Album: Jeff the Brotherhood - We Are the Champions

Album: We Are the Champions
Infinity Cat
Rating: ******** (8/10)
Release Date: June 21, 2011

The new Jeff the Brotherhood album is exactly what fans of the band's 2008 debut will be expecting. It polishes the band's three-string psych rock and like their first album, it's a celebration of rock'n'roll excess. The indulgent fun of the album is first announced by an ungodly amount of flange at the beginning of the opening track. I'm not the only person who considers flange top among guitar's guilty pleasures - too cheap a trick to actually use in writing but super fun for enjoyment in one's bedroom. (For those that don't know, flange is an effect pedal that causes a "sweeping" sound without the guitarist actually doing anything.) But Jeff has always wallowed in cheap rock cliches, and in the best possible way. In the face of the wussy anti-rock bias of indie music, someone needs to bring back the wailing solo, the guitar hero posturing, the distortion pedal and the nasty riff. Oh yeah, and over that flange is not one but two guitar solos. At the same time. It's pretty sick.

Although the album does show the band moving towards more sophisticated musicianship, writing and production, they don't really step out of the boundaries they established on Heavy Days, just hone their craft within those boundaries. Some of the riffs even sound like particular riffs off Heavy Days, just reworked and embellished. That's not quite fair, but on the other hand, it's hard not to notice how familiar some of the songs ("Cool Out," "Mellow Out") sound.

The band does amp up their psychedelic side with songs like "Diamond Way," "Stay Up Late" and most of all, "Health and Strength," complete with Beatles-style sitar and high vocal wails. This may be a new dimension for the band, but it's such a 60's throwback that it doesn't really feel like an expansion. To the band's credit, though, they don't opt for a 60's vibe in the processing of their sound, using modern digital effects and beefy 90's guitar tones. As a result, as much as they consciously recall the 60's, their recordings wouldn't be mistaken for actual records from the time. Although they do seek a return to a time of simpler fun, Jeff aren't nostalgic in the sappy way of so many indie bands in the last decade and they aren't afraid to sound modern. They also aren't afraid to rock.

And in terms of rock, there's plenty here. Those thirsting for more ditties by the King of the Riff (Jeff's Jake Orrall) won't be disappointed by Champions, especially if they listen all the way through. Some of the early songs have the band tripping over their own ideas by adding too many complications to their ultra-simple formula. "Cool Out" and "Shredder" are rad tunes, but the album doesn't fully take off until "Ripper," one of the few songs that beats the raw power of the band's debut. Like the original raw power masters, the Stooges, Jeff don't shy away from the grittiest, simplest primal rock'n'roll urges - but unlike the Stooges, there's nothing anguished about Jeff. They're about raw fun.

Unfortunately, the band brings back one rock cliche we could all do without on their ambiguously misogynistic "Wastoid Girl." I know that's not what the band's about, but it's still a bad move on their part.

That track aside, Champions is an enjoyable listen. For folks new to the band, I'd probably recommend Heavy Days. It's got more weak links but its best tracks still pack more punch than almost anything on the new record. Still, it's a toss-up and fans will find lots to love about the new disc - as long as they don't have the audacity to expect something new.

Release: Liquid Me - Liquid Me (EP)

Album: Liquid Me
Self-released
Release Date: May 6, 2011
Rating: ****** (6/10)

A couple of weeks ago, this guy sent me an e-mail telling me how awesome I am and asking me to review an EP by some band called Liquid Me. I like it when people tell me how awesome I am, so I agreed. I gotta say, not many bands in my little universe would name their influences as "Nirvana, Motorhead, Black Sabbath, Foo Fighters, and Queens of the Stone Age."

Turns out, they weren't joking. They sound pretty much like exactly everything that was on alternative radio in the 90's. I'm not sure why anyone would want to play a style that hasn't really been relevant since 1993. I'm not really sure why if they did, they'd want someone like me to review it. (I'm also not sure why they are releasing on a Friday. Mysteries!)

But the band does succeed at what they set out to do (assuming what they set out to do was imitate In Utero-era Nirvana and Pearl Jam - oh, and Queens of the Stone Age). The guitar work is impressive - lots of harmonics and nasty riffs. "See Thru" is probably the best example, with a mean solo and a hook doubled on octaves, a la Smashing Pumpkins. But the guitars are on their game for the whole EP. "Resist" also has a fun riff and the drummer Todd is at his best here, endlessly reacting to minutiae in the guitar line.

"She Said" (will people please stop using that as a song title?) branches out a bit sonically, with some distinctly industrial-inspired elements. Meanwhile, "Resist" has moments that recall Black Flag - but only a few. Most of the song is straight alt rock. The EP is also book-ended by their most Nirvana-esque songs so what musical range they do show is buried.

Lamentable lyrics aside, this is clearly a talented bunch. I haven't heard anyone do this genre this well in a long time. But I don't really understand the point of doing something that's already been done, and in fact, done to death and then had its carcass trampled flat and dragged through the mud for years and years by crappy radio stations nationwide. Never mind that Liquid Me is better than quite a few of the bands that made it big post 1995. Like any throwback, it's a fun listen if you're into that kind of thing. But it's not interesting and I can't help but think it's a waste of talent.

Who knows, if the band digs deeper, they may find some influences that broaden their horizons. But for now, they're just chewing up the 90's and spitting it back out. So, if that's your thing, check them out.

Album: Screaming Females - Castle Talk

Album: Castle Talk
Don Giovanni, 2010
Rating: ******** (8/10)

FUCK. YES. Sick riff after sick riff after sick solo after sick riff. Castle Talk, out today, may well be Screaming Females' best album to date. The young New Jersey trio already has four full-lengths under their belt and while the records may never quite capture the excitement of their live show, not one of them is anything to sneeze at.

The main criticism usually leveled at Screaming Females (and as far as I can tell, the only legitimate one) is that they aren't doing anything original. That's true and it's a huge bummer. Not only are Screaming Females not revolutionizing rock music, they don't even revolutionize themselves. Their four albums, knock-outs though they are, pretty much stick to the same familiar ground laid out by the first. Yes, you can hear growing maturity over time, particularly in the production techniques but also in songwriting, but it's all a pretty straight, predictable trajectory from where the band started off.

So. Screaming Females are not the most innovative or creative band on earth. They aren't the most adventurous. They aren't the most brilliant. What they are is the best rock band on earth. They tread over familiar ground, but they easily rank among the best bands in their tradition. They play their guitars exactly the way electric guitars and bass guitars were meant to be played. They write songs the way songs should be written. They sing and scream the way the human voice was meant to. They may not be as fascinating as some of the boundary-pushers out there, but in terms of good ol' fun, catchy rock and roll, this is as good as it gets.

Announced by the first sound of the album, a deafening, distortion-fried chord, Castle Talk features the band's nastiest production to date. Their debut was recorded in true New Jersey style, pretty much live. For the follow-up, they recorded track-by-track, and received complaints from their loyal fans that the sound lacked the energy the three musicians generate when they all play at the same time. So for last year's record, the band went back to their old methods, but with a much fancier resources, spreading out to different rooms in a studio to craft their sound. The result was dynamic but still with tightly controlled production.

