Sounds of Thunder

Someone Still Loves You, Bishop Allen

2006-02-20T14:20:00.000-05:00

For weeks before the 10th of this month, I was looking forward to seeing Bishop Allen play at Piano's, and to pick up my own January EP. I guess you could even go as far to say that I was "stoked". The plan was to get there early and get in before the bouncer got there (which normally works extremely well). However, by the time 6 o'clock rolled around, the bouncer was already there. I ended up trying to brute force my way in, but to no avail. God I really need to get a fake ID.

After recouping and realizing there was no way of getting in, I decided it would be a good idea to go see Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin at the Knitting Factory, and make the evening not quite a complete waste. I was interested in seeing if SSLYBY was really all they were hyped up to be. The first opener had dropped out, and the show didn't start until 10:30. SSLYBY proved to be pretty catchy and fun considering I wasn't all that familiar with their material. Songs, like "Pangea" proved to be espeically witty, with lyrics "Pangea/Where did you go?/Why did we have to drift apart?" All the band members were fairly talented considering their ages; they ended up switching instruments a few times, and the drummer (name?) even sung a few songs. The set was short, but memorable. At one point a string on the Squire guitar they were using broke, and an audience member was enlisted to change the string while a Gibson SG (which we were assured went out of tune by the end of every song as for the reason they were using the Squire the whole time) was used to replace it.

Catfish Haven was up next, but I didn't end up staying for the whole set. The singer had a raspy, unrefined voice, but what got me was that the songs were extremely repetitious and at a point I wasn't enjoying myself, so I headed for the door.

Thus ended one of the most disappointing nights of my limited memory, but no fault to SSLYBY. However, I did end up getting January through the mail. Well worth it.

Bishop Allen
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

Oh, and sorry about the really long delay on this post. I've been extremely busy doing engineer things, and other shows, which hopefully I'll be posting about soon.

Man Man Covers Etta James "I'd Rather Be Blind"

2006-02-14T21:28:00.000-05:00

So, I can only remember back to the Interactive Playground show from last week when, as my friends and I exited, I couldn't help but ask, "Did they play a cover when the power to their mics was cut?" Even standing/sitting in the front, I couldn't tell, but was pretty sure it wasn't a Man Man song. But what song could it be. Enter PitchforkMedia. Man Man sure does like using Pitchfork for these exclusive releases.

I'd Rather Be Blind

As noted, it's a cool doo wop song, but still has the distinct voice of Honus, and the Man Man hallmark high pitched peculiar-sounding backing vocals. Pretty cool, though.

Man Man
PitchforkMedia

PS - Anyone else having as wierd a Valentine's Day as me?

Built To Buy Presale

2006-02-09T23:49:00.000-05:00

Tickets to the Built to Spill shows, which I mentioned previously, are on presale here.

username: spill
password: tickets

Another really hard one to crack.

Get them while you can. Last year they sold out all three days at Irving. Don't buy too many though. I haven't bought mine because I haven't figured out when my exams are, but I trust you guys (or that no one reads this site). I guess worse comes to worse I go to the show before the first day of finals. You could always wait for the 13th to buy the tickets regularly. Anyway, good luck.

Built to Spill
Irving Plaza

We Are Scientists v. The Willowz

2006-02-09T23:15:00.000-05:00

By now it's well known that SOT darlings We Are Scientists are making a DVD which will contain at least one video per song on their latest "debut" album With Love and Squalor. What you, loyal SOT reader, may not know, is that The Willowz, a rock quartet from the land of the Mighty Ducks, will be releasing a DVD, titled See In Squares of 26 videos, all directed by different people. So it seems that the boys from Brooklyn have some competition. There's more information about See In Squares on the Willowz website, along with a trailer of sorts for it.

Oh, and I've got my money on the Willowz DVD coming out before the WAS one. Call me a pessimist.

We Are Scientists
The Willowz

And maybe one of these days I'll do that review of the Willowz album Talk In Circles, like I said I would months ago. Or maybe not. It's not quite a pressing matter. I will, however, do a review of the Isles EP Back To Terrific, which they were kind enough to send me. It should be up by early next week, as I have some shows to go to this weekend.

The Stills To Tour

2006-02-09T09:17:00.000-05:00

The Stills (remember Logic Will Break Your Heart from '03?) will be going on tour through Canada and parts of the United States according to a release from the band. To quote it:

"To be really vague:

March: some very sparse stuff in ontario and south by south west
april: going through all the U.S.A. (but not all of it!!!!)
May: a big chunk of Canada but once again not all of it!"

This will be the first American tour since their guitarist Greg Paquet left the band. Their drummer, Dave Hamelin, is now filling in duties on guitar, and a new drummer has been brought in to fill the gap.

Their as-of-yet untitled new album is coming out on May 9th. The tracklisting is below.

1 In The Beginning
2 The Mountain
3 Oh! Shoplifter
4 She's Walkin' Out
5 Helicopters
6 In The End
7 Baby Blues
8 Monsoon
9 Outro
10 It Takes Time
11 Destroyer
12 Halo The Harpoons
13 The House We Live In

The Stills

Man Man Plays The Interactive Playground; Nearly Kills Entire Audience

2006-02-09T03:03:00.000-05:00

I knew this show was going to be good when I saw that there was a Man Man BMX bike raffle and everyone was asked to wear monster masks. How could you go wrong? When all was said and done, it did not dissappoint.

The show was set to be at a place called the Interactive Playground in a fairly less than desirable area of Philadelphia. Once I got there with one of my friends and a couple of his pals from school, we headed up the stairs to a fairly empty room with a small mock up of Mayan pyramids on the floor, various cardboard cut outs hanging from the ceiling, and a puppet interviewing someone in front of some cameras. A bit surprising to say the least. I watched attentively for a few minutes before one of the people behind a booth announced that the whole taping thing was going to be wrapped up, to be finished after they got on to the concert portion of the night.

A lone man took the stage, whose name we learned was Ramòn. Everyone was seated and it was a really cute set up. He explained that his first song was about a boy named Giver, and began to sing his light, classical sounding "Introduction." His sound was a very interesting mix of, what sounded to me, Devendra Banhart and Seu Jorge (he was even wearing a red hat ala Life Aquatic). A little bit more research done at home found the information to me that Ramòn actually opened for the Jorge when he was in Philadelphia on his last tour. Unfortunately I was only able to stay for one and a half more songs before I had to leave to pick up a friend at a subway station a mile or so away. I really need to see this guy play again; from what I've seen and heard, he's absolutely amazing. He's playing a few small, cheap shows in Philadelphia this month, and I'm fairly certain I'm going to make at least one. I think you should too.

Make A Rising was on after a short break. They came on, two in robes, one in a cape, and all wearing masks (as per instructions on the show info). On the whole, they turned out to be a noise band, although they did have some interesting piano parts, and there were glimmers of actual music here and there, but the cacophony in between was, at points, barely tolerable.

Next, Blood Feathers, the apparent side project of Mazarin bassist Mickey Walter, was a stark departure from the band before it. Their very straight forward rock oriented sound was entertaining and upbeat, and they kept enough of a variety up as to keep one interested, bringing in a twelve string for the last two songs. Their volumes were up a bit too high, actually inducing pain at times for those brave souls up front (including myself), but otherwise, they were a nice band, if not one that seemed a bit out of place opening for Man Man.

After Blood Feather's set, Man Man's equiptment started to be moved out. We we treated(?) to a short puppet show of a sock monster before a short sound check (the marimba wasn't loud enough), and finally the set started. All of the Man Man essentials were met. Eyeball lights on the naked electric piano, spatula playing, screaming, etc. It was pretty wierd seeing three cameramen swarming around the edges of the "stage," and they became more and more of a nuisance as the crowd became rowdier and well... drunker. After about half of the set had gone by, a large security guard/bouncer type pushed through the crowd to Honus, signalling for him to stop, and saying something about the floor. Once he left, Honus could be heard commenting to Sergei something along the lines of "we're playing until the fucking floor collapses." The guard apparently remarked to the promoter, "People could die" moments later. The music continued (the new stuff is sounding great), with the addition of a saxophonist/flutist, whom I hadn't seen at shows before, helping out on two of the songs. The guard then came back once more, and got into a bit of a tussle with a drunk kid, whom was then shoved back. Honus made after the guard, and all was seemingly in disarray. Honus came back and told the audience that the floor was in danger of collapsing, and that we could no longer dance. This somewhat allieviated the problems I had with the drunkards, and the set continued. After a few more songs, we were asked to be seated, which we all did, so as the show could continue. After some time seated, the power to all of the microphones onstage, to which the band continued to play one more song percussively, all pounding on drums, only after Honus had told us to stand again. The show was cut short (Honus pushed his chair over in frustration), but on the way out, the floor was noticably tilted.

The show is apparently going to be podcast by the makers of the PSP, for a fee of course. More information on that here. Man Man is supposedly making a music video out of footage from the show as well.

Man Man
Ramona Cordova
Blood Feathers MySpace
Make A Rising

BtS NYC-bound

2006-02-08T13:45:00.000-05:00

Yup, you heard me right Brian. Doug Martsch and the rest of Built to Spill will be at Irving Plaza May 3-5. Tickets are $22 and go on sale on the 13th of this month. They'll be playing with Camper Van Beethoven and other as-of-yet unannounced opener(s).

