But, folks the performer audience dynamic that followed was one of those I will not soon forget.
At the outset Scott (the lead singer) mentioned they weren’t accustomed to sold out audiences and they would do their best to repay our attendance. As with the show I saw last fall their stage presence was very natural and there timing and rhythm incredibly tight. As they worked their way through the majority of their published tracks — The Twist, Old Old Fashioned, Good Arms vs Bad Arms– there was no sense of boredom or routine. They rocked the entire time, genuinely and with true f
I was totally delighted to hear them play Backwards Walk amongst the rest. Its one of my favorite songs and they gave a bit pared down spin. Playing up the guitar to match the hollowness of the organ without diminishing it. It was exceptional. The fellas even threw in a few of their older unreleased bits and while its obvious they have grown a lot its was nice to see them playing around with their set list. After an hour of rollicking good fun they left gradually left the stage one by one leaving the drummer (Billy I believe his name is) to take them out with a bang. Had it ended their I would have been plenty pleased but the crowd wasn’t about to let them leave without an encore.
Scott came back on stage alone, guitar in hand, and played a solo version of Poke. Standing in front of the amps and mics it was a breath takingly gorgeous rendition. So simple yet filled with the emotion the lyrics convey. Its rare to have such an intimate moment at a rock show but is perhaps one of the reasons I like FR so much, they’re emotional while still managing to be fun and catchy. I cannot wait for their next stop in town and to hear what they will have to offer on their next release.
Frightened Rabbit MySpace
Drop.io Links
Behave
Good Arms vs Bad Arms
Poke
I recently received an album from a friend of mine who is a v. talented (cough Grammy winner) music producer in Nashville. This is someone whose music tastes and extensive knowledge I have always respected. Mike was also a factor in some of my earliest music junky memories (his views on Peter Gabriel’s Sledge Hammer video stick out in particular). I was truly excited when he sent me a copy of Asleep In The Green, the album he just finished with a band called Telephant.
Telephant is a group based in Nashville, although after my first listen to the album I could have sworn they were British. On song such as Anne Frank, 1000 Violins and the title track Asleep In Green have clean slightly chamber popish arrangements that suggest the Walkmen. They show real chops when they push these talents to achieve a larger sound on songs like Songs For An Ancestral Alien and Robespierre. On these two tracks they build a sound and weave the lyrics into the entire sound an art mastered by the likes of Radiohead and Coldplay (two obvious influences on the group).
Telephant is also lyrically smart they don’t try too hard to be overly witty or verbose, as I said their strength is weaving their compositions and their words together to achieve a whole sound, when they toss in phrases like “In all of the kismet and proverbs and visions of the famed Holy Ghost and these strange superstitions” it tacks your ear to the lyrics forcing you to recognize there is more than just a great arrangement playing out.
If these tracks were the entirety of the record I would say they have a good chance of making a name for themselves with the current indie crowd. However they have spiced the album’s sound up with Botswanna a track that incorporates some Afro Pop elements to compliment the sound they brand on the rest of the album. The reach towards experimentation is done with comfort and to such a degree that it doesn’t tear the fabric of the album as a whole. It also suggests these fellas are drawing from a diverse range of inspiration, not just trying to be the next Coldplay. I can’t help but go full circle and suggest the influence of Peter Gabriel on this track as well as Rhythm Of The Sant’s era Paul Simon. While I’m not entirely sure Afro Pop is the direction they should be headed I genuinely appreciated the stylistic curiosity.
For a first album there are real signs of promise on Asleep In Green. If the boys of Telephant can enhance their recorded sound with a solid live show and maintain their curiosity while evolving to a more defined identity they could rightfully claim their place in the indie race. I would like to see them explore the subtle steel guitar/alt country tinge I began to notice after a few listens. Regardless, I look forward to seeing them live and would suggest you seek them out as well.
Drop.io Links
Anne Frank
Fifth Ace of Anchors
Robespierre
Telephant MySpace
Oy Vey! Its been ridiculously long since I last posted but I have so many reasons/excuses why that simply trying to figure out how to recap them all has become one of the factors contributing to the delay. Ultimately they can be summed up with: Holiday Prep, holiday travel, viscous clinging illness, sad passings and major decision to quit my job to dedicate myself full time to my small business creative development/marketing company Spigot Marketing.