Castle Talk shows the band hasn't tired of trying new techniques. The album is by far the meanest sound the band has ever accomplished. It's gritty. All the spaces seem filled with distortion and buzz but nothing is sloppy or accidental. Every track seethes with noisy energy. Far more than any Screaming Females album to date, Castle Talk does the band justice.

The normal entry point to any discussion of Screaming Females is frontwoman Marissa Paternoster's sick guitar. But as always, the bass caught my attention just as much. Played by one Mike Abbate, it's the album's secret weapon - Abbate doesn't just support Paternoster, he shifts the context of songs, making Paternoster's guitar suddenly but subtly tenser, uglier or sweeter and keeping the listener from knowing quite what will happen next.

For her part, Paternoster is much more than simply one of the greatest guitarists of her generation (though she is that!). As she demonstrated on her solo album this summer, she is a powerful vocalist, with a distinctive but comfortable voice. I once compared it PJ Harvey channeling John Lennon. I think on this rougher, rawer album, she may be channeling more Vedder than Lennon, though. Or you know what? Screw that. It's more like PJ Harvey channeling PJ Harvey – not in tone (Pasternoster doesn't do any of Harvey's weird high stuff, for starters) but in spirit. In other words, the singing would certainly make anyone think twice before getting on Pasternoster's bad side.

Working collectively, Screaming Females have always been gifted songwriters, shifting the pop-rock formula just enough to keep their music slightly unpredictable from moment to moment. However, Castle Talk features the band's most consistent songwriting since their debut. Paternoster matches the group's compositions with equal (and I think significantly improved) lyrical prowess, diving into her usual rage, self-deprecation and general dysfunction that anyone who's ever been sixteen can relate to. "I wouldn't be surprised / if no one wants to waste their time on me / I'm joyfully[?] employed and normal," she proclaims on "Normal."

The album starts out with a bombshell, "Laura & Marty," a perfect example of what pop-oriented guitar rock can be, compete with a blistering and slightly decadent, but not overly indulgent, guitar solo. Paternoster's tone on her instrument calls to mind Billy Corgan (before he became a national joke), with that same wailing edge. Like Corgan, Paternoster seems to draw equally from metal and shoegaze, psychedelic and grunge, power-pop and hardcore, while never once landing even close to fitting any of those labels. The band sounds familiar (and critics would say generic) because it draws transparently from every great rock tradition. But there's something to be said for taking the best from every school and distilling it into one sick sound.

At track three, "Boss" is without a doubt, one of the band's best songs to date, if not exactly hit single material. The track starts out with hushed drums and a heartbreaking bass line, soon joined by a scalding, lonely guitar riff. The band crashes into the their familiar wall of sound, then drops away again for a restrained and beautiful verse. From there, the song flips between quiet verse to blasting chorus – nothing unusual. However, Paternoster's melody keeps the song at once catchy and slightly off-kilter, with her voice and lyrics both at their best. After a breakdown of sorts, the song closes out with a restrained but soaring, shimmering guitar riff.

"Normal" starts off with Pixies-esque guitar, wandering into faintly Spanish chords, and marks another high point for Paternoster's lyrics. Next up, "A New Kid" starts with a killer, old-school metal riff, opening into a measured, guitar-screeching, chanted verse. The chorus returns to the more familiar territory of intertwining melodies from Paternoster's fingers and mouth respectively, with the bass buried in the but relentlessly propelling the song forward.

"Fall Asleep" and "Wild" are familiar live staples. The former is one of the band's best, and most characteristic songs, split in half by a bare, mournful break. The latter is a little less interesting, with just a little too much unison between guitar and vocals, between guitar, bass and drums, and so on. "Nothing at All" is another gem following closely to the standard Screaming Females formula but boasting a badass breakdown at the song's end.

The only song to really depart from the usual Screaming Females guitar rock is the second to last track, "Deluxe." In what seems to be a reverb-drowned live recording, Paternoster's distant vocals drift in and out of sight under textured acoustic guitar. It's brief – under two minutes – and gives the album a much needed break from the distortion-loaded, vocals-forward sound of the rest of the album.

"Ghost Solo" brings the album to an appropriately rock and roll anthem ending and is one of the best examples of the band's knack for arrangement. Distant thundering drums and nervous bass lead into a building verse, with razor-sharp guitar riffs slicing through to underline (and harmonize with) fragments of Paternoster's melody. In the rich chorus, the vocals, guitar and bass take turns surging upwards, opening to one final, restrained solo before concisely closing out.

Castle Talk may not be a revolution, not in the slightest, but Screaming Females do what they do better than anybody else around. And that has some significance – this is the kind of album that could - and will - inspire girls and boys to pick up guitars and form bands. The album's raw energy and the band's clear love of their music, evident in every note, are contagious. We need people to push the envelope, but we also need bands like this to remind us what rock music is about in the first place – having fun.

Live: Sightings, Oneida

When: 3/19
Where: Knitting Factory

So a few weeks ago, I went to see Oneida at the new Knitting Factory in Brooklyn and Sightings were opening. I've seen the band before, but the night I know I saw them first is almost entirely missing from my memory, so it was pretty much like coming to the band fresh. And they proved my lack of memory of the last set I saw was not the fault of the band - love 'em or hate 'em, they are memorable.

I do love them! Their noise is like bulldozers razing your eardrums - if any band could challenge A Place To Bury Strangers for the spot of "loudest band in NYC," it's these guys. However, APTBS get you with cutting blasts of feedback, whereas Sightings pile sheer sonic weight on their audience. "Noise" is the only way to describe it, but unlike many "noise" bands, Sightings have meticulous control of their sound. They aren't just playing with shit and getting lucky, they have a vision - a bleak, skull-shattering vision - and they know how to get their instruments make the sounds to do it.

And through all of this massive guitar drone and woven into the heavy, mindless pulse of the bass are songs. There's a pop appeal here - most people probably wouldn't see it, but there are rhythms, structures and the faintest hint of melody that keep the band on point. (This was exemplified with even more clarity when I saw the band at Death by Audio last week.)

The indecipherable vocals, though in some contrast to the inhuman buzz and thud of the guitars and drums, never sound like an afterthought. Instead, delivered by the oddly appealing Mark Morgan, the words are marked with genuine desperation that has not yet turned to nihilism. Pronounced with flat restraint, they form a ominous conversation with band's erratic noise. The result is uneasy, cataclysmic and ultimately, deeply satisfying. [myspace]

Sadly, not so for Oneida, whom, despite my best efforts, I just can't really get into. I do respect the band - it's made up of talented musicians with some truly original ideas. But to my ears, it just doesn't quite come together. The band launched into an instrumental epic and by the time vocals came in, they did seem like an afterthought - they failed to blend with the music. The long passages - and they are all long - are a bit self-indulgent, with slight modulations on repetition after repetition. It's the kind of thing that could be amazing to someone on drugs. Less so to me.

What it comes down to is that, as far as I can understand the music, the whole is never more than the sum of its parts. Each song is a series of good ideas which the band slowly nurtures into robust sections, but they take too long to grow each part and that is all they do, over and over again. I hesitate to speak with definitive sentiment here, because I can tell the band has immense talent and creativity and I keep hoping there's something I'm not getting and once I get it, I'll love the band as much as many others seem to. But there seemed no logic to the sequencing of sections, no ultimate momentum or focus, just ideas fleshed out to the point of exhaustion. I like my music to be written, not just played, but if this was written, composed, it was done so poorly.

