Album: Woods - At Echo Lake

Album: At Echo Lake
Woodsist, 2010
Rating: ******** (8/10)

OK, I admit, I'm one of those fickle critics (or wannabe critics) who build a band up and then suddenly turn on them and tear them to shreds. I would fit in well in the UK, where they love to generate insane amounts of hype and declare a band the best thing since the Beatles, then in a fit of sobriety or shame or vengefulness, turn the band into the butt of a national joke. You can't with them, or me.

So last year around this time, Woods were one of my favorite bands. But it's been a long year and my thoughts on music have really evolved since then. I wouldn't take back my reviews of Woods or revoke the nine(!) stars I gave their last album, but I am certainly far less excited about anything related to folk music than I was at the beginning of 2009. The ultraconservative attitudes that have hijacked indie rock have grown increasingly obvious in the last year and I've come to see any music that doesn't challenge the backwards backlash as a dangerous and cowardly abuse of the art form.

On the other hand, I can't ignore or deny that Woods write beautiful music. And I wouldn't even argue that they are derivative. They have forged a unique sound that, yes, pulls audibly from Neil Young and the Grateful Dead but spins it as something distinctly post-2000. Drenched in LSD, their warbly, poppy folk and shimmering, folky pop conveys an intangible sense of mystery, like the band is playing from very far away.

At Echo Lake is pretty much like every other Woods album. Of the four, this has the most consistent quality of songs - and keeps them all well under the five minute mark. The arrangements are the richest and most complex the band has offered to date, showing a growing musical sophistication.

The real skill that has always set Woods apart is their ability to write beautiful melodies and Echo Lake shows they haven't yet exhausted the well. Centerpiece "Time Fading Lines" is a particularly notable melancholy masterpiece. Early on in the album, "Suffering Season" shows Woods exploring new layers of sound while earthy, simple songs like "Get Back" keep the record down to earth. And despite a more major-key opening than previous Woods albums, that same darkness lurks just behind the music.

Woods remain one among the finest songwriters on the indie scene today and their sonic experiments are distinctly their own. After seeing Sleigh Bells tonight, a folk-tinged lo-fi psychedelic band seems pretty insignificant in the progression of pop music, but this is pure beauty, at once saccharine and haunting, in sonic form, and that's worth a listen or ten.

[myspace]

Upcoming Shows: Coin Under Tongue, Agent Orange, Beluga + more

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]

TONIGHT!!! Wednesday, January 6

Babies (mems. Woods, Vivian Girls), True Womanhood, Sundelles, Beach Fossils, Total Slacker @ Glasslands | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
I haven't heard Babies, they might be good or they might be awful. I have heard True Womanhood and the Sundelles and they are both great! True Womanhood play eerie, disorienting rock and the Sundelles play garage rock. Beach Fossils are okay and Total Slacker has been a buzz band lately, so all in all, it's a pretty sick line-up.
[Babies MySpace] [TW MySpace] [Sundelles MySpace] [BF MySpace] [TS MySpace]


TOMORROW!!! Thursday, January 7

Coin Under Tongue @ Death By Audio | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Coin Under Tongue play sludgy, deliberate post-hardcore with a certain intangible indie pop sensibility.

Japanther @ Santos Party House | Chinatown, Manhattan
Japanther are an arty pop-punk duo with GREAT songs.
[MySpace]


Friday, January 8

Ex-Humans @ Don Pedro | Bushwick, Brooklyn
Don Pedro is a lousy place to hear bands - its stuffy and has poor sound. On the other hand, Ex-Humans are cooler than you and they make good punky music.
[MySpace]


Saturday, January 9

Drunkdriver + Blues Control @ Death By Audio | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Drunkdriver are loud and not very friendly. Their noise/hardcore/punk is extreme and amazing. Check them out.
[MySpace]


Sunday, January 10

Agent Orange @ Mercury Lounge | LES, Manhattan | $10 adv. / $12 dos.
Original southern California hardcore, still at it.
[MySpace]


Tuesday, January 12

Beluga @ Cameo | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Beluga are lady punks (and one guy). The singer is a Brazilian (ex-?) fashion model who screams and writhes on the floor. They are one of the best and most underrated bands in NYC. They are angry but also fun and their simple, Nirvana-influenced songs stick in your brain.
[MySpace]


[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
The long view...

January 2010
13
The Drums + Surfer Blood, Depreciation Guild @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

14
Coyote Eyes, Frozen Warnings @ Death By Audio

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

16
Dinosaur Jr @ Bowery Ballroom (Sold Out)
Dinowalrus record release with Aa @ Cake Shop

17
Dinosaur Jr @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (Sold Out)
Mos Def @ Highline Ballroom

18
Dinosaur Jr @ Brooklyn Bowl

22
Bob Mould @ City Winery

23
Pterodactyl @ Issue Project Room

25
Cheap Trick @ The Fillmore

29
Asobi Seksu @ Le Poissson Rouge
Here We Go Magic @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Mission of Burma @ Bowery Ballroom
Sounds Like Brooklyn: Les Savy Fav, Vivian Girls (yick) @ Brooklyn Academy of Music

30
Mission of Burma @ Bowery Ballroom

February
3
Atlas Sound @ Bell House

4
Atlas Sound, Neon Indian, Sisters @ NYU Kimmel
Cold Cave @ Mercury Lounge

5
Sounds Like Brooklyn: Ra Ra Riot, the Antlers @ Brooklyn Academy of Music

6
Don Giovanni showcase: Shellshag, Screaming Females, Jeff the Brotherhood + more @ Bowery Ballroom

9
The Residents @ Webster Hall

10
Harlem @ Mercury Lounge

12
Jonathan Richman @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

13
Jonathan Richman @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
The Magnetic Fields @ Brooklyn Academy of Music

