The earlier album review noted that this song is like Blondie meets Siouxsie Sioux and now I’d like to throw a dash of Bjork in there. It’s the driving disco bass drum mixed with the goth-y synth and the pixie-ish vocals that conjure the comparisons. “Sprawl II” could be my favorite song on The Suburbs, but I do know it’s a hell of a Friday song.
The Canadian Army is lookin' a little raggedy
I know this song is a little old, but a) that doesn’t matter and b) I haven’t seen this particular video. I saw another version. This video is more “bling-y” than the other trippy version, but I think the cliche is supposed to be ironic. “Pursuit of Happiness” is just a great song; an evolution of hip hop. The listing says “feat MGMT” because they did some production work, but so did Ratatat and it is their influence I hear the most, especially with the little electro guitar solo.
Arcade Fire’s newest album, The Suburbs, is a musical encapsulation of the experience growing up in the suburbs, USA (maybe Canada). One perspective is the oppression and banality of tract housing and strip malls that angst-y youth rail against. Another is that of the reminiscent adult waxing whimsical and romanticizing a misspent youth, the sneaking out of windows at night or taking a parent’s car to pick up a summer love – the powerful memories tied to youth that makes suburbia so magical and fun in retrospect.
The first half of the two-part composition, “Sprawl” and “Sprawl II” are at the album’s end, but speak directly to the dual view of a life in the burbs. Sparse and chilling, Win Butler opens by moaning, “I took a drive into the sprawl / To find the places we used to play” – the sentiment of a middle-aged man trying to find the lost memories of childhood.
“Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains),” spunky and sassy like Blondie meets Siouxsie Sioux is sung by Win’s wife Regine Chassagne. This could be the best song on the album. It saunters and shambles with driving pop energy, but fits perfectly within the concept on The Suburbs. She sings, “Sometimes I wonder if the world’s so small / That we could never get away from the Sprawl / Livin’ in the sprawl / dead shopping malls / rise like mountains beyond mountains / with no end in sight “– the anecdote to Win’s introspective journey back to the place Regine seeks to defy.
The Suburbs pulls the best pieces of AF’s previous two albums together; the large sweeping orchestral and anthemic pop of the first album with the drive and rock edge introduced on Neon Bible. From the opening Wilco-ish track, “The Suburbs,” where they sing, “All of the houses they built in the 70’s finally fall” and “Ready to Start” which has a touch of 80’s Springsteen Americana, to the killer single, “Modern Man” with its “Jesse’s Girl” rhythm guitar, the songs relay the tribulations and triumphs of those who know suburbia. It’s like white people’s Straight Outta Compton. Arcade Fire makes a powerful album, successfully juggling all the feelings that go along with growing up there (here).
Written for REAX Online 8.21.2010
One of my favorite Buzzcocks’ songs isn’t really the hard-charging punk they’re known for. “Why Can’t I Touch It?” Is like The Ramones or The Clash gothed up by The Cure and funked out by a touch of the Chili Peppers. This song was a bonus on their third album, A Different Kind of Tension and although pop-y, it showcases strong songwriting and rhythm chops.
So much rock I'm sick - bbbblaaaaahhhh!*
The music gods have blessed central Florida for the month of October as a slew of bands, old and new, are pushing through the area:
10.1 - Phantogram – BackBooth – Saratoga Springs indie duo with dark, catchy, atmospheric pop and cute sweaters. (Phantogram song was The Coolest Song Ever! … Right Now in June)
10.2 – Anthrax, Megadeth, Slayer … sorry, SLAYER!!! – Hard Rock Live – Guaranteed face melter. Check out K&N exclusive concert video
10.5 – LCD Soundsystem with (OMG!) Sleigh Bells - Hard Rock – With blogs raving about the LCD Soundsystem’s latest work, this will be a hot show. (Sleigh Bells album review and Sleigh Bells Music)
10.6 – Owen Pallet and The National – House of Blues – Another awesome band touring on a critically acclaimed album
10.7 – Yeasayer – Firestone – Psychedelic 80’s pop and hipster delight
10.8 – Blitzen Trapper – The Social – Country tinged northwestern rock, somewhere between Built to Spill and Fleet Foxes
10.9 – G.W.A.R – Firestone – Blood drenched awesomeness! (Concert video and review of GWAR)
10.11 – Vampire Weekend, Beach House, The Very Best – Hard Rock – Beach House is the band to see. (Vampire Weekend album review) (Vampire Weekend concert review and video)
10.12 – Pharoahe Monche – The Social – Everybody say, “Hip!” “Hop!”
