Trevor Powers found a voice for his chronic anxiety and the indescribable feelings swirling around inside of him in Youth Lagoon and the aptly titled debut album, A Year of Hibernation. When “Montana” first came my way I was instantly drawn to the dreamy melancholy floating out of the speakers. “July” has that same feeling; a song that, despite its intentions, builds a soundscape that defines a distant emotion more than creating a catchy melody. It’s like something that would be piped in as your deathbed mind flashed through the disparate chain of memories that is your life. That’s a pretty bold statement considering this Boise native is barely 20 and made this album by himself.
This is the second video directed by Tyler T. Williams who seems to have a knack for underscoring Powers’ uncanny ability to build a slow song into an epic crescendo out of seemingly nothing.
I saw Kasabian blow the doors off the Social in aught 5 as part of the Anti*Pop Music Festival. Although young, they were a sensation and stadium headliner in the UK. They spared no pomp or volume in cramming their show into an oversold Social. The club was a sardine can and Kasabian roared. Last night’s show was more of the same. It wasn’t quite as packed in the larger venue but the Brit alt-pop flexed with all its might. The floors rumbled at the combination of bass drum and bass guitar while the walls shook from arena-ready vocals and guitar.
They can be dismissed as self-indulgent new cock-rock neo-cock rock, but who cares? The world needs it right now. Kasabian’s musicianship is spot-on for what they do and their songs are polished and anthemic, delivered with the slightly subdued cocky swagger the Brits perfected. Unlike Oasis, Kasabian can back up their cheekiness with a longer list of worthy recordings AND they actually finish their shows. Kasabian might not have glowing 5-star albums, but they do have enough good tunes on each record to put on a hell of a show.
The glam-y glitter bomb from Athens, Georgia known as of Montreal sashayed into The Plaza Theater in Orlando last night. Opener, Kishi Bashi, caught me by surprise with a powerful folk-y orchestral chamber pop with an Asian twist. I heard the final song as I made my way through the lobby and thought the The Plaza was just piping in some killer interlude music. Kishi was followed by a funky Prince-like dude named Roman Gian Arthur. He was interesting, but used far too much backing track accompaniment to really engage me. Roman did do a pretty cool cover of Radiohead’s “High n’ Dry.”
Of Montreal took control over the stage just after 11 PM. Early parts of the performance traded some of the theatrical antics for movie screens and psychedelic projection gimps. These guys, clad in spandex gimp suits, used sheets, umbrellas, and their bodies as projection screens adding to the trippy pop carnival that is of Montreal. Claire Boucher aka Grimes (who is incredibly cute in person btw) was in attendance at the show and going apeshit for Kevin Barnes and company. She was with a clan of French Canadian counterparts who were easy to identify because of the seamless blend of pushy, obnoxious, and smelly only French Canadians can attain. I kid. I kid because I love. I wonder if the know of Montreal isn’t really of Montreal?
They played nearly all of their new album, Paralytic Stalks, and ended the first set with a monstrous “The Past is a Grotesque Animal.” Montreal ended the show with another epic 10 minute-plus Skeletal Lamping medley that slid into “Gronlandic Edit.” As a casual fan I’m still caught up in Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? but Barnes has an impressive catalog of music to draw from and is not afraid to sissy smack you upside the head with it.
I have already declared Hank III as one of the coolest live music experiences around right now, especially if you love music. Both kinds: country and metal. What movie? His 3-set assault starts with straight-up outlaw country. His voice is the uncanny ghost of his grandaddy. The next set is the patented Hellbilly sound – a sort of rockabilly / metal hybrid, and is followed by the jaw smashing hardcore of Assjack. This year, Tricephus added ADD – Attention Deficit Dysfunction – a sort of stoner rock, White Stripes meets Sabbath thing.
Country
Hellbilly
ADD
Assjack
I didn’t stay for Assjack this time because I’m old and it was a school night. Follow the link above for Assjack action from aught 9.
