audience were all in on some inside joke I just did not know about. They kept laughing at things and there seemed to be some sort of ritual of heckling the frontman and dancing out dangerously close to him in the little semicircle in front of (not on) the stage where he performed. Sometimes he would go after these dancers/moshers/whatever with real malice.
Except for the feeling that there was some big joke I didn't know about the band, one that would probably make me like them much less if I knew it, I definitely enjoyed them. Of course, lots of noise plus a frontman who beats up himself and others is pretty much a recipe for success. Or am I giving them too much credit? [myspace]
Where: Death By Audio
I've been trying to get out to see the Pygmy Shrews for ages and could barely stand waiting the hour and a half or so the band was late to this show. But damn was it worth it.
OK, so Pygmy Shrews are someone from Drunkdriver and another guy and a girl. The girl, Tia Vincent, plays bass and she looks like the last person you'd expect to see in a hardcore band - she's the extremely shy, slightly stout girl with the conservative haircut and conservative clothes who you see in the elevator sometimes and try to say hi to. Well, that's who she looks like. But instead, she friggin shreds the bass and unleashes melodic but definitely punk vocals over the racket. The guitarist, one Ben Greenburt, is phenomenal too, with lightning-fast post-hardcore riffs and his own even hardercore vocals.
For all their distorted, high-speed fury, the band never loses its focus on songs and melodies. Unfortunately, at Death by Audio, the vocals were a little too quite to fully convey the band's knack for writing, but even here, it's evident each song is as catchy as it is loud. Pygmy Shrews, simply put, are a damn good listen. [myspace]
A band called TODD also played. They live in the UK but their origins are in Texas and their defining feature is a frontman who viciously beats himself about the face and head and yells. He was very drunk and at one point, fell down on the floor and the exited while the rest of his band attempted to keep the set alive. He did come back, eventually. This is a guy who has broken at least one of at least one audience member in his career as a singer. Well, "singer."
As the violence clearly illustrates, TODD is as much performance art as it is music. But they are genuine - you can't fake that, not to that intensity. The only really offputting thing about the show was that I felt like the audience were all in on some inside joke I just did not know about. They kept laughing at things and there seemed to be some sort of ritual of heckling the frontman and dancing out dangerously close to him in the little semicircle in front of (not on) the stage where he performed. Sometimes he would go after these dancers/moshers/whatever with real malice.
Except for the feeling that there was some big joke I didn't know about the band, one that would probably make me like them much less if I knew it, I definitely enjoyed them. Of course, lots of noise plus a frontman who beats up himself and others is pretty much a recipe for success. Or am I giving them too much credit? [myspace]
Live: Pregnant, Men, Passive Aggressor
So ages ago, I went to Bruar Falls to see a band called Pregnant play and then I got really behind on my live reviews, so....
Passive Aggressor was playing when I showed up. I didn't see enough of their set to give a proper review, but they were a good poppy hardcore band with a female vocalist who went out into the audience and yelled like a serious mu'fucker. The band was tight and packed a punk and the show was spirited. [myspace]
They were actually the second band of the night. I missed the first act, called Zulus, but Shag of Shellshag was there and said they were really good. And if a recommendation from Shellshag isn't worth pursuing, I don't know what is. [myspace]
Next up, The Men had some good things going for them, but they don't seem to have worked out their sound yet. They're about 75% hardcore punk and 25% shoegaze, with massively loud guitar drones straight off Loveless. It's a great combination, but the effort seemed confused, particularly by the sequence of the set list, which started with pure shoegaze and then abruptly shifted to more straight-forward punk. The band also traded around instruments, which I always like - keeps things from getting too settled. But it's a delicate balance - variety and consistency, that is - the band has yet to really to strike the middle. Still, they combine some many of favorite things that I can't help but be excited - I'm going to keep an eye on these guys!
Pregnant were the highlight of the night for me. Cory from Stupid Party sent me an e-mail when he was drunk and told me they were his favorite band, and that's the best recommendation I can think of. At first, the awkward trio didn't strike me as special - good hardcore, but nothing to write home about.
But then, as their set went on, I began to notice the combination of complexity and tightness in their songs, the sweet riffs, the air-raid rumble of the bass, the chunky vocals and the wild way the band grappled and wrangled their instruments on stage. The best punk bands seem always to be fighting against their instruments rather than working with this. And here's an example in its finest form. Look out for Pregnant, there's something special about these kids. [myspace]
Passive Aggressor was playing when I showed up. I didn't see enough of their set to give a proper review, but they were a good poppy hardcore band with a female vocalist who went out into the audience and yelled like a serious mu'fucker. The band was tight and packed a punk and the show was spirited. [myspace]
They were actually the second band of the night. I missed the first act, called Zulus, but Shag of Shellshag was there and said they were really good. And if a recommendation from Shellshag isn't worth pursuing, I don't know what is. [myspace]
Next up, The Men had some good things going for them, but they don't seem to have worked out their sound yet. They're about 75% hardcore punk and 25% shoegaze, with massively loud guitar drones straight off Loveless. It's a great combination, but the effort seemed confused, particularly by the sequence of the set list, which started with pure shoegaze and then abruptly shifted to more straight-forward punk. The band also traded around instruments, which I always like - keeps things from getting too settled. But it's a delicate balance - variety and consistency, that is - the band has yet to really to strike the middle. Still, they combine some many of favorite things that I can't help but be excited - I'm going to keep an eye on these guys!
Pregnant were the highlight of the night for me. Cory from Stupid Party sent me an e-mail when he was drunk and told me they were his favorite band, and that's the best recommendation I can think of. At first, the awkward trio didn't strike me as special - good hardcore, but nothing to write home about.
But then, as their set went on, I began to notice the combination of complexity and tightness in their songs, the sweet riffs, the air-raid rumble of the bass, the chunky vocals and the wild way the band grappled and wrangled their instruments on stage. The best punk bands seem always to be fighting against their instruments rather than working with this. And here's an example in its finest form. Look out for Pregnant, there's something special about these kids. [myspace]
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