My life in the form of music: show previews and reviews, CD reviews, features, and miscellaneous info...all with videos, pictures (most taken by me), and anything else I can find. Look out for clickable links. Click pictures to enlarge. I recommend using the "Search Blog" feature in the upper left to find a band, album, etc.
Tonight something happened that hadn’t happened in a while. Well, that is if six weeks (the time since Lollapalooza) is a while. But tonight, Probably Vampires, a local band who I’d never heard of, rocked my fricking socks off. Period. They have one of the most clever names I’ve heard in a while (which allows for the creepy yet captivating introduction “We are Probably Vampires”). Watching them with a clean slate caused me to draw comparisons to bands I do know. On one hand, there were moments of stoner rock that came off like a tolerable version of Queens of the Stone Age. Other times power pop reigned supreme, bringing to mind Jimmy Eat World. Finally, a guitarist resembling David Gilmour and a keyboardist sounding off like Rick Wright demonstrated an obvious devotion to the classic rock of Pink Floyd, among others. All five members had stage presence, especially lead singer Matt Ostrowski. His behavior was borderline androgynous as he shook his skinny hips and waved his hands around his long brown hair. He reminded me of Brandon Boyd, even before he ripped off his t-shirt. He also reminded me of Stillwater’s front man in the movie Almost Famous (“I find the one guy in the crowd who isn’t getting off, and I make him get off”). Two songs in, he targeted some chatting girls up front and said “Sorry to break up your sewing circle, but we’re playing a show up here.” I laughed out loud, considering the crowd was less than 30 people at that point, and not many had come to see their band. But I knew from the moment I walked in – as the guitarist rubbed a bow down the strings of his blood-red Gibson SG creating the background for a vampire-worthy, drawn-out blues track – that these guys have something special. I was convinced of that by the time of their bombastic finale, and I will definitely keep an eye on these young locals.
Probably Vampires
Second was Geoff Reacher, a solo artist who took the stage with a red flower pinned to his t-shirt (which read “Fuck Geoff Reacher”) and a distinguished cap on his head. I spent a lot of time figuring out exactly what he was doing on stage. Basically he played guitar and sang along with preprogrammed beats and synthesizers. I liked that there was no laptop to be seen, because it added mystery to the show. The bottom line is that he got the kids to dance – an impressive feat in a town like Chicago. His vocals weren’t amazing, but he had a bluesy quality not unlike Langhorne Slim. Overall, he provided something new, interesting, and fun. And to do that alone takes balls. Looking further into his work reveals a strong influence from early Flaming Lips and Beck. He actually provides support for the argument that Beck was an accident (instead of the musical genius he’s often described as).
Elf Power, the headliner, took the stage around 11:30 pm. They weren’t really the highlight of the show, but they were darn good. Their music spanned all things indie rock from the first emissions of R.E.M. to present Elefant 6 partners Of Montreal, or other orchestral indie pop collective Broken Social Scene. I kept wondering why a band like this, who has been releasing music since the early 90’s, isn’t bigger by now. Then I remembered that no one from the Elefant 6 collective gets the credit they deserve (aside from Of Montreal, who are constantly inflating). These musicians are sinking into myth and legend along with Neutral Milk Hotel and Olivia Tremor Control. The cello and occasional clarinet provided an organic feel similar to that created by the Decemberists. Furthermore, the lead singer played an electric 12-string guitar throughout the set (Colin Meloy always sticks to his acoustic). That was something I had never witnessed before. They managed to keep the audience dancing most of the time, especially on songs with a quick and steady beat. Watching their music videos on YouTube.com, I realized they are also very in tune with the Flaming Lips’ earlier work. So they may not be the best example of psychedelic indie pop around today, but I am happy to have seen them. I hope they find a place in the super-hectic new millennium music world.
The show was $10 very well spent. For three hours I felt good, forgetting about the turmoil prevalent in my life right now, and the absence of common comforts. Next I hope to make it to see Asobi Seksu at Schubas on 9/22/06. Look for my report in the days following.
Video: "Never Believe" by Elf Power, from their 2004 album Walking With The Beggar Boys (released by Orange Twin)
I should really dive into CD releases more often. This year it seems like every band I follow is releasing new music...or maybe I just follow 10 times the bands that I used to. This week I see three CD's that I'm excited about. Since I haven't heard any of them yet, I'll just share what I know.
