UPCOMING ALBUM RELEASES: AUGUST 2009
August 3:
Wild Beasts: Two Dancers
August 18:
Eric Copeland: Alien in a Garbage Dump
August 25:
Arctic Monkeys: Humbug
Willie Nelson: American Classic
A Hawk and a Hacksaw: Delivrance
The Casualties: Stand Against Them All
SONIC YOUTH: THE ETERNAL
Sonic Youth’s new video for “Sacred Trickster” off their 16th album The Eternal is more taste less filling. While its the briefest song on the album, its also one of the strongest and quickly becoming one of my favorites. “Sacred Trickster” is a good mix of art/noise rock feedback sputters with Kim singing salutes to French painter Yves Klein and Western Massachusetts noise artist Noise Nomads and they cram it all into 2:10. The video, directed by downtown fixture, Tom Surgal, follows three hipster femme fatales through a series of attitude laden New York shop adventures that leads them to a haughty rooftop party. But the most ingenious element of the video is the extremely clever product placement and punk-rock history nods. Keep on the look out for salutes to Magik Markers, Burning Star Core, the Blue Humans, Arthur Doyle, Patti Smith, Teenage Jesus & The Jerks, and some others. Watch it a few times and see if you can spot them all.
PHOENIX: LIVE AT MUSIC HALL OF WILLIAMSBURG
Phoenix came to New York’s Music Hall of Williamsburg on Thursday, June 18th and Backseatsandbar was there to fill you in on what you missed.
The French boys who found a certain applaudable level of success with their first three album have broken away with Wolfgang Amadeus. It’s with good reason. The fourth album by Phoenix is easily one of the best synthpop dance rock albums in the last few years. Few albums provide the perfect blend of dance tunes that Phoenix gives us with tracks like Lisztomania, 1901, Rome, Girlfriend & more or less the rest of the album.
While Phoenix received a lot of attention after “Too Young” appeared on Sofia Coppola’s “Lost in Translation” (whom Thomas Mars now has a child with), however it seems that Saturday Night Live provided the best introduction to American audiences as we got to watch the guys perform live. Just as it was on that night, the performance at Music Hall of Williamsburg was magical. Debates have been raging about whether they are too liberal with their use of backing tracks sampling machines, but in the end, every person on stage proves their own talent and if they want to make use of a little “enhancement” to create a perfect performance then all the better for us.
And it was just that. While the set consisted predominately of tracks from Wolfgang Amadeus, it ventured into United, It’s Never Been Like That and Alphabetical, but only 1-2 songs each. Thomas’ energy on stage was infectious, from playing baseball with his mic and mic stand to later joining the crowd for the final moments of 1901, people were dancing and sweating everywhere. But for a group of highly obnoxious kids standing in the front/center who tried their best to ruin the show for as many people as possible (one guy kept jumping into me and others then yelling to stop hitting him), the crowd was mostly amicable and just trying to have the time of their lives while dancing to perfectly crafted dance pop.
Highlight of the show was the encore of “1901” that murdered the crowd. It’s a bright, upbeat, and pulsing pop gem off their latest LP “Wolfgang amadeus Phoenix” that mixes some keyboard tones and french electrohouse with a catchy hook. Check out the video above.
CLUES: LIVE AT SANTOS PARTY HOUSE
Clues have penned the perfect band name. The whole band has managed to remain seemingly shrouded in mystery, a mystery that slowly seems to only unravel through their live performances. Who are Clues? What do they sound like? Why all the hype?
Clues came to New York’s Santos Party House last Wednesday.Having been both a fan of the Unicorns and Arcade Fire, Clues makes for an intriguing supergroup. Nevertheless, supergroups tend to fall flat in my opinion and whether it is egos getting in the way or trying to meld the sounds of the bands from whence the members came, it rarely appeals to me. For that reason, I was slow to pick up the Clues debut. However, once I finally did, I’ve hardly put it down. Having expected quirky Unicorns-esque lyrics over heaver chords, I was shocked to find one of the truly greatest rock albums I’ve come across in a very long time. Zach over at We Listen for You gave the album a perfect 10.0 score, and offered quite insightful analysis of the thematical elements of the album. Perhaps most interestingly was in pointing out the most beautiful and intriguing line from Haarp…“Will I be able to feel the difference…when you turn me on and off?”, to which they suggest the band views themselves as detached and any sort of “fame” to be fleeting.
