Tuesday, July 19th, 2005
Pernice Brothers live and Pernice Brothers on record have traditionally been two rather different propositions. The albums usually utilized a wide range of instrumental textures and orchestration that were difficult to reproduce live, so they were rearranged for a more rocking onstage delivery – just compare the album versions of earlier songs on the Nobody’s Listening live album. But with 2003’s Yours, Mine & Ours, Joe Pernice made the subtle but significant move of dispensing with strings and writing around a more conventional band structure. While the songs maintained his pop smarts and lyrical wit and melancholy, the musical component got more upbeat and electric guitar-driven. The latest album Discover A Lovelier You continues this trend, most obviously indulging Pernice’s love of 80s new wave and British indie.
So with the albums moving steadily towards the rock end of things, would that mean that the recordings and live shows would finally be reflections of one another? In a word, no. Based on last night’s show at Lee’s Palace, it would seem that they’re reining things in a little – the arrangements sounded a little thinner than usual. Maybe it’s that new drummer Patrick Berkery isn’t as aggressive on the kit as his predecessors Mike Belitsky and Ric Menck or maybe it that Joe chose to play exclusively acoustic guitar (though probably a wise choice considering how much he was sweating onstage – an electric would have shorted out within three songs). Whatever it was, the show started out disappointingly flat. The mix was exceedingly quiet, with vocals in particular buried and the opening few songs off Discover were rather laid back in delivery. The oppressive heat certainly didn’t help, as warm as it was in the audience it was surely many times hotter under the stage lights. Thankfully the band picked things up as the night progressed, though there were still some audible flubs and missed changes at a few points. By the end of the night, energy levels were considerably higher, Joe seemed to have given up trying to towel the sweat off his face and guitar and set closer “7:30” was as rousing as you would have hoped (though Peyton Pinkerton and James Walbourne’s backing vocals on the “ba ba ba” outro were still way too quiet).
It wasn’t the best performance of theirs I’d seen, but it still turned out decent enough for the modest Monday night crowd. The stagelights that were causing Joe to lose several pounds in sweat did allow for some decent photos, though. It’d been a little while since I’d shot a show in a club. Just like falling off a bike, which is something else I’ve had practice at lately. And thanks to Thierry of Let It Blog for pre-emptively informing me that the final song of the encore was “Doll in a Music Box”, from the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang soundtrack. This bit of trivia was given in exchange for never asking how he knew this.
Shows – Bloc Party are at The Docks September 12. Someone REALLY needs to open another medium-large venue in this town. Really. There’s something terribly wrong when you pine for the cozy environs of the Kool Haus. A good show in a good venue, for example, will be Bob Mould bringing his Body Of Song to the Mod Club on October 2. Also, Nada Surf are at Lee’s Palace on October 12 with Say Hi To Your Mom, tickets $13.50.
JAM! documents the summer of Kathleen Edwards, which, incidentally, she is blogging intermittently over at her website (in the News section).
Pop (All Love) questions the shelf life of Sufjan Stevens’ Illinois, and nominates his own top 10 albums of recent years that Mojo will still be fawning over decades down the line. Tongue planted only lightly in cheek. I think.
Bradley’s Almanac has mp3s from Dinosaur Jr’s sort-of homecoming show in Boston from last Friday. He manages to make me feel bad that I was scrubbing dirt and grime off my balcony instead of having my eardrums demolished by J, Lou and Murph, but the audio is good and by God, that balcony is clean now. He also gives Jason Lowenstein some love – that contest from yesterday is still open, email me by, say, noon if you want to get on the guest list for tonight’s show. Only a couple spots left! Contest closed! Thanks for playing, winners, hope you enjoy the show. Come back tomorrow, I’ve got another one starting up.
np – Ride / Live at the Town & Country, London – March 1991
Monday, July 18th, 2005
I don’t trust one-man bands. I’m not talking about those guys with the kick drum on their back and cymbals between their knees. I’m talking about those sun-deprived looking guys who create entire musical manifestos in their basements. Call me old-fashioned, but I’ve always been a fan of the “band” – music created out of the chemistry of several individuals playing together rather than someone adding overdubs atop themselves ad nauseum. Not that that approach can’t yield great results, it just seems… less rock. And I also think it helps to have someone able to act as a bulwark against self-indulgence. There is great value in having someone around who is able to say, “dude, that sucks”.
So the eponymous debut album from Nottingham, UK’s unfortunately-named Amusement Parks On Fire is a pleasant surprise in that sense. Everything on the album was written and performed by one Michael Feerick, but instead of being over-laboured and collapsing under itself, it’s a cohesive, organic and gloriously dense work with big anthemic numbers interspersed with quieter, piano- or string-led interludes. The pacing can get somewhat predictable, but over the 43 minute running time, it’s acceptable. APoF is shoegaze in the same way that you can call M83 shoegaze – the sonic influences are unmistakable, but the songwriting trades the navel-gazing tendencies of their mid-90s forebears for a much more bombastic and aggressive style of writing. It can get melodramatic, yes, but what can you do. When it hits, it’s epic.
