Song of the Week

I know I'm technically a week early (I have no idea when albums come out anymore) but I need to talk about Depression Cherry.

Is it more of the same from Beach House? I'm not so sure. Beach House is never going to really expand their sound (do you want them to?) The closest we got to this is probably Bloom. But while yes, sonically Depression Cherry is similar to every other Beach House record (I think it's closest to Devotion), it has a completely different feel to the others. Just like Teen Dream feels different than Bloom and Devotion. But all the elements of what makes a Beach House record a Beach House record are there. Victoria Legrand still sounds incredible, and they're both writing songs that really suck you in and keep you there, like that really fantastic hug you need when you're upset. A Beach House record makes you feel like it's okay to be less than happy, because the songs are going to be their to cry with you, to be the shoulder to cry on, and to hug you in the end. But at the same time, I've never felt sad or depressed from listening to their songs. The fact of the matter is that they are great at developing a mood within their work. I haven't necessarily been sad while listening to Depression Cherry but it's just another example of the band doing what they do best. The bottom line is Beach House is one of the most consistent bands at the moment (up there with Frightened Rabbit and The Antlers and Titus Andronicus.)

Maybe it's because I'm a big fan of the band at this point but I feel like Depression Cherry is actually more immediate than Teen Dream or Bloom. I've read a lot of reviews saying all the songs sound the same and that's, quite honestly, a load of crap. You have to just press play and go along for the ride and become full emerged into the world the album created. Actually, I feel like this record already feels very "lived in" for me. (I also felt that way about the new Frank Turner album.) I didn't feel like I needed to warm up to it, or have it grow on me. It felt like a record I had been listening to for months already. I know I have to listen to it some more before I really discover everything about it but right now, "Space Song" is probably my favorite song after "Sparks." But you've all heard the latter already.

  

In other news, I'm still trying to digest of all Poison Season but I'm a little concerned about how ordinary I find the lyrics. What's going on, Bejar?

Song of the Week

Hmm, this is a tough one, simply because I haven't really discovered anything new this week. (Well, I've been listening to a bit of Other Lives' Tamer Animals, which I do like. It's in the same vein as Grizzly Bear and Fleet Foxes.)

Joanna Newsom also announced she has a new record coming out in November, and very little music news is ever going to top that. She also released a new music video but I can't quite pass judgment on it yet because I feel like with every Joanna song, you have to spend some time with it before you'll fall in love with it. I mean, whose music is denser than hers?

And again, James Vincent McMorrow's "How to Waste a Moment" is incredible, and it's probably the song I listened to the most this week.

But I'm going to pick an old song that I have simply just enjoyed listening to the most this week.

Dry the River's "No Rest."

(I also really like this live performance of it.)

I just can't imagine anyone not liking this song. In fact, I imagine everyone having the same exact reaction to this song as I did the first time I heard it. "Jesus Christ, that voice." And look, yeah, the vocals are the star of the show here but the lyrics! the strings! "No Rest" is a really perfect song.

Song of the Week

I wanted to write about the new Beach House single, "Sparks" but as fantastic that song is, I feel like in a couple of weeks I am going to be writing about that band anyway, so let's focus on a man who did release a record this week.

(Also, James Vincent McMorrow's "How to Ruin a Moment" is incredible but I haven't had too much time with it yet. But let's just say, JVM is getting better, if that's even possible. That. Voice.)

Anyway, my song of the week is "The Next Storm" by Frank Turner, off of his brand spankin' new record, Positive Songs for Negative People. I've been listening to it all weekend and much like most of his work, the whole is greater than it's parts. I've never liked every single song on Frank's records but when he's good, he's really good, and he has so many amazing songs that they really outweigh the bad. Positive Songs for Negative People has some quality songs on it, and I'm sure it's all gonna be terrific live (when is Frank not terrific live?) There are some songs I still need to fall for ("Mitten" is one of them), and quite honestly, the end of the record after "Josephine" (which is definitely one of my favorite tracks on the album) really just falls apart. "Silent Key" is something I'll probably never want to listen to because it's too weird. And not in a good way, like "Lemonworld" or "Don't Take Off the Gloves" or "Med School" (I will fight anyone who says "Med School" is a bad song. That song is kind of brilliant.) But who knows, I used to cringe when those three songs came on my iPod, so maybe one day I'll love "Silent Key."

