Tonight!! Thursday, April 28
Lightning Bolt, Pterodactyl @ Le Poisson Rouge * Greenwich Village, Manhattan * $12 adv / $14 dos
Both of these bands are named after cool things from the sky. There are two people in Lightning Bolt and they are both named Brian. One Brian plays a heavily distorted bass guitar very very very very fast and very very very very loud. The other Brian plays the drums very very very very very very very fast and yells into a mic that he has in his mouth. Pterodactyl are not as heavy, but have just as much energy as Lightning Bolt - their manic noise rock is chaotic but tight. They are one of Brooklyn's best and most unrated bands. [lightning myspace] [ptero myspace]
Other shows
Woods (otherworldly psych-folk) @ 285 Kent ($10)
Grooms (Sonic Youth-y post punk, not headlining) @ Santos Party House ($12)
Tomorrow!! Friday, April 29
Shellshag, Songs for Moms, Landlord @ Silent Barn * Ridgewood, Queens
Shellshag are basically mom and dad to the young Brooklyn pop-punk scene. They have fun and you will too. More importantly, Songs for Moms are playing - they are from California and not exactly frequent tourers, so this is not to be missed. Their album I Used to Believe in the West was #12 on my best of 2009 list. They are three ladies who play country-tinged punk, but in such a good way, you can't even believe it. [shellshag myspace] [moms myspace]
Other shows
...and You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead @ Bowery Ballroom ($20)
Saturday, April 30
Titus Andronicus, Dinowalrus @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * SOLD OUT
Titus Andronicus are a band from New Jersey who play music that evolved from hardcore punk, but tends to be epic, emotive rants about history and moral struggle. But they rock so hard and mean it so truly that their music never gets weighed down by the size of the emotions and issues their songs tackle. Dinowalrus are psychedelic as fuck, and very good. [titus myspace] [dino myspace]
Other shows
Japanther @ Brooklyn Fireproof East ($10)
Wednesday, May 4
Gang Gang Dance @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Gang Gang Dance are too cool for words. They are an experimental dub group from Brooklyn whose music is steeped in hip hop, dub and a thousand rhythmic styles from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. But they aren't some cheesy world-fusion bullshit, their music is dark, primal and truly their own. Their frontwoman, who goes by "The LZA" (how cool is that?), is totally wack. [myspace]
Other shows
Fiery Furnaces (Bluesy pop by WACK bro and sis duo) @ Rockwood Music Hall ($20)
Pterodactyl (see above) @ Silent Barn ($8)
The long view...
May
5
Thermals, Twin Shadow, Tyvek (poppy, gritty punk) @ Le Poisson Rouge ($10)
C Spencer Yeh, White Suns, Dainolith (mem. AIDS Wolf) (avant garde/noise) @ Death By Audio($7)
Fiery Furnaces (see above) @ Rockwood Muisc Hall ($20)
6
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (saccharine indie pop with subtly dark lyrics) @ Webster Hall
K-Holes (lady noise!) @ Cake Shop ($8)
Total Slacker (sick sick sick) @ Death By Audio ($7)
NYU Strawberry Festival feat. Secret Guest, Ducktails, Pterodactyl, So So Glos
10
Yo La Tengo (inventors of noise pop) @ Bell House (Sold Out)
11
Yo La Tengo (see above) @ Bell House (Sold Out)
CSS (ultra hip crazy dance pop with punk attitude from Brazilian ladies), Sleigh Bells (ultra hip duo with danceable heavy hip-hop beats + girly vocals + metal/hardcore/industrial sheets of guitar noise + some screaming) @ Webster Hall (Sold Out)
Vaz (noise) @ Cake Shop
12
CSS, Sleigh Bells (see above) @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (Sold Out)
15
CSS, Sleigh Bells (see above) @ Bowery Ballroom (Sold Out)
Hunters, Yvette @ Death By Audio ($7)
19
The Antlers (sad noisy music) @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
20
The Antlers (see above) @ Bowery Ballroom
Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), I Feel Tractor @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
27
Pterodactyl, Screens, Zulus @ Death By Audio ($7)
June
2
Stiff Little Fingers (late 70's UK punk)
12
T.S.O.L. (original SOCAL hardcore) @ Santos Party House ($12)
23
Dinosaur Jr (late 80's/early 90's loud proto-alt rock, performing their classic album Bug), Fucked Up (wall of sound meets hardcore/thrash meets best thing ever) @ Terminal 5
26
Archers Loaf @ Webster Hall
July
12
Animal Collective @ Prospect Park
August
12
Sonic Youth @ Williamsburg Waterfront
The Streets @ Terminal 5
Showing posts with label Titus Andronicus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Titus Andronicus. Show all posts
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Upcoming Shows: Northside Festival
There are so many good shows coming up at the Northside Festival, it's tough to pick what to recommend. This is going to be an amazing weekend for music in Brooklyn. Luckily, a lot of the shows are pretty close together, so it may be possible to dash from one to another. I will certainly try and so should you. Here are the highlights, but check out the entire schedule because like I said, it's just hard to pick.
Thursday, June 24
The show to see is...
Wavves, Cloud Nothings, DOM @ Knitting Factory * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $12/$14
Wavves get some hate now, which is the natural backlash after the sort of hype they got around winter/spring of 2008 and 2009. But despite a bad choice in drummers and a lot of bad choices with drugs, Nathan Williams is keeping it real. He brought some sense back to indie rock and he deserves some damn credit. [myspace]
Close runner-up:
Aa, YellowFever, Air Waves, PC Worship, Coasting @ Union Pool * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
After finally getting a chance to check out Aa live, I found they are rather overrated – for a band dependent entirely on rhythm, they drum like the white boys they are. By which I mean their rhythms are mired in an unshakable European sense of halves and quarters and downbeats. HOWEVER, the other bands on the bill are among NYC’s most interesting experimental bands and are very worth checking out. [aa myspace] [yf myspace] [aw myspace] [pc myspace]
Other highlights:
Au Revoir Simone @ Warsaw * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * $15/$17
Anni Rossi, ARMS, Ball of Flame Shoot Fire, Shark?, Miniboone @ Matchless * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * $6
My Teenage Stride, I’m Turning Into, German Measles @ The Charleston * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $5
Friday, June 25
The show to see is…
Grooms, Snakes Say Hisss, Darlings, Sisters, Tough Knuckles @ Death By Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
Tough pick Friday night, but this one wins it. Death by Audio roster mainstays Grooms and Sisters are awesome, albeit in different ways – Grooms are a dark, experimental post-punk trio while Sisters are a jumpy lo-fi noise-punk pop duo. Darlings are more towards Sisters if you pretend that’s some sort of spectrum. They play unpredictable, loveable indie rock. As for the other bands on the bill, we’ll find out together! [grooms myspace] [snakes myspace] [darlings myspace] [sisters myspace] [knuckles myspace]
Other highlights:
The Fiery Furnaces @ Brooklyn Bowl * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
The So So Glos, The Beets, Asa Ransom, Electric Tickle Machine, Shilpa Ray (solo) @ Shea Stadium * Bushwick, Brooklyn * $10
We Are Country Mice, Eternal Summers, Grooms with DJ Sets by Jemina Pearl & John Eatherly (Be Your Own Pet) and Pete Feigenbaum (Dinowalrus) @ Cameo Gallery * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $8
Real Estate, Woods, The Fresh & Onlys @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $15/$17
MEN (feat. JD Samson of Le Tigre) @ Knitting Factory * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $15
Shark?, blair, DOM, Darlings, The Grates, Dinosaur Feathers, MiniBoone, The Sundelles @ Public Assembly * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
Saturday, June 26
The shows to see are...
AFTERNOON (1 PM): Titus Andronicus, Male Bonding @ Newtown Barge Park * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * $10/$12
Titus Andronicus are the second most inventive hardcore band of our generation (and the second most inventive hardcore band playing Newtown Barge Park on Saturday). They are passionate and sing about history and art and war and they will make you want to jump around and crash into people. Male Bonding play catchy, manic lo-fi punk with sick pop tunez and hella fucking energy. They are as fun as they are tight. Which is very. [ta myspace] [mb myspace]
Liars, Fucked Up, High Places @ Newtown Barge Park * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * $16/$18
The ever nervous, edgy Liars make skittering, experimental noise rock with a lot of yelping and fucked guitars. They’ve got appeal for the casual listener though – driving rhythms, well written songs and a great stage presence. Fucked Up are the number one most inventive hardcore band of our time. They’ve simply demolished boundaries and definitions of what punk can be. [liars myspace] [fu myspace (unofficial)] [hp myspace]
Other highlights:
AFTERNOON (2 PM): Gold Lake, She Keeps Bees, The Shivers @ Matchless * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * FREE
Ducktails, Big Troubles, WOOM, No Demons Here (Luka Usmiani of Fluffy Lumbers), Andrew Cedermark (ex-Titus Andronicus) @ Shea Stadium * Bushwick, Brooklyn
Memory Tapes, Twin Sister, DOM, ZAZA @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $15
The Zookeepers @ Glasslands Gallery * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
LATE (12 AM): Reading Rainbow, The Beets with DJ sets by Kip (The Pains of Being Pure at Heart) & Jed (My Teenage Stride) @ Knitting Factory * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $5
Sunday, June 26
The show to see is...
Les Savy Fav, Polvo, Grails @ Newtown Barge Park * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * $15/$18
Melodic hardcore punx Les Savy Fav would make this show worthwhile alone, but they are joined by 90’s indie legends Polvo, whose math rock keeps it raw-nerve edgy but whose sense of craft lands them among the most accessible of their mathy peers. [lsf myspace] [polvo myspace]
Other highlights:
My Teenage Stride, The Shivers @ Cameo Gallery * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $8
Islands, Steel Phantoms, Active Child, TV Carnage @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $16/$18
Thursday, June 24
The show to see is...
Wavves, Cloud Nothings, DOM @ Knitting Factory * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $12/$14
Wavves get some hate now, which is the natural backlash after the sort of hype they got around winter/spring of 2008 and 2009. But despite a bad choice in drummers and a lot of bad choices with drugs, Nathan Williams is keeping it real. He brought some sense back to indie rock and he deserves some damn credit. [myspace]
Close runner-up:
Aa, YellowFever, Air Waves, PC Worship, Coasting @ Union Pool * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
After finally getting a chance to check out Aa live, I found they are rather overrated – for a band dependent entirely on rhythm, they drum like the white boys they are. By which I mean their rhythms are mired in an unshakable European sense of halves and quarters and downbeats. HOWEVER, the other bands on the bill are among NYC’s most interesting experimental bands and are very worth checking out. [aa myspace] [yf myspace] [aw myspace] [pc myspace]
Other highlights:
Au Revoir Simone @ Warsaw * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * $15/$17
Anni Rossi, ARMS, Ball of Flame Shoot Fire, Shark?, Miniboone @ Matchless * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * $6
My Teenage Stride, I’m Turning Into, German Measles @ The Charleston * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $5
Friday, June 25
The show to see is…
Grooms, Snakes Say Hisss, Darlings, Sisters, Tough Knuckles @ Death By Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
Tough pick Friday night, but this one wins it. Death by Audio roster mainstays Grooms and Sisters are awesome, albeit in different ways – Grooms are a dark, experimental post-punk trio while Sisters are a jumpy lo-fi noise-punk pop duo. Darlings are more towards Sisters if you pretend that’s some sort of spectrum. They play unpredictable, loveable indie rock. As for the other bands on the bill, we’ll find out together! [grooms myspace] [snakes myspace] [darlings myspace] [sisters myspace] [knuckles myspace]
Other highlights:
The Fiery Furnaces @ Brooklyn Bowl * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
The So So Glos, The Beets, Asa Ransom, Electric Tickle Machine, Shilpa Ray (solo) @ Shea Stadium * Bushwick, Brooklyn * $10
We Are Country Mice, Eternal Summers, Grooms with DJ Sets by Jemina Pearl & John Eatherly (Be Your Own Pet) and Pete Feigenbaum (Dinowalrus) @ Cameo Gallery * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $8
Real Estate, Woods, The Fresh & Onlys @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $15/$17
MEN (feat. JD Samson of Le Tigre) @ Knitting Factory * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $15
Shark?, blair, DOM, Darlings, The Grates, Dinosaur Feathers, MiniBoone, The Sundelles @ Public Assembly * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
Saturday, June 26
The shows to see are...