So not only have I been so busy I’m too tired to sleep I have also been overwhelmed with stuff I want to post that I didn’t know where to start. In the spirit of somethings better than nothing I’m going the bullet point route. Sadly I’m not going to be able to give them the coverage they deserve but I need to clear the slate so I can move on to the new year.
I had the great pleasure of seeing Bon Iver this week at the Trocadero in Chinatown. Apparently, Billy and I didn’t read the fine print on the tickets requesting we wear our skinny jeans, lumberjack plaid and stocking cap. The opener for the night was The Tallest Man On Earth . We caught his last song, a cover of Jackson Brown’s These Days, which was good. Probably would have been better had it fallen in the context of his entire set. But, I’d go see him if he passed through town again.
Bon Iver took the stage and opened with one of the tracks from their new EP Blood Bank. Despite it being a little more chamber folk than I usually like it was a good way to start the show. I was a little surprised to see how amped the band was but upon reflection, For Emma…Forever Ago was a solo effort (implying a good degree of tech support) so, with the addition of band members it seems only natural that the whole thing would be plugged in. It was well done too. The drums and bass were given the hollow weight from the album and live it was particularly powerful. The only time it was really apparent was on the new EP tracks which are aiming for an epic sound vs. the reflective somber mood of For Emma…
The version of Skinny Love they played introduced a degree of bass drum that made my heart twitterpate. I have an affinity for the warm vibrations of a bass line and Justin’s assembled band delivered in spades. Again they emphasized the bass percussion in Re:Stacks in a way that made it a different tune entirely. There were only a few off notes of the evening mostly involving the newer stuff it seemed a little untethered and aimless but it took a few listens to For Emma… for me to adore it so, I’m willing to chalk that up to having not heard most of it before.
The only other issue I had with the show had nothing to do with the rperformers and EVERYTHING to do with the chick standing near us who had fucking bells attached to her shoes. Note to all of you concert goers out there: don’t bring your own instruments to shows. She obviously thought it was cute that she was adding her own touch but not only did she jingle her bells at the worst possible times but SHE WAS ALWAYS OFF BEAT. Ugh. But I digress.
The fellas did a cover of the Outfield’s Your Love which was an interesting choice but Justin’s voice made it him own for sure. For The Wolves the crowd was encouraged to sing along at the end while it built to it’s crescendo the howl/scream/yell when the tension broke. The space in the Troc made the crowd participation rather effective and the howl at the end reminded me a bit of the Midnight scream organized by my alma mater during finals.
The true gem of the night for me though was the closing of the show. When the album first came out I was intrigued simply because you seldom see Emma used. While sorry that the Emma in Justin’s past cause such pain I am not too torn up cause this album was the product. Anyways, I was hoping to hear my track played live and not only did they play it but they finished the WHOLE SHOW with a little dedication to moi. The cherry on top was the country swing they gave to it making it clear that whatever it once meant Bon Iver has moved on to a much happier place. I look forward to hearing Blood Bank in its entirety next year and seeing Bon Iver when he returns to Philly.
Justin & Sarah Siskind Lovi’ns For Fools
Justin solo on piano For Emma…
In no particular order….
Laura Marling- Ghosts
Beyonce- Single Ladies
Ray LaMontagne- Let It Be Me
Gold Panda – I Suppose I Should Say ‘Thanks’ Or Some Shit
Brett Dennen- Ain’t Gonna Lose You
Slow Runner – Trying To Put Your Heart Back Together
Rural Alberta Advantage – In the Summertime
Mobb Deep vs Ray Parker Jr – Ghostbusters Got It Twisted (DJ Ayres Remix)
Treasure of the Everglades- Bark Hide & Horn
Port O’brien – Dance With Our Ashes
Ben Sollee – Change Is Gonna Come
Esperanza Spalding – Precious
Wild Sweet Orange – Either/Or
Mumford & Son – Roll Away Your Stone
I’m From Barcelona- Paper Planes
Matt & Kim – Day Light or Good Ol’ Fashion Nightmare (tie)
Bikini – Tonight
Yarn- Can’t Slow Down
The Little Ones -All Your Modern Boxes
The Watson Twins – How Am I To Be
Hello Saferide – Anna
Plushgun – Just Impolite
Friendly Fires – Jump In The Pool
Little Joy – Brand New Start
Pierre De Reader – I’ll Be Around
Most of it is in here >>>> ZIP
If I tried to write something about each of these albums I’d never get this list up. Links to come…
25. The Wave Pictures- Instant Coffee Baby
24. Atmosphere- All his ’08 releases
23. Peter Bradley Adams – Leave Taking
22. Portastatic- Some Small History
21. Thao Nguyen- We Brave Bee Stings And All
20. Adele-19
19. Q-Tip – The Renaissance
18. She & Him – Volume One
17. Slow Runner- Mermaids
16. Fleet Foxes- Winter White Hymnal
15. These United States – A Picture Of The Three Of Us At The Gate To The Garden Of Ed
14. Okkervil River- Stand Ins
13. Vampire Weekend- Vampire Weekend
12. TV on The Radio- Dear Science
11. Los Campasinos – Hold On Now, Youngster…
10. The Dodos- The Visiter
9. Kings of Leon – Only By The Night
8. Noah And The Whale – Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down
7. The Avett Brothers – The Second Gleam
6. Girl Talk – Feed The Animals
5. Passion Pit – Chunk Of Change
4. Raphal Saadiq – The Way I See It
3. Bon Iver- For Emma Forever Ago
2. Jenny Lewis- Acid Tongue
1. Frightened Rabbit- The Midnight Organ Fight
Top 5>>> ZIP
The Rest>>>zip
Stay tuned for Best Tracks and Best “new to me” Acts
I am unsure what exactly it was the incited it but early this year I developed a fascination with Irish musicians. I think it was some combination of finally watching the fantastic movie Once, becoming a member of emusic which has a great regional search capability and most notably tapping into the music blog culture. For a while there I was rabidly hunting down new and old Irish groups as they seem to provide the most consistently fabulous tunes. Regardless of the genre there is something about the lyrical playfulness and intelligent musical crafting that is shared by folks from the green isles.
Of course I have always enjoyed the musical stylings of the widely known Irish acts: Van Morrison, Belle & Sebastian, The Cheiftans, Flogging Molly etc. But my research turned up a few gems I intend to share.
*** Amendment*** Frightened Rabbit are actually Scottish (thanks to NotAgnes at It All Started With Carbon Monoxide for the heads up)
As anyone who has read this blog can gather I Ha-luv Frightened Rabbit. Their album Midnight Organ Fight is one of the strongest released this year. Charging out of the gates with the confidence of a group that has been playing together for years, as these gentlemen have. They recently followed that studio album up with LiverLung a live recording capturing some of their songs better heard with a tinge of spontaneity. I must say after experiencing them in person this fall there is a whole new side of them live so I’m providing you with two live recordings one from that EP and the other from a Daytrotter Session.
Frightened Rabbit Old Old fashioned
Be Less Rude
Before I discovered FR Bell X1 crossed my path. Rocky Took A Lover was the first song I heard of theirs and it was catchy enough to send me looking for more. A little bit like an Irish The Fray their music is poppy and not particularly complex. Their output isn’t very consistent some songs like Flame are a little too childish to garner my support however when they hit it they hit it. I saw them this fall when they opened for Stars and their live show is also a little soft but that could have been the poor sound system preventing us from really hearing them.
Bell X1 Rocky Took A Lover
I have long been a fan of Snow Patrol. Their song Chasing Cars was included on a compelation produced by Cities97 (a Minneapolis radio station) a few years ago and I adored it upon first listen. Their lyrics are sincere and romantic and their compositions carry your ear along. Not challenging it too much but keeping you on your toes. I grabbed their newest single last week, Crack The Shutters is ripe for a TV soundtrack and reveals a slight change in Snow Patrol’s sound. I look forward to really listening to the rest of the album.
Snow Patrol Chasing Cars
Crack The Shutters
Finally there is the musical empire helmed by Glen Hansard. I first heard him unknowingly when my mother introduced me to the Frames 6 or 7 years ago. The Frames were an alt rock band that was much more popular in the UK than here. Their sound was a slightly less country Old 97′s and much like Rhett Miller Glen delivered their lyrics with a truth and unrefined pitch that makes them even more endearing. I first knowingly happened upon Glen when I read about the movie Once. Instead of retelling the modern romance that the movie’s making was start here IMDB. After finally watching the movie I needed to hear more and my oh my has Mr. Hansard delivered. From the Swell Season ( the group formed by his new partnership with his co-star Marketa Irglova) to his solo covers (of both Britney Spears AND Justin Timberlake) to his duet with fellow irishman Damien Rice there is plenty of him to be had. The Swell Season are about to release their next album and I am anxiously awaiting it. Low Rising is the first song to be leaked and if every track is as good you may very well see it on 2009′s best of list.
