Best Coast kicked off their tour in support of their new album, The Only Place, here on the east coast at The Social in Orlando, Florida. Touring as a 4-piece, Bethany Cosentino and crew cranked up the volume adding a pair of swinging balls to their sundrenched 60s inspired AM radio pop. I’m hung up on how many people are actually in the band when an indie buzz band shows up in town because all too often it’s a 2-piece and the second piece is usually a laptop. I’m so tired of that! Well Best Coast rocked it impressively.
One of the the night’s highlights which included impromptu requests from the crowd and a Fleetwood Mac cover was chosen. It was followed by one of the best songs on the new album, “Do You Love Me Like You Used To”
Drumming sensation and future thunder god, Dylan Frechette, aka Dylan Miles aka Dizzles akaThe Dylan Miles Experience, teamed up with Rion Smith, drummer of the now defunct Shak Nasti and all around journeyman percussionist for an incredible drum duet at The Plaza Theater Live in Orlando, Florida. The concert was a throw down and local talent jam session in honor of Rion’s 39th birthday, but little Dylan stole the show.
Dylan doesn’t have a band yet but he transforms every session and performance with other musicians into the Dylan Miles Experience. On a particularly prolific weekend for a kindergartner on summer vacation, Dylan laid the foundation for a cover of Phish’s “Fluffhead” with Andrew Ranieri, former frontman, lead guitarist, and co-founder of Orlando band, Sonor, then worked into a blues groove with local greats, Shak Nasti:
Oceania has the Pumpkins sounding like a full band again, blending the hazy charm of Pisces Iscariot with the roaring pop of Zwan. The guitars are big on the first two tracks, “Quasar” and “Panopticon.” More than just layers of Billy’s own guitar, there is another axe working just as hard alongside him in Jeff Schroeder. Young Mike Byrne continues to fill the enormous shoes (figuratively speaking) of the mighty Jimmy Chamberlin nicely. Both of the first tracks display that incessant, driving pitter-patter – chugging drums that use fills and flourishes to propel the music and carry it from line to line – which is a Smashing Pumpkin signature. Byrne is able to accomplish this in his own style, paying homage to his predecessor without marring the legacy or being a slavish knock-off. Nicole Fiorentino’s bass lines hum melodically adding the most vibrance to BC’s tunes since Paz’s work on Mary Star of The Sea. Fiorentino lends depth to the SP wall of guitar that is usually only accompanied by Corgan’s follow-along-with-the-guitar style of bass playing. Her vocal presence also stands out as a shining bonus across the record. This has historically been an underutilized weapon in a line up that always has a chick in it.
“One Heart, One Diamond” opens with a chill wave-like synth intro that could easily belong to Washed Out sans the fact that it is actually a dynamic rock song. The near-epic title track allows the new band to sprawl and flex leaving an open-ended Floyd-ish outro that will lend itself nicely to live jams. Oceania seals the deal with the 1-2-3 attack of “The Chimera,” “Glissandra,” and “Inkless” to close the album. This record ripples and shimmers with ole Bill Corgan at the helm of a band that, from the sound of it, is all in.
A huge thanks to Music Box Media for turning me on to The Bright Light Social Hour. I have no idea how these guys didn’t land on my radar because they are a fucking force of nature.
TBLSH is explosive. A hefty mix of the southern rock and eclectic pop of My Morning Jacket meets the frenetic energy of Morning Teleportation. These four guys are sick – drums, bass, multiple lead vocals, keys (mostly with organ sounds), and guitar are spot-on. The show went from crazy, high energy jams to spacey, tripped out interludes that supported smart, powerful rock n’ roll with a twist of bar room blues. Basically, they are all over the map but The Bright Light Social Hour does it seamlessly and with ruthless authority. Prediction: There may have been 120 people at this show. The next one, sold out.
If you go to see Beach House perform with the knowledge that they are not going to melt your face off then you won’t be let down. If you are looking for a somber and ethereal band on record that kicks it into high gear with screeching guitar antics and full band instrumentation in the live setting then you could possibly be bored. Fans of BH seem to understand the former and are calmly, happily engaged by the 3-piece’s mesmerizing, dreamy sound.
Dream poppers, Beach House, will be bringing their chill, darkly romantic vibes to The Beacham tonight. Hopefully Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand will be more than a duo as they reproduce the lush sounds of Devotion and Teen Dream in concert. This show will be right around one week shy of the debut of their fourth album, Bloom. The quality of their new-ish catalog and the sheer beauty of the songs should make for a great show.