Okay, back to "The Next Storm." The song has actually been in my head all week, that's how catchy it is. It's a quality pop song with a fun video, and definitely my favorite track (as of now) on Positive Songs for Negative People. And I can't wait to hear it and Frank live in September.

Song of the Week

I saw We Were Promised Jetpacks twice in a week. I didn't plan it that way, it was just...they played a free show last week and blew me away, and the next day they were all like, "Surprise! We're coming back next week!" And I was on a great concert high so I was like, "YES! I don't care that it's a 10:30pm set on a work night! They're playing the Mercury Lounge, I'm going!"

And they were awesome yet again.

Now, you know I love me some Jetpacks, and I had seen them twice before this past week but I always thought there was something off about their live shows. I always said they didn't have it. There was nothing particularly special about their live performances. But they really, really brought their A game to Pier 84 last week. They were incredible. I don't know if it's because they figured out how to incorporate the songs from their third album into their set or if the crowds were better or maybe it was just me. This time around I knew their songs a lot better, and you know, they didn't have James Graham and company opening for them. Anyway, they were amazing. And then they were amazing at the Mercury Lounge. They were tighter, they kept momentum going, their set just worked, and Adam Thompson's voice was surprisingly great (I say surprisingly because I never rank him among my favorite voices but his voice is so strong. Dude can sing.)

Anyway, I've been listening to the Pack a lot this week (it's been a mix of them and Dry the River, so I don't know what my feelings have been doing) and it's given me a chance to discover their second record, and rediscover their third. (Their first, These Four Walls, is perfect from top to bottom.) Now, we all know I liked Unraveling a lot when it initially came out but it kind of got lost in the Nobody Wants to Be Here and Nobody Wants to Leave shuffle. But it is a great album. It really shows how strong their songwriting has gotten since These Four Walls (it's a bit more nuanced, less repetitive.) I've especially fallen back in love with "Peaks and Troughs."

There is something absolutely addicting about this song. It's catchy and infectious, just like "Quiet Little Voices" or "Ships With Holes Will Sink" but it's not as immediate. It slowly reveals itself; it doesn't seem like much of a song at first but it builds and eventually blows you away. "Peaks and Troughs" and "I Keep It Composed" are some back-to-back punch.

Song of the Week

I'm going to try a new series, simply to motivate myself to write more. Anywho, I'm going to write a bit each week about a song (and eventually, an album) I'm really into.

This week belongs to Titus Andronicus, their epic (and I hate using that word so you know I mean it) 98-minute brilliant opus The Most Lamentable Tragedy (more on that on a later date.) There's a lot to digest, and I'm sure a lot to hate but Titus has never been an easy band to love. They're never love at first listen, even for me, and I'm one of their biggest champions. I just think Patrick Stickles is one of the great geniuses of indie rock at the moment, and incredibly underrated. I mean, The Monitor is one of the best records to be released in the last ten years, and it still holds up five years later (believe me, I just listened to it the other day.) Stickles writes unapologetically ugly yet epic, theatrical rock and roll. And God knows, we don't have enough people doing that anymore. This R&B influence in the indie world is cool and fine and I love a lot of it but sometimes I want some guitars, know what I'm saying? Titus Andronicus is meat-and-potatoes rock and roll with some of the best lyrics you'll find in music today.

But you knew all of that because well, you all know how I feel about Titus Andronicus.

So, the song of the week is "Dimed Out." The first time I heard it, I thought, "Eh, noise." But listening to it within the context of the record (sandwiched between "Fired Up" and  "More Perfect Union," which are equally good) made me realize how fantastic it is. I especially love the contrast of the urgency of the guitars and the backing strings.

Favorite Albums of the Year (So Far)

1. Viet Cong-Viet Cong
I'm kind of surprised I even like this record, let alone love it. Usually I find these hyped up bands overrated but Viet Cong deserves heaps of praise. This record is a challenge, and is really hard to love initially. You have to give it time. And really, what's more rewarding than that? And admittedly, this record took me a few listens before I was blown away. But the truth is, these seven songs are perfect. This is one of the most cohesive albums I've heard in a long time (okay, since Nobody Wants to Be Here and Nobody Wants to Leave), and I can't believe how well it lives up to the hype. It's also very ambitious for a debut record. Not to mention, "Continental Shelf" is definitely the best song of the year. I swear, when the tempo change happens, I get chills! Still! After listening to it dozens of times! It's brilliant. And do I even have to explain about "Death?" Talk about ambition. Because this record's only seven songs, I'm really, really left wanting more, and I hope they get their second record out quickly. It's just refreshing to have a band who is/was as hyped as Viet Cong to not be obnoxious or shoved down our throats.

