Album: A Place To Bury Strangers - Onwards to the Wall [EP]

Album: Onward to the Wall
Dead Oceans
Release Date: February 7, 2012
Rating: ******* (7/10)

It's no secret that A Place to Bury Strangers is a one-trick pony, but it's a damn good trick. Guitarist and singer Oliver Ackermann makes his own custom guitar pedals and uses them to annihilate his songs in a peeling monolith of distortion and feedback. A driving beat and heavily reverbed tenor vocals emerge from the murk and shape the wash of noize into irresistible bite-sized songs.

The band's new E.P., Onwards to the Wall, is in many ways a more interesting release than the band’s last full-length album, 2009’s Exploding Head. >> Read the full review at piquedmag.com

Live: A Place to Bury Strangers, Big Pink

When: 3/30
Where: Webster Hall

I've never thought about A Place To Bury Strangers being a particularly tight band but that's only because they are so seamless, you don't even think about them stumbling. At least, I never had until I heard them in the craphole that is Webster Hall.

Turns out APTBS now have a friend doing their sound, and while friends are awesome for listening to your problems and buying you beer when you have a bad day, they aren't necessarily awesome for controlling a sound board in a way that sounds good. I know it's an uphill battle to sound anywhere near decent in Webster - the acoustics in that room are notoriously slushy. But the room and the untrained sound guy - well, with their forces combined, they nearly trainwrecked one of NYC's most unstoppable bands.

From the get-go, it sounded like the three musicians on stage could not hear each other. At times, the drums and guitar seemed to be in entirely different places. The bass was barely audible. The guitar noise was a mess, at once hollow and muddy - and then it cut out all together for quite a long time. In the middle of one song, guitarist Oliver Ackerman walked over to the bass amp and adjusted the sound from there. That's a sure sign the guy in the sound booth is failing.

Several times, I thought the band was going to lose it entirely, fall apart and end their set. Much to their credit, they hung on, plowed through and finished in style. For all it ravaged their sound, the venue did beef up the band's visuals, with some serious smoke machine action and some serious strobe lights. The band's visual intensity helped mask the sonic failings, Ackerman in flashing silhouettes abusing his weathered Fender Jag. The deafening noise jam near the end of the set finally managed to lock in the sound a bit and the band exited with their audience rapt.

Though this was by far the worst set I've ever seen from this band, I think the problems were only visible to loyal fans. Anyone seeing APTBS for the first time was bound to be impressed - how can you not? And for those of us who did notice the band struggling, it could only increase our admiration as well. Anyone else would have given up and left the stage, but this trio rode their intensity alone and put on a damn show.

Of course, adding to the problems was the fact that APTBS were opening. Opening bands usually have their volume capped ten or twenty decibels below the headliner, and since APTBS's sound is based on pure volume, the dimmed sound destroyed what little clarity they may have been able to achieve. The true power of the massive speakers hanging in front of the stage was immediately apparent, however, when The Big Pink appeared. The bass was loud enough to severely damage my eardrums despite my fairly heavy-duty earplugs. It was the kind of bass that rattles your bones to the point of physical discomfort.

But I could see why the band cranked up so loud - except for the phenomonally brain-shattering volume of their bass line, there was absolutely nothing going on. How did this band get so popular? Their songs have no substance at all. There were a few decent beats but not a tune, not a song, not cool guitar sound, not an emotion, just vapid showmanship.

And let's talk about the showmanship too. The front man has a rock star haircut and was sporting a tattered white t-shirt under a black leather jacket. Several metal chains hung from his neck. The other major force in the band, the DJ, was a stockier fellow in a black hoody, hood up. Um, could you get any more cliche? Please? Cause that's just not enough for me.

Meanwhile, the bass player was entirely unremarkable and the drummer, well, the drummer makes me sad. See, I hate to hate on a female drummer, but this girl, one Akiko Matsuura, is NOT a good drummer. Granted, she was scantily clad and flailed her arms pretty good, but as a drummer, she sucks. Luckily, about 80% of the beat was coming from the DJ, so her inabilities were well hidden. But seriously, folks.

Maybe if I did a lot of drugs, I might have enjoyed this band. But it would have to be a lot of drugs. As it is, the Big Pink is a waste of time and space. Wanna be ahead of the curve? Forget about them. Everyone else will have forgotten them in a year too. Thankfully.

