Earlier this year, The National released their 7th full length, High Violet, which is sure to garner the band a spot on all year-end best-of lists. The band has announced that they will release an expanded edition of the album that will include 8 previously unreleased tracks, one of which is an alternate version of Terrible Love. The two disc set will be released on November 22nd.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
High Violet: Expanded Edition
Earlier this year, The National released their 7th full length, High Violet, which is sure to garner the band a spot on all year-end best-of lists. The band has announced that they will release an expanded edition of the album that will include 8 previously unreleased tracks, one of which is an alternate version of Terrible Love. The two disc set will be released on November 22nd.
Monday, September 27, 2010
A few random bits of news.
Sufjan Stevens is finally releasing a follow up to 2005's wonderfully grandiose Illinois, the new album entitled The Age of Adz, has an official release date of October 12th, but it's streaming in its entirety over at NPR, so you should probably check that out now.
Daft Punk's Tron: Legacy soundtrack FINALLY has a release date!!! It'll be out on November 22nd, judging from the tiny bits we've been privy to, it will most likely be quite the epic.
Also... Pavement played Colbert the other night, Gold Soundz sounded incredible of course, but the conversation between Malkmus and Colbert was the true highlight. Check it out via Stereogum.
Wavves at Mohawk Place, Buffalo NY, 9-16-10
Wavves' Nathan Williams has released two albums under the Wavves moniker, the first of which was a solo endeavor that contained a lot of lo-fi, feedback filled noise-pop, if you could even call it that. On close listen, it becomes apparent that beneath all the fuzz, Williams' is capable of crafting some pretty clever melodies, a talent that would surface in a big way on his sophomore effort. In 2010, Wavves added the late Jay Reatard's backing band to his line-up and released King of the Beach, which instantly became the soundtrack to every hipster/stoner/skate/surf-kids summer. On King of the Beach, Williams is still a lonely, self-deprecating, pot-smoking, 20-something with San Diego roots and a punk attitude, this time he just has better production. King of the Beach combines 90's punk with 60's Beach Boys melodies and more than a few ooooo--ahhhs. William's changes it up a bit though, and throws in tracks like Baseball Cards, which echoes more of Panda Bear than anything. Alongside a pack of surf-rock revivalists that have hit the scene in the past couple of years, Wavves has managed to take that vibe and soak it in attitude and experimental-type production, an aesthetic that has proved to be pretty irresistible. Mohawk Place is a VERY small bar/venue that has a pretty relaxed vibe. Mohawk's walls are covered in patron scribbled sharpie-graffiti and hundreds of band stickers, it's stage is small and there is never a shortage of people at the bar, so it's pretty much the ideal place to see a band like Wavves. The set was King of the Beach heavy but they included Wavvves favorites like So Bored and No Hope Kids. The crowd was really intense for such a small venue, and Williams and co seemed to enjoy the excitement. Wavves puts on a great show, but I was a little surprised at how short the set was. They only played for about 35 minutes and didn't include an encore, but despite that relative let-down, Wavves shows are still a damn good time.
(Sorry for the lack of photos , it got pretty rowdy in there.)
(Sorry for the lack of photos , it got pretty rowdy in there.)
Friday, September 10, 2010
New Iron & Wine album!
2010 has been undoubtedly rich is the way of album releases, and it seems as though 2011 is starting out on the right foot as well. Iron & Wine's follow-up to 2007's The Shepherd's Dog has the ambiguous release date of "early 2011," and is entitled Kiss Each Other Clean. Cue the banjo!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Lollapalooza: Sunday 8-8-10
Frightened Rabbit:
Sony Bloggie
5-6 pm
I've written about Frightened Rabbit on here before, they're a Scottish 5-some specializing in anthemic folk-rock, if that's even possible. On 2008's The Midnight Organ Flight, singer Scott Hutchison's heartbreaking lyrics interpolated with the rest of the band's galloping melodies made for an album of definitive beauty. The band followed up this year with The Winter of Mixed Drinks, which provided a bit of a shift in sound. Originally a trio, Frightened Rabbit added two new members and thus has expanded sonically. Mixed Drinks missed the mark a bit though, the raw emotiveness of the former Frightened Rabbit is a bit crushed under the weight of heavy production. Lyrically, Hutchison's sometimes jarring honesty still exists, it just doesn't feel as brutal as before. Perhaps the band's new sound washes some of the eagerness away, or perhaps as Hutchison proclaims he's just "Not Miserable" anymore. Despite their relative misstep with Mixed Drinks, Frightened Rabbit's live talent remains unaffected. Describing this band as anthemic seems most apt when describing their live shows. The set at Lollapalooza was no exception. Frightened Rabbit played to quite the eager and packed crowd. Songs like The Modern Leper, Nothing Like You, Living in Colour, and My Backwards Walk were transformed into chants, and acoustic tracks like Good Arms vs. Bad Arms and Poke were greeted with hushed appreciation. The band finished up with Keep Yourself Warm, a Midnight Organ Flight track that provides the chorus "you won't find love in a hole/it takes more than fucking someone to keep yourself warm." It's an uncomfortable line for sure, but that's what makes it, and Frightened Rabbit heartbreakingly real.
