HANDS ON FIRE // O'DEATH @ Modified Arts

Noah And The Whale: The 2008 Album of Love

Yes, the "Love" Album of the year has arrived (actually has been around now for 3 months....whoops!).

The album in discussion, of course, is the debut album from English folk-rockers Noah and the Whale, entitled "Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down". I've been meaning to share my opinions on this album for awhile, but had not easily gotten around to it; to be honest, I could barely stop listening to it to actually begin writing about it. And whenever I thought of what I would write, I thought "I couldn't possibly explain it the right way!"....But I'm going to try.

In a quick summary to end the suspense: Yes, this is one of the best new bands I've heard all year, and this is a HELL of a debut album to put out. It is folksy, dramatic, optimistic, poppy, sad, and soul-wrenching (yes, its a phrase). And all of this on top of the fact that it's hard enough these days to write a heartfelt album about love without it sounding like a bad Hallmark card with chords.
To put it very bluntly: in a way, this album has single-handedly raised my standards for folk rock for the future. (Yeah, they seem like strong words, but I told you I couldn't easily explain it the right way)

There are seriously lyrics in here that no one could possibly say they feel nothing for, as well as lyrics that can't help but make you smile every time. The vocals are nothing astonishing; singer Charlie Fink barely breaks into second octave throughout the album. But the words make Fink's voice unbearably addicting, and you find yourself listening to everything he has to say, or what words he'll rhyme with the next. The music is relatively simple, each track usually sticking to 3-4 chords. But the combination of humble acoustic guitar, intriguing fiddle, and modest amount of bass and drums make you evermore aware of the words over the music; They blend together brilliantly. There are a few times where the music is a little too slow, I'll admit, and the lyrics aren't quite up to par, but I can honestly say that there isn't one single "bad" song on this entire album (the first time I have said that in a VERY long time, I assure you...). As always, there are a few tracks that top the others. My personal favorite has to be the ominously optimistic "Give A Little Love", whose chorus lyrics should be in the ultimate list of quotes (or some Chinese Proverbial handbook, at least). Right up next to it are the tracks "5 Years Time", "Rocks & Daggers", and the title track "Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down".

So if you're into folk, slow rock, indie, pop rock, acoustic rock, or any weird combination, do yourself a favor and buy Noah and the Whale's debut album as soon as possible.

Listen through the album in its entirety, and I dare you to not listen to it again.

Minus the Bear/Annuals/27: One Concert Goer's Experience 11/13

Assignments like this are always tough. I knew Vince would be writing the review for this show, so I made it my mission to put myself into the mindset of an actual fan and music enthusiast in an effort to tell your story, which too often goes untold.

I began the night by scanning the crowd. Previous to arriving at the Marquee, I spent some time pondering on the type of crowd I might find at a Minus the Bear show but I came up with no ideas. I knew the night was going to completely blow me away with surprise.

Okay, so maybe it wasn't that shocking of an evening, but I'll run down the list of mildly interesting (or at least mentionable) people I encountered on Thursday night.

• A girl in a Pokemon shirt wearing denim short shorts
• A man in an Arizona Cardinals shirt
• A man cheering for Minus the Bear while Annuals were playing until he realized that they weren't Minus the Bear. He did however look relieved once he figured out why he didn't know any of the words
• Lastly, was the shirtless guy sagging his boardshorts. And as the night went on, at least three others appeared, and when Minus the Bear came on, man, they went nuts.

In fact, these guys deserve an entire paragraph. Not to berate anyone, but this group did not seem (to me) to be the type of hardcore Minus the Bear fans I would expect. But they knew every word, and they really wanted everyone around them to know this. Even though it's not really mosh pit music, they managed to get a small circle pit going to the right (that's stage left) of the stage. and as they sweat all over me and everyone else around them a revolving cast of friends(??) and couples came to makeout or dance briefly in the middle of everything. Any of these things on their own might not seem so strange, and as I'm writing this, it sounds like a fairly normal occurrence at any concert, but trust me, it was strange.