1) Basement Jaxx - Crazy Itch Radio (XL) : Their previous three albums were superior to any international electronic artists, including Daft Punk or Chemical Brothers, if you want a bounce-off-the-walls type of party. The problem with these groups is that they constantly try to top themselves, and often fail. Basement Jaxx, though, has not had a bad moment yet. Rooty's "Do Your Thing" is THE song to lift your spirits when you hate the world, but that tone rings in all their music. Let's hope for that same power on their new album.
2) The Mars Volta - Amputechture (Universal) : So I can't completely ditch this group yet, even if Frances the Mute was one of the most arrogant albums (and difficult listens) of the decade. Also, their live album just plain sucked despite their often impressive stage performance. Maybe some noises just can't be harnessed on modern technology. I did hear via Pitchfork that someone was throwing urine at them at a live show (see video below). They deserved it though. It looks like we've got another concept album on our hands, so if you jumped ship at "De-loused" you might want to swim to shore and stay there.
3) Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass (Matador) : These noise rock giants are still on Matador after all these years, and that should say something about how they approach music. They will never succumb to the pitfalls that most rising bands do. They will keep to themselves and do what they do best, and let you find them and become completely obsessed with their entire catalog. Or maybe that's just how it went for me. Be warned though, it sounds like this will be a sonic "ass beating" compared to their last couple outtings (although that theory isn't well supported by this video).
The Clientele w/ Great Lakes and Canasta @ Abbey Pub – 8/30/06
Well this one is a tad overdue. My mind has been spinning at 100 mph lately, but I’ve got a spare moment to share the details of this show with you now. Canasta opened the night and made clear from the start that they are from Chicago. Imagine the worn-down, lonesome city streets in October, and you’ve got a backdrop for their sound. The vocalist is a male counterpart to Natalie Merchant, often singing in lower ranges than he’s probably capable of reaching. Their line-up included two keyboards and a violin, and the singer even puffed on a trombone during one song. The song structures were a bit static at times, but they flourished towards the end of songs when they let loose and pumped up the volume. Essentially, they turned basic pop rock into swirling craziness with edgy, rumbling drums, distorted keyboard, and an occasional five part harmony. It was pleasing, to say the least.
The touring opener was Great Lakes, a band who combines Tom Petty’s country rock, Ted Leo’s indie rock, and Everclear’s alternative. Their music often lacked dimension, and their creative shortcomings weren’t helped by poor guitar tone and mediocre vocals. I don’t mean to say that they were terrible. It’s just that their music bore no relation to the Great Lakes that I grew up near. They were blessed with the presence of The Clientele’s new member, Mel Draisey, on violin. Reading that they were spawned from the well respected Elefant 6 collective will inspire me to look into their studio recordings, but the initial live experience was not amazing.
The Clientele more or less lived up to my expectations. They had an acoustic guitarist on stage for this show only, and their new member Mel rotated between violin and piano. Watching them play, I realized what an insulated pocket they’ve created for themselves, while still keeping room to grow. At the beginning of their set they all looked forlorn, like they had all just been dumped an hour before the show. The singer apologized for using up all his witty banter in Minneapolis the night before. Although, as she show went on and the crowd warmly embraced them, the band blossomed like a flower on a sunny English countryside day. What hit me the hardest was Mel, an alarmingly beautiful Cate Blanchett look-alike with ivory skin and wavy blond hair. I was completely mesmerized by her presence. My brother David spoke with the band the following night in Detroit and discovered that she had connected with the Clientele through MySpace. So it is good for something! A few new songs were a pleasant surprise, since the band will be recording a new full length album this month. Their MySpace page says to expect something a little “funkier.” As long as that funk has something to do with Ms. Draisey, this band can count on me as a primary supporter for some time to come.