Guns n’ Roses 2.0 (maybe 3.0?) roared into the House of Blues on Saturday March 3rd as part of their little publicized Up Close and Personal Tour. Early reviews of the band along with their sound and appearance at Rock in Rio scared me away from paying $100 to see them at the Amway Arena. Axl looked fat and the band looked weak, but reports from the Amway show and the rest of the tour were of a tightly wound incarnation of Guns. Early reviews from the club tour noted the band stepped it up even more and indeed they pulled off a well-oiled arena show inside a medium sized club. Gn’R positively thundered through their 3-hour plus set.
The last time I saw Guns n’ Roses was almost exactly 20 years ago at the Citrus Bowl touring with Metallica and Faith No More. In classic Axl fashion, the band did not come on for nearly 2 hours after Metallica – featuring a one-handed James Hetfield (infamous pyrotechnics accident) – finished their set. So I didn’t flinch when friends said that Gn’R didn’t take the stage at the Arena until nearly midnight and played until 2:30. The same at the House of Blues. Axl and company took the stage just after midnight and played straight through until 3:30 AM. Disney apparently lifted their curfew until 3 AM and Axl still told them to fuck off. If it were a “school night” I’d be like, “fuck Axl!” but since it was Saturday it was pure old school rock and roll attitude. This is the band that came out of cock rock drenched LA in the late 80′s with a stripped down dirtbag rock sound that kicked mascara-wearing bands in the glitter laden cod piece. Guns n’ Roses was the stepping stone from hair metal to the anti-glam of grunge – for me anyway.
Now it is just Axl – who looks to be in much better shape and sounded better than I ever remember him sounding live – with a crew heavy hitting hired “guns” that know how to put on a serious rock show. The setlist highlighted Guns brief, but prolific and illustrious early catalog with some of best parts of the powerful, but mostly overlooked Chinese Democracy sprinkled throughout.
I played the same game I always play at a sold out House of Blues show. This place could be the most poorly constructed music venue on the planet. I spent the evening traversing the entire building to find a decent view. Unless you are front and center on the floor or on the loge it is nearly impossible to see anything because of incredibly poor placement of massive wooden pillars and a low, overhanging 2nd deck. Everywhere you move you battle with a load bearing column for a direct sight line. Usually you end up watching the show on a shitty TV screen placed on the pillar. Lame. This could be a Boston Garden type scenario where the “venue becomes part of the experience” but fuck all that – especially when you paid $100 to SEE a band. If I wanted to stare at columns and joists all night I’d hang out at Home Depot for free.
Radiohead kicked off their tour supporting The King of Limbs in Miami and crept in to Tampa on February 29th. The show felt like an intimate performance because it was the first time I’d seen them indoors. Once dedicated to playing only under the stars in destination settings like festivals and amphitheatres, Radiohead is embarking on a mostly arena tour. The show was undersold leaving tons of room on the floor to maneuver close to the band. At first I was astonished that the biggest band in the world – Gen X and Gen Y’s U2 – drew such a small crowd but some of it had to do with group’s desire to keep their shows modest. There was no excuse for the semi-lackluster energy in the crowd. Maybe because it was Tampa, maybe because it was a weekday? I’m not too sure.
The setlist was crafted to support the latest album which seems to have a polarizing affect on fans with critiques that range from genius to meh. I think the live performance really brought King of Limbs to life. The show opened with the dreamy, frenetic keyboard sequence of “Bloom” which slid into the charging slunk of “Little by Little.” Other songs that seem so electronic on the album like “Staircase” and “Feral” sizzle as the band comes together working on any combination of instruments. Radiohead is mesmerizing on their records, but live – aided by some of the best lighting in the business – they are a powerfully original rock band.
“Lotus Flower” which took some time to get used to is really standing out in concert and aided by the addition of a second drummer (journeyman Clive Deamer) typifies the rhythm heavy approach of the last two albums.
They busted out “Meeting in the Aisle” for the first time ever on this tour.
In Rainbows, Weird Fishes / Apreggi is another song that takes on a new soul in concert.