Fans love talking to people in bands! But the headliner is rarely out at their merch booth, so in true fan fashion, that is, without an audio recorder, I chatted up Ms. Christopher of the opening band, 27 for a few brief moments before Minus the Bear went on. When asked about the tour, she told me that this was their last night. She said that they got along great like family with Annuals and Minus the Bear and that leaving was going to be very difficult. She also told me that they are working on another album and that it may be available sometime after the snow melts in Cambridge, their home town. Check for updates from 27 here and here.

After speaking with 27 I remembered the girl selling cigarettes by the patio, and in an effort to really delve deep into the psyche of the Minus the Bear crowd I wanted to see how much they smoke. "About half as much as at Mudvayne," is the response I got.

Finally, no fan night would be complete without a blurry cell phone photo of the headliner (included above). So there you have it, in full and living color, my night as a fan.

Mission Accomplished.

Maggie is Thoroughly Offended: Deerhoof/Experimental Dental School/Kit @ The Clubhouse 11/13

Great, great show. I can safely say it lived up to expectations. 

San Francisco no-fi act Kit kicked things off in mere seconds, gravitating around a drum set on the floor near stage right. The thing was a-shambles, cracked ride cymbal and all, and after a humble introduction, "We like you, Tempe!," its cause of damage became clear. Guitar and bass screeching triumphantly into cacaphony collided with charismatic yelping, as the drummer--the glue holding this volatile outfit together--proficiently beat the shit out of his set. One could easily combat this formula with raised eyebrows and the declaration "not music, just noise," but undeniable wasthow wonderfully alive the group felt in all its screaming glory. I imagined this as being vaguely how Deerhoof sounded, circa mid-90s. 

By this point, a sizeable crowd had gathered around the half-circle surrounding Kit's set as Portlanders (Portlandites? Portlandians?) Experimental Dental School diverted their attention to the stage proper. Apparently a former four-piece who has opened for Deerhoof on previous tours, XDS in their current incarnation are a drummer and guitarist with alternating vocal duties. Sounding like a cross between Blonde Redhead's harsh guitar chimes and Beefheart-esque herky-jerk, the experimental dentists played a set full of mathy hooks. Fun stuff, and a really solid opening act overall. 

At last, Deerhoof assumed the stage, completely living up to the hype. I had heard great things about their live show for years but had always missed a shot at the live experience. The 'hoof have perfected an impeccably tight instrumental setup over which vocalist/bassist Satomi's shrill voice hovered. Each song, the majority of which came from this year's Offend Maggie ("The Tears of Music and Love," "Snoopy Waves," "Buck and Judy," etc.) faithfully matched its counterpart on-record, with added amounts of the mischief, fury, and fun that define them. Other highlights included one from Apple O' (I am terrible with that album's track titles), the singles "The Perfect Me" and "+81" from last year's Friend Opportunity, "Twin Killers," and of course, the closer "Wrong Time Capsule." 

The brief encore was a performance of Offend Maggie's "Bastketball Get Your Groove Back," in which Satomi paraded around the stage wielding a tiger mask. Quite possibly the most gleeful encore I've seen since witnessing Dinosaur Jr. unintentionally blow a stacked amp.

Minus the Bear/Annuals/27 @ The Marquee 11/13/2008

27 started slow but ended strong. It was their last night with Minus the Bear and it was obviously a bit of a sad situation for all of the bands. It ended up creating a nice dynamic though, between the shots from one band to another and Minus the Bear's bassist and drummer jumping in to jam with 27, there was plenty of fun to go around, and that's just for the opener. Most of the best songs this band played were when MTB's drummer and bassist were joining them, mostly because it really helped fill out the sound. Good band though they were, there's only so much you can do as a three piece, so the extra players added an extra level that pushed the performance to great.

