As seems to be the case more and more these days, I was a bit late to the Long Blondes' party. By the time I stumbled upon them, thanks to a Pandora-fueled whim, they had already called it quits, with members moving on to other projects. Regardless, the two LPs they produced in their time are pretty stellar; the first one, Someone to Drive You Home, has been in near-exclusive rotation in my car for weeks now. The follow-up, Couples, is pretty great, too -- but it took a little while to grow on me.
Showing posts with label live music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label live music. Show all posts
7/29/2010
New Obsession #2: the Long Blondes
As seems to be the case more and more these days, I was a bit late to the Long Blondes' party. By the time I stumbled upon them, thanks to a Pandora-fueled whim, they had already called it quits, with members moving on to other projects. Regardless, the two LPs they produced in their time are pretty stellar; the first one, Someone to Drive You Home, has been in near-exclusive rotation in my car for weeks now. The follow-up, Couples, is pretty great, too -- but it took a little while to grow on me.
7/28/2010
New Obsession #1: the Blue Hearts
This past weekend, I watched the film Linda Linda Linda -- a wonderful, pretty recent Japanese film about a group of high school girls who decide to start a band, to perform at their school's summer festival. Since their former band is no longer, and they don't have time to write any original material, the girls decide that their band will perform covers of another Japanese band: the Blue Hearts.
There's a bit more to it than that (reconciling friendships, overcoming language/communication problems with music [the singer of the girls' band being a recently transplanted Korean], etc.), but that's a different entry all together. For now, let's focus on the music...
As mentioned, the girls' band is a Blue Hearts cover band, which means that the music of the Blue Hearts is present throughout -- from the title of the movie (referencing the ubiquitous single, "Linda Linda), to the finale of the girls' performance. I found the music to be interesting and catchy and fun, so I dug a bit into the story of the Blue Hearts (not to mention, dug around bit torrent and ended up with a wealth of material that would probably cost me around $40/disc to wrangle up physically).
Seen as the Japanese equivalents to the Ramones, the Clash, and the Sex Pistols, the Blue Hearts were pretty notorious in their day, and their legacy seems to remain a notorious one. Spitting into the camera during a televised performance (and subsequently getting banned from television for a year), using the taboo/unutterable word for "insane," being a full-formed independent rock band thriving amidst a pop-idol-centric Japanese music industry. They were one of a kind, it seems.
5/02/2010
Jandek + Thurston Moore
Four days later and my brain is still trying to process this..."performance." And for those not familiar with Jandek's sound/output, I don't really know if description would be relevant or not.
After a very brief introduction, the lights went down and the stars of the evening entered from a door, stage right. They took to sparse, perhaps "minimalist," stage set~up consisting of a small stack of three amps and a stool, mirrored on the polar ends. Leisurely guitar set up, and it was on.
On one end of the stage, Jandek proceeded to play his usual, questionably~tuned metronomic style; and on the other end, Thurston Moore proceeded to make as much noise with his guitar (and various implements) as possible. No vocals. No structure. Just 90 minutes of barely contained chaos, by way of aimless guitar improvisation.
By normal standards, they technically played only three songs; but each of those "songs" were nearly thirty minutes in length.
And, like all of his other live performances, this one was officially recorded and will probably see an official Corwood release in the future.
After a very brief introduction, the lights went down and the stars of the evening entered from a door, stage right. They took to sparse, perhaps "minimalist," stage set~up consisting of a small stack of three amps and a stool, mirrored on the polar ends. Leisurely guitar set up, and it was on.
On one end of the stage, Jandek proceeded to play his usual, questionably~tuned metronomic style; and on the other end, Thurston Moore proceeded to make as much noise with his guitar (and various implements) as possible. No vocals. No structure. Just 90 minutes of barely contained chaos, by way of aimless guitar improvisation.
By normal standards, they technically played only three songs; but each of those "songs" were nearly thirty minutes in length.
And, like all of his other live performances, this one was officially recorded and will probably see an official Corwood release in the future.
3/28/2010
Don't ask me if this line is about you
Wednesday night -- 3/24/10 -- Vadim and I headed out to Holocene for the much-anticipated Xiu Xiu show. It was originally billed as a three band show, but somewhere along they added a fourth band to the bill; which made for three exceedingly longer exercises in patience and one incredible set.
Operative
M'eh.
Pearly Gate Music
Double M'eh.
tUnE-yArDs
Ultra M'eh.
Xiu Xiu
I've seen this band 8-9 times by now (every time Jamie Stewart [with or without Xiu Xiu] has come through town since I've moved here), and each time it's been a completely different experience, usually due to an ever-changing line-up. And this night's show was no exception. With Caralee McElroy out and Angela Seo in, Xiu Xiu has adopted a slightly colder, slightly minimalist electronic noise sound. Korg synth, beat programming via Nintendo DS, knobs, switches, whistles, gongs, cymbals, and guitar. Everything you've come to expect from the group, with some elements gone but with new ones to take their place(s).
