Zola Jesus

Artist- Zola Jesus
Album- Valusia EP
Label- Sacred Bones
Genre: Moody

This EP is like the gothic sister of the Twin Shadow album from earlier this fall. Nika Roza Danilova, a.k.a. Zola Jesus, has a stunning operatic voice that conveys emotion quite well. This album definitely sounds like early 4AD material. Zola recently supported Fever Ray on tour, and I’d say this is like Fever Ray meets Cocteau Twins meets industrial music. I look forward to new material.

Young Man

Artist- Young Man
Album- Boy EP
Label- frenchkiss*
Genre- indie folk

Colin Caulfield came to the attention of frenchkiss* Records, home to Passion Pit, the Dodos, and other indie faves, by posting covers of Deerhunter, Ariel pink, and more to his YouTube page. It’s like a indie singer-songwriter success story. Anyway, this EP is a really pleasant listen. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but it has a nice spacey folk sound and Caulfield’s voice reminds me of Panda Bear. “Five” has lovely tropical chord strumming, and “Hands” features some Beta Band-esque percussion/sampling. “Just a Growin’” has a retro vibe that’s slightly psychedelic with layer guitar riffs and an atypical beat. One of the best 30-minutes I’ve listened to this year.

The Demon's Claws

Artist- The Demon's Claws
Album- The Defrosting Of...
Label- In the Red
Genre- Garage rock

This is like the psychedelic companion to the new outcrop of garage-punk-rock bands like Ty Segall and Jay Reatard. Demon’s Claws sounds most like Black Lips in my opinion. “Fed From Her Hand” is four minutes of psychedelic surfiness at its finest. “At the Disco” clocks in at under two minutes with maybe about 4 lines of lyrics, but the energy is so great it doesn’t matter. Shame about all the FCC obscenities on this album. These little songs about sex, drugs, getting fucked up with friends are skuzzy to the core and perfect for not giving shits about school or the future.

Cheap Time

Artist- Cheap Time
Album- Fantastic Explanations (and Similar Situations)
Label- In the Red
Genre- Garage rock

Wholeheartedly awesome garage rock with a dash of punk. The Tennessee trio’s sound is anchored by singer Jeff Novak’s snotty vocals- the energy of Jay Reatard with the slacker-ness of Wavves. Apparently the band was so annoying that the first recording engineer made them leave the studio at gunpoint. Sloppy yet charming, this album is a must-play for fans of Reatard, Ty Segall, Mark Sultan and short and sweet bratty numbers.

Fistful of Mercy

Artist- Fistful of Mercy
Album- As I Call You Down
Label- HOT
Genre- Folk

This band sure has a good pop pedigree: Ben Harper (self-explanatory), Dhani Harrison (George Harrison’s son, as in the fucking Beatles), and Joseph Arthur (discovered by Peter Gabriel). It’s mostly acoustic, fairly psychedelic, and definitely Beatles-influenced (#1). “Things Go Round” has a nice jaunty keyboard as well. Overall very folky, well-produced album.

Kendl Winter

Artist- Kendl Winter
Album- Applecore
Label- K Records
Genre- country folk

Kendl Winter’s first release for K Records (the Olympia, WA based label for Built to Spill. Mirah, Jeremy Jay) is undeniably a country-tinged bluegrass fest. This album is pretty typical, “come back ex-boyfriend who left me” fare. I wouldn’t call it country in the negative sense we all think of for country music, but this sure is folky and down to earth.

Kelley Stoltz

Artist- Kelly Stolz
Album- To Dreamers
Label- Sub Pop
Genre- vintage-sounding indie

Sub Pop continues their string of great albums this year with their last release of 2010- songwriter Kelley Stoltz’ newest. This CD is heavily influenced by 60’s pop like The Kinks, the Beatles or Harry Nilson. Sometimes the lyrics are a little too elementary- but hey, the Beatles wrote shitty lyrics sometimes too (“Love Me Do” = awful). “Keeping the Flame” is a stunning track full of surf influence and a trippy keyboard riff. “Baby I’ve Got News For You” is a cover of a psychedelic 60’s track and even features the original writer, Pete Miller, on the track playing the same guitar used in the original recording. “Little Girl” has some hella-nice echoed guitar too and is one of the punkier tracks. “Love Let Me In Again” has cute “sha-la-la-las”.

The Gay Blades

Artist- The Gay Blades
Album- Savages
Label- Triple Crown

The Gay Blades’ sophomore album (terrible band name, by the way) finds the duo abandoning their more raw sound in favor of something a little too polished. The album was produced by whoever does the Hold Steady albums, which is lame. Singer James DeanWells (ha.) tries too hard to be theatrical (the obnoxious piano crashes invite Freddie Mercury comparisons, except worse). Back when the Gay Blades were lo-fi, their trashiness sounded awesome and energetic. Now, with this cleaned-up more mainstream sound, it just sounds like emo-tinged theatrical Scissor Sisters.