The National:
PlayStation
7:15-8:30 pm
I've seen The National three times this year, Lollapalooza included, and my only explanation is that it's 100% worth it. The National is undoubtedly one of my favorite bands, so although seeing them here guaranteed that I wouldn't be anywhere near the stage for The Arcade Fire, I couldn't resist. 2010 brought about The National's fifth album, High Violet, which follows in the band's pattern of highly lyrical, perhaps melodramatic, relatively frill-less indie, but adds quite a bit of grandeur. High Violet is dense, powerful, and string-soaked, which sets it wildly apart from the band's earlier, more sparse work, though closer in feel to 2007's Boxer. The National have been progressing to more flushed out material in a way that seems natural and logical, steadily perfecting what it already knows. Singer Matt Berninger's voice is as connective as his lyrics, a bit harsh, but beautiful and magnetic. The National's live shows have a sort of manic/depressive feel. The more passive songs are met with a wandering Berninger, who's signature suit makes him look something like a college professor. On their more powerful songs, Berninger breaks into a frantic yelp, manically throwing himself into the crowd. This transformation of character usually occurs on Alligator's Able and Mr. November, though it slips in from time to time on less obvious tracks. The band's Lolla set provided most of High Violet, beginning with Runaway and concluding with Terrible Love. Earlier albums were also represented, Boxer's Mistaken for Strangers, Brainy, Start a War and Squalor Victoria as well as even earlier tracks Available and Cardinal Song. Once it was time for Able and Mr. November, Berninger scaled a plant-covered wall before leaping into the audience. His "my mind's not right" and "I won't fuck us over I'm Mr. November-s" were echoed instantly by the crowd. After three times, it's still undeniably captivating.
The Arcade Fire:
Budweiser Stage
8:30-10:o0 pm
I remember when I first heard 2004's Funeral. I was going on a road-trip to New York City with my Aunt and Uncle and basically begged my older brother to drive me to the store before I left so I could listen to it in the car. I was 14, sitting in my Uncle's minivan, with the headphones of my disc-man glued to my ears for eight hours. Funeral is one of the first albums I ever really loved. Sure, I was born in the era of CD's, so I wasn't unaware of the concept. But, given my age, most of my CD's were Backstreet Boys or Nsync, so the idea of an album as more than just a couple radio hits and a lot of filler was new to me. I don't think anymore praise can be given to Funeral that hasn't been already. There really isn't much controversy or argument, consensus says Funeral is near perfect. Arcade Fire's baroque style includes strings, horns, theatricality, ballads, anthems, story and majesty. Their 2007 follow-up Neon Bible seemed underappreciated, perhaps only if in the context of Funeral's definitiveness. Neon Bible is more aggressive, blends more styles into the band's aesthetic and isperhaps even more an album than Funeral is, in the sense that taken out of context it doesn't stand up as easily. Three excruciating years after Neon Bible's release came 2010's The Suburbs, and the adoration was renewed. On The Suburbs, the orchestra is back in full force, as are some of the more "rock" type elements found on Neon Bible. The story here is sprawling, and in true Arcade Fire fashion, quite dramatic, without being overly so. With their relative return to form on The Suburbs, there isn't much doubt that The Arcade Fire is one of the most important band's of the decade. I'll admit that I didn't catch as much of their Lollapalooza performance as I would have liked. Sprinting over from The National crowd before-hand left me watching the screens, but what I heard was incredible. The set began fittingly with Ready to Start, and was heavy on both Funeral and Suburbs material. Neighborhood 2 (Laika) followed Ready to Start and really cemented The Arcade Fire as headliner worthy. Also on the set list were, Rebellion, Month of May, No Cars Go, Keep the Car Running, Neighborhood 3 (Power Out) and Funeral Ballad Crown of Love (which Winn dedicated to The National) and finally Wake Up, providing quite the ending to not only their set but to Lollapalooza 2010 all together.