AFTERNOON (1 PM): Titus Andronicus, Male Bonding @ Newtown Barge Park * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * $10/$12
Titus Andronicus are the second most inventive hardcore band of our generation (and the second most inventive hardcore band playing Newtown Barge Park on Saturday). They are passionate and sing about history and art and war and they will make you want to jump around and crash into people. Male Bonding play catchy, manic lo-fi punk with sick pop tunez and hella fucking energy. They are as fun as they are tight. Which is very. [ta myspace] [mb myspace]
Liars, Fucked Up, High Places @ Newtown Barge Park * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * $16/$18
The ever nervous, edgy Liars make skittering, experimental noise rock with a lot of yelping and fucked guitars. They’ve got appeal for the casual listener though – driving rhythms, well written songs and a great stage presence. Fucked Up are the number one most inventive hardcore band of our time. They’ve simply demolished boundaries and definitions of what punk can be. [liars myspace] [fu myspace (unofficial)] [hp myspace]
Other highlights:
AFTERNOON (2 PM): Gold Lake, She Keeps Bees, The Shivers @ Matchless * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * FREE
Ducktails, Big Troubles, WOOM, No Demons Here (Luka Usmiani of Fluffy Lumbers), Andrew Cedermark (ex-Titus Andronicus) @ Shea Stadium * Bushwick, Brooklyn
Memory Tapes, Twin Sister, DOM, ZAZA @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $15
The Zookeepers @ Glasslands Gallery * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
LATE (12 AM): Reading Rainbow, The Beets with DJ sets by Kip (The Pains of Being Pure at Heart) & Jed (My Teenage Stride) @ Knitting Factory * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $5
Sunday, June 26
The show to see is...
Les Savy Fav, Polvo, Grails @ Newtown Barge Park * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * $15/$18
Melodic hardcore punx Les Savy Fav would make this show worthwhile alone, but they are joined by 90’s indie legends Polvo, whose math rock keeps it raw-nerve edgy but whose sense of craft lands them among the most accessible of their mathy peers. [lsf myspace] [polvo myspace]
Other highlights:
My Teenage Stride, The Shivers @ Cameo Gallery * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $8
Islands, Steel Phantoms, Active Child, TV Carnage @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $16/$18
Monday, March 8, 2010
Album: Titus Andronicus - The Monitor
Album: The Monitor
XL, 2010
Rating: ******** (8/10)
In 2008, Titus Andronicus came out of New Jersey to help redefine what hardcore punk can be. With innovations only surpassed by Matador's Fucked Up, the band's debut LP The Airing of Grievances assembled a rough set of epic punk rants about New Jersey, new adulthood, literature and art. It was an album of cutting but impatient introspection, full of the wonder and fear and anger that comes with discovering the world as it is.
On the The Monitor, the band wanders even further down their self-paved road. The album's connecting thread is a running Civil War theme. From the beginning of the band's career, it's been clear that frontman Patrick Stickles is a man with deep sense of what's right and a painful confusion about how to find and stand by that in a fucked up world. The album's Civil War setting is not so much about history as it is about showing the world today as seen by this gangly, bearded young madman.
From the first second on, The Monitor is in emotional overdrive. Not just Stickles but the band as a whole has put themselves on the line even more than before. Every note is the sound of someone playing their heart out. There are some bands who just like making music, some who do it out of insatiable curiosity or because it's the only thing they know how to do, and then there are those who have to, because their emotional and spiritual burdens demand that release, because without it, they would just shrivel up and die. Titus Andronicus are a band with a purpose and drive that seems larger than themselves, and this is what makes them such a memorable and important group.
So what to make of The Monitor? At times it seems a little much. Only two tracks of ten clock in under five minutes, while half of the album's songs cross the seven minute mark. The unending gushing of raw emotion, the epic songs, it's dense and heavy and hard to digest. But I don't think this band know how to do it any other way. And each song, though riddled with changes in tempo and style, makes a distinct statement, a distinct piece of the album's ultimate picture.
Musically, the band's horizons have continued to expand. Though the raging, anthemic qualities of the songs show a deep loyalty to the original punk movement, the band incorporates a wealth of styles, even including some New Orleans jazz saxophone, a sole bluegrass fiddle and a few hints of straight-out country twang. The disparate styles and instrumentation evidence the band's commitment to a vision beyond any sonic aesthetic. Even still, some of these attempts to branch out, though undoubtedly genuine, don't quite work. At times, the band seems a little off their mark, their identity uncertain. The changes are just too abrupt and short-lived to mesh with our sense of what this band is all about.
Still, it's a courageous and meaningful effort. The piano driven "To Old Friends and New" expands the band's vocal range a good octave or so upward and provides the closest thing the album has to an emotional climax, with an uplifting, conciliatory refrain. However, for all the warm, thoughtful dimensions of the album, it also keeps rocking, with rousing shout-along choruses and quick two-by-two beats. The rowdy "Titus Andronicus Forever" is already a live favorite but nearly every song has at least sections with similar high-speed energy.
There is no punk band on earth that sounds like Titus Andronicus. Their long-winded rants, punctuated with references to history, art and literature - as well as to other of their own songs - may sound off-putting by description, but what keeps the band from ruining themselves with self-indulgence is the absolute sincerity they put into everything they do. If they border on obtuse, it's only because their abilities haven't quite caught up with their need to express. But we can all understand the self-doubt and the disillusionment, the yearning for good and the undying hope Titus Andronicus represent. They might not always succeed, but thank god they are trying.
[myspace]
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Upcoming Shows: Japanther, Titus Andronicus + more
Tomorrow, March 4
Japanther @ Mercury Lounge * LES, Manhattan * $12
They may be kind of full of themselves and annoying at times, but Japanther make some damn good and ofter underrated punk. It's heartfelt and youthful and they are releasing a record and the party is tomorrow so you should go hear them. Plus, their excellently-named friends Cerebral Ballzy are opening. [myspace]
Sunburned Hand of the Man @ Death By Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
If Japanther are too conventional for your tastes, check out the highly experimental, psychedelic, folk inflected noise of Sunburned Hand of the Man. [myspace]
Friday, March 5
Shellshag, Stupid Party, the Measure, Groucho Marxists @ Cedar Mansion * Bushwick, Brooklyn
Everyone knows the best shows are house parties and everyone knows the best house party shows are hardcore punk and everyone knows the best punk rockers around the tri-state area these days hang around the Don Giovanni Records crowd. So it follows that now that you know this show exists, you also know it's the greatest show ever. Duh. [shellshag myspace] [stupid myspace] [measure myspace] [grouchy marxists myspace]
Saturday, March 6
Titus Andronicus, Parts & Labor, Babies @ Bowery Ballroom * LES, Manhattan * $13 adv. / $15 dos.
Titus Andronicus are another of the best hardcore bands around, though lately they've backed slightly off of the straight-up punk model and turned a bit slicker, rockier and more polished. They write good drinking songs and act like wild men on stage. Parts & Labor make great, dramatic, sweeping pop songs and then drown them out with massive amounts of noises. I haven't heard Babies yet, but it's members of Woods and Vivian Girls, so it's at least of interest. [titus myspace] [p&l myspace]
Sunday, March 7
Tyvek, Talk Normal, Awesome Color @ Market Hotel * Bushwick, Brooklyn
Tyvek come down from Michigan every now and then to play us some awesome punk songs. They are kind frail looking kids, like the kind who live in the basements of college libraries because they melt in sunlight. But they are kind of angry and have fun yelling about things in punk songs they write. Talk Normal are two weird ladies who make strange, droning songs with muttering and shouting and some erratic banging of a tom-tom. Awesome Color play punky psychedelic rock and look cool. [tyvek myspace] [talk myspace] [awesome myspace]
Monday, March 8
Dinowalrus doesn't list this show, but Cameo does, so check before you go. Dinowalrus make psychedelic experimental music that wanders around without losing track of its strong beats and melodies. It's a rare band that can so well balance being fun and accessible with being musically edgy and innovative. [myspace]
Update: No show. Just a private performance for a music school seminar. So never mind - but do check out Dinowalrus soon.
Tuesday, March 9
Aa, Screens, PC Worship @ Death by Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
This should be an extremely rad show - three of Brooklyn's most original bands at its best venue. Aa are a Brooklyn mainstay with a highly percussive core. Their music is their rhythms and their rhythms are awesome. Screens are one of my new favorites, an experimental band with driving beats and rich, scared-sounding melodies. PC Worship are another new favorite. They often keep it toned down a bit, mixing quiet lo-fi songs with inspired sonic experiments. If you don't go to this show, you'll end up really regretting it. [aa myspace] [screens myspace] [pc myspace]
The long view...
March
10
The Magnetic Fields @ Town Hall
11
The Magnetic Fields @ Town Hall
Iran @ Knitting Factory
12-13
Henry Rollins @ The Fillmore
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
2
The Bronx, Japanther @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Captured Tracks Showcase: Blank Dogs, Wet Dog + more @ Glasslands
3
Soft Pack, Nodzzz, Male Bonding @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
6
The Bronx, Japanther @ Bowery Ballroom
8
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ Webster Hall
10
Washed Out, Small Black @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
15
Liars @ Bowery Ballroom
18
Liars @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
21
Apples in Stereo @ Bowery Ballroom
May
3
Chapterhouse @ Bell House
Friday, January 8, 2010
Albums to Watch for in 2010
*** DISCLAIMER: As with last year's list, these are albums I would like to see in 2010. Some have not been announced, and some probably don't and won't exist. I'm not trying to start rumors, I'm just an optimist!!***
Dinowalrus - This one is real and it's coming out soon. Like, in a week. I haven't listened yet, but I'm pretty sure it's going to kick ass. The band's experimental psychedelic drone probably isn't for everyone, but if you're into that stuff (and you should be!), this is as good as it gets. [myspace]
Dum Dum Girls - The debut is out in March. Dum Dum Girls are what's right about this whole lo-fi pop revival. [myspace]
My Bloody Valentine - A girl can hope, right? Right?
Ringo Deathstarr - I was hoping for this one last year, but this year it's actually looking promising. The loudest, densest, prettiest shoegaze in ages. [myspace]
Seawhores - Heavy and confrontational, yet melodic, Seawhores have earned their cult following. I don't know if they are planning an album, but since they signed to Death By Audio Records, they must intend to release something at some point. [myspace]
Shellshag - This one is real too, it comes out in February and it's going to rock. The band's two members like to get fucked up and fuck up and fuck you up. What else could you want? [myspace]
Titus Andronicus - Titus Andronicus play hardcore punk that's at once traditional and original, pushing boundaries with their ambitious compositions, shoegaze-influenced guitars and thoughtful lyrics. [myspace]
And keep an eye out for these too...
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (March)
Fiasco (we'll see...)
Interference (February)
Liars (March)
Los Campesinos! (January)
Quasi (February)
Radio Dept. (February)
Sisters (we'll see...)
So So Glos (we'll see...)
Spoon (January)
Dinowalrus - This one is real and it's coming out soon. Like, in a week. I haven't listened yet, but I'm pretty sure it's going to kick ass. The band's experimental psychedelic drone probably isn't for everyone, but if you're into that stuff (and you should be!), this is as good as it gets. [myspace]
Dum Dum Girls - The debut is out in March. Dum Dum Girls are what's right about this whole lo-fi pop revival. [myspace]
My Bloody Valentine - A girl can hope, right? Right?
Ringo Deathstarr - I was hoping for this one last year, but this year it's actually looking promising. The loudest, densest, prettiest shoegaze in ages. [myspace]
Seawhores - Heavy and confrontational, yet melodic, Seawhores have earned their cult following. I don't know if they are planning an album, but since they signed to Death By Audio Records, they must intend to release something at some point. [myspace]
Shellshag - This one is real too, it comes out in February and it's going to rock. The band's two members like to get fucked up and fuck up and fuck you up. What else could you want? [myspace]
Titus Andronicus - Titus Andronicus play hardcore punk that's at once traditional and original, pushing boundaries with their ambitious compositions, shoegaze-influenced guitars and thoughtful lyrics. [myspace]
And keep an eye out for these too...
Thursday, January 7, 2010
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)
#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)
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Upcoming Shows: TONIGHT!
What better way to celebrate the New Year (and more importantly, a day off work tomorrow) than going to see some music? There are a few good shows but one stands out:
Screaming Females + Talk Normal, Frankie and the Outs @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan | $15
Screaming Fucking Females, y'all, the best guitar rock band on the planet right now. Talk Normal is experimental in a very cool way and Frankie is Frankie Rose of Crystal Stilts, Mayfair Sect and once upon a time, the Vivian Girls. And Screaming Fucking Females. [SF MySpace] [TN MySpace] [Frankie MySpace]
If Cake Shop isn't doing it for you for some reason, here are some other goings on:
Titus Andronicus, So So Glos @ Mercury Lounge | LES, Manhattan | $15
Titus Andronicus is one of the best hardcore punk bands to emerge in the last couple years. They put on an amazing live show. The So So Glos are another great hardcore band. This show is late, so you could probably go after the Cake Shop show if you aren't wiped out by 2 AM. [TA MySpace] [MySpace]
Patti Smith and Her Band @ Bowery Ballroom | LES, Manhattan | Sold Out!