I was also irked by the band's stage presence. Guitarist "Hanoi Jane" proved a regular chatty Cathy not with the audience but with his bandmates. He repeatedly walked up to each one to exchange words. No doubt the exchanges were about the music, but there was something in them that seemed disaffected. Perhaps it's too much to ask that bands converse on stage only with great emotional intensity, but the little asides and laughs really gave me the feeling this is just a job for Oneida. I know that's not true, but c'mon, you gotta show us you want to be on stage, you want to be making this music - need to, even - and the way they presented themselves, they might have just as well gone to the beach.

Perhaps the pairing with Sightings was unfortunate for the band - where Sightings were bleeding with sincerity, Oneida were somewhat lackadaisical and aloof. Where Sightings were focused and restrained, Oneida were indulgent and scattered. I wouldn't write Oneida off - they are the real deal - but if given the choice, I'd go with Sightings every time. [myspace]

Live: Asa Ransom, Shilpa Ray

When: 2/28/10
Where: Cameo Gallery

It's insane to think I haven't checked in with Asa Ransom in almost a year and half, especially given how much I was impressed by them the first time around. But unfortunately, our schedules just didn't align until a few weeks ago, when we crossed paths at this Shilpa Ray-headlined show at Cameo Gallery.

Asa Ransom have certainly changed over the last year and a half. Many of their punker impulses have become slicker and cleaner while their dancy grooves have expanded exponentially. The band has also come of age in the way in which they present themselves. While before, they were just some guys playing pretty good music, now they have an image - five images, in fact, that assert five individual personalities but that also form a cohesive front of dark and somewhat anachronistic stylishness. This not only makes them interesting to see but also indicates that the band has a sense of their identity and purpose - that is, what it is they have and want to offer the music scene.

Asa Ransom (picture from MySpace)
But what exactly that is is a little hard to describe. In my original review of the band, I compared them to Pere Ubu in their mental-ward approach to dance music. Since then, Asa Ransom have smoothed it out a bit, coming closer to the target than Pere Ubu ever did. Still, their music is something of an impressionistic take on dance music - it's identifiable, but it's out there. For those who are up on their contemporary dance punk, a comparison to Liars would certainly not be out of line.

The band is percussion-focused, with the jerky grooves of the drummer and auxiliary percussionist an oft exposed skeleton to which bits of guitar, synth and vocals adhere. As they play, the entire band bobs in time with the songs, though again, each in his own way. The music is a pulse against which frontman Jacob Bills throws truncated bursts of lunatic energy.

There may be something lacking here in sincerity - I can't tell - and I wouldn't consider this a shoe in for being an important or successful band. But they could be and I'd like that. We'll see. [myspace]

Shilpa Ray headlined. Talk about your nutcases. As always, she attacked her hand-powered harmonium with admirably boundless energy, growling her bluesy vocals with the punk rock spirit they deserve - the melodies may take a page from an older book, but the lyrics are pure punk in their self-deprecation and their fuck-you attitude.

Sadly, Shilpa Ray's backing band, her "Happy Hookers" were not as good as I've come to expect. She had a different crew on stage this time around, except for her outstanding bass player Nick Hundley. These Hookers are were adequate, I suppose, but compared to the top-of-the-line musicianship to which Shilpa Ray fans have grown accustomed...well, they aren't quite there. [myspace]

Live: Fiery Furnaces + Shilpa Ray

When: 12/12
Where: Bowery Ballroom

It's been a while since I've checked in with the infamous Ms. Shilpa Ray and her Happy Hookers, so I braved the chill to see her with Fiery Furnaces last weekend. First of all, I'd like to say this is one of the best opener-headliner pairings I've seen in quite a while. Ultimately, the two bands don't sound at all alike, but they have enough in common that I think each of their audiences would enjoy the other: strong female vocals, a certain pre-punk/60's influence and total insanity.

Ray and her Hookers were in fine form Saturday. They started off soft and built it up - a lot of bands try this and fail, but these guys are definitely good enough to pull it off, building suspense rather than failing to grab attention. Ray didn't even start yelling obscenities until about halfway through. Her songs are the same seamless combination of 60's psychedelic rock, blues, folk and soul that they've always been, expertly written and arranged. As always, the quality of the songs was consistently high.

Ray is backed by some of the best musicians in the Brooklyn indie scene. The rhythm section was actually entirely flawless throughout this set. I mean that! Really perfect. The guitar and keys didn't leave much to criticize either. Actually, the only negative thing I can say about anyone on stage is that the backup vocals by Andrew Hoepfner were way out of tune at the beginning of the set. If that was a conscious choice, it was a bad one for the style of music. However, the problem mostly resolved after the first couple of songs.

And Shilpa Ray is, as always, front and center, yelling, pogoing, flapping her arms around, cussing, giving people the finger and mumbling some completely illogical banter between songs. Even if you aren't that into Ray's music, there are a couple of things to be learned from watching her live. First, the songwriting and arrangements are exemplary. Second, she is one of the best examples I can think of of what makes a great frontperson great. She's not easily ignored or easily forgotten. [MySpace]

And then Fiery Furnaces took the stage. I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I didn't know what instruments would be on stage, I didn't know if there would be anyone but the core brother-sister duo that make up the band, I didn't know what sort of music they might play. I was pretty surprised all around.

First of all, the instruments on stage were guitar, bass and drums. For some reason, I thought there'd be synthesizers and electronic insanity, but instead, it's just your rock'n'roll standard. There were more than two people on stage - two people joined the band to cover the rhythm section. The band also played a great cross-section of their music, from the early material to the most recent. Unsurprisingly, the band has reinvented their older songs. Some were recognizable, but others had morphed so that only the lyrics indicated to me I'd heard it before. The new versions weren't better or worse and didn't require knowing the originals to appreciate - which means, a good show for people who've never heard the band before and for people who know the albums by heart.

Fiery Furnaces are one of the most totally nutso bands I've ever heard. Every little piece of their music sounds quite normal, with the kind of pre-punk stylings even my parents would like. But when they string it all together, it's suddenly baffling. If someone with multiple personality disorder and severe ADD wrote music, it would sound like this - completely jumping styles every few bars. It does circle back to the same themes eventually, and though defying any conventional logic of composition, the arrangements don't seem arbitrary at all. Musically and lyrically, it's a sort of story-telling, though no one knows what the stories are, except that it were probably written by someone on a lot of acid.

Despite their self-deprecation in their band bio, Fiery Furnaces are extremely skilled musicians. Guitarist Matthew Friedberger can kill on guitar as he skips without self-awareness from jazz to metal to indie pop. And his sister Eleanor Friedberger can sing. I didn't realize the full strength of her vocals until seeing her perform live. Her voice is rich and controlled and well-suited for the band's strange story-telling ways. She seems most comfortable in jazzy and bluesy scales, but can pull of the rambling indie pop parts just as well.

The band's stage presence is a great fit with their music as well. Eleanor can be dramatic or coy or slightly awkward, but she is comfortable drawing the attention to herself, as it's clear her brother is less of a showman. She doesn't do anything particularly outrageous, mostly just wanders around the stage and semi-dances to the music when not singing. It's simple enough not to distract from the already schizoid music, but shows focus and passion, never detachment.