Annuals were next up, and I will make the argument that they upstaged MTB at this show. Certainly, being a six piece band stocked up with male and female vocals, several guitarists and pianists makes for a fair amount of energy and fullness of sound intrinsically, but this band brought even more energy to the stage than what was intrinsically there. Especially when MTB's drummer came out and made it a 7 piece act. Some songs were great, and most were mediocre, but the performance itself stands out more than MTB's without a doubt.

Minus the Bear were of course the headliners, and I'm tempted to review the audience instead of the band here. The reason is as follows: last year, I remember when people would come up to me, trying to tell me about this amazing new band called Minus the Bear that had just put out an album called Planet of Ice. It was rumored to be one of the albums of the year. But here's the thing...it was a mediocre album. I struggle to even call it a Minus the Bear album, just because the sound changed pretty significantly...moving from fun, dancy indie rock, to overly serious college rock. But the problem with this show was that the people in attendance were the same people who thought it was an amazing album. The band seemed to be aware of this beforehand, because they played almost entirely new songs. The couple old songs (and by old, I'm not even sure there was anything from Highly Refined Pirates in the set) they played had about 70% of the audience flat on their feet. Thank god, that would have ruined the band for me...I can deal with the fact that they now appeal to soulless drunks, but if those "fans" had delved into their back catalog where there actually was some amazing music, I would have been very sad. To sum this review up: thank god I saw these guys back in 2004.

Pale Young Gentleman "Black Forest (Tra La La)"

Pale Young Gentlemen's sophomore album "Black Forest (Tra La La)" can be described a lot of ways, but trust me: "pulse-beating" isn't one of them. Not only have they strayed pretty far from their debut self-titled album, but it seems they have created a fair blend of trends going on through the indie scene right now (and put it into a lullaby soundtrack).

I'll say this once, but this is going to be it: I really enjoyed this album this first time I listened to it. It was new, creative, interesting, enjoyable. But after a few listens, it grew a little dull. There are definitely songs on here that caught my attention immediately (and still have it). Arguably, the best song on here is the opener "Coal/Ivory". It's folksy (a common theme throughout the album), and has simple guitar, simple drums, and some flavorful string riffs. The words are good, and the vocals are decent.
Again, a common theme for this record. The bands undoubtably spent far more time on the strings than on vocal training. The second track "I Wasn't Worried" is also great musically, but definitely lacking vocally/lyrically.

The music is good throughout the entire album, yes. But amazing? Sorry, but no. "Goldenface, Morninglight" is very slow, not as musically engaging as the first 2 tracks, and at times, sounds like an overdramatic movie score. "The Crook of My Good Arm" is a very good song; it is much different than the others, faster-paced, and the vocals are good (for a nice change). The album continues in this "I like it!" to "Please change to the next song, I'm falling asleep" pattern until its end with the creepy lullaby of "She's All Mine, I Think".

Yes, it sounds like I haven't made up my mind about this album. But it's made up, I assure you. I'm contradicting myself between songs because that is EXACTLY what this album is: a contradiction of musical talent from track to track. There is great potential in Pale Young Gentlemen to hone their knack for quivering strings and humble storytelling, (maybe one day to stand side-to-side with the likes of Arcade Fire), but "Black Forest (Tra La La)" isn't there yet. There are great tracks in there, yes, but it's just not entirely whole as the album it should be. I recommend the purchase if you enjoy slower, very (sometimes too) thoughtful lyrics, and creative string infusions. Definitely recommend purchasing the singles "Coal/Ivory" and "I Wasn't Worried". Seriously, they're good songs.

But if you're looking for the next big indie orchestra, wait another few albums. Because I'm sure they'll be there.
This just isn't it...

Iced Earth/Early Man/Vektor/Malnurture @ The Marquee 11/7/2008

Malnuture were the openers, and one of two local bands opening the show. They played a style quite similar to Iced Earth with some screaming and even growling over a more traditional heavy metal backdrop. Though they lacked the polish of a more seasoned band, but some seeds of good music existed there and without doubt if they keep playing they will have a nice sound. Mixing wasn't awful but one thing that drove me crazy was that the backup vocals were louder than the lead vocals...never something that should happen.