The band played with classics like “Idioteque,” “Everything in its Right Place,” a swirling “Myxamatosis,” and ended with a one-two punch of “Karma Police” and “Street Spirit (Fade Out).” They were missing some straight up guitar rockers like “My Iron Lung” and “Paranoid Android” but the setlist possessed a certain flow that made it feel like a different kind of show.
I was instantly smitten with the song “Oblivion” despite its close approximation to Tiffany’s version of “I Think We’re Alone Now.” NOTE: I made this assertion before NPR Music, but that isn’t really a big deal since it’s so obvious) In fact, Grimes, aka Claire Boucher – the Canadian musician and visual artist finds melodic muscle in 80’s pop-ster kitsch that’s bathed in her own brand of ethereal gloom on the latest album, Visions. It almost sounds like Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam produced by Trent Reznor on “Circumambient.” The second track, “Genesis” is like a Friday night, 5th grade couple skate on psilocybin. Although, my instinct is to distrust another lush, 80’s influenced bedroom laptop act, Grimes builds on the dark and beautiful, yet sonically ambivalent soundscapes of 2010’s Geidi Primes and 11’s Darkbloom to create a more polished sound. Visions reveals a more cohesive approach to crafting songs which lends more direction to the album and gives Grimes a distinctive songwriting signature.
I’m falling behind and my inbox has exploded with new music promotions. I’ve been remiss, derelict in my duties, so this calls for a quick game of – Sounds Like …
Sounds like: Peaches and Herb on quaaludes in a time machine.
AM and Shaun Lee is duo of LA-based indie songwriter AM and the UK’s DJ Lee. They were recently signed to ESL and here they are covering the Ozark Mountain Boy’s classic, “Jackie Blue.”
Sounds Like: An ESL act covering a classic rock song, not unlike Thievery’s cover of The Doors.
Shark Vegas is an act that emerged on the retrospective, FAC Dance, a compilation of rarities from Manchester’s Factory Records. Factory was a legendary mod / new wave record company that put out legends like Joy Division, New Order and The Happy Mondays.
Cate Le Bon is Welsh indie singer / songwriter that even has a Welsh language album. She was good enough to catch the ear of St. Vincent who she is touring with now.
Probably not. But “You and Whose Army” is an anthem to rally around the libertarian Texas Congressman. Newt Gingrich is an animal - a fucking pig. Newt made millions skimming off the bank engineered housing bubble that wrecked our economy.
Mit Romney probably fired your dad at some point. Romney earns 57k a day off investments. He’s used his power and influence to ensure he gets the lowest tax rate possible on those investments. The number 1 contributor to Obama’s campaign in 2008 and Romney’s present campaign is Goldman Sachs.
Sachs received the lion’s share of the staggering TARP (nearly 800 billion dollars) funds followed by the incomprehensible secret donation from the Fed of nearly 14 trillion dollars (14 trillion!). This was “lent” at 0.01% interest to Goldman and other banks like Bank of America. These banks then turned around and used this nearly free money that will be paid on the backs of the US working class to buy US debt in the form of treasury bonds that earn 3% interest. This simple sleight-of-hand hoodwinked our country into an instant multi-billion dollar revenue for the banks at all of our expense. This tid-bit of information was only found through a partial audit (imagine what a full audit will reveal) of the Fed, which was spearheaded by Ron Paul long ago. They used this revenue to buy European debt and pay the record-high executive bonuses for 2010. Ex-Goldman board members and CEO’s now sit in positions of power at the US Treasury, the Federal Reserve, The European Central Bank, and as “appointed” prime ministers of Greece and Italy. Voting for any of these monsters (Newt, Santorum, Romney, Obama) only supports the bankers hostile takeover of the planet.
The money for these bailouts didn’t come from Uncle Sam’s savings account. It was printed by the Federal Reserve. It will need to be paid back. It is paid back in 2 forms: tax revenue collected from the citizens and inflation incurred by the citizens from an artificial influx of capital into the economy. This serves to destroy the buying power of the US dollar. The taxes put a heavy burden on the middle class. The inflation all but cripples the poor and further strains the evaporating middle class. So no matter how much we are taxed in order to provide money and aid to the poor and unfortunate it will never be enough because the dollar continues to weaken. This pushes us towards a new, global currency that will give the banking cartel an even stronger hold and a wider net.