The band did play a bizarrely long encore, which seemed kind of presumptuous. It was nearly as long as the original set. On the other hand, they did use it as an opportunity to honor a request or two, which was pretty sweet and extremely rare to see a band do these days. So, it's hard to complain. [MySpace]

Live: Jeff the Brotherhood, Dinowalrus, Sisters

When: 12/7
Where: Mercury Lounge

I'm almost getting caught up on my live reviews...

Sadly, I missed Coin Under Tongue, the first of four great bands to play Mercury Lounge last week Monday. When I arrived, Sisters were setting up the stage. I've said enough about Sisters to try to keep this short. Sisters are two guys of different heights who play noisy indie pop songs with exceptional melodies and youthful exuberance. Aaron Pfannebecker makes a really lot of noise with his guitar and Matt Conboy sounds like at least three drummers playing at once. They are endearingly awkward but also confrontational, and make the music our inner 90's-reared teenagers would make if they could play instruments that well. [MySpace]

Dinowalrus were up next. Pete Feigenbaum mentioned to me over e-mail after my last review that their new material is more "baggy" a la Happy Mondays. And watching this set with that in mind, I could definitely see the band turning towards more bobbing acid-house grooves. It's difficult to compare Dinowalrus to anyone, though, past or present. They are definitely doing their own thing. Masterful beats, noisy drones, sparkling guitars, bizarre blasts and electronic pulsing - the band covers a lot of ground, synthesizing a myriad of influences into a single, cohesive style. It's not easy music, but it's not unbearably challenging either - the beats and melodies are strong enough to translate the experimentalism into something easily head-nod-able and very certainly fun. [MySpace]

The infamous Jeff the Brotherhood headlined to a pretty big crowd. Brothers Jake and Jamin Orrall play some of the best guitar rock around, using only three guitar strings and drum kit. Their heavy guitar riffs and great songwriting draw from psychedelic and grunge. With one foot in the late 60's and one in the early 90's, JtB are somehow still fully 2009.


Jeff the Brotherhood (photo by someone named Kahan, I think)
The Orrall brothers, like the other former members of adolescent punk outfit Be Your Own Pet, are children of the Nashville music industry, in this case, the sons of musician Robert Ellis Orrall. If I were them, I'd probably be sick of people pointing out my music pedigree, but it does help explain Jake and Jamin's commanding stage presence. Most musicians their age (early 20's), even when they consciously put on a great show, don't seem to fully step into the role of rock star as performer. Rock star as musician is great, but a concert is an experience that transcends just the notes played. Jake, with his slight 'stache, leather pants and pointed stare, cuts a memorable figure on stage without doing anything over the top. He pulls off a guitar hero pose or two while Jamin's relaxed smile balances the scene.

They may be young, but their old-school common sense and musical skill prove them more professional and mature than most indie rockers will ever be.

What the fuck am I talking about? Geez. Their music is fucking good. That's all needs be said. [MySpace]

Upcoming Shows: Jesus Lizard, Shilpa Ray + more

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
Thursday, November 12

Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers + Soft Black @ Death By Audio | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Shilpa Ray has more balls than all the men in Williamsburg put together. She's a badass lady who plays a handpowered harmonium without making that gimmicky. She plays slick rock and roll and yells a lot of obscenities. [RFR Review] [MySpace]


Friday, November 13

Pterodactyl @ Death By Audio | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Pterodactyl are one of the only bands around doing something new. They don't sound like anyone else, and somehow they still rock hard and have amazing melodies. Their audience usually alternates dancing around nicely and crashing into each other, because their music makes you want to do both. Plus, this is a Showpaper benefit, and things with "benefit" in them are usually extra good, be they charitable concerts or hot friends. [RFR Review] [MySpace]


Saturday, November 14

Slumberland anniversary show: Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Crystal Stilts, Brown Recluse, Frankie Rose + more @ Bell House | Gowanus, Brooklyn | $15
At first, Slumberland billed this show as having a secret "special guest" headliner. But then the rest of the bill listed most of their roster, at least on the east coast. I guess they realized anyone with half a brain would be able to figure out who was headlining, so they added the Pains to the list. The Pains are fuzzy indie pop with sheets of distorted guitar and saccharine melodies, adored the world round. The Crystal Stilts are gloomy, disaffected, poppy post-punk with a lot of bass and reverb and bouncy, baritone melodies. The rest of the bands are pretty much somewhere between these two ends of the post-punk-indie-pop spectrum. With such an extensive bill of mostly good bands, $15 is a deal. [Pains RFR Review] [Pains MySpace] [CS RFR Review] [CS MySpace]


Monday, November 16

Jesus Lizard @ Fillmore at Irving Plaza | Gramercy-ish, Manhattan | SOLD OUT
The Jesus Lizard are one of the best post-hardcore bands ever. They came out of that era when that shit was good - people were playing really loud, angry, metal-influenced indie music with great musicianship and a punk rock attitude.


Tuesday, November 17

Jesus Lizard @ Fillmore at Irving Plaza | Gramercy-ish, Manhattan | $25
Same deal, only not yet sold out.

Dinowalrus @ Glasslands | Williamsubrg, Brooklyn
If you go to see Jesus Lizard on Monday or the Tuesday show sells out before you get tickets or you don't have $25 + Live Nation fees (firstborn child or equivalent in gold), go see Dinowalrus at Glasslands. Dinowalrus are an experimental rock band based on doing a lot of drugs (or sounding like it). They drone and groove and make loud noises. It's hard to explain. Like Sonic Youth doing acid and trying to play Krautrock...or something. [RFR Review] [MySpace]

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]

CMJ Summary - Part 3 (the last part)

The best showcase I caught at CMJ - and probably the best one that there was - was the free afternoon showcase at Knitting Factory on Saturday.

It was my first trip to the new Knitting Factory - they opened their Williamsburg location a month or two ago - and I was pretty impressed. It's a little fancy-seeming both compared to the old Knitting Factory and compared to Luna Lounge, the space's last incarnation. What was once one big room is now split into a front room, with a bar and beer garden style tables, and the room with the stage, visible from the front room through glass windows. The stage is at the back wall, making the area for the audience shallow and wide, good news for visibility. The sound was great too.

The first band I caught was Jeff the Brotherhood, featuring brothers Jake and Jamin Orrall, founding members of Be Your Own Pet. The two rock prodigies, Jake on guitar and Jamin on drums (don't be confused that the guitar says "Jamin," Jake named it after his brother), play irresistible tunes that move deftly between punk and classic rock. Classifying the band is pretty pointless, just resulting in nonsense terms like "psychedelic grunge-pop." Anyway, they sound pleasantly familiar, but refreshingly unlike most of the buzz bands of the moment.

I wrote up the band once before, and was equally impressed this time. Their music has hooks and doesn't try to sound quaintly spare or incompetent. For only two guys, they make a rich, full sound and don't try to hide the fact that they are fuckin good at guitar and drums. Come to think of it, I can't thing of a single bad thing to say about the band. There's no gimmick, there's no detached posturing, there's just rock music at its best. [MySpace]

After this, Screaming Females took the stage. This was the third time I've seen them and this time, they finally completely won me over. The first time, I couldn't really hear the singing (I'm increasingly thinking that was a bad night and not reflecting the band's abilities at the time), and the second time, the sound was a bit too messy for me to get the full effect. This time, everything was perfect.