I recall my feelings after having seen Arcade Fire (and the comparison isn’t merely because of Reed’s former time with the band). Having listened to Arcade Fire, I didn’t know what to expect but in seeing them I left saying quite simply that that was what a rock band should sound like. That is exactly how I felt leaving the Clues show. These guys played with an intensity and passion and brilliance that few bands can pull off. As noted above, the lyrics that pour out of this album have a timeless quality to them and ask very deep questions…something far too few bands are doing these days. At the same time, each member of the band was an instrumentalist and played them all with shockingly incredible skill. Additionally, I feel as though the band were doing some pretty amazing things, particularly with Reed on drums, but the utter darkness of the stage prevented me from seeing much of anything happening on stage (despite being in the first row). I would have really enjoyed seeing the band as they performed.
The set started off with an interesting tribal sounding intro and included most all of the album, including Haarp, You Have My Eyes Now, Cave Mouth, Crows, Remember Severed Head, and closing the set with the ecore Let’s Get Strong.
Starting off the night were the very talented Bridges and Powerlines. I had come across their debut some time ago and instantly enjoyed what they were doing. Synthy almost twee beats with often fairly minimal vocals and frequent harmonization, Bridges and Powerlines leave everyone in the crowd in a better mood than they’d been an hour earlier. Their track Uncalibrated (link)is one of the more lyric heavy tracks and shows a kind of depth that makes them appropriate to play with Clues, claiming “I could make it cold inside just by being here” and I imagine the fight that would ensue. I really enjoyed their performance and highly encourage that you check them out. Start with the track above and go deeper from there.
Drink up Buttercup was the disappointment for me of the night. For a band I’d heard so highly of, I was sad to see that the gimmick outshined the talent. Any regular reader knows that performance and stage presence is critical to my concert experience and I love bands that add something to change our idea of what a concert should be. First we’ll start with the positive…their animation made for a photographer’s dream (which is why they grace the front photo and the headliner’s flash photos take a backseat). Now for the negative….the problem was that singer James Harvey and Mike Cammarata seemed to be the only two trying to focus on playing their instruments while the other two would occasionally hit notes between dancing on stage or hitting things. We noticed garbage cans before the show and figured they would be a part of the act as they looked like they’d taken an unnatural beating. I was reminded of Stomp, except that in Stomp other surfaces were struck to create an interesting sound whereas here it seems it has more to do with making them look cool (it doesn’t). I rarely find myself so annoyed with a band, but Drink up Buttercup can proudly claim to have been so inane and pointless as to have provoked my fury and frustration. Also, it could have been that Ben Mazzochetti reminded me a little too much of Andy Sanberg who in turn makes me think about Joanna Newsom and thinking about Joanna Newsom while watching Drink up Buttercup pretend to be a band could cause loss of hearing, vision and lead to insanity. James and Mike need to go their own ways.
For more photos from the show and to read this review as well as others check out our good friends at BACKSEATSANDBAR
PETER BJORN & JOHN: LIVING THING
Peep the new PB & J video for “It Don’t Move Me” off Living Thing, directed by Andreas and Filip Nilsson. In the same vain as the video for “Nothing to Worry About“, there is some awesomely enthusiastic leg droppin’ here. Keep watching…it just keeps getting better. The vid features a Napoleon Dynamite-esc Michael Jackson impersonator getting his Thriller moves on in random locales set to the Swedish indie trios uber catchy tune. Awesome dance move at 2:47.
WYE OAK: THE KNOT
A set of songs that sway, stretch, and scream while always reaching outward for personal connection. As ever, Andy Stack’s production layers his own multi-instrumental arrangements over Jenn Wasner’s woozy compositions, but musically, too, things sound more precise. There’s less squalling feedback than before, but lingering violin and pedal steel bring out the droning Americana that has always informed Wye Oak‘s sound.
Stream the full Wye Oak album “The Knot” for a limited time HERE.