“Myth” from the Upcoming Beach House Release, Bloom:
Sarah Jaffe was sort of an indie-folk type, but just broke her mold with “Glorified High“ a sticky, muddy, electro-infused dance rock tune: (Embedding is turned off on this track which is stupid – click link above to visit)
British sisters comprise the braintrust of 2:54. “You’re Early” rocks just enough to catch my attention amid the tidal wave of new indie music – strong enough to break through the wall of laptop artists, 2:54 is driven by real guitars and drums … thank god:
Formed by some of the dudes in Fleet Foxes, Father John Misty is a side project that flexes a little more straight forward rock muscle than the Foxes usual somber folk. Listen to “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings”:
Another side project, this time from some of the guys in Tame Impala, is Pond. “Elegant Design” embraces the psychedelic trip-rock of Impala more than some of the other tracks on their album and that’s probably why I like it:
White Rabbitsare back with a new album. Now I never loved them nor hated them before, they just kind of existed. Their latest album pushes the Rabbits another step away from their percussive, nearly Latin debut album toward a more fully integrated rock sound. I absolutely adore the first single “Heavy Metal”:
Now this motherfucker has soul! Lee Fields & The Expressions have a new album called “Faithful Man” and this is the title track. Like Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Fields takes the roots rock ‘n soul approach with a traditional sound that is neither tired or contrived, but spot-on:
Jeff the Brotherhood is another 2-person outfit, but instead of fleshing out songs with synth and loops they opt for the layering of crushing organic rock guitar. “Hey Friend” lays thick guitar tracks on top of a drum kit for a more traditional White Stripes meets 70′s guitar rock feel:
Like Lee Fields, Nick Curran and the Lowlifes embrace tradition. Curran evokes early Sun Records Elvis or Gene Vincent with a retro garage rock blast that is so authentic you would never know it came out last year. Check out “Rocker”:
The first time I saw the Bloody Jug Band was at Orlando Calling. Instantly, I was attracted to what seemed like an Outlaw Country meets Marilyn Manson approach. Their soon to be released Coffin Up Blood reveals much more than my early comparison denotes. Macabre themes are intertwined with the edgy country that embodies an outlaw vibe, but the music is more of an Appalachian horror story – like Bill Monroe joined The Misfits.
The songs are rooted in bluegrass tradition, delivered with rock attitude, and smeared with ghoulish themes. They do to bluegrass what Tiger Lillies do to cabaret: make it dark and visceral. The first track, “Graverobber Blues” stomps out of the gate with the usual bluegrass toolkit: guitar, mandolin, harmonica, washboard, and even a washtub bass, but the thudding backbeat and driving rhythm guitar add a modern rock dimension. The scene imparted is less about tracing her little footsteps in the snow and more about following a trail of blood through the swamp to a pile of corpses.
“Chained to the Bottom” is bolstered by the powerful backing vocals of Stormy Jean – one of the stronger contributors to this 7-piece band. Producer, Justin Beckler – one time member of Thomas Wynn & The Believers and producer for Matt Butcher and The Lonesome City Travelers to name a few, does an incredible job blending the large band together into a cohesive unit with a unique sound. Cragmire Peace’s throaty growl is counterbalanced by Jean’s classic, yet ghostly country croon and the incredibly adept bluegrass band is mixed together to create a very new sound. If musicianship is being credited, Bloody Rick Lane’s freight train harmonica is worth the price of admission alone. This dude blows harp and singlehandedly pushes this outfit into the realm of heavy hitters.
“Boy Named Lucy,” is something of a Grimm’s Fairytale adaptation of “Boy Named Sue” and is something you would expect from a band like this, but other tunes such as “Reaper Madness” and “The Pain” highlight Bloody’s talent and Beckler’s spot-on production. These songs push out of a niche genre and have a nearly cross-over pop quality. These guys are doing something cool here – from cartoonish horror to killer country – Coffin Up Blood demonstrates what BJB has to offer.
The Bloody Jug Band are having their CD Release Party at Will’s Pub on Saturday, March 31st at 9:00 pm. Check them out and pick up a fresh copy of Coffin Up Blood.
Laptop rock can go a few ways in the indie world: hot chick (Phantogram), add howling guitars (Sleigh Bells), rock it out with a full band (Caribou), or add a single multi-instrumentalist for depth (Active Child). I prefer Caribou’s style, but both Youth Lagoon and the opening act, Dana Buoy, chose the latter.
Dana Buoy served as a worthy counterpart and opening band. His electro pop that swayed from indie rock leanings to all out dance music complimented Youth Lagoon in sound and style.
Youth Lagoon is able to achieve an epic and expansive sound with such sparse instrumentation that I cannot help to wonder what Trevor Powers could achieve if he were backed by a well-arranged 4 or 5 piece band. It could be monumental. It was still nice to see YT recreate that somber, slow-building ambiance that is captured on The Year of Hibernation. He’s found a tone that strikes a primal human emotional chord making Powers seem older than his years. A large crowd of kids hung on every word as the duo deftly moved through album highlights like “Afternoon,” “Cannons,” “Montana,” and the latest release, “July.” Trevor’s voice showed signs of stress and hoarseness – possibly from the tour – but it added a little gristle to his charming oompa-loompa style falsetto. A sampler or synth shit the bed during the closer, “July,” and stole the thunderclap drum beat from the climax but a howling Powers pounding on the keys and an enthusiastic clapping audience filled in the gaps nicely. This was a really good show – intimate and well paced – for a first time out and only one album’s worth of material. The concert proved YT’s songs in front of an audience further laying the groundwork for what could be an interesting musical career.
The first time I saw the 