Cloud Nothings

Artist- Cloud Nothings
Album- Turning On
Label- Carpark
Genre- Lo-fi rock

Pure fuzzed-out pop perfection. The band is the brainchild of 18-year old Dylan Baldi, who recorded every instrument and vocal himself. If Wavves hadn’t gone pop after their album, they surely would’ve made this next (Cloud Nothings toured with them this summer). Garage rock is officially back. Listen if you like: Wavves, Beach Fossils, good music. This is a collection of a few EPs and singles, Cloud Nothings' proper full-length should be released in January

Concert Review - Phantogram 10/26/10

On a fairly drizzly and otherwise uneventful day, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Phantogram concert. I’d read some reviews saying they were excellent, others saying they were underwhelming. Either way, I’ve been a fan of the band since I first heard Eyelid Movies, which came out in late 2009. I’d always thought of Phantogram’s music as hip-hop inspired, trippy pop, which is coincidentally great for long road trips in the rain.

I arrived with my friends around 9 PM, an hour after Josiah Wolf, the drummer of WHY? was scheduled to come on. Inside Mr. Smalls were only about 40 people. Josiah Wolf and his guitar accompaniment (who also provided vocals) supplied a solid-sounding shoegaze-y performance: very appropriate for preceding the melancholy Phantogram.

The segue between performances consisted of beat-driven music which got me even more pumped up for the band I came to see. The rest of the audience seemed to feel as excited as I did; again I felt nervous – why are there so few people here? Maybe they truly aren’t that great live.

That prediction could not have been more wrong. Josh Carter, sporting a unobtrusive red shirt and jeans, and Sarah Barthel, in a simple but sexy black outfit complementing her sleek black bob, quickly set up the stage and dove right into “As Far As I Can See.” I positively melted while the misty notes of the sultry and touching melody drifted through the venue. Barthel’s double-tracking was executed flawlessly, but I wasn’t quite prepared for such an intense, fleshed out sound delivered by Carter’s guitar playing and the drummer the duo added to the set. On the album, the songs pack energy and feeling, but this performance took their music to a new level. Having duly impressed the audience with their opening song, Phantogram continued on with “Running From The Cops.” This brings me to their projected mini movies – a creepy but interesting film depicting a bleeding couple involved in a car chase with some grotesque aliens played during their second song. During following tracks, the projections seemed to alternate between geometric patterns and following a pale young woman in a white dress wandering around a forest. The dreamy projections definitely accompanied the music quite well. Phantogram played the rest of their album, driving the audience to groove with the beat-heavy “Bloody Palms” and “Futuristic Casket.” “Let Me Go,” ordinarily a pretty and sad ballad, culminated in an explosion of sound at the end, an interesting take on the track. The slower tracks, “Mouthful of Diamonds” and “All Dried Up,” were wonderfully performed. I couldn’t help but admire Barthel’s outstanding stage presence; although she was stationed behind the drum machine and providing breathy vocals, her frequent head-banging was invigorating (especially considering this was the band’s third-to-last show on their tour). Her vocals went above and beyond my expectations, as “Turn It Off” she sang close to an octave higher than she did on the album!! “You Are The Ocean” was powerful and heartrending as well.

In the middle of their set, the duo (who barely spoke onstage) announced they were about to play a new track. My friends and I agreed that it sounded great. I would say that it seemed to have slightly less of a structure than their older material, but the new sounds all mixed together indicated the band is moving in a great direction, in which I am highly interested!

Phantogram closed their sadly short set with “When I’m Small,” having only gained energy during their performance. The duo quickly left and came back for their encore of “All Dried Up,” accompanied by a projection of spastically flying through stars a la Windows 95 screensaver 2.0 (it was so, so great).

I only could have seen improvement in two aspects. I wish they had included distortion for Carter’s vocals, which are admittedly creepy but, in my opinion, make Phantogram’s sound unique and thought provoking. Additionally, the trade-off of the rich, guitar-heavy sound for the more intricate parts of each track was mostly welcomed, but I did miss the tiny details of each song I know so well.

As I left, I realized that overall it was truly one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Few other bands deliver such a true and simultaneously exploratory rendition of their music, while still keeping the audience in the zone and managing to entertain (especially for a band which relies heavily on electronic components!). Needless to say, I bought a T-shirt.

- Cassia Priebe

Avey Tare

Artist: Avey Tare

Album: Down There

Label: Paw Tracks

The first official solo LP from Animal Collective’s Avey Tare sounds like, well, pretty much how you’d expect the solo effort of an Animal Collective member to sound. It’s interesting and full of weirdly dark sounds, off-kilter beats, and Tare’s echoing vocals are an instrument more than a vehicle for conveying words. Still, it sounds a little empty without the other members; you’ll find fewer memorable hooks and more hazy meandering here. “3 Umbrellas” feels suspiciously like a B-side from the Merriwether recording sessions, notably upbeat and carried by a driving toy piano sound. Check out catchy “Heather in the Hospital” and the cool grooving beats in “Lucky 1.”