Upcoming Shows: Drunkdriver, A Place to Bury Strangers + more

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]

Friday, March 26

Vandelles @ Cameo Gallery * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
The Vandelles are a sexy band who play music with great old-school pop/rock songs and enough feedback to make your ears bleed. [myspace]

Nada Surf @ Bell House * Gowanus, Brooklyn * SOLD OUT
Nada Surf were a bit of a "novelty band" (so saith "Wilbur") back in the 90’s. Now they are trying to grow publicity by playing a series of their albums at live shows. It’s not a bad thing. They are a quirky indie rock band and their albums are good and who wouldn’t want to hear that? Well, enough people to sell out all three nights. Snooze you lose.


Saturday, March 27

Hardcore show: Drunkdriver + more @ Market Hotel * Bushwick, Brooklyn
Drunkdriver is a great hardcore band with a tense frontman who paces the stage yelling into his mic while a friggin kick-ass guitarist and drummer show everyone what’s what. I haven’t seen the other bands but it’s an explicit hardcore show and I suspect it will be awesome. [myspace]

Nada Surf @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * SOLD OUT
See above.


Sunday, March 28

Landlords, Sightings @ Death by Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
I once saw Landlords and I don’t remember it, but only because I was extremely exhausted. I know they are good, noisy, unconventional and heavy. Sightings is waaaaaaaay out there massive NOISE with crushing bass and intense if inaudible vocals. This show is awesome, you should really go. [landlords myspace] [sightings myspace]


Tuesday, March 30

The Big Pink, A Place to Bury Stranger @ Webster Hall * East Village, Manhattan * $20
The Big Pink is a post punk band that’s pretty good but the real highlight is A Place to Bury Strangers, the loudest band on earth. Tense beats and h-bomb sized guitars. [bp myspace] [aptbs myspace]


[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
The long view...

April
1
Bonnie "Prince" Billy @ Monster Island Basement
Soft Pack, Nodzzz @ Mercury Lounge

2
Bonnie "Prince" Billy @ Monster Island Basement (x2)
Bronx, Japanther @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Captured Tracks Showcase: Blank Dogs, Wetdog + more @ Glasslands

3
Soft Pack, Nodzzz, Male Bonding @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Wetdog @ Death by Audio

4
Drunkdriver @ Monster Island Basement
Smith Westerns, Male Bonding, So Cow @ Mercury

5
White Suns, PRSMS @ Bruar (FREE!)

6
Bronx, Japanther @ Bowery Ballroom
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony @ Fillmore at Irving Plaza

8
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ Webster Hall (SOLD OUT)
High Places @ Market Hotel

9
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ Webster Hall
Pissed Jeans, Himalaya @ Knitting Factory
Pygmy Shrews @ Death by Audio
Xiu-Xiu, Tune-Yards @ Bowery Ballroom

14
A.R.E. Weapons @ Death by Audio

15
Liars @ Bowery Ballroom

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: Measure (SA), “Special Guest” (smart money is on Screaming Females, I think – but it’s no sure thing) @ 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


[Upcoming Shows Playlist]

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)

Thanks!!!

Hey, thanks for everyone who came out Saturday, it was a great night! And thanks especially to the bands, who played totally kickass sets. I'm not gonna review my own show, obviously, but I do want to mention that 28 Degrees Taurus finished (pre-encore) with the sickest version of "Crash and Burn" imaginable.

And one last time, thanks so much to our hosts at McKibben for letting us use their space and helping us promote the show. And to Vanishing Point, who were generous with their equipment and time - these guys rock and everyone should check them out and go to the shows they put on around town.


Here's the annotated playlist, if anyone is interested:

I Believe - Skywave

Flying - Telescopes

It's You - Heavenly

Stomach Worm (Stereolab) - It Hugs Back

A Great Divide - Parts and Labor

No Fun - Lovvers

See/Saw - Jay Reatard

Useless Inventions - Guided by Voices

The Year without a Summer - Coltrane Motion

[^This is my new favorite shameless pop band, only recently heard them for the first time.]

Everyone Knows Everyone - The Helio Sequence

[^I may have got a little carried away with the pop thing.]

I'm Ok You're Ok - Let's Wrestle

Starrsha - Ringo Deathstarr

[The best shoegaze band of its/our generation]

Glue - Sisters

[^Since reviewing this band, it's really sunk in that they are one of New York's most promising new bands. Delightfully minimalist poppy garage rock.]

Teenage Super Party - Wavves

Clusterfuck - The Manhattan Love Suicides

[^The MLS are every shoegaze/noise pop/indie pop DJ's dream. Dozens of perfect pop songs clocking in at well under three minutes.]

How Will the Others Survive? - Tears Run Rings

[^The second best new/contemporary shoegaze band, after Ringo Deathstarr.]