Obama let this happen. He doesn’t address it. He continues to give eloquent speeches about nothing and refuses to confront the troubles we face head on. He entered Libya without congressional approval and he is continuing with the propaganda build up to war with Iran – similar to the Bush administration’s propaganda push into Iraq. We don’t have the money to fight this war. The only way we can get this money is by borrowing from China and printing money that again drives the burden back to American citizens. Obama signed the NDAA, which makes the Bush era Patriot Act seem like child’s play.
Bush, Cheney, Romney, Newt, Pelosi, Santorum – most politicians really – are all the same thing. It’s a smoke and mirrors game that gets the US citizens worked up about token left and right wing issues while the political machine works on its own agenda; pandering to the richest 0.37% of the country that is powerful enough to sway our government with lobbyists and cash. The banks and the military-industrial complex have railroaded our government away from the people as they slowly erode our freedoms and our sacred constitution in order to create a landscape that is suitable to them. Neo-cons buy into the militarism while “progressives” buy into the welfarism – all thinking that these politicians are going to bat for their beliefs. They are being duped into surrendering their money and lives to an ever-growing, corrupt and incestuous government that threatens us all.
The media, for the most part, is towing the staus quo line driving us to the “lesser of two evils vote” by playing up our red team vs blue team spirit and marginalizing a man of integrity and ideas (if Ron Paul’s ideas are crazy I have yet to hear better ideas, real solutions that people and politicians plan to use as opposed to focus-group talking points contrived simply to gain re-election) and focusing on vapid, senseless, disconnected, wealthy used car salesman that have the money to pay for their attention.
Ron Paul is the only guy running for more than just simply winning. He warned about all the issues we face right now for 30 years. Nearly everything Paul fought to stop threatens to destroy us at this moment and if we don’t listen, don’t act, don’t research, and continue to be informed by talking heads with an insidious agenda then we deserve what we get.
A vote for Ron Paul is a vote against tyranny. It’s a statement that says “I am informed and I know what you are up to.” It sends a message to the establishment that we all understand the country is broke and we will not police the world, build bloated bureaucracies, pander to the pharmaceutical companies, the oil conglomerates, banking cartels, and the military-industrial complex. It is a vote for personal liberty and responsibility and the removal of government from our day-to-day lives. It advocates pushing the federal government back to what is outlined in our constitution; providing sound money, protecting our country, and honoring our personal liberty. Voting for Ron Paul takes a swipe at the status quo and says we won’t stand for fabricated wars that destroy poor countries and strip what remaining dignity and respect we have with the citizens of the world. We don’t support police actions (not wars) that tear our American soldiers away from their families and uses them as cannon fodder to blow their faces off for nothing more than perpetuating a stream of money to the military-industrial complex.
Vote for the guy that has single-handedly changed the conversation in Washington. The guy that has his talking points continually co-opted by both the left and right. Vote for the guy that warned against the housing bubble in 2001 as well as our reckless spending and monetary crisis years before they blossomed. Vote for the man that understood that our overstretched military would bankrupt us and make us less safe. Vote for the guy that is routinely a guest on all news shows as an expert in monetary policy. When was the last time Pelosi, Obama, Newt, Mit, or any “leaders” were considered real experts on anything? Vote for the guy that has energized America’s college students and has them discussing foreign policy and monetary policy as opposed to vacuous and esoteric concepts like “hope.”
While the media, the candidates, and the incumbent are engaged in their incestuous circle-jerk and pandering to their audience one guy is straight droppin’ science – being honest, informative, and explaining the causes then offering solutions to the grave dangers on the horizon:
Never took the time to understand Paul’s foreign policy?