This means I have to figure out my finals schedule.

Built To Spill
Irving Plaza

Wayne Coyne Gives A Track By Track Of At War With The Mystics

2006-02-03T09:07:00.000-05:00

You know the new Flaming Lips album will be good when one of the tracks was inspired by one of Wayne Coyne's dreams. You know it will be even better when this dream dealt with Devendra Banhart talking down a suicide bomber from his mission to destroy something.

At War With The Mystics, is due out in the States April 4th (April 3rd in the UK), but you can already buy the first single "The W.A.N.D. (The Will Always Negates Defeat)" off of iTunes, Napster, etc. Or you could just listen to it on their MySpace. This is where the fun starts to happen.

Wayne Coyne went through the trouble to explain the origins, inspirations, or otherwise ramble about every track of of the Lip's upcoming album. It's definitely required reading for all the cool kids. You can do it here.

The Flaming Lips

Sorry about the loss of time with this post. I forgot that I had begun to write it last week.

Matt Rabbit

2006-02-01T21:21:00.000-05:00

Well... I guess this is about 3 months overdue.

Now, claims of nepotism, or whatever it may be called when it's between friends, aside, Matt Rabbit, a band consisting of four hip characters, Jon Stelman, Darren DeFranco, Matt Johnson, and Alex Grippo, can stand up to any band, be it Bon Jovi or the Boss, to claim to be the best thing to happen to New Jersey since rec soccer gave suburban grade schoolers a purpose in life.

Entirely recorded, mixed, and otherwise produced in the summer of '05 in Darren's basement, Matt Rabbit's debut album, taking its name from the first track and presumable single, "What I Did On My Summer Vacation," is just what it says it is. The album itself, housed with a primary colored sleeve, was distributed somewhat unexpectedly to friends at the conclusion of their Last Show Ever Party Show, which was documented and now lies in DVD format. The aforementioned show saw the police showing up, and the last four songs of the set being turned into a medley so as to finish the entire set without getting shut down forcibly.

The album itself is as clever as it is a well rounded depiction of MR's sound. The album, set up as a traditional album as it would be on vinyl, includes the noises of putting a needle on a record, the noise of flipping the album, and finally taking the needle off at the end; the tracklisting is even set up as A- and B-Side. The A-Side, as mentioned before, starts off with the title track's hallmark drum intro, followed by the successive layering of all of the other instruments, Darren's bass, Jon and Alex's guitar, and crescendos to the inclusion of Alex's vocals. This song transitions into a much more funk oriented song "Extremist Static Dancehall." This is then followed by a slow, jazz influenced number "Historical Fiction," which was cowritten by Alex and Jon. "My Sweetie", which comes as an adaptation from Alex's solo project, Picture Perfect, changes the mood once more, as the teenage anthem softly lulls you in, until those drums kick in and the song takes off. The B-Side is, on the whole, has a much more rockin' selection ("Cream Filling," "Don't Miss Me," etc.), although it gets it's share of jazz in "The Sex Mime."

The wonderful thing about Matt Rabbit is that they're always changing it up, but it's always something spectacular. This is thanks, in part, to the fact that they have two unique songwriters. Darren, who pens the more jazz influenced songs, has an uncanny ability to still make them accessible and catchy. Where Darren's song crafting skills come from his head, Alex, the other brain behind MR songs, writes his contributions more from feel. It's this inimitable blend of styles that takes the band one step above the rest. But the devil is in the details, as they say. Jon and Matt are assuredly well aware of this, and complement each song accordingly. Jon is a guitar virtuoso, adding jazz chords and solos, occasionally over a CryBaby pedal for the funkier songs, and switching it up effortlessly to straight up awe inspiring guitar solos for others. And ever at ease, Matt keeps the whole shebang rolling with his laid back rhythms with no sign of strain whatsoever. To see the group operate is unforgettable.

But I'm sure you've had just about enough of my banter. You want to get to the heart of the matter. Well, you're well in luck. Matt Rabbit is planning on touring through the Northeast this summer, most likely July. Although no dates are yet set (you can help out by emailing me here), the group has produced a promotional EP of sorts, which is here for the taking. If you like what you hear, leave a comment, or check them out at MySpace.

Matt Rabbit Promo EP:

01 What I Did On My Summer Vacation
02 Cream Filling
03 My Sweetie
04 Don't Miss Me
05 The Sex Mime

Matt Rabbit MySpace
Picture Perfect MySpace

EDIT: Photo courtesy of Maya Wadya.

More Reason To Live In Sweden: The Legends

2006-01-29T12:49:00.000-05:00

They've got beautiful scenery, beautiful women, a high standard of living; they even have ABBA for Christ's sake. Well, now they've got another one, The Legends, and let me tell you, these guys are good.

On the whole, I'm usually fairly skeptical of bands from foreign countries. Call it unreasonable, call it xenophobia, call it what you will, but sometimes the singing is just too wierd to take seriously, and the lyrics generally lack complexity (although this last part goes for plenty of American/British bands as well). Whatever the case may be, it takes a little more for a foreign band to earn my respect, I won't lie.

Now, enter the Legends. They've been around for only 3 years, forming in early 2003. They already have 2 albums out, and from what I've been able to hear from them (thanks to MySpace), they're nothing short of incredible. While their vocals are distinctly European, it in no way is distracting. The effect on the vocals which seems to be used often is again, not distracting as one would imagine it would be, but only accentuates the music being played. The music is sufficiently complex as to keep ones attention, but songwriter/guitarist Johan Angergard found the formula to keep the songs confoundedly simple and catchy all the same. I just regret that, being poor, I'll most likely never hear an entire album of theirs.

As a side note, Johan and his brother, Niklas, are collectively in four other bands, The Acid House Kings, Club 8, Red Sleeping Beauty, and Poprace, however, The Acid House Kings and Club 8 seem to be the only active ones besides the Legends. The Acid House Kings (Johan and Niklas) is much slower and sort of retro-pop oriented. They do site Burt Bacharach as an influence, as a matter of fact. Club 8, featuring only Johan and a mystery woman Karolina Komstedt is fragile, minamalist pop, with Karolina pulling most of the vocal duties. They pull the venture off excellently.

Anyway... take a listen for yourself.

The MySpaces:

The Legends
Club 8 I
Club 8 II
The Acid House Kings

The Websites:

Club 8
The Acid House Kings

The Label:

Labrador

Last Weekend's Photos

2006-01-28T01:25:00.000-05:00

Hey there loyal readers,

Sorry about the delay, I had some camera troubles. However, they are most certainly worth the wait. Here are some samples, and if you download the full collection, you get a free WAS/Oxford Collapse video!

Download The Sheezy

Shy Child
Oxford Collapse
We Are Scientists
ODAWAS (I think this is them)
Alex Delivery
Die Romantik
My Best Friend
Diane Cluck
Clogs
Bell Orchestre

Fridays Bring Progress, But They Can't Bring Colin Back

2006-01-27T11:52:00.000-05:00

Well... for post #3 for today (more than I have all week, sorry about that), I'm going to bitch and moan over the fact that I missed Colin Meloy playing solo yesterday at Town Hall. BV seemed to like the show. It's reported there that Lou Reed, Sufjan Stevens, and maybe even David Bowie all went. Just imagine getting to your seat, and you're inbetween David Bowie and Lou Reed. Although, they probably don't have seats. I would imagine that they just sorta hover in a spot where no one can reach them. Unfortunately, I had Econ, and lack paper money, so I couldn't attend. I guess I'll have to wait for tomorrow like everyone else for when NPR airs the Virginia show. Ah well, nothing more that I can do except wait for readers to comment on how much fun they had (at least I can rest easy, as we don't have any readers, and thus, no mocking will take place).

The Decemberists
NPR
Brooklyn Vegan (maybe I'll be one soon... who knows?)

So, as many of you can tell, this site hasn't traditionally been a record review site. I'm going to make my best effort, and my best use of a thesaurus, and start. I have a few treats for all of you that I've been considering, and the Bishop Allen EP's will doubtlessly be talked about as well. Look forward to it.

Grandaddy's Dead...

2006-01-27T11:00:00.000-05:00

According to Pitchfork, the answer to Grandaddy's post of "Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." in their tour section has been answered. They're gone. One more album, and no tour. Another one I've missed out on. Damn. And to think that just yesterday I practically listened to their discography and was wondering if they were going to tour. It looks like some cruel man in the sky was toying with me. I'm sad.

Grandaddy
Pitchfuck
Perry Bible Fellowship

The Weekend Last

2006-01-27T10:30:00.000-05:00

Now that all my work is squared away... here it goes.

Last Saturday was supposed to come with two shows, one in the afternoon, one in the evening. It didn't. Allow me to explain.

The new talk of the Norwegian scene, Serena Maneesh, were supposed to play a show, pro bono, at Soundfix records. They showed up, but without equiptment. And thus our little venture into Brooklyn was nearly a bust (I did buy The Wall and Wish You Were Here on vinyl at a different record store, so all was not lost). I was fairly disappointed that the show was cancelled, but the world continued to turn, and time was a-wastin'. There was of course little chance that we would get into the sold out Mercury Lounge show later that night, seeing as neither of us are 21.