This show sold out months ago, but if you can find a way to go you should go. Patti Smith is the universally admired poet laureate of original NYC punk. Bowery is a great venue and probably the most intimate place you'll have a chance to see Smith play.
Screaming Females + Talk Normal, Frankie and the Outs @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan | $15
Screaming Fucking Females, y'all, the best guitar rock band on the planet right now. Talk Normal is experimental in a very cool way and Frankie is Frankie Rose of Crystal Stilts, Mayfair Sect and once upon a time, the Vivian Girls. And Screaming Fucking Females. [SF MySpace] [TN MySpace] [Frankie MySpace]
If Cake Shop isn't doing it for you for some reason, here are some other goings on:
Titus Andronicus, So So Glos @ Mercury Lounge | LES, Manhattan | $15
Titus Andronicus is one of the best hardcore punk bands to emerge in the last couple years. They put on an amazing live show. The So So Glos are another great hardcore band. This show is late, so you could probably go after the Cake Shop show if you aren't wiped out by 2 AM. [TA MySpace] [MySpace]
Patti Smith and Her Band @ Bowery Ballroom | LES, Manhattan | Sold Out!
This show sold out months ago, but if you can find a way to go you should go. Patti Smith is the universally admired poet laureate of original NYC punk. Bowery is a great venue and probably the most intimate place you'll have a chance to see Smith play.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
In celebration, here is a list of the ten bands I am the most thankful exist right now. In alphabetical order because I love them all equally(ish).
The Antlers - Definitely the wimpiest band on this list, but wimpy doesn't necessarily mean unedgy. This music explores the traumas of abuse and loss with nearly unparalleled honesty. It's the kind of music that will save lives. [RFR Review] [MySpace]
Fucked Up - This band is, as I've previously explained, the superman of punk rock. They give closet punks like me hope. [RFR Review] [Unofficial MySpace]
Jeff the Brotherhood - This is what rock music is about. Great songs, aggressive guitars, powerful drums and sheer awesomeness. [RFR Review] [MySpace]
Marnie Stern - Marnie proves that electric guitar can still be groundbreaking, if you play it weirdly enough. [RFR Review] [MySpace]
Ponytail - Ponytail is one of the most refreshingly original bands of the decade. After half a century of rock music, it's hard to sound totally new, but there's just no one else on earth who sounds like this. [RFR Review] [MySpace]
Pterodactyl - Pterodactyl are on this list for mostly the same reason as Ponytail. They don't sound like anyone else. There is no reference point. Unlike Ponytail, they keep the song/melody-orientation of most popular music, but they've found a way to be exciting while still accessible. [RFR Review] [MySpace]
Screaming Females - If anyone can save rock music from the disaffected, icy grasp of the hipsters, it's these guys. They pretty much take everything that's ever been good about rock music, distill it into great pop songs with raging guitars, and somehow make it sound relevant to 2009. And their passion for their music is the ultimate anti-hipster statement. Anyone who hears them will have to admit rock is better this way. [RFR Review] [MySpace]
Stupid Party - This band has a truly independent spirit. You can tell from watching them on stage, they just don't give a fuck about any bullshit. They want to make their songs come out of their instruments and probably to drink some beer afterwards. [RFR Review] [MySpace]
Titus Andronicus - This band restored my faith in hardcore punk. While the thrashy Fucked Up is thoroughly experimental, Titus Andronicus keep it more old school at the core. Still, it's not outdated. Songs about classic paintings and the New Jersey suburbs are definitely post-2000. And while many bands touch on subjects like these, most do it in a despicably unaware celebration of their personally privileged backgrounds. Titus Andronicus comes from an entirely different angle, expressing themselves with intelligent questioning, raw emotion and a truly worldly perspective. [RFR Review] [MySpace]
Wavves - The indie scene was in bad need of another band like Wipers or Flipper. And we got it with Wavves. All distorted guitars and brilliant melodies, no hyper-selfawareness and no crap. [RFR Review] [MySpace]
The Antlers - Definitely the wimpiest band on this list, but wimpy doesn't necessarily mean unedgy. This music explores the traumas of abuse and loss with nearly unparalleled honesty. It's the kind of music that will save lives. [RFR Review] [MySpace]
Fucked Up - This band is, as I've previously explained, the superman of punk rock. They give closet punks like me hope. [RFR Review] [Unofficial MySpace]
Jeff the Brotherhood - This is what rock music is about. Great songs, aggressive guitars, powerful drums and sheer awesomeness. [RFR Review] [MySpace]
Marnie Stern - Marnie proves that electric guitar can still be groundbreaking, if you play it weirdly enough. [RFR Review] [MySpace]
Ponytail - Ponytail is one of the most refreshingly original bands of the decade. After half a century of rock music, it's hard to sound totally new, but there's just no one else on earth who sounds like this. [RFR Review] [MySpace]
Pterodactyl - Pterodactyl are on this list for mostly the same reason as Ponytail. They don't sound like anyone else. There is no reference point. Unlike Ponytail, they keep the song/melody-orientation of most popular music, but they've found a way to be exciting while still accessible. [RFR Review] [MySpace]
Screaming Females - If anyone can save rock music from the disaffected, icy grasp of the hipsters, it's these guys. They pretty much take everything that's ever been good about rock music, distill it into great pop songs with raging guitars, and somehow make it sound relevant to 2009. And their passion for their music is the ultimate anti-hipster statement. Anyone who hears them will have to admit rock is better this way. [RFR Review] [MySpace]
Stupid Party - This band has a truly independent spirit. You can tell from watching them on stage, they just don't give a fuck about any bullshit. They want to make their songs come out of their instruments and probably to drink some beer afterwards. [RFR Review] [MySpace]
Titus Andronicus - This band restored my faith in hardcore punk. While the thrashy Fucked Up is thoroughly experimental, Titus Andronicus keep it more old school at the core. Still, it's not outdated. Songs about classic paintings and the New Jersey suburbs are definitely post-2000. And while many bands touch on subjects like these, most do it in a despicably unaware celebration of their personally privileged backgrounds. Titus Andronicus comes from an entirely different angle, expressing themselves with intelligent questioning, raw emotion and a truly worldly perspective. [RFR Review] [MySpace]
Wavves - The indie scene was in bad need of another band like Wipers or Flipper. And we got it with Wavves. All distorted guitars and brilliant melodies, no hyper-selfawareness and no crap. [RFR Review] [MySpace]
Friday, November 6, 2009
Live: Fucked Up + Titus Andronicus
When: November 5
Where: Brooklyn Masonic Temple
This is gonna be a long one...
Last night, I headed out to Fort Greene to hear experimental hardcore band Fucked Up perform their already-classic 2008 album The Chemistry of Common Life. I got to the venue just in time to catch the first notes of the opening set by Titus Andronicus, the band that restored my faith in punk a year ago.
But things have changed a lot for this band in the space of a year. They've been frequently hailed as one of the best hardcore bands of this generation, they've got some snazzy invites to play with rad bands (like Jesus Lizard and Bad Brains at the private Vice party on Halloween). They've toured extensively and saw their killer 2008 album The Airing of Grievances rereleased on XL records, part of the indie behemoth Beggars Group. They've also changed their line-up. The two guitarists I last saw them with are both gone, replaced by "indie heartthrob" Pete Feigenbaum.*
Being down one guitarist kept frontman Patrick Stickles tied to his guitar, curbing some of his previous antics and eliminating the harmonica from the set. However, I think it's a net positive - the band sounds more focused than ever before. The band's recent success also apparently afforded them enough for haircuts and a visit to the laundromat, maybe even for new t-shirts entirely. That sounds awfully snarky, but I love a good hardcore band no matter how dirty or clean their clothes, how scraggy or tidy their hair. It gave the show a slightly different feel from Titus shows I've been to in the past, not better or worse, just different.
Fitting with their slightly cleaned-up appearance, Titus Andronicus have polished up their sound. Don't think that takes off the edge, though. They are loud and fast and make me want to move to Ireland and go to a pub with people I will come to call "the lads" every night just so that we can stumble home shouting drunken renditions of every Titus Andronicus song we know. But Titus Andronicus has always been a technically sophisticated band and now their guitar-work can really shine. They've rearranged their songs to include some enormous, glittering walls of sound, some stunning embellishing riffs and some crazy, crazy noise. They are more loud and cool and fun than ever. [MySpace]
And then the headliner, the enigmatic Fucked Up, who are living proof that you can't judge a book (punk band) by its cover (appearance). There are six people in Fucked Up. The two of the left side of the stage are clean-cut young men that look like the guys your parents wish you brought home to meet them. The three on the right are slightly more unkempt, but they definitely look more like kids you'd expect to see working in your college library than ones you expect to run into at a seedy hardcore show. Meanwhile, the frontman is a heavy-set, bald, bearded guy who came out on stage last night in baggy athletic shorts, a big t-shirt and a baseball cap askew on his head. Even knowing the band, I half expected him to start rapping on the spot.
But this is neither nice-boy rock nor quirky indie, and it's certainly not gangsta rap. It's one of the most innovative, most confrontational hardcore bands on earth. Starting with the name, Fucked Up are in your face. They've generated a myriad of rumours about themselves, don't keep a myspace page (though fans keep a detailed one including concert dates) and don't really give a fuck what people think or say - they did little, for example, to quell rumours that they had an underhanded neo-Nazi message. (They don't.)
Calling Fucked Up a "hardcore" band can be a little misleading, however. With three guitarists, along with bass and drums, and songs on average clocking in well past the three-minute mark, their music has a complexity that seems the antithesis of punk. On recordings, they literally layer dozens of guitar tracks. Still, their music has the fast-loud punch of hardcore, the same thrash-style shouting vocals and the same "fuck off" attitude. Fucked Up are without a doubt a hardcore punk band, they've just redefined what that means.
But for all their aggression, Fucked Up is one of the most loving, lovely bands I've ever seen. Their music inspires such a sense of camaraderie that it inspires hundreds of attention-starved teenagers to take turns jumping on stage to hug or attack a band member, shout into a microphone or bang a cymbal (or in this case, gong). Now, if it were me, I'd lose my temper quickly and send the kids home with notes to their parents begging them to take some time out to spend with the lonely youths. But Fucked Up is bigger than me, and even when someone acts particularly inappropriately, they make the best of it, grabbing the offending kid to shout in the microphone for a few lines before hurling them good-naturedly back into the crowd. Meanwhile, frontman Pink Eyes is up front handing the microphone around, grabbing kids for high-fives, hugs, kisses and affectionate rough-housing.
Fucked Up
All evening, the crowd, though moshing and dancing wildly, seemed uninterested in helping crowd-surfers, so one kid after another bellyflopped off the stage onto the floor below. And not long after I thought to myself, "at least this band has a frontperson who can't stage dive" (I mentioned he's a heavy dude), Pink Eyes himself took the plunge. Even if the audience had been supporting people, I'm not sure they could have handled his mass and he dropped straight to the floor. After a bit of crawling and thrashing around, he climbed back on stage. "Thanks for catching me, guys," he said. "Real cool." He flashed a big thumbs-down and then chided the crowd, telling us that "little kids" in China had once carried him. Personally, I'd like to see some photographic evidence of this alleged occurrence.
Performing much of the material from their outstanding album The Chemistry of Common Life, the band brought special guests Andrew W-K, the Vivian Girls and singer Katie Stelmanis on stage. Though the Vivian Girls enraged me by unprofessionally peering out from behind the curtains at the wings when not on stage, I have to admit, I really liked their performance. This is definitely the first time I've said something positive about the band, and grudgingly so, but I gotta hand it to them - fingers jammed in their ears, they sang mostly the right notes (not an easy task in all that noise) and the songs they performed were definitely among my favorites in the set. Equally surprisingly, I highly disliked Andrew W-K's part in the set. The one guest who did not actually play on the album, his keyboard synth parts sounded clinky and didn't blend. I respect him immensely as a musician and maybe it was just bad mixing from the sound engineer, but I found him nothing more than distraction.
Watching kids go wild for the band, it dawned on me how powerful this band is. Just by their very existence, by the fact that they don't get outlandish haircuts and clothes, by the fact that they vary from wiry to overweight (and the overweight one ends the show nearly naked), by having a girl in the band who's there for musicianship and not at all for sex-appeal, Fucked Up are the essence of punk at its best - a refuge for anyone who has ever felt out of place in the mainstream. "Come as you are," a great punk band once said.