14
Jonathan Richman @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

19
Fucked Up, Kurt Vile, Frankie Rose & the Outs @ Europa
Andrew W-K @ Santos Party House

20
Crystal Stilts, Beets, Beach Fossils, German Measles @ Music Hall of Williamsubrg

21
Dum Dum Girls, Frankie Rose & the Outs @ Mercury Lounge

26
Wild Beasts @ Bowery Ballroom

27
Glenn Branca record release @ Le Poisson Rouge

28
Wild Beasts @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

March
5
Muse, the Silversun Pickups @ Madison Square Garden

6
Titus Andronicus @ Bowery Ballroom

10-11
The Magnetic Fields @ Town Hall

12-13
Henry Rollins @ The Fillmore

18-19
Killswitch Engage @ The Fillmore

25
Nada Surf play Let Go + surprise guest @ Bowery Ballroom

26
Nada Surf play The Weight Is a Gift + surprise guest @ Bell House

27
Nada Surf play Lucky + surprise guest @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]

Best Albums of 2009, Part 4: #15-11

PREVIOUS>>
Part 1 - Rules and Runners Up
Part 2 - #25-21
Part 3 - #20-16


#15

The Zookeepers - Ballin' Outrageous
self-released

It's been a while I've heard a band that can play in a different genre on every track of an album without sounding like they are having an identity crisis. But Ballin' Outrageous is an explosive record, with creativity flying out in every direction. From the synth-pop anthem that opens the album to the folky indie pop of "Sicky Sweet" to the post-hardcore rant of the title track, it's clear within three tracks, no classification can hold this band. However, the whole album is held together as a single statement because each song captures the same youthful, quirky energy, along with a good sense of melodies and hooks. The album can seem slightly unedited, which is slightly frustrating. But it also makes me think as the band gets older, the next releases will just get better. And this one's pretty damn good!

How I found it: Artrocker, who by the way, has the best "Best of 2009" list I've seen so far.
Track picks: "Chicken," "Ballin' Outrageous"
Links: [MySpace] [FREE* Full Album Download]

*but please donate so they have money to make another album soon!


#14

Here We Go Magic - Here We Go Magic
Western Vinyl

I've been thinking for a while about how to make Here We Go Magic not sound bad. They've got a certain "world music" influence, as evidenced by the marimba-based groove in the opening track, and such nods to African and Asian music have been widely abused in the last few years. But HWGM does it right - it's understated and doesn't sound co-opted. It fits naturally, on an emotive level, with the type of music the band is trying to make. Like a darker Animal Collective, HWGM have enticing, quiet pop melodies and hundreds of tiny sonic pieces perfectly interlocking in intricate layers of sound.

How I found it: Lotsa places
Track picks: "Fangela," "Only Pieces"
Link: [MySpace]


#13

Screaming Females - Power Move
Don Giovanni

Screaming Females are everything a rock band should be. I don't think Power Move is their best album (Baby Teeth has slightly better songwriting), but it certainly their most sophisticated in terms of stylistic breadth and recording quality. Although the attention usually goes to guitar hero frontwoman Marrissa Paternoster, all three members are exceptionally talented musicians. The shredding, riff-rich guitar playing couldn't thrive without its more steady riff-rich counterpart on the bass. And the bombastic drumming keeps the whole thing from ever touching ground. This might be the greatest indie rock band on earth.

How I found it: They opened for Dinosaur Jr.
Track picks: "Bell," "Lights Out"
Link: [MySpace]


#12

Woods - Songs of Shame
Woodsist

The strange psychedelic folk-pop of Woods is certainly some of the most beautiful music of 2009. The amazing melodies remind me of Neil Young and the Byrds, but there's something more distant about Woods that makes their music haunting. It's a hint of something otherworldly, or like looking at something under water - something you can't quite understand or see clearly. The faint but nagging spookiness lurking in every song makes this album truly original and impossible to forget.

Read more from the original RFR review...

How I found it: the internet
Track picks: "To Clean," "Rain On"
Link: [MySpace]


#11

Songs for Moms - I Used to Believe in the West
Thrill House

This is one of those albums that completely dominated my life when I first started listening to it. I was impatient any time I couldn't spend listening to it, and I was even impatient when listening to it because I could only listen to one song at once. Folk/country-tinted punk from three California girls, Songs for Moms have put out a truly great album. The songwriting and arrangements are simple but brilliant, each part filling its roll in the music better than anything else could. Lyrically, the album is a remarkable achievement, the words startling in their honesty but endlessly clever and never cliche. I Used to Believe feels comfortable as an album, everything circling the same images and ideas without quite becoming conceptual. I can't imagine a better folk-punk album than this.

How I found it: Screaming Females via their "Best Albums of 2009" list
Track picks: "With Shotguns," "In the West"
Link: [MySpace]


NEXT>> Part 5: #10-6
Part 6: #5-1

Live: Woods, Silk Flowers + No Age

When: October 14
Where: Le Poisson Rouge

So ages ago, I went to see No Age play at Le Poisson Rouge because I couldn't go to their weekend shows. It may have been a really late show on a weeknight, I may have had the swine flu, but nothing was going to stop me from seeing this band.

I got to LPR in time for Silk Flowers, who at first seemed to be some gangly young men playing around with droning, monotonous synthesizers, which looked fun for them, but I couldn't figure out why anyone would think it was a good idea to put them on a stage in front of an audience. However, eventually, one of the gangly youths slouched over a microphone and performed what sounded like a drunk gorilla doing an imitation of Ian Curtis. It was awful, but I think it was intentionally awful, and at least awful in an interesting way. With only a very loose sense of pitch and no annunciation, the baritone drawl slobbered spastically over the songs.

The synth parts were boring and the songwriting sloppy, but the vocals were just weird enough to really excite a small part of me. Over all, I don't think I can recommend this. I think it's just a disaffected imitation of a bunch of trendy bands. But I'm not entirely sure. [MySpace]

Woods, one of my favorites, were up next. Their set was really mixed. It started and ended with obscenely long, self-indulgent jam sessions. This kind of stunt is rude, even when once-good legends like the Grateful Dead do it. It's certainly not a right earned by Woods, whose success is moderate and recent. Anyway, Woods aren't particularly great at their instruments and they aren't particularly amazing noise-makers - their appeal is based on their extraordinary songwriting coupled with a bit of weird sound and delivery. The songwriting is more than half the equation, so what's the point of fucking around for fifteen minutes?

In the middle, though, Woods played like the band I love. Their melodies, new and old, are still captivating, and their sound still weirdly distant and otherworldly. They fixed up their old songs with some well-conceived adjustments, cranking the volume in some parts and adding new vocal harmonies to songs like "Rain On" (which pleased me, since whenever I end up working late, I end up sitting in my office trying to harmonize with that chorus). The band has tightened up, no longer struggling with tempos and locking in seamlessly - months of shows will do that for you!