Later that night, Ross and I, with nothing to do, we decided to go to a show where bands we've never heard of were playing. It took a bit to get there; it was in a fairly shady area of Brooklyn, at the Syrup Room. It's fortunate that I knew the exact address of the venue, as the only thing that clued one in about the venue was a door with a "100" marked on it. The pseudo-venue itself was no more than an industrial garage, from what it seemed. It was outfitted with a makeshift bar and even more makeshift bathrooms.

The first act was a band called ODAWAS, were good, but nothing earth shattering. The three-piece consisted of a guitarist/vocalist/harmonica, a drummer, and a keyboardist who didn't seem to fit with the others. It seems he was a fill in, as the vocalist was always telling him the key. Their songs tended toward the melancholy, and didn't deviate from it much at all. The harmonica was a very nice touch though.

Next were Alex Delivery. They specialized in the kind of noise that is getting big these days. I must say, I'm not much a fan. Some of the songs did add some slow pop elements, which was nice, but on the whole, it was swallowed by unintelligible noise. They relied too much on a laptop, which played loops of sounds in the background of every song. Interestingly enough, the two bassist/guitarists both played a six string bass, and when they played guitar, they played it like a bass, i.e. let the fingers do the walking style. It was pretty odd to see and hear. On the last song the female vocalist/odds and ends percusionist played a cymbal with a violin bow. I couldn't believe my eyes when she began rosining the cymbal up before the song. Again, it was hard to distinguish the noise from the cymbal and various feedback noises.

Finally came the band on which I had done a little research on, Die Romantik (pronounced "dee," not "die"... it's a German thing... trust me). Their work online had been interesting, nothing particularly special, but interesting none the less. I've come to the realization long ago that it's a terrible idea to base your approval of a band entirely on recordings. Anyway, they took the stage all dolled up in full suits (the drummer's was impressive, blue crushed velvet, with a matching vest. Surely I was jealous). They went through their set, generally alternating between songs in French and those in English, and were excellent. They spiced up the whole set with songs of differing moods perfectly, and the entire time I was nothing less than amazed. This is a band I will definitely see again.

Unfortunately, we couldn't stay for the set of the last band, My Best Friend. It had to do with sleeping arrangements, the fact that we were in the heart of Brooklyn, and it was nearly 1:30 in the morning. They seem to be moving up in the world of indie, being featured on Oh My Rockness!, and it may be worth checking them out again.

* * * * *

The next day went by fairly slowly. I didn't leave the room in which I slept until two hours before the Bell Orchestre show. At Bowery, they had a really cool looking spray-painted sign outside that said something in French.

Ross and I got very good spots up at the front for the show, and we were in for a treat: a kind of show we hardly ever go to, a slow, relaxed one. Diane Cluck was opening, and she was amazing. There was something about her and her music that seemed very familiar. She used her acoustic guitar and spectacular voice to bring to life some beautifully crafted songs. She was, as she noted, the only person to put forth lyrics all night (with the exception of one Clogs song), and they were a nice interlude into the two upcoming bands.

Clogs came on next, with a guitarist, drummer, violinist, and bassoonist. I had been a bit skeptical as to how well Bryce Dessner of the National would pull of this whole orchestral sort of feel, but it worked quite well. He was far from the lead role on stage; that privilege went to
the violinist. He was all over the place and full of energy. They went through a multitude of songs, with the keyboardist and drummer usually switching from instrument to instrument. There was a vibraphone, mandolins, and even a steel drum. On the whole, I was very impressed, they more than kept my interest through the whole set.

Finally, to finish up my entire weekend (and this behemoth of a post), Bell Orchestre filed on stage, all in white, with little lights under wristbands and one on various places on their shirts. Their set, like the others, was simply amazing. I never would have guessed that a band with no vocalist could be so fun to listen to and watch. Toward the end of the set, Bryce from Clogs came back on his Les Paul. Unfortunately, he was having difficulties with his pedals most of the time and didn't come in toward the end of the song. He was able to stay collected, even though he seemed in a very frustrating situation.

And as soon as it seemed to be begining, the weekend was over, and I knew I had to go back to school, catch up on work, and finally get around to this damn thing.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that Dan Fetherston of the Oxford Collapse was at Soundfix for the show that didn't happen/to hang out. Ross was wearing the Oxford Collapse shirt he bought at Maxwell's, and we got a good comment on it. Later on, while looking for the Syrup Room, we saw Michael Tapper walking down Bedford Ave. in Williamsburg with a small entourage. It was pretty wierd.

The Links:

Serena Maneesh
Die Romantik
My Best Friend
Diane Cluck
Clogs
Bell Orchestre

Burnin' Down The House

2006-01-25T00:58:00.000-05:00

Alright. This has gone a little too long. Forgive me, having had not weekend for homework, I'm struggling to catch up again.

Last weekend saw SOT going to various shows, as you can see in the post below (except for Serena Maneesh, but more on that later). I'll be doing a 3-day installment for all three days. First of which being this.

Last Friday saw a fair amount of people going to what I would venture to say will be one of We Are Scientists last small shows they will ever play. Fortunately, we were able to get in to the sold out show (Keith snuck us on the guest list), and we met the first people at a show who knew about this blog. Uh... w00t? There were also the first sign of swooning adolescent girls with homemade shirts with "i <3 Keith" on the back. But more on them on a later date as well. Now to the important part, the show.

Opener: Shy Child.

At first, I was very intrigued by their set up. I mean they had a key-tar for Christ's sake. On the whole, the two member band (the aforementioned key-tar and drums) was fairly decent. At times their sound bordered too close to techno, however, and one song in particular was no more than a loop of the same lyrics and notes. Some songs were pretty entertaining, though, and it was if nothing else an interesting set.

The Oxford Collapse came on next. They played a slightly shorter set than I remembered at Bowery, but a good one. They covered "Proud Mary" by request; I had remembered they played it at Galapagos last summer. The set was similar to the Bowery one, intense as always, although with much less stamping, which has its pros and cons of course. The last song of their set was reminiscent of "sing-a-longs at Hebrew Camp," for which the Scientist's all came on stage and sang along.

After a short set change, We Are Scientists were up. Again, not much different from Bowery, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. They covered "Be My Baby" again, for which this time The Oxford Collapse came on with tambourines and sang along. Lots of fun. At one point, the Scientists' tour manager lept up on stage and started dancing around, of which we took incriminating photos at the prodding of Christian Owens. After a fair amount of their set had gone by, something utterly amazing happened. We Are Scientists, through sheer power of their rock, set a speaker ablaze. That's right. A speaker was too puny to withstand the barrage of angular guitar riffs to do anything else but spontaneously combust. Unfortunately, this tolled for a shortened set, as they were forced to end their set. After the show, Ross and I headed over to Manhattan for our next day of shenanigans.

We Are Scientists
The Oxford Collapse
Shy Child

Oh, and kudos to the bastard who stole my peacoat. Nothing like making a scrawny kid with no natural insulaiton freeze all weekend. Well done.

Venturing Again Into The Big City

2006-01-20T17:06:00.000-05:00

We'll be gone for a few days folks; we'll be going to some shows and things. You will most assuredly be updated once we get back. For this weekend:

Tonight - WAS and Oxford Collapse at Maxwell's
Tomorrow - Serena Maneesh at Soundfix Records
The Sabbath - Bell Orchestre/Clogs at Bowery

Maybe we'll even throw in another one tomorrow, since the Serena Maneesh show is in the afternoon.

Wish us luck.

We Are Scientists
The Oxford Collapse
Serena Maneesh
Bell Orchestre
Clogs

Oh, and excited about the Bishop Allen news brought to light by YANP. Christian wasn't kidding when he said they were making EPs. I had assumed it meant lots of one EP, not an EP a month.

You Ain't No Picasso
Bishop Allen

Stuck NxNE

2006-01-18T14:46:00.000-05:00

So, it seems that my spring break falls right on the SXSW festival in Austin, TX. Reading the full list of acts going to be performing is a bit too tempting. It seems doubtful that I'll be able to convince any member of my family to let me go, but Of Montreal, John Vanderslice, WAS, Belle & Sebastian, The New Pornographers, Man Man, The Velvet Teen, The Foxymorons, The Willowz, Apples in Stereo, Ted Leo, Kissing Tigers, The Go! Team,... I could go on all day. It's just a little too much to miss and not be regretful. Well, only time will tell what will happen.

SXSW

WAS/Bishop Allen/Oxford Collapse All At Bowery

2006-01-17T12:40:00.000-05:00

To start off with, sorry this wasn't up earlier. Going back to school is a bitch, especially when they don't give you internet until the today.

Anyway, to the point, all those bands above played Bowery Ballroom. 'Twas amazing.

I have been We Are Scientist and Bishop Allen fans for a while now, and I was fortunate enough to see the Oxford Collapse play with them at the Galapagos back in July(?). So, when I saw that they were all playing at Bowery Ballroom, my heart skipped a beat. However, in my unmatched naivety, I assumed that it wouldn't sell out, and boy, was I wrong. This show was not to be missed though, and Ross and I went to Bowery day of to see if any extra tickets were released. There were, and the evening was wonderful. It was pretty surreal, Virgin people were putting up posters and whatnot. All really foreign.

