Entries Tagged 'Alternative' ↓

Bloc Party will release ‘Intimacy Remixed’ on the 11th of May, and to mark the occasion, the band have made parts for three of the album’s tracks available for you to remix if you want to. If you dig the band, and get into remixing original tracks, get on over to their site and get a download before their server crashes.

http://www.blocparty.com/

Here is my list of albums on most heavy rotation during 2008. Enjoy. Hey Tom, you want to make some additions?

Albert Cross

The Helio Sequence – Keep Your Eyes Ahead

Bon Iver – For Emma

Ryan Adams – Easy Tiger

Cloud Cult – Feel Good Ghosts

Fleet Foxes

Tega and Sara – The Con

Califone – Roots and Crowns

These are the “lyrics” to Pena, off Captain Beefheart’s Trout Mask Replica Album. Thanks Cap!

Intro to Pena

Don Van Vliet: Heh-heh-ha-ha . . . Fast ‘n bulbous.
The Mascara Snake: Fast ‘n bulbous!
Don Van Vliet: That’s . . . heh-heh.
FZ: OK, do it again, then you’ve won.
Don Van Vliet: I love that, I love those words.
The Mascara Snake: Fast ‘n bulbous!
Don Van Vliet: That’s right, The Mascara Snake, fast ‘n bulbous!
The Mascara Snake: Bulbous also tapered.
Don Van Vliet: Yeah, but you’ve gotta wait until I say, “Also, a tin teardrop.”
The Mascara Snake: Oh, Christ.
FZ: Alright, again, beginning.
The Mascara Snake: Fast ‘n bulbous!
Don Van Vliet: That’s right, The Mascara Snake, fast ‘n bulbous! Also, a tin teardrop.
The Mascara Snake: Bulbous also tapered.
Don Van Vliet: That’s right!

I love Long Winters shows, and this show was no exception. John Roderick comes on stage sporting long hair a few pounds heavier and sporting some excellent 70s cocaine smuggler shades. They kick into “Give me a moment” the lead track from “The Worst you can do is harm” and the place lights up. For the ride out solo John gets carried away and crashes into the drums, taking out the mics and falling backwards over the guitar amps. The band doesn’t skip a beat. Everyone hoots and hollers and waits for him to get back up. The band waits. We all wait. He kicks right back in. Damn this is a rock show.

They go through lots of past album material and Roderick explains that his Gibson Thunderbird, his “white hippie space guitar” is changing his ideas about music. This interaction with an audience is what most bands lack at shows. Alberta Cross who opens doesn’t say a word and Say Hi, barely says anything as well except to say thanks. The Winters are tight, they are funny and they are right with the crowd. Its a great show, even if they wont do any encores.

Alberta Cross opens the show and they make believers out of a lot of the crowd. They have a wonderful short set full of crunchy Fender Jaguar blues gospel. We went out and got their record the next day. If you have some money left in your pocket go and pick up their EP “The Thief and the Heartbreaker”. It does not disappoint. Better yet. See them if they are in your neck of the woods. Imagine Jim James from My Morning Jacket fronting the Black Crowes or maybe a gospel version of the The Shins and that might get you half way there. I can’t wait to hear more from them.

Swervedriver. Remeber them? If you do.. 10 indie bonus points for you. The last time I saw this band they opened up for Soundgarden and Monster Magnet at a show in 1992. Holy crap is that really 16 years ago?

I originally wanted to go to this show because I like “Film School” a lot. Film Schools self titled 2006 release is a great ride and they can weave some magic with two guitars and shit load of effects pedals. Live they seemed a little ethereal, I think the guitars were a little washed out. I would still see them again though.

My only reservations about seeing Swervedriver was the whole, not a show in ten years and even when they did it was a revolving door lineup thing. There just seems to be a whole lot of bands getting back together for “Reunion” tours, and for the most part, most reunion tours suck.

So here is the kicker. Swervedriver was great. I mean not just, good like “wow those old guys can still play” kinda thing either. They rocked.. From note one. Super upfront bad ass guitars and it just kept coming. I would have liked to hear them mix it up for a song here or there, if only to give my poor ears a break but other than that, a great time. I was blown away by Adam Franklins guitar playing. I suddenly realized that he must have a surf guitar player hidden away under all that Marshall stack. Two encores and the crowd still wanted more.