Unfortunately, they ended on another ridiculous jam. Guys, keep that to five minutes, tops, especially as an opening band. The sound guy appeared to be trying to signal to the band to stop, but they just droned on and on and on. It didn't ruin the set, but still, a bad move. [MySpace]

By the time No Age took the stage, my H1N1 got the best of me (did you think I was kidding?), and I couldn't really enjoy much of the set. It was noisy and good and the band's two members seemed like really nice guys, but I was keeling over in a corner so I don't think I'm qualified to write a proper review. Let's just hope they come back to NY soon.

Upcoming Shows: Woods, Warlocks + more

A lot of good stuff coming up! And Wednesday to Friday will be three days of shoegazer heaven...

Tonight!! Tuesday, August 11

Shilpa Ray @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan | $8
Shilpa Ray is a tiny woman with a massive stage presence, who plays a hand-powered harmonium, screams obscenities and hops around stage. She loves her audience and always puts on a great show. Her backing band are damn good, too. My current made-up genre name of choice for the music is "soul-punk." That won't mean anything to anyone, and that's fine, because you really should just check it out for yourself. [MySpace]


Tomorrow!! Wednesday, August 12

Himalaya @ Death By Audio | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
I haven't heard Himalaya yet, but they come strongly recommended by one "Salvador." From what I can tell, they play really loud music with dense, guitar-heavy shoegaze-inspired sounds, tinted with post punk darkness. Amidst this sonic assault, great pop melodies shine through. [MySpace]


Thursday, August 13

Autodrone, Black Swan Green, Violet Hour, Vacant Lots @ Public Assembly (back room) | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $8
Another great shoegazy line-up by Vanishing Point Presents, this show features alt rocker/dream popper outfit Autodrone, an old favorite I reviewed early on in this blog. Their rich, full sound, masterful lead guitar, synthesizer sheen and angsty melodies combine to make a sound that could appeal to almost any species of rock fan. Black Swan Green is another I haven't heard yet, but "Salvador" again recommends, and I've heard good things all around. Like the others, Violet Hour has a shoegaze sound, but their music is more electronic, with layers of sound building on electro beats - wisps of vocal melody, coldly textured synthesizers, dissonant guitar feedback. Vacant Lots are kind of the odd ones out here - an excellent band, no doubt, but more garage punk than shoegaze. [Autodrone MySpace] [BSG MySpace] [VT MySpace] [VL MySpace]


Friday, August 14

The Warlocks + the Morning After Girls, the Vandelles @ Bowery Ballroom | LES, Manhattan |
The Warlocks have been around quite a while now, and have garnered respect from their earliest releases. Their psychedelic music has taken a denser, noisier, darker turn in recent years, bringing shoegaze's wall-of-sound guitars into the fore. The Morning After Girls are similar, if less earthly. And the Vandelles, well, their roaring noise-surf is made for a much bigger space than Cameo Gallery, and I'm glad I'll finally have a chance to hear them on a stage that approaches the size of their music and their outstanding stage presence. [Warlocks MySpace] [MAG MySpace] [Vandelles MySpace]

Woods, Dungen @ Bell House | Gowanus, Brooklyn | $15
Woods are one of the best break-out bands this year, playing haunting psychedelic folk music that will leave you shivering. Dungen is an acclaimed psychedelic pop group from Sweden. At times, their music is a little too mellow for me, and at times too "fusiony." But you may as well check them out, since Woods is on the bill. [Woods MySpace] [Dungen MySpace]

Sundelles, Drums @ Glasslands | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $7
If you want something smaller, cheaper or more off the beaten track, check out this show instead of the others. I keep trying to hear the Sundelles and missing them. Their music is some sort of old school garage-pop with sweet 50's melodies and an unpolished, noisy, DIY flavor. The Drums are headlining. I haven't heard them, but I've heard good things, so check them out. [Sundelles MySpace] [Drums MySpace]


Saturday, August 15

Pterodactyl @ Southpaw | , Brooklyn | $12
Pterodactyl just keeps getting better and better. Their frantic guitars and wild yelling are the sound of pure joy. The unique and intensely complex guitar and drum arrangements make brains happy. The passionate delivery makes hearts happy. Go to Southpaw, and be happy. (And get there on the early side, since Pterodactyl isn't the headliner.) [MySpace]

Upcoming Shows: Wavves, Lovvers + more

Tomorrow! Wednesday, July 15
An obscenely difficult choice...

Wavves, Woods, Real Estate @ Bowery Ballroom | LES, Manhattan | $13 adv./$15 dos.
Wavves is Nathan Williams. Nathan Williams is a young kid from San Diego who writes simple, lo-fi pop tunes, and those songs are everything rock music should be - loud, fun and entirely independent. Woods are a gently haunting, melancholy folk-pop band and another one of the year's best. I think Real Estate is boring and overrated, but people whose opinions I respect keep saying otherwise, so maybe you should give them a chance too? [Wavves MySpace] [Woods MySpace] [RE MySpace]

Sisters, Coin Under Tongue @ Death By Audio | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $?
Two of my "Bands to Watch in [the Rest of] 2009", playing on their home turf at Death By Audio - what more could you want? You know playing in a familiar location and with a bill of close friends is going to mean both these bands play their very best. Sisters' lo-fi punk may be an odd combination with the mammoth post hardcore of Coin Under Tongue, but variety is the spice of life. Or something. [Sisters MySpace]


Thursday, July 16

Lovvers @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan | $10
Lovvers are h an awesome punk band, with a pop sensibility that doesn't make them sound wimpy or like they are fourteen years old. Their music is truly in the spirit of garage rock and early punk - raw and technically unsophisticated, but with an inspired maturity behind the bright energy. They are coming in from the UK, so don't miss them when you have the chance! [MySpace]


Friday, July 17

Abe Vigoda, Dinowalrus @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan | $10
Abe Vigoda is one of the better LA punk bands. They are at the youthful, pop-accessible end of the hardcore punk spectrum, and I bet they are fun live. Dinowalrus is a New York band I've been avoiding for ages because I wasn't a huge fan of their recorded material. But I finally went to see them this past weekend and without getting ahead of myself (I will be writing a review), they are AMAZING live. I mean, really, really, really amazing. [AV MySpace] [Dino MySpace]