To put it simply, Screaming Females represent everything that has ever been good about rock and roll. That may sound like an exaggeration, but I mean it genuinely. Frontwoman Marissa Paternoster sings like PJ Harvey channeling John Lennon and plays guitar like every rock hero from 70's arena blues-rock to 90's punky alternative. Despite her unassuming mumblings between songs ("hiwe'rescreamingfemales"), she's one badass lady, giving the finger to the un-edgy leanings of the current indie scene. (Certainly, I'm not the only one who is sick of edgeless bands like Dirty Projectors, Grizzly Bear, St. Vincent and the rest.*)

And if Paternoster is doing more for BIG, un-shy guitar than anyone since the likes of J. Mascis and Billy Corgan**, the rest of her band aren't doing any less to remind the world of what a good ROCK AND ROLL rhythm section can be. The bass leads carry the weight of the songs while the drums supplement head-banging worthy guitar riffs.

I really can't say enough about this band. If the future of rock music rests in their hands, I feel pretty sure we'll be OK. They've got it into them to defeat the reign of hipster crap once and for all. Let's hope they do. [MySpace]

The final act of the show was SubPop's Obits, who were miserably disappointing. I thought the Obits were a punk band. I apologize if I misled anyone into believing this. I'm still trying to figure out if I had them confused with someone else or if I just got the wrong idea from some song I heard. In any case, Obits are basically a bar band. They aren't bad, but there are thousands upon thousands of bands that sound just about the same. [MySpace]


* Just to be totally clear, Screaming Females seem way too nice to hate on other bands. The hating is all me.

** Don't hate! (And yes, I realize that sounds hypocritical. I don't care.)

Live: Screaming Females

When: Sept. 26, 2009
Where: "The Maze" at Death by Audio

I didn't mean to see Screaming Females again after having seen then open for Dinosaur Jr. While I found them to be an outstanding band, all those chromatic guitar solos gave me a headache. But as fate would have it, I ended up at their show at Death By Audio, and I'm very glad I did. It's only been three months, but the band has evolved astronomically.

I say evolved and not improved because they were so good before, it's not necessarily a linear progression. However, I would say they've matured. And either when I saw her in the summer, Marissa Paternoster wasn't at the top of her game or she's become a much stronger singer over the last few months. She did a lot more singing, and did it much more openly than before, not buried under the instrumentals. And the voice she found is strange but compelling - like a young PJ Harvey but with odd open vowels like she has some unusual accent (she doesn't). It's a distinctive sound and a great fit for the band's weighty melodies.


Screaming Females (photo from MySpace)
She's also scaled back the solos. Perhaps this is because the band's recent success has shown her she doesn't have to constantly prove herself, perhaps because she's able to take on more with her vocals instead - who knows? In any case, there are still some standout shredding solos, it's just no longer 50% of the set.

Death by Audio's "Maze" art installation, which I described before, was still in place for the show, though the DBAers wisely cut the front few walls to half the height so a much larger number of people could see the stage. This was a big improvement from the previous maze shows I'd seen.

But by the end of the show, there wasn't much of a maze left in the front third of the room anyway. Screaming Females' fans were so taken with the music that they basically went nuts. A number of people attempted to stage dive, which is pretty hardcore when the audience is split up by a maze - only a few people could reach a crowd surfer at any given time, and when the inevitably dropped, there was the thin wooden maze wall waiting to impale them. Pseudo-moshing at the front rearranged the maze (to put it gently), and by the end, the place didn't look like it had an hour before. It's amazing that no one was seriously injured, but all's well that ends well, and this show definitely did.

There are some concerts I will never forget and this one is definitely on that list.

[MySpace]

Live: Ex-Humans, Impediments, Buzzer

Despite the fact that Blank Dogs cancelled their Don Pedro's show (or as would make more sense, were never really booked there), I decided to stop by, mostly because the band name "Ex-Humans" kept making me think of "Subhumans," which was the name of not one but two excellent early punk bands.

When I arrived, Impediments were on stage. They played your typical 60's garage rock spiffied up with some updated Stooges and 70's hard rock ideas. Though this equation has been tried too many times to count, Impediments were saved from total redundancy by quality songwriting. It's not a band to freak out about - it's not ultimately much more than an amped-up bar band, but it's a enjoyable way to spend forty minutes. [MySpace]

Next up was the slightly more buzzed-about Buzzer, who drew an audience of a few dozen loyal and excited fans. And I couldn't figure out why. Working along the same lines as Impediments, Buzzer fell far short in songcraft - I couldn't remember one song from the next even a few minutes after they stopped playing.

The only song I do remember featured cringe-worthy lyrics about "young girls," which had a cheap rhyme scheme and related some chauvinistic insights that most seventeen-year-old jerks think are super awesome. Not to mention, singing about "young girls" sounds pretty gross and creepy, no matter what the colloquial meaning. (Whether the band meant this song seriously or "ironically," this all holds true.)

But, especially since most of the lyrics were not so clearly audible, the band's worst offenses were sonic. Their "melodies" were tedious and apparently without thought. On the other hand, the band had put a lot of thought into their arrangement. Unfortunately for them and us, quantity of thought does not equal quality, and the arrangements only further muddled the weak song structures. Frustratingly, the members of Buzzer are all talented instrumentalists, with especially notable, involved guitar solos. Even this wasn't much of an asset, though, since the solos and other parts taking advantage of the group's technical proficiency slipped right into one rock cliche after another. [MySpace]

Obviously, I was thankful when Buzzer wrapped it up and Ex-Humans took control of the situation. And indeed, the show got a lot better from there on out. I was a little disappointed that Ex-Humans weren't doing anything further afield musically, instead sticking to the same overgrazed pastures of garage/punk that the other bands of the night already illustrated.

Still, Ex-Humans stood out, especially in comparison to Buzzer, for a number of reasons. Perhaps most importantly was the band's character on stage - the threesome was spirited but down-to-earth (unlike Buzzer). Their mean banter was good-natured and entertaining, and they and their audience seemed to share the experience of the show - which is how true punk shows should be.

Also, like Impediments, Ex-Humans are talented songwriters. Their songs are simple but engaging. If the band's recordings are as good as the live show, I could definitely see myself rocking out to their record at home (like a huge dork, yes). Once again, it's not a band to get too freaked out about, but it's certainly one you can love.

And respect especially for the drummer, who, it seemed, was playing after having just been hit by a car. Though evidently in no small amount of pain by the end of the set, he saw the show through, and put his all into it. That's dedication. [MySpace]

Dust It Off: Big Star - #1 Record/Radio City

Album: #1 Record/Radio City
Fantasy, 1992
Recording Date: 1972-1973

Mention Big Star in a room of musicians and most will probably know exactly who you're talking about - and could even name the band members and more than a few songs. But outside of the world of indie rock and rock criticism, you'll get blank stares far more often than not. And it's not that Big Star's music requires a great spirit of adventure or high level of technical understanding to appreciate - in fact, it's some of the most straightforward pop of its era.

No, Big Star were one of many victims of bad luck and poor marketing, and their albums simply never sold. But those who were in the habit of seeking out under-the-radar music found the album and it changed the course of rock history. A list of bands that include Big Star as a key influence would be too long to attempt, but it would certainly include the likes of R.E.M., Wilco, the Cars, the Smashing Pumpkins, Teenage Fanclub, Cheap Trick -- well, you get the idea.