Downstairs, the Scientists were bustling about, namely trying to pick up all the flyers saying they were going to be signing things after the show, so as no one would know about it, and they would save themselves the... I believe the term they used was "degradation." After a bit of that, some sort of manager informed them that Virgin would pull them from promotions if they didn't, at which I poked a bit of fun at Keith.

Upstairs, Ross and I got absolutely perfect spots, front and center. The first opener was the Kites. On the whole, I was unimpressed. The five piece was alright, but the songs seemed repetitious, and worse, all fairly similar. Now, I'm not saying they were bad, because they weren't. I've seen much worse openers. But it just seemed they were lacking that variation that would make them a little more interesting. On their behalf, Ross was a fan.

Next was the long awaited Bishop Allen set. I was slightly disappointed/really excited at the fact that they only played new songs. The new stuff is excellent, nothing less than I would expect from BA. They played a few that I knew, like "Last Chance America," and "Toast from Benefit Street," and a few that I didn't, but I was enthralled nonetheless. Their set always seem too short. Christian R. also let the audience know that they would be releasing an EP of new material some time soon. Oh man, the implications of Bishop Allen selling recorded material! I must get my dirty mitts on one of those. I'll be waiting for Clementines as well.

Oxford Collapse was next on the bill, and they didn't come to disappoint. Much rock and stamping about the stage was had. The new darlings of Pitchfork played a pretty solid set, although they didn't cover "Proud Mary" like they did at Galapagos. They're so good at keeping their songs clean while putting a ridiculous amount of energy into them all the same. They're really fun to see on stage. I'm looking forward to maybe seeing them and WAS again in Hoboken later this week.

By the time WAS took the stage, the place was packed. I longed for the days of old with the smaller venues; I felt like a sardine at Bowery. The set was outstanding, although there was no guitar throwing or any other ridiculous spectacles. They did, however, play their cover of "Be My Baby," which I watched with envy online when they played it at Paradiso in Amsterdam. Unfortunately, a shoving war broke out during "The Great Escape," at which I was extremely disappointed, but I should probably get used to it. After going through nearly their entire catalog (not including the old stuff of course), they guys came out for an encore of "This Means War." Oh, and Ross nabbed the setlist.

After the Scientists signed this, that, and Ross's chest, there was an afterparty to attend at Rothko's. Try as we might, we couldn't get in, or get snuck in, so we called it a night and head home (Next time we'll have to get those fake IDs).

We Are Scientists
Bishop Allen
The Oxford Collapse
The Kites

Save Me Ted!

2006-01-11T18:37:00.000-05:00

So... Brooklyn Vegan posted my embarrassing story about the Ted Leo Save CBGB's show from this past summer. Pretty wierd. I'm glad everyone who left messages were sympathetic to my situation.

Anyway... Do you think this means I get those WAS tickets?

Brooklyn Vegan

Malkmus at Knitting Factory

2006-01-11T10:33:00.000-05:00

Well... chalk this one up for just one more reason why I want to live in NYC.

According to Brooklyn Vegan, Stephen Malkmus played an all request opening act at the Rebecca Gates show last night at the Knitting Factory in New York. He played 6 Pavement songs. I need to find out about shows like these before they happen.

This show came shortly after SM played two shows in the Pacific Northwest with Sleater-Kinney, and one of my favorite bands Quasi. Perhaps more Malkmus will be in store in the near future. At least one could hope.

Brooklyn Vegan
Stephen Malkmus
Knitting Factory

By the way...

2006-01-06T13:15:00.000-05:00

The prices for the B&S/New Pornographers shows are up. The venues are releasing the tickets somewhere between 10AM on January 12th and 12 noon on January 14th. Depending on your venue, you'll be spending somewhere between $26.50US and $35US. Get your credit cards ready!

Tour Dates/Prices via www.belleandsebastian.com

Have a peekee

2006-01-06T12:57:00.000-05:00

I was wandering around the internet today when I came upon the Amazon entry for "The Life Pursuit", Belle & Sebastian's upcoming album. It doesn't have a track listing yet, but it does have the release date (February 7th, 2006) and what will become the cover art... It's salacious... So pre-order away!!

The Life Pursuit
Belle & Sebastian

OMG!

2006-01-05T17:55:00.000-05:00

The dates are up for the New Pornographers and Belle & Sebastian shows. Clear your calendars for these dates. Sounds Of Thunder will make our appearance on the third, and maybe the second if we have enough time and money.

02-25 Toronto, Ontario - The Docks
02-26 Montreal, Quebec - Metropolis
02-27 Boston, MA - Avalon
02-28 Boston, MA - Avalon
03-02 New York, NY - Nokia Theatre
03-03 New York, NY - Nokia Theatre
03-04 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
03-05 Washington DC - 9:30 Club
03-06 Washington DC - 9:30 Club
03-08 Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
03-09 Louisville, KY - Brown Theatre
03-10 Chicago, IL - Riviera
03-11 Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theatre
03-12 Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum Theatre
03-14 Dallas, TX - Granada Theatre
03-15 Austin, TX - Stubb's (SXSW)*#
03-18 Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern
03-19 Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern
03-21 San Francisco, CA - Concourse @ SF Design Center
03-23 Portland, OR - Roseland
03-24 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom #
03-25 Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre

* with Cat Power, Mogwai, Pretty Girls Make Graves
# without New Pornographers

Twee pop will never be the same...

The New Pornographers
Belle & Sebastian

Pandora

2006-01-03T15:45:00.000-05:00

What I have for you today is one of the reasons that I love the internet. You'll love it too if you like music. What you do is input a band or song name and this program will play songs from that band and other similar bands. It's a really good way to discover new bands that you will like. You may or may not have heard of this service before, and I know that it used to be bad, but they have recently added a good amount of indie bands. Give it a try, it's neat.

Pandora

BtS in NYC?

2005-12-27T11:26:00.000-05:00

Word on the grapevine is that Built to Spill will be touring sometime around late March through April. Perhaps even touring supporting the release of their new album, which was pushed back from this past September. There are apparently a couple of shows listed by Ticketmaster in Chicago for mid-April. I honestly can't wait for some info about a possible NYC date (I really doubt they'd skip over New York, but who knows?).

Until there are more updates.

The Back Issues: Doug Martsch and Co., Making Progress

Built To Spill
The Metro

EEEEEEEEE!!!

2005-12-26T11:53:00.000-05:00

Straight from the Matador Records website:

Belle & Sebastian / New Pornographers - We'd better rent a big bus.
While venues and dates are still being confirmed, we can announce that Belle & Sebastian and The New Pornographers will be touring together in early '06 throughout North America, the former in support of the forthcoming 'The Life Pursuit', the latter behind the consensus pick for the album of 2006, 'Twin Cinema'.

This may be the greatest news of '05. We will update as soon as the dates emerge.

Belle And Sebastian
The New Pornographers

Matador Records: News

It's That Time Of Year

2005-12-24T02:10:00.000-05:00

Have I got a treat for you. As a Jew, I know how hard it is to find good Chanukkah music, but here it is: the cream of the holiday music crop. The Leevees is a mixture of Adam Gardner(Vocals, Guitar) of Guster, Dave Schneider(Vocals, Guitar) from The Zambonis, Michael Azerrad(Drums) of The King Of France, Shawn Fogel(Bass) - independent from the ties of any band, and Shank Bone Mystic(Keyboards) hailing from The Shank Bone Mystic Project. Their first and only(hopefully only for now) album "Hanukkah Rocks" is a masterpiece. It has good music, good lyrics, and it's about one of the best holidays of the year. Now, yes, I admit, it is a gimmick band, but it has the unmistakeble sound of Guster, and who doesn't like that? The harmonies are lucious, and the lead vocals superb. But not only is it pleasant on the ears, it's also pleasant on the mind. Most of the lyrics will only seem witty to the Jews in the audience at first, but if you give them some thought, I'm sure that anyone can understand where they're coming from. Not only are the lyrics funny, but they dare to ask the questions that we are all too afraid to bring up such as: "Applesause vs. Sourcream" and "How Do You Spell Channukkahh?" All in all, I'd say it's a must listen for the holidays, especially if you're of the Jewish persuasion.

Applesause vs. Sourcream
How Do You Spell Channukkahh?

Guster
The Zambonis
The King Of France
Shawn Fogel
Shank Bone Mystic Project

The LeeVees

Take The 'A' Train

2005-12-22T00:19:00.000-05:00

I think that we have started to forget that we do listen to bands other than We Are Scientists. We shouldn't.

Those kind, generous, and educated virtuosos that make up The Harlem Shakes have promised new recordings in early 2006. And boy, am I excited. They're taking some time off of live shows to hone their craft, and I'm sure make every bass riff magnificent, every catchy hook golden, every lyric... well... unintelligible.

If you're new to this whole thing, as our audience has widened somewhat after the whole We Are Scientists Letterman thing (hopefully some of you will be so kind as to continue frequenting this site), here's some of the New Demo (soon to be the sophomore demo, I guess) from the Harlem Shakes.