Sufjan Stevens

Artist: Sufjan Stevens

Album: The Age of Adz

Label: Asthmatic Kitty

Drum machines. Synthesizer bleeps. Electro-noise, spacey echoed vocals. A banjo deficiency, a sprinkling of obscenities. And what the— is that Auto-Tune? What is this, and where's the new Sufjan Stevens album we've been expecting?

Fear not, dear listener. The Age of Adz, Stevens' first proper LP in five years, is probably going to be a bit confusing, initially. After all, this is from the man who once pledged to record an album dedicated to each of the 50 States (but only managed Michigan in 2003 and Illinois in 2005) and in 2007 created a "symphonic and cinematic exploration of New York City's infamous Brooklyn-Queens Expressway." Anything approaching straightforward would have been, let's admit, highly disappointing.

So instead of sticking with what's already worked and cranking out more austere folk tunes about the Transfiguration of Christ or orchestral ruminations on the Blackhawk War, Stevens offers up an album that manages to be both exploratory and familiar, mysterious while comprehensible and, most importantly, intensely enjoyable.

The Age of Adz sometimes feels like you’re being carried to a different country, armed with a Lonely Planet guidebook and a familiar pair of comfy shoes. Already comfortable with the local dialect - the way Stevens' vocal melodies rise at the end of his phrases, the unmistakable inflections of his vulnerable voice, the personal confessions in his lyrics - we're set free to revel in the new electronic sonic landscapes he creates.

It's tempting to wonder at first if Stevens merely aspired to follow the fashionable trends in contemporary indie/alternative music. Suddenly the synthesizer is back en vogue; everyone seems to be going electronic these days. His use of Auto-Tune in "Impossible Soul," albeit brief, seems like an approving nod to an irritating trend in popular mainstream music. Is one of the pioneers of the folk and banjo revivals in indie pop over the past decade too spent to do anything but follow popular fads like so many fleeting indie critic darlings? (See: Matthew Dear, Neon Indian, Holy Fuck, Greatest Hits.)

In short, no. The lush arrangements of Illinois were bewildering at first listen, too, losing us in their Midwestern-tinged sonic wonderland, but a second or third listen through revealed their fragile, sympathetic documentation of historic figures and personal confessions. The Age of Adz is really more similar to Stevens' past work than it is different; it simply requires a little bit of investment on the part of the listener.

Yes, the prodigious use of echo delay on his vocals and electro glitch-beat synth sounds might be jarring at first. The sci-fi movie sound effects that introduce "Too Much," for example, or the random staccatos of noise punctuating the sprawling opus "Impossible Soul" are a little challenging.

But these are good things. The more you play the album, the more it grows on you, and the revelation sinks in that Stevens is doing what he's always done - taking instruments or noises we think we've heard before, turning them upside down, and making them his own. What he's done for the banjo and various woodwinds on previous albums he's simply done again, just with very different instruments.

The overwhelming sense is that of Stevens' evolution as a musician, building upon his talents and flexing his creative muscles; hearing him take risks with new sounds, and succeed, is supremely gratifying and enjoyable to listen to. One of his greatest strengths has always been his ability to stay grounded even while engineering a cacophony of sound - whether it's the electronic noise here, or the self-performed orchestras from previous efforts. And that's exactly what he maintains; at the core of every song, his signature, masterful songwriting remains intact.

The Age of Adz isn't full of the quiet self-portrait acoustic ballads prevalent in many fan favorites. There's no bedroom performance atmosphere of "For the Widows in Paradise…" or "Holland" present here. But "Futile Devices" and "Now That I'm Older" are great examples of that classic intimate balladry in the new Sufjan Stevens era. "I Walked" is probably the best example of a quintessential Stevens track given new instrumentation. Like so many others on Adz, he muses on a failed or difficult relationship, critically evaluating his own role - "I couldn't bear that it's me / It's my fault" – while layers of percussive static and rolling backing vocals lead to a dramatic conclusion. His penchant for coupling humbled words with ornate instrumentation has never been stronger, and this contrast is what continues to make his work so compelling.

Ultimately, Stevens is doing exactly what we love him for, and that is making wildly inventive music of the kind no one else has thought to attempt. Where earlier works revealed his influences, the flavor of Vince Guaraldi's piano in Michigan's "Flint," for example, The Age of Adz genuinely sounds like Stevens has matured to the point where he's found all the inspiration he needs in himself. The result is a sprawling effort that somehow manages more creativity, more grandeur, and more originality than before.

Paleo

Artist: Paleo

Album: A View of the Sky

Label: Partisan

A really excellent album full of careful and tender, but still relaxed sound. This makes me wish it were a cool Tuesday night in November, and I were in a bar with wooden walls, with a craft brew in hand and no worries on my mind – Paleo would definitely be playing in this imaginary pub. Anyway, this sounds like some dudes from Appalachia paired up with a couple dudes from New York, hence the occasional gentle synth which accents the simple and honest melodies. Mostly it’s just rustic-but-not-too-rustic-sounding music which is neither happy nor sad, but still makes you feel good. Highly recommend.