THE DEPRECIATION GUILD: IN HER GENTLE JAWS
This new video for “Dream about me” comes from Brooklyn-based band The Depreciation Guild. This is total 80’s revival. A Synth pop love child of guitar-led Shoegaze and Nintendo. Band member Kurt Feldman,drummer from The Pains of Being Pure at Heart along with brothers Christoph and Anton Hochheim mix a highly nostalgic blend of melody driven spacey pop with a bass, percussion, and synth sound derived entirely from a Nintendo Famicon sound chip that gives their songs a very simplistic, MIDI like Super Nintendo feel. Added to this textured mix are Feldmans soaring vocals which remind me a little of My Bloody Valentine. You can download their debut album, In Her Gentle Jaws for free by clicking on the yellow strip on their web site.
PATRICK WOLF: THE BACHELOR
[rating:2]
Patrick Wolf : The Bachelor
Label: 101 Distribution
Release Date: June 2, 2009
Returning with his 4th studio album Patrick Wolf presents his two-part record The Bachelor (Battle One)’. It is the first of its kind to be publicly funded after a previous record deal fell through. His fans were asked to come to the rescue and buy stocks in the artist, which then in time be repaid depending on album sales. Risky business, but an interesting concept which gives incentive for the album to mean so much more to the people who contributed to it as well as the artist owing it to the fans.
‘The Bachelor’ is somewhat of an accomplishment on certain fronts; it brings a hint of the new but also a somewhat mature sound. It culminates every past record that Wolf has made and produces an almost greatest hits album that no one has ever heard before. Featuring collaborations from the ‘The Voice of Hope’ otherwise known as actress Tilda Swinton and folk musician Eliza Carthy, who duets with Wolf on the title track, plus others. There is no shortage of helpful musical heads here to lend a hand and this could serve to explain that why after several listens its still hard to identify what the album is really trying to tell you. The track listing is a somewhat confusing assortment of fast paced electronic folk mixed songs like ‘Hard Times’ which is a great single but then as you move through the list more meaningful love songs if you like come in to play such as ‘Damaris’ which slows the pace right back down, ‘Blackdown’ is another good example of a song that is clearly about family and coming of age on this roller coaster album of up’s and downs. However all good songs I just feel that timing and track placement is all wrong.
Don’t get me wrong the album will lead the true die hard fans into another folk fairy tale that only Patrick Wolf is capable of doing. Certain tracks like the beautiful ‘Thickets’, ‘Who Will’ and ‘Hard Times’ are defiantly the three stand out tracks and can’t be denied their limelight. However listeners of the ‘Lycanthropy – Wind in The Wires’ era will be left slightly confused and newer members to the fan club that have only ‘The Magic Position’ as their reference will be even more disappointed. This album leaves no room for pop, it’s heavy in deep over cluttered messages perhaps messages that need re-organizing, maybe that’s just me and my over structural ways. Wolf’s voice seems to have lost its charm in most of the songs and the faux-gospel choir’s sound just as silly as Tilda Swinton’s ridiculous ‘The Voice of Hope’ which I feel is unnecessary whenever used.
I want to like, even love this album but I fear that the few songs I do admire are eclipsed by the confusing track listing and structure, poor lyrics and mixed messages that the album sends out. It’s hard to see this album ever being remembered as anything more than just Patrick Wolf’s 4th album. No new ground has majorly been covered here, he did that with the ‘Magic Position’ and ok yes it was very pop and happy-happy but it worked and is probably his most commercially successful album to date. Being alternative is cool I get it and like it but I just don’t think this album can be identified as that. The formula is just too mixed in this album and for that reason it fails in what all of his past 3 albums succeeded in doing.