In the case of APOF, there’s the requisite huge sheets of guitar recalling My Bloody Valentine with just-enough space to allow vocals texturally reminiscent of Swervedriver’s Adam Franklin to creep through. Feerick combines this voice with an earnest, angsty delivery that imply the presence of more than a few American emo-rock records in the author’s collection. I’m willing to forgive the last point because at barely 20 years of age, Feerick no doubt still has issues to get out of his system. I expect better things from him in the future. The solo thing got him through the making of the record bue he’s since assembled a band for the purpose of translating it into live entity. The album was released in North America at the end of May and there was some select US touring to support, but nothing up this way as of yet. Maybe when he/they return for more touring in September/October (I believe they’re playing CMJ).
There’s a sample MP3 available from the good people at Filter, who are apparently a record label as well as a magazine. Check out some of the PR hype machine. They’re also running a contest for you to win APOF schwag. You can hear more audio at APoF’s MySpace page.
MP3: Amusement Parks On Fire – “Venus In Cancer”
A cute animated video for Bloc Party’s “Pioneers”. And by cute, I mean mildly nightmarish.
Supergrass enters their second decade with the release of Road To Rouen on August 30.
The official bio for The New Pornographers features a track-by-track breakdown of Twin Cinema courtesy of Carl Newman. Damn you, Docks. Damn you.
Check it out – got another quickie contest on the go. Anyone who wants to go see Jason Lowenstein, Neva Dinova and May Day at Lee’s Palace tomorrow night (show starts at 9pm, headliner at 10:50), shoot me an email. First five emails get two spots on the guest list, next five emails get rodent porn sent back to them. I’m not even going to make you answer a skill-testing question because, well, I haven’t had time to come up with one. But I’ve got another of these coming up in a couple days and that one you’re going to have to work for a little. But just a little.
np – Crooked Fingers / Dignity And Shame
Sunday, July 17th, 2005
Stirrings in the land of Spiritualized! Their website has been updated with Quicktime video footage of the band recording the follow-up to 2003’s disappointing Amazing Grace. Hopes that the next album will be a return to form are encouraged by the big organ sounds that start off the clip, but discouraged by the Les Paul-powered blues riffing heard throughout… Good intensity on those handclaps, though. Click on the Medication link to see for yourself.
The Hidden Cameras give Chart a look at what’s happening in their world over the next while, including their upcoming European tour, their new album Awoo which is due out next February or March and their new Learning To Lie 7″ EP which acts as a teaser for the new record.
So I spent the weekend in Niagara Falls for the second part of my brother’s stag. It was actually all quite PG, mainly just going to Buffalo for wings at The Anchor Bar and then back to the Canadian side for some quality time at the casino. I’d completely forgotten how to play blackjack since I was in Vegas last February so I just amused myself at the slots, not that losing $20 in just under five minutes can really be considered amusing. I was really too tired from being out late and drunk the past few nights so I mostly just hung out. Interesting observations about Niagara Falls, where I hadn’t been in some years. Apparently if you’re in a top-40 cover band and need a place to play, that’s the town for you. Every bar seemed to have its own combo playing proficient versions of the soundtrack to my college years. And the main drag is now almost as loud and tacky as the Strip in Vegas, though with more wax museums and without the swarms of people cramming flyers for strip clubs and hookers into your pockets.
I am beat. Such a long, exhausting weekend. Dinosaur Jr tonight? Not going to happen. Noooo way.
Saturday, July 16th, 2005
Or maybe not so almost. A couple of unidentified members of Broken Social Scene (or their entourage) spent their Central Park Summerstage show in New York City on Thursday in a jail for trying to buy some pot in Washington Square Park (as well as assaulting an officer?!?). Further info at BrooklynVegan and Central Village, and The Village Voice talks to the guy who got arrested alongside the BSSers for dealing the dope (note: may be satire!). The I Love Music peanut gallery provides commentary and scorn, as well as some more info on the identities of ther perps. Pop (All Love) is tracking the scandal. Man, what a tough week for the Scene – first accosted by giant red giraffes, and then by the NYPD.
Meanwhile, in non-felony related band news, MTV News talks to Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning about the typically dramatic making of Windsurfing Nation, out October 4. And Westender has a piece on Feist (via For The Records).
Apologies to Donewaiting, but here’s a couple more Sufjan Stevens links – one from The Onion AV Club and one from SF Weekly (Via Largehearted Boy). Hey, just being thorough.
Stream “Soul Meets Body”, the new Death Cab single, at their MySpace page. Plans is out August 20.
Billboard reports that Billy Bragg has pushed back the release of his remastered early albums and the corresponding box set till next year, citing lack of time to give them the attention they deserve. He has, however, promised a North American tour to support including next year’s SxSW. Like I needed another reason to go next year… And also, Billboard has news of an Elliott Smith tribute album in the works featuring The Decemberists, among others. Nice.
