Upcoming Shows: The Styrenes!!!!!!! + more

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]

Thursday, April 29

Cold Cave @ Le Poisson Rouge * Greenwich Village, Manhattan * $12
Cold Cave effortlessly combine the sweeping dramatics of early 80's New Wave with icy nihilism. Its a distillation of all that's good about synth-based music. [myspace]

Fiasco, Total Slacker @ Death By Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
These are two punky DIY bands who have been slightly outstripped by the hype but are still worth checking out. They're pretty loud. [fiasco myspace] [slacker myspace]


Friday, April 30

The Styrenes @ Death By Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Some strange things happened deep in the Midwest, deep in the mid 70's and at least in the world of rock music, Cleveland was at the center of the strangeness. There were only about a half dozen bands in the movement, and inbred bands at that, but they changed the course of music, opening the door to post-punk before the rest of the world had caught on to the Ramones and the Sex Pistols.

The Cleveland bands can be divided roughly into to cliques - on one side, you've got Rocket From the Tombs whose core members split to form Pere Ubu and Dead Boys. On the other hand, there was a wildly experimental noisefuck called Electric Eels and the slightly more pop-angled Mirrors, who would later morph into the Styrenes. Paul Marotta played with all three of these and when he and his bandmates decided to reunite, they rounded out the band's most well-known four-piece line-up of yore with the Electric Eels' notorious John Morton and original Mirrors/Styrenes founder Jamie Klimek.

So, six of the most insane, daring and violent minds in punk history will take the stage at New York's best DIY venue, the intimate Death by Audio. According to Cleveland.com, they will play a few Mirrors and Electric Eels songs as well as the Styrenes' material. I think I might die. [myspace]


Saturday, May 1

Styrenes + Tyvek @ Cake Shop * LES, Manhattan * $10
See above. And this time, no DIY, but a great venue nevertheless and with the lovable mad Detroit punks Tyvek warming up the stage. [tyvek myspace]


Sunday, May 2

Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers @ Mercury Lounge * LES, Manhattan * $10
Acclaimed and adored by critics everywhere and with one of the loyalest fan bases around, Shilpa Ray could school all of Brooklyn when it comes to rock. Her soulful, bluesy rock builds around a hand-powered harmonium and her punk rock energy and the fact that she's legitimately totally insane makes for one of the most fun live shows you can find in the New York scene. I mean, seriously, the woman is bonkers. [myspace]


Monday, May 3

Chapterhouse, Ulrich Schnauss, Mahogany @ Bell House
Just to keep you posted, this show has been postponed, apparently due to visa issues rather than the volcano. When it happens, you should be there cause this is shoegaze at its finest.


Tuesday, May 4

Chapterhouse, Ulrich Schnauss, Soundpool @ Bell House
See above.

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
The long view...

May
6
Yo La Tengo, Jeff Mangum, Kyp Malone, Portastic, the Clean, Claudia Gonson (Magnetic Fields), Sharon van Etten @ LPR ($75 and way SOLD OUT - I'm only listing it to make you cry cause I'm a mean person.)

7
The Clean @ Bell House (Advanced Tix SOLD OUT)

11
Sleigh Bells + secret guests @ Ridgewood Temple

13
The Buzzcocks @ The Fillmore

15
Parts & Labor, Talk Normal @ Knitting Factory

18
Public Image Ltd @ Terminal 5
Woven Bones @ Mercury Lounge

19
Public Image Ltd @ Terminal 5
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

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: Screaming Females, Shellshag, Jeff the Brotherhood, Forgetters (that's all one show!)

Sorry for my long absence. If I told you what happened, you'd never believe me. Suffice it to say it involves the Wild West, Mexican wedding dances, swine flu, two Buddhists, four evangelical Christians and a fraudulent hedge fund. No, seriously.