While the Smashing Pumpkins do a mini tour behind Oceania and release free music from their vast back catalog via the Smashing Pumpkins Record Club, Billy Corgan is remastering all of their previous albums. Sometimes a remastered release from the digital age seems pointless, but Corgan has put together some pretty sweet packages in the first two releases of their debut Gish and the seminal alt-rock masterpiece, Siamese Dream.
Both of these albums embodied Butch Vig’s relentless pursuit of perfection with Corgan’s relentless pursuit of rock glory. I fell in love with these records because they were so “BIG.” It always sounded like there was too much sound tearing through the stereo – like there was not enough speaker to handle the over-the-top, machine gun attack of Jimmy Chamberlin and the searing avalanche of Billy’s shoegaze meets 70’s rock wall of guitar. The remasters just work to emphasize a sound that is as groundbreaking today as it was 20 years ago with crystal clear reproduction.
The reissues are great, but the real pleasure is in the extras. Each album consists of three discs now: the album, a second disc of 18 mastered b-sides, unreleased demos and alternate takes, as well as a concert DVD. The Gish bonus disc contains a series of Gish-era recordings that may be familiar to longtime fans. The epic “Starla” and chunky “Plume” get the 2011 mix treatment while bedroom demos for “Daydream” (with Billy doing vocals instead of D’arcy) and the searing “Bury Me” see the light of day for the first time.
The DVD sees a Smashing Pumpkins that offered the perfect alt-rock antithesis to the Seattle sound. The Pumpkins provided something for metal heads that grew out of the hair bands of the 80’s, but weren’t completely smitten with 90’s grunge. They blended the dark romance of 80’s mod music like The Cure and The Smiths with big 70’s guitar rock like Zeppelin, Boston, and Sabbath. This pre-Gish concert at Chicago’s Metro has a longhaired Corgan and company waling at full volume with all the fire and innocence a band on the rise can deliver.
Siamese Dream disc 2 is a sublime mixture of rarities and fully mastered versions of underground favorites that had me simultaneously air-guitaring and weeping (much like I listened to them in my teens). It felt like a new Pumpkins album circa 1994. An unearthed electric, full band version of the song “Siamese Dream” and a remixed “Moleasskiss” along with the crunching demos of “Today” and “Hello Kitty Kat” reveal a thundering rock band that could crank out anthemic face melters with ease. Although both “Moleasskiss” and “Hello Kitty Kat” are available on an underground 5-disc set of lost Pumpkins’ songs called Mashed Potatoes, they are mixed to full album-worthy, speaker-thudding glory for disc 2.
The Siamese Dream concert DVD sees the Metro again, 2 years later, as Siamese Dream is released. The band now has swagger and is on a mission as the genre-fusing approaching went from description to the definition of the Smashing Pumpkins sound. Cocky and combative, Corgan bruises a packed audience with a ferocious set as the Billy / Jimmy alliance codifies its signature attack.
Trevor Powers found a voice for his chronic anxiety and the indescribable feelings swirling around inside of him in Youth Lagoon and the aptly titled debut album, A Year of Hibernation. When “Montana” first came my way I was instantly drawn to the dreamy melancholy floating out of the speakers. “July” has that same feeling; a song that, despite its intentions, builds a soundscape that defines a distant emotion more than creating a catchy melody. It’s like something that would be piped in as your deathbed mind flashed through the disparate chain of memories that is your life. That’s a pretty bold statement considering this Boise native is barely 20 and made this album by himself.
I saw Kasabian blow the doors off the Social in aught 5 as part of the Anti*Pop Music Festival. Although young, they were a sensation and stadium headliner in the UK. They spared no pomp or volume in cramming their show into an oversold Social. The club was a sardine can and Kasabian roared. Last night’s show was more of the same. It wasn’t quite as packed in the larger venue but the Brit alt-pop flexed with all its might. The floors rumbled at the combination of bass drum and bass guitar while the walls shook from arena-ready vocals and guitar.
The glam-y glitter bomb from Athens, Georgia known as of Montreal sashayed into The Plaza Theater in Orlando last night. Opener, 
I have already declared 
While the Smashing Pumpkins do a mini tour behind Oceania and release free music from their vast back catalog via the 