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.

Lenka

Lenka - Let's break it down song by song! Raw reaction:

1. The Show - Adorable, catchy, confusing but I feel like I SHOULD be able to relate, makes me want to go play on a carousel and a swing-set.
2. Bring me Down - Starts off sounding like a 1950s girl band/Imogen Heap - Hide And Seek…then turns into a Disney song. There are parts I like, but the music just doesn't seem to fit what she's saying.
3. Skipalong - This song makes me sleepy. It also reminds me of the Spice Girls whenever she harmonizes.
4. Don't Let Me Fall - I like this, the music is a lot simpler than the last few songs. It also doesn't have the weird juxtaposition of sounding happy and really being sad that she uses a lot.
5. Anything I'm Not - Pretty, melancholy, the words fit the melody well! And then it picks up a little...and we're back to relatively peppy sounds with somewhat existential lyrics.
6. Knock Knock - This song sounds like the opening to a children's show. A children's show about family ties and dealing with being different. A show that only very sensitive children would watch, hosted on PBS.
7. Dangerous And Sweet - I have no reaction to this song, other than the urge to skip it. It's of medium/med-slow tempo. There is maybe one key change. MAYBE. I couldn't concentrate on it. It's very repetitive.
8. Trouble Is A Friend - Have you ever played the Nintendo DS game WarioWare? The song is eerily similar to the theme song of one of the characters, Ashley. It's spooky and dark, but cutesy.
9. Live Like You're Dying - Oooh, melancholy! Depressing lyrics! Existential! Aaaand the melody starts to pick up. And she tells us there's hope. I'm beginning to sense a definite formula here. This song makes me lose interest fast.
10. Like A Song - My goodness. My oh my. Sorry, but this song has the same tempo and is written in the same key as the bewitching song in 1993 children's classic movie Hocus Pocus. Fortunately for Lenka, it's BEAUTIFUL. I adore this song.
11. We Will Not Grow Old - This is not the song I would have ended on. It sounds a lot like the other songs. It's nice that the lyrics seem pretty happy and the music is happy...but track 10 still seems like a better choice to end on. This sounds like the finale in a musical. Not necessarily what I'm looking for in an album.

It's like she only has one emotion, and that emotion is "cute." Now, I'm well aware that cute isn't exactly an emotion…but I don't think Lenka knows that. So I suggest giving tracks 1, 3 [kinda], 4, and 10 a good listen. The rest are only so-so.

CMJ: Vince's Wrap Up (now featuring photography by me)

Another blitz through everything that happened...

The metal panels were a mix of good and bad. The panelists were knowledgeable and experienced, and had good things to say, but I felt like they didn't really cover much of the topics I really wish they had. I would have loved to hear what the next big band predictions were. I would have loved to hear from metal radio guys who didn't work for stations already established when they came in. I got a lot out of them though.

Then the Heavy Hitter showcase:
Unholy was pretty generic. I stepped out and talked to other metal directors.

Catalepsy was alright as background music, I still stayed at the back of the venue talking.

See You Next Tuesday was actually sounding pretty good, but just as I started really paying a attention, a fight broke out, the band jumped in, and the set was over after about 2 songs. Hardcore kids are awesome.

Arsonists Get All the Girls were actually pretty fun for a Deathcore band.

Next was a cover band composed of folks from Relapse, Heavy Hitter, Metal Blade, and Tucson's station. It was a lot of fun, and way better than anyone expected, including the band themselves...who had never rehearsed together. Below is (left to right) Chris from Tucson (vocals), Vince from Metal Blade (drums), and Dave from Relapse (bass).


Closing was Iwrestledabearonce, and they were a lot of fun. I can appreciate grindy bands with electronica influences.

Saturday I got up and went to Central Park (see first picture), then explored Times Square, Chinatown, and various other places before hitting up the Syndicate showcase.

My Mortality were alright. Generic Hard Rock, but where in metal that sucks, in hard rock it's fun.

Warship were ok. Forgettable.

God Forbid was disappointing. Not to say they were bad, they were just talked up so much the show was a bit disappointing. Pic below.



Darkest Hour were about as good as I expected. Not my favorite band, but they do alright live. The mic was broken for like 3 songs before they decided to replace it though, which was silly (I blame the venue for that though).

Sunday I woke up ungodly early to come back to Arizona.

CMJ Update 1B... Owen's fevered rant

So I was hesitant to post anything until I have some of these digital photos developed, but seeing as how I can't get the film out and I'm fresh out of fixer, so it's back to plan B: stealing from someone else's flikr feed!

(picture to come)

Or perhaps not.

So this is Friday night, day four of the Marathon, and I'm a bit overstimulated. Vince and I are in a hostel next to Astor Plaza full of Europeans, especially Swedes. Hmmm... Perhaps I should begin at the beginning:

On Wednesday we got our passes and enjoyed an okayish panel on the future of Hi Fi audio. The generational gap was palpable - it palpated all over iPods, MP3s, and all sorts of other handy musical technologisms that define our youth culture. They did an interesting demo of a Rush song in varying degrees of fidelity/speaker quality. Again... palpable. Though it seemed like an ignorance is bliss kind of thing, to be honest. The immersive experience of music listening, or "faithfulness to the source" as the panelists described it seems less than fully relevant in today's musical environment. With sample and computer based music on the rise, it begs the meaning of the "source" being reproduced. As Vince noted, the Sony guy was very passionate, waxing nostalgic about growing up with music as his religion and lamenting that people download music and steal food from the mouths of babies. I apologize if I'm coming off as cynical. It's a moot point anyway, since I don't have enough bread (as one panelist put it) to get even a low-end hifi system.

So that's one panel covered. Stay tuned for more updates from the road!