10.13 – Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - The Social
10.14 – Built to Spill – The Social – Band with near legendary indie cred at our storied club
10.14 – Flaming Lips - HOB – They will also be at the St. Augustine Amphitheater which would be amazing, especially if the weather is nice.
10.15 – School of Seven Bells, Active Child, Sleazy McQueen – The Social – check out the Active Child album review
10.16 – D.R.I – Firestone – Dirty Rotten Imbeciles – hardcore punkers turned thrash metalists back from a long hiatus and ready to smash
10.17 – Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros – The Social | 10.18 – The Ritz, Ybor – Cool video clip from “Home” – Looks like a great show!
10.17 – Daniel Tosh – Tampa – Along with Louis C.K, Daniel Tosh is the funniest person on TV right now.
10.18 - Caribou – BackBooth – A “do not miss” concert
10.24 – Frightened Rabbit – The Social
10.25 – MGMT - Hard Rock – Hip, fun, but might suck live.
10.26 – Phoenix – HOB – This is huge. French rockers, excuse me, Freedom rockers in Orlando!
10.27 – Thievery Corporation – Hard Rock – A killer live show and Massive Attack is there too! (Concert video from the HOB 2009, Review of the Houston HOB and VooDoo Fest shows, Concert video from VooDoo Fest 2008)
Thanks to Jess for the image!
Siegfried and Roy are shittin' rainbows!
This song is a little old, but caught my attention on Satellite radio, then I forgot it. More recently it popped up in the film Cyrus. Australian duo Empire of the Sun’s track, “Walking on a Dream” is kind of chill wave-y and reminds me a little of Steely Dan and “Caribbean Queen” by Billy Ocean for some reason. Thoughts?
Curtis Lane is the debut album from Active Child, the namesake of L.A songwriter Pat Grossi. Blogs and journalists are bubbling with giddiness and positive reviews for Active Child. I assume the warm reception is because this EP comes across like a more elegant, ethereal Animal Collective. The first song, “I’m in Your Church at Night” sneaks into the speakers like a church hymn and then builds with echoing 80’s drums, graceful synthesizer, and Grossi’s angelic croon (He was actually a member of the Philadelphia Boys Choir). The opener may have the most cinematic scope of the 6 songs on this disc, but they all carry a somber, haunting tone that enriches the impact of Curtis Lane and hints at the prospects of an interesting newcomer on the scene.
Written for REAX Online, 7.23.2010
M.I.A’s new, grinding cacophony MAYA is an album crafted for the new “connected” society. Themes and sounds are piled in a shaker, swirled violently and poured out in clumpy snippets of odd melodies and mish-mashes of style and presentation. It is like MAYA was made by and for the ADD, short attention span of the modern human. The album shifts and jerks mercurially from boastful hip-hop and college party anthems to subversive political propaganda.
From the albums title MAYA, spelled out in slashes – /\/\ /\Y/\ – to song titles like “Space,” “Caps Lock,” and the fun, slammin’ Afrika Bambaataa sounding “Internet Connection” along with social media references like “XXXO’s” “Tweeting me like Tweety Bird on your iPhone” MIA is reporting from the crossroads of information and art. This is a place suited to both the hipster partier and incendiary politico within her.
“Lovalot” seems to tell the tale of repressed Muslims, shedding light on what pushes youth to become martyrs. She slurs “I fight the ones that fight me” and her south London drawl on the chorus, “I really love a lot” come across like, “I really love Allah.” Her first single “Born Free” charges aggressively with punk agitation and apoplectic, electronic fervor serving as a global anthem to fight oppression.
MIA’s affinity for noise pop – she loves Sleigh Bells and signed them to her label – is evident in the overloaded approach to this album. In fact Derek Miller from Sleigh Bells works the giant guitar sound on “Meds and Feds” although the riff sounds like a rehash of “Treats” from SB’s album of the same name. MIA works with Diplo again among others and applies some noise pop to her already jittery arsenal of heavy beats, fondness for clicks, whistles and sirens, and mash-up of cultural influences; from Arabic vocals and instrumentation to incorporating the heavy dub scene in Brooklyn.