New Demo (.zip)

01 A Night
02 Josh Studies
03 Sickos
04 Eighteen

See more here:

The Harlem Shakes

MySpace SchmySpace

2005-12-21T08:26:00.000-05:00

Alright, this post is going to have to use a brief preface. I have never used MySpace. I never plan on using MySpace. I don't see where the infatuation of a few of my friends for this site comes from. I don't understand it. I must be out of the loop. However, I am aware of the music section, and it is nice to be able to hear samples of bands. But its is nearly impossible to hear about good music off of MySpace, only using MySpace. There's just too much shit to wade through to find those, well... whole peanuts I guess.

But now they've gone and done this. Made their own record label, and let me tell you, their first release looks quality. I mean, Jesus Christ, it's got Fall Out Boy on it. What more could you want?

I guess this thing would work a bit better in theory, and I know that at least my musical tastes aren't reflected in any of the bands on the album, but it's really not all about the kind of music the featured bands play. It's also the audience. In my head, at least, MySpace takes normal, God-fearing teens, and churns out these private messaging pretentious little abominations, who are incapable of writing in complete sentences, or coming across as vaguely intelligible for that matter. Let me tell you, I just hope for my own satisfaction that the liner notes of this thing goes something like

"OMG! Were putting out a record ROFLMAO!!1 Have u seen the guys in AAR!? There sooooooooooo hawt. lol"

At least the architects of this monstrosity figured out their target demographic. I hardly think I can blame them for not being business savvy.

Even if there were a lot of half-decent to excellent bands on this compilation, I would be hard pressed to purchase it. I don't know if I could live with myself after buying a record put out by a online social networking service, whose mere existence I loathe. It's just a sampler, so this whole thing really doesn't make any sense whatsoever. One of the major draws for people towards the music section of the site is so that the bands' material can be sampled. If you like what you hear, you can contact the band and purchase an album. Or did I miss something along the line? Instead, MySpace has made a sampler of music it deems the best and most popular, added a few big names, and hopes to sell it. So who would be stupid enough to buy this thing, if you could sample the bands on MySpace and purchase albums from those you like? To which I hope the answer is stupid MySpace people.

PS - Weezer... why? Why did you make "We Are All On Drugs," and why are you on this compilation. I try to like you. Blue and Pinkerton were great. I try to like the new stuff, I really do. The songs that aren't played on TV aren't really that bad. But why?...

Certainly

2005-12-21T01:24:00.000-05:00

Kyle, master of all things We Are Scientists, has discovered an actual video for "It's A Hit" hidden in the archives of Stereogum. I can only imagine why no one has discovered it before, but here it is in all it's glory:

Download it here.

P.S. Sorry about the asf format; I had to rip it from a stream, and I can't figure out how to convert asf to anything else.

Stereogum
We Are Scientists

WAS on Letterman

2005-12-20T03:29:00.000-05:00

It actually happened! I was skeptical about the setup that I had to record this, but it worked flawlessly, and now you, the reader, can reap the benfits. Please, enjoy this to the fullest. Think of it as my holiday present to you.

I had to take the video down, but feel free to email me to request it.

New Things

2005-12-18T00:14:00.000-05:00

The Velvet Teen, after having neglected their old site, have created a new one. I must say... I'm a lot more confused than excited after seeing it. It consists of just a floating chimy thing, and doesn't seem to do much besides just make noise. Am I missing something? Somebody please clue me in. The only thing that I got to do anything of interest is the red dot in the top corner to get to the Slowdance Website.

Anyway, while they're the topic of discussion, you (Brian) should check them out. I'm fairly familiar with their two old albums. They did, however, release a fairly hard to find album entitled Elysium last year. I was able to see them during CMJ week at the Knitting Factory (to a pretty empty Tap Bar), the highlight/terrible happening being a drunk guy urinating through his pants onto the stage, on which his foot was. This successfully shorted out all of Judah Nagler's effects pedals, which he apparently needed for most of the older songs. The newer songs are pretty good, but different than the earlier ones, not incorporating guitar into them as much. Anyway, they're worth a shot. Plus, Judah Nagler is nothing short of a dream boat. If memory serves me correctly, he was featured in Cosmo Grrl, or some other such trash, as a "sexy musician."

Here's their video for an older song, "Radiapathy", off of Out of the Fierce Parade.

The Velvet Teen
Slowdance Records

Christmas Spirit

2005-12-16T23:44:00.000-05:00

It seems as though everyone nowadays is making Christmas songs. Math and Physics Club, the immortal Sufjan Christmas collection, The Walkmen, Bright Eyes, you name it, they have some jolly yuletide songs in their repertoire. Well, chalk another one up, for Quasi has a new song, entitled "Merry X-Mas." But this one's no joke; it's destined for the album. So think White Christmases all year round. Leave it to Quasi to even try to make Christmas depressing.

Merry X-Mas everyone.

And check out the album cover. It's pretty cool. See it in stores March 21st.

While you're at it, give Quasi's Featuring 'Birds'. It's got to be one of my favorite albums of all time. Just wonderful.

And, of course, if you happen to live on the West Coast, and can get up to Portland or Seattle, Quasi will be opening for the man, the legend, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, and Janet Weiss's other band Sleater-Kinney. Perhaps you've heard of them.

Quasi
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks
Sleater-Kinney
Touch and Go Records

We Are Scientists: Not Yet Ready For Prime Time

2005-12-16T09:51:00.000-05:00

So... what else is there to say about this but "Jesus Christ!"? One of our favorite bands, We Are Scientists, will be on Late Night with David Letterman this Monday. Get your Tivo's/VCR's/BetaMax's ready, as I'm sure it will be an event not to miss.

The Man with the Gap-toothed Grin
WAS Tour Page

In other news, as predicted before, Man Man has gone ahead and posted a new song, "Van Helsing Boombox," on good old Pitchfork. It's pretty good, but doesn't beat it live. I can remember that song distinctly from the Northsix show; it's a good one.

Doug Martsch and Co., Making Progress

2005-12-15T16:51:00.000-05:00

So, a "rough mix" of Built to Spill's yet untitled new album, which is expecting a release date sometime in the spring of '06, after being moved back from this past September, has leaked. I couldn't help myself, and am listening to it now, whilst making an attempt at studying. The mix was cleverly peppered with "Who is Mike Jonse!?" throughout, as to make it utterly unlistenable until you realize that it's new Built to Spill material, in which case you soldier on. The ten track mix is pretty amazing, nothing less than I would expect from my indie favorites Built to Spill, beginning with Martsch's hallmark meandering guitar which characterizes the lengthy eight minute opener, to the more catchy guitar pop, as in one of my favorites so far, the untitled sixth track. If this is any indicator of what the album is going to be like, I'll quote one of my good friends in his usual sentiment: "Squeee!"

Back From A Show, And I Didn't Leave My Seat

2005-12-13T17:34:00.000-05:00

After lots of anticipation and worry that my computer wasn't up to the task of allowing me to watch a webcast (it only barely sufficed; I had to use the 56k option, which is similar to watching paper cut outs of the guys moving in front of a sea of colored pixels), the guys came on stage for their last show in Europe until they head back to the states, and soon back to NYC. Keith had apparently misplaced his passport in the dressing room, ie left it in his back pocket, which delayed them. Chris remarked that they weren't leaving for another two days, which makes me wonder what they'll be doing in Amsterdam all by themselves.

Again, they basically played through With Love And Squalor with a few exceptions. They did a cover of "Be My Baby," dedicating it to their tour managers. Awww... Overall, it was a pretty good set, from what I could see/hear. Of course, it was only a webcast, so I'll leave it at that.

I'll work on getting a recording, if anyone out there is craftier than I am at computers. We'll see what turns up.

Update:

Some of the guys on Nebulize My Mind have gotten the audio and video. 'Twill be up within the week, methinks. Matt Jordan is one of these people, so doubtless it will be on YANP as well, but I'm stickin' to this story goddamnit.

Make Haste!

2005-12-13T15:13:00.000-05:00

In less than 1 hour, We Are Scientists will be streamed via the glories of the internet; their Amsterdam show is going to be streamed here. Tune in. Go. Quickly. Before it's too late. It starts at 4 PM EST.

Sounds Of Thunder: Earning Our Right To Be Called Stalkers

2005-12-13T00:38:00.000-05:00

So, in our never ending quest to cover every news-worthy piece of information about the Roaring 20's, here's a new one. They have recorded a new song "Tonight, Tonight: I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness", and have posted it on their wonderful website. Give it a good listen. Maybe two listens, perhaps more. Expect to see some more quality productions from them in the near future. That is if Matt is getting a grade on that project he's doing.

In our own defence, we didn't just "happen" to "stumble" upon this wonderful news. Ross got this in his inbox:

"new recording on the site.

-kevin"

So there you have it.

The Roaring 20's

Last Weekend. Part II.

2005-12-12T22:00:00.000-05:00

Alright, I know it's been a little over a week, but cut me some slack. I have finals coming up, etc. Plus, it's not like anyone reads this. Soooo... here's the Ted section of the really cool weekend.