Also, side note, I did see them live and they are quite good. I just needed more show.

Favorite Tracks: Continental Shelf, Death, Silhouettes

2. Sufjan Stevens-Carrie and Lowell
We all know this is fantastic, right? I don't need to go on and on about it? I want to say that this is a return to form for Sufjan but that's just because I hated The Age of Adz. Carrie and Lowell just reminds me of old-school Sufjy, circa Seven Swans, which is my favorite record of his after Illinois (I don't want to meet a person whose favorite Sufjan record isn't Illinois, quite frankly). Anyway, Carrie and Lowell is subtle yet powerful, and, like most of his work, gorgeous. Yes, it is a heavy record but art isn't easy, right? It's raw and beautiful and full of pain and demands repeat listens. I feel like he truly bared his soul on this one, to the point where it feels almost uncomfortable and invasive. And that's kind of what makes it so brilliant.

Favorite Tracks: Fourth of July, Eugene, Carrie and Lowell

3. Admiral Fallow-Tiny Rewards
What, did you think I'd let this list go without a band from Scotland? This record is relatively new, and I've just begun listening to it but it's good. It's very, very good. I've tried to get into Admiral Fallow in the past but other than Louis Abbott's voice, I wasn't very taken with them. But they put on their big boy (and girl) pants and made a really great, enjoyable record. It feels...darker than their previous work, which is most likely the reason I enjoy it so much. Their first records were a little too poppy for my tastes, and kind of inconsequential. (I should go back and revisit them.) However, the  beauty of this record is that the songs truly sneak up on you, and you feel like you have to keep starting them over and over again before you can actually finish them because you're like, "wait, what!? Amazing." It's kind of like the feeling of your body getting used to a really cold pool of water. You weren't sure at first, you wanted to get out, but you stuck around and now it's awesome. Plus Louis Abbott's voice, am I right? The last record I felt this way about was The Midnight Organ Fight.

Favorite Tracks: Holding the Strings, Some Kind of Life, Building as Foreign

4. Lower Dens-Escape From Evil
I'm gonna be honest with you here: I like this because it sounds like Beach House, and Beach House is a perfect band. And I haven't gotten a Beach House record in three years. (*whispers* Soon.) But regardless of Lower Dens' Beach House-like qualities, this is a great pop record. Jana Hunter's voice is terrific and in songs like, "I Am the Earth," it's downright haunting. I tried to get into their first record and it just didn't happen (running theme this year, I suppose) but this one really stuck with me.

Favorite Tracks: Your Heart Still Beating, I Am the Earth, Company

5. Belle and Sebastian-Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance
I wrote extensively about this album earlier in the year so I won't get into it but bottom line: this is the most enjoyable record to come out all year.  

Favorite Tracks: Enter Sylvia Plath, Play for Today, The Party Line

I'm going to stop at five simply because I feel like...it's been a good year for music already, certainly but I kind of lost four months of it listening to Dry the River. And quite frankly, if I had to say what my favorite record of the year has been so far, I'd say Shallow Bed. And I don't care that it's three years old. If you ask me which record has shaped the year for me, I'd say Shallow Bed. It is a terrific album, and I think it already ranks up there with all of my other favorite albums. Every damn song stands on its own, and there is no filler.

Anyway, I suspect this list will change and grow by December, considering there are records coming out by Destroyer and Beach House and Beirut and Titus Andronicus and Frank Turner and Glen Hansard (and maybe Frightened Rabbit?) and I'm bound to fall in love with at least one of them. I listened to the new Tame Impala record yesterday for the first time and that's quite good as well. So...exciting things to come, certainly!

A few precious hours in a space of our own...

So, this post is almost three months overdue but I feel like I need to commemorate attending my 100th concert. (Erm, I'm at 101 now but no bother, it's okay, we can still talk about the 100 that came before it.)

I was holding out for a big show from one of my top five (my musical Avengers, what have you) but the only one who seems to really be touring is Damien Rice. And I did have a ticket to see Damien Rice back in April, so I figured "alright, he's a good enough 100, that's fine." The ticket eventually fell through. I finally thought, "well, fuck it, I just want to go to a concert" and trekked through snow to Williamsburg to see Dry the River. It was a weird experience but kind of an amazing one, and well, I think by now we all know how I feel about DtR. It was kind of the perfect 100th concert. Why? Well, DtR falls in line with Andrew Bird, The Frames, Frightened Rabbit, The Felice Brothers, and The Twilight Sad (among others) as artists I saw in concert without really knowing much of their music. They're in very good company.