See You Shine - Alcian Blue

[[Gracefully]]

Soft as Snow (But Warm Inside) - My Bloody Valentine

Like Flowers at Night - Panda Riot

Sweet Girl - Ringo Deathstarr

Love Is a Wave - Crystal Stilts

Sky Ghosts - Depreciation Guild

One Plus One Equals Three Or More - Mahogany

Here Should Be My Home - No Age

Death Ray - The Brother Kite

Come Saturday - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

Way Too High - Secret Shine

My Aquarium - Drop Nineteens

A Silent Tide - Flying Saucer Attack

[[Ifwhen]]

My Weakness - A Place to Bury Strangers

Why Don't We Do It in the Road - Lydia Lunch

Cigarette in Your Bed - My Bloody Valentine

Fever - Screen Vinyl Image

Teen Angst - M83

So Long - Brief Candles

Supervitesse (Robin Guthrie remix) - Mahogany

Sunday Night - Ren

Sweet Abyss - Ecstasy of Saint Theresa

Detroit Diesel - The Manhattan Love Suicides

Noise-Bleeding Girl - Werewolves

[^Werewolves helped set up this show, but I didn't play their song to pay them back, I played it because they are awesome.]

Swallow - My Bloody Valentine

[[28 Degrees Taurus]]

Somehow my playlist got changed around after the show, I think. Which is fine, it wasn't really a great playlist to start with. (To be totally honest, I snuck out during 28 Degrees Taurus's encore, so I'm not sure what happened.) Based on my "last played" list, this is what was played:

Tak! Attack! - Black Affair

Bomb the Surf - The Vandelles

Pleasure and Pain - Soundpool

What New York Used to Be - The Kills

First Communion - Gang Gang Dance

Missing You - A Place to Bury Strangers

Balloons - Foals

You Can't Be Funky - Bush Tetras

Darklooming - The Depreciation Guild

...and after that, I don't know what happened, as that's as far as the "last played" list goes. VP said they had to leave, so I guess this is when they did so and took my laptop with.

Upcoming Shows: New York Dolls, Secret Machines + more

Sorry for the absence and generally being flaky on the blog recently. Regular posts will resume after this weekend's show.


TONIGHT - Wednesday, June 17

Jonathan Richman @ Bowery Ballroom | LES, Manhattan | $15
Jonathan Richman is the guy from the Modern Lovers. If you don't know the Modern Lovers, I'd describe them as an unpretentious version of the Velvet Underground. Richman was indie before there was indie, he was straight-edge before there was straight-edge, he was twee before there was twee. In other words, he's one of the great innovators in American pop and has been for about 40 years. [MySpace]


TOMORROW - Thursday, June 18

Twee As Fuck: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Cause Co-Motion!, Crystal Stilts @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan | $10 / $8 (students)
Nevermind that only one of these bands (The Pains) could remotely be called twee, this is an amazing line-up. And the bands will probably be on the ball, given how often they've played Cake Shop and how much they love the place. The downside is that it's going to be crammed full, wall to wall, with indie pop kids, and you undoubtedly won't be able to move or see anything. So, I'd personally stay home, but if big crowds in small rooms are your thing, you couldn't choose a better set of bands. [Pains MySpace] | [CCM MySpace] | [CS MySpace]


Friday, June 19

Secret Machines, A Place to Bury Strangers @ Santos Party House | Chinatown, Manhattan | $10
Secret Machines are shoegaze-inspired wash-ups trying to make a comeback after the decline of a middling career that saw them flicker on the Billboard 200 in 2006. The band is kind of past its prime, but they're still better than most of what's out there. And APTBS are just fucking amazing. Ten bucks for both? Don't think twice. [SM MySpace] | [MySpace]


Saturday, June 20

Radio Flyer Review Presents: New York No-Gaze - 28 Degrees Taurus, Ifwhen, Gracefully @ 255 McKibben St. | Bushwick, Brooklyn | $5-8 suggested donation
I picked these bands because I think they are amazing and I really admire what they do. They all play experimental, uncompromising shoegaze-influenced music. And they're all great live acts. Booking them for my first RFR Presents show is the highest recommendation I could give. [28DT MySpace] | [Ifwhen MySpace] | [Gracefully MySpace]


Monday, June 22

The New York Dolls @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $32.50
If any pre-punk band was directly responsible for the rise of New York punk, this was it. Though still glammy hard rock, the Dolls raw music and image were one of the most important influences on the inventors of punk proper on both sides of the Atlantic. Without them, there may have been no Ramones, no Richard Hell, no Sex Pistols, at least not as we know them. And the recently reunited Dolls aren't getting any younger, so pay up and get your ass to MHOW on Monday or live a life of shame and regret.