As one of the first "power pop" bands, Big Star drew songwriting influences from the Beatles, the Byrds and the Beach Boys, but carried out these ideas with a mindset taken directly from arena rock - though Big Star may never have filled an arena, they played as though they were born in one. Even the most subdued, acoustic numbers sound like they were not only meant for the big stage but actually create the illusion of a big stage wherever they're played.

The band's first two albums, #1 Record (1972) and Radio City (1974), were combined into a single release by Stax in 1978, but the version most commonly found is the joint release first issued in 1992 by Fantasy Records. In any case, this double LP offers well over an hour of consistently excellent songs, ranging from the wistful "Ballad of el Goodo" and the simple, finger-picked folk of "Thirteen" to the guitar-rock arena-screamer "Don't Lie to Me" and the pure radio pop of "September Gurls."

Listening to Big Star, it's obvious how they became such an icon in the history of indie rock. Though their melodies were as good (no, better) than any charting band of their time, they also displayed an edgy, noisy experimentalism. "The India Song" has an arrangement that's just plain bizarre, while the unpolished aggression of "O My Soul" is far grittier than most 1974 rock. Warm ringing guitars and sweet tunes are impossible to separate from the album's dark side. The band sounds out of their time, not ahead of it, but they predict indie and alternative rock - a world where the 1960's models of radio pop, large-scale rock and arty psychedelia were reconfigured to accommodate a more versatile, more honest weapon.

It's hard to imagine what indie rock would look like if it hadn't had Big Star as a root. The good news is, we don't have to.

Upcoming Shows: Tyvek, Shilpa Ray + more

Wednesday, July 22
The indie pop scene in NY is not really big enough to try to split between two venues, so we'll see what happens on Wednesday.

My Teenage Stride @ Bell House | Gowanus, Brooklyn | $10
My Teenage Stride is the very first band I reviewed on this blog. I didn't want to like them, but I did, and I do. Fun, sweet indie pop played roughly but tightly, like good indie pop should be. [MySpace]

Knight School @ Bruar Falls | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $8
I haven't seen Knight School yet, despite several attempts to catch them. They come with a strong recommendation from a certain person in a certain preeminent twee band, and I like their recorded stuff pretty well. It's lo-fi pop, with outstanding songwriting buried under a solid layer of fuzz. Nothing new, but definitely something good. [MySpace]


Thursday, July 23

Shilpa Ray and Werewolves @ Death By Audio | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Two of my favorite bands. Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers consistently put on one of NYC's best live shows. Their seamless combination of influences from blues and soul to punk creates a solid rock music that's familiar but never cliche. Werewolves are less consistent live, but when they're good, they're awesome, taking psychedelic music in entirely new directions. Another blender of styles, Werewolves draw from 70's rock'n'roll, early shoegaze, campy psychobilly and whacked out art rock, but still they pack it all down into a tight, heavy pop music that's entirely unforgettable. [Shilpa Ray MySpace] [Werewolves MySpace]


Friday, July 24

Oneida + Sunburned Hand of the Man @ Market Hotel | Bushwick, Brooklyn | $8
Oneida is an experimental band that draws from krautrock and industrial, using heavy guitars, heavy electronics and sweet grooves. It's a bit repetitive and may be best heard in an altered state of mind. But no matter what state you're in, there's no denying this is one of NYC's best. Sunburned Hand of the Man is a noise band that Thurston Moore likes and put on his Ecstatic Peace label. They are a little too formless for my liking, but you could definitely do worse for an opening act! [Onieda MySpace] [SHOTM MySpace]


Saturday, July 25

Tyvek @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan | $10
Everyone who was at the Woodsist Festival missed one of the crowd's best bands, who had to cancel due to a medical emergency. The good news is that everyone is OK and that they are in NY this weekend. Detroit punks with more heart than an iditerod of sled dogs, Tyvek are nothing short of thrilling live. Really and truly, do not miss them. [MySpace]


Sunday, July 26

Blank Dogs @ Secret Project Robot | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $8
Lo-fi goth pioneer Mike Sniper and his band will perform at one of the few remaining DIY spots this weekend. So far, I haven't been that into the live act, but the music is so good, it's still worth checking out. [MySpace]

Coyote Eyes, Spanish Prisoners @ Cameo | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Coyote Eyes are NYC's finest emerging post-punk band. They are a great live act and getting better all the time. Great melodies, noise-rock guitars, excellent beats, all of this adds up to one delicious set. Plus, they are joined by the very decent Spanish Prisoners, known for staying sonically interesting while playing some pretty straightforwardly charming songs. [MySpace] [MySpace]

Live: Dinosaur Jr. + Screaming Females

When: 6/25
Where: Music Hall of Williamsburg

Though I'd heard the name Screaming Females around a lot before this show, I hadn't bothered to look into the band. I figured I only have room in my brain for just so many bands with feminine names (Women, Sisters, Girls, Little Girls, Some Girls, etc. etc.). Given all these bands, it somehow never occurred to me that "Screaming Females" might be literal, not ironic.

As it happens the band features only one female, but she's definitely screaming and she definitely owns the show. Vocalist and guitarist Marissa Paternoster does shriek more than sing, but what she really does is play the guitar better than just about anyone else around. Her songs are a constant barrage of shredding solos and post-hardcore freakouts.

Paternoster is one of the best guitarists I've seen in ages ever. I'd be happy to see a guitarist this exciting in any form, but having a woman as one of the finset emerging guitarists makes me feel a bit better about everything. While women have made huge in-roads into the world of rock, especially since the riot grrrls of the 90's, virtuoso guitar in metal (even post-punk indie metal) is still uncharted territory. Knowing how difficult it still is for a female musician to earn respect in any music scene, I've got to salute Paternoster not only for her mad skillz, but also for the strength of character it must have taken for her to chose such an unlikely musical path.

Of course, she's not the only member of the band. The two men who share the stage with her are also excellent musicians, blasting out a rock-solid rhythm section strong enough to carry Paternoster's most blazing solos. The three showed a strong musical chemistry that's not easily faked, locking together effortlessly.

Ultimately, though, I didn't personally enjoy the set as much as I wish I could have. That's strictly a matter of personal taste, though - as with many metal-influenced bands, Screaming Females use chromatic scales as their palette, and chromatic scales don't speak to me. For that reason, I'll probably always prefer the only-slightly-less-intense music of Marnie Stern. But I'm glad to have seen Screaming Females and I'm glad they are finally getting some of the attention they clearly deserve. [MySpace]

We were hoping that given the unhappy events of June 25, we might be the one audience ever treated to Dinosaur Jr. covering Michael Jackson. No such luck, but the set was far beyond needing a trick like that to make it memorable. Dinosaur Jr. was one of the great American punk/post-punk bands of the 80's, without whom we'd have no grunge, no shoegaze and certainly no guitar solos like Screaming Females' in our indie music.

After a very unamicable split in the early 90's, Dinosaur reunited a few years ago and recently came out with their second post-reunion LP, Farm. I didn't listen to Farm after it came out, assuming it would be a disappointment. But just before I went to this show, the guy who shares my office told me that he'd been listening to the album non-stop, and a recommendation from him was pretty trustworthy so I checked it out. And it fuckin' rocks.