(Not my photo)
Sony Bloggie
5-6 pm
I've written about Frightened Rabbit on here before, they're a Scottish 5-some specializing in anthemic folk-rock, if that's even possible. On 2008's The Midnight Organ Flight, singer Scott Hutchison's heartbreaking lyrics interpolated with the rest of the band's galloping melodies made for an album of definitive beauty. The band followed up this year with The Winter of Mixed Drinks, which provided a bit of a shift in sound. Originally a trio, Frightened Rabbit added two new members and thus has expanded sonically. Mixed Drinks missed the mark a bit though, the raw emotiveness of the former Frightened Rabbit is a bit crushed under the weight of heavy production. Lyrically, Hutchison's sometimes jarring honesty still exists, it just doesn't feel as brutal as before. Perhaps the band's new sound washes some of the eagerness away, or perhaps as Hutchison proclaims he's just "Not Miserable" anymore. Despite their relative misstep with Mixed Drinks, Frightened Rabbit's live talent remains unaffected. Describing this band as anthemic seems most apt when describing their live shows. The set at Lollapalooza was no exception. Frightened Rabbit played to quite the eager and packed crowd. Songs like The Modern Leper, Nothing Like You, Living in Colour, and My Backwards Walk were transformed into chants, and acoustic tracks like Good Arms vs. Bad Arms and Poke were greeted with hushed appreciation. The band finished up with Keep Yourself Warm, a Midnight Organ Flight track that provides the chorus "you won't find love in a hole/it takes more than fucking someone to keep yourself warm." It's an uncomfortable line for sure, but that's what makes it, and Frightened Rabbit heartbreakingly real.
The National:
PlayStation
7:15-8:30 pm
I've seen The National three times this year, Lollapalooza included, and my only explanation is that it's 100% worth it. The National is undoubtedly one of my favorite bands, so although seeing them here guaranteed that I wouldn't be anywhere near the stage for The Arcade Fire, I couldn't resist. 2010 brought about The National's fifth album, High Violet, which follows in the band's pattern of highly lyrical, perhaps melodramatic, relatively frill-less indie, but adds quite a bit of grandeur. High Violet is dense, powerful, and string-soaked, which sets it wildly apart from the band's earlier, more sparse work, though closer in feel to 2007's Boxer. The National have been progressing to more flushed out material in a way that seems natural and logical, steadily perfecting what it already knows. Singer Matt Berninger's voice is as connective as his lyrics, a bit harsh, but beautiful and magnetic. The National's live shows have a sort of manic/depressive feel. The more passive songs are met with a wandering Berninger, who's signature suit makes him look something like a college professor. On their more powerful songs, Berninger breaks into a frantic yelp, manically throwing himself into the crowd. This transformation of character usually occurs on Alligator's Able and Mr. November, though it slips in from time to time on less obvious tracks. The band's Lolla set provided most of High Violet, beginning with Runaway and concluding with Terrible Love. Earlier albums were also represented, Boxer's Mistaken for Strangers, Brainy, Start a War and Squalor Victoria as well as even earlier tracks Available and Cardinal Song. Once it was time for Able and Mr. November, Berninger scaled a plant-covered wall before leaping into the audience. His "my mind's not right" and "I won't fuck us over I'm Mr. November-s" were echoed instantly by the crowd. After three times, it's still undeniably captivating.