The Black

Artist- The Black
Album- Sun in the Day Moon at Night
Label- MOON Records
Genre- folk rock

Totally retro album that sounds straight out of 1966! Elements of the Kinks or Bob Dylan all around. I like it. It sounds a LOT like the band Jaill or Deertick (the press sticker didn’t lie for once!!). The only slight complaint I have with this folk-rock (emphasis on the rock part, not folk) is the singer can get vaguely whiny after listening for an hour, but in single song doses this sounds great. Very rambling old-timey feel (as in, harmonica is sometimes involved). Heartfelt too.

Gospel Claws

Artist- Gospel Claws
Album- C-L-A-W-S
Label- Common Wall
Genre- indie rock

I’ve been a fan of Gospel Claws since I randomly reviewed their self-titled EP last year and the full-length does not disappoint. I wanna convert to whatever gospel cult they’re running. This indie-rock album sounds retro with elements of soul and surf music. Kind of like a less-pretentious Surfer Blood. The singer sounds like he’s related to Hamilton Leithauser of the Walkmen or the full-throated sound of the singer from Cold War Kids though ostensibly it’s less nasally or whiny. Give this band a chance!

Tim Chad and Sherry

Artist- Tim Chad and Sherry
Album- Baby We Can Work it Out
Label- self released
Genre- indie rock

This funky album comes from members of the Silver Jews and Lambchop. It’s pretty groovy along the lines of Midnite Vultures-era Beck or Ween. Psychadelic and spacey (#4) as well. Like the sticker says, fans of Flaming Lips, psychedelic-era MGMT, or Silver Jews will like this. None of the tracks labeled “Live at Lake Fever” are actually live tracks BTW. Very nice groovy album, give it a try.

Roots Manuva meets Wrongtom

Artist- Roots Manuva meets Wrongtom
Album- Duppy Writer
Label- Big Dada
Genre- hip-hop

Roots Manuva is a British rapper who is actually pretty huge back in his native UK (nominated for album of the year in their version of the Grammys); Wrongtom is the producer for this CD. This album is very listenable and summery with a strong Caribbean influence- Manuva’s parents were from Jamaica. Elements of grime and dubstep can be heard throughout as well. Apparently this is all just remixed and re-worked versions of previous songs. Really cool chill album.

Tom Zè

Artist- Tom Zè
Album- Estudando a Bossa: Nordeste Plaza
Label- Luaka Bop!
Genre- tropicalia

Brazilian tropicalia from one of the genre’s originators in the 1960’s. Each song is “inspired” by classic bossa nova tracks, as indicated by the back cover. Track “Outra Insensatz, Poe!” features vocal accompaniment in English from David Byrne of the Talking Heads, whose label released this album. I don’t understand Portuguese, but this is still a beautiful melodic album.

Tired Pony

Artist- Tired Pony
Album- The Place We Ran From
Label- Fiction/Polydor

This album is fantastic. Lead by Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody, the band wanted to make a country album that sounds more like indy-folk. The first song opens in such a bizarre way that my high expectations for the album immediately lowered. However, the instrumentals picked up after the vocals had been repeating for some time and the song really turned around. And from there on, I was really impressed just after the first song. The buildup in the second song, "Get on the road", paired with the orgasmic hominizations, make for a fantastic track. The album does slow down near the end, and, "The Good Book" is sung by someone other than Lightbody, which is unexpected and slightly disappointing, and the last track ends in a distorted breakdown, which wasn’t what I was expecting. HOWEVER, the first half of the album is just wowzers and makes up for the mediocre songs that follow.

The Red River

Artist- The Red River
Album- Little Songs about the Big Picture
Label- Brave
Genre- indie rock

Bandleader Bill Roberts described this album as, “a memento of my time
spent in Long Beach, which also happens to be the exact duration of my
entire life.” Appropriately there’s a vein of cheerful, laid back
nostalgia running through most of these songs. There’s also snapping,
whistling, some pretty great horn parts, strings, and a little bit of
synth thrown in for good measure. Although nothing groundbreaking, it’s
an album of solid, easy to listen to indie pop.

The Wildbirds

Artist- The Wildbirds
Album- Sunshine Blues
Label- Self-released

The Wildbirds (not to be confused with Wildbirds & Peacedrums – that’s
something completely different) are a four piece rock band from Milwaukee
whose music lives on the border between ‘catchy’ and ‘decent’. There are
some really great blues elements to this group but you have to get over
the incredibly whiney singing to even consider them. If you put Jet, The
Strokes, and The Band in a blender and then changed the vocals so they had
the attitude of a tired child denied ice cream, you’d get something like
this.

Flying Lotus

Artist- Flying Lotus
Album- Pattern + Grid World EP
Label- Warp
Genre- rpm

Patterns + grid World is an enjoyable departure from Ellison's Cosmogramma, which came out earlier this year. His new EP is way more grounded than Cosmogramma, which for me failed in its annoying voids of ambient textures and swirls. Instead, P+G W cuts to the point musically, employing intertwining sawtooth synth lines, 808 drum chops and blips, and the usual crazy unquantized FlyLo space sounds.