After lazing away most of the morning, Ross and I awoke, and went to catch some breakfast with Kevin. We met up with Deke (of "Deke and Alice and Leslie") on the way. We went to this place called Dojo. It was spectacular. They played nothing but ridiculous songs while we were there, i.e. Boston, Kansas, Twisted Sister, etc. They had banana pancakes, but I was foiled again in my quest for oatmeal.

I don't recall doing much all day, besides trying to go thrifting in NYC, which, let me tell you, is a terrible idea unless you have lots of cash. We did, let me remind you, only have until 5:30 until the show started, and we were soon on our way.

When we got there there was the obligatory Will-Call ticket line at Webster Hall, and luckily, our friends Matt and Pat had showed up in time for us to get in with everyone else, as they were also paid for in the same transaction. We got really good spots, especially considering that we had been in the slower moving will-call line. On the way up, Ted had apparently passed me on the steps, but I walk with blinders on, so I saw no one.

This show only had two openers, both fairly disappointing, but left less between me and the Ted (he had played with 5 openers at CBGB's). First was the Black Hollies. You could tell right off the bat that they were really talented, all four members of the band. However, they did nothing more than play retro-sounding songs. Guitar solo's were wailing, and the drummer was superb. I really wish they played more than just the throwback kind of rock; they would have such potential. It was so bad I really couldn't tell if the lead singer was faking a British accent when he spoke or if he was really from England. From what it seems, it's fake; their MySpace claim's the band at least hails from Jersey City. If it is indeed fake, which facts would lead one to believe, that's just pretentious and stupid.

After the Black Hollies left the stage, on came band number two: the Exit. Unfortunately they weren't really my kind of music. They didn't seem that bad, but I wasn't impressed in the least. The guitarist ended up being the main player, and was hamming it up to the photographers all set. I dunno, they just seemed a little nondescript. Not saying that they sound like every other band out there. They really didn't. It's just there was nothing special or redeeming about them in general.

Ted finally came up next, and was his calm, subdued self. I was surprised by the fact that the only new song he played was "Sons of Cain." I had half suspected this show to bring to light some newly written stuff, but nothing new since I saw him at South Street Seaport in August. This, of course, was both a curse and a blessing, but I mean, what Ted song don't I like (other than "Flydocius Invasion"... maybe). He and the Pharmacists again went through another near perfect set. I mean, Dave, the bassist, was sort of moving around this time, but made sure to stay away from his mic of course. Chris was also sporting his beard, which had grown to epic proportions. You could see where the moustache part was really trying to get away from the beard part. It was pretty cool. The crowd got a little rowdy up on the balcony. Some beer was thrown. Otherwise the crowd was pretty good. One highlight was when a girl screamed "Since U Been Gone," and her friend wisely shut her up with a bit too loud "SHHHH... You'll make him angry!" I chimed in with "I'm Looking Through You", to which Ted said they wouldn't get around to... probably ever. Eh, it was worth a shot. After he covered all the bases, and yes... I mean all the bases, he came back solo for the encore, played " The Gold Finch And The Red Oak Tree", a cover or two ("Dirty Old Town" I think) and a Chisel song. The Pharmacists came back in to join him for "Loyal to My Sorrowful Country" and "Stove by a Whale", and then quickly departed for one last Ted Leo solo cover.

After the show, Ross and I went to the Knitting Factory in an effort to squeeze in the Five Maserati's show, but were too late. I got my Islands tickets, and we went uptown to Harlem. The "An Albatross" party was pretty good, albeit subdued because of angry neighbors. Then, after listening to seeming spontaneous musical outbursts from Willy Gantrim, Feral Foster, and Zachary Robert, and seeing lots of drunk people, we were off to golden slumbers, and would have to venture home the next day in the first real snow of the season.

Pictures

Ted Leo
The Black Hollies
The Exit
The Five Maseratis

PS - So the Decemberists are on Capital now. Daaammnn...

Beck Covers Elliott w/ an Edit

2005-12-11T13:08:00.000-05:00

As per Brian's request on the Forum, you know... the Forum that you should all check out and write on, I was able to dig up those Beck covers from the Henry Fonda Theater. Unfortunately, I could not find any of the other bands' contributions, like Rilo Kiley's renditions of "I Didn't Understand" and "The Biggest Lie". I'll let Ross do some leg work for that. Usually he's a crafty little bugger when it comes to that area.

So... Beck:

Ballad Of Big Nothing
Alameda
Clementine

Elliott:

For No One

I'm sort of disappointed by "Ballad of Big Nothing." It almost seems as though Beck forgot the words and finished it early to save himself. Eh... no one's perfect, but it's disappointing nonetheless.

Edit:

There's been an undiscovered Basement Era Elliott Smith song circulating around today.
Here he is.

Stickman

Imacculate Four Minutes

2005-12-11T01:21:00.000-05:00

Bubba, aka Zach, finally went about and did it. He finally posted on the WAS board the video of WAS and Bishop Allen playing "Bomb Inside the Bomb"... together! It's amazing. And the first minute of sheer anticipation only adds to the glory of what is the coalescing of two of my favorite bands, along with the fact that Jack Delimatraux plays cowbell. Oh, the things that Dayton, Ohio will make bands do. Hopefully at some time he'll release the rest of the bootleg. I'm guessing he probably has Bishop Allen's set as well.

Tuesday, November 9, 2004
Elbo's in Dayton, Ohio

01 Cash Cow
02 The Great Escape
03 This Scene Is Dead
04 InAction
05 Riffmaster B
06 Can't Lose
07 Callbacks
08 History Repeats f/Christian Owens
09 Bomb Inside The Bomb f/Bishop Allen
10 Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt f/Bishop Allen

This addition only leaves me wanting more. Especially NMNGH.

Also in Mp3:

Bomb Inside The Bomb

Where could C.O. be during "Bomb Inside the Bomb" if she played "History Repeats"?

Early Christmas
Original really frustrating thread

Sounds of Thunder Capturing Natives, Enslaving

2005-12-10T18:27:00.000-05:00

In Sounds of Thunder's effort of taking the internet by storm, we have created a forum. Expansion has it's perks, like letting us concentrate on trivial conversations with people we probably know, but don't feel like talking to over AIM, instead of doing work. So, check it out if you dare. Registration is a little confusing, and there are ads all over the place, but who wants to pay for shit like this? You become a full fledged minion once you post. Cheers.

Sounds of Thunder II: The Forum

Last Weekend. Part I.

2005-12-10T12:24:00.000-05:00

Alright. Before I go and get some food and start on my German final project, let's get some things out of the way.

As I had mentioned before, Ross and I went to go see Rogue Wave last Friday. I have wanted to see Rogue Wave since last year. I got posters sent to me from them (I'm on the street team), promoting their last gig at Bowery opening for Helio Sequence. Damn I wish I could have gone to that show. But time heals all wounds, or is supposed to, and I finally got my chance to see them.

I had come into the city fairly early, as my classes ended at 1:20, and got there by about 3 or so. We had about 5 hours to kill. Larks were had, and I bought Quadrophenia on vinyl in Brooklyn. <3. We also went to the Van Gogh exhibit at the Met. Anyway, back to the point, we got to Bowery to find that we had, in fact, ordered tickets in advance. We were able to get spots right up at front, to wait for the sheer awesomeness to come. But first, the opening acts, none of whom I had heard of before: The first one up was Shelby, and let me tell you, I was not all that impressed. The band consisted of three gents, in the traditional lineup, guitarist/singer (although he did do a little keyboards for one or two songs), bassist, and drummer. The last of this list was the most redeeming of the entire band. He could really play the set. I'm telling you, amazing. The bassist had a bad habit of playing the same note for an inordinate amount of time, and to the same rythym, which made me sad. What did it more was he had a penchant for standing in the "power stance", looking down at his bass, and then every so often, looking up at the audience with a grimace. Errgh... The guitarist also kept it fairly simple, repeating things way too many times, and the few times a solo came around, they were 5 notes, tops, and very simple and repetitive. The music turned out, on the whole, to be fairly sappy. So, Kyle was not impressed.

Next was Mazarin. What to say about Mazarin? Unfortunately, I don't think I can say much, as the levels were really messy, and it was ridiculously difficult to hear anything, even standing right up at front. For the last 3 songs I couldn't hear vocals at all. They did seem like they could be good, not especially good, but adequetely good. But who knows?

Finally, Rogue Wave came out. The stage was completely reset for them. Their amps were decked out with that net Christmas lighting, and all the amps had a colored light underneath. So, they started with "Bird on a Wire", which was really good. They also played a fair amount of songs off of Out of the Shadow; the first two songs were both first tracks on albums. Let me go right into saying that these guys are extremely talented. They switched places often and almost always to different places. It was fairly ridiculous. They were all not only decent at all the instruments they played, but, if I do say so myself, pretty freakin' good. I sure as hell was impressed. After playing a spectacular set, Zach Rogue came back before the others for the encore. He played "Postage Stamp World" solo. I had been hoping for that song, and they weren't supposed to have played it, as it wasn't on the set list, which also had the encore songs. Ross and I both snagged one at the end, so we have mementos.

After the show, Ross and I headed over to the Fey's apartment to sleep. There was some reading of Gravity's Rainbow before we hit the hay, which was... interesting. And the rest is for me to write another day. Perhaps tomorrow if I get all my work done today.