MIA’s political overtones, you know the self-righteous tone liberals get with too much college and NPR, seems to be diluted by songs like “Steppin’ Up” where she declares “You know who I am / I run this fuckin’ club” and “Teqkilla” with raps about Captain Morgan and doing too much coke. The “sticky icky, icky weed” part is pretty cool though. Despite all the layers and splintering sounds, the party songs, and the political call to arms, it is the straightforward, softer edged pop songs that stand out. “It Takes a Muscle,” “It iz What it iz,” “Tell me Why’” and “Space” are less abrasive and hum along with smooth pop grooves. While MAYA is criticized for being “all over the place” it is a true representation of the times and becomes more understood with every listen.
Written for REAX Online, 7.22.2010
Oh, I'm sorry. Did I shred you face?
People always ask me why I like the Smashing Pumpkins. It’s not a 90’s alt rock nostalgia thing at all. They (Billy Corgan) embrace everything I ever loved about music: anger, sadness, love, and volume. Corgan assimilates everything from Blue Cheer and Black Sabbath to Blondie, My Bloody Valentine, and The Cure. I hear things from The Beatles and Bowie to Boston, Joy Division and Slayer or even Steve Miller and Fleetwood Mac in SP’s music. It’s metal, goth, glam, alternative, indie, pop, it’s grandiose, and it’s simultaneously self-indulgent and self-deprecating. The Pumpkins are heavily psychedelic and progressive with touches of Yes and Rush mixed in and wild Morrison-esque rants and poetry sprinkled throughout the chaos. All of this varied influence comes through in some of the most innovative and voluminously prolific rock ever recorded and performed.
Billy is a true artist and songwriter, but he is also a true axe-man. SP shows are dominated by his ferociously loud, howling mad guitar (unbelievable drumming is part of it too). People get caught up in “1979″ and “Disarm,” but forget the real guitar god stuff. He embraces a bygone era by channeling the flamboyance and passion of the old school like Hendrix, Townsend, and Page. You think of him as this awkward, pear-shaped misanthrope with a nasal-y voice, but don’t overlook the commanding showman and fierce guitar player he is.
Case in point:
The mighty SP tore through their set for a sold out crowd at The Ritz in Ybor on Wednesday. The venue was beyond capacity and it’s constant temperature hung around or near the same as the 4th circle of hell. Billy was rocking so hard that he actually blacked-out and hit the deck momentarily during “Bullet with Butterfly Wings.” The crowd, although drenched in sweat (some in vomit), stayed with the band until the last crunching, screeching guitar note bellowed from sound system.
“Ava Adore” You know it’s going to be a crazy night when the second song goes like this.
“Bullet with Butterfly Wings” Billy actually howls so hard after the crowd sing-a-long he blacks out, hits the ground, then stands up in a millisecond of confusion, gets his head straight, and jumps right back in. Rock ‘n Fucking Roll! I thought it was stage antics until a later Tweet by Billy said, “I blacked out and wiped out.”
“Owata” a yet to be released song
SETLIST
1. Astral Planes
2. Ava Adore
3. Today
4. Hummer
5. As Rome Burns
6. A Song for a Son
7. Eye
8. Bullet With Butterfly Wings
9. United States
10. Bleeding the Orchid
11. Perfect
12. Cherub Rock
13. That’s the Way (My Love Is)
14. Owata
15. Stand Inside Your Love
16. Tarantula
17. Tonight, Tonight
ENCORE
18. Freak
19. Gossamer
Written for REAX Online, 7.22.2010
This is a cool song that uses clips from a 70’s short film called “Clown.” It’s basically the tale of a lovable little scamp and his ineptitude as a dog owner. No, cute kid has a cute dog named Clown which he loses. What the video doesn’t show is the boy eventually finding the dog, but Clown is now leading a blind man so the kid decides to leave him. I think there is a lesson to be learned there, but if some blind dude had my dog I’d be all like, “What you doin’ with my dog you blind motherfucker?!” and punch him in the chest. That’s harsh. Maybe I would just secretly replace his Folgers crystals with a large sewer rat.