El Guincho

Artist- El Guincho
Album - Pop Negro
Label- Young Turks
Genre- electronic, tropicalia

El Guincho, the alias of Pablo Diaz-Reixa, is a fusion of exotic tropicalia influenced samples and dance-music beats. “Bombay” is anchored by cheerful steel drums and sampled drums, and “(Chica-Oh) Drums” is pure sunshine-pop with cluttered samples that’s danceable yet trancey. It’s Balaeric, it’s Caribbean, it has hints of Animal Collective- it’s a lot to process but it’s all mixed together well.
I’m not sure how many listens I could give this album (it sounds a little 90’s after awhile), but it’s fun and dance-y with world music influences. It’s definitely not as good as 2008’s amazing Alegranza, but by any means this is not a bad album (it’s pretty good). Any of these songs could brighten may day.

Eyes Around

Artist- Eyes Around
Album- Alpha EP
Label- ?

Eyes Around’s EP, with the same title, is essentially generic alternative rock that could have clocked radio time if it were released five years ago, but is late in its release. That doesn’t mean, however, that the music is not good. The label recommends all tracks one, two, and three, which is humorously narcissistic, but they may have a point. Track one delivers with an effectively catchy chorus. The second song dabbles in ambient rock. The third doesn’t deliver like the first two, but doesn’t totally suck. With their music focused on the vocalist’s thrashy style singing, and having the guitars’ power chords as a base, Eyes Around succeeds in making an alt. rock album, that is a pretty easy listen.

Deerhunter

Artist- Deerhunter
Album- Halcyon Digest
Label- 4AD
Genre- rock, noise, awesome

Halcyon Digest can be best described as ambient noise rock. On some tracks such as “He Would Have Laughed” and “Revival”, you will find influences from 70s disco and funk. The reverb really adds a lot, giving songs like “Basement Scene” a more psychedelic rock sound. If you like MGMT and/or Animal Collective, you will likely enjoy this record. On “Coronado”, they make lo-fi cool again. It is tough to describe this album instrumentally because there is so much going on, but I’d say that you should just not try to pick this one apart and enjoy it as much as I did. It’s pretty great!

The Migrant

Artist- The Migrant
Album- Travels in Lowland
Label- Self-Released
Genre- Folk rock

The Migrant is a mellow folk rock musician from Denmark. You would think that this would cause his music to sound somewhat exotic and awesome, adding new elements to the average folk rock but mostly, he does not. The songs are slow and beautiful but just not incredible or heart-breaking in any way. “Nothing But Clues” has a lot of energy and the violin makes it more special. Vocally, he reminds me of City and Colour (Dallas Green of Alexisonfire’s solo work).

Tim Kasher

Artist- Tim Kasher
Album- The Game of Monogamy
Label- Saddle Creek
Genre- Indieeee

Tim Kasher’s solo effort is fine-tuned indie rock, infused with a bit of pop, chamber, ska punk, and even funk. It’s interesting to listen as he strays away from the genre he’s been playing for the past two decades with his bands Cursive and The Good Life. “I’m Afraid I’m Gonna Die Here” and “Cold Love” are upbeat and fun, instrumentally. Lyrically, the entire album is moody and self-reflective but the energetic percussion and brass keep it from killing the buzz. There are a few slower, mellower tracks that are still enjoyable.

Adam Haworth Stephens

Artist- Adam Haworth Stephens
Album- We Live on Cliffs
Label- Saddle Creek
Genre- Folk rock

Adam Haworth Stephens of Two Gallants takes a moment to refine his folk rock sound. The record reminds me of Nik Freitas’s solo work (who was also featured in Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band). However, it is a little softer. An organ and an accordion are heavily featured, giving his songs a fun sound. The record starts off with a bang and tapers off slowly into a lighter, beach pop feel like on “Angelina”. For the most part, you might hear these soothing songs in a coffee shop. Still, it is a pretty good album!

Concert Review - Ra Ra Riot - 10/3/10

At 9 pm on Sunday night, I found myself and my roommate Gabi running along 18th street in Southside toward East Carson. Literally running. The night wet and cold, we were afraid of missing any more of the show than we presumably already had, granted that the show was scheduled to have started at 7. Neither of us accomplished joggers, we arrived panting at Diesel. We stepped into the sexy venue, seeming a bit ill-matched to the music we came to hear, and breathed twin sighs of relief: the openers were still playing! We hadn’t missed the show we came to see -- Ra Ra Riot.

The room was full of non-hardcore hipsters - a lot of plaid, messenger caps here and there, an abundance of tight jeans. No one seemed on edge. A good vibe reigned in the room lit with color-changing glowing columns. We all watched the band set up - plugging in a violin, bringing out keyboards and drums. I had heard that the members of Ra Ra Riot were notably attractive, and I was anxious to make my own judgment.