But it's more than that. These guys don't look like punks. They also all have stage names. Rumour or truth, part of the Fucked Up legend is that the band adopted these names to hide their association with the band from employers, colleagues and maybe even certain relatives. Fucked Up is the Superman of punk rock. Like Clark Kent, they could be some guy in the next cubicle over, some girl you run into at the grocery store, or even little ol' you. They're the everyman as rock hero. Punk is way more than a musical style, it's a powerful identity and an underground community that's served as a family to outcasts and freaks for decades. Just because we might not see a lot of mohawks and safety-pins when we walk down the street, doesn't mean we're alone. Punk isn't dead. It's as vibrant and strong as ever. And it's all over the place, if you know where to look. [MySpace (fan site)]
*I found Pitchfork's Dinowalrus review extremely amusing. That fact that Pitchfork's Ryan Dombal - a fan of people like Bon Iver, Dirty Projectors and St. Vincent - didn't care for them is probably a stronger recommendation than any I could offer. Dinowalrus fucking ROCKS.
Where: Brooklyn Masonic Temple
This is gonna be a long one...
Last night, I headed out to Fort Greene to hear experimental hardcore band Fucked Up perform their already-classic 2008 album The Chemistry of Common Life. I got to the venue just in time to catch the first notes of the opening set by Titus Andronicus, the band that restored my faith in punk a year ago.
But things have changed a lot for this band in the space of a year. They've been frequently hailed as one of the best hardcore bands of this generation, they've got some snazzy invites to play with rad bands (like Jesus Lizard and Bad Brains at the private Vice party on Halloween). They've toured extensively and saw their killer 2008 album The Airing of Grievances rereleased on XL records, part of the indie behemoth Beggars Group. They've also changed their line-up. The two guitarists I last saw them with are both gone, replaced by "indie heartthrob" Pete Feigenbaum.*
Being down one guitarist kept frontman Patrick Stickles tied to his guitar, curbing some of his previous antics and eliminating the harmonica from the set. However, I think it's a net positive - the band sounds more focused than ever before. The band's recent success also apparently afforded them enough for haircuts and a visit to the laundromat, maybe even for new t-shirts entirely. That sounds awfully snarky, but I love a good hardcore band no matter how dirty or clean their clothes, how scraggy or tidy their hair. It gave the show a slightly different feel from Titus shows I've been to in the past, not better or worse, just different.
Fitting with their slightly cleaned-up appearance, Titus Andronicus have polished up their sound. Don't think that takes off the edge, though. They are loud and fast and make me want to move to Ireland and go to a pub with people I will come to call "the lads" every night just so that we can stumble home shouting drunken renditions of every Titus Andronicus song we know. But Titus Andronicus has always been a technically sophisticated band and now their guitar-work can really shine. They've rearranged their songs to include some enormous, glittering walls of sound, some stunning embellishing riffs and some crazy, crazy noise. They are more loud and cool and fun than ever. [MySpace]
And then the headliner, the enigmatic Fucked Up, who are living proof that you can't judge a book (punk band) by its cover (appearance). There are six people in Fucked Up. The two of the left side of the stage are clean-cut young men that look like the guys your parents wish you brought home to meet them. The three on the right are slightly more unkempt, but they definitely look more like kids you'd expect to see working in your college library than ones you expect to run into at a seedy hardcore show. Meanwhile, the frontman is a heavy-set, bald, bearded guy who came out on stage last night in baggy athletic shorts, a big t-shirt and a baseball cap askew on his head. Even knowing the band, I half expected him to start rapping on the spot.
But this is neither nice-boy rock nor quirky indie, and it's certainly not gangsta rap. It's one of the most innovative, most confrontational hardcore bands on earth. Starting with the name, Fucked Up are in your face. They've generated a myriad of rumours about themselves, don't keep a myspace page (though fans keep a detailed one including concert dates) and don't really give a fuck what people think or say - they did little, for example, to quell rumours that they had an underhanded neo-Nazi message. (They don't.)
Calling Fucked Up a "hardcore" band can be a little misleading, however. With three guitarists, along with bass and drums, and songs on average clocking in well past the three-minute mark, their music has a complexity that seems the antithesis of punk. On recordings, they literally layer dozens of guitar tracks. Still, their music has the fast-loud punch of hardcore, the same thrash-style shouting vocals and the same "fuck off" attitude. Fucked Up are without a doubt a hardcore punk band, they've just redefined what that means.
But for all their aggression, Fucked Up is one of the most loving, lovely bands I've ever seen. Their music inspires such a sense of camaraderie that it inspires hundreds of attention-starved teenagers to take turns jumping on stage to hug or attack a band member, shout into a microphone or bang a cymbal (or in this case, gong). Now, if it were me, I'd lose my temper quickly and send the kids home with notes to their parents begging them to take some time out to spend with the lonely youths. But Fucked Up is bigger than me, and even when someone acts particularly inappropriately, they make the best of it, grabbing the offending kid to shout in the microphone for a few lines before hurling them good-naturedly back into the crowd. Meanwhile, frontman Pink Eyes is up front handing the microphone around, grabbing kids for high-fives, hugs, kisses and affectionate rough-housing.
Fucked Up
All evening, the crowd, though moshing and dancing wildly, seemed uninterested in helping crowd-surfers, so one kid after another bellyflopped off the stage onto the floor below. And not long after I thought to myself, "at least this band has a frontperson who can't stage dive" (I mentioned he's a heavy dude), Pink Eyes himself took the plunge. Even if the audience had been supporting people, I'm not sure they could have handled his mass and he dropped straight to the floor. After a bit of crawling and thrashing around, he climbed back on stage. "Thanks for catching me, guys," he said. "Real cool." He flashed a big thumbs-down and then chided the crowd, telling us that "little kids" in China had once carried him. Personally, I'd like to see some photographic evidence of this alleged occurrence.
Performing much of the material from their outstanding album The Chemistry of Common Life, the band brought special guests Andrew W-K, the Vivian Girls and singer Katie Stelmanis on stage. Though the Vivian Girls enraged me by unprofessionally peering out from behind the curtains at the wings when not on stage, I have to admit, I really liked their performance. This is definitely the first time I've said something positive about the band, and grudgingly so, but I gotta hand it to them - fingers jammed in their ears, they sang mostly the right notes (not an easy task in all that noise) and the songs they performed were definitely among my favorites in the set. Equally surprisingly, I highly disliked Andrew W-K's part in the set. The one guest who did not actually play on the album, his keyboard synth parts sounded clinky and didn't blend. I respect him immensely as a musician and maybe it was just bad mixing from the sound engineer, but I found him nothing more than distraction.
Watching kids go wild for the band, it dawned on me how powerful this band is. Just by their very existence, by the fact that they don't get outlandish haircuts and clothes, by the fact that they vary from wiry to overweight (and the overweight one ends the show nearly naked), by having a girl in the band who's there for musicianship and not at all for sex-appeal, Fucked Up are the essence of punk at its best - a refuge for anyone who has ever felt out of place in the mainstream. "Come as you are," a great punk band once said.
But it's more than that. These guys don't look like punks. They also all have stage names. Rumour or truth, part of the Fucked Up legend is that the band adopted these names to hide their association with the band from employers, colleagues and maybe even certain relatives. Fucked Up is the Superman of punk rock. Like Clark Kent, they could be some guy in the next cubicle over, some girl you run into at the grocery store, or even little ol' you. They're the everyman as rock hero. Punk is way more than a musical style, it's a powerful identity and an underground community that's served as a family to outcasts and freaks for decades. Just because we might not see a lot of mohawks and safety-pins when we walk down the street, doesn't mean we're alone. Punk isn't dead. It's as vibrant and strong as ever. And it's all over the place, if you know where to look. [MySpace (fan site)]
*I found Pitchfork's Dinowalrus review extremely amusing. That fact that Pitchfork's Ryan Dombal - a fan of people like Bon Iver, Dirty Projectors and St. Vincent - didn't care for them is probably a stronger recommendation than any I could offer. Dinowalrus fucking ROCKS.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Upcoming Shows: Fucked Up, Werewolves, Coyote Eyes + more
Thursday, November 5
Fucked Up + Titus Andronicus @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple | Fort Greene, Brooklyn | $18
Hardcore band Fucked Up is performing their acclaimed album Chemistry of Common Life in its entirety. The bad news is that Vivian Girls (!!??) are singing back-up vocals and it costs $18. On the other hand, Titus Andronicus will be opening with their excellent less thrash/metal form of hardcore. [FU MySpace] [TA MySpace]
Friday, November 6
Girls + Real Estate | Bowery Ballroom | SOLD OUT!
I have mixed feelings about Girls, who have recently been determined to be the shit. The band's backstory is such that if I harsh on them, I'm afraid it will look like I'm in favor of creepy cults and against smiles. (In fact, I am against both cults and smiles.) But let's face it, Girls is anti-edgy, Beach Boys-inspired pop. And the lyrics are some of the most blatant, unoriginal attempts to get laid in the history of rock. From the words, we learn that Christopher Owens is a really nice guy who wants to innocently love and be friends with girls and smile and make the best of his terrible life, but he's just heartbroken and lonely. I'm mean, come on!!! (Note: if we discounted all music that was created for the purpose of the musician getting laid, we'd be without 98.5% of music, but at least you don't have to be so obvious and uncreative about it.) On the other hand, his voice is really interesting, not quirky at all but not like anyone else's, awkward but very rich and full. And the melodies and songwriting are unarguably Great - with a capital G. [MySpace]
Sunday, November 8
Werewolves, Coyote Eyes + Mary Onettes @ Mercury Lounge | LES, Manhattan | $10
It's no secret that my favorite two canine-related bands in New York City are Werewolves and Coyote Eyes. Werewolves play an amazing blend of psychedelic music, drawing from the Doors, My Bloody Valentine and everything in between for great melodies and thick, druggy noise. Coyote Eyes play rhythmically fascinating post-punk with unusual and entirely lovable melodies. Headlining are 80's-esque Swedes the Mary Onettes, who I've heard live before and can say are decent but nothing super special. [WW MySpace] [CE MySpace] [MO MySpace]
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Upcoming Shows: Raincoats, Shonen Knife, No Age, Marnie Stern + more
This is a confusing and difficult week for show-goers. Way too much that's way too awesome. The extent to which awesomeness overlaps will probably make you cry.
Thursday, October 15
Titus Andronicus, So So Glos, Grooms @ Knitting Factory | Williamsburg, Brooklyn (NEW LOCATION!!!) | $12
Titus Andronicus and So So Glos are two of the awesomest hardcore punk bands around. And by hardcore punk, I don't mean fifteen-year-old skinheads who go around beating people up. I mean nice kids who like to play rock music. Titus puts on a hell of a live show. Grooms are an odd fit, with a much slower, more complex, less energized sound. But they are good too. Also, this is their album release party. I just reviewed their album like 10 minutes ago. [TA MySpace] [SSG MySpace] [Grooms MySpace]
No Age @ MoMA | Midtown East, Manhattan
I don't know why No Age is playing at MoMA. It sounds pretentious and not worth missing the above show to see. But I figured I'd let you know. They play the New Museum the next day and have a proper show Saturday (see below). [MySpace]
Friday, October 16
Raincoats, Marnie Stern, Viv Albertine @ Knitting Factory | Williamsburg, Brooklyn (NEW LOCATION!!!) | $22 adv./$25 dos.
HOLY FUCKIN SHIT THE FUCKIN RAINCOATS!!!!!!!!! Or, more calmly put, one of the first and greatest UK punk bands and one of the bands that pioneered the way for women in indie rock music. The other band to fit this description, of course, is the Slits. And the Slits' guitarist was...anybody? Anybody? That's right, Viv Albertine! And as for Marnie Stern, she's the new generation, and just as awesome. You cannot miss this show, unless... [Raincoats MySpace] [MS MySpace] [VA MySpace]
...you miss it to see this one:
Shonen Knife @ Santos Party House | Chinatown, Manhattan | $12
More of indie rock's leading ladies, Shonen Knife have one of the coolest backstories in rock history. Formed in the 1980's in uber-conservative Japan, Shonen Knife consisted of three women who worked as secretaries by day and led secret lives as indie pop musicians at night, unbeknownst to their families and employers - it was considered unseemly for a woman to play rock or pop music, but Shonen Knife gave chauvinism the finger and kicked out some jams, motherfuckers. [MySpace]
Saturday, October 17
No Age @ Above the AutoParts Store | Bushwick, Brooklyn
No Age are a "noise punk" duo from California. "Noise punk" is the in-term right now for bands like this, and it does make a lot of sense. Borrowing from shoegaze, lo-fi and noise pop, No Age and their ilk make dense walls of distortiony sound, but slam out fast 2/4 punk tunes instead of meandering ambiance or wimpy indie pop. No Age are the best of their peers at this style, with bright, irresistible melodies and an unbelievable amount of noise, made on only one guitar. Go see them. [MySpace]
Echo & the Bunnymen @ Mercury Lounge | LES, Manhattan | SOLD OUT!