Saturday, July 18

SIREN FESTIVAL @ Coney Island | Coney Island, Brooklyn | FREE!!!
This two-stage festival is free. If it cost money, I probably wouldn't recommend it, since I'm ambivalent-to-apathetic on most of the acts. But for free, it's WAY worth it. Bands include:
- Built to Spill (sad 90's indie music who I kind of think feel sorry for themselves too much, but who are pretty well loved)
- Raveonettes (Jesus & Mary Chain-y noise pop, a little boring for my tastes, but not bad)
- Frightened Rabbit (Scottish cry-in-your beer music that's kind of shameful mope-pop but that's also really, really irresistible)
- A Place to Bury Strangers (easily the best band of the day, loud loud and loud shoegaze/psychedelic/noise rock that will split your eardrums with screaming feedback and distortion, delivered by an extremely talented and enigmatic three-piece)
- Thee Oh Sees (solid if un-special DIY punk/pop with excellent musicianship and some fun melodies)
- Japandroids (a great punk-pop band, but I'd actually avoid seeing them live if you like their recorded material - technically, they're great live, but their attitude makes the true spirit of punk turn over in its shallow grave)
- Bear Hands (poppy rock music that's undeniably solid, well-arranged and well-played, if not groundbreaking)
...and more.
[Official Festival Website]

Live: Woodsist Festival Recap (Day 2)

The second day of the Woodsist/Captured Tracks festival was moved outside to its originally-intended venue, a vacant lot down the block from Market Hotel, just under the train tracks. And despite the trains rumbling by overhead and the echos off the buildings, the space was great acoustically and aesthetically.

I arrived later than I'd planned to and missed Brilliant Colors, who I heard were outstanding. I'm really bummed about that, since they live way over the West Coast and there's no telling when they'll be back.

I did arrive in time for the Fresh & Onlys, a band whose name I've heard around a lot lately. I was disappointed - their music was generic and unmemorable, just your typical semi-sedated lo-fi punk with listenable but not catchy melodies and unchanging, standard guitar-drum-bass arrangements. There was a synth/sampler but it was often hard to pick out of the sound, since it often played exactly the same part as the guitar and bass. Yaaawn. [MySpace]

One thought that crossed my mind while watching the Fresh & Onlys: at least in the 90's, we let the girls play bass. Now, I understand that sometimes you want a female vocalist or find one who is good and the rest of the people in the band happen to be guys, and that's fine. But in this scene (beyond the scope of this festival) women are disproportionately relegated to backup or co-lead vocals and tambourine, and they're often not even good at that. It may not be anyone's fault, but it's still a bad sign that girls aren't encouraged to pick up instruments or aren't encouraged to join bands. Something is wrong.

Next up were Dum Dum Girls, who at first glance may appear to fall in that same troubling pattern. But there's a huge difference: in both Dum Dum Girls and the Mayfair Sect, Kristin "Dee Dee" Gundred is a phenomenal singer and a solid songwriter. And it seems she has creative control over the music in both bands, unlike many of the tambourine-shaking ladies around. Crystal Stilts' Frankie Rose also joined in on drums, but even if Gundred had been the only woman on stage, I couldn't fault the band. Strong melodies, well-delivered, with a masterful instrumental back-up from Rose, Crocodiles' Brandon Welchez (Gundred's husband, in fact) and Blank Dog/Mayfair Sect's Mike Sniper - definitely one of the highlights of the festival. [MySpace]

Sadly for all attendees, Michigan's excellent punks Tyvek were forced to cancel because (rumor has it) their bassist, Shelley Salant, landed in the hospital this weekend. The good news is that she's OK and that the band will be in New York on July 24 (@ Silent Barn) and July 25 (@ Cake Shop). [MySpace]

Both Woods and Kurt Vile played louder, more aggressive sets than I expected. Perhaps it was the acoustics, perhaps it was the spirit of the day, but both seemed to crank it up. This is really neither good nor bad - I like things loud and distorted but both these bands have such great songs that volume and distortion are irrelevant - their songwriting outshines everything else.

Woods played a thrilling set of many of their best songs, sounding, as always, like an oddly distant, distorted version of Neil Young or the Byrds. Their melodies are sweet folk pop, but their sounds are subtly unsettling. One of the best. [MySpace]

I can't get as into Kurt Vile - he has some good songs, but ultimately, I found the whole thing a little dull for my tastes. That said, if you're into folk and not looking for constant hooks and uptempos, you'll probably love him - he's doing a lot right, for sure. [MySpace]

My dislike of the Vivian Girls is no secret, despite how much I want to like them. Given my lowest of low expectations, I was pleasantly surprised. Their delivery was punkier than I'd anticipated and they have actually started moving when playing. The fast, loud, crashing drums helped immensely. However, after a couple songs, I did reach my usual state of boredom. The band's "melodies" are rarely more than three or four notes and their "solos" or "jams" or whatever they are meant to be usually consist of a single chord and go on way too long. If the Vivian Girls made songs clocking it at a minute or two instead of five, I might actually enjoy them. [MySpace]

I had high hopes for Thee Oh Sees, but my reaction was mixed. On the one hand, they followed the whole mediocre-female-singer-with-tambourine concept and there wasn't anything special about them to set them apart from the rest of the bands - they sounded kind of like a recap of the festival, but not in an interesting way.

On the other hand, their delivery was lively and engaging and their arrangements well-conceived. They put their heart into playing and it showed. They also had better vocal lines than many of the day's bands. Still, though, there wasn't enough substance to hold my attention for long. They were fun, but as far as I saw, nothing to write home about and certainly a big creative step down from Woods, Blank Dogs and even Crystal Stilts. [MySpace]

Live: Woodsist Festival Recap (Day 1)

A couple of days at the Woodsist/Captured Tracks Festival is all it takes to illustrate how inbred the DIY scene truly is. There were so many members shared between bands that the event simply seems like a quick run-through of all the three-to-five person permutations possible with a dozen core members. (OK, math nerds, settle down. Permutations, not combinations, because sometimes they just rotate instruments.)