But this post isn't about that show. No. I've written about that already. It was special and I loved it and I love DtR and have basically given up on other music for the time being. No, this post is about the other 99 concerts I've attended (well, at this point, the other 100 but we'll leave Mika out of this for now. He was very, very good nonetheless.)

Anyway, we won't go into all 99. I have forgotten a good many of them (what? I've seen The Polyphonic Spree live?) Let's talk about the important ones.

The First: Blink182/Green Day/Saves the Day at Madison Square Garden
I loved Blink182 went I was in junior high (we all did, right?) I really believed they were the epitome of good music, and was quite proud of myself for liking something other than the boy bands my peers liked (rest assured, I had my time in the boy band fandom and liked both Backstreet Boys and NSYNC, depending on my mood). I was pretty psyched to see them live. I knew a handful of Green Day tunes, mostly because my brother liked them a lot. And well, Blink actually headlined the night and much to my dismay, Green Day wiped the floor with them. It was almost embarrassing. But it made me a Green Day fan (ah, see, it started way earlier than I thought) and I went home and sought out their entire catalog (stealing my brother's CDs along the way). Green Day are a lot of things nowadays but no one can deny that they put on a great show. Blink182 was pretty much a disaster. Tom DeLonge couldn't sing live, and their songs sounded like exact replicas of the album tracks. Only with worse vocals.

You can do a lot worse for your first concert. I however, had an amazing time and enjoyed every minute of it, regardless of Blink182's half-assery.

The First One That Mattered: Death Cab For Cutie/Ted Leo and the Pharmacists at The Theater at MSG
I spoke about this show in more detail in my Death Cab For Cutie post but this was the show that really started it all for me (consequently, DCFC is truly the band that started it all for me.) It was actually only my third concert ever (we will not talk about the second one; I was young and impressionable and I went with my friends and...that's enough) but it was the one that made me realize concerts weren't just some elite events that sold out in three seconds (I mean, I came from the world of teen pop where that was almost always the case). Real people could go to concerts too, you know? Well, DCFC were great (at this point, you'd be hard pressed to get me to say something negative about them) and I really enjoyed myself but it just opened up a huge can of worms that has yet to be closed nearly ten years later. In fact, I actually bought tickets to see Damien Rice the next morning. The impact was instant. I liked concerts a lot and wanted to go to as many as possible.

The First Fantastic One: The Frames/Michael Brunnock/Brendan O'Shea at Webster Hall
This was a lot of firsts: my first SRO (I was so turned off from the idea of standing all night. Imagine!) and my first show at Webster Hall. This was not, however, my first time seeing The Frames. It was actually my third time seeing Glen Hansard so I knew what the man was capable of. This show was two and a half hours, a non-stop barrage of great song after great song. For a long, long time this was my favorite concert ever, and to this day Glen Hansard is one of, if not the best performer I've ever seen on stage. What he does on stage, how he takes command of it, and how he has the audience eating out of the palm of his hand, is practically unparalleled (although I think Scott Hutchison and Frank Turner come close and make noble attempts.) 

The First Religious Experience: Andrew Bird/Calexico at Radio City Music Hall
This show had a lot of things going against it: primarily that fact that I didn't feel well and my seat was terrible. (I truly hate RCMH.)  In fact, I dealt with bouts of boredom throughout this show. I really didn't know what I was getting into with the venue and with Andrew. I think he's very accessible for someone who could be a little experimental and doesn't always adhere to the rules of mainstream indie pop but his shows aren't exactly straightforward. Anyway, I left the show feeling somewhere between "meh" and "OH MY GOD!" and kind of began an Andrew Bird listening binge that lasted, oh, I don't know...three, four years? I think you know the rest. But to me, it's pretty bizarre that a show I felt lukewarm about created that big of an obsession.

The Best One: LCD Soundsystem/Sleigh Bells at The Wellmont Theater
What can I say about LCD Soundsystem other than James Murphy is a god? This was the most fun I've ever had at a concert. The band was on fire, and it was just a huge, two hour dance party. Amazing, and unparalleled. And I've seen a lot of great acts.