Obviously, Echo & the Bunnymen is one of the greatest bands of all time. Their mopey post punk, with its stark landscapes and dramatic, tuneful tenor, adds a psychedelic sensibility to the mix. Formed in 1978, this band is the real deal. Mercury Lounge is probably the best small venue in the city. You will NEVER have another chance to see this band this close. Obviously, it's sold out, so if you don't have a ticket, good luck.
Glenn Branca @ Issue Project Room | Gowanus, Brooklyn | $12 adv. / $15 dos.
One of the leaders of New York City's late 70's arty No Wave scene, Branca is an avant garde composer who makes crazy-ass sounds on guitars and mentored Thurtston Moore and Lee Renaldo when they were both wee young things. Or something like that (the nature of the relationship depends on who you ask). I wouldn't go see this over the above shows. He's from town and will perform again. Probably at IPR.
Thursday, October 15
Titus Andronicus, So So Glos, Grooms @ Knitting Factory | Williamsburg, Brooklyn (NEW LOCATION!!!) | $12
Titus Andronicus and So So Glos are two of the awesomest hardcore punk bands around. And by hardcore punk, I don't mean fifteen-year-old skinheads who go around beating people up. I mean nice kids who like to play rock music. Titus puts on a hell of a live show. Grooms are an odd fit, with a much slower, more complex, less energized sound. But they are good too. Also, this is their album release party. I just reviewed their album like 10 minutes ago. [TA MySpace] [SSG MySpace] [Grooms MySpace]
No Age @ MoMA | Midtown East, Manhattan
I don't know why No Age is playing at MoMA. It sounds pretentious and not worth missing the above show to see. But I figured I'd let you know. They play the New Museum the next day and have a proper show Saturday (see below). [MySpace]
Friday, October 16
Raincoats, Marnie Stern, Viv Albertine @ Knitting Factory | Williamsburg, Brooklyn (NEW LOCATION!!!) | $22 adv./$25 dos.
HOLY FUCKIN SHIT THE FUCKIN RAINCOATS!!!!!!!!! Or, more calmly put, one of the first and greatest UK punk bands and one of the bands that pioneered the way for women in indie rock music. The other band to fit this description, of course, is the Slits. And the Slits' guitarist was...anybody? Anybody? That's right, Viv Albertine! And as for Marnie Stern, she's the new generation, and just as awesome. You cannot miss this show, unless... [Raincoats MySpace] [MS MySpace] [VA MySpace]
...you miss it to see this one:
Shonen Knife @ Santos Party House | Chinatown, Manhattan | $12
More of indie rock's leading ladies, Shonen Knife have one of the coolest backstories in rock history. Formed in the 1980's in uber-conservative Japan, Shonen Knife consisted of three women who worked as secretaries by day and led secret lives as indie pop musicians at night, unbeknownst to their families and employers - it was considered unseemly for a woman to play rock or pop music, but Shonen Knife gave chauvinism the finger and kicked out some jams, motherfuckers. [MySpace]
Saturday, October 17
No Age @ Above the AutoParts Store | Bushwick, Brooklyn
No Age are a "noise punk" duo from California. "Noise punk" is the in-term right now for bands like this, and it does make a lot of sense. Borrowing from shoegaze, lo-fi and noise pop, No Age and their ilk make dense walls of distortiony sound, but slam out fast 2/4 punk tunes instead of meandering ambiance or wimpy indie pop. No Age are the best of their peers at this style, with bright, irresistible melodies and an unbelievable amount of noise, made on only one guitar. Go see them. [MySpace]
Echo & the Bunnymen @ Mercury Lounge | LES, Manhattan | SOLD OUT!
Obviously, Echo & the Bunnymen is one of the greatest bands of all time. Their mopey post punk, with its stark landscapes and dramatic, tuneful tenor, adds a psychedelic sensibility to the mix. Formed in 1978, this band is the real deal. Mercury Lounge is probably the best small venue in the city. You will NEVER have another chance to see this band this close. Obviously, it's sold out, so if you don't have a ticket, good luck.
Glenn Branca @ Issue Project Room | Gowanus, Brooklyn | $12 adv. / $15 dos.
One of the leaders of New York City's late 70's arty No Wave scene, Branca is an avant garde composer who makes crazy-ass sounds on guitars and mentored Thurtston Moore and Lee Renaldo when they were both wee young things. Or something like that (the nature of the relationship depends on who you ask). I wouldn't go see this over the above shows. He's from town and will perform again. Probably at IPR.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Upcoming Shows: Raekwon (!!!!!!) + more
TOMORROW! Wednesday, September 2
Titus Andronicus, So So Glos @ Secret Project Robot | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $9
Hardcore punk updated for 2009. Two of the best and not at all mean folks. [SSG MySpace] [TA MySpace]
Thursday, September 3
Darlings @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan | $7
Darlings are some crazy mothafuckas who play messy, unpredictable, loud indie rock/punk. I reviewed them in July. [MySpace]
Saturday, September 5
Phosphorescent @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | Wmsburg, Brooklyn | $13
Ages ago, I accidentally went to a Phosphorescent show. I'd never heard the name, but I liked the music. It's got a rootsy feel that points to southern roots, but it's also got a lot of drunken-ish yelling and noise, with some great melodies that could fit in with the best of late 90's indie rock (which was a good era for melodies in indie rock, if you were wondering). [MySpace]
Grooms @ 502 West 25th Street | Chelsea, Manhattan
Less Artists More Condos was one of NYC's best DIY operations and one of many DIY venue casualties in recent months. But the mastermind of LAMC is carrying on with his booking operations and has set up this lovely night with up-and-comers Grooms (fka Muggabears), who blend dark, experimental guitar sound with memorable melodies. The band's debut album, due out later this fall, is sure to make a splash. [MySpace]
Tuesday, September 8
Raekwon w/ special guests @ Santos Party House | Chinatown, Manhattan |$30 SOLD OUT
In a night hosted by P Diddy, Wu-Tang member Raekwon will celebrate the release of his LP Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2, perhaps the most anticipated rap album of the decade. It's predecessor, released fourteen years ago, was hailed as one of the best and most influential gangsta rap albums ever. Raekwon will be joined by fellow Wu-Tang alums Ghostface Killah and Method Man and legendary rap artists Talib Kweli and Busta Rhymes, among others. Shockingly, this doesn't seem to be a private event. Unsurprisingly, tickets sold out earlier this afternoon (while I was putting this post together, sorry). If you can score tickets, just remember these rappers aren't joking - they and the members of their inner circle not only lived the gangsta lives they describe, they still live it. In a venue this intimate, you should be prepared for an experience that stands in contrast to, say, your typical indie rock show.
Titus Andronicus, So So Glos @ Secret Project Robot | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $9
Hardcore punk updated for 2009. Two of the best and not at all mean folks. [SSG MySpace] [TA MySpace]
Thursday, September 3
Darlings @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan | $7
Darlings are some crazy mothafuckas who play messy, unpredictable, loud indie rock/punk. I reviewed them in July. [MySpace]
Saturday, September 5
Phosphorescent @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | Wmsburg, Brooklyn | $13
Ages ago, I accidentally went to a Phosphorescent show. I'd never heard the name, but I liked the music. It's got a rootsy feel that points to southern roots, but it's also got a lot of drunken-ish yelling and noise, with some great melodies that could fit in with the best of late 90's indie rock (which was a good era for melodies in indie rock, if you were wondering). [MySpace]
Grooms @ 502 West 25th Street | Chelsea, Manhattan
Less Artists More Condos was one of NYC's best DIY operations and one of many DIY venue casualties in recent months. But the mastermind of LAMC is carrying on with his booking operations and has set up this lovely night with up-and-comers Grooms (fka Muggabears), who blend dark, experimental guitar sound with memorable melodies. The band's debut album, due out later this fall, is sure to make a splash. [MySpace]
Tuesday, September 8
Raekwon w/ special guests @ Santos Party House | Chinatown, Manhattan |
In a night hosted by P Diddy, Wu-Tang member Raekwon will celebrate the release of his LP Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2, perhaps the most anticipated rap album of the decade. It's predecessor, released fourteen years ago, was hailed as one of the best and most influential gangsta rap albums ever. Raekwon will be joined by fellow Wu-Tang alums Ghostface Killah and Method Man and legendary rap artists Talib Kweli and Busta Rhymes, among others. Shockingly, this doesn't seem to be a private event. Unsurprisingly, tickets sold out earlier this afternoon (while I was putting this post together, sorry). If you can score tickets, just remember these rappers aren't joking - they and the members of their inner circle not only lived the gangsta lives they describe, they still live it. In a venue this intimate, you should be prepared for an experience that stands in contrast to, say, your typical indie rock show.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
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]
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]
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Live: Titus Andronicus
When: 3/27
Where: Market Hotel
I've seen Titus Andronicus twice at Bowery Ballroom, a large venue that's somewhere in the no man's land between the indie and corporate worlds. It's not a bad place, and not huge either, but it's a far cry from a musty basement or abandoned warehouse. So I was glad to finally have a chance to see this neo-hardcore band play in a place that was truly "punk" - the enigmatic loft venue Market Hotel, which throws DIY all-ages shows with some of the best bands around.
I gather that the show was booked by the famous Todd P, and he knows how to get the kids out. The large-ish space was very respectably filled, though not uncomfortably packed. The young punks crowded around the stage, while the slightly older, calmer audience members stood out of the fray. (Those of us over 95 stood in the foyer.)
Now understand that when I call Titus and their fans "punks," I don't mean kids sporting mohawks and safety pins - I don't even mean shaved-head, skull-tattoo hardcore types. Like Titus's music, this crowd has jettisoned all the washed up cliches of punk. Angry, macho metalheads co-opted both the loud-fast music of punk (creating "thrash") and its once-confrontational fashion statements long ago. I even doubt most of the audience would consider themselves "punk" after seeing the term applied to those assholes.
But Titus and their fans really are punk, in the best possible way - their music is aggressive but also intelligent and fun. And like real punks, they have a strong sense of community, are open-minded and respectful and subscribe to the egalitarian DIY ethos that has been punk's underlying current since its inception.
And true to the spirit of punk, the front of the house was an indecipherable tangle of moshing bodies. Though the space wasn't quite crowded enough to support it, a constant stream of stage divers leapt onto a very enthusiastic sea (well, pond) of raised hands, who did their best to keep their charges afloat and out of danger.
Titus was clearly in their element, with frontman Patrick Stickles taking quite a few leaps off the stage himself. The band played their songs faster and louder than I've heard them before, and while it was mostly still tracks off their 2008 album, they threw in a few numbers I hadn't heard before. The new songs seemed to take the band's style (i.e. epic hardcore manifestos) to its extreme. They may have dragged out a little too long, but they showed an even greater honing of the band's use of contrast, bouncing not only between hushed and really fuckin loud, but also between sweet, slow, emotive passages and really fuckin loud. And as a special treat, they played a cover announced as "the greatest rock and roll song of all time" - it was the Modern Lovers' "Road Runner."
Stickles may have grown a little too fond of his own voice, carrying on at length between songs - but he's entertaining and the band's self-deprecating humor sat well with the crowd.
The whole show had a strong feeling of camaraderie - band members would crowd-surf, and even once sent a guitar alone into the audience. No matter what was passed to them, the audience always returned it carefully to the stage after a little trip around the front rows. And after the final song, the moshers rushed the stage, hugging the band and nearly tackling them - like an overgrown puppy who isn't aware of his own strength. In the process, guitarist Andrew Cedermark's glasses were broken, but when he lamented the cost of new ones, the audience rapidly passed up handfuls of cash for to fund a new pair. (Cedermark rejected the donations but Stickles gladly picked them up.)
To this new generation of punks, who love the music and not the bullshit, who are inclusive and who truly make their own fun - thank you! It was a great night with a great band, a show I won't forget anytime soon.
MySpace
Where: Market Hotel
I've seen Titus Andronicus twice at Bowery Ballroom, a large venue that's somewhere in the no man's land between the indie and corporate worlds. It's not a bad place, and not huge either, but it's a far cry from a musty basement or abandoned warehouse. So I was glad to finally have a chance to see this neo-hardcore band play in a place that was truly "punk" - the enigmatic loft venue Market Hotel, which throws DIY all-ages shows with some of the best bands around.