The Arcade Fire:
Budweiser Stage
8:30-10:o0 pm
I remember when I first heard 2004's Funeral. I was going on a road-trip to New York City with my Aunt and Uncle and basically begged my older brother to drive me to the store before I left so I could listen to it in the car. I was 14, sitting in my Uncle's minivan, with the headphones of my disc-man glued to my ears for eight hours. Funeral is one of the first albums I ever really loved. Sure, I was born in the era of CD's, so I wasn't unaware of the concept. But, given my age, most of my CD's were Backstreet Boys or Nsync, so the idea of an album as more than just a couple radio hits and a lot of filler was new to me. I don't think anymore praise can be given to Funeral that hasn't been already. There really isn't much controversy or argument, consensus says Funeral is near perfect. Arcade Fire's baroque style includes strings, horns, theatricality, ballads, anthems, story and majesty. Their 2007 follow-up Neon Bible seemed underappreciated, perhaps only if in the context of Funeral's definitiveness. Neon Bible is more aggressive, blends more styles into the band's aesthetic and isperhaps even more an album than Funeral is, in the sense that taken out of context it doesn't stand up as easily. Three excruciating years after Neon Bible's release came 2010's The Suburbs, and the adoration was renewed. On The Suburbs, the orchestra is back in full force, as are some of the more "rock" type elements found on Neon Bible. The story here is sprawling, and in true Arcade Fire fashion, quite dramatic, without being overly so. With their relative return to form on The Suburbs, there isn't much doubt that The Arcade Fire is one of the most important band's of the decade. I'll admit that I didn't catch as much of their Lollapalooza performance as I would have liked. Sprinting over from The National crowd before-hand left me watching the screens, but what I heard was incredible. The set began fittingly with Ready to Start, and was heavy on both Funeral and Suburbs material. Neighborhood 2 (Laika) followed Ready to Start and really cemented The Arcade Fire as headliner worthy. Also on the set list were, Rebellion, Month of May, No Cars Go, Keep the Car Running, Neighborhood 3 (Power Out) and Funeral Ballad Crown of Love (which Winn dedicated to The National) and finally Wake Up, providing quite the ending to not only their set but to Lollapalooza 2010 all together.
(Not my photo)
Lollapalooza: Saturday 8-7-10
Harlem:
Sony Bloggie
1-1:45 pm
The term "garage rock" tends to bring about negative connotations, especially in the context of song writing. Amateurish, poorly constructed, raucous, sloppy, whichever adjective you choose, Harlem manages to shirk each and every one of them, while somehow still sounding like they recorded next to their mom's minivan. Harlem's success began with their Free Drugs :-) EP which garnered them a stint at South By Southwest and lead to the release of their debut LP Hippies earlier this year. Harlem's sound is much cleaner than their fuzz enthusiast counterparts, and thankfully their songwriting stands up to the more stripped down style. The songs are clever, fun, and brilliantly hooky, paying homage to the likes of The Pixies and Nirvana (they even reference Nirvana on "Torture Me") and with lyrics about setting people on fire, this band is pretty hard to resist. I was really looking forward to Harlem's set at Lollapalooza and luckily they didn't disappoint me. These guys are exactly what a young band should be, a little bit goofy, a little bit hungover and a little bit disorganized. None of those things were negatives here though, it was all very charming and necessary. The members of Harlem, particularly co-founder's Michael Coomer and Curtis O'Mara share vocalist and drummer duties, which means quite a bit of band shuffling. This was far from excruciating though, in fact, knowing Hippies pretty well, it was quite interesting seeing which vocalist/drummer played on which songs. Overall Harlem's Lollapalooza performance was exactly what I expected: just a plain good time.
