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Heidi, Laura and I enjoyed ourselves some bible belt rock and a little "safe indie pop"* last night at T. T. the Bear's up in Cambridge. The venue was acoustically claustrophobic, resembling what might happen if you got stuffed in a tin can and rattled around with a good helping of sonic mush. No one could understand the lyrics and my ears are still ringing.
But those Ha Ha Tonka boys from the Ozarks can do some pretty sweet close harmonies. "Hangman" off their latest album Buckle the Bible Belt was the best song of the evening--guitars switched off and the baritone rumbling out under the high parts on top. Mmmm...That was good. And we all identify with "Twelve Inch, Three Speed Oscillator Fan" these days.
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin--who beat out Clap Your Hands Say Yeah for the world's longest band name award--was also a lot of fun, even if a crowd of women showed up from no where to block our view when the band took the stage.
The Boris Yeltsin group played some musical round robin. The drummer played lead guitar and vocals, the frontman took the bass, the bassist can also play the drums. Not every band can switch it up like that. Can you imagine Ringo doing Hey Jude? *shudders* Their drummer was also a lot cuter than Ringo: he looked like a smiley, sheepish hobbit who somehow wandered into a band and never went back.
*Laura's words
..so Tuesday's night excursion to Somerville to see Colin Meloy was a smashing success. Colin has got to be one of my favorite performers, as evidenced by my ever-accumulating stack of ticket stubs bearing his name/his band's name.
His sense of humor and delivery is just so dry and understated that he could say anything and it would be funny.
The Somerville Theatre shares music/performance space with a movie theater. To start off the show, Colin informed us that this was not the 8:30 showing of Juno and if we were hoping to see that film we ought to leave now. To console us, however, he sang Wonder, a song about being "Knocked Up." (Or rather, a song about the mysteriousness of conception, of getting "three from two." Very beautiful.)
In true Colin style, he relied on the audience to participate in re-creating classic Decemberist songs. Obviously, he just had an acoustic guitar and needed some help. So the audience "sang" lead guitar on "Perfect Crime" (The Crane Wife).
The audience's level of talent fluctuated wildly. While mustering the melodic ability to hack out the lead guitar on Perfect Crime, the audience failed miserably to clap/snap their fingers in any sort of rhythmic time to another song, whose name I don't remember as I was laughing too hard at the time to pay attention. But at one point, Colin stopped, got us back on time and then....once we had established a steady beat...started off "I've got the horse right here, his name is Paul Revere, and here's a guy says the weather's clear, can do, can do, this guy says the horse can do...." and then returned to said song that I can't remember.
Brilliant.
Other features of the night included a Sam Cooke cover. It is tradition for Colin to cover an artist and he choose Cooke for this solo tour because, according to Colin, Sam Cooke was less Anglo than Colin's previous choices.
And of course, old favorites from the archives: California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade and The Apology Song (a song Colin wrote to apologize for letting a bike committed to his care get stolen. The bike's name was Madeline.)
We were also treated to a new song in the works. Part One is about a boy (named Avery?) who is being sent off to the dangerous mines by a tearful mother. Part Two is about the funeral procession for a boy (named Davey?).
We are left wondering if Part Two is a logical progression from Part One, but the song was nice.
The concert closed with a Cautionary Tale, which might be a nice Mother's Day song if it wasn't so tragic. But a good reminder to be thankful for "all your mother does."
And of course, one can't forget the encore. After Of Angels and Angles, Colin managed to pull off the entire Mariner's Revenge Song. Lacking his female vocalists, the chorus was re-enacted by a very enthusiastic falsetto audience.
Rumors are flying about a new Radiohead album called In Rainbows. Supposedly you can pre-order it here, although other rumors say this is all just a hoax. I wish we could write Thom and Jonny and find out for sure, but wishful thinking has me hoping it's true. EDIT: Even the CBC is chasing rainbows.
Also, catch NPR's airing of Animal Collective. Their concerts resemble the traditional bride: something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. Strawberry Jam is the latest album, now available on itunes for those inclined to download.
Funny how fashions change. Here in 1937 Benny Goodman wears pants up to his armpits. Recent trends require that trousers come no higher than the knees.
But no matter. Benny Goodman still plays some crazy awesome music.....
Sing, Sing, Sing. Marvel at Harry James' chops.
Handicap ramp.
The album this string ensemble put out a few years ago reminds me of Tim Burton, Edward Gorey, and Hector Berlioz rolled into one.
You should at least head over to itunes and listen to the sound clips of Danse Macabre by Two Star Symphony. Or you can try their myspace page. If you like the dark, absurd, and fantastically humoresque, you will find this ensemble intriguing.
The Shins have done it again. The videos and visuals for the latest album are highly disturbing, but the music resonates in all that Shinsy goodness.
Meg White wears a beret! Also demonstrating that Meg White is my alter-ego is the fact that I, too, have a black coat and long straight hair. My true calling in life must be to wear red, black, and white.
Stumbled across Impossible Shapes, a band from Indiana. If you like mellow indie pop, I'd suggest taking a listen. The band appears to be into Egyptology and the Orient...
I must admit that this video makes me a tad queasy, but fun, fun, fun, nonetheless. Ashley Rattner gave me the tip-off on this band, but after some investigation, I realized they were on the Polyvinyl Label, with the likes of Architecture in Helsinki and Of Montreal. Good company.
EDIT: Ashley and I were having a debate over whether this guy is playing a uke or not (1:42). Ashley claims there are six strings, making the instrument a guitar, but I feel that since there appear to be only four tuning knobs, this instrument is a ukulele. Opinions?
Apparently I am not the only one who felt that every singer-songwriter goes by Ben these days. Thanks to Happy Frappy for giving me the scoop on an EP whose main claim to fame is the name.
Please, however, do not confuse this album with anything released by Radiohead...
The clarinet is so sexy.
Sarah Harmer: Around This Corner
If you like French and children's songs and salamanders, listen to Salamandre (you will have to click "Play Mp3" when you arrive). Sarah Harmer wrote this song as part of her I Love the Escarpment project. Since I lived next to the Niagara Escarpment for two years, I enjoyed the song. Yes, I am feeling nostalgic for Ontario.
I am so on a White Stripes craze right now, thanks to Icky Thump coming to me in the mail this afternoon. Their peppermint Goth aesthetic never fails to arrest my eye. The title song surprised me with a pointed message regarding immigration, although the lyrics are still obscure enough to let the fan base have the fun of hashing out the meaning. The buzz word for this album is "epic" and I think that, with the addition of a bagpipe and winding, extended solos, the description is apt. "Unsettling" might also apply here, because Jack White's playing with some insane time signatures. I might write more when I have listened more. For now I leave with one question that always puzzles me about the White Stripes: what's it like working with your ex?
Also, something is wrong with my computer speakers. A ringing buzz adds a lot to garage rock like the White Stripes but my Bach suffers (dare I say that I have Bach pain??). I am going to have to get this fixed.
I was looking through the list of concerts scheduled for the Denver area this summer. ZZ Top, Bob Dylan, Genesis, Jethro Tull, Loudon Wainwright III--I'm sensing a trend....
My family is going camping this week to escape the perils of re-doing wood floors. But we camped just outside of Denver last night so that I could attend the Animal Collective concert. I have to say chatting with the fans was almost as interesting as the concert. My dad's bluetooth/cellphone technology is getting me on the internet, but the connection is rather slow. So stay tuned for some juicy and excited words about last night.
I didn't want to use my flash, so this was the best I could do...I was sitting with my elbows on the stage...
Geologist and Avey Tare
Panda Bear
Bjork and Melt Banana are both coming to Denver in the near future. Sadly I decided to skip out on both because of $$. Fifty dollars per concert? Hmm. Who would I pay $50 to see? (I even neglected to see Ravi Shankar for this sum when he came to Toronto. Am I Philistine?)
I've got it. I would go see the Beatles. Mostly because this would entail a resurrection or time travel, both of which are probably worth about 50 bucks in my book...
I swear that Lee wore that exact same* plaid shirt when I saw Sonic Youth in concert last summer. I realize that this is probably from the same tour, and maybe that shirt is his uniform, but either 1) that shirt needs a washing in a bad way or 2) Lee's entire wardrobe consists of plaid shirts. That would me happy. It would be like Mr. Rogers, except without the cardigans.
*Click on the video once you are on the main site.
Apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks Lee's wardrobe is predictable.
I have finally found my state anthem, Grizzly Bear's Colorado.
Jeannette was talking about Wide Open Spaces earlier, and someone mentioned the West....which except for the occasional mountain is one wide open space. I think this song does a much better job than the Dixie Chicks in tone-painting the sky that stretches for ever and ever into eternity, amen.
And so I am not the only one who thinks they sound like Animal Collective's kid brother.
I have to say that Matt Friedberger is just as laid back and mild-mannered in person as he is in this interview (at least as far as ten minutes conversation post-concert could tell me--so good to relive that brief encounter by watching this video). My favorite moment in the interview is when the pair remonstrate the interviewer for his language. And the account of sounding like a good guitar player rather than being a good guitar player not only reinforces the "caring to have the fun of not caring" image Matt projects here, but also makes him look cheekily witty. Or else perhaps he means that he makes the music but doesn't make grandiose claims regarding his abilities, a distancing and safe-guarding statement.
I love that Eleanor says that she thinks about Bob Dylan as an influence on her singing. Her and Nico.
Just for fun:
Panda Bear (of Animal Collective). His single Bros.
In other news, Suite101 has allowed contributing writers to publish to other sections and not just the writer's own space. I often feel hesitant to advertise what I write because I sometimes hate reading my own writing, but after reading the contributing article, I feel a lot more self-confident in my style. Okay so that was self-aggrandizing, but where else can I say such things except on my blog?
I will admit my experience with hip-hop is rather limited, but this is the first song I've ever heard that deals with post-abortion regret (from a male perspective). The style reminds me of Mos Def, but without as much scratching. EDIT: Actually, I take that back. The band is kind of all over the musical map, some rock, some rap, some pop, depending on which song you listen to.
Flipsyde has toured with Snoop Dogg and Black Eyed Peas. Their single "Someday" was the theme song for the 2006 Winter Olympics.
I am still trying to decide whether I like this group. But this song definitely caught my attention. So unapologetically pro-life.
Here is their "title" song:
I have listened to the first half of the White Album countless times and yet hardly ever to the second half. I think this is a mistake. The problem is that by the time I finish the first half I am not really in the mood to continue on. But today I just skipped the first disc. I wanted to make an argument comparing the Beatles to the Velvet Underground* and needed a refresher listen to Lennon's collaboration with Yoko Ono, Revolution 9. And then I just kept going with the rest of the disc. I feel as if I just got myself a free bonus album.
After all, everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkey...
*I am looking at the introduction of distortion within "art rock" and looking at its origins....could it be an infusion of avant-garde timbral experimentation? Or from the blues background (which values timbral complexity over "smoothness") of rock itself? Quite possibly a combination.
It is interesting to me to listen to Sgt. Pepper back-to-back with the second half of the White Album....one is so crisp and clean and "pretty" (even the psychedelia is "logical") and the other so disruptive and distorted (comparatively speaking).
So, in order not to let Evan be cooler than me, I bought M. Ward's Transfiguration of Vincent and soaked it all in today. Then I discovered this on M. Ward's website:
M. Ward's North American Tour:
Saturday Jan 27 Mod Club Theatre (19+) Toronto, Ontario
Yes, I feel loved.
Because even if Thom Yorke and Howe Gelb hate me, M. Ward is showing me some loving.
Thanks to Linnea for giving me the heads-up on Colbert's malignment of the Decemberists. I really don't see how Colbert can complain, since his whole project was one giant coat-tail ride in the first place (Star Wars Kid, anyone? And Arrested Development's coat-tail was funnier, I should add....). Let's just have all our favourite cultural icons attend one huge parody fest. Then everyone can copy everyone else AT THE SAME TIME!!!
The taunts fly like Trojan rabbits: "Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries..."
Only because I love hyper-literate prog rock do I follow such controversy with avid attention (well, when someone points it out to me....)
Also, it is currently my academic fantasy to co-author a paper with Linnea, because, as she put it: "Words and music, music and words. They go together, man. More people need to realize this."
Finally, Evan showed me this tonedeaf test. I only scored a 69.4% the first time, which I figured was pretty decent considering I was still having a conversation at the same time. This morning, however, I retook the test for my own curiosity's sake and received a much more satisfactory score of 80.6%. Haha. Okay, I don't know why numbers make me feel so validated in life. Back to work...
I know I already posted this on my blog already, but I just love it so much I am posting it again. And maybe I'll post it again. This is just so cleverly done.
Flight of the Conchords: "Jenny"
A California-based indie rock band. I think the best description is some sort of Californian Franz Ferdinand.
I love the word play in the chorus. And I might have offered a caveat with this song if I had posted it yesterday. But this morning I read a post by friend Tuggy about treating sex/marriage as the norm, not the deviation. Thus I won't assume the worst about songs that discuss the body, and say things like "this would be such a beautiful song if only it were talking about marriage..." I will just say, "I like this song."
This band is just making me happy. They opened for Of Montreal when the psuedo-Canadians played Nightfall in Chattanooga.
Ballroom Dancing's music is crazy. Like a collage of musical sounds and genres. One track starts out sounding like British music hall and then before you know it, Ode to Joy sneaks in. These people sound as if they've studied all the music history in the books (pop and classical) and just loved every bit of it. Their music runs with a crazy fun sound. And that makes me happy.
They sound similar to The Fiery Furnaces and Queen, two bands that don't sound much alike, but if you check out Ballroom Dancing's myspace and listen to "Letters," you'll see what I mean.
And Lowen, yes, this time I am hyping some music up. No reservations, just sheer fandom! :)
Give your ears a listen. A tragedy is that they don't have "Brand New Family" on their myspace which is the song that makes me most happy.
While I don't usually spend much time in CCM circles, every once in a while, I feel compelled to advertise. In this case, the reason is that the pianist and back-up vocalist for 33Miles is a longtime family friend. Collin's the one on the far right. He always was a bit of performer and social ham (and I mean that in an affectionate way), and now it's fun to see his band taking off. You can listen to a few of their songs here.
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Also, I am intrigued though baffled by this conversation. My mom suggested I merely rely on this.
We Are Scientists: reinforcing the skinny nerd indie rocker stereotype, button-down shirt, pull-over sweater, blazer, glasses, and all.
They are going to be in Toronto with the Arctic Monkeys, but I shall not be there, much to my sorrow. I suppose one cannot go to everything.
New additions to the bookshelf:
1. Blackwell's Guide to Recorded Jazz
2. Rock and Roll: A Social History
3. Building a Classical Music Library
It's all about discography.
PS Can someone tell me what to do if you get an IM message from a screen name you don't recognize? I paranoidly got offline, but was wondering if I had needed to do so. Can someone actually steal information off your computer if you are talking to them online?
I am paranoid that someone out there knows my screen name.
Maybe I am just a paranoid android.
Update: okay, so it seems I was the victim of a prank, courtesy of Cait and the IM bot generator.
My Wheaton friend had the chance to hear the Psalters perform live at her college, and having purchased a CD of theirs (Patrin IV) at the time, she presented me with their music tonight. All I can say is that I am floored. Imagine what would happen if a group mixed some freaking intense West African drumming,* African-American spiritual, Yiddish drone on some sort of stringed instrument, Yiddish chanting, some sort of recorder, accordian, and bagpipe instruments, with recitation from Scripture.
To describe this music is to serve up world music stew. But the stuff is amazing. Simply amazing!
*I am not an expert on percussion, however, so don't quote me on regional styles.
EDIT: I will also mention that I don't know much about the band, which seems to have some sort of political agenda going on; I am confused by the conspiracy theory links on their website. But then they also link to Brother Danielson at Sounds Familyre.
So I was reading music reviews on Plugged In last night. Actually, I was reading movie reviews first, and then curious to see how Plugged In handled their music critique, I wandered over there. The White Stripes were on the front page. Intrigued, I opened the review. Two paragraphs that dealt entirely with the social/moral content of the lyrics. The music aspect described via the all-encompassing (and to me, dismissive) adjective: "eclectic." No treatment of the poetical aspect of the lyrics at all.
Perhaps this review was not meant to give any opinion whatsoever regarding aesthetic aspects. In which case, it serves its intended purpose. But I find the dichotomy Christians create between "Art" and "Morality" somewhat distressing. If it matters to parents whether their kids eat cocoa puffs all day or not, shouldn't they also be concerned about whether they listen to the musical equivalent? What if someone wanted to know what the music actually sounded like, in addition to knowing whether it was "safe"? What's to distinguish the White Stripes from all the other bands out there???
Sorry. Just a little venting here.
