I've been a fan of Fields since I first got a hold of their debut EP last year, 7 from the Village. It was a pleasant collection of British indie with a touch of folk and pleasant male and female harmonies. Their debut record Everything Last Winter came out a few months back in the UK, and it took the pleasant elements from the EP but added a dose of rock to the equation, a very welcome addition that gives the band a bit more energy and grit.

I finally got to see Fields on Tuesday, opening for Blonde Redhead. I didn't really know what to expect, and didn't have too many expectations. Fields were a young, well rehearsed group of Brits that didn't have any difficulties pulling off the nearly constant harmonizing found in their songs. And the female keyboard player/singer is a a bit of a looker. The set started out a bit quiet, with the mix a bit off. However, Fields picked up a lot of momentum as they went on and were rocking a pretty big room pretty well by the end of their set. I'm definitely up to catch them again, ideally when I'm in the mood for something a little British and in a smaller venue.

Fields are playing two more NYC shows later this week, one at Union Hall on the 18th and at the Mercury Lounge the next night.


I've always wanted to see Blonde Redhead, but things had never previously worked out. As 23 is one of my favorite releases of 2007 thus far, I was very happy to finally get the chance to not only see B R, but to see them for this record. I was not disappointed. The opening 25 minutes were ethereal bliss: Blonde Redhead began their set with five or six straight tracks from the new record, all of which sounded amazing and firmly established an engaging, almost hypnotizing mood, the likes of which are often hallmarks of the best concerts I've attended. The trio played their entire set on top of pre-recorded tracks (usually drum machines, secondary melodic instrumentation and backing vocals) which would normally bother me; however, the exceedingly good musicianship and seamless blend of pre-recorded to live sounds left me impressed more than skeptical. It was a case of a talented band using all the tools at their disposal to create a better live performance and experience, and about as far away from the lip-syncing of pop-stars over their album tracks as I can imagine. The atmosphere had a kind of magical quality to it; between how graceful and stylish the band looked on stage, to the precise reproduction of a beautiful record, to the excellent shoegazey atmospherics, I honestly felt like Blonde Redhead were making a strong argument to be my favorite band.

Unfortunately this beautiful trance-like-state only lasted for this opening segment; afterwards, they started playing some old material, which sounded great, but lacked the cohesion of the songs from the new record. I was still very happy to hear some old favorites (particularly a few tracks from Melodies of Certain Damaged Lemons), and it's not like the show became bad after that point; it was still great. It's just that the first stretch was maybe the best thing I've seen so far this year, I wish it could've lasted even longer. The very appreciative audience was rewarded with two encores, and not unlike my experience with Bjork the previous week, I now find myself more than a little bit obsessed with a band that deserves more attention than I've previously given them.

Also, it was just announced that Blonde Redhead will be playing one of the free McCarren Pool shows this summer. Sweet!

Labels: Blonde Redhead, Concert Reviews, Fields

I had a moment with Neon Bible earlier this year: my first few weeks with the record were excellent, as it reminded me of those things that I liked so much about Arcade Fire to begin with, and also reminded me that bands don't have to slump after a great debut. I felt like AF were not treading water, rather that their arrangements and musicianship had reached a more mature and sophisticated level. And it was exciting, even hopeful to listen to an obviously talented band reach for the next level, and to believe that they could do it.

But what would it be like live? I am both blessed and cursed when it comes to seeing Arcade Fire shows. Blessed in that I was one of the lucky souls who saw them play the Merge showcase at the Mercury Lounge during CMJ nearly three years ago. That was one of the most memorable shows I've been to: a band that some folks had been talking about discovered they were great in front of an audience that discovered that they loved them. It was urgent and emotional. It was excellent, and unfortunately it's not possible to repeat that experience with that band again. In the next few months, they would sell hundreds of thousands of records, have nice things written about them in the NY Times, and play a sold out shows at increasingly bigger venues, all on the first tour for their first record.

I have been cursed in that until Monday, I've never been able to get tickets to see them again. But at the last minute, a friend of mine couldn't go and I was on my way to Washington Heights and the United Palace Theater. Would this show be a joyous and cathartic celebration like the first time I saw them, except with 3500 people instead of 200? Yes, and no. First, the United Palace Theater was much nicer than I expected. The theater itself is cavernous, with good sight lines and really beautiful detail on all the walls and the ceiling. They don't build rooms like that anymore. The sound for such a big venue was also decent; while not at the level of Radio City Music Hall, it is still better than a lot of other big rooms I've seen shows in. Drinks were outrageous (7 dollars for a beer) for a show that's only barely in Manhattan. But I'm not opposed to seeing more shows there (even though the train ride is substantial), if I like the band enough.