Grizzly Bear:
Budweiser Stage
4:15-5:15 pm
Needless to say Grizzly Bear's set was the highlight of my weekend. I count them among my favorite bands, and I had yet to see them at this point. My history with Grizzly Bear is not a love-at-first-listen story, in fact, the first time I heard Yellow House, I didn't like it at all. It was too abstract, sonic, even precious at times. About a year or so later, I gave them another shot, my music taste had expanded quite a bit and apparently time was all I needed. The band's Friend EP was a big part of my new-found love. The fact that both Band of Horses and Atlas Sound provided covers of the band's material made it more accessible, but the electric version of Yellow House's "Little Brother" was what really pushed me over the edge. Back-story aside, Grizzly Bear's 3 full-lengths and one EP show quite the progression. 2004's Horn of Plenty is ambiance focused and the least constructed, on Yellow House the songs start to gain some semblance of structure and form, the Friend EP provided altered versions of Yellow House material done by both the band itself as well as other groups, and their newest effort Veckatimest is easily their most accessible. Grizzly Bear's members are all multi-talented, multi-instrumentalists with a penchant for harmonizing and laborious song-craft. Grizzly Bear isn't about melody or structure, it's about sounds and they way in which they come into contact with one-another. The band's members are relevant outside of Grizzly Bear as well, Daniel Rossen has re-established his earlier band Department of Eagles and Chris Taylor has had hands in the production of both Dirty Projectors, and The Morning Benders. Grizzly Bear's songs are meticulous and dense, which can be difficult to re-create in a live setting, luckily, Grizzly Bear is just as conscious of their live show as their recorded material. Their set here was simply incredible. In an atmosphere like Lollapalooza, where big and loud tends to garner the most attention, Grizzly Bear really held their own. The band seems to have shifted a bit in the sense that the songs sounded fuller, and less sprawling, but the elaborateness and quality of sound remained. The harmonies were flawless of course, and there didn't seem to be a single fidgety audience member. The band is still touring around their newest release Veckatimest, so there was plenty from that album as well as Yellow House favorites such as Little Brother and Knife. Totally worth painting "Grizzly Bear" on my arm for (Picture to follow.)
Spoon:
Budweiser Stage
6:15-7:30
Spoon's career has spanned 17 years and 7 studio albums, to say that they are an institution of sorts would be an understatement. These guys are "indie-rock" in the truest sense of the words, what they play is rock, and they play it well. Spoon has never made a bad album, and I'm almost convinced they aren't able to. They released their newest album Transference earlier this year, and though perhaps not as good as it's predecessor, 2007's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Transference is a solid album from an incredibly consistent band. Consistency, not to in the sense that Spoon's albums are redundant, but rather that there is a quality of song and style that is always there. But what makes Spoon great is that they have expanded and experimented while withstanding not only a dedicated fan base, but also a great presence in the musical world. Earlier this year I saw Spoon play in Toronto with Deerhunter so I sort of knew what to expect from them here. Although the band is touring behind their latest effort, their rather large catalog of material guarantees the peppering of fan-favorites throughout the set-list. The band's Lolla set began with a Britt Daniel only acoustic version of Girls Can Tell's "Me and the Bean" and continued to include The Underdog, Don't you Evah, Stay Don't Go, I Summon You, Black Like Me, and a truly incredible cover of Wolf Parade's Modern World. Every song was played flawlessly, and Britt Daniel's signature yelp never faltered, as a Spoon die-hard, I may be biased, but this band really is something to behold.
Phoenix:
Budweiser Stage
8:30-10 pm
I stuck around after Spoon to ensure a good spot for Phoenix's Saturday night headlining set. The result of which was assault by numerous dancers and crowd surfers, as well as a lot of blurry pictures. No other band has blown up the way that Phoenix did this year. The French-pop group has been around for 10 years but 2009's Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix put Phoenix on everyone's year-end best-of lists. Phoenix's sound is crisp and clean, their production is meticulous and their songs undeniable. Keyboards, more than a few 'poppy' moments and singer Thomas Mars' vocals reign supreme. For their Lolla set, the band played mostly Wolfgang material, as well as some gems from 2006's It's Never Been Like That. The show itself was quite the sight, a manic light show and a hugely impressive crowd, was it worth getting kicked in the head for? I'd say yes.
(Not my photo)
Sony Bloggie
1-1:45 pm
The term "garage rock" tends to bring about negative connotations, especially in the context of song writing. Amateurish, poorly constructed, raucous, sloppy, whichever adjective you choose, Harlem manages to shirk each and every one of them, while somehow still sounding like they recorded next to their mom's minivan. Harlem's success began with their Free Drugs :-) EP which garnered them a stint at South By Southwest and lead to the release of their debut LP Hippies earlier this year. Harlem's sound is much cleaner than their fuzz enthusiast counterparts, and thankfully their songwriting stands up to the more stripped down style. The songs are clever, fun, and brilliantly hooky, paying homage to the likes of The Pixies and Nirvana (they even reference Nirvana on "Torture Me") and with lyrics about setting people on fire, this band is pretty hard to resist. I was really looking forward to Harlem's set at Lollapalooza and luckily they didn't disappoint me. These guys are exactly what a young band should be, a little bit goofy, a little bit hungover and a little bit disorganized. None of those things were negatives here though, it was all very charming and necessary. The members of Harlem, particularly co-founder's Michael Coomer and Curtis O'Mara share vocalist and drummer duties, which means quite a bit of band shuffling. This was far from excruciating though, in fact, knowing Hippies pretty well, it was quite interesting seeing which vocalist/drummer played on which songs. Overall Harlem's Lollapalooza performance was exactly what I expected: just a plain good time.