string cheese incident – bar stool (live, carnival ’99)
yonder mountain string band – town (live, mountain tracks, vol 3)
Langhorne slim – the electric love letter
sufjan stevens – Jacksonville
modest mouse – bukowski
CD 2:
the long winters – honest
the decemberists – leslie anne levine
neko case - star witness
eisley - marvelous things
band of horses – the great salt lake
jimmy eat world – if you don’t, don’t
pretty girls make graves – this is our emergency
the format – the first single
kings of convenience – I’d rather dance
phoenix – everything is everything
American analog set – punk as fuck
broken social scene – major label debut
the arcade fire – une annee sans lumiere
Benevento/russo duo – soba
Now for the moment I have been waiting for since beginning this Blogging habit. This is my personalized mix of music dedicated to my favorite season: AUTUMN. Most people love summer, but summer is too easy…and I only get sad at the lost innocence of childhood school breaks. My joy in winter is dependent on my ability to ski (something I couldn’t do last year). Spring is an anxious time that comes and goes without a real chance to take it in. But autumn…autumn to me will always be a time of new beginnings. In adolescence, it was going back to school with new classes, teachers, and friends. You got to buy new jeans and sweaters and bundle up for the increasingly chilly evenings. There was football games (even the marching band was an important part of the mix), the Homecoming Dance (although dreadful in some ways), and Halloween (complete with pumpkin patch visits and scary movie nights). The trees turn brilliant colors and the weather gets slowly cooler. It’s a refreshing change from the dog days of August. In Troy, there was the Troy Daze festival in September. Trips to the apple orchard were a must, where you could taste test in fields of trees and buy apple cider to take home. In college, autumn grew up and there was university football games with the obligatory early morning tailgates. Don’t forget the beer and hot dogs! In Spartan Ski Club there was a Fall Bash picnic with disc golf, barbecue, and of course beer. Then came the annual Hayride with a bonfire, cider (usually with rum), doughnuts, and more beer. Autumn is a sad time too, but always in a bittersweet way. The trees die in beautiful fashion. The days get shorter, but allow more nighttime for finding new romance or keeping friendly company. The breezes and rain come with distinctive pleasant smells outdoors.
As for music, there is no time of year with which I associate more music. I have a deep nostalgic connection with so much music that has graced my stereo (or iPod) over the years. Much of it is related to all those wonderful experiences previously described. And if I remember correctly, it all began (at least, for this mix) in the fall of 1997. Radiohead’s album OK Computer was released that year and often filled the space in my friend Rich’s oversized basement. Thom Yorke exclaimed “I am born again” over crisp guitars and haunting synthesizer flashes. Fiona Apple’s “Criminal” was the soundtrack to my first breakup, after my first three-month relationship (which started in September). During the year to follow, I was also listening to a lot of Dave Matthews Band, Counting Crows, and Train. What’s that? You said I’m a douche bag? Well, give me a break. I grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, remember? We’ve already covered this, so let’s get back to my story. DMB’s “#41” reminds me specifically of riding the Magic Carpet Ride at Troy Daze festival in September 1998. Train’s “If You Leave” accompanied my friends and I to an apple orchard in Romeo in October of that same year. Counting Crows’ “Daylight Fading,” although released in 1996, tickled my autumn bone two years later. Stop laughing! Mainstream bands like Counting Crows and REM paved the way for current acoustic indie bands like The Long Winters (who I’ll come back to later on). The final inclusion of my high school listening is the Foo Fighters with “Aurora” from their 1999 album There Is Nothing Left To Lose. The entire album is pure autumn, probably my favorite for the season, with its breeziness and tone of change. I really wanted to include their 1997 song “Everlong” instead, but it didn’t fit as well. That track reminds me of being driven home from a haunted house (Silo X on M-59, for those in the know) in the fall of my 9th grade year. We were only 15 and still needed to bum rides from parents. Not to mention, the Michel Gondry directed video is a sort of dreamy parody of Evil Dead and goes perfectly with the close of October.