I gather that the show was booked by the famous Todd P, and he knows how to get the kids out. The large-ish space was very respectably filled, though not uncomfortably packed. The young punks crowded around the stage, while the slightly older, calmer audience members stood out of the fray. (Those of us over 95 stood in the foyer.)
Now understand that when I call Titus and their fans "punks," I don't mean kids sporting mohawks and safety pins - I don't even mean shaved-head, skull-tattoo hardcore types. Like Titus's music, this crowd has jettisoned all the washed up cliches of punk. Angry, macho metalheads co-opted both the loud-fast music of punk (creating "thrash") and its once-confrontational fashion statements long ago. I even doubt most of the audience would consider themselves "punk" after seeing the term applied to those assholes.
But Titus and their fans really are punk, in the best possible way - their music is aggressive but also intelligent and fun. And like real punks, they have a strong sense of community, are open-minded and respectful and subscribe to the egalitarian DIY ethos that has been punk's underlying current since its inception.
And true to the spirit of punk, the front of the house was an indecipherable tangle of moshing bodies. Though the space wasn't quite crowded enough to support it, a constant stream of stage divers leapt onto a very enthusiastic sea (well, pond) of raised hands, who did their best to keep their charges afloat and out of danger.
Titus was clearly in their element, with frontman Patrick Stickles taking quite a few leaps off the stage himself. The band played their songs faster and louder than I've heard them before, and while it was mostly still tracks off their 2008 album, they threw in a few numbers I hadn't heard before. The new songs seemed to take the band's style (i.e. epic hardcore manifestos) to its extreme. They may have dragged out a little too long, but they showed an even greater honing of the band's use of contrast, bouncing not only between hushed and really fuckin loud, but also between sweet, slow, emotive passages and really fuckin loud. And as a special treat, they played a cover announced as "the greatest rock and roll song of all time" - it was the Modern Lovers' "Road Runner."
Stickles may have grown a little too fond of his own voice, carrying on at length between songs - but he's entertaining and the band's self-deprecating humor sat well with the crowd.
The whole show had a strong feeling of camaraderie - band members would crowd-surf, and even once sent a guitar alone into the audience. No matter what was passed to them, the audience always returned it carefully to the stage after a little trip around the front rows. And after the final song, the moshers rushed the stage, hugging the band and nearly tackling them - like an overgrown puppy who isn't aware of his own strength. In the process, guitarist Andrew Cedermark's glasses were broken, but when he lamented the cost of new ones, the audience rapidly passed up handfuls of cash for to fund a new pair. (Cedermark rejected the donations but Stickles gladly picked them up.)
To this new generation of punks, who love the music and not the bullshit, who are inclusive and who truly make their own fun - thank you! It was a great night with a great band, a show I won't forget anytime soon.
MySpace
Monday, March 23, 2009
Upcoming Shows: Wavves, Harlem Shakes + more
Thursday, March 26
Harlem Shakes @ Music Hall of Williamsburg || Williamsburg, Brooklyn || $10/$12
After a year without shows or releases, NYC pop kings the Harlem Shakes are back! This week sees the release of their album Technicolor Health (which I will review shortly) and the Shakes are holding a release party Thursday night. You should go. :: MySpace
Friday, March 27
Titus Andronicus + Real Estate @ Market Hotel || Bushwick, Brooklyn || $?
Titus Andronicus are one of the best hardcore bands around these days, playing music that's at once true to the original punk spirit and entirely modern. I've written plenty about them in the past, including putting their 2008 release at #4 on my Best Albums of 2008 list. I don't know anything about Real Estate except that they are the newest buzz band in the no-fi/Woodsist crowd. :: TA MySpace :: RE MySpace
She Keeps Bees + Naked Hearts @ Cake Shop || LES, Manhattan || $8
She Keeps Bees are a pretty badass duo that play blues like it's indie rock. Their bare-bones music is gritty and smart. The Naked Hearts will open and while I wasn't wild about their last release, their live show is pretty cool - noisy indie rock with poppy melodies and male-female vocals. :: SKB MySpace :: NH MySpace
Saturday, March 28
Wavves @ Market Hotel || Bushwick, Brooklyn || $?
Ultra-lo-fi punk/surf/pop band is coming back to New York for the second time this spring (and the second time ever). I reviewed the latest release last week. You should really check them out on one of the three dates they have in town. :: MySpace
Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers @ Mercury Lounge || LES, Manhattan || $12
I've told you about Shilpa many, many, many times and did a live review in December. :: MySpace
Primal Scream @ Webster Hall || E Village, Manhattan || $36/$40
The crowning achievement of the British acid house/britpop fusion, Primal Scream's classic Screamadelica has been acclaimed as one of the greatest albums of its time. They may not be as good as they were back then (1991) but they're still legendary. :: MySpace
Sunday, March 29
Cro-Mags @ Europa || Greenpoint, Brooklyn || $15
The Cro-Mags were a pivotal band in the NYHC scene, welding hardcore punk and heavy metal influences. They are nothing short of legendary. :: MySpace
Wavves @ Cake Shop || LES, Manhattan || $8
Wavves, again. :: MySpace
Primal Scream @ Music Hall of Williamsburg || Williamsburg, Brooklyn || $36
Primal Scream, again. :: MySpace
Monday, March 30
Wavves + DD/MM/YYYY and Real Estate @ Mercury Lounge || LES, Manhattan || $10
DD/MM/YYYY are actually playing last, but Wavves is the real highlight. And that new hyped band Real Estate are opening so get there early to see what the fuss is about. :: Wavves MySpace :: DD/MM/YYYY MySpace :: RE MySpace
Harlem Shakes @ Music Hall of Williamsburg || Williamsburg, Brooklyn || $10/$12
After a year without shows or releases, NYC pop kings the Harlem Shakes are back! This week sees the release of their album Technicolor Health (which I will review shortly) and the Shakes are holding a release party Thursday night. You should go. :: MySpace
Friday, March 27
Titus Andronicus + Real Estate @ Market Hotel || Bushwick, Brooklyn || $?
Titus Andronicus are one of the best hardcore bands around these days, playing music that's at once true to the original punk spirit and entirely modern. I've written plenty about them in the past, including putting their 2008 release at #4 on my Best Albums of 2008 list. I don't know anything about Real Estate except that they are the newest buzz band in the no-fi/Woodsist crowd. :: TA MySpace :: RE MySpace
She Keeps Bees + Naked Hearts @ Cake Shop || LES, Manhattan || $8
She Keeps Bees are a pretty badass duo that play blues like it's indie rock. Their bare-bones music is gritty and smart. The Naked Hearts will open and while I wasn't wild about their last release, their live show is pretty cool - noisy indie rock with poppy melodies and male-female vocals. :: SKB MySpace :: NH MySpace
Saturday, March 28
Wavves @ Market Hotel || Bushwick, Brooklyn || $?
Ultra-lo-fi punk/surf/pop band is coming back to New York for the second time this spring (and the second time ever). I reviewed the latest release last week. You should really check them out on one of the three dates they have in town. :: MySpace
Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers @ Mercury Lounge || LES, Manhattan || $12
I've told you about Shilpa many, many, many times and did a live review in December. :: MySpace
Primal Scream @ Webster Hall || E Village, Manhattan || $36/$40
The crowning achievement of the British acid house/britpop fusion, Primal Scream's classic Screamadelica has been acclaimed as one of the greatest albums of its time. They may not be as good as they were back then (1991) but they're still legendary. :: MySpace
Sunday, March 29
Cro-Mags @ Europa || Greenpoint, Brooklyn || $15
The Cro-Mags were a pivotal band in the NYHC scene, welding hardcore punk and heavy metal influences. They are nothing short of legendary. :: MySpace
Wavves @ Cake Shop || LES, Manhattan || $8
Wavves, again. :: MySpace
Primal Scream @ Music Hall of Williamsburg || Williamsburg, Brooklyn || $36
Primal Scream, again. :: MySpace
Monday, March 30
Wavves + DD/MM/YYYY and Real Estate @ Mercury Lounge || LES, Manhattan || $10
DD/MM/YYYY are actually playing last, but Wavves is the real highlight. And that new hyped band Real Estate are opening so get there early to see what the fuss is about. :: Wavves MySpace :: DD/MM/YYYY MySpace :: RE MySpace
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Live: Los Campesinos! and Titus Andronicus
When: 2/15
Where: Bowery Ballroom
Los Campesinos!, a cute indie-pop band out of Wales, and Titus Andronicus, a ragtag gang of hardcore punks hailing from New Jersey, struck me as an odd pairing when they first announced their joint tour last fall. But they are both bands I love (both even appearing in my top five albums of 2008) and they also have in common a very young, manic, infectious energy.
I saw Titus Andronicus at Bowery in December, and my review of that show turned into a sort of essay on the evolution of punk music. This show was a rather different experience. Titus has changed in the last couple of months, or my ears have. They've added synth parts to some of their songs and overall, gained more polish and maturity in their sound. And to be honest, I was a bit disappointed by these developments. The band has lost a little of their edge as time has drawn them closer to convention.
Titus Andronicus
But don't despair! Titus is still very much punk and still played their long-winded punk numbers with intense energy true to their hardcore roots. Frontman Patrick Stickles did a stage dive as well as his usual jumping around, banging on the drums, yelling his head off and so on, with no apparent signs of tour-fatigue.
He spent a little too much of the set talking instead of playing, but his heartfelt thanks and farewell to touring companions Los Campesinos! on their final night together was very much called-for. In fact, the friendship between the bands only became clearer as members from Los Campesinos! darted on to stage during the Titus set, with Ollie Campesinos! even serving briefly as guitar tech. At the end of the set, Stickles did a farewell duo with Harriet Campesinos! covering Green Day's "Good Riddance." A terrible song, but despite the obvious tongue-in-cheek choice, it was very sincere and Stickles's gruff voice made their version far more enjoyable than the original.
When Los Campesinos! took over the stage, they launched into several songs off We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed, followed by their very well-loved single "My Year In Lists." Honestly, the beginning of the set was troubling - something wasn't quite right, the parts didn't quite come together and the full effect of the songs was lost. However, as the show wore on, the band settled in and things started running smoothly. Right around the same time, about halfway through the set, all the Campesinos seemed to relax and suddenly, they were all ear-to-ear, kid-in-candy-store smiles, playing the hell out of their last show of what must have been an outstanding tour. Several band members followed Stickles in his stage diving (including Neil, guitar and all), surfing on the crowd for while before being delivered amicably back to the stage.
Los Campesinos! (photo by Grace deVille)
The set list was amazing, featuring pretty much every song I really wanted to hear (except "Drop It Doe Eyes") and ended with a really beautiful rendition of "Sweet Dreams Sweet Cheeks." I don't know if what happened during that song was planned but it certainly seemed spontaneous. Gareth and the other fronting Campesinos went to the edge of the stage, standing on the monitors and singing the final repeating line to the audience. After a minute, members of Titus Andronicus and the other Campesinos wandered up one by one to join the chorus, sharing microphones and really pouring themselves into the moment. Planned or not, it felt like a surprisingly profound and personal moment between the bands and the audience. It was an amazing closer.
So what about the encore? I didn't believe they could follow up that ending, but sure enough, they trooped back on stage and played one final number, their early single "We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives". After the end of the vocals, Gareth walked around the stage collecting every microphone he could find and placing all of them in front of the guitar amps, until the room was awash in a wall of sound. The members exited one by one, leaving the guitar pedals to roar alone for a few minutes before the sound shut off.
Los Campesinos! are a very young band, and while I expected a tight and energetic delivery and some youthful showmanship, the band's two powerful closing moments revealed a maturity I could not have predicted. Here is a band that plays for its audience and both as performers and as musicians, can put on an outstanding concert. And it seemed to be built sincerely on the warmest of feelings for each other, for their music and for their fans. From a bunch of college-aged kids, this is an incredible accomplishment. Hats off!
Where: Bowery Ballroom
Los Campesinos!, a cute indie-pop band out of Wales, and Titus Andronicus, a ragtag gang of hardcore punks hailing from New Jersey, struck me as an odd pairing when they first announced their joint tour last fall. But they are both bands I love (both even appearing in my top five albums of 2008) and they also have in common a very young, manic, infectious energy.
I saw Titus Andronicus at Bowery in December, and my review of that show turned into a sort of essay on the evolution of punk music. This show was a rather different experience. Titus has changed in the last couple of months, or my ears have. They've added synth parts to some of their songs and overall, gained more polish and maturity in their sound. And to be honest, I was a bit disappointed by these developments. The band has lost a little of their edge as time has drawn them closer to convention.