Vektor was the stronger of the local bands, and in fact the energy the crowd had when they were playing rivaled Early Man, a band actually on the tour. Vocals were definitely lacking, but I think the band was aware...they played predominately instrumental music with vocals only mixed in every now and then. All the musicians were very talented, I was debating buying a CD, but opted not to because I felt they too had not quite defined their sound. One sad note was that they announced this show was their bassist's last show...which was sad because dude held a mean groove.

Early Man sort of fell flat for a band on tour with Iced Earth. Which is not to say they were bad. They were quite enjoyable and definitely had that polished sound the local openers lacked. But much as their Thrash-y style appealed to me (especially with the clean vocals at time reminding me of Rush with their high pitch), there was something missing. Maybe it was just the first night and they weren't on their game yet.

Iced Earth, on the other hand, was definitely on their game. Though not a band particularly engrossed in stage antics, they still manage to be energetic and draw the crowd in (which was helpfully full of very loyal fans). Additionally their music plays very well live. Though my favorite songs were those with which I was already familiar, I enjoyed the rest of the set too. While many bands can be boring live if you are unfamiliar with their music, Iced Earth is not one of those bands. The music was not executed on the same sublime level as a band like Opeth, but these guys definitely know what they're doing.

Meaghan Smith, The Whispertown 2000

Meaghan Smith - The Cricket's Quartet
Jazzy, folksy, playful and fun...I adore this album start to finish. There are only four songs [I Know, A Little Love, If You Asked Me, Drifted Apart] and all are strong and memorable. The songs give you a rush of nostalgia, sending you back to a simpler time with full orchestras backing charismatic singers. The music is classic sounding, mixed with quirky little details that modernize it. I've found a new favorite artist!


The Whispertown 2000 - Swim:
A little folksy again, but...this isn't really my style. I don't like the singing, it's too whiny sounding for my taste. I'll be honest...I'm not into the whole singing like a 7-year-old thing. I like the music, it's unfortunate that their style of singing offsets it so poorly. I could appreciate tracks 3 and 6. Tracks 5 and 11 weren't completely objectionable. I found myself wishing the album would end soon, with no desire to listen to it in its entirety ever again.

Danzig/Dimmu Borgir/Moonspell/Winds of Plague/Skeletonwitch @ The Marquee 11/3/2008

Today we are going to recount one of the worst concert experiences of my life.

To begin with, I did not see the first two bands (out of five), not because I was late as usual...I was actually on time for once. No, I did not see the first two bands because I spent an hour or more in the security line, waiting to get inside. Apparently cameras were grounds for automatic ejection (not using them, just bringing them in), and taking your cellphone out in the auditorium would, again, be grounds for automatic ejection. We were scanned with a metal detector. I felt like I was at the airport.

Moonspell was the first band I caught. For whatever reason, I had thought these guys were Gothic Metal, so needless to say I was surprised by the end of the first song. At first I really disliked the vocalist, but he grew on me and by the end of their (short) set I thought it fit quite well. The big disappointment for these guys though was that almost all of the keys were tracked. If you can't play the music live, don't record it on CD that way. I understand if you lsoe a member or something, but otherwise, stick to what is playable live...tracking just isn't the same.

Dimmu Borgir was really the only band I went to see. It was disappointing. I suppose part of the disappointment was the fact that they played 1 old-ish song and only 1 other song not from their latest album (I believe). But in hindsight, maybe that is for the best seeing how they ruined Stormblast in their new take on it. Vortex is great though...but every time he sang I couldn't help hearing Arcturus in my head (RIP). Besides the set list though, I can't really complain about the show...the musicians are solid and even if they are nowhere near Black Metal anymore (not that they were ever close to begin with), the corpse paint is still fun.