My only real issue with their set was the brevity. For the headlining band, they may have played 60-75 minutes; and given the wealth of material they have to pull from, that ain't a very long time.
The set list from the night (thanks internet!):
B D Box (? not a title I recognize, so it may be a new one -- but I recognize some of the lyrics, however I've yet to find from where)
Apistat Commander
Grey Death
Dear God, I Hate Myself
Muppet Face
Gayle Lynn (amazing version of this one)
I Luv the Valley
Falkland Rd.
Poe Poe
Guantanamo Canto
Chocolate Makes You Happy
This Too Shall Pass Away (For Freddy)
Boy Soprano
too bad they didn't play this one
Operative
M'eh.
Pearly Gate Music
Double M'eh.
tUnE-yArDs
Ultra M'eh.
Xiu Xiu
I've seen this band 8-9 times by now (every time Jamie Stewart [with or without Xiu Xiu] has come through town since I've moved here), and each time it's been a completely different experience, usually due to an ever-changing line-up. And this night's show was no exception. With Caralee McElroy out and Angela Seo in, Xiu Xiu has adopted a slightly colder, slightly minimalist electronic noise sound. Korg synth, beat programming via Nintendo DS, knobs, switches, whistles, gongs, cymbals, and guitar. Everything you've come to expect from the group, with some elements gone but with new ones to take their place(s).
My only real issue with their set was the brevity. For the headlining band, they may have played 60-75 minutes; and given the wealth of material they have to pull from, that ain't a very long time.
The set list from the night (thanks internet!):
B D Box (? not a title I recognize, so it may be a new one -- but I recognize some of the lyrics, however I've yet to find from where)
Apistat Commander
Grey Death
Dear God, I Hate Myself
Muppet Face
Gayle Lynn (amazing version of this one)
I Luv the Valley
Falkland Rd.
Poe Poe
Guantanamo Canto
Chocolate Makes You Happy
This Too Shall Pass Away (For Freddy)
Boy Soprano
too bad they didn't play this one
3/23/2010
When the cafe doors exploded...
This past weekend, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists graced the stage at the Doug Fir lounge for two shows -- a 21+ Saturday night show and an all-ages Sunday evening show. Each show had different opening bands (and thankfully, significantly different set lists) -- so, to get the full experience, and since I missed Leo + Pharmacists the last time or two they passed through town, I was at both shows.
Hungry Ghost (Saturday)
A Portland-based guy/girl, guitar/drums, rock/roll duo (featuring Unwound's Sara Lund) -- Hungry Ghost were a lot of noisy fun. It's a bit too easy to compare them to early-era Quasi, but with their easy rapport, bluesy rock songs, fantastic drummer, and school-yard-caliber rhymes, the comparison just fits a bit too well. And given Portland's current glut of hyper-ironic, self-aware RAWK bands, it's a comparison that's certainly welcome.
The Golden Bears (Saturday)
This band has been receiving a lot of love over the past few years -- from both local and national press -- so, I was really excited to finally be able to check these folks out. Turns out...I already had. I don't know why any trace of seeing this band had been wiped from my memory...but I guess a band or two are bound to slip through the cracks, given the number of shows I try to make it out to over the course of the year. That's not to say that this band is worth forgetting. Anything but! A great (loud) fuzzy sound, loads of energy, wonderful lyrics...another fantastic band on the scene that's worth checking out.
The Hive Dwellers (Sunday)
The latest project from Calvin Johnson finds the man backing his solo-work-sound with a jazzy, beachy, guitar/drums duo. Unlike his previous "Sons of the Soil" project, which appropriated some of Johnson's songs in a surfer-cowboy band motif, the Hive Dwellers simply act as background fill-in for Johnson's sparse, at times a capella, modern-prairie cowboy schtick. And in a really odd way, it works. Hopefully an LP will be forthcoming from these guys.
(Also, it's always fun to watch teenagers and newcomers figure out exactly how to respond to Calvin Johnson's stage persona.)
Ted Leo + the Pharmacists
I don't know how to describe these guys without slathering such a review in hyperbole. Ted Leo has always been one of the unsung heroes of rock music (and/or punk rock, depending on where your loyalties lie), and has always found a backing band of near-equal caliber.
After the stumble that was Living with the Living (not a bad album, mind you -- just a bit overlong and too ambitious), Leo is back with another set of barnstormers for the Thinking Man (The Brutalist Bricks, for those keeping score). And the fire and the contagious passion found on the album seem to have easily bled over into the live show. Leo + Pharmacists have always come into their own on stage -- even more so than in the studio -- but this past weekend's set of shows were far beyond anything I could have hoped for.