Titus Andronicus
But don't despair! Titus is still very much punk and still played their long-winded punk numbers with intense energy true to their hardcore roots. Frontman Patrick Stickles did a stage dive as well as his usual jumping around, banging on the drums, yelling his head off and so on, with no apparent signs of tour-fatigue.
He spent a little too much of the set talking instead of playing, but his heartfelt thanks and farewell to touring companions Los Campesinos! on their final night together was very much called-for. In fact, the friendship between the bands only became clearer as members from Los Campesinos! darted on to stage during the Titus set, with Ollie Campesinos! even serving briefly as guitar tech. At the end of the set, Stickles did a farewell duo with Harriet Campesinos! covering Green Day's "Good Riddance." A terrible song, but despite the obvious tongue-in-cheek choice, it was very sincere and Stickles's gruff voice made their version far more enjoyable than the original.
When Los Campesinos! took over the stage, they launched into several songs off We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed, followed by their very well-loved single "My Year In Lists." Honestly, the beginning of the set was troubling - something wasn't quite right, the parts didn't quite come together and the full effect of the songs was lost. However, as the show wore on, the band settled in and things started running smoothly. Right around the same time, about halfway through the set, all the Campesinos seemed to relax and suddenly, they were all ear-to-ear, kid-in-candy-store smiles, playing the hell out of their last show of what must have been an outstanding tour. Several band members followed Stickles in his stage diving (including Neil, guitar and all), surfing on the crowd for while before being delivered amicably back to the stage.
Los Campesinos! (photo by Grace deVille)
The set list was amazing, featuring pretty much every song I really wanted to hear (except "Drop It Doe Eyes") and ended with a really beautiful rendition of "Sweet Dreams Sweet Cheeks." I don't know if what happened during that song was planned but it certainly seemed spontaneous. Gareth and the other fronting Campesinos went to the edge of the stage, standing on the monitors and singing the final repeating line to the audience. After a minute, members of Titus Andronicus and the other Campesinos wandered up one by one to join the chorus, sharing microphones and really pouring themselves into the moment. Planned or not, it felt like a surprisingly profound and personal moment between the bands and the audience. It was an amazing closer.
So what about the encore? I didn't believe they could follow up that ending, but sure enough, they trooped back on stage and played one final number, their early single "We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives". After the end of the vocals, Gareth walked around the stage collecting every microphone he could find and placing all of them in front of the guitar amps, until the room was awash in a wall of sound. The members exited one by one, leaving the guitar pedals to roar alone for a few minutes before the sound shut off.
Los Campesinos! are a very young band, and while I expected a tight and energetic delivery and some youthful showmanship, the band's two powerful closing moments revealed a maturity I could not have predicted. Here is a band that plays for its audience and both as performers and as musicians, can put on an outstanding concert. And it seemed to be built sincerely on the warmest of feelings for each other, for their music and for their fans. From a bunch of college-aged kids, this is an incredible accomplishment. Hats off!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Upcoming Shows: This Weekend
Two really great shows this weekend, don't miss them!
Saturday, February 14
The Harlem Shakes (!!!!!!!) and Shilpa Ray @ Southpaw - Park Slope, Brooklyn - $10
This show, presented by BAM as part of its "Sounds Like Brooklyn" Festival, is going to completely kick ass. The Harlem Shakes are one of my favorite NY bands and this is their first show in town since 2007! They have a new record coming out soon, so presumably they'll be playing material from that. Bright, fun pop music you can't resist. And I've told you lots about Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers - check out my live review if you want to know what to expect.
Sunday, February 15
Los Campesinos! and Titus Andronicus - Bowery Ballroom - LES, Manhattan - SOLD OUT
Don't let this show being sold out keep you from going. I'm sure you can get some tickets on craigslist or just about anywhere else. (Also, if you have extra tickets, let me know!) Los Campesinos! are the funnest pop band in a long time and put out two of the best albums of 2008. Titus Andronicus, a revisionist hardcore punk band, are slackers because they only put out one of the best albums of 2008 - but it was a really good one so I guess they are still worth checking out. Seriously, this show is going to be extremely high energy and massively fun.
Saturday, February 14
The Harlem Shakes (!!!!!!!) and Shilpa Ray @ Southpaw - Park Slope, Brooklyn - $10
This show, presented by BAM as part of its "Sounds Like Brooklyn" Festival, is going to completely kick ass. The Harlem Shakes are one of my favorite NY bands and this is their first show in town since 2007! They have a new record coming out soon, so presumably they'll be playing material from that. Bright, fun pop music you can't resist. And I've told you lots about Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers - check out my live review if you want to know what to expect.
Sunday, February 15
Los Campesinos! and Titus Andronicus - Bowery Ballroom - LES, Manhattan - SOLD OUT
Don't let this show being sold out keep you from going. I'm sure you can get some tickets on craigslist or just about anywhere else. (Also, if you have extra tickets, let me know!) Los Campesinos! are the funnest pop band in a long time and put out two of the best albums of 2008. Titus Andronicus, a revisionist hardcore punk band, are slackers because they only put out one of the best albums of 2008 - but it was a really good one so I guess they are still worth checking out. Seriously, this show is going to be extremely high energy and massively fun.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Live: Los Campesinos!
When: 1/14
Where: SoundFix Records Cafe
Los Campesinos! are a Welsh pop band that made my "Best Albums of 2008" list not once but twice (placing at #15 and #2). Their songs are pretty much irresistible, with rich orchestration, bright melodies and an attitude that draws equally from punk and twee (though the music is definitely neither one).
I thought there were eight Campesinos, but it turns out there are only seven, and for the present tour, their numbers have dwindled to six - the violinist was apparently too ill to travel. Still, it's a pretty big band with pretty complicated arrangements and I wasn't expecting their live show to live up to their records in terms of detail and precision.
But it did - it even surpassed the recorded material at times! Because the members of the band are all so young, it's almost disorienting to see how well they play - they achieve a level of tightness you would expect from much more seasoned musicians. This was made possible by a rock-solid rhythm section of high-speed drums and steady, dominating bass. However, the most impressive musicianship in the band certainly came from the guitars - both guitarists delivered their complex parts with outstanding ease, reacting to the rest of the band and churning out fresh ideas without missing a note.
Los Campesinos! (notice how Gareth is wearing a Bikini Kill shirt)
The band is massively fun to watch too. Drummer Ollie banged some parts out on the piano that happened to be stored next to his drumset, while singer Gareth grabbed some extra sticks and pounded on the cymbals. They were playing on the fly, having fun and still taking the performance very seriously. They stumbled a few times - mostly because they hadn't even rehearsed without violin and were just discovering new holes in their music as they went along. Things got messy at times too, but never out of the band's control, and anyway, Los Campesinos! aren't supposed to sound tidy.
The set list was killer:
1. Death to Los Campesinos!
2. My Year In Lists
3. All Your Kayfabe Friends
4. ??? (didn't know this one)
5. You! Me! Dancing!
Los Campesinos! are going on a tour all over the South and Midwest, so don't miss them if they come your way. For the New Yorkers who missed this show, don't worry - they play again on Valentines Day and the day after at Bowery Ballroom with the mindblowing Titus Andronicus. See you there!
Where: SoundFix Records Cafe
Los Campesinos! are a Welsh pop band that made my "Best Albums of 2008" list not once but twice (placing at #15 and #2). Their songs are pretty much irresistible, with rich orchestration, bright melodies and an attitude that draws equally from punk and twee (though the music is definitely neither one).
I thought there were eight Campesinos, but it turns out there are only seven, and for the present tour, their numbers have dwindled to six - the violinist was apparently too ill to travel. Still, it's a pretty big band with pretty complicated arrangements and I wasn't expecting their live show to live up to their records in terms of detail and precision.
But it did - it even surpassed the recorded material at times! Because the members of the band are all so young, it's almost disorienting to see how well they play - they achieve a level of tightness you would expect from much more seasoned musicians. This was made possible by a rock-solid rhythm section of high-speed drums and steady, dominating bass. However, the most impressive musicianship in the band certainly came from the guitars - both guitarists delivered their complex parts with outstanding ease, reacting to the rest of the band and churning out fresh ideas without missing a note.
Los Campesinos! (notice how Gareth is wearing a Bikini Kill shirt)
The band is massively fun to watch too. Drummer Ollie banged some parts out on the piano that happened to be stored next to his drumset, while singer Gareth grabbed some extra sticks and pounded on the cymbals. They were playing on the fly, having fun and still taking the performance very seriously. They stumbled a few times - mostly because they hadn't even rehearsed without violin and were just discovering new holes in their music as they went along. Things got messy at times too, but never out of the band's control, and anyway, Los Campesinos! aren't supposed to sound tidy.
The set list was killer:
1. Death to Los Campesinos!
2. My Year In Lists
3. All Your Kayfabe Friends
4. ??? (didn't know this one)
5. You! Me! Dancing!
Los Campesinos! are going on a tour all over the South and Midwest, so don't miss them if they come your way. For the New Yorkers who missed this show, don't worry - they play again on Valentines Day and the day after at Bowery Ballroom with the mindblowing Titus Andronicus. See you there!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Best Albums of 2008 - Part 5 - #5-1
Although this list has shifted a lot, there's never been any doubt that these five albums would top it. They are not only the best of 2008, they are a full head and shoulders above everything else.
PREVIOUS>>
Part 1 - Rules and Runners Up
Part 2 - #20-16
Part 3 - #15-11
Part 4 - #10-6
#5
Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna
The Social Registry
I have searched and searched for some criticism to make of this album, but I haven't come up with much. Gang Gang Dance have always been innovators, but in this release, which fleshes out their club/dance tendencies, the band has at last fully lived up to their immense potential. Saint Dymphna is one of the only true masterpieces of 2008, and if this were not explicitly a rock/pop list, this album might have placed even higher than #5.
An epic electronic album, Saint Dymphna draws on influences from My Bloody Valentine and Brian Eno to "world-beat" (in the rawest, most "tribal" sense) to trip-hop, and uses elements from each style so smoothly, you could swear each one was invented specifically to be a tool in the dub toolbox. Of all the electronic acts who are supposed to be lovable to rock critics (Aphex Twin, DJ Shadow, Mouse on Mars, etc.), this is the first one to really win me over. I'm not sure why, but I think it's because the music has genuine feeling but none of the machismo that usually accompanies it in the genre. In any case, the album shows brilliance in inspiration and meticulous care in execution. It's as close to perfect as 2008 has to offer.
Tinchy Stryder, guest rapper on "Princes," puts it best: "Oh shit! Gang Gang!"
Track picks: "Blue Nile," "Desert Storm"
MySpace
#4
Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Grievances
Troubleman Unlimited
For all of us who thought the twenty-first century and hardcore punk would never really find a meeting point, Titus Andronicus has proven us wrong. The subversive edginess of hardcore is alive and well in Grievances, but the album is as far as you can get from revivalist - the punk of Titus Andronicus is fresh and original, smart, innovative and unrestricted by convention. It takes into account the important musical developments of the last few decades, borrowing guitar techniques from shoegazers, songwriting ideals from British indie popsters and experimentalist cues from post-hardcore burners. Punk, meet 2008. 2008, meet punk.
Track pick: "Titus Andronicus"
MySpace
#3
Wavves - Wavves
Woodsist
I think what's most compelling about Wavves is that its only member, Nathan Williams, delivers his songs with the confident ease of someone who knows his music could kick anyone else's music's ass. It's dope to the point where if you don't like it, everyone will know it's because you're not cool enough, not because there's anything wrong with the music. Yeah, that's not fair to say about any band, but Wavves are the best candidate for getting away with such cooler-than-you trickery since Sonic Youth's heyday.
But it's not really trickery, because the album really is that good. Wavves sounds like it may have been recorded through a jet engine - the guitars are distorted, the drums are distorted, the vocals are distorted, absolutely everything is distorted. But the pseudo-surf, pseudo-punk numbers are short and catchy, if you can make them out through the roar of static. Most importantly, the album is fiercely independent, fearless and self-assured to an degree very few bands have ever achieved.
Track picks: "Teenage Super Party," "Wavves"
MySpace
#2
Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster...
Wichita Recordings / Arts & Crafts
I can't possibly tell you how obsessed I am with this album. Los Campesinos!'s second album of the year, We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed placed at #15 on this list, so I've already said a little about the band. While Hold On Now is a less refined effort, it won out for top spot because it's got the best songs and the higher level of originality of the two releases.
Los Campesinos! are a manic Welsh pop band that boasts seven or eight members - who all together generate a hella lot of noise. They play ping-pong with melodies, passing them back and forth, at times by the word, and there's always a half-dozen different parts at once, making this an album worth hearing many times through.
