Upcoming Shows: Darlings, Big Troubles + more

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
Wednesday, March 10

Magnetic Fields @ Town Hall * Midtown, Manhattan * $35
The Magnetic Fields were a sad band who played very simple late-90’s style indie pop. Now they are back together for some shows.


Thursday, March 11

Iran @ Knitting Factory * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10 / $12
Iran is a great lo-fi band with one of the guys from TV on the Radio. Their songs will go straight to your core, in their simple way, and they’ll stay there. [myspace]

Magnetic Fields @ Town Hall * Midtown, Manhattan * $35
See above.


Friday, March 12

Pygmy Shrews @ Death By Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
I love the Pygmy Shrews. They play HARDCORE – fast, loud, nasty. But it all fits into good songs that are as catchy as they are abrasive. [myspace]

Scout Niblett @ Union Pool * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Scout Niblett is an English woman who could teach even the most minimal bands a thing or two about minimalism. She supports her dry, pained vocals with a guitar, maybe, or a drum, but her voice alone carries the music. She’s well regarded by just about everyone. [myspace]

Henry Rollins @ The Fillmore * Union Square, Manhattan * $35
Henry Rollins is the poster boy of hardcore. As the definitive vocalist for Black Flag, he pushed American punk into darker, angrier territory than it had ever seen before. Now he does some crazy spoken word stuff and is generally nutso. You don’t want to meet him in a dark alley.


Saturday, March 13

Darlings, Sundelles, My Teenage Stride, Big Troubles, Total Slacker @ Cake Shop * LES, Manhattan * $10
This is a great line-up of bands looking to make a little money for their respective trips to Austin for SXSW. All have a rough, wild edge around a true pop core, though in different ways. Darlings make catchy indie rock but seem to keep changing their minds and veering from one direction to another, starting and stopping and letting their pop tunes slip in and out of their songs with no apparent order. Sundelles play enthusiastic garage rock. My Teenage Stride are an indie pop band whose infectious melodies are just unpolished enough to be lovable. Big Troubles play LOUD motherfuckin noise pop like the Smashing Pumpkins, rocking hard and heavy but never losing track of their warm, poppy side. I haven’t heard Total Slacker, but they’re supposed to be good, I guess. [darlings myspace] [sundelles myspace] [mts myspace] [big troubles myspace] [slacker myspace]

Henry Rollins @ The Fillmore * Union Square, Manhattan * $35
See above.

PC Worship @ Shea Stadium * Greenpoint, Brooklyn
PC Worship is a strange lo-fi project that combines wistful, fuzzy songs with sonic experiments. They are more original than 98% of bands in Brooklyn (at least). [myspace]


Sunday, March 14

Drunkdriver @ Cake Shop * LES, Manhattan * $7
Drunkdriver play the hardest of hardcore. Guitar shreds and roars while a heavily tattooed young man paces the front of the stage like a caged tiger, intensely screaming into his microphone. [myspace]


Tuesday, March 16

Miniboone @ Bruar Falls * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * FREE
I just saw the coolest show, and it was by Miniboone. This one is free, so you should go. They are a band with a huge pop sound but a young, exploratory spirit. Like Phil Spector x the Minutemen. And their live show kicks serious ass. [myspace]


[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
The long view...

March
18
Killswitch Engage @ The Fillmore

19
Killswitch Engage @ The Fillmore
Oneida + Sightings @ Knitting Factory

23
Black Lips @ Brooklyn Bowl

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]

What I Missed in 2008

Gearing up for the year-end lists and decade-end lists, here's a list of the albums that should have been in my "Best of 2008" list but weren't.

First off, these should have at least been considered:

• Eat Skull - Sick to Death (Siltbreeze)
  
• Jay Reatard - Matador Singles (Matador)
  
• Parts & Labor - Receivers (Jagjaguar)

Now here's what's most glaringly missing:

4. No Age - Nouns (SubPop)
I had some misconceptions about No Age that caused my brain to subconsciously dislike whatever I heard by them. Then one day last spring, I was listening to Nouns and suddenly I got it. Noise pop/punk at its absolute best.

3. The Mae Shi - HLLLYH (Moshi Moshi)
This one I just totally missed. It's a ballsy noise rock album about bible stories and religion. I like to holler along.

2. TV on the Radio - Dear Science (Interscope)
I think I made up a rule for myself specifically to disqualify this album because I could not properly wrap my brain around it. Turns out the only problem was I was trying to hear it as a rock album. If you need to contextualize music you listen to, this is a tricky one because you have to think of it simultaneously as an indie rock album and as an R&B/soul album. When you do, it makes perfect sense why this album was #1 for so many people. It's stunning.

1. Fucked Up - The Chemistry of Common Life (Matador)
This one also came in totally under my radar. It takes hardcore punk to an entirely new level. It should have been my #1. (Sorry, Marnie!)

The great thing about blogging is that it's never too late to fix your mistakes! Lots more lists coming up soon!

Upcoming Shows: PJ Harvey, Titus Andronicus + more

Oddly, there aren't a whole lot of great shows in the next week or so, though stay tuned - things are going to pick back up around June 11. In the meantime...

Thursday, June 4

Real Estate and Pow Wow @ Santos Party House | Chinatown, Manhattan | $10
Up-and-comers Real Estate and Pow Wow have scored opening slots this Thursday at Santos. Real Estate are part of that lo-fi crowd that's so popular these days. I've found their recorded material kind of boring, but they're better and more focused live. Pow Wow are lo-fi but in a very different way - a bright, poppy, catchy way. Both bands are overhyped at the moment - they're not as super-special as some would have you believe, but they are enjoyable. Ten bucks is a lot, but if you've got money and nothing better to do, definitely give it a try. [MySpace] [MySpace]


Friday, June 5

TV on the Radio + Dirty Projectors @ Central Park | Central Park, Manhattan | SOLD OUT!
This show is SO sold out, so good luck. TVOTR have generally been hailed as the greatest thing since sliced bread since 2007. Ultimately, I find the band a bit disappointing, but they definitely deserve the praise - just because they fall short of their own potential (sonically) doesn't mean they don't surpass pretty much everyone else. If you can get tickets, do it. [MySpace]


Saturday, June 6

Titus Andronicus and the So So Glos @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $15
If I say this is a hardcore punk show, please don't think I mean a bunch of thrashy pseudo-metalhead teenage boys. Titus and the So So Glos are what punk rock should be - fast, loud and fun. Titus always puts on an amazing show. [MySpace] [MySpace]


Tuesday, June 9

PJ Harvey @ Beacon Theater | UWS, Manhattan | $37.50 - $75
I'm not sure anyone should pay this much to see a show, but then again, PJ Harvey is one of the best and she hardly ever plays in the US. If you don't know who she is, go get your hands on Rid Of Me right now. She's an angry and very badass songwriter who you never ever ever want to cross: "I'll make you lick my injuries / I'm gonna twist your head off, see / till you say don't you wish you never, never met her." Etc. [MySpace]