So I wasn't surprised when show rocked as well. J. Mascis has a reputation as a brilliant guitarist, but when listening to the recordings, it's easy to forget how talented Lou Barlow (bass) and Murph (drums) are as a rhythm section. Barlow's dynamic, heavy hooks make him one of my favorite bassists of all time, and though Mascis has tried to take sole credit for the group's success, seeing them reunited and live proves otherwise.

It seems the extreme tension - at times, hatred - between Barlow and Mascis has faded with age. The unspoken rage that has always hovered between them on stage is part of what has always made their live show so thrilling, and it's a little less fun when it no longer seems likely that one will brain the other with a guitar midway through the show. But they aren't buddy-buddy either - they did not engage each other once during the show (until the encore), Barlow instead exchanging smiles and words with Murph. Mascis was the visible loner, as far way on stage as he could get from the others, though he occasionally addressed Murph, good-naturedly enough.

Though touring to support their new album, Dinosaur treated the audience to a surprising number of old classics. And the new material, as I've mentioned, is great too, stronger in melody and less murky in arrangement than many of the older songs. This may make them a bit more conventional, but there's nothing wrong with that - they're still classic Dinosaur.

Most importantly, the band seemed to be having fun. A cynic like me would assume the reunion was only about the bottom line, and that might be a big part of it, but the band also loves being on stage and loves playing their music. Mascis may have a bit of a perma-frown, but Barlow and Murph looked like they were back in their element - only this time, after years of stress and resentment, they're letting loose and doing it right. [MySpace]

Dust It Off: Wipers - Over the Edge

Album - Over the Edge
Brain Eater / Restless, 1983

The Wipers are one of the great lost bands of the American underground. Formed in the early years of West Coast hardcore, the Wipers influenced everyone from Nirvana to Beat Happening to Dinosaur Jr. Though their music is undeniably rooted in punk, it stands out from its peers by incorporating certain elements of metal and hard rock. This influence is not so much on the guitars, but rather on the wide-open melodies and moderate tempos. It's no coincidence that five years after the release of Over the Edge, the ultimate metal-punk hybrid known best as "grunge" arose in the same northwestern corner where the Wipers made their name.

But unlike in grunge, the Wipers' metal influences are subtle and restrained. Cutting any direct ties between the Wipers and hard rock is the album's pop sensibility and most importantly, its distinct DIY aesthetic. This, their third album, was released more than five years into their career, and combines the best elements of the preceding two. Their unpolished, self-produced sound, always cloaked in distortion, predicts many of the rough qualities that would later be called "lo-fi." This style was also prominent in their sophomore album, Youth of America (1981), but here it is here molded into short, focused songs. Accessible melodies help ease the listener into the album's more edgy sonic landscape.

Though some of the lyrics are lamentable ("Why do people hate each other? / Why can't we just be brother and sister? / what is this thing / human being?"), most are passable. The riffs and choruses of songs like "Doom Town" and "Romeo" are unmistakably fun, but like all good hardcore, the whole thing stinks of youth alienation and angst.

No one can blame you if you've never heard of this lost classic, but if you haven't given the Wipers a listen, now's the time! Seriously, right now.

MySpace (presumably unofficial)

Live: Efterklang and Shilpa Ray and more

When: 3/28
Where: Mercury Lounge

Oh Land, the opening act, featured three female vocalists singing over mediocre electronic beats. The whole thing, right down to front woman's Nanna Oland Fabricius's avant-garde fashion, seemed like an overwrought Bjork reference. It wasn't a bad listen - they are all good singers - but it was way over the top. [MySpace]

As you might guess, I really went to the show to check in with Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers after their triumphant week at SXSW. Though down one Happy Hooker (Soft Blank's Vincent Cacchione was not present), the band rocked harder and tighter than I've heard them before. Some of the antics were slightly toned down, since they weren't the headlining act, but Ray did spend a lot of time screaming "fuck you" repeatedly into the microphone - not at the audience, but rather with them (at least in spirit).

Ray's music doesn't sound weird at all, but it's surprisingly difficult to classify. It's a distillation of everything from blues, soul and jazz to punk rock. The band was tight last time I saw them, but this time around, they were even more engaging, with the remarkably talented rhythm section knocking out some smooth grooves under Ray's Joplin-esque growl. The melodies and songs, even those I'd heard before, seemed more focused, and the set's momentum made the final numbers feel simply immense.

All was delivered, of course, with the band's characteristic energy, intense yet fun. Ray engaged her hecklers between songs and when not playing her hand-powered harmonium, danced around the stage with some classic Shilpa moves - that is, the moves you'd imagine from a seven-year-old who's just downed a cup of espresso. After SXSW, the general consensus is that this band is headed for great things. I told ya so. [MySpace]

Next up was guitarist and singer Peter Broderick. Sorry to be harsh, but yawwwwn. If you're into pretty singer-songwriter stuff, I don't think it was bad. But personally, I was bored after the first two bars.

I'd never heard the headliner Efterklang before, though I'd gathered they were some sort of Scandanvian post-rock ensemble. I was prepared to be bored, but several people encouraged me to stay. And it was apparent Efterklang is a favorite among fellow musicians - the audience included members of Los Campesinos! and the National among others.

I've said many times that post-rock is a largely played-out style, so I was surprised to hear Efterklang breathe new life into the music. Not that they are doing anything completely original, but they are certainly doing it better than most. Their vocal harmonies are stunning and their math rock tendencies are first-rate, grooving naturally in time signatures like 9/4 and 13/8 (I think). The songs are also well-written and unlike most post-rock, don't wear on interminably - they explore an idea to its fullest, then stop.


Efterklang (photo by Nan Na Hvass)
As I had been told, Efterklang's live performance was excellent. At first, it seemed like the band (swollen to seven members on stage) was taking itself rather seriously, but between songs, their banter showed them to be approachable, sweet and not without a sense of humor. The music's complexity required concentration, but there was still a decent amount of movement and the band's energy and focus was plainly visible. Also, as with a band who knows how to get innovative sounds of a slew instruments, it's fascinating to see how their affects are accomplished, using everything from trumpets to kazoos. [MySpace]

Though Shilpa Ray was an odd pairing with the rest of this experimental Dutch set, I'm glad they chose it - I not only got to see a great show but also discovered a new band I'll be listening to for a long time.

* * * * * * * * * * *
P.S. >> I forgot to tell you the best part about Efterklang! They are the first rock band I have ever seen use proper technique on the jingle bells. Seriously!

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]

Album: Soft Black - The Earth Is Black

Album: The Earth Is Black (and Other Apocalyptic Lullabies for Children)
Plays With Dolls Records, 2009
Rating: ******* (7/10)

After my tepid live review of Soft Black last fall, frontman/songwriter Vincent Cacchione made the arrogant - or ballsy - move of asking for my opinion on his 2009 record, The Earth Is Black (released today). Arrogant in that he seemed to think he could win me over, but ballsy to ask for an (inevitably public) opinion from someone he knows won't hold back harsh words.

Given this history, I wish I could come down strongly one way or the other on this album, but unfortunately, my reaction was a bit mixed. I can say definitively, though, that I did find it much more satisfying than the November show - as an album, it makes clear what Cacchione is trying accomplish in his music and ultimately, it succeeds in its mission.