[Upcoming Shows Playlist]


TONIGHT!!! Thursday, February 4

Cold Cave @ Mercury Lounge | LES, Manhattan | SOLD OUT!!
Cold Cave is a bleak and nihilistic New Wave synth group with hints of krautrock, but a dark pop edge. They are really, really loud. [myspace]


Friday, February 5

Sounds Like Brooklyn: The Antlers + Ra Ra Riot @ BAM | Fort Greene, Brooklyn | $20-25
The Antlers are sad and make incredibly sad music about abuse and mental illness and cancer. Peter Silberman has a unique and poignant voice that wavers over the shaky ambiance of his band. Ra Ra Riot are a poppy indie band with a whole bunch of young kids. They are really sad too sometimes because their drummer died. Musically, they are just so-so. Enjoyable, not exciting. [antlers myspace] [ra ra myspace]


Saturday, Feburary 6

Don Giovanni Showcase: Screaming Females, Shellshag, Jeff the Brotherhood + more @ Bowery Ballroom | LES, Manhattan | $13 adv / $15 dos
IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OK, I know I'm totally nerding out but I am so excited about this show, I have been basically counting down the weeks (not days, I'm not that insane!). OK, so Don Giovanni is a great label. A first-rate punk label. The headliners of this show are 1. Screaming Females, who I have written about so many times now, I don't know what more to say. Best rock band of our g-g-g-generation. I mean that, 100%. If you know one better, show me. [myspace] 2. Forgetters, which is the band of Blake Schwarzenbach (formerly of Jawbreaker, Jets to Brazil). Jawbreaker has been one of my favorite bands (top 20, easily, maybe top 10) for many years, and since they are no more and have not been in existence for a long time, forgetters is what we got, and it's also got Kevin Mahon from Against Me! so that's not bad at all! and 3. Shellshag, that lovely punk duo who played my show in December. They are one of the most fun bands you can see live in NYC right now. They destroy things. They jump around and shout into their trademark Y-shaped microphone and "Shag" beats the crap out of her drums while "Shell" sarcastically croons and stabs at his guitar with his pick. They are PUNK RAWK and I love them in my little heart! [myspace] Opening, we have Jeff the Fucking Brotherhood, who are two brothers, neither named Jeff but both rock prodigies born of the Nashville music scene. They play the meanest guitar riffs out there, and all on three strings. [myspace] Veteran New Brunswick and East Coast punks the Groucho Marxists as well as the illustrious Black Wine and The Measure will also perform. [tgm myspace] [bw myspace] [meas myspace] This is the punk rock event of 2010. DO NOT MISS IT. I mean seriously, DO NOT MISS IT. You will tell your grandkids about this show.


Sunday, February 7

28 Degrees Taurus @ Bushwick Music Studios | Bushwick, Brooklyn | $5
Another band that's played a Radio Flyer Review show, 28 Degrees Taurus are from Boston. They are one of the most original bands around these days. Their bizarre psychedelic shoegaze is spacey and warped, nihilistic, fun and mysterious. [myspace]


Tuesday, Feburary 9

The Residents @ Webster Hall | East Village, Manhattan | $30
The Residents are some weird, weird folks. They formed in the 60's and nobody knows who they are because they wear big eyeball masks on their heads. They make strange, avant-garde music and really hit their stride in the early no-wave/post-punk years. Like Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa, their West Coast contemporaries, they mixed elements of noise, free jazz and avant-garde classical but the Residents don't have the hard rock of Zappa or the blues of Beefheart. There is little to hold on to, just strange spoken word, percussive electronic drones and distortion, mixed with too much acid and not enough ritalin. They may not be for everyone, but we are all indebted to their fearless exploration of new sonic terrain and redefinition of what rock could be.


[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
The long view...

February
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]

Best Albums of 2009, Part 2: #25-21

PREVIOUS>>
Part 1 - Rules and Runners Up

#25

Blank Dogs - Under and Under
In the Red

Most bands never succeed in carving out a sound that's entirely their own, but Mike Sniper's lo-fi goth doesn't sound like anything else out there. Deeply reverbed synthesizers and guitars take the best from the original goth movement, leaving the melodrama in 1980. What's left are intriguing, dark pop songs. The "lo-fi," effects-laden production buries distorted vocals, leaving everything hard to make out. The effect sends chills down my spine. It's the feeling of encroaching darkness and the sense that some profoundly disturbing secret is lurking in the shadows. If you've ever been in an abandoned hospital or a spooky forest or someplace similarly eerie at night, you know what it's like when you can't quite make out what's frightening or explain it to someone else, but you feel a tangible chill in your bones. That's what this album does to me.

Read more from the original RFR review...