So what happens to a band when you sell close to 1 million records of your debut and then tour the world for a couple of years? Your stage show gets a lot slicker, and you transform from being in a band to being a professional musician, who has played hundreds of shows before on other big stages to thousands and thousands of other fans. This brings some benefits, like nice instruments, a decent stage setup and a sound crew that can balance and handle 10 different folks playing many different instruments at once. All of these things served the Arcade Fire well; to quote Fluxblog, "They definitely played good songs, and it seemed like they did a pretty nice job of it." The crowd was certainly into it, or at least it sounded that way from where I was sitting (I happened to be in the leftmost seat of the loge, and could sit, whereas almost the entire rest of the audience was standing for the entire show). People really loved the songs, both new and old, something that reaffirms my belief that this could be a band that continues to grow its audience and make music that crosses over. But something was missing for me; even though everything seemed to be right, it just didn't connect. Perhaps I was just tired, but honestly I think I caught a great band on an average night. I'm still happy I saw them again, and I enjoyed the show. But it can't be special every night, even if you're the Arcade Fire.

Labels: Arcade Fire, Concert Reviews

Bjork's show at Radio City Music Hall was fantastic. Not that I expected anything less of her, but she certainly met, and perhaps exceeded my expectations. The show kicked off with Konono No 1, whose music grew on me considerably during the set. It reminded me in structure of both drone and dub, but in practice didn't really sound like either. It was very rhythmic and meditative, prominently feature an instrument called a likembe (briefly explained here) which I could stand to hear much more of.

When the curtain finally went up after the intermission, the first thing I saw was the brass choir hopping across the stage in colorful robes. Indeed, the whole stage design was colorful, sophisticated, and technological while feeling human. To put it another way, it was a lot like Bjork. This was one of if not the best stage designs I've ever seen (I liked it better than the Knife's I caught at CMJ last year). The musicians were arranged in a semi-circle, starting on the left the first electronics station (with a large electronic display in front of it), followed by an elevated drum platform with another electronic display; then a second electronic station elevated higher than everyone else with a smaller display next to it, then risers for the all female Icelandic brass choir. In front of these and close to the stage was a harpsichord (!) and a keyboard or two. Behind everything were assorted banners reminiscent of medieval courts in an interesting pattern of colors and shapes. The electronic screens showed some of the new electronic instruments used for the set, which allow real time electronic manipulation and improvisation of samples. This might sound dry, but the hardware looks like something from science fiction and is intriguing to gaze at. There was also occasionally a screen that would drop down to show multi-colored morphing geometric shapes and figures. The concert was a visual feast without even accounting for the music.

And the music was great. Opening up with heavy voice manipulation on Earth Intruders, Bjork strutted and danced in the middle of that semi-circle with the confidence and swagger that's normally reserved for classic rock assholes. She is a compelling figure to look at, and when she starts opening up with that voice the experience quickly becomes immersive, pulling you into the universe of sound, sight and emotion that Bjork so singularly creates. The first half of the set was heavy with new material, which I'm looking forward to spending time with when I get my hands on a proper copy of Volta. Even though I don't yet know the songs, Bjork has yet to put out something that I didn't eventually come around to thoroughly enjoying, though sometimes it takes a bit to get my head wrapped around it. Antony came out and joined Bjork for a song that sent indie bloggerdom into wild euphoria; he also showed that apart from his excellent voice, he can jump pretty high. Midway into the set she started playing tracks from her catalogue, all of which sounded great, particularly being that the arrangements were different to accommodate the Brass Choir instead of strings and samples. Joga in particular was extremely compelling this way. But, lest we forget that Bjork also controls an army of robots that can rock our faces off, she busted into Army of Me along with an intense laser show that was too perfect. The final song of the evening, Declare Independence was a fitting and enthusiastic way to end the show, I hope it retains that same fierce attitude on the album. I can't recommend Bjork's live show enough, check it out while you can. And yes, the eighty bucks I had to drop to see her was entirely worth it (and I will nearly never spend this much on a show).

Labels: Bjork, Concert Reviews

I've been crazy busy doing all sorts of things over the last month, but I've still managed to see some shows, even if I've not been able to write about them. Not until now, anyway:

LCD Soundsystem - Bowery Ballroom 3.31.07

I'd been meaning to catch LCD Soundsystem for some time, as basically everything that James Murphy touches is both danceable and catchy. I wasn't sure how he would turn his studio wizardry into the dance party his records so easily create. What I discovered is that he travels with a big band (at least 6 other folks on stage) who do a remarkable job of recreating the mood and sound of the records, and more importantly a tremendous job of creating energy that gets a party moving. This was the second of two nights at the Bowery, the place was packed and in something I wish I saw more of, folks were dancing. The hype about the live show is true; find your way into Studio B on May 12th for an excellent evening.