Some of the Woodsist bands are outstanding and several (Wavves, Woods, Crystal Stilts, Little Girls, etc.) number among my recent favorites, but with such a closed circle, it seems like the musicians and the small movement they've created is hurtling towards an artistic dead end. The festival was the culmination of a year and a half of well-deserved success, but seeing so many of the bands play in short succession was just watching them paint themselves into a corner.

Anyway...

The first band I caught was the Mayfair Sect, the debut of a collaboration between Kristen Gundred, the sole member of Dum Dum Girls, and Mike Sniper, the sole member of Blank Dogs - joined by members of Woods to round out the live band. Since Sniper also joined Gundred for the (also first-ever) Dum Dum Girls set on Saturday, the whole thing seemed a bit redundant. But in any case, Gundred has a powerful voice, one of the best of the festival, and Sniper's baritone is not far behind. The songs and performance were solid, but unremarkable - it seems like we've heard this all before.

Little Girls followed, a band "Jasper" recently recommended. Having seen them live, I can stand behind that recommendation even more confidently. The sound in Market Hotel was awful, and almost every band of the night sounded off-key. Little Girls were no exception, but their performance was far less aloof than many of the other bands and the dark tints in their music set them apart from the pack.

Similarly unaloof, Cause Co-Motion! gave an outstanding performance, tearing it up (literally, tearing up some of the stage's paper decorations) and jumping around like fourteen-year-old hardcore punks. However, the venue's poor sound, combined with the band's decision to deliver their songs in extra fast, extra messy punk fashion, ruined the set. I like extra fast and extra messy, but CCM aren't a punk band, they're a lo-fi pop band, and with their melodies falling flat, there was little to listen to. I had fun watching, but my ears were just plain bored.

I was glad to finally catch Psychedelic Horseshit, a band that's managed to generate some publicity simply by being arrogant and rude. Not all that surprisingly, the music sucked. The band seems out to destroy, and while I'm all about destruction, the secret truth is that you've got to do more than tear things down. No harmonies, no melodies, no songs, nothing but vocal snarls, guitar noise and primal drums. The most interesting part of the music were some dual rhythms with no apparent alignment; that was pretty cool, but the novelty did wear off eventually. I found it difficult to listen to the rest, which lacked bass or any low-register notes besides the bass drum. I do have some respect for the band and their willingness to negate everything. Still, making ugly noise to piss people off isn't exactly original.

Though I didn't like Blank Dogs last time I caught them live, their recorded material has really grown on me over the last few months, and I was excited to give the band another chance. Unfortunately, I still didn't like what I saw. If Sniper surrounded himself with other musicians who shared his dark vision, Blank Dogs could be a great live act. However, those who joined Sniper on stage didn't seem hip to his music's murky, gothic undertow. The band played as though they were playing with any other Woodsist band, confusing and obscuring the elements that make Blank Dogs unique.

Headliners Crystal Stilts delivered the most energetic performance I've seen from them to date - though that's not really saying much. They did do far better than the rest of the day's bands (Mayfair Sect possibly excepted) in overcoming the acoustic difficulties - their melodies were clear and in tune and their instruments distinct and balanced.

Despite a few changes (drummer Frankie Rose finally sitting down, for one), the band is doing pretty much what they have been, and their songs still sound disappointingly alike. A few of their more uptempo songs stood out in the set and the rest were at least enjoyable. It was nice to see the band finally having some fun too, dropping their detached posturing and really playing a heartfelt show for a room full of friends.

Upcoming Shows: Woodsist Festival, Germs + more

Wednesday, July 1

Jay Reatard @ Stuyvesant Oval | StuyTown, East Village, Manhattan | FREE
Punk/lo-fi master Jay Reatard has written so many mess little pop songs in the last few years it's hard to keep up. You should go to this show. But be advised it starts on the early side (officially 6 PM, though my guess is Jay goes on at 8 PM). TV Smith (see below) might be opening, that is not clear. [MySpace]

Hunters @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan | $6
I really liked Hunters last time I saw them. Aggressive, arty punk music that's surprisingly free of cliche. [MySpace]


Thursday, July 2

Jay Reatard, TV Smith (ex-Adverts) @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $15
Well, I just told you about Jay Reatard (see above). TV Smith was one of the key founders of British punk. His band, the Adverts, were contemporaries of the Sex Pistols and certainly have a place alongside the Clash, X-Ray Spex, the Buzzcocks and a handful of others in the pantheon of pioneering English punks. [JR MySpace] [TVS MySpace]

Germs @ Mercury Lounge | LES, Manhattan | $14 adv/$16 doors
This week is Independence Day, so perhaps it's better not to support old British punks like TV Smith. A more patriotic option is to check out the Germs, one of LA's original punk bands, contemporaries of bands like X and Black Flag. The reunited Germs, however, are missing founder and singer Darby Crash, who committed suicide in 1980, at age 22. [MySpace]


Friday, July 3

Sonic Youth @ United Palace | Washington Heights, Manhattan | $38-$45
I don't think you should pay this much to see Sonic Youth. But if you really wanna...

Grooms @ Bruar Falls | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $7
Grooms, fka Muggabears, are pretty awesome gloomy-but-melodic post punk. They follow the American tradition, sounding far more like Sonic Youth than Joy Division. They are one of NYC's best. [MySpace]

Woodsist/Captured Tracks Festival @ 979 Broadway Backyard | Bushwick, Brooklyn| $15
+ Crystal Stilts - Despite being lazy and self-entitled, this band sounds like Joy Division and I love their music. Like Joy Division, there are a lot of understated riffs in the bass line with repeating guitar over the top and morose, baritone vocals. [MySpace]
+ Blank Dogs - This lo-fi goth didn't impress me last time I saw it live, but I've become increasingly impressed by the recorded material. I'm hoping the show I saw live was just a fluke and that they will actually be awesome. [MySpace]
+ Psychedelic Horseshit - Not a personal favorite, due to their pretentiousness, but they have some merit, for sure. Their name describes their sound better than I could. [MySpace]
+ CAUSE co-MOTION! - C-86 revival with brilliant lo-fi pop numbers under two minutes. [MySpace]
+ Little Girls - Highly recommended. [MySpace]
+ more