Finally the lights went down, and all applauded in anticipation. The band came out - four men and two women. I must admit, the band members are indeed attractive, with the exception of the drummer. (Sorry, bro, you were in the back and all I could see was your creepy mustache.) The two ladies, dark Alexandra Lawn on a fantastic electric cello and blonde Rebecca Zeller on a more classic-looking violin (which was nonetheless plugged in to an amp), both looked fabulous.

RRR opened with Shadowcasting, one of the mid-level tracks off their latest album, The Orchard, which dropped in August of this year. On the album, the song isn’t one of the most memorable, but lead singer Wes Miles’ exuberance and airy vocals brought it to a new realm of appreciation for me. The same can be said for the rest of the songs which followed - the band played selections from both The Orchard and the Rhumb Line, their first album, which is commonly thought to be better than their latest release. Boy, the ever-catchy baroque-pop
track, was especially great to hear live. Each Year and Oh, La from The Rhumb Line instilled nostalgia and were truly terrific. Can You Tell was, as expected, heartfelt and wonderful to sing along to, if you’re a corny fan like me. Lawn’s performance on You and I Know was breathtaking and it showed - the audience and band seemed to swell as she hit the solemn notes of the bittersweet ballad.

The band overall was exciting and just plain fun to watch; the bassist Mathieu Santos provided backup vocals in addition to looking extremely cute in his glasses. I was impressed by guitarist Milo Bonacci’s skills (mostly because he looks about 17). Lawn especially was interesting to watch, as she would sing along even when not on a mic. Between songs, Miles noted the dichotomy between Diesel’s club-like appearance and his expectations, but still carried on with full energy as before. With Ghosts Under Rocks and Dying Is Fine as their encore, Ra Ra Riot did not fail to impress. This show definitely bumped RRR up in my queue of “favorite bands when asked by those who probably won’t even know who they are.” This is apparently RRR’s fourth show in Pittsburgh in three years... I’ll be thrilled if they decide to come back again soon!

- Cassia Priebe

Concert review: !!! at Via Festival 10/3

!!! (as part of Via Festival)
Lawrenceville Moose; Oct 3

This concert was seriously excellent beyond belief. We drove crazily over here from a different concert and managed to get inside after a ticket snafu in time to hear Dominique Young Unique, a young female rapper from Florida who was wearing an epic spandex bodysuit. Her spitfire performance was a cross between Nicki Minaj and Rye Rye. Needless to say I want to be her.
It took !!! seriously like 30 minutes to do soundcheck, but it ended up being worth it. Singer/frontman Nic Offer brought so much (sometimes-terrifying) energy. If the man tells you to clap, you fucking clap. We weren't really expecting all of the pelvic gyrations that occurred, but whatever. Offer frequently jumped off the stage into the huge dance party to join everyone and my friend ended up grinding with him. Everyone freaked out when they played "Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard". The band (seven people?!?) played their hearts out and at the end of a sweaty hour I didn't want !!! to stop. This band is MUST-SEE live- I liked their newest album Strange Weather, Isn't It? but seeing the songs live brought the music to a whole fucking new level.

Holy Sons

Artist- Holy Sons
Album- Survivalist Tales!
Label- Partisan
Genre- Folk

This album should be in high rotation for its cover art alone. Musically, this is also pretty excellent. Holy Sons is the side project of Emil Amos, the drummer for 2 experimental groups Om and Grails, though it’s his 9th album under this name. Autumnal folk with a dash of avante-garde minimalism with a tendency to be wrenching and depressing at times. It’s moody and a beautiful snippet of electric guitar or piano will crash in when you least expect it- “Golden Child” is carried by a nice, heavy bassline. Spin this and you won’t regret it.

Young the Giant

Artist- Young the Giant
Album- self-titled
Label- Roadrunner
Genre- Indie-rock

This California five-piece drops their debut album after racking up major hype points from their single “My Body” hitting #1 on HypeMachine. They’ve been on tour with Minus the Bear, who sound pretty similar (also a bit like Cold War Kids). It’s energetic but chill, it’s Californian with a dose of New York flair. Anthemic at times as well. Kudos to these kids for cranking out a nicely entertaining debut of indie-pop.

Envy

Artist- Envy
Album- Recitation
Label- Temporary Residence Ltd.
Genre- Post-rock

Japanese post-rock. I am at a loss on how to describe this. “Last Hours of Eternity” started off as such a nice, sweet song until it EXPLODED in the speakers with a wall of sound and something being yelled in Japanese. It’s melodic, loud as fuck, and bludgeons your ears with noise. Apparently this band has literally made people cry at their concerts from their music….they’re playing here soon so go to it! Fans of Mogwai (they're actually signed to Mogwai's label) and Explosions in the Sky will LOVE this album.