Grizzly Bear:Budweiser Stage
4:15-5:15 pm
Needless to say Grizzly Bear's set was the highlight of my weekend. I count them among my favorite bands, and I had yet to see them at this point. My history with Grizzly Bear is not a love-at-first-listen story, in fact, the first time I heard Yellow House, I didn't like it at all. It was too abstract, sonic, even precious at times. About a year or so later, I gave them another shot, my music taste had expanded quite a bit and apparently time was all I needed. The band's Friend EP was a big part of my new-found love. The fact that both Band of Horses and Atlas Sound provided covers of the band's material made it more accessible, but the electric version of Yellow House's "Little Brother" was what really pushed me over the edge. Back-story aside, Grizzly Bear's 3 full-lengths and one EP show quite the progression. 2004's Horn of Plenty is ambiance focused and the least constructed, on Yellow House the songs start to gain some semblance of structure and form, the Friend EP provided altered versions of Yellow House material done by both the band itself as well as other groups, and their newest effort Veckatimest is easily their most accessible. Grizzly Bear's members are all multi-talented, multi-instrumentalists with a penchant for harmonizing and laborious song-craft. Grizzly Bear isn't about melody or structure, it's about sounds and they way in which they come into contact with one-another. The band's members are relevant outside of Grizzly Bear as well, Daniel Rossen has re-established his earlier band Department of Eagles and Chris Taylor has had hands in the production of both Dirty Projectors, and The Morning Benders. Grizzly Bear's songs are meticulous and dense, which can be difficult to re-create in a live setting, luckily, Grizzly Bear is just as conscious of their live show as their recorded material. Their set here was simply incredible. In an atmosphere like Lollapalooza, where big and loud tends to garner the most attention, Grizzly Bear really held their own. The band seems to have shifted a bit in the sense that the songs sounded fuller, and less sprawling, but the elaborateness and quality of sound remained. The harmonies were flawless of course, and there didn't seem to be a single fidgety audience member. The band is still touring around their newest release Veckatimest, so there was plenty from that album as well as Yellow House favorites such as Little Brother and Knife. Totally worth painting "Grizzly Bear" on my arm for (Picture to follow.)
Spoon:
Budweiser Stage
6:15-7:30
Spoon's career has spanned 17 years and 7 studio albums, to say that they are an institution of sorts would be an understatement. These guys are "indie-rock" in the truest sense of the words, what they play is rock, and they play it well. Spoon has never made a bad album, and I'm almost convinced they aren't able to. They released their newest album Transference earlier this year, and though perhaps not as good as it's predecessor, 2007's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Transference is a solid album from an incredibly consistent band. Consistency, not to in the sense that Spoon's albums are redundant, but rather that there is a quality of song and style that is always there. But what makes Spoon great is that they have expanded and experimented while withstanding not only a dedicated fan base, but also a great presence in the musical world. Earlier this year I saw Spoon play in Toronto with Deerhunter so I sort of knew what to expect from them here. Although the band is touring behind their latest effort, their rather large catalog of material guarantees the peppering of fan-favorites throughout the set-list. The band's Lolla set began with a Britt Daniel only acoustic version of Girls Can Tell's "Me and the Bean" and continued to include The Underdog, Don't you Evah, Stay Don't Go, I Summon You, Black Like Me, and a truly incredible cover of Wolf Parade's Modern World. Every song was played flawlessly, and Britt Daniel's signature yelp never faltered, as a Spoon die-hard, I may be biased, but this band really is something to behold.