The next group consists of songs I discovered and listened to in college. In the fall of my sophomore year, I constantly heard Jimmy Eat World blaring through the bathroom from my suitemates’ stereo (Fred Fukuzawa and Chris Hoelscher, of course). We also drove to see them at CalvinCollege in Grand Rapids that November. Yo La Tengo and Stereolab are both 90’s bands that I found sometime around junior year (remember, Yo La Tengo is the band for ALL seasons). “Autumn Sweater” kicks off the party with a patchwork of gentle percussion, organ, and bongos. Stereolab is usually more of a springtime group, but I can’t resist the strings and French vocals. I first saw the film Donnie Darko in the fall of 2002, which featured "The Killing Moon." That movie takes place in October leading up to Halloween, and the music is vital. Modest Mouse’s 2004 album Good News for People Who Love Bad News was basically a concept album about death. So what better music for the Halloween season! “Bukowski” must be about the author, but I haven’t yet read anything by him. “Leslie Anne Levine” is the first track from the first Decemberists’ LP. The 12 string acoustic guitar, accordion, and slide guitar are clutch for this time of year. I also saw them at CalvinCollege in the fall of 2004. Pretty Girls Make Graves exploded on MSU’s Impact FM around November 2004 with this flailing, last grab at autumn before winter comes. Next is a trio of amazing singles from the Impact also from fall 2004. First is The Format, with harmonies and pounding drums for those fading September afternoons. Second is Kings of Convenience, with a song I wish all their music sounded like. Think of A-ha or Tears for Fears, but with acoustic guitars and violins. Third is Phoenix, the French pop band who went from electro pop (album 1), to soft rock (album 2, with the song “Everything is Everything”), to indie pop with garage rock flavor (their 3rd album). But they capture the sadness and beauty of fall like only Frenchies can. The remainders in this group are String Cheese Incident and Yonder Mountain String Band, both progressive bluegrass jam bands who make me wish I was in Colorado for the fall.
Video: "I'd Rather Dance" by Kings of Convenience
After graduation, my source of new music was unavailable. However, I still came across some great artists. Sufjan Stevens and The Arcade Fire became my driving soundtrack while apartment searching in and moving to Chicago. Sufjan strives for complex instrumentation along the lines of Stereolab. Here he includes guitar, banjo, piano, drums, strings, etc etc. The Arcade Fire was an example of a hipster band who deserve the praise they received. “Une Annee Sans Lumiere” (I think that means a night without light, but that’s just a guess) sounds like stuffing yellow, orange, and red leaves with some pumpkin seeds into a stereo. Eisley is a family band of sorts from Texas who make haunting pop music with some of the most beautiful vocals I’ve heard in years. But they’re young and fragile, and could still become entrapped in a mainstream prison.When I was making music with my brothers, we were told by a friend that we sounded like The American Analog Set. They also draw from Stereolab’s droning sound, but have really carved their own unique place. “Punk as Fuck” is perfect rainy day music as the outdoor world inches towards winter. Thank Jesus that someone introduced me to Broken Social Scene’s self-titled album in fall 2005. I fell in love with them during the most lonely and deranged time of my life. My memories of that album, though, are of running on the indoor track at NU overlooking a frozen Lake Michigan scene. So that’s not exactly unpleasant. On “Major Label Debut,” you can almost see the season’s first snow in mid November as a family prepares for a Thanksgiving feast.
Finally comes the group of artists that I’ve been listening to this year, but appreciate more now that autumn has rolled around. I reviewed Langehorne Slim earlier on this website, but he’s a folk singer/songwriter from Brooklyn with an incurable case of the blues. Expect more banjo and acoustic guitar, with saloon-worthy vocals. Band of Horses are the current Sub Pop sensation from the northwest, with an approach like an autumnal version of My Morning Jacket’s music. The Long Winters, also from the northwest, sound like an indie version of Counting Crows. “Honest” is a heartbreaking song about a girl with a crush on the singer of a band. Neko Case is basically a country artist, but her powerful voice and lush arrangements maintain an indie quality perfect for autumn. Last but not least, Benevento/Russo Duo provide music for a winding road with overhanging trees of brilliant colors. “Soba” is a prime example, and sounds just as good on record as it did live at Lollapalooza.
Wow, that was exhausting. I just let out a huge sigh! You may be asking yourself, “Why does this guy waste so much time writing about crap that no one reads or cares about.” Well, I do it because I enjoy it. This music and these ideas are one portrait of me, and I think it’s important. I also made an edit of the Autumn Mix for those who aren’t fans of late-90’s adult alternative or bluegrass. Then I took out a few more to streamline it all, rearranged a few tracks, and PRESTO! You have a “City Friendly” or “College Radio” or “DMBlows” Autumn Mix, depending on how it fits you. Check it out:
