Wednesday night I hauled all the way up to one of Philly’s newer consistently quality music venues Kung Fu Necktie to see The Love Language and Headlights (I will confess to a bit of poor reviewer performace…I missed their set due to a previous obligation but I hear it was v. good). Local act The Robes opened which I was looking forward to because they are involved in a little project I have in the works with some other Philly music kids (more on that to come….). Their sound has a crust of potential that with a little more time and work could melt into a tasty glaze. They do have a really comfortable stage presence though, which made watching them kind of like have a private jam session with friends.
The Love Language set up next and considering their’s is a cast of seven it was a pleasantly quick switch. This motley crew efuses gritty lo fi rock with a touch of a southern lilt on their record so I was interested to see how it played live. Well, I can tell you it plays true and then some when you get them on stage. The Love Language is the baby of Stuart McLamb who created the group in an unusual manner, he had the name first and built out from there. Assembling an assortment of friends and family each contributing some serious chops to their unique version of an old school pop sound (and if for you that means N’sync stop reading and go buy Pet Sounds NOW thank me later). They admit to a large swath of musical influnce and touches of Buddy Holly, Jefferson Airplane, The Walkmen and even Roy Orbison are evident and despite this seemingly random amalgum they produce a very deliberate and clean sound.
In addition to being the progenator, writer and arranger for The Love Language McLamb is also the “front man” meaning the live show is where the depth of his talent is on full display. Upon first listening to their album I was immediately drawn to McLamb’s straight forward lyric’s and hearing them live truly developed the degree of sincerity. He is not one for hiding much of the emotion (both good and bad) behind his songs while on stage. While delivering the heartpanger Sparxxxx he threw himself out there singing straight from whence its inspiration is sourced teathered to the present by a simple bass line and feirce jangley percussion. This unfiltered stage presense lends authenticity and cohesion to the groups overall presentation.
While McLamb’s contribution to the success of TLL’s sucess is undeniable, so to is the deep well of musical brilliance that brings McLamb’s vision to life. Watching the group traverse the course of their album’s repetoire while fit cozily on to KFN’s smallish stage was a visual demonstration of seven people who are clearly very in tune with each other’s role and musical ability. McLamb’s brother pushes the edge of brash percussion and tight snares just the right amount so as to make his riffs on songs like Providence little modest gems. On Night Dog the keyboards and rhythm guitar did a nice little dance to a steady tambourine beat. They brought up a member of Headlights to add a squeez box touch to a song and it was pretty aparent the entire troupe was having as much fun putting on the show as we were having watching them. This shared joy peaked nicely with the rollicking and delicious Lalita to top off the set. As I savoured the last bits of their set hanging in the air it occurred to me that theirs is the kind of show you want to see outside on a humid summer evening with a cold beer and folks willing to cut loose a little. I do so hope they pass through town again soon otherwise I may have to make do with hosting a little listening party of my own.
Lalita
Manteo -The Love Language Daytrotter session
*Image courtesy of Michael Triplett
I took a break from the spring induced desire for all things dancey and light to appreciate the more introspective side of the musical spectrum by catching William Fitzsimmon’s show at the Tin Angel this week.
The lovely Rosi Golan started the evening off very right. If you’re not familiar with her (and haven’t already clicked the link above) by name you’d probably recognize her from the soundtrack of those TV shows you’re less than willing to openly admit to Tivo-ing every week cause it seems she’s got those folks in her pocket. For very good reason too. Her performance was a far cry from the usual cloying singer songwriter schtick. Backed by a gentleman named Jake Phillips she covered a range from pop [Been A Long Day] to cool and reflective [Think of Me] and was thoroughly enjoyable the entire set. It was one of those instances when you realize the perfect soundtrack for what’s going on in your mind has snuck up on you and for that I can’t help but appreciate what Ms Golan had to offer. I will certainly keep an eye out for her future shows and releases.
It seemed like barely enough time for a cricket to hiccup before William Fitzsimmons was taking Rosi’s place on the stage (the sweet simplicity of a singer/songwriter stage set up). Looking like a man who, as he admitted himself, is one outfit away from homeless chic with a “raccoon on (his) face,” Fitzsimmon’s demeanor immediately put me at ease. He wasted no time acknowledging his depressing subject matter (his most recent album The Sparrow and The Crow was clearly a therapeutic outlet for him to process his divorce) but he did so with a flavor of sarcasm that set a bitter sweet flow for the rest of the evening. If the music thing fell through for him I’d say he could easily test the stand-up circuit he’s that funny.
He played for an hour and a half and covered a descent amount of Sparrow but also some of his older stuff as well as a Tom Petty cover! I was really impressed with the quality of his live delivery. His recordings, especially the more recent stuff, are really well balanced so all the additional loops, instruments, vocals blend beautifully in each piece. All those extra bits were left behind, for the most part, during this show and the result was a fresh rendering of his material. Without the piano and drums to propel If You Would Come Back Home his tender voice carried it over sparse territory without loosing the weight of the lyrics. Which was true of the set on the whole giving further proof of the strength on Fitzsimmon’s effortlessly smooth voice and song writing brilliance. The does manage to touch on some of the more painful intricacies of a complicated break up but in songs like You Still Hurt Me he is wise to pep it up with a lilting banjo line an the fine accompaniment of Ms. Golan. This became the audience participation moment of the evening and a good one at that. He brought Rosi back to do their duet Hazy, which can be found on her new album. Their voices meld flawlessly and Golan’s lyric’s complemented the rest of the set nicely. He capped the night with a hauntingly simple version of Goodmorning to slowly ease us back into the night. What could have easily been a night of “woe is me” folk was a carefully assembled night of music and laughter in the hands of the very talented William Fitzsimmons.
*Image courtesy of Erin Brown
** If You Would Come Back Home kindly provided by WF’s People You should definitely buy both his and Rosi Golan’s albums!
Vacation is technically over but with the music happenings on the horizon in Philly and the surrounds it will still trickle through the next weeks. A little less beachy but still v. much enjoyable. I thought I’d call attention to the new adds to the concert list :
Plushgun @ North Star Bar April 19th
Headlights & Love Language @ Kung Fu Necktie April 22nd
The Takeover UK @ The Khyber May 5th
Pomegranates @ Kung Fu Necktie May 12th
The Thermals @ Johnny Brenda’s May 12th
St. Vincent & Pattern Is Movement @ First Unitarian May 21st
And which shows will you find me at?
MSTRKRFT & Bloody Beetroots @ Webster Hall on Friday
Cloud Cult @First Unitarian on April 10th
Shackletons & Drink Up Buttercup @ The Fire April 11th
Harlem Shakes @ Kung Fu Necktie April 16th
Plushgun @North Star Bar
Headlights & Love Language @ Kung Fu Necktie
Animal Collective @ Electric Factory May 2nd
The updates are constant so keep checking in. Also, here is a fabulous source for all area events…
Instrument Analysis
Spring is in the air and the number of quality shows passing through town are once again picking up. The concert calendar got a surge of energy on Thursday with Bishop Allen’s show at the First Unitarian Church. I missed the first opener but arrived just in time to see Mt St. Helen’s Vietnam Band take the stage. I had streamed their new album earlier in the week before realizing that they were opening the BA show. To be honest the album seemed a little disjointed as a whole but has some very strong singles (Albatross, Albatross, Albatross & El Fuego). Once I figured out that I would be seeing them I did a little research to figure out their story. Thanks to another excellent interview on Pop Tarts Suck Toasted I got their back story. I’ll let you go there to read it yourself but the key take away is the fact that the drummer is a 14 year old kid whose adoptive parents are also in the band. Intriguing? Yes. A schtick? Perhaps. But let me tell you half way through the first song it was very clear Marshall is a wicked talent. The group has a very distinct sound. Heavily influenced by hard core punk but drawn over the slower paces often found in recent indie rock bands. What is most remarkable are the percussion’s syncopation’s. They stop, drop, twitch,trip you up and break your groove. But in a good way. You have to be on top of you game to keep rhythms like this moving and coordinated with the rest of the gang. They powered their way through a thoroughly awesome set again with Albatross, Albatross, Albatross & El Fuego as the stand outs. I would easily pay to see MSHVB play again and see how their sound develops as their central member pulls down a few more years.
Bishop Allen got their business set up with impressive speed and dove head first into Rooftop Brawl a romping track off of their new release Grrr… BA’s two founding members Christian Rudder and Justin Rice each exude their own degree of enthusiasm on stage [Rudder displays a modest Ben Lee like joy while Rice tends towards children's performer pep] that together got even the too-cool-to-dance high schooler hipster crowd moving.
Bishop Allen’s lyrics have always nibbled at my ear whether they be ballad-y (Rooftop Brawl or Flight 180) or precise collections of witty musings (Click,Click,Click or The Ancient Commonsense of Things). Seeing them perform live gave their lyrics a sheen not captured in their recordings. There is an sincere degree of performance Rudder and Rice infuse in the delivery of every song, not surprising since they both dabble in the actor thing, which draws you in to the swing or bop of their sound.
The songs off Grrr… definitely lean a little more towards the absurd than previous albums featuring a circus of animal references with a smattering of food allusions. And its hard to ignore the influence of Pet Sounds and the peppiest of 80′s new wave in BA’s collective work; but when being sung by Rudder with Rice cajoling him with his guitar or, at the most sublime moments a ukulele, it doesn’t seem hoaky at all. Rather, it becomes clear this music is at its zenith when seen live because it is meant to be experienced.
The supporting cast of characters on this tour are Darbie Nowatka who did the beautiful Butterfly Nets and rocked dem wooden mallet percussion instruments as well as the mouth keyboard. Michael Tapper grounding all the playfulness on drums. And the fantastic Keith Poulson on bass. Here I will admit to having an affinity for bassists as I once was one but Poulson’s contribution to the evening deserves a little call out. He laid out the bass lines with that hint of shyness I fully appreciate but with a much more noticeable glisten of joy from being on stage doing what he obviously loves. This incarnation of Bishop Allen absolutely nails the perfect combination of playful performance and excellent musical delivery. Even if you don’t like the new record you should still make an effort to see Bishop Allen live to fully appreciate the sound the group as whole has crafted.
Thanks to the crew at Crawdaddy for filling in the missing Keith_____ piece.
Last night I had the pleasure of seeing Minneapolis band Tapes n’ Tapes. Beyond simply sharing a hometown my connection to T n’ T goes back to my college days when I watched lead singer Josh Grier rock out with Tape’s original line up at the Cave, our on campus bar. While ironically the runner up two years in a row in Carleton’s battle of the bands Josh has certainly shown them.
When The Loon dropped in 2005 I saw all of their local Minneapolis shows which were basically mini reunions and always a lot of fun. But I was really curious what a show would be like outside the hometown crowd and admittedly a wee surprised that they sold out JB’s.
Openers were The Subjects - who were excellent (enough so to warrant a little additional TWIPC love in a eminent post)- and WildLight who weren’t horrible but not notable (beyond mentioning their skin grafted jeans).
The band line up has settled into Josh, Jeremy (insanely good drummer) Matt (ambidextrous trumpeter & keyboardist) and Eric (beautiful bassist). It is this quartet that released last years Walk It Off, which thankfully suffered not from the dreaded sophomore slump and who graced the stage last night.
The set list was a mix of old, new and unreleased. It was really awesome to see how they have embraced their rock side with a little more confidence. I had noticed it when I heard Walk it Off and I guess I passed it off as exploring a harder sound but after seeing them perform I think it is simply the result of touring and finding their comfort zone. Older songs like Ten Gallon Ascot and Manitoba were given new life by funkier and more aggressive guitars. The pure rock out on new songs like Hang Them All and Say Back Something was totally felt by the many many plaid clad college boys busting a move in the crowd.
The fella’s of Tapes n’ Tapes were wickedly talented in their own right to begin with but I got a sense of complete togetherness last night that made their show much tighter and entertaining than I was expecting. Erik’s delight was visible, seeing someone who clearly enjoys what they do contributes greatly to a live show and his head boppin grin inducing bass playing pushed the rhythm while adding some depth on the slow building jazzy Ten Gallon Ascot. Jeremy’s drumming is the product of someone who obviously appreciates the little things. He breaks apart the typical percussive riff and infuses a little jazz pattern or simply his own little touch. Hearing his style develop floors me considering he is still quite young. Matt seemed to be adding a touch of playfulness to the trumpet and keyboard action. I can hardly walk and text so seeing someone so comfortable playing two totally different instruments flawlessly is something I can’t help but respect. And Josh, what an artist and showman he has become. His voice has aged well (despite his claims that his throat was weak) allowing him to nail some pretty authentic rock vocals. Its cool to see someone develop like he has and I really look forward to seeing what is yet to come.
On the whole the crowd was feeling them. Towards the end of their set their sound got much richer and the slow walking jazz-flavor carried us right to the edge of their raunchier rock side. They capped it strong and left me looking forward to my next chance to catchem live, as you should too.
some sounds for your pleasure
Omaha
Ten Gallon Ascot
Hang Them All
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 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…
A week later I finally have time to give the run down of the Mountain Goats show I saw last week at the TLA. It was kind of an interesting crew I convinced my friend Tom/Sebastien to join me and we met up with Ashley and her fella Dan as well as another friend of hers. A random bunch, yes but, fun all around.
The show was all ages and at the TLA two variables that generally mean an influx of non-city dwellers and this was no exception. Kaki King was the opener and beyond saying she could be the poster child for “only one good album” and “much better recorded” cliche definitions I am not going to waste my energy on expressing how totally horrible she was for the entire hour and half she played [a set time rivaling those common during shows from my Jam Band phase]. The single redeeming factor was the sound board guy who played trumpet and some digital instrument that looked like the love child of a Casio keyboard and a bong from the back, apparently too shy to join them on the stage.
Anyways, the Mountain Goats made a quick switch of gear and got off to a rollicking start. I have been a fan from afar for a while but in the last few months I have really come back to some of their stuff, in particularly live recordings. So, seeing them live was a priority. For someone with Aspebergers John Darnelle is pretty fantastic on stage. His anecdotes were short and entertaining and got right back to the music. He even satisfied a request from the audience to play “Thin Lizzy” — only after pointing out it was generally in poor taste to ask for a cover by shouting out the other band’s name and not the song title — and it was a fine cover of a eighties pop standard. They kept to their peppier stuff Fall Of The Star High School Running Back and Pirates and No Children the lyrics to which are some of my favs. The crowd (after the Kaki fans went away) was a fun dancy high spirited bunch singing along to Darnelle’s often quirky lyrics.
The only low point was Kaki’s return to the stage, and I really am not trying to hate on her too much it was just the weak point honestly, and their duet on the Snake Song they have recently released. I’m pretty sure that’s not even the real name but its not one I like too much and seemed to go on for too long.
Kaki stuck around for another song but then the rest of the Goats came back on stage and finished the set. The show finisher, for me at least, was This Year. The one song I was really really wanting to hear. He sang it with a sincerity I hadn’t heard in previous recordings, perhaps due to a year that he led by mentioning was one of the hardest he has ever experienced. I didn’t stick around for the encores I was stupid tired at that point (1:12 am) but I heard it was excellent. On the whole not the best show I’ve seen but certainly not the worst and I will definitely catch them once the opportunity again presents itself.
I saw Frightened Rabbit on Friday night at the First Unitarian Church. They were opening for Spinto Band for whom the night was serving as their official CD release but I tell you, most of the people there had come out to see this threesome from Scotland.
As I am newish to formally reviewing shows I’m not sure if I can capture how spectacular this show was. So I’ll just start from the beginning. The sound was a little wonky to start, it is the basement of a church after all*, but after they got that balanced the boys glistened.
Their post punk influence is much more apparent when you see them live and can really feel the driving bass drum and see the way these fellas rock out together. I can’t tell you how much a true connection and balance of talent/musical understanding contributes to a live show. They played stuff off of their new album The Midnight Organ Fight as well as their freshly released live album Liver! Lung! FR! both of which should be purchased by you all post haste. Highlights were
•The Modern Leper which is probably the best song written with references to Leperosy and when played live have an energy the isn’t on the album (but is still a valid tune)when the rhythm is pumped up a bit more you really feel the drive of this song.
•Old Old Fashioned which is the kind of tune you wish your friends who are in band would have written so if anything you had one reason to go to their shows. The lyrics to this song are grand and made for a good sing along with the crowd.
• They closed with Keep Yourself Warm which is the song that first grabbed my attention months ago. It is a gem of an honest relationship song and really tied things up very nicely. There is something about the singing “It takes more than fucking someone to keep yourself warm” in a room with a bunch a strangers in the mess hall of a church that has a delicious irony.
If they had played Backwards Walk it might have been too good to be true and now I have real motive for seeking them out when they come back through the East as headliners this winter. The crowd wanted more after they left the stage and stood around makin noise for a while but FR didn’t return to the stage. I was standing by the sound board at this point and their manager came back to let the guy know they weren’t coming back out (despite the fact that EVERYONE there was bowled over by them and wanting to see what else they could put out there) because, he said, they (FR) didn’t want to steal Spinto’s glory at their release show a far more endearing end than any encore could have provided. Well played guys.
It would be well worth your money to see Frightened Rabbit when/if they come through your town.
* One of the reasons I so love this city they have some fabulously unique venues. Besides First Unitarian Johnny Brenda’s is an old dance hall and the Trocadero is an old Chinese theater.