Young Man

Artist- Young Man
Album- Boy EP
Label- frenchkiss*
Genre- Folk-indie

Colin Caulfield came to the attention of frenchkiss* Records, home to Passion Pit, the Dodos, and other indie favs, by posting covers of Deerhunter, Ariel pink, and more to his YouTube page. It’s like a indie singer-songwriter success story. Anyway, this EP is a really pleasant listen. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but it has a nice spacey folk sound and Caulfield’s voice reminds me of Panda Bear. “Five” has lovely tropical chord strumming, and “Hands” features some Beta Band-esque percussion/sampling. “Just a Growin’” has a retro vibe that’s slightly psychedelic with layer guitar riffs and an atypical beat. One of the best 30-minutes I’ve listened to this year.

Concert Review- Elf Power w/ Ursa Major and a showing of "Major Organ and the Adding Machine"

Elf Power, Ursa Major and a showing of "Major Organ and the Adding Machine"
Friday September 24, 2010
Venue: Brillobox

Once again I'm at Brillobox going to a show for the opener and not the closer. The announcer framed the movie Major Organ and the Adding Machine as a "children’s movie". Bottom line, the movie was, well- to put it nicely- strange and confusing and by no means meant for kids. The whole time I couldn’t help but think at how unhappy a kid would be if he was to see this movie, due to the opening statements. [Ed note- this short film is about the mysterious Elephant 6 musical collective of the same name. it includes members of Neutral Milk Hotel, Elf Power, of Montreal, and Olivia Tremor Control.]

After the movie was over, Ursa Major took the stage. Ursa Major is a local band, several members of which had worked with 92.1 WPTS in the past. Also it is an interesting band to me because I have seen them early in their career and now presently, and the band has evolved in what I see as a positive manner. Back now from a road tour, Ursa was ready to play for the city where it all started and I feel they really delivered. The band has, in my opinion, moved from being a primarily folky band to more of an indie rock band that has folk influences. The music was catchy and fun and still had substance, and in addition to this the band had a good stage presence and energy. I found myself once again dancing with my friend as the music propelled us on.
After a strong set Ursa Major exited stage to make room for the headliner, Elf Power. I have never listened to Elf Power and the show did not really make me want to buy a CD; in fact, I found myself bored and waiting for the show to finish. Now, I should say that this is not normally the music I listen to- I don’t doubt that Elf Power makes good music, but what they played did not excite me or for that matter leave a real memorable mark. I feel guilty even commenting on their set, because I found myself not fully listening. Simply put the music didn’t do anything for me. I should also say though there was a decent sized crowd and there were people moving and an encore was requested and obliged. So, while it might not have been my cup of tea it was working for someone. All in all, I was happy with the night, especially when my bus came on time.

-Matthew James Anderson

Concert Review Pt 2- Holy Fuck and Indian Jewelry

Holy Fuck featuring Indian Jewelry and South Sea Sneak
Wednesday September 22, 2010
Venue: Brillobox

I am not always the biggest fan of going to a show, or for that matter doing anything in the middle of the week, I was willing to forgo a little sleep for the sake of seeing not Holy Fuck but instead Indian Jewelry. Admittedly it is a little strange to go to a show to see an opener, but for me they were the better known band. The venue began to crowd slightly before the first band, South Sea Sneaks, went on. I'd never heard of this local Pittsburgh band, and I was worried about this particular set due to the unusual appearance of the two band mates. After all, these guys were older, scruffier looking dudes (maybe a bit past their prime, is what came to my mind), but their looks were deceiving and they delivered an impressive opening set. Using a couple of unusual instruments, including one that the bassist said was a magnetic dildo, the band was able to create a really raw and refreshing sound that made one want to band their head a little bit.
By the time Indian Jewelry came on the venue was really beginning to fill up, and for good reason the next two sets were to be good ones. It is stated by some that Indian Jewelry puts on a "seizure inducing set", and they did not let this legend die that night. With a frenzy of strobe lights and human energy Indian Jewelry took stage and did their thing. Indian Jewelry is enjoyable to listen to on CD, but their live show brings a whole new dimension. There is something very raw, even tribal about the music that left me feeling connected to the music and ultimately much energized. To say the least I danced my way into the final set Holy Fuck.
At about 12 midnight the band finally began their set. The set lasted about 45 minutes and really demonstrated the diversity of Holy Fuck; moving the crowd to sway at some points, and at others to really move and dance. Now, I have never listened to much music from Holy Fuck, but this set did make me appreciate them more, as I got the chance to not only hear more of their music, but to also see it preformed. To see a band manipulating such an array of machines to produce such a riveting sound is not only impressive but also enjoyable. I was sad to have to leave a little early to catch my bus, but I definitely did not leave feeling like my money had been poorly spent. Indian Jewelry was everything I could have hoped for and more, Holy Fuck attracted a large crowd and gave them what they wanted and South Seas Sneak was a pleasant surprise.