COLDPLAY: VIVA LA VIDA
[rating:3]
Coldplay: Viva La Vida
Label: Capitol
Release Date: June 17, 2008
VIVA LA VIDA OR DEATH AND ALL HIS FRIENDS:
OK let me start by saying I have always been a huge fan of Coldplay. It might not be the most popular thing to say; but it’s true. The first time I heard the new single “Violet Hill” I was driving up the PCH in Santa Monica towards Malibu and I absolutely loved it. It is in keeping with their style but a genuine evolution of their sound at the same time. From the very beginning this album takes a different direction from the band’s previous works. The track “Lost” offers up an almost programmed drum section while a lush Hammond b-3 organ matched with wide open U2 esque guitar playing sends the band in to a more rock / arena rock landscape. While tracks like “42” offer up an interpretation of the band that is far more in the experimental Radiohead esque direction. Songs like “Yes” find the band going in a familiar direction but again incorporating a variety of instruments and sounds not typically associated with Coldplay even going in to middle eastern type strings; which I must say feel really out of place and forced. “Viva La Vida” has the same issue to me. Yes it’s an itunes commercial; but the lyrics and the strings really just feel forced and unnecessarily over the top. As a Coldplay fan from many albums ago; one of the things I have always appreciated about the band was the simplicity of the songs. That concept seems to have been lost throughout the majority of this album in favor of trying to push boundaries and be something different from what they are. It’s great to experiment; but a great band knows what they are good at and that’s what makes a career. Being able to accept your limitations, perfect what you were already great at and expand to reachable goals that keep fans coming back for more. Overall that last sentence surmises my issues with this album. It is absolutely top heavy and has moments of the Coldplay brilliance that true fans have come to love; but over all this feels like a forced reach by the band to challenge listeners to see that they are capable of more than what we have come to expect. Unfortunately they are not. The album in many places is just as pretentious as the title. But if you can forgo the skipable tracks; there are some good keeps here. I struggle to determine what the next single will be; probably the title track “Viva La Vida” which is too bad; because it annoys me.
Anderson van Luftsworth
ANIMAL COLLECTIVE: SUMMERTIME CLOTHES
As if the weather wasnt anti-summer enough this week, Animal Collective‘s new video for “Summertime Clothes” is following suit. This video wont do anything to coax the sun out of hibernation but might put you in the mood for Halloween or returning to a psychedelic womb. The video, directed by longtime Animal Collective collaborator, Danny Perez, features a dark studio with strobe lights, fire and ice and lots of visual tricks and treats that will make you wish your freshman dorm blacklight poster had been this entertaining.
WE WERE PROMISED JET PACKS: THESE FOUR WALLS
We Were Promised Jet Packs are in good company with fellow Scotsman band Frightened Rabbit. Formed in Edinburgh in 2003, these highlanders bring emotional intensity to the forefront in their immensely appealing guitar-pop anthems. Adding driving rhythms and dense atmospheric sheen, they unfold their songs into effortless-seeming choruses imbued with romanticism and pop sensibility of more mature bands like Sigur Ros and the Futureheads. The video for ” Roll Up Your Sleeves”, directed by Blair Young, is the second single off their new album “These Four Walls”. Check it out and let us know what you think.
SONIC YOUTH: THE ETERNAL
Almost the weekend again! Craving some new music to start things off right? Serve yourself up a healthy portion of Sonic Youth’s new album “The Eternal”…extra Discosalt. CLICK HERE to stream the full album.
PAJO: SCREAM WITH ME
Like required summer reading, David Pajo’s new album “Scream With Me” is required summer listening. Released only on vinyl, “Scream With Me” is an experimental cover album. A collection of songs from kings of the underworld, The Misfits which for most bands would spell disaster. Surprisingly, Pajo’s lo-fi accoustic interpretation is actually really effective and the perfect album to kick back a coldie on a laid back summer night. David Pajo is currently working on a new record titled “Evila” and has recently joined the Yeah Yeahs Yeahs on tour. You can purchase “Scream With Me” exclusively from the friendly ghouls over at Black Tent Press.
SONIC YOUTH: THE ETERNAL
Sonic Youth’s 16th album “The Eternal” is out this week, along with music videos for tracks “Antenna” and “Sacred Trickster”. “Antenna” features an ageless Thurston Moore on vocals and guitar with a halo of haze churned up in the same vein as “Sunday” or “The Empty Page”. Its vintage Sonic Youth and slips on comfortably.The rest of the album certainly sounds like a Sonic Youth record but is also a homage to artists they admire. The band is doing a lo-fi video series all week on pitchfork.tv, so check it out here.