But this brings me to the ruiner of the show for me. That is the audience. Maybe I'm just some elitist prick, but man I just cannot stand MTV metal fans who think they are so tough being at a "Black Metal" show. I think the internet has also ruined music just a little bit, because whereas before when a band got big later in their career, you could distinguish "real" fans of the band by talking about older obscure out of print stuff. Nowadays when a band gets on MTV the kids just download their entire discography and all of a sudden they can pass for a real fan. Disgusting. This show was filled with so many un-elite metal fans you could actually smell it, and it was very unpleasant. At least when a show like Opeth is packed, it's full of real fans. Here, I could have picked out maybe a dozen guys I would have thought were into the band just 5 years ago, and here's a hint, they were the ones over 15 who weren't there for Danzig.

Danzig was the closer, by the way. His show was alright and everything, but the music was super boring. I was tired, so I left after a few songs. Misfits, he is not. Bad move leaving, on his part...he can't seem to write good music since.

Coheed and Cambria/Cartel/The Stiletto Formal @ Gammage Auditorium 11/2/2008

Let me preface this review by stating that any ire present in this review is not directed at the organizers of this event...they did a fantastic job in my opinion. The ire would be directed primarily at the students. Also no small amount of ire is directed towards the sound guys at a professional venue like Gammage who still cannot mix live music worth a damn. I swear I am so close to no longer attending shows with all of the terrible live mixes I've been experiencing lately.

Although not part of the concert, I feel obliged to mention the fair prior to the show, primarily because there was free Hungry Howie's and Naked Juice and Powerade, which in my opinion makes the fair completely awesome and successful.

The Stiletto Formal were great. Musically, they were not what I remembered, either from an evolution in sound over the last couple years, or a bad memory on my part. I won't say it was a bad change...just a bit disappointing in that it was a lot more towards the trendy experimental indie rock than I remember it being. That being said, they rivaled Coheed and Cambria in terms of on-stage energy and drew the audience in pretty well for an opener.

Cartel were mediocre. I've had at least one of their CDs on my computer for years and never gotten into it so that was expected, but a bit of a let down after Stiletto Formal. It also didn't help that they didn't seem to find their on stage energy until about midway through their set (after a cover of Oasis' Wonderwall, interestingly). They also very shortly broke into Freebird when someone yelled it. Their new music seemed extra uninspired which was too bad...the old stuff (that I have) was much more energetic and enjoyable live.

Coheed and Cambria played only 2 songs from their latest album, a good choice in setlists on their part. In fact, barring the 2 songs from the latest release (which I felt was subpar), the set list was about as good as they could make it...every song I love was in it I think. Their decision to keep the singles till towards the end was interesting, and no small number of students ended up leaving before they even got to them...hooray for ASU student apathy. They started off the set with In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth, one of my favorite songs by them, if not the single favorite. Excellent opener. Then after a foray throughout their catalog they closed with The Final Cut...in the best way possible. Between voice modulated guitar solos, guitar solos played with teeth, and an instrument played by waving your hand in the air, this song had everything. Then after all of that, there were short solos by the keyboardist (who is nothing special) and the bassist (who lightened my criticism of him during his tasteful solo), and finally an epic Chris Pennie solo. Throughout the show, I found myself thinking "Chris Pennie is totally wasted in this band" about every five minutes (Chris Pennie is the ex-drummer for Dillinger Escape Plan). When they started The Final Cut though, I knew I was in for something special...his groove was phenomenal from the outset. Then, after an amazing ten minute drum solo, the entire band rejoined him on stage to finish the song that you had forgotten they never got around to finishing. The one criticism I will give for the performance is that the stage setup was very minimalist, yet since i last saw them they added a keyboardist, two female backup singers, and replaced the drummer and bassist. Yet for all of that, I thought the music did not sound any better this time around, drum solo aside. It seems to me they should spend their money on interesting banners and videos and dump the lackluster vocalists and keyboardist.