So I've got some tricky choices ahead of me. After taking the last few days off (my liver and I are trying to reconcile), things start heating up again tomorrow. But what to see tomorrow! At Mercury, Chicago's Bound Stems is playing, which I'm now curious about thanks to Central Village. But at Hiro, Ellen Allien and Apparat are performing Orchestra of Bubbles! And over in Hoboken, Asobe Seksu are playing at Maxwell's. Plus, I have a couple of friends coming into town that night, so I pretty much need to split up my body into several versions of myself.

Friday, I'll probably check out the Spinto Band and Dirty on Purpose over at the Southside Seaport, but Friday is a long ways away so we'll see.

I double, no triple heart anyone who can help me find tickets to Explosions in the Sky on Saturday at Bowery!!! They're hands down one of my favorite bands, and the last two times they've been to New York have been two of my favorite concerts I've ever seen. Everyone should go see this band, they're really that good. And they don't even sing. They don't need to. I will find a way into this show somehow.

And depending on my weekend, I'll probably go to the last free Sunday show at McCarren Pool. The pool has treated me so well this year that I feel like I should check it out for the finale, even though I'm not a huge fan of any of the bands playing. They're a bunch of other good shows this weekend, but I can only be in so many places at once.

I've been swamped in new records the last few weeks, and I'm slowly digging myself out of the pile. There've been some good ones so far, here's a few I've been listening too today:

Labels: Album Review

Sunday was a rainy, grey day. After laying in bed for most of it, I decided that I really should get my act together and catch the Walkmen and Dr. Dog at McCarren. I'm so happy that I did, because it was yet another excellent show in the series, and those 1500 hardy folks who decided to come were in for a treat. I was also very lucky, because a friend hooked it up and got me backstage!
I'd been meaning to check out Dr. Dog for a while, as I've really enjoyed the record they put out last year, Easy Beat. They've got this kind of classic rock vibe with a hint of southern in it that really works. They didn't miss a beat all show, I was definitely impressed and will be looking forward to seeing them again. They were also a bit louder than I expected, but certainly in a good way.

Labels: Concert Reviews

I'd never been to a show at the seaport before, and I must admit I expected the stage to be a bit bigger. Anyway, Friday's bill drew a good size crowd, to the point where it was pretty crowded for Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. I showed up for Tokyo Police Club's set, which got started earlier than advertised. Unfortunately for TPC, there was some kind of weird sound problem that made the vocals pretty loud and all the instrumentation pretty quiet. I was standing right by the sound booth, and the engineer looked pretty frustrated. The crowd was pretty sympathetic, it's just unfortunate that had to happen when they were playing to a large and receptive audience. Honestly, I'll probably just wait until they're playing another club show before I see them again.

I took off with my friends to grab a bite to eat instead of sticking around for the next act, but we made sure to get back in time for Ted Leo. Every time I've seen him, he's been consistently energetic, fun and generally awesome. Tonight was no exception, as he and his pharmacists were tight and on point for what turned out to be a pretty long set, spanning all of his solo records and even previewing a few new tunes. My favorite part of the evening, however, may have been the crowd that showed up for the event. There were lots of tourists who were kind of hanging around the fringes of the crowd, keen on checking out this music they had stumbled upon. What I liked about it is seeing all these small kids, there with their families, rocking out to Ted Leo. I fully endorse this, and hope that they continue to listen to Ted Leo during their formative years.

Labels: Concert Reviews

So, another pleasantly busy weekend is on my plate. I'll be seeing Ted Leo and Tokyo Police Club in a couple of hours at the South Street Seaport. I caught Tokyo Police Club at the Mercury Lounge earlier this summer, and I've been looking forward to seeing them again. Granted, the audience will be slightly bigger this time around... Saturday I'll be seeing Oneida and Black Dice in Williamsburg, and then on Sunday I'll absolutely be at McCarren Pool to see the Walkmen and Dr. Dog. It looks to be an excellent weekend, though my liver is still not speaking to me.

I think that this is really, really cool. It's possible to go a lifetime without ever witnessing a breakthrough of this magnitude. I hope that this guy is having a nice time in the woods; figuring out something this complicated may well have made go crazy.

Also, I learned something new today. According to Topology, the field of mathematics that deals with shapes and space, we're all spheres. I find something pleasant and even comforting in that.

The FDA finally approved over the counter sales of Plan B. This should have been done several years ago, and it should still be changed so that anyone can purchase it, not just those over 18. This was yet another example of how Bush and fucking religious right have been interfearing with the health, privacy and safety of american citizens. Let's hope this is one of many small battles progressives will win.