-Matthew James Anderson

Crocodiles

Artist- Crocodiles
Album- Sleep Forever
Label- Fat Possum
Genre- Noise pop

Crocodiles is back with album number two and their acclaim has not weakened them but allowed them to grow stronger. For those people that have had the pleasure of listening to the debut album, they will not be disappointed, and for those people that have yet to hear of this band they will be excited. Crocodiles is a genre bending band that really has found a balance in their music, melding together elements of psychadelia, lo-fi, noise pop, and even the elusive shoegaze genre. Crocodiles' sound therefore is very difficult to describe due to its highly original and experimental ways, but one thing can be said for sure and that is that one will not become bored listening to this album. This album is very well made with every song flowing into the next seamlessly, but while still making sure every song is unique. The songs are diverse and intriguing; some being slower while others capitalize on catchier beats. So, while the band is experimental, they are able to utilize their noise to make very catchy and stimulating tracks which makes one lose track of time. The album Sleep Forever can be best described as a refinement and an enhancement for those that know the band and for those that don’t, well, they will not be disappointed if they are looking for something fresh. Crocodiles is back and with this album I think they have affirmed they are not going anywhere but up anytime soon.

Abe Vigoda

Artist- Abe Vigoda
Album- Crush
Label- PPM
Genre- Rock
Abe Vigoda is a band in constant evolution. This can be both a good and a bad thing. The bad thing with a band that is constantly evolving, is that their music changes, and if you liked where it all started then you might not like what comes later. This is the case with Abe Vigoda; if one listens to Kid City and then this album one will not be able to really recognize the band. For people like me who loved Kid City this isn’t a good thing, yet at the same time this doesn’t mean this album is bad. When I first listened to this album two other artist names came to mind These New Puritans and Los Campesinos (later albums), both of which are good bands to be compared to. On this album Abe utilizes a new set of electronic instruments including the synth and sequencers which creates a much more serious tone, but at the same time Abe is still able to produce very catchy beats even if at times it can be broody. The noise and the chaos of the old days have been cleaned up leaving behind well made polished music with understandable vocals. Abe has over the years traded in its sharp edge for a polished tool, and for people like me it is not a good trade but for many more it is an appreciable trade. One thing for sure though with this album is that it has a real good beat and is very enjoyable to listen to.
-Matthew James Anderson

No Age

Artist- No Age
Album- Everything In Between
Label- Sub Pop
Genre- Noise pop at its finest

No Age is a destructive duo that knows how to do noise rock in an appealing and catchy way, without losing the skull-crushing fun that noise can bring. While many may not know the name No Age, I have faith most have heard their single which debuted in 2008, Eraser. If you know this song, or better yet the band, this album will not disappoint you. No Age still delivers with their well known heavy distortions and catchy beats, but I feel they have added a new element to this album. To me, on this album, No Age finds not only a way to capitalize on fast and catchy noise beats, but also slower, more provocative sounds. One will find many songs that will intensely sweep you up in a blaze of noise and fast beats, while other songs take a more paced approach utilizing on noises ability to make something very intense. In general, the album has a good balance, and for me, I got everything I expected and then more. So, I would say to those with history with the band that will be impressed at their ability to continue providing on their signature sound, while still growing, and for those new to the band I doubt that they will be disappointed if they are looking for something fun and catchy, but that still has a little bite to it.
-Matthew James Anderson

Dead Leaf Echo

Artist- Dead Leaf Echo
Album- Truth
Label- 2&1 Records
Genre- Shoegaze

Shoegaze along the lines of Slowdive or Ride. “Half-Truth” is a gorgeous opening track driven by gunfire-quick drumming, dreamy vocals and lovely guitarwork. “Act of Truth” is another stunner driven by female backing vocals. This album is neither revolutionary nor bad- it’s a nice EP for people who wanna hear dreamy shoegaze music.

Carnivores

Artist- Carnivores
Album- If I'm Ancient
Label- Double Phantom
Genre- Tropical punkiness

6 months after cranking out an excellent debut album, this Atlanta-based quartet is back with another homerun of 60’s psychedelic punk. These kids managed to get a stellar write-up in the New York Times yet none of the huge music blogs have caught on yet. Vocals alternate between Caitlin Lang providing either shrieked punk goddess noise (#2) or melodic backing “oooohs” (#3) and Nathaniel Higgins. All the songs are just about 2 minutes long and I never want them to end. The tropical mood of early Abe Vigoda is mixed in quite well too. Carnivores’ unique take on 60’s psychadelia, surf, and punk is what sets them apart from other bands trying to capitalize on the success of lo-fi nowadays. Every track on this album is a winner and is sure to please fans of 60’s revival sound as well as those seeking noisier punkish fare.

Megafaun

Artist- Megafaun
Album- Heretofore EP
Label- Hometapes
Genre- Folk

This indie-folk EP was actually pretty likeable- a tough feat since I despite all things folk. At times it’s a little experimental and there’s always a psychedelic undercurrent throughout. “Carolina Days” is the most upbeat (and shortest) track, carried by acoustic chords (and a cute guitar solo late in the track) and sweet vocal melodies that’s great roadtrip music (lyrically and metaphorically). Great Americana music that should please most folks.