TV On The Radio will be opening for Franz Ferdinand on October 18 at the Ricoh Coliseum, and presumably their other North American tour dates. Tickets for the show will run $36 to $42 and are on sale August 20. Also, Embrace have cancelled all dates on their North American tour, including the July 26 show at Lee’s Palace. Via Torr.
Last night was part one of my brother’s bachelor party, and was mainly a big Texas Hold’Em tournament, something I’ve never played before. Naturally, I was the first one eliminated – if only I’d actually read the helpful links in all that comment spam I was getting a while back. Alas. Anyway, I am going out of town for the rest of today and won’t be back until sometime tomorrow. An update will happen, but it will likely be much later in the day than usual. FYI.
np – Spoon / Kill The Moonlight
Friday, July 15th, 2005
I’ve been absorbing Manchester’s Nine Black Alps in pretty much every format imaginable. First with their “Cosmopolitan”/”Over The Ocean” 7″ (which was sent to me as a promo), then their full-length UK debut Everything Is in MP3 format and their self-titled EP (which came out this past Tuesday and was also sent to me as a promo) which collects a couple of UK singles as their introduction to the US market before the album is released here in the Fall. On top of all that, I was offered the opportunity to see them make their Toronto debut at the El Mocambo last night. Yes, someone wants me to like Nine Black Alps. Did it work? Let’s find out.
Already rising stars in the UK (for whatever that’s worth), Nine Black Alps don’t really bring anything new to the table but thankfully for them, lack of originality never stopped anyone from being a rock & roll star. Named for a line from a Sylvia Plath poem, this recent Spin Band Of The Day trade in fairly generic though of-the-now-sounding garage/punk rock that stands out for its occasionally irresistable pop hooks and relatively sophisticated lyrics, overall reminiscent of a less ambitious Idlewild. This is especially evident in the single “Cosmopolitan”, which is a ragingly infectious rant against the titular fashion magazine and the damage it does to the female self-image. No, really. However, it’s telling that I enjoyed each of their releases in amounts inversely proportional to their length. The 7″ was great, the EP was alright but less impactful and the full-length definitely sports some filler. You can judge for yourself – the EP is currently the record du jour at Filter’s MySpace Booth – you can stream the whole thing there.
So how did the live show compare to the recorded versions? Wish I could tell you. Conventional wisdom dictates that the headlining act goes on last, right? Last night – not so. I showed up in time to catch some of one of the opening acts (Jack & Ginger), but since the ElMo isn’t air conditioned and was fifteen kinds of stifling, I went to take a walk outside for what I assumed would be the second opener. Couldn’t have been gone for more than 20 minutes or so, but when I got back, there was a band onstage playing what I could only describe as reasonably tight rock of an early-90s, Pacific Northwest persuasion. Sounded alright and kind of familiar, but since it was barely 10pm at this point, it couldn’t have possibly been the headliners. Well actually it could have, because it was. Yeah. I caught maybe three songs of their set before they packed it in but I didn’t realize I’d missed them until the final band came on and they most definitely were not from Manchester (nor, I determined after one song, anything I needed to hear more of)… So yeah, this was their first North American date. I hope it went well, ’cause I certainly didn’t catch it. I hope the rest of their dates go better, though. Who puts the headliner in the middle slot? I mean really. Whoever organized this dropped the ball – if I’d paid for a ticket, I’d be cheesed. Obviously, no pictures.
But I can offer some impressions based on what I did see – I can say that while I don’t get the Nirvana comparisons that I’ve seen in record reviews, it does come across live. They are channelling the Grunge with a capital G, which I find a little disappointing. Not mad for that sound. I still think that they’ve got potential, but whether or not they realize it in a way that I like remains to be seen.
And while on the topic of British buzz bands, in a coincidental sort of corrolary to Wednesday’s post, Stylus has an essay on BritPop’s evolution into what would become known as “indie” in the UK, using Placebo, Catatonia and Belle & Sebastian as case studies/cautionary tales.
Lucinda Williams will be at Massey Hall on October 3. From what I’m hearing, October is going to be a great month for shows – hopefully it will make up for all the stuff I’m missing in September.
From the ‘Fork – some details on the next release from Grandaddy, the eight-track (as in eight songs, not the archaic audio media, though I wouldn’t put it past Grandaddy to do that) Excerpts From the Diary of Todd Zilla EP. Due out sometime in the future.
Billboard has the full tracklisting for the seventh volume of Bob Dylan’s Bootleg Series, out August 30. Once again, an amazing trove of classic stuff.
Know what’s fun? Riding your bike home in the rain and catching the front tire in a streetcar track and totally wiping out. That’s fun. But that’s okay, I didn’t need that skin on my elbow anyway. I’m generally sore all over and you should see the bruise on my thigh – truly a regal shade of purple. Majestic, even. On the plus side, however, the spill seems to have sorted out some issues I was having with my gears. It shifts like a dream now. Go figure.
np – Trespassers William / Different Stars
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