Pictures

Rogue Wave
Mazarin
Shelby

Oh, and the Rogue Wave merch was really good. American Apparel shirts (I'm so happy they're being adopted by more and more bands. Shirts that fit, what a joy), and a free poster with the shirt. They also had a tour EP/Single, which I may have gotten if I had more cash. There were also buttons and stickers a-go-go.

Damn...

2005-12-08T00:26:00.000-05:00

I'm really sorry for inundating our audience of about maybe 5 with all of these posts. I realize I've posted more in the last 2 hours than I have in the last 2 weeks, but this really deserves a post. First, I hope all are aware of the We Are Scientists show at Bowery Ballroom on January 12th. It will be their first show after their record is released in the US. Not only that, but Bishop Allen was just added to the bill. So go. You have no excuse to miss it.

As I said, I was in the city on Tuesday for Islands. I had gotten in really early, and no one was around. So I basically mulled about in Virgin Mega Store in Union Square for a good three hours. In the import section, what did I find but We Are Scientists' With Love and Squalor. Not only did they have two of them, but they were on the wall so all could get a good sampling of the boys. I really can't believe how big they're getting.

Stereogum also has them first in the Listening Lately section. Absolutely ridiculous.

Buy, buy, buy!

See you on the 12th. Or if I know you from high school, i.e. 90% if not all of the people who read this. I'll see you over winter break. Later Brian.

Speaking of Unicorns

2005-12-08T00:15:00.000-05:00

It seems that the Secret Unicorns Forum has been hacked. It's a mess in the Music area. This happened a few days ago to the Bishop Allen forum, where one was just diverted to a page where it stated that whatever computer geek had succeeded in making a good forum his bitch. When will people learn and get a good hobby, like petting kittens, or jigsaw puzzles? Kids these days...

Manhattan Islands

2005-12-07T23:04:00.000-05:00

Preface: I really can't believe I had to sell an extra ticket to this show. What's wrong with you people? For Christ's sake, it's Nick and J'aime.

So... as you can tell, I attended the Islands show at the Knitting Factory last night, and boy, what a pleasure it was. After buying the tickets, I had been a little wary, expecting the boys from the Unicorns to break my heart by adding the whole rap element into their music. This was at least what I had gathered after listening to the bootlegs from Pop Montreal and the Bell Center. Anyway, let's give this thing some order, and start from the top.

Opener: The Isles. Yes. I know what you're thinking. We all did. The kid who almost got kicked out after bringing booze into the show actually asked them. I witnessed this. No... they have nothing to do with Islands, other than the fact that their name sakes are both landmasses surrounded completely by water. That's about the end of the similarity. Honest to goodness. So going on about 9 o'clock, the aforementioned took the stage. On the whole, they were adequete, decent, etc., etc., but pretty vanilla if I had to quantify them. They played some good pop rock songs, trying their best to switch up their styles, playing a slow song, and taking a stab at a psychadelic song. (At the conclusion of which, the guitarist said "I don't know if that one's too psychadelic. It sounds pretty poppy to me". I think that about sums them up.) They did have a good time up on stage, even though they knew no one came for them. They even
told jokes between sets. One reason for this was the prodding from the audience, the other is that they tuned between each song because every song was capoed. But here's a sampling; it got the inner geek in me chuckling: "A neutron walks into a bar... He asks the bartender for a cold, frosty brew. The bartender gets the neutron his cold, frosty brew. The neutron says, "Thank you, but what do I owe you for this cold, frosty brew?" To which the bartender replied, "For you, no charge."

After a long set change time with lots of people moving things about, it was finally time for Islands. First, a man clad all in white, whom we would later learn goes by the name of Patrick, started playing short bursts of dischord out of his bass clarinet. And yes, I did just say bass clarinet. The dischord ushered in Nick, J'aime, and 4 other members of the band, including two asian violinists/recorder player. They were all decked out in white. All of the songs that were played, of course, are all new, as in they have yet to be recorded (outside of the second encore, which I'll get around to in a bit). The new stuff is great though, and like I said before, it seems as though they've abandoned the rap thing, which is utterly delightful. It would be agonizing to see something that could be so good turn bad, but luckily it looks like a crisis has been averted by the sheer will of the gods. The highlight of the regular set was "Ruff Gem." The song had originally been a Unicorns song that was played at their last show in Houston, before it had a title. I'm happy to see that it, at least, didn't die with the Unicorns, as it's a wonderful song. Syncopated clapping was added, and the whole audience was really into it. Even one of the "Chow Brothers", i.e. the violinists, was dancing about in his own awkward way. There were a rift or two during the set, like when Nick had trouble switching to his electric acoustic guitar. But all was saved when the Chows played a "Turkey in the Straws" duet after a drunken scream from the audience demanded a violin solo. By the end of the set, all seemed normal. Islands came back for an encore and played a rendition of Paul Simon's "Graceland". And then they left. However, the house lights did not go on, nor did the house music. We were truly in for a treat of epic proportions. After a few minutes wait, just Nick and J'aime reentered onto the stage. Nick practically apologized before playing, saying "This wasn't my idea, the other guys said we should do this," and that they hadn't played this song since they recorded it.

So now you've probably narrowed the song down to two. If you're good enough that is.

That's right, they played my favorite recorded Islands song, "Abominable Snow," with no perceptible errors even. It was a fairly ridiculous way to end the night, and I was more than pleased that I spent the 26 odd dollars on the night out into the city. I mean, who needs to study for physics anyway?

So... If you missed the boat a few months ago, here are the two recorded Islands songs:

Abominable Snow
Flesh

Sorry for not having any pictures. I don't have a camera, and Ross didn't go to this one, so I got nothing.

Look forward to seeing reviews of the other two shows we went to this past weekend. Rogue Wave at Bowery and Ted Leo/Rx at Webster Hall. I figured I'd write about this one first because it's still fresh in my mind, and I don't have anyone to corroborate the story with if I forget anything.

Islands MySpace
The Isles
And all you ever needed to know at Islands Wikipedia entry, including info on their upcoming debut album. I shit you not.

By the way, there were apparently two prepubescent girls who got their father drive them there. They thought that Islands was some sort of cover and that it was really a secret Fall Out Boy concert. That definitely made me laugh.

Yeah Brian, you suck!

2005-12-06T15:32:00.000-05:00

You want a post... you want a post do you? Well... here.

Mates of State, a band with so much love, it almost makes you sick, has signed to a new record label. Barsuk, a record label I hadn't ever heard of, has acquired the indie pop duo and plan to release their new album, Bring It Back next March. I don't know about you, but I'm excited. By the way, Barsuk seems to be an up and coming label with Death Cab for Cutie, John Vanderslice, and Nada Surf already signed on.

Barsuk
Mates of State

F*** You Brian...

2005-12-06T13:56:00.000-05:00

In response to Brian's query as to posting: Yeah. We've been a little slack lately. I guess I'm defacto man in charge of writing all concert reviews, as Ross doesn't like doing them, but I've had some things going on lately, and unfortunately have been neglecting this blog. However, I just got back from a triumphant weekend of indie rock, and these events will be spoken about, I'm sure at length, hopefully by the end of the week. I'm seeing Islands tonight, and don't quite have time to write about this past weekend now as I have my last lab due today as well. Let this be enough to hold you over until real reviews come up. I still have to do well in my classes (Rutgers is providing storage space for this thing), and I'm already going to a fair amount of shows. Therefore, I generally have to pick between writing here, doing homework,... or playing Earthbound. Yeah, yeah. But good things are to come. I promise.

Pictures

2005-12-01T11:38:00.000-05:00

So, it looks like a review for the last Roaring 20's show will never appear. It was awesome, but I'm no good at writing full show reviews. I am good at taking pictures though, and I've got a couple from the show for you, so check them out!

Pictures

P.S. Kevin Fey made those delicious sandwiches.

???

2005-11-22T20:47:00.000-05:00

I really don't know what to make of this.

An Evening With We Are Scientists (Starland Ballroom)

2005-11-21T15:00:00.000-05:00

Sounds of Thunder: Your newest release, With Love and Squalor, has already hit the shelves in the UK, and will be making its way to record stores across the US in January. Is it true that it will be released here as a dual disc CD/DVD, with a DVD full of videos for each track on the record?

Chris Cain: Well, actually the dual disc format has been abandoned by man and record company alike, which we all know isn’t man. The record will be released on January 10th 2006 as a single disc. We will also be releasing a deluxe edition of the album. Depending on sales of the first release, it will be release a month after, or a day after. But no later than a month. We will be selling just the DVD on tour for fuckers who already bought the album and don’t want to get ripped off.

Keith Murray: Ohhh… you guys started without me? That’s it, we’re out of here. Let’s go.

CC: Oh, we were just talking about the dual disc.

KM: Ah, the dual disc, well, what’s there to say? Virgin is only doing the single disc for now. We only got one copy of it each.

SoT: Man. Has Virgin been treating you well?

CC: Yeah, we like it. Better than having to do all this shit ourselves.

SoT: Do you miss playing the smaller venues on your own and not opening for larger bands at larger places?