Most importantly, the melodies and hooks are hands-down the best pop music offered up in 2008. Keeping in mind I don't even nod my head at most concerts, you can take as evidence of the album's catchiness the fact that I've been seen jumping up and down like a maniac on subway platforms because this was playing in my headphones. True, the band goes right up to the very brink of overly self-aware, puke-inducing preciousness, but just when you think you're going to start hating them, they pull something else awesome out of their hat and you're back to being madly in love again. In the world of straight-up pop, this album is not only the best of the year, it's one of the best of the decade.
Track picks: "My Year In Lists" (how appropriate!), "Death to Los Campesinos!"
MySpace
#1
Marnie Stern - This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That
Kill Rock Stars
No, this isn't a "worst album title" list, though This Is It would score just as well in that competition. But this is a "Best of 2008" list and this album is the best of the year. To be honest, I ignored Marnie Stern for a long time because I saw the individual name and wrote it off as "boring solo project" without giving it a try. But I heard so much about Stern this fall that I decided to give the album a fair chance - and it was not remotely like anything I might have expected. It's a high-speed riot-grrrl-inspired noise-rock explosion featuring a dozen tracks of non-stop shredding, lightspeed drumming and raging, enveloping melodies. It's like nothing I've ever heard.
I put a lot of consideration into the placement of This Is It at the top of the list, and I feel confident that this is where it belongs. The reason is simple: while most of the standout albums of 2008 will be surpassed and fade into the background of their respective genres with time, I really believe in ten or twenty years, Marnie Stern's record will still sound fresh, and that it will still have the power to move and inspire. Time might prove me wrong, but of anything released this year, it's the most worthy of becoming a classic in the world of rock and roll.
Track picks: "Transformer," "Steely"
MySpace
That's it! Comments welcome!
PREVIOUS>>
Part 1 - Rules and Runners Up
Part 2 - #20-16
Part 3 - #15-11
Part 4 - #10-6
#5
Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna
The Social Registry
I have searched and searched for some criticism to make of this album, but I haven't come up with much. Gang Gang Dance have always been innovators, but in this release, which fleshes out their club/dance tendencies, the band has at last fully lived up to their immense potential. Saint Dymphna is one of the only true masterpieces of 2008, and if this were not explicitly a rock/pop list, this album might have placed even higher than #5.
An epic electronic album, Saint Dymphna draws on influences from My Bloody Valentine and Brian Eno to "world-beat" (in the rawest, most "tribal" sense) to trip-hop, and uses elements from each style so smoothly, you could swear each one was invented specifically to be a tool in the dub toolbox. Of all the electronic acts who are supposed to be lovable to rock critics (Aphex Twin, DJ Shadow, Mouse on Mars, etc.), this is the first one to really win me over. I'm not sure why, but I think it's because the music has genuine feeling but none of the machismo that usually accompanies it in the genre. In any case, the album shows brilliance in inspiration and meticulous care in execution. It's as close to perfect as 2008 has to offer.
Tinchy Stryder, guest rapper on "Princes," puts it best: "Oh shit! Gang Gang!"
Track picks: "Blue Nile," "Desert Storm"
MySpace
#4
Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Grievances
Troubleman Unlimited
For all of us who thought the twenty-first century and hardcore punk would never really find a meeting point, Titus Andronicus has proven us wrong. The subversive edginess of hardcore is alive and well in Grievances, but the album is as far as you can get from revivalist - the punk of Titus Andronicus is fresh and original, smart, innovative and unrestricted by convention. It takes into account the important musical developments of the last few decades, borrowing guitar techniques from shoegazers, songwriting ideals from British indie popsters and experimentalist cues from post-hardcore burners. Punk, meet 2008. 2008, meet punk.
Track pick: "Titus Andronicus"
MySpace
#3
Wavves - Wavves
Woodsist
I think what's most compelling about Wavves is that its only member, Nathan Williams, delivers his songs with the confident ease of someone who knows his music could kick anyone else's music's ass. It's dope to the point where if you don't like it, everyone will know it's because you're not cool enough, not because there's anything wrong with the music. Yeah, that's not fair to say about any band, but Wavves are the best candidate for getting away with such cooler-than-you trickery since Sonic Youth's heyday.
But it's not really trickery, because the album really is that good. Wavves sounds like it may have been recorded through a jet engine - the guitars are distorted, the drums are distorted, the vocals are distorted, absolutely everything is distorted. But the pseudo-surf, pseudo-punk numbers are short and catchy, if you can make them out through the roar of static. Most importantly, the album is fiercely independent, fearless and self-assured to an degree very few bands have ever achieved.
Track picks: "Teenage Super Party," "Wavves"
MySpace
#2
Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster...
Wichita Recordings / Arts & Crafts
I can't possibly tell you how obsessed I am with this album. Los Campesinos!'s second album of the year, We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed placed at #15 on this list, so I've already said a little about the band. While Hold On Now is a less refined effort, it won out for top spot because it's got the best songs and the higher level of originality of the two releases.
Los Campesinos! are a manic Welsh pop band that boasts seven or eight members - who all together generate a hella lot of noise. They play ping-pong with melodies, passing them back and forth, at times by the word, and there's always a half-dozen different parts at once, making this an album worth hearing many times through.
Most importantly, the melodies and hooks are hands-down the best pop music offered up in 2008. Keeping in mind I don't even nod my head at most concerts, you can take as evidence of the album's catchiness the fact that I've been seen jumping up and down like a maniac on subway platforms because this was playing in my headphones. True, the band goes right up to the very brink of overly self-aware, puke-inducing preciousness, but just when you think you're going to start hating them, they pull something else awesome out of their hat and you're back to being madly in love again. In the world of straight-up pop, this album is not only the best of the year, it's one of the best of the decade.
Track picks: "My Year In Lists" (how appropriate!), "Death to Los Campesinos!"
MySpace
#1
Marnie Stern - This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That
Kill Rock Stars
No, this isn't a "worst album title" list, though This Is It would score just as well in that competition. But this is a "Best of 2008" list and this album is the best of the year. To be honest, I ignored Marnie Stern for a long time because I saw the individual name and wrote it off as "boring solo project" without giving it a try. But I heard so much about Stern this fall that I decided to give the album a fair chance - and it was not remotely like anything I might have expected. It's a high-speed riot-grrrl-inspired noise-rock explosion featuring a dozen tracks of non-stop shredding, lightspeed drumming and raging, enveloping melodies. It's like nothing I've ever heard.
I put a lot of consideration into the placement of This Is It at the top of the list, and I feel confident that this is where it belongs. The reason is simple: while most of the standout albums of 2008 will be surpassed and fade into the background of their respective genres with time, I really believe in ten or twenty years, Marnie Stern's record will still sound fresh, and that it will still have the power to move and inspire. Time might prove me wrong, but of anything released this year, it's the most worthy of becoming a classic in the world of rock and roll.
Track picks: "Transformer," "Steely"
MySpace
That's it! Comments welcome!
Monday, December 8, 2008
Live: Titus Andronicus VS. A7 Club Tribute (a.k.a. Radio Flyer's weekend in punk!)
This past weekend was probably the punk-heaviest of my life. Friday, I saw up-and-coming modern punks Titus Andronicus playing with Wye Oak and O'Death, and Saturday, I stopped by the A7 Club tribute show at Knitting Factory.
Who: Titus Andronicus
When: 12/5
Where: Bowery Ballroom
Who: 30+ bands (I only caught a few) paying tribute to legendary NYHC club A7
When: 12/6
Where: Knitting Factory (all three floors)
I don't go to punk shows often because I rarely find them interesting. I actually really love punk and hardcore, but not much has happened in the genre since the mid-80's. That's because the scene is often dominated by traditionalists who aspire to recreate the raw brilliance of that 1977 to mid-80's era. And there's nothing wrong with that, it's a great era. It's just that nostalgia-driven music can't surpass the original, so I don't feel pulled to take an active interest when I can just go home and put some Minor Threat on the stereo. But that's just me.
And being me, I'm pretty excited about Titus Andronicus. Why? Because they are among a small group of bands who, seemingly independently, are dragging punk into the 21st century. The band is not afraid to mix their hardcore with folk and country twangs and ever-so-faint nods to indie pop (in songwriting) and shoegaze (in guitar technique). On a personal level, it's not my favorite music but it's certainly very interesting. For the first time since the early 90's, someone is making punk fresh.
Titus put on a great live show, and the energy is definitely that of a punk band. You know how you see all those pictures of old-school bands where someone with an electric guitar is jumping a good four feet above the stage? Well, I had never seen in it real life until Friday, and that may have been the highlight of the whole show for me. (Is that superficial? Maybe.)
Sadly, the set was interrupted by a handful of rude and belligerent audience members who ruined a big part of the show for those of us unluckily located in the midst of their fighting. But Titus isn't to blame just because some losers happen to like their music - their performance was outstanding and I was relieved when their arrogant, rock-star attitudes translated into not apathy but badassery on stage. What fun!
The next day brought me to the A7 tribute show, which, to be honest, I only attended because I was helping a friend out with some gear. In terms of punk, it couldn't have been more different. A7 was one of the most important clubs in the early 80's NYC hardcore scene, and Saturday's shows featured bands who had played there along with a few more recent followers. So where Titus Andronicus is unabashedly modernist, the A7 bands are unabashedly traditionalist. One guitar player summed it up: "This is how it was done twenty-five years ago, and this is how it should be fucking done now!"
I'm not going to review the show because I'm not really qualified to do so. I definitely enjoyed it though, and I will say, the crowd was a hundred times nicer than the previous night's. There's something to be said for punk traditionalists - for one thing, they know how to start a mosh pit without injuring people (which was how the problem in audience at Titus Andronicus began). For another thing, they know how to have fun and make great music, even if it's nothing new. I don't share their opinion that music should be frozen in time circa 1983, but it's kind of nice to know that someone will be keeping the tradition alive.
Who: Titus Andronicus
When: 12/5
Where: Bowery Ballroom
Who: 30+ bands (I only caught a few) paying tribute to legendary NYHC club A7
When: 12/6
Where: Knitting Factory (all three floors)
I don't go to punk shows often because I rarely find them interesting. I actually really love punk and hardcore, but not much has happened in the genre since the mid-80's. That's because the scene is often dominated by traditionalists who aspire to recreate the raw brilliance of that 1977 to mid-80's era. And there's nothing wrong with that, it's a great era. It's just that nostalgia-driven music can't surpass the original, so I don't feel pulled to take an active interest when I can just go home and put some Minor Threat on the stereo. But that's just me.
And being me, I'm pretty excited about Titus Andronicus. Why? Because they are among a small group of bands who, seemingly independently, are dragging punk into the 21st century. The band is not afraid to mix their hardcore with folk and country twangs and ever-so-faint nods to indie pop (in songwriting) and shoegaze (in guitar technique). On a personal level, it's not my favorite music but it's certainly very interesting. For the first time since the early 90's, someone is making punk fresh.
Titus put on a great live show, and the energy is definitely that of a punk band. You know how you see all those pictures of old-school bands where someone with an electric guitar is jumping a good four feet above the stage? Well, I had never seen in it real life until Friday, and that may have been the highlight of the whole show for me. (Is that superficial? Maybe.)
Sadly, the set was interrupted by a handful of rude and belligerent audience members who ruined a big part of the show for those of us unluckily located in the midst of their fighting. But Titus isn't to blame just because some losers happen to like their music - their performance was outstanding and I was relieved when their arrogant, rock-star attitudes translated into not apathy but badassery on stage. What fun!
| Titus Andronicus (Photo by Maryanne Ventrice, not taken at the Bowery show) | Urban Waste (A classic A7 band) |
The next day brought me to the A7 tribute show, which, to be honest, I only attended because I was helping a friend out with some gear. In terms of punk, it couldn't have been more different. A7 was one of the most important clubs in the early 80's NYC hardcore scene, and Saturday's shows featured bands who had played there along with a few more recent followers. So where Titus Andronicus is unabashedly modernist, the A7 bands are unabashedly traditionalist. One guitar player summed it up: "This is how it was done twenty-five years ago, and this is how it should be fucking done now!"
I'm not going to review the show because I'm not really qualified to do so. I definitely enjoyed it though, and I will say, the crowd was a hundred times nicer than the previous night's. There's something to be said for punk traditionalists - for one thing, they know how to start a mosh pit without injuring people (which was how the problem in audience at Titus Andronicus began). For another thing, they know how to have fun and make great music, even if it's nothing new. I don't share their opinion that music should be frozen in time circa 1983, but it's kind of nice to know that someone will be keeping the tradition alive.
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