So, Pluto has been demoted from being a planet, to instead being a 'dwarf plantet.' I have no idea what it must feel like to be a told by a bunch of astronomers that you are no longer worthy of being a planet, but must instead be something else. I imagine that it would be a cold, lonely feeling. Then again, Pluto is a cold, lonely place, so maybe it's taking it well. On the bright side, Pluto's demotion has created a whole new classification of things that we knew were already there, but didn't know what to call. Once again, I'm happy that scientists have time to argue over the important things.
Also, this (Pluto's concession speech) is a pretty funny riff on a current political candidate and election. Do you know who it is?

I've been slammed this week at work, but that doesn't mean I've not been neglecting my music obsession. Even though I tend to obsess over bands with guitars, I do have a soft spot for electronica and IDM when it's done well or in an interesting way. Here are two of my favorites from 2006:

Nathan Fake - Drowning In A Sea of Love

A friend of mine with good taste and better connections sent me a track off of this back in March, and I listened to it once, liked it and then promptly forgot about it. I finally threw this record on recently, and it blew my hair back in a big way. It's perfect, in a way: this young brit has an amazing ear, and he uses it to create beautiful melodies mixed with interesting, tasty sounds. The end product is a lush, happy but not too sweet, completely enveloping soundscape that continuously reinvents itself track after track. This record is a solid listen all the way through. Pitchfork also gave it some love, if you don't want to take my word for it.
RILY: Ulrich Schnauss, Boards of Canada (minus the mope)
Here's the song that's been stuck in my head since I put this on the first time:

Nathan Fake - Grandfathered

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Booka Shade - Movements

If sophisticated, arty, German techno sounds like something you might like, this record is for you. The beats, while usually hanging out in the background, are equally adept at getting your ass shaking in a trendy spot or providing a nice background to an otherwise banal moment. Full of very precise, meticulous and strange sounds, this record can be very cerebral if you're in the mood to focus in on all the detailed interplay. And apparently Pitchfork likes all the records I'm writing about today. My favorite track on the record:

Booka Shade - Darko

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Labels: Album Review

Ok, well not really, but that doesn't mean it wasn't pretty awesome. Several friends and I spontaneously decided to check this out last night, and for a movie of this stature and theme, we felt it was important to enhance our viewing experience with 40's. Consequently, we were holding down the audience reaction for the mostly empty theatre. The more folks you see this movie with, the better. Anyway, it's been a while since I've seen a movie dissect the airline-travel experience, and SoaP does it very well. They hit up on most every stereotype you can think about when flying the friendly skies, from the most excellent safety demonstrations by the flight attendants to joining the mile high club. Samuel Jackson delivers, but did you really expect anything less? And the snakes totally fucking deliver. I've never seen snakes more violent or obsessed with attacking peoples genitalia than in this movie, one of the many reasons for which it will be remembered. The dialogue is also classic. Don't miss out on a single word, they're all gold. Bottom line, this movie is funny as shit with a dose of action thrown in. And don't forget the 40 or the crowd.

So, Jack. Jack is a band I've been spinning a bit for the past few months. They are a band that just about has their shit together, but aren't quite there yet. They have almost all of the pieces they need to be a successful band, perhaps even a very successfull band. They have a singer with chops and range that you don't hear very often at all, unless you're listening to broadway or opera. He doesn't sing in those styles, usually it's more of a rock-growl, or even a shreek. They've got a lead guitarist who's really, really good. They've got a drummer who's steady and likes to thump. And when they put it all together, sometimes it totally rocks.

I've seen them live a few times now, and I have a good time at their shows. They used to throw some pretty bad-ass basement shows before some unsympathetic neighbors moved in. The last one had a line up better than most shows I go to in proper venues: Goes Cube, Die! Die! Die!, and Annuals. I saw them at the Cake Shop on Friday night, and it was decent. I'll definitely go see them again the next time they play.

I think that they will indeed finish putting the pieces together and be a very good band. When they do, I think that it will often sound a lot like this:

Jack - Suicide Man

Check out the ridiculous vocals and big chorus. This is off of an EP that they're selling at shows called The Impossible Sound. I hear that they're adding a bass player, may soon record an album, and sign to a label; more on all that when and if it happens.