CC: Well, it’s nice playing to larger crowds. I remember, like, going to Columbus, Ohio once, and we literally played to Bishop Allen. And the trip to Columbus is no short order.

SoT: Will you guys ever play with Bishop Allen on tour again? Or is that out of the question now you’re on Virgin?

CC & KM: *Laughter*

KM: No, never… Probably.

CC: Well, we’ll be back in the area on tour in mid to late January. And I think that Bishop Allen have a few dates they’re working around. And as we all know, Bishop Allen doesn’t cancel shows. So, this time, it’ll probably be without them. But I’m sure we’ll play with them in the future.

KM: It’s nice playing the larger shows like tonight. Thank God for Hot Hot Heat.

SoT: Speaking of Hot Hot Heat, you’ve been likened to them musically every once in a while. Is it sort of weird opening for them?

KM: It’s very odd. It’s very like alpha-male. Everyone is kind of sizing each other up. Who’s gonna have total domination of this sound tonight? Sometimes it’s us, once it was Hot Hot Heat.

CC: I think the weirdest thing for me was the first night, when I watched their bass player, Dustin, at how he treated those songs, our songs, the songs we all play. Because there are a couple of differences, I mean it takes a bass player to know the difference. He insists it’s the same bass line. It isn’t. It’s a difference of feel

KM: There’s a certain personality to the way he kinda hits, the way he does that up. He picks upwards on that one. And you go down for that one hit.

CC: You know what it is? He wears athletic shoes. And I don’t wear athletic shoes.

KM: You wouldn’t. So the bands are quite different, if only in that respect.

SoT: So, I know you’ve heard this before…

KM: Yeah, we’ve heard it all before. Don’t feel bad.

SoT: You were kind of “discovered” in England, after a British DJ saw you guys at SxSW last year, and you’ve been touring there extensively since. Is it strange that you’re more well known in England than you are here?

KM: It’s weird because everything is upside down. Very odd.

CC: In England you write with your eraser, you uh… you know. When you fire a gun, you die. Inevitably.

KM: You use your food to eat your utensils. It’s insane.

CC: But once you get used to it, it’s kind of fun. It’s kind of kooky.

KM: When We Are Scientists shows up at a show, so do bands. It’s all backwards. It’s all exactly the opposite of the USA.

CC: Loopy.

SoT: So, at the risk of angering you guys, I was going to ask about some of the older stuff.

CC: It’s a little late to worry about that, my friend.

KM: Ask away!

SoT: First, Ode to Star L23.

KM: Rest in Peace.

CC: Not a song! Different band! Ahhh!

SoT: Is there a Star L23? I’ve done my research; haven’t been able to find anything.

KM: So then, why are you asking? You, one of the world’s foremost astronomers. Why would you ask us?

CC: When you say you did your research, do you mean you actually checked the skies for Star L23?

SoT: Yes.

KM: You’re very thorough, you’re very thorough. We recant. Our mistake, our mistake.

SoT: What was the whole obsession with Mothra? I mean, Mothra’s cool, but why was…

KM: The obsession with Mothra. I hardly think that one song is an obsession. It’s a healthy curiosity.

SoT: Weren’t there two? “Mothra Under the Sea” and “Mothra vs. We Are Scientists”.

KM: Well… let’s be honest, that was the same song. Just two different flavahs.

SoT: Like “Callbacks” now.

KM: Exactly. You could ask, “what’s our obsession with ‘Callbacks’?” Well, that’s an obsession, I’ll be honest.

SoT: Why is it that you guys don’t play any of the older material on tour anymore? I miss the days when I could go see you guys and you would play “Bomb Inside the Bomb” or “Selective Memory”.

KM: Well, that’s the thing. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. We’re very spiteful. We’re very spiteful fellows. There’s nothing we relish more than taking the stage, and watching tears stream from a man’s eyes as we near the end of the set, and we didn’t play “Bomb Inside the Bomb”.

CC: Fuck ‘em. Fuck them.

KM: God. Seriously, such power you’ve never known.

CC: Unlimited.

KM: It’s really unlimited power. But it grows stronger with every song we write and then abandon.

CC: Then how is it unlimited if it keeps growing? Unknown.

KM: It’s a paradox.

SoT: Will we every hear these songs again?

CC: You’ll have to travel. I vow that we will play a reunion fucking set in Claremont someday. And you will have to travel. And you will. You want it that bad.

KM: So either you’ll have to travel to Claremont or travel through time.

CC: Yeah, which will be easier.

KM: Actually, what this is, is our bid at trying to bolster everyone’s ambition towards developing time travel. We really would love to travel through time. We don’t have the knowledge. So what we need to do is write a bunch of songs we then abandon to get scientists craaazy to get back there.

CC: It’s like how George Bush encourages the space program by cutting NASA’s budget. It’s the same idea. The same principle. We learn from him. Everyday actually.

KM: He encourages space travel by making the earth almost totally uninhabitable.

*Raucous laughter*

CC: Negative reinforcement in other words. Negative reinforcement.

SoT: Alright, so now we spoke a little about the dual disc already. But, about the videos. In the video for one of your new singles, “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt”, who is in the bear suit? Is it a real bear? Is there a person in it?

KM: Are you asking if there’s a real bear in the bear suit? Yes. Yes there is.

SoT: How were you picked to be eaten? Did you draw the short straw?

KM: Hey, that’s nature’s way, my friend. Survival of the fittest.

CC: Yeah, exactly. Did the duck-billed platypus draw the short straw? I mean, I dunno, in a sense, yeah. But that’s just what happens. The way nature decided things should be. Now putting the bear in a bear suit, which I think was genius, was our way of dodging PETA, which can be really nasty about putting animals in videos. You have to have handlers on set, to make sure the animals aren’t abused. We didn’t have the budget. But we did have $110 to rent a bear suit to put on this California Brown Bear. So that’s exactly what we did. He handled it well. He sweated like a motherfucker, all day.

KM: We were stuffing salmon under the fold of the suit. He was a good sport.

CC: We put herring through the eye holes.

KM: He went nuts for it. And I think he started loving that by the end. I think we converted him to herring. Actually, at the end of the shoot we all got together, put cash in a hat and bought him a fucking flight to Denmark. And I think he’s going to be one happy bear.

SoT: So, to digress, Chris, how long did it take you to grow such a wonderful moustache?

CC: Well, I’ll be honest. It wasn’t until about a month that it looked anything approaching respectable. But it wasn’t until I finally understood Einstein’s theory of relativity that it started to look like Tom Sellek’s moustache. I don’t know what the connection is. I don’t know if there is one. But was it a coincidence? It was, they coincided. So, there you go.

SoT: I know that your album hasn’t even come out here yet, but you’ve had some down time. You know, you’ve had most of the material written and recorded. Some of the songs are from the Wolf’s Hour EP. Are we going to see any new material any time soon?

KM: Never. Never ever ever ever.

CC: I’ll be honest. If these songs don’t make us 100 million dollars, then I’ll bite my own head off. It’s impossible, either way. So you see what I’m saying? Why would we write more songs¸ when we have more money than we’ll ever need guaranteed to us?

KM: We don’t do this because we like it. We do this because we want 100 million dollars.

CC: To split three ways, with 15% for our manager.

KM: After everyone gets their piece, we’re looking at a tidy hundred thou’ each. That’s when we buy an island, I guess.

CC: That’s going straight into my grandchildren’s college fund.

KM: Yeah, they’ll never have to work.

CC: Never have to work again, through their way through college. Semantically that was a tough sentence, but you know what I mean.

SoT: I know Tapper’s not here, but…

KM: How do you know that? How can you be so sure?

SoT: He could be, but I don’t physically see him.

KM: Alright, fair enough.

SoT: Who were your musically influences?

KM: Well, let’s list Tapper’s first.

CC: Mariah Carey, Hall & Oates, he’s always loved all the hair metal from the 80’s, Poison, Motley Crue, up to Guns and Roses.

KM: We got here, I don’t know if you saw the sign outside said “Metal Mania” was a couple days ago, featuring Janie Lane of Warrant, Don Dokken of Dokken, Kip Winger of Winger. He walked in, and saw the set list featuring all of those illustrious names. The reason Tapper’s not here is because he’s sobbing into a towel in the dressing room that we missed it.

CC: He put a giant pancake splat right into his boxer shorts. And let’s be honest, that’s our poetic way of putting it. He loves hair metal.

SoT: What about you guys?

KM: We like Judas Priest, that’s about it.

CC: Yeah, I honestly can’t think of another musical influence.

SoT: When you were wee little Chris and Keith, who did you listen to?

CC: The first concert I went to was Def Leppard, which I undeniably enjoyed.

KM: Bon Jovi, undeniably enjoyed.

CC: I saw the Slippery When Wet tour. That was my second concert.

KM: Wow, I think I only saw, I think New Jersey was my first one. You got me.

CC: I was 12 or something. I think my sister took me.

SoT: Alright, I think that about wraps up the scheduled questions. Thanks so much for indulging us.

And yea another lad burst upon the indie blog scene, and they dubbed him Brian the Guest Writer

2005-11-18T12:06:00.000-05:00

Hello, how are you doing? Good? Oh, that's