Phoenix:
Budweiser Stage
8:30-10 pm
I stuck around after Spoon to ensure a good spot for Phoenix's Saturday night headlining set. The result of which was assault by numerous dancers and crowd surfers, as well as a lot of blurry pictures. No other band has blown up the way that Phoenix did this year. The French-pop group has been around for 10 years but 2009's Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix put Phoenix on everyone's year-end best-of lists. Phoenix's sound is crisp and clean, their production is meticulous and their songs undeniable. Keyboards, more than a few 'poppy' moments and singer Thomas Mars' vocals reign supreme. For their Lolla set, the band played mostly Wolfgang material, as well as some gems from 2006's It's Never Been Like That. The show itself was quite the sight, a manic light show and a hugely impressive crowd, was it worth getting kicked in the head for? I'd say yes.
(Not my photo)
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Lollapalooza: Friday 8-6-2010
Last year's Lollapalooza was my first music festival experience. I had an incredible time and knew that I had to make festivals a summer tradition. I had been open to any one of the big festivals, but line-ups and timing issues lead me to Grant Park once again this year. I don't regret it one bit though, Lollapalooza is an undeniably well put together festival, and including this years updates I think it one-upped itself from last year. The park's grounds, food options, and water re-filling locales were all expanded, which made the park much easier to navigate and hunger and dehydration less of an issue (they had plenty of Vegan options as well.) Friday at Lollapalooza was really quite the spectacle. The number of "Little Monsters" with pop cans in their hair and wearing head-to-toe spandex was a sight in itself, but nothing compared to the truly amazing sets I was able to take in. Here's what I was able to see:Wavves:
12:15-1pm
Budweiser Stage
Following the release of their self-titled debut album in 2009, Wavves frontman Nathan Williams' received a lot of press, most of which wasn't entirely music related. From wild stage antics to a feud with Black Lips singer Jared Swilley that resulted in a bar brawl of sorts, WIlliams' didn't exactly make a great first impression. Fast forward to 2010, Williams' added former Jay Reatard backing musicians (bassist Stephen Pope and drummer Billy Hayes) and released Wavves' second album, the aptly titled "King of the Beach" to much critical acclaim. Although bands like Best Coast (fronted by Williams' good friend Bethany Cosentino), No Age, Beach Fossils, and Real Estate have flushed out the summery beach rock vibe quite nicely, Wavves manages to avoid sounding irrelevant or redundant. "King of the Beach" is hooky, and bright. There are obvious production upgrades but some fuzz still remains, as does Williams' overall slacker, self-deprecating, pothead attitude. Despite his moderately lousy reputation there is some evidence that Williams' is a pretty cool guy, after all Wavves' contact e-mail address is Tekken420@g-mail.com. Sounds to me like he relates perfectly to his demographic. Wavves was the first band I saw on Friday and the set definitely started the day off right. The sun was shining, personalized Wavves beach balls were thrown into the crowd, and Wiliams' and co were goofy, light-hearted and just plain fun to watch. The set consisted mostly of "King of the Beach" material as well as stand-outs "So Bored" and "No Hope Kids" from the 2009 debut. There were also some funny quips about Ben Stein, Williams' indecisiveness and of course a certain illegal substance. It seemed to me like Williams has his act together this time, let's hope it lasts.
The New Pornographers:4-5pm
Budweiser Stage
Having the description "super-group" attached to your band has to be somewhat intimidating. Though largely seen as the brain-child of singer/songwriter Carl Newman, the New Pornographers boast names like Neko Case, Dan Bejar and Kathryn Calder amongst its ranks. There is more than a little microphone passing involved here, there are tracks lead by each member and quite a few songs that use the oh-so-powerful male/female voice dynamic. Both Case and Newman have rather distinct voices that add to the charm and excitement that The Pornos are known for. I'm convinced it's impossible not to smile at a New Pornographers show, their songs are up-beat and undeniably peppy, but not sickeningly so. The Pornos walk the line of sparkly pop and clever indie rock brilliantly, there really is no doubt that they deserve the super-group moniker. Having a four o'clock set-time at Lollapalooza seemed pretty perfect to me. Night-time ambiance isn't at all necessary here, in fact the middle of the day sun added even more brightness to the already sunny set. They started off with the addicting "Sing Me Spanish Techno" which can be found on 2009's nearly perfect "Twin Cinema" and continued to include fan favorites like "The Laws Have Changed" and "Mass Romantic," as well as the Dan Bejar led "Myriad Harbor" and closed it all out with "The Bleeding Heart Show." Considering the band has such a great library of sings to choose from, I think this set-list was perfect for the occasion.