Saturday, July 4

Woodsist/Captured Tracks Festival @ 979 Broadway Backyard | Bushwick, Brooklyn| $15
+ Thee Oh Sees - Shamefully, I'm not that familiar with this band's music, but they are considered to be one of the best of the recent noise punk movement. I have high hopes. [MySpace]
+ Vivian Girls - Yawwwwwn. This set will be a good time to go grab a bite. [MySpace]
+ Kurt Vile - Lo-fi folkster and recent signee to Matador. [MySpace]
+ Woods - One of the best bands around. Haunting psychedelic folk that I've written loads about already. [MySpace]
+ Tyvek - Awesome punks from Detroit. I liked them last I saw them. [MySpace]
+ Dum Dum Girls - These guys are a somewhat less boring version of the Vivian Girls. [MySpace]
+ Fresh & Onlys - Another band I have heard great things about but haven't had a chance to listen to properly yet. All I know is that they are psychedelic and people like them. [MySpace]
+ more

Frankie Rose, Fresh & Onlys, Pink Reason, Babies (members of Woods, Vivian Girls) @ Market Hotel | Bushwick, Brooklyn | $5 with Woodsist stamp / $8
Frankie Rose is the drummer of Crystal Stilts. I don't know what she does solo. Hopefully not just pound on a floor tom. Fresh & Onlys I described above. This show starts at midnight, well after the end of the Woodsist festival.


Monday, July 6

Peter Murphy @ Highline Ballroom | Chelsea, Manhattan | $35
Pete Murphy is the original goth, the frontman of Bauhaus.


Tuesday, July 7

Peter Murphy @ Highline Ballroom | Chelsea, Manhattan | $35
See above.

Upcoming Shows: Northside Festival + more

This weekend has so many awesome shows, it makes me sick! Most of that is due to L Magazine's Northside Festival. Now, I don't really trust L Magazine, given their picks for "eight NYC bands you need to hear", but they've got a lot of cool people doing showcases and it's really going to kick ass. This is also the weekend of Todd P's big outdoor acoustic BBQ party, so clear your calendar of anything that isn't music-related. You aren't going to have time to do anything but go to shows.


TOMORROW, Wednesday, June 10

Elvis Costello @ Beacon Theater | UWS, Manhattan | SOLD OUT(?)
Yeah.


Thursday, June 11

Meat Puppets @ Mercury Lounge | LES, Manhattan | $15
Meat Puppets were one of the best of the early 80's American punk scene, the scene that eventually became hardcore. But Meat Puppets aren't hardcore, they play pretty, twangy cowpunk and just put out a great album this year.

NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL (Strength In Numbers): Marnie Stern @ Shea Stadium | Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Best album of 2008. [MySpace]


Friday, June 12

Meat Puppets @ Mercury Lounge | LES, Manhattan | $15
See above.

NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL (Pop Tarts Suck Toasted): Grooms (fka Muggabears), Sisters, Home Video + more @ Public Assembly | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Grooms (fka Muggabears, or ex-Muggabears, depending on how you think about it) sound a lot like Sonic Youth when they are being moody. Sisters sound a lot like Sonic Youth when they are being punky. Home Video...I don't know what they sound like, but I've heard very good things. [Grooms MySpace] [Sisters MySpace] [HV MySpace]

NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL (Ear Farm): Shilpa Ray, The Secret Life of Sofia, Coyote Eyes, Pow Wow! @ Spike Hill | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Shipla Ray rocks. TSLOS is a noise-folk band that can be depressing, but also extremely lovely. Coyote Eyes are my newest indie-rock crush, and I just wrote about them. Pow Wow! are a good if unnotable lo-fi pop buzz band. [Shilpa MySpace] [TSLOS MySpace] [CE MySpace] [PW MySpace]

NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL (Panache Booking): Pterodactyl, Aa @ Union Pool | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Now, I can't miss a chance to plug Pterodactyl. I'd put this on a short list of bands in NYC that I think are truly original and actually contributing to the development of pop/rock. As for Aa, well, I've heard the name and I didn't want Pterodactyl to feel lonely up there in the heading. [MySpace]


Saturday, June 13

Coathangers, Mika Miko @ Market Hotel | Bushwick, Brooklyn
Two female punk bands from out of town. Two of the best punk bands around. And I mean punk in that lo-fi, pop sort of way. Thanks, Todd P! [CH MySpace] [MM MySpace]

NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL (Less Artists More Condos): Grooms, Woods, Kurt Vile@ The Shank | Greenpoint, Brooklyn
I just explained about Grooms (fka Muggabears) and how they sound like Sonic Youth. Woods are one of the best bands around, otherworldly lo-fi folk-pop. And Kurt Vile does a similar thing, but less otherworldly, heavier on the lo-fi and the folk, and slightly lighter on the pop. [Grooms MySpace] [Woods MySpace] [KV MySpace]


Sunday, June 14

NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL: The Dodos @ Studio B | Greenpoint, Brooklyn | $8
**Afternoon show** The Dodos are a really nice folk band who put out an amazing album last year. [MySpace]

NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL: Ponytail @ Studio B | Greepoint, Brooklyn | $12
Ponytail is a really nice experimental, noisy pop band who put out a great album last year. (This show is in the evening, after the Dodos show.) [MySpace]

FORT TILDEN BEACH BBQ (Todd P): Kurt Vile, So So Glos, Shilpa Ray, Phosphorescent, Pterodactyl, Mika Miko, Ponytail, Homosexuals, Real Estate, Coathangers + many, many more @ Fort Tilden Beach | Rockaways, way the hell out there | FREE
Wow, pretty much everyone you'd want to hear is playing an acoustic set at this free all-ages barbecue. Almost makes two hour trip (by subway, then bus) worth it. (more info)

Upcoming Shows: Glenn Branca, Mike Watt and more

TONIGHT!!! Thursday, May 7
Whatever you do tonight, you'll be kickin' it old-school.