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Labels: Jack

Much to my surprise and enjoyment, I recently received a phone call from Mr. Samuel Jackson. Mr Jackson greeted me by name, commented on my choice of facial hair and penchant for spending time online, while enthusiastically telling me that I should come see his newest movie, Snakes on a Plane. Mr. Jackson believes that it may be the best movie ever made. I won't know until I see it, but the phone call was fucking hilarious, and I think this is one of the best promotions for a movie I can remember. Are you interested in having Mr. Jackson call one of your friends? Check it out here.

Today, a Federal judge ruled that the Bush administration's warrant-less wiretapping is unconstitutional and illegal. There's nothing like good news in world lately full of bad news. Basically, this ruling means that the government must cease eavesdropping on innocent citizens. It's the second lawsuit in a row where the Bush administration has lost its argument that 'State Secrets' should protect scrutiny of its programs in court, even when the details of said programs are widely known. But a little catch-up for anyone who might not have been paying attention for the last year or so: the US government (with the cooperation of most of the major telecom companies) has been recording a massive amount of telephone calls placed within the United States to recipients both in the United States and abroad. Essentially, there's a decent chance that several of your phone calls (if not many, many more) have been recorded, documented and analyzed by the US government if you live in this country. This was all under the lame excuse of "national security" when really it's some straight up big-brother, 1984 type shit. First, this was a huge data mining program. Secondly, the government actually has a special court set up under the FISA act back in the 60's, made especially to allow special flexability in getting warrants for matters of national security. This court has only turned down something like 4 warrant requests in over 30 years, so it seems like it was working just fine. However, the Bush administration has always been more interested in breaking the law than following it.

The New York Times learned about the existence of this program in the months before the 2004 presidential election. For reasons that make me wonder about the folks running the Times, they chose to with-hold publication of the story for about year, probably not to ruffle any feathers, or god forbid influence a close election by telling the public about the misdeeds of the current administration. Strangely, I thought that was one of the things that "news" organizations were meant to do...

Anyway, this is great news. I can't wait until the telecoms that went along with this (without court-orders, even) get their asses sued. I believe in a right to privacy and a government that doesn't listen to my phone calls without a damn good, legally justified reason. Here's to hoping that this ruling is another step back in that direction.

This is shaping up to be a good year for California bands, as I keep on finding new ones that I can't stop listening to (Brooklyn needs to pick up the slack). Speaking of which, California brings us Cold War Kids, and to sum it up, they're awesome. Someone get them a record deal, pronto. Most of their songs are piano based, but full of energy and grit. The singer is a fantastic lyricist, full of spunk and attitude that reminds me of Janis Joplin in a strange way. Not that he sounds like her, but I just hear something in common. This track is from their current EP, called Up In Rags. It's one of the softer songs, almost a gentle lullaby but oh so catchy and soulful. I can't wait to see them when they're back in town, and I'm still kicking myself that I missed them last month. Listen and be seduced.

Info:
myspace
website

Listen: Cold War Kids - Robbers

I would like to buy a drink for whoever had the idea to put on shows at McCarren pool for free; I've now been to three this year, and they've all been excellent. The show I saw yesterday may be my favorite so far, which is saying a lot considering that Les Savy Fav and the Holy Fuck threw down at the opening concert. Deerhoof are just so phenomenal that it's not really a fair fight.

So, from now on I recommend arriving at the Sunday free shows early, as in 3 to 4 pm. For the concert yesterday, I arrived at the park about the same time as Beirut went on, and waited in line for most of their set to get in. This was unfortunate, as I've been looking forward to finally checking them out live. I did get to hear them, and I thought that they sounded good: they were pretty tight, and as far as I can tell the band continues to gel with each performance, which is as much as you can ask for from such a new band. I wonder if this was the biggest crowd they've yet played to... Anyway, I look forward to seeing them again soon, hopefully in a proper room so that all their instrumentation can come out in the mix.

Deerhoof took the stage quickly after Beirut finished, and they went right to work. Since I last saw them in February, they've shrunk from a quartet to a trio. As far as I can tell, the added space doesn't slow them down at all, and they are perhaps even tighter than before. Deerhoof played a quick moving set, jumping back and forth between material from The Runners Four and songs from their back catalogue. The musicianship of this band is amazing: Greg Saunier does more with a kick drum, a snare and a symbol and than most drummers do with twice as much gear. He's right up there with the best drummers I've ever seen, it's amazing how rhythmic and colorful his style his. Likewise, John Dieterich is one of the most unique, amazing guitar players I've seen. His style of lead/rhythm guitar creating some crazy jazz/rock/spazz hybrid is something nearly impossible to copy, and most guitar players aren't even good enough to try. The whole set had an upbeat, celebratory quality to it. The band seemed really excited and humbled by the crowd that they drew for the show, with drummer Greg frequently heading over to the mic to thank everyone for coming and gush about how excited they were to be playing the pool series.