Total Effing Surprises: 
1. Devendra Banhart/Little Joy at Music Hall of Williamsburg: this was the perfect concert, from opener through Devendra's main set. Absolutely incredible, and totally unexpected. Backing band was tight as hell, and Dev played over two hours. I will never say bad things about him simply because of this.

2. tUnE-yArDs at Central Park Summerstage: tUnE-yArDs actually opened for St. Vincent at this show and I wasn't expecting much from her set, even though I had really liked "Birdbrains." Well, Merrill Garbus embarrassed Annie Clark that afternoon, and made me a fan for life. She is one of the most talented people making music today, and truly one of the best live acts.

3. The Felice Brothers at The Bell House: I bought tickets to this show simply because I had always wanted to go to The Bell House. I didn't know much about The Felice Brothers' music, and yet, this ended up being my favorite show of 2011 (in a year where I saw Andrew Bird, The National, Cloud Cult, etc.) The Felice Brothers are a ton of fun live, which is probably why I've basically seen every one of their NYC shows since. They never disappoint. And the funny thing is, I don't even listen to them on a regular basis. I just like to go to their shows.

4. Japandroids at Webster Hall: (We won't even talk about DIIV. NOPE!) Was this much a surprise? I don't know, considering I was very, very high on Celebration Rock and it ended up being my favorite record of 2012. But for a band that sounds like Japandroids, a live show could be underwhelming. And it turned out to be one of my favorite concert-going experiences ever. Any show where I can scream a long to songs with 1500 people is going to be a very good time.

5. Animal Collective at Terminal 5: I was really expecting this to be a disaster but AnCo was incredible. They are much better live than you would ever suspect from watching YouTube videos.

6. Dry the River at Music Hall of Williamsburg: Shaker Hymns, etc., No Rest, etc., Peter Liddle has a great voice, etc., etc., etc.

Total Disappointments: 
Look, I didn't really want to bring negativity into this post, and I'm not saying all of these acts were terrible, or even bad, just...disappointing. And sometimes, it's not the band themselves. It's you. Sometimes you're just not in the mood to be at a concert, or the crowd is awful, or you can't really see very well, or they're not playing a set of songs Anyway, here are some disappointing acts:

1. Chad VanGaalen at MHOW: Um, no, this wasn't me. It was him. Which was so disappointing because Soft Airplane is one of my favorite records ever (I just listened to it the other night and it still holds up, my goodness) but he is...odd live. And off-putting. It didn't help that I didn't care for the record he was promoting. Oh well, you live and learn.

2. Patrick Watson: I've seen him three times (once as support, once for free, so technically I've only paid for him once) and he has never blown me away. I don't know what it is but there's something about his live show that leaves me cold. I'm beginning to wonder if it's just the fact that I don't like his music as much as I think I do.

3. M83/Sun Airway at The Hammerstein Ballroom: Yeesh. This had a lot of things going against it, the first being the AWFUL crowd. And look, I'm not trying to be a snob and be like, "hey, you kids, get off of my lawn and out of my concert venue" but once a band hits the mainstream, they attract...a certain type of person. And I was surrounded by them. Combine that with the fact that I once read a rumor that M83 doesn't play their instruments live, which was all I could think about during the show, and I just stood there wanting it to end. Which is a shame because a) I loved their last record and b) I waited a long time to see them live. Never again. (If you ask me, no, it didn't look like they were playing their instruments.)

4. Sigur Ros: I've seen them twice, once at MSG, and they just leave me so cold live. Everything is technically beautiful, but I'm not really into the "now you play, and I'll watch" concert-going experience. I like to feel like an active participant. But what can you do when Jonsi is singing in a language you don't understand? For me, Sigur Ros is a great listening experience, and they can make me feel things through my headphones but not live. Not live.

5. The Flaming Lips/Tame Impala at Terminal 5: Full disclosure: Tame Impala were TERRIFIC. Really wiped the floor with The Flaming Lips. This was probably the most disappointing show I've been to, simply because I waited A LONG time to see The Flaming Lips, and I somehow managed to see them for the first time during their "Terror" tour. And Jesus Christ, a terror is right. That album is pretty fucking unlistenable if you ask me, and it doesn't not come off better live. All the confetti and stupid costumes and lights could not save this one. I couldn't wait for it to be over.

Anyway, I wish I could write about all the great shows I've been to, and there have been many, but I just don't have the time or the space. In a way, they're all special.

Here's to 100 more...