Alanna’s prayers were answered after she yelled out “Play ‘Last Train to Satansville’ or I’ll fucking kill you” and they did. Do not screw with Alanna at the show. She will eat you for lunch.

Side note. They had great gear. I’m kind of a gear nut and they had nice matching Marshall half stacks, each guitar player also had a matchless combo to switch between. Adam Franklin alternated between 2 Fender Jaguars and Jimmy Hartridge alternated between a nice 80’s Les Paul custom and what looked like a Fender Tele Deluxe. The bass player had some nice 70’s Fender P basses player through a huge Ampeg head an cab.

This is kinda of a weird situation because Liam Finn is actually in the opening slot on a bill with Laura Veirs. So if you go to see him on this tour, make sure you get there early.

We are only 5 months into 2008, but crap, I will go out on a limb and say that Liam Finn’s self produced, recorded and mixed debut album “I’ll be Lighting” is probable one of the best of the year. I think a lot of people heard his new record and came to this show expecting to hear that record or at least a close one man band version of it, but what they got was so much more. What they got was a full frontal Liam Finn assault, that made me feel kinda bad for the Laura Veirs, who had to go on after him.

This show made me laugh with giddy glee. It wasn’t that he pulled off some sort of one man band (more like two person band) juggling act, because some of the best moments were when something failed and he kept on going and made it work.
After dropping a drum stick in the middle of one of the first songs

“I’m not really used to this kit. But I’m warming up to it. Mostly by beating it as hard as i can.”

What really worked for me was that it felt like you didn’t know what was going to happen. And I don’t know about you, but I like that. With EJ Barnes joining him on vocals, cowbell and loop layered weirdness this was a show performed on a tightrope. Everything seemed just on the edge of falling apart, and it sometimes it did. But you know what? The crowd loved it.

After taking a huge shot of Jamesons in between songs

“That shot was huge! After taking that shot I thought you were going to see me puke. i guess that would have been pretty memorable. (EJ plays weird loop that sounds like barfing) Yeah kinda like that.”

Although the played lots of the new record it was great to see them up their experimenting and just having fun. Switching between quiet melodies to all out avant garde chaos, it just seemed to work. Well worth it.

Ok, so Laura Veirs…. Ummm… Don’t think this was the crowd or place for her to be playing in. She stood on stage for a couple of minutes trying to get the sound man just to turn off the CD music just so she could start her show and while she was playing the people talking at the bar were frequently louder that her. Her quiet set would have been much better at Noe Valley Ministry, which would have sounded great. Sorry Laura, I like you, I just think that you should be opening up for Liam.

• Menomena – Friend and Foe
• Superdrag – Last Call for Vitriol
• Rogue Wave -  Asleep at Heaven’s Gate
• Nick Lowe – At My Age
• Augie March – Moo, You Bloody Choir
• The Magnetic Fields – The Charm of the Highway Strip

The Don’ts have a new video and will be playing at CMJ next week in New York! Their official showcase is Friday, October 19 (7:00 p.m.) at The Delancey in the Lower East Side. Check the CMJ site for their two other show times. Wish I could be there.

New Video! From the email announcement: “Last but not least! We have new video for our single “BlahBlahBlah”, produced by the talented team at Bank of Karma (J.H. Lucas and Brady McCartney) and we’re indebted to them for putting together such a rad video! Not only does JJ make a comeback in his breakdancing career, amidst the action you also see panty hose hold-ups, astronauts dancing in fog, pouty pink haired clerk with clip-on eyelashes, smashed guitars, security camera expose and a street chase scene. Check it out here (“BlahBlahBlah”): ”
Check out the new video for Blah Blah Blah

There are albums that when you listen to them you just know you have found something special and such is the case with Radical Face (hey that rhymes!) I don’t know if this is Ben Cooper’s side project but if it is then it should probably be his main focus because this album just blew me away! When I first discovered Electric President (Cooper’s other band) it just felt to derivative of Death Cab and The Postal Service. But with Radical Face he has found his own sound, the only person his voice reminds me of is DoseOne from Subtle. I just absolutely love this album and I recommend you go buy/steal it right now!