How I found it: the internet!
Track picks: "Setting Fire to Your House," "No Compass," "Slowing Down"
Link: [MySpace]


#24

Cold Cave - Love Comes Close
Matador

Once again, I have to resort to quoting the press release because I can't paraphrase this and be as spot on: "equal parts romance and nihilism." Cold Cave's Matador debut draws from new wave synthpop, but just as much comes from krautrock, industrial and no wave music, making catchy music that's purposefully, powerfully vacant and inhuman. It's a statement of disillusionment and knowingly futile emotion. If Nietzsche had made an album of synth-based love songs, it would sound like this.

Read more from the original RFR review...

How I found it: They opened for Crystal Stilts and Love Is All last year.
Track picks: "Youth and Lust," "The Trees Grew Emotions and Died"
Link: [MySpace]


#23

Thee Oh Sees - Help
In the Red

I wasn't that smitten with Thee Oh Sees when I first saw them last summer, but when I put on their album for the first time, it immediately grabbed my attention. The band's fuzzy, lo-fi garage tunes manage a rare balance between strongly stated professionalism and youthful indie-ness. The songs are well-written pop tunes, but they take themselves seriously, with instrumentation and production that packs a real punch. These guys are fun, but they aren't just fooling around.

How I found it: bunch of ways
Track picks: "Enemy Destruct," "Peanut Butter Oven"
Link: [MySpace]


#22

Fever Ray - Fever Ray
Mute

Fever Ray, a.k.a. Karin Dreijer Andersson, the frontwoman of acclaimed electronic duo the Knife, released her solo debut this year. Dark, dense and wild, Fever Ray is an intensely primal album, both more earthy and more cryptic than the Knife's work. The music evokes dark images of untamed wilderness, ancient times and the occult, enigmatically hinting at the deep pain of some past trauma and an ensuing psychological deterioration. Andersson's powerful voice is one of the strangest and most evocative to emerge since Bjork's heyday, and here, it is fully unfettered.

How I found it: "Salvador" turned me on to it
Track picks: "If I Had a Heart," "Now's the Only Time I Know"
Link: [MySpace]


#21

Dälek - Gutter Tactics
Ipecac

Being the only group in the world (to my knowledge) that can be classified as "noise rap," Dälek never ceases to be exciting. Gutter Tactics may not be their best work to date, but it's still a remarkable accomplishment. Rap's usual rhymes and beats here meet screeching, jarring iceflows of pure noise. Drawing from shoegaze and ambient as well as industrial and krautrock, Dälek is one of those rare bands loud enough to slam you back against the wall the first time you hear them. The lyrics are smart and meaningful, but unfortunately, the MC's delivery can be a little bland. Still, Dälek is one of the most boldly original groups on earth - here's hoping they're a precursor of what's to come in the next decade of music!

How I found it: I first heard of Dälek when they did a split release with "no-gazers" IfWhen.
Track picks: "Gutter Tactics," "No Question"
Link: [MySpace]

NEXT>> Part 3: #20-16
Part 4: #15-11
Part 5: #10-6
Part 6: #5-1

Upcoming Shows: The For Carnation, Fiasco + more

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
TONIGHT!!! Tuesday, December 15

The Antlers + Sharon van Etten @ Bowery Ballroom | LES, Manhattan | SOLD OUT!
The Antlers are a very sad trio who make very noisy ambient songs about abuse and loss. Their 2009 album is easily one of the best of the decade. Comparisons to Radiohead, Arcade Fire and Neutral Milk Hotel are in order. [MySpace]

Cold Cave, Small Black @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | FREE!
Since the above show is sold out, try this one. It's free with RSVP, which it's apparently not too late to do (click here). All they ask is your e-mail address so they can stalk you and bombard you with liquor adverts for the rest of your life. But, um, it's free! Cold Cave is awesome, playing despondent electronic music really loudly. Small Black is pretty good too, also using the synthesizers. Check it! [CC MySpace] [SB MySpace]


TOMORROW! Wednesday, December 16

Raekwon @ The Fillmore | Union Square-ish, Manhattan | $23 adv. / $27 dos.
Raekwon is one of the best MCs of the Wu Tang Clan. His long-awaited album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II is one of the best hip-hop albums of the year. His cool delivery sets him apart from most hardcore rappers, but he's as hardcore as any of them.


Thursday, December 17

The For Carnation @ Knitting Factory | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $15
I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS SHOW!!! The For Carnation is the band of Brian McMahon, ex-Slint and Squirrel Bait. McMahon brought us two of the most original and important bands of the late 80's/early 90's and you should go see him play (even though it's a little expensive).

Big Troubles @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan | $7
Big Troubles just played my showcase on December 4. They are a newish band from New Jersey who aren't too cool to admit they like the Smashing Pumpkins and who play REALLY REALLY LOUDLY. Highly recommended, but for that it means missing The For Carnation. [MySpace]

Pterodactyl @ Cameo | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Pterodactyl are one of the most innovative bands in the NYC scene right now. Their music is fast and complex but melodic, and their live show is outstanding. But you should still go see The For Carnation instead. [MySpace]


Friday, December 18

Fiasco @ Death By Audio | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Fiasco are an awesome hardcore/post-hardcore band. They are really young, but they are really great at their instruments and perhaps it's their youth that prevents their punk/speed metal from getting to big a metal:punk ratio. They are one of the best bands I've heard live recently. [MySpace]


Saturday, December 19

False Prophets @ ABC No Rio | LES, Manhattan
MATINEE! Classic hardcore punk.

Eric Bachmann (ex-Archers of Loaf) @ Mercury Lounge | LES, Manhattan | $12
Eric Bachmann was in Archers of Loaf, which means he's a hero to everyone who ever loved 90's indie rock.


Monday, December 21

Nymphets @ Mercury Lounge | LES, Manhattan | $8
The Nyphets are a minimal poppy DIY punk lo-fi garage [insert adjectives and genres here] band. They are a good time. [MySpace]


Tuesday, December 22

Whatever... Holiday Party: True Womanhood, Drink Up Buttercup + more @ Glasslands | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
My new friends at the "Whatever..." blog are having a little party with - of course - awesome bands playing. True Womanhood are creepy, experimental, ambient-inspired rock and Drink Up Buttercup are more straight-forward indie rock. Both are good! [TW MySpace] [DUB MySpace]

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
The long view...

December
23
Fiasco, Shapes @ Shea Stadium

29-30
Patti Smith @ Bowery Ballroom (Sold Out)

31
Titus Andronicus + So So Glos @ Mercury Lounge
Patti Smith @ Bowery Ballroom(Sold Out)

January 2010
2
Mattress @ Death By Audio

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

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

16
Dinosaur Jr @ Bowery Ballroom (Sold Out)

17
Dinosaur Jr @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

25
Cheap Trick @ The Fillmore

29
Sounds Like Brooklyn: Les Savy Fav, Vivian Girls (yick) @ Brooklyn Academy of Music
Mission of Burma @ Bowery Ballroom

30
Mission of Burma @ Bowery Ballroom

February
3
Atlas Sound @ Bell House

4
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

13
The Magnetic Fields @ Brooklyn Academy of Music

19
Fucked Up @ Europa
Andrew W-K @ Santos Party House

March
5
Muse, the Silversun Pickups @ Madison Square Garden

12-13
Henry Rollins @ The Fillmore

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]

Album: Cold Cave - Love Comes Close

Album: Love Comes Close
Matador, 2009
Rating: ******** (8/10)

I'm not sure what to make of the Cold Cave debut album, to be (re)released on Matador this week. Though I normally scoff at press releases, the one accompanying this album actually put a finger on a quality of the music I couldn't quite describe myself: "equal parts of romance and nihilism." That's the essence of Cold Cave and what sets them apart from any other band around.

I first heard Cold Cave nearly a year ago, when I caught the tail end of a set they did opening for someone or other at Bowery Ballroom. I enjoyed them, especially because their sheer volume threatened to make my ears bleed, but I didn't think they were anything special. It wasn't until the spring, when I stumbled upon the track "Sex Ads," that I came around to thinking of Cold Cave as something outstanding.

"Sex Ads," which is not featured on Love Comes Close, is one of the noisiest tracks I've ever heard. It sounds like a synthesizer apocalypse and in its unforgiving attack, reminds me more of the no wave movement than of anything contemporary. The most obvious reference point is Suicide, for those who are familiar with the history of synth music, but ultimately, the splintering shards of static and roar of icy, inhuman noise burying a desperate and inaudible vocal melody - well, they aren't much like anyone else at all.

Sadly, no song on Love Comes Close is quite as as bold as "Sex Ads." The album contains a collection of nine rather more accessible tracks which, if not as striking, have a similar intrigue. The opener, "Cebe and Me," creeps forward at a morbidly measured pace, while synthesizers blink unnerving squalls of dissonance and a distorted voice mumbles an undecipherable speech. The tension breaks over the dark pop of the title track. The somber-yet-catchy baritone melody is reminiscent of bands like New Order and Depeche Mode, but stripped of all hints of 80's polish.

There aren't any bad tracks on the album, so picking highlights is a little tricky. "Heaven was Full" is a classic centerpiece, with a memorable title, a heavy, full sound and single-worthy tune. However, the real highlight of the middle stretch is "The Trees Grew Emotions and Died." The simple, rhythmic vocals and ascending synth riff seems too basic to be the album's best track, but it had me on my knees.

From the dance pop of "Life Magazine" to the would be 80's radio hit "Youth and Lust" and the krautrock-inspired "Laurels of Erotomania," the album is mysteriously refreshing. The sounds are dated and could come straight from the earliest digital synthesizers of the late 70's and early 80's. This is cheesy and gives the whole album a campy sound. Further "campiness" is added by the fact that the actual synth parts are, for the most part, incredibly simple and obvious. But that's not to say the band is just some sort of Duran Duran throwback - the level of noise and the indie rock-influenced imperfection are distinctly modern. Couple this with great songwriting, and you've got something very worth listening to.

Check it out! [MySpace]

Live: Love Is All, Crystal Stilts and Cold Cave

Next in the stretch of shows featuring 2008 buzz bands was the Love Is All show featuring opening acts Crystal Stilts and Cold Cave.

I'd never heard of Cold Cave and I came in probably two-thirds of the way through their set. From what I heard, they play synth-made electronic dark wave that falls at the high end of run-of-the-mill - nothing original but certainly well-executed with lush, layered sounds. Their performance style involved the three members standing perfectly still, spaced out Kraftwerk-style along the front of the stage. It's not the most interesting thing to watch, but it works for them, helping them cultivate their dark, subtle atmosphere. All in all, it was alright. I wouldn't be surprised if this band becomes rather popular, but I'm not going to place a vote either way.

The band I was really there to see was up next, the heavily-hyped post punk outfit the Crystal Stilts. The band gets frequent comparisons to Joy Division,and watching them live, I could see why. On their recordings, the Jesus & Mary Chain-styled guitar wins out and their songs sound pretty much like Psychocandy outtakes. But live, it's easier to see the comparison of the Stilts' frontman Brad Hargett to Ian Curtis (it's more in his delivery than his voice), and bassist Andy Adler does sound a bit like early Peter Hook.

I like the Stilts, but I worry they are sliding from self-assurance to apathy and this show did little to reassure me. It was evident that they'd been playing a lot of shows lately. Yes, there was a nice level of comfort and professionalism on stage, but the other side of the coin is that they brought a sense of fatigue and lack of spontaneity. In the end, though, it was forgivable (at least this time around), since they were still having fun and making an effort to put on a show.


The Crystal Stilts
In terms of the music, it's rare to see a band with a male singer who can actually sing. On their instruments, the band was more amateur. That's part of their charm but it can be overdone. For example, I have no issue with Frankie Rose's decision to play drums standing up like Mo Tucker, but her improper grip on the sticks made her playing sound noticeably weak. Moreover, the rough-around-the-edges, militantly-simplistic songwriting that made the band noteworthy in the first place may soon become a real bane if they let it tie their hands. This is a great band, and I really did enjoy the show, but it's increasingly clear that they are falling rather short of their potential. Their hype can get them a little further, but if they don't push themselves much harder, their momentum will die out fast.

Headlining the show was Swedish pop band Love Is All. I listened to their album and found it to be pretty generic indie dance-pop. I didn't dislike it, though, and I thought I detected an artistic edge to the music. Live, however, any hints at some sort of intellectual artistry disappeared, and the generic quality of the music came to the fore. Moreover, the music's complete lack of emotion and depth became intensely evident to me. Dance-pop isn't really the most soul-baring of genres but it's quite possible to give it some trace of human feeling without making it less fun.


Love Is All
Adding to the horror, the band includes a saxophone, which is probably the single worst instrument ever invented. I can count on one hand the number of bands who have effectively used saxophone in contemporary pop music. (Yeah, this isn't one of them.) I did appreciate the bass and drums, however, which duplicated the quirky drive of electronica but with all the richness of a live performance. Still, that wasn't enough to make up for the problems and I left halfway through the set because it was really depressing me. There's a fine line between cheerful-and-fun and obnoxious-and-shallow, and Love Is All lands squarely on the wrong side.