Glenn Branca @ Issue Project Room | Gowanus, Brooklyn | $15
Glenn Branca. If you don't know who that is or why he's awesome, you need to go out and do some reading. Starting (but not ending) with this little paragraph. Glenn Branca is an avant-garde composer, a punk rocker, a minimalist innovator and one of the biggest of the big names in the legendary "no wave" movement. Branca reinvented the electric guitar, using alternate tunings and extreme volume to generate completely new tonalities. Some of the most innovative guitar players of the 80's and 90's first cut their teeth with Branca, a list that includes Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and Lee Renaldo and Helmet's Page Hamilton. He'll be playing one of his classic compositions, "Lesson No. 3," at IPR. Really, you should go.

Eddie & the Hot Rods @ Southpaw | Park Slope, Brooklyn | $14
Eddie and the Hot Rods were once upon a time the Sex Pistols' biggest competitors. As it turned out, Eddie was just a pub rock band while the Sex Pistols invented British punk, but then there couldn't have been a British punk scene if it hadn't been for aggressive pub rockers like these, who pushed the boundaries of British rock in rawer, wilder directions. And for that, we all owe them at least $14 and two ears for a night.

Fear @ Europa | Greenpoint, Brooklyn | $25
Twenty-five bucks is a lot, too much for me to strongly recommend this show. But if money is no object, then you better check it out. Fear are a classic West Coast punk outfit, one of the first and one of the most aggressive. They make most hardcore punks look like fluffy kittens.

TOMORROW!!! Friday, May 8
Seriously, how to choose?!?

Mike Watt & the Missingmen @ Mercury Lounge | LES, Manhattan | $15
Mike Watt was one of the first and most important players in the West Coast hardcore scene. Unlike Fear (see above), however, Watt didn't amp up the machismo of hardcore, he amped up its brains. As a member of the revolutionary trio the Minutemen, Watt broadened the musical and intellectual horizons of punk by making music that was lyrically thought-provoking and political and sonically challenging and diverse. Since then, he's continued to push the boundaries in fIREHOSE and
this, his new project, the Missingmen. [MySpace]

**CANCELLED** The Antlers @ Cameo | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
The Antlers' lo-fi, ambient electronica is the saddest music around. They are one of the few truly innovative bands in the New York scene and their recent album Hospice is one of the most profound contributions to indie rock in the last decade. [MySpace] **CANCELLED**

Coyote Eyes, Pow Wow, My Teenage Stride @ Lit Lounge | $6*
Good cheap fun! It's worth the six bucks despite being in one of the worst venues in town. Coyote Eyes sound like Sonic Youth but with prettier singing. They are minimalist, they are loud and they are very worth checking out, since they could take off any day now. Pow Wow just got named one of L Magazine's "Eight Bands You Need To Hear," which is frankly kind of silly because they are entirely typical. But that doesn't mean their lo-fi pop isn't great. It's actually lovely! (Just not "top eight" lovely.) And My Teenage Stride, officially the first band I reviewed on this site, are an indie pop mainstay in New York, with some of the best songwriting and best melodies around. If you catch all three bands, that's only $2 a pop. Not too shabby. [CE MySpace] [PW MySpace] [MTS MySpace]
**UPDATE: Apparently, Coyote Eyes and MTS aren't playing. In a typically irresponsible gesture, Lit Lounge has just forgotten to update their calendar. Bummer.**

R. Stevie Moore @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan | $8
Good ol' R. Stevie is the punk rock Santa Claus. He's been making lo-fi pop music since he was a kid, putting out his first recordings in the 1960's. Phenomenally gifted and perpetually overlooked, Moore is justifiably pissed off, and his bitterness is especially justified when it comes out in his kick-ass punk-rock power-pop performances. His last show at Cake Shop was one of the best shows I've ever seen ever. A true forgotten pioneer, Moore is well worth checking out. [MySpace]


Saturday, May 9

Real Estate, So So Glos @ Santos Party House | Chinatown, Manhattan | $10 *
Real Estate are the latest buzz-band out of the no-fi/neo-punk crowd that brought us the likes of Wavves, Woods and Blank Dogs. Real Estate fall at the slow, hushed end of that spectrum and while their recorded material can be rather boring at times, the very little I've seen of this band live makes me think they're good on stage. The So So Glos, on the other hand, take a more direct route to punk rock - fast, loud and rude. [RE MySpace] [SSG MySpace]


Monday, May 10

Woods, Times New Viking @ Market Hotel | Bushwick, Brooklyn*
I'm not a huge fan of TNV, to be quite honest. The constant comparisons to Guided By Voices are just not accurate; see, GBV were great because they wrote great pop songs, and TNV, for all their cool sound, just don't write great songs. So the real reason to go by this show is psychedelic folk-pop quartet Woods. In my last live review of them, I called them "one of the most outstanding and original bands of our time" and I'll stand by that statement. [TNV MySpace] [Woods MySpace]


Wednesday, May 12

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart @ Bowery Ballroom | LES, Manhattan | SOLD OUT
You should track down some tickets to this show. Tweegaze heartthrobs the Pains will be celebrating their (brief) homecoming after an extensive national tour - and right before an extensive international tour. Their songs are way too cute, but so well written that they're hard to hate. And a seamless wall of distorted guitar noise covers everything - bring earplugs. [MySpace]


*This is seems to be a week of bands and venues not working in tandem, and there is some conflicting information about these shows, so you may want to try to confirm they are happening as scheduled before you make a trek to the venue.

Album: Woods - Songs of Shame

Album: Songs of Shame
Woodsist, 2009
Rating: ******** (8/10)

This is my second post about Woods in a week, but for good reason. Their newest album, Songs of Shame will be released by their own label, Woodsist, next week.

Woods are a psychedelic folk-pop band that sounds like the ghosts of the Byrds - similar earthy pop delivered in a high register, but overshadowed by a haunted, otherworldly sorrow. Their lo-fi aesthetic doesn't use blanket static - there's not much distortion at all, except on an occasional lead guitar. Instead, they are lo-fi in a way that sounds distant (like the songs of a distant future's distant past) and secretive (there's a hint of something behind the music that you know you'll never understand).

Songs of Shame certainly shows the band's evolution since their last LP, 2007's At Rear House. Most importantly, they've branched out melodically. On Rear House, numerous songs follow the same melodic contour laid out in its first track, while on Songs of Shame, the songs are far less formulaic. This also means many of the melodies are more subtle and less immediately memorable than the songs on Rear House, but if they draw you in more slowly, they also draw you in more deeply.