A cohesive record, The Earth Is Black is immediately reminiscent of country-rock classics like Neil Young. But there's something more beneath the surface, a hint of Young's more edgy contemporaries - the Stooges and even the Doors are lurking in the background here. I suppose there are also pieces of psychedelia (think Grateful Dead) but that seems more deliberate and less integral to the album's ultimate vision than the touches of garage rock and under-the-radar pop.

The album boasts masterful songwriting throughout, with title track standing as the most memorable example. The sonic experimentation of "The Flesh Of The Sky" is also a highlight - it is definitively post-punk, but somehow fits smoothly with album's overarching late-60's attitude. The second half of the album can also hold its own. "The Lions" is a notably pretty little number, while "Did You Put A Spell On Me?" rocks hard as it branches out in new noisy directions.

However, some tracks fall short of that mark. "I Am An Animal" is the most disappointing example - this clearly should have been an album highlight. Instead, the sparse arrangement in the verse makes the song a glaring weak point. In pitch and tone, Cacchione is a fine singer, but his voice simply isn't rich enough to carry the song. The songwriting is still solid, and the arrangement is a good idea in concept, but the execution only highlights Soft Black's amateur side.

Thankfully, that side is well hidden for most of the rest of the album. Despite some weak moments, The Earth Is Black is a mature and accomplished record. I don't think Soft Black has peaked yet - the album's shortcomings reveal problems that a musician as talented and eager to improve as Cacchione will be able to fix with time.

Stylistically, Soft Black may not be for everyone. But if you've always wondered what it would sound like if Neil Young or James Taylor had joined a garage rock band from Cleveland in 1972, grab a copy now!

MySpace

Live: Weird Owl, Insouciant, Gunfight! and more

When: 1/30
Where: Vanishing Point

In case you haven't noticed, I always make a point of going to shows that have anything to do with the BNS Sessions family. The main reason is that when the Werewolves aren't playing, they usually go and hang out, and I can be in the same room with them and pretend I'm their friend.

So that's how I end up at the shows of a bunch of bands I just heard, like this one, which featured Gunfight!, the Soundscapes and Quiet Loudly. Luckily for you, dear readers, it also featured two bands brand new to this author, so let's start there.

Insouciant - This band hails from New Jersey and while I may have heard the (rather poorly chosen) name before, I knew nothing about them. And in theory it was the kind of music I should have liked - experimental, with definite allusions to math rock and Sonic Youth. But so many bands have made just this type of music that it's become entirely cliche. It came off as disjointed and unfocused, a mush of 90's pre-post-rock influences, swallowed and spat out undigested. (Sorry, that was a gross metaphor, yeah?). They also had four people on stage and it took me a while to even notice this because I could only hear three parts at a time - the band definitely didn't use its resources (i.e. four people) effectively.


Insouciant
The one really good thing I can say about this band is that their delivery was surprisingly aggressive. They yelled and howled, smashed their drums and cranked it up loud. Without that, the set would have been miserable - instead it was enjoyable, if unmemorable. ::MySpace

Weird Owl - Now, in contrast, here's a band I theoretically shouldn't like. Weird Owl basically plays Southern/hard rock, which is a genre whose most classic albums I might dabble in but that I would otherwise never seek out. But Weird Owl made me think twice about that attitude - they played tightly and confidently, and their songs were solid. I was surprised when I realized I was actually really enjoying their set.


Weird Owl (photo by Miss Molly)
After a while of listening, I also realized that this wasn't exactly your typical hard rock, because the band uses a wall-of-sound technique. The friend I was watching with said it was kind of psychedelic, and I definitely agree. There's some Pink Floyd in there, in the density of the sound. Whatever the combination of styles, it definitely works. ::MySpace

Gunfight! - I reviewed these guys not too long ago. This show was the same, only better - louder, more energetic, much tighter and with even better stage antics. Those included one member standing on his amp, and amp-climbing always wins me over. Also, last time I wrote them up, I wavered on classifying them as "cow punk," because it wasn't quite punk rock. But this time around, even though the band still doesn't fit neatly under a label, there was no doubt they could out-punk most of us any day. ::MySpace

Soundscapes - They haven't changed much since last time I wrote them up. They are still amazing. The only thing that has me slightly worried is that they have a little less energy on stage than they did when I first saw them a year ago. I hope it was a one-night fatigue and not a sign that their shows are becoming too routine to them. But anyway, "less energy" is a relative description, and compared to a lot of bands, these guys are still bouncing off the walls. ::MySpace

Quiet Loudly - Quiet Loudly, whom I reviewed not long ago at all, debuted a bunch of songs at this show. I'll wait until their next album is finished (it's already in the works) to give you the details, but their newest stuff rocks hard and heavy and meanders less than their first attempts. That's good news, so stay tuned. ::MySpace

A final rant, if I may. I'm sick to death of projections behind bands. I think it's basic biological fact that visual stimuli trump auditory stimuli and the result is that all the pictures whirling around behind the band are detracting from the music, not adding to it. Whether it's art films or Windows Media Player "visualizations," it's really starting to make me miss the good old days when you'd actually watch the bands do their thing.

Album: Quiet Loudly - Destroy All Monsters

Album: Destroy All Monsters
Self-released, 2008
Rating: ****** (6/10)

I got my copy of this album ages ago but it's taken me a while to figure out what to say about it. The truth is, I'm not sure what to make of this band. Their influences seem to be all over the map, and though most of the bands they name on their MySpace page are somewhat contemporary experimental and/or pop acts, to my ears, Quiet Loudly's sound has more elements of 70's hard rock than anything else. Hard rock reinterpreted with psychedelic and post-rock sensibilities, but hard rock nonetheless.

Destroy All Monsters is fractured and weighty, mostly built on steady, plodding 4/4 rhythms. It's soulful and noisy, often sounding jam-based or at least improvisational, but despite this, the songs mostly maintain vision and focus. Most do wear on a bit too long but the problem is in length only, not in the cohesiveness of each track.

As a whole, the album is mind-blowingly creative, with completely fresh and interesting ideas around every corner. Unfortunately, as with a lot of creative bands I've reviewed in the past, Quiet Loudly hasn't edited themselves well. The ideas are raw and unworked, and quite a few parts were included that don't seem worthy of the album. Particularly, there is a lot of arpeggiated guitar I can't quite get behind - it sounds random, like the chords you play when you're really tired and mindlessly plucking your guitar while thinking about something else (and by "you," I mean "I"). Not every idea that sounds cool needs to become a song.

The band gained some major brownie points with me by naming their album "Destroy All Monsters," which means they either share my love for my favorite obscure 70's art rock band or they share a taste in b-movies with my favorite obscure 70's art rock band. Either way, awesome.

However, they subsequently lost some major points with me when I found the last track of the album to be a Lou Reed cover. It's actually a pretty decent cover, a kind of spooky version of "Walk on the Wild Side" but covering the Velvet Underground or early Lou Reed is a big pet peeve of mine. It is always a poor decision because these songs have been so influential and so often covered that there is absolutely nothing new to say about any of them.

In the end, though, Destroy All Monsters is an excellent showcase of Quiet Loudly's talent as musicians and creativity as composers. The good songs make the album worthy of your attention. Just don't expect a smooth ride when you listen. Following your wackiest inspirations can be a bumpy road, but ultimately it's rewarding. For better or worse, it's a rough and raw, an appropriate snapshot of a band's first strides. And I'm already looking forward to seeing where the next steps will take them from here.