The Frames Your Face
The Swell Season Low Rising
Damien Rice (with Glen Hansard) Lay Me Down
So there you have it. My first installment of Irish adoration. I don’t anticipate this infatuation ending any time soon and I have lots of other Irish music to share so stay tuned…
Well I have officially hosted my first holiday and I think it safe to say it was a resounding success. More than just a day of being thankful it was more of a whole weekend celebration. My bff no J/k Samantha came down from Boston for five days. We kicked it off right Wednesday night straight from the train station we went to see my friend Jeremy’s band Pink Skull play at the Barbary. I have seen them before and they are simply fan-fucking-tastic. The first time I saw them the crowd was weak and no body was dancing. Thankfully, Wednesday was a totally different story. Pink Skull plays what I would call spacey dance band eletronica. A strong percussion foundation (provided by Jeremy) is funked up by Julian Grefe’s drum contribution. Grefe is a key figure in the Philly electronic music scene he has been the co-driving force behind Making Time a ginormous Philly dance party. He clearly has a gift for the dancable beat and his partner in crime Justin Geller (who does mixing and lights) makes it even tighter. Mike Hammel and Sam Murphy round out the act and provide the spacey guitar and bass elements. They are at their dancey best when they are just jamming and despite some lame dead weights in the middle of the dance floor Sam and I, joined by a fine bunch of my Philly friends danced like crazy people.Even after Pink Skull left the stage and the DJ stepped in the dancing continued. I can’t imagine a better way to kick off Thanksween.
Thursday JT and Marley, two fine souls from my college days, rolled into town at 12 and Thanksween officially commenced. Because this is a blog aimed at the music that colors such times I am going to avoid going into too great of detail about what antics we got into. Instead I’ll stick to the tunes that were discussed, played and obsessed over. Beyonce’s Single Lady Video was the central talking point. If you haven’t seen it watch it NOW!
She is beyond furce in this video. The choreography respects the dance hall beat and she looks hamazing bringing it to life. Jenny Lewis was also looped a few times. Her latest release takes the bluesy alt country sound of Rabbit Fur Coat to a new level. Its got soul its got beautiful harmonies and is varied anough to keep your ear interested through out. Instead of writing at length I will simply refer you to Billy’s posting on our house blog Whats Rockin Watkins. Other albums that got play: Fleet Foxes Winter White Hymnal Frightened Rabbit The Midnight Organ Fight YeaSayer All Hour Symbals plus a ton of random tracks.
We worked off the day of lounging and eating with a night of Soul/R&B/Funk again at the Barbary. Sam and I, as we are prone to do, got our dance on with Melinda, Keegan, Matt, Ashley & Dan as well as some other excellent booty shakers. The DJ’s were supurb playing a little of everything from Otis Redding to The Stones. I think it is beyond safe to say a good time was had by all.
Yesterday we kept it low key some good heads came over we ate, watched movies and played with aminal (I’m watching my friend’s bunny Morris and cat CrabCakes who were the mascots of the festivities). On the whole I must say this was by far the best Thanksween ever and hopefully the beginning of a fine new tradition.
Pink Skull Get Inside (My Tiny Pyramids)
Beyonce Single Ladies
Jenny Lewis Sing A Song For Them
Otis Redding Try A Little Tenderness
So there have been a slew of birthdays lately. Some I have been able to celebrate adequately (ahem Yakatori awesomeness for Ms Sklar) others I wish I had done more. Alas, I’ve been busy with work and getting ready to take some time off for baking, eating and general chilling over the holiday. But I thought I would put together a dedication mix for you folks who have conquered another year. So, here is to you Drew, Papa and Sam…
Gar:
Townes Van Zandt If I Needed You
Graham Lindsey Shit On A Shovel
M Ward Story Of An Artist (Daniel Johnston cover)
John Mellencamp Cherry Bomb
Drewzilla:
Zaki Ibrahim You Choose
A Tribe Called Quest Check The Rhime
Flaming Lips Do You Realize????
The Little Ones Boracay
Sam:
Get Cape Wear Cape D*A*N*C*E (Justice cover)
Matt & Kim Yea Yeah
Hospital Ships Bitter Radio Single
Takka Takka Everybody Say
With Love Emz
My friend Shannon made this video for some friends and has managed to wrench some smiles from far more bluish faces. Click the link and watch the videos (Shannon’s is the first)
Dance white boy DANCE!
Depeche Mode