Les Savy Fav - Bowery Ballroom 4.1.07

I always have fun at Les Savy Fav shows, and tonight wasn't different. I caught the Big Sleep opening again and I liked them a bit better than I have at previous shows. They make a big sound, and are best when its focused in song as opposed to free form jamming. Due to it being April Fools day, Les Savy Fav came out and played their encore first. Meaning they came out, played one song, told everyone thanks for coming, and the left the stage for about 10 minutes, with the lights on, the whole deal. It was kind of funny. Then the band returned, and Tim Harrington was dressed as mock Native American, complete with the stereotypical feathers and loin cloth. The show was slamming (Les Savy Fav don't have a problem getting people to flip their shit), and the whole front half of the audience was a big pit, which the singer spent a good part of the show wading in. Also, they brought along a second guitar player again, which gives me the impression that he might be sticking around for a while. It was the same guy I saw at SXSW, he and Seth play exactly the same type of guitar. The 'Fav played a bunch of new material, and while I'm still getting used to it I'm excited for the record. This show was filmed for VBS, Vice's new internet video station, meaning that soon enough everyone who wasn't there can at least pretend that they were in the huge conga line that snaked around the audience for a few songs.

Land of Talk - Union Hall, 4.3.07

Opening up for Land of Talk was a New York by way of Oklahoma band called the Muggabears, who've been gaining a small amount of buzz lately. The trio are overtly influenced by Sonic Youth, but not in a bad way. Some of the very new songs they played sounded real good, so I'll be on the lookout for them in the future. They have nice chemistry between them.

Folks who read me occasionally already know that I'm a big big fan of Land of Talk, so I naturally went to check them out at a venue that's walking distance from my apartment. I brought a bunch of friends along too, as most everybody I know has gotten into their debut EP which is now finally out in the US. Although LOT's wonderfully charismatic frontwoman was obviously sick with something (it took away some of the strength and grit that she normally has in her voice), the band still sounded great and were spot on, although a little bit quieter than they would have been at full strength. Regardless, all had a good time and I will continue to see LOT when they're in town. I can't wait for their first full length.

O'Death, Dr. Dog - Bowery Ballroom, 4.5.07

I'm starting to believe that the best thing about O'Death might be their fans. The band does a great job of bringing the psycho-grass in ways that sound compelling, dark and surprisingly energetic; however, when you're standing right next to a group of 30 or 40 folks totally flipping their shit, it's inspiring. Thus was O'Death's set at the Bowery, which I believe came not long after they finally signed to a label. The songs were good, a decent portion of the sold out crowd was into it, and I have no regrets.

I caught Dr. Dog for the first time at McCarren Pool last year, and I was quite impressed with the musicianship and the songs. I quickly fell for the great and under-rated album Easy Beat (if you've never heard it and you like sixties style rock and roll, buy it immediately). What I didn't know is how many other folks apparently had this same experience. I met people that came a long way to see the dog, and the show sold out weeks in advance. This wasn't what I was expecting These weren't scenesters, these were just average music fans from all over that new the words to all the songs. I had no idea. I was impressed. I may even go see them when they jump up to Webster Hall next time. I only wish I liked their new record better than I do. Oh well.

Black Angels - Luna Lounge, 4.8.07

I was very curious to check out the new Luna Lounge in Billyburg, as I'd heard many good things about it from those who had already been. It's a pretty big place, capacity must be about what the Bowery Ballroom can do without the balcony, perhaps a touch more. The sight lines were generally very good from everywhere I stood, and the sound system was big and clear. I'm happy that this is around, as this place will get bigger bands that I now won't have to go to Manhattan to see.

The Black Angels took advantage of all of these things: the show sold out, the band sounded loud and fantastic in the way I really wanted them too. This show was much more satisfying than the previous industry gig I caught at Pianos, with a steady and faithful reproduction of all my favorite songs off of Passover. They did play some new songs, which sounded like they were still being fleshed out. It was a pleasure to see this band start to find its audience (they'll almost certainly play their next show headlining the Bowery, or perhaps somewhere a little bigger), I have high hopes that they'll find a way to shape the drone and the attitude into more compelling records and more loud satisfying shows. And they finished the night with a spot on cover of Iggy Pop's "I Wanna Be Your Dog," which was pretty sweet.

Labels: Black Angels, Concert Reviews, Land of Talk, LCD Soundsystem, Les Savy Fav