I've often said that the Deerhoof is one of the most innovative, unique American bands going, and sets like this one continue to convince me of this. I can't wait to see them again, I can't wait for their next record, in short, I need more Deerhoof!

If you've not heard them, check out some of their stuff on myspace, or check out this from their label:
Deerhoof - Wrong Time Capsule

Labels: Concert Reviews, Deerhoof

I’ve always thought that it was only a matter of time before a generation of bands that grew up listening to early-mid nineties grunge and alt-rock (back when that kind of meant something) would start making music reflective of the fuzzy guitars and catchy hooks that defined that particular moment. Silversun Pickups is the first band I’ve heard that internalizes that sound and refreshes it in a way that makes me nostalgic for the time when I was just discovering guitar bands on the radio and learning how to play Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana tunes on the guitar. While this band isn’t breaking any new ground, their debut album Carnavas is solid, channeling Gish-era Smashing Pumpkins and Sunny Day Real Estate, among other bands from that period.

I had the chance to check them out a couple of nights ago at a Union Hall, a new venue in Park Slope. It's a pretty nice place, two big levels with a classy library feel. They have two bocce ball courts on the first floor, and then a small venue in the basement. The sound down there is pretty good, but it's a tiny room that holds maybe 100 people, so I'd reccomend getting tickets in advance and arriving for the opening band if you want to be able to see. Beer is reasonable, but Licquor is Manhatten prices.

Anyway, the 'Pickups put on a good show. I initially couldn't get in, because unknown to me they had sold tickets off their website for this show, and it sold out. I patiently waited at the door and listened to the first half of their set, which sounded so good that I stuck it out and waited until myself and few other stragglers where allowed in for the last 30 minutes or so. They're a tight live band, that pulled off the record without a hitch. In particular, their rhythm section is excellent, and provides ample space for the singer/guitar player to strut his chops, which he certainly does. I definitely look forward to seeing them in a bigger room when they play the Mercury Lounge in October.

This track, Well Thought Out Wrinkles is a glorious fuzz explosion that will get your head bopping. I’m sure there will be many more bands dropping in the next few years that sound kind of like them, but I doubt many of them will pull it off as well this.

Info:
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Listen: Silversun Pickups - Well Thought Out Wrinkles

Labels: Concert Reviews, Silversun Pickups

I feel like I've been holding my breath over this race for the last two months. Right now, I want to give Connecticut Democrats a hug, because they did several things that are remarkable: almost 50% of registered Democrats (those eligible to vote in the primary) showed up and voted; many presidential primaries don't draw this many voters. This was due to both the very clear distinction between the candidates (Lamont appears to be a true progressive and a partisan Democrat, Leiberman wishes he was a Republican), and the hard work done by both sides to GOTV. Even here we see another distinction; Lamont had an army of volunteers to compliment his staffers, while Leiberman basically bought an expensive ground effort. Much has been made in the press about how Lamont is wealthy, even being accused by some (mainly, leiberman supporters) of trying to buy the race. It's worth mentioning that Leiberman spent $10 Million on this primary to Lamont's $4 Million, it's a shame the press hasn't mentioned it yet.

Lamont's win gives me a great deal of hope that the discontent over the direction of the US that I feel along with the rest of the progressive netroots is not something that we feel alone; results like this show me that this could indeed be a national sentiment, one much larger than the group of frusterated political junkies and activists who have been keeping me company during the past few years. Democrats now have a clear shining example that they should listen to their base and stick to their guns; Democrats are starting to learn that it's time to fight and hold all elected politicians accountable for their actions. I can't wait to see how far this goes, and if Joe Lieberman indeed wants to prove that he's true Democrat, as he so often claims, then he should do what a real Democrat would do: drop out of the race and campaign for Lamont.

Labels: Politics

Of all the excellent new bands I’ve heard this year, I’m most excited about Annuals: they’re a young bunch of folks from North Carolina who sound like a more accessible Animal Collective, a more rhythmic Arcade Fire, well, it’s kind of hard to pinpoint exactly what they sound like, because they’re doing their own thing while still sounding like a lot of your favorite bands. This is the opening track of their forthcoming Ace Fu debut, Be He Me. I’ve been fortunate enough to hear it already, and I can promise you that this song is only a preview of even better things to come. Look for it in the fall.

Info:
band website
myspace profile
Ace Fu
Listen: Annuals - Brother

Labels: Annuals