The Dirty Projectors:5-6pm
PlayStation
I'll admit that I left The New Pornographers set early to get a decent spot for The Dirty Projectors who were playing on the next stage over. Having been lauded by fellow musicians for their experimental style and excellent musicianship since their start in 2002, Dirty projectors finally started garnering much deserved fan attention with the release of 2005's "The Getty Address." Dirty Projectors mastermind Dave Longstreth has quite a bit of style. Dirty Projectors' songs feature choppy guitars, ecstatic arrangements, and the signature male/female vocals that involve Longstreth as well as the extraordinarily talented Amber Coffman. The Coffman featuring track "Stillness is the Move" from the band's newest album "Bitte Orca" garnered Dirty Projectors quite the hit, and was even covered by Solange Knowles (yes, she's Beyonce's sister.) The band's performance at Lollapalooza was nothing short of outstanding. Being that most Dirty Projectors songs are quite complicated, it was incredible to see them be reproduced live. The set-list was "Bitte Orca" heavy, featuring "Temecula Sunrise", "Cannibal Resource", "Remade Horizon", "Stillness is the Move", and "Useful Chamber." The band played some "Getty Address" material as well as a brilliant performance of their "Dark was the Night" collaboration with David Byrne. This really was quite the spectacle.
The Strokes:830-10pm
Budweiser
My headliner decisions were quite easy this weekend, there really was no competition. As blasphemous as it may be, I skipped out on Lady Gaga's set on Friday night. To be honest, I'm not a fan of hers at all and lets be real here, opportunities to see The Strokes don't come around very often. The Strokes were heroes of the supposed garage rock revival of the 2000's, their debut "is This It" was a massive hit and instantly shot the band into the orbit of music lovers everywhere. Singer/songwriter Julian Casablancas became quite the figure, his Joe Strummer-esque appearance and undeniable vocal style worked like a charm on the general public. While on hiatus from The Strokes, Casablancas released a solo album entitled "Phrazes for the Young." The band's guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. also released solo material including 2006's "Yours to Keep" and 2008's "Como Te Illama." During their hay-day The Strokes covered Rolling Stone, played night-time talk shows and even worked with producer Nigel Godrich (famous for his work with Radiohead.) Though their second album "Room on Fire" wasn't as successful as their debut, the album still went gold and provided hits like "Reptilia" and "12:51." The Strokes third album, "First Impressions of Earth" was released in 2006 to mixed feelings amongst critics and fans. The album was a bit of a departure stylistically, though songs like "Juicebox" and "Heart in a Cage" did enjoy success. After touring for "First Impressions" The Strokes went on hiatus until January 2009 when the band announced via Myspace that they would be retuning to the studio. Their first time around The Strokes' esthetic was copied by numerous bands and quickly became the go-to sound of the 2000's. Despite the "cool kids" too much hype ambivalence, it's difficult to deny The Strokes far-reaching impact, weather or not their new material will still be relevant is something that remains to be seen. After seeing their head-lining set on Friday night I can say that they definitely know how to put on a show. Casablancas seemed genuinely thrilled even referring to the fest as "Chicagopalooza" and pointing out that this was the bands first U.S. show "in like foooooorrrreverrr!" The crowd was wild (though not exactly as full as Gaga's), and sang along to every melodic guitar heavy gem. The set was chock full of hits and fan favorites, beginning with a raucous version of "New York City Cops" and finishing off the night with "Take it or Leave it." Here's the whole setlist:
New York City Cops
The Modern Age
Hard to Explain
What Ever Happened?
You Only Live Once
Soma
Is This It
Vision of Division
I Can’t Win / Reptilia
Last Nite /(encore:)
Juicebox
Someday
Under Control
Heart in a Cage
Take it or Leave it
*I was not at all close enough to get good pictures of The Strokes, that's just the nature of the Headliner beast.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