The album opens with "To Clean," one of my favorite Woods tracks ever, followed by the excellent "The Hold," which contrasts a typically beautiful Woods melody over a very odd rhythm on tuned drums. Track three, "The Number," is also a Woods classic to-be, and again, features a masterfully composed tune. Later on the record, "Military Madness" (a Crosby, Stills and Nash cover) and "Rain On" are the most captivating songs. The cover is brilliant, mostly because Woods's unique sound guarantees they will reinvent any song they play, even from another band who mixed psychedelic, pop and folk influences.

There are even more indulgent experimental forays here than on Rear House, most notably the nearly ten minute long instrumental centerpiece. The song is much too long and repetitive for someone of my attention span, but it definitely has its moments of beauty. Still, it doesn't do anything unexpected, just trances out, swells up and then dies down. It's not bad, but it's not much of a contribution to the indie canon.

If this is your first time listening to Woods, I'd recommend checking out In Rear House first (also available from Woodsist). It's more accessible and a better introduction to the band. But you might as well get both at once, since once you check out Rear House, you're going to want more. And this, the artistically stronger album, is bound to captivate anyone familiar with the mysterious charm of Woods.

Woods on MySpace

Live: Tyvek, Woods, Nymphets

When: 4/1
Where: Death By Audio

When I walked into Death By Audio last Wednesday, the Nymphets were already on stage - just a girl on drums and a guy on guitar, both yelling their heads off. Their songs were short and their lyrics simple and to the point (for example, the repeated line "I don't wanna live on Earth anymore"). They aren't the first band of their kind, but they seem to have a genuine grasp on punk minimalism, and how that means everyone can have a lot of fun and make noise. Thumbs up. [MySpace]

Apparently, there was another band after them called Changing Holes, and I must have been there when they played, but I have no memory of it whatsoever. Which doesn't speak well to them.

Third in line was Woods, my latest obsession. They play simple, lo-fi pop, but not in the distortion-and-feedback sense of lo-fi. Their clean guitars and vocals aren't buried under anything heavy, but rather (as I said before) it's as if they are under water - the songs are distorted not in a fuzzbox way, but in the way water distorts the appearance of things beneath it. There is an element of mysterious, otherworldly beauty in the sound.

Though often described as “folk,” Woods are best classified as pop, with uptempo songs and sticky-sweet melodies. They sound a lot like the Byrds, or even the Hollies, but turned inside out and cooked into some Jell-O.

As performers, the band was pretty average, kicking out some hot guitar solos and some satisfying noise but not really doing anything out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, the most interesting part of the performance took place out of sight of most of the audience, myself included. The band's fourth member was crouching on the floor with what appeared to be a vocoder (or talk box or something of that nature) and a bunch of electronics.

Whatever he was doing, it helps explain the eerie, unidentifiable quality of the recorded music. (In case you don't know, vocoders and talk boxes use the voice and the movement of the mouth respectively to shape sounds, emitting ‘half human, half machine’ sort of tones.) Whatever this device was, he had it strapped over his mouth, a disturbing gesture. In the audience, all you know is there's somebody kneeling on the stage with something reminiscent of a gas mask or an old medical device obscuring half his face. Gimmicky? Maybe, but it's also effectively intriguing, not to mention creepy as hell.

While having melodies that will be stuck in your head for weeks, prettied up even further with subtle vocal harmonies, Woods sound weird in a way I can't quite identify. It's not just the quirky falsetto of the vocals (a trick used by plenty more conventional bands like Dirty On Purpose), there's just something different about this band. Something too subtle to be revolutionary, but distinctive enough to make this one of the most outstanding and original bands of our time. [MySpace]

Closing out the night came the much-hyped Tyvek, a Michigan-based punk outfit that kicks quite a lot of ass. The band stays true to the fundamental American punk tenant of playing loud and playing fast. There's some quirk in their music, but it's not that the music has been overthought, it's just that these kids have as much rage as the Sex Pistols, but they aren't leather-sporting punks from the London slums, they're awkward Midwesterners.

When I say rage, though, I don't mean it's sheer hardcore-thrashy-screaming anger - Tyvek is FUN. The new(ish) bassist Shelley Salant is a particularly interesting presence on stage - she looks detached, which just makes it all the more striking when she shreds her lungs yelling back-up vocals. Drummer Matt Ziolkowski plays standing up like Mo Tucker, only when he does it, he pogos like a maniac. And frontman Kevin Boyer, despite his bookish looks, rips the show to shreds and lights it on fire with his aggressive performance.

The music is solid. Like the first act of the night, it's nothing completely new, but Tyvek definitely knows the wild recipe of anger and fun that makes good punk good (similar to the combination of anger and fun of yelling "fuck you" at your high school principal the day after graduation). Their music is certainly not minimalist - it even includes keyboards, but it's still raw and has a very sharp edge. [MySpace]

Upcoming Shows: Woods, David Grubbs + more

Tomorrow, Wednesday, April 1

Woods @ Death By Audio | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $?
Woods run with folks like Wavves, Nodzzz and Blank Dogs, but they do something rather different. Their pop is lo-fi, but in a more quirky way, with vocals delivered in a bizarre falsetto and guitars played cleanly. If their no-fi colleagues' music sounds as if it's buried under layers of gravel or ash, the songs Woods play sound like they're submerged under water. They somehow manage to sound distant and unnatural but still welcoming, even enchanting. And their melodies are simply beautiful. One of my favorite NY bands at one of the best venues in town. Check it out. [MySpace]


Friday, April 3

Weird Owl @ Lit Lounge | E Village, Manhattan | $6
As I noted in live review, Weird Owl plays a psyched-out version of Southern hard rock. Perhaps surprisingly, it's really enjoyable. [MySpace]


Saturday, April 4

David Grubbs @ Issue Project Room | Gowanus, Brooklyn | $8/$10
As I've said before, David Grubbs is a legend. He's a former member of Squirrel Bait, Gastr del Sol, Bastro and even Red Krayola and is one of the true innovators in 90's experimental rock. [MySpace]


Sunday, April 5

My Teenage Stride @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan | $8
An indie pop band that I grudgingly like, MTS play their catchy little numbers tightly and with gusto. Check it out. [MySpace]