The Saturday night set pulled heavily from The Brutalist Bricks and Shake the Sheets, with the occasional detour into the other albums, as well as a few of those now-expected, odd-ball cover songs.
Sunday, on the other hand, saw one or two of the newer songs swapped for other newer songs, as well as a heavy pull of songs from The Tyranny of Distance.
Both sets were equally fantastic -- and ended up being significantly different enough to make them both a special experience.
Songs played over both sets (in alphabetical order, not set order):
American Ruse (MC5 cover)
Angelfuck (Misfits song)
Army Bound
Ativan Eyes (? -- I want to say he played this one on Sunday, but that could very well be revisionist wishful thinking)
Bleeding Powers (another one I'm not 100% on)
Bottled Up in Cork
Bottle of Buckie
Colleen
Counting Down the Hours
Even Heroes Have to Die
Gimme the Wire
Heart Problems
The High Party
Last Days
Little Dawn
Me and Mia
The Mighty Sparrow
Mourning in America
One Polaroid a Day
The One Who Got us Out
Parallel or Together
The Stick
Timorous Me
Under the Hedge
Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone
Where Was my Brain
Who Do You Love
and two other songs I don't know -- one he referred to as a "new new song", so possibly one that has yet to be recorded, and another cover that I didn't catch the name of.
Hungry Ghost (Saturday)
A Portland-based guy/girl, guitar/drums, rock/roll duo (featuring Unwound's Sara Lund) -- Hungry Ghost were a lot of noisy fun. It's a bit too easy to compare them to early-era Quasi, but with their easy rapport, bluesy rock songs, fantastic drummer, and school-yard-caliber rhymes, the comparison just fits a bit too well. And given Portland's current glut of hyper-ironic, self-aware RAWK bands, it's a comparison that's certainly welcome.
The Golden Bears (Saturday)
This band has been receiving a lot of love over the past few years -- from both local and national press -- so, I was really excited to finally be able to check these folks out. Turns out...I already had. I don't know why any trace of seeing this band had been wiped from my memory...but I guess a band or two are bound to slip through the cracks, given the number of shows I try to make it out to over the course of the year. That's not to say that this band is worth forgetting. Anything but! A great (loud) fuzzy sound, loads of energy, wonderful lyrics...another fantastic band on the scene that's worth checking out.
The Hive Dwellers (Sunday)
The latest project from Calvin Johnson finds the man backing his solo-work-sound with a jazzy, beachy, guitar/drums duo. Unlike his previous "Sons of the Soil" project, which appropriated some of Johnson's songs in a surfer-cowboy band motif, the Hive Dwellers simply act as background fill-in for Johnson's sparse, at times a capella, modern-prairie cowboy schtick. And in a really odd way, it works. Hopefully an LP will be forthcoming from these guys.
(Also, it's always fun to watch teenagers and newcomers figure out exactly how to respond to Calvin Johnson's stage persona.)
Ted Leo + the Pharmacists
I don't know how to describe these guys without slathering such a review in hyperbole. Ted Leo has always been one of the unsung heroes of rock music (and/or punk rock, depending on where your loyalties lie), and has always found a backing band of near-equal caliber.
After the stumble that was Living with the Living (not a bad album, mind you -- just a bit overlong and too ambitious), Leo is back with another set of barnstormers for the Thinking Man (The Brutalist Bricks, for those keeping score). And the fire and the contagious passion found on the album seem to have easily bled over into the live show. Leo + Pharmacists have always come into their own on stage -- even more so than in the studio -- but this past weekend's set of shows were far beyond anything I could have hoped for.
The Saturday night set pulled heavily from The Brutalist Bricks and Shake the Sheets, with the occasional detour into the other albums, as well as a few of those now-expected, odd-ball cover songs.
Sunday, on the other hand, saw one or two of the newer songs swapped for other newer songs, as well as a heavy pull of songs from The Tyranny of Distance.
Both sets were equally fantastic -- and ended up being significantly different enough to make them both a special experience.
Songs played over both sets (in alphabetical order, not set order):
American Ruse (MC5 cover)
Angelfuck (Misfits song)
Army Bound
Ativan Eyes (? -- I want to say he played this one on Sunday, but that could very well be revisionist wishful thinking)
Bleeding Powers (another one I'm not 100% on)
Bottled Up in Cork
Bottle of Buckie
Colleen
Counting Down the Hours
Even Heroes Have to Die
Gimme the Wire
Heart Problems
The High Party
Last Days
Little Dawn
Me and Mia
The Mighty Sparrow
Mourning in America
One Polaroid a Day
The One Who Got us Out
Parallel or Together
The Stick
Timorous Me
Under the Hedge
Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone
Where Was my Brain
Who Do You Love
and two other songs I don't know -- one he referred to as a "new new song", so possibly one that has yet to be recorded, and another cover that I didn't catch the name of.
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