B-SIDE: VISIONEERS
We first heard of B-Side Entertainment last year after coming across the micro-budget indie film, “Visioneers” which had been acquired by the company and premiered at the 2008 Seattle International Film Festival. B-Side creatively and profitably distributes independent films like “Visioneers” through innovative niche marketing at a fraction of the normal cost and is quickly changing the way distributors view film marketing. The film, directed by Jared Drake, written by Brandon Drake, and starring Discosalt fav comedian Zach “starts with a gal, ends with a kiss” Galifianakis is a dark comedy set in a futuristic society, where the middle finger has replaced hello and people spontaneously combust from stress. Galifianakis, most known for his piss in your pants stand up shtick ala Live at the Purple Onion and more recent notoriety from “The Hangover” (which if you havent seen either of…set em to the top of yer to do list) plays a more serious role as George Washington Winsterhammerman, a mid-level manager at the Jeffers Corporation who starts to reevaluate his mundane existence and take matters into his own hands. Its full of angst, some really funny and poignant moments and of course Zach. We really can’t get enough Zach lately so we are excited you can now pre-book the film on DVD. Just click here to order now from the official VISIONEERS Movie store on B-Side.
LOOKING AT MUSIC: SIDE 2
What: Looking at Music: Side 2
When: June 10- November 30th
Where: MoMA, New York
The Yoshiko and Akio Morita Media Gallery, second floor
Damage: $20.00 (Free w/student ID)
The Moma exhibit Looking at Music: Side 2, catalogs NYC’s stripped-down, hard-edged, anti-establishment, experimental art and music scene of the late ’70s and early ”80s. Back when art and music were cross pollinating in NYC, when downtown artists plastered city walls with art, played in bands, squatted abandoned buildings in the east village and turned vacant garages into makeshift super 8 theaters and performance spaces. The punk ethos was alive. That energy seems to have been lost… but you can revisit it all through 120 photographs, music videos, drawings, audio recordings, publications, Super 8 films, ephemera, live events, and punk-film screenings from September-November.
Some Highlights of the exhibition will include: drawings by Patti Smith; photography by Dan Graham, Nan Goldin, and Jimmy DeSana; experimental video by James Nares; issues of influential zines and magazines including Search & Destroy, Interview, and Punk; music videos with songs by Blondie and Suicide; record covers designed by Kim Gordon, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Raymond Pettibon; music from Television, The Ramones, and Talking Heads; and live band footage from performances at Max’s Kansas City; Film screenings (Taxi Driver, New York Dolls – All Dolled Up, The Blank Generation, Blank City, Deadly Art of Survival, Underground USA, Downtown 81/ New York Beat Movie, Men in Orbit, G Men, She Had Her Gun All Ready, Rome 78, Stranger than Paradise, Variety, and Bob Gruen’s 1976 video “New York Death Cult (Live at Max’s Kansas City)”. Check the Looking at Music: Side 2 website for film details and show times.
THE DEAD PIRATES: WOOD
French Illustrator/Musician McBess, a Discosalt favorite, brings his own unique vision to this music video for his band, The Dead Pirates. “Wood” is highly stylish black and white 1940’s cartoon meets Gorillaz Feel Good Inc, done in McBess’s signature style, full of some really crazy intricate detail and lots of tatoos. McBess has a pretty gnarly website with some great 2D art for sale and a shirt from the video featuring The Dead Pirate’s logo on Threadless. You can find that here.
WHITE RABBITS: IT’S FRIGHTENING
Hump like rabbits…White Rabbits. Just click above to stream their new full album “Its Frightening”.
Catch White Rabbits on tour this summer.
MIKA MIKO: WE BE XUXA
What is this? It’s Mika Miko, an underground youth punk/noise band from LA that have been turning out no-wave pony funk for the LA rave-up Smell Scene, since 2003. 4 chicks, 1 guy, 4 of whom claim to still live with their folks, who are notorious for playing rowdy free shows at random kids birthday parties in the valley. Classic post punk mixed with a little art punk, some B52’s base lines, 1970s fractured dance beats, jagged guitars, raunchy jokes and songs about late night snacks. The new album “We Be Xuxa” which is out May 5 via Post Present Medium, features not one, but two songs about wanting a turkey sandwich. Sold! “I Got A Lot( New New New)” is the first single and the band will be on tour on the east coast beginning in June. Buy the album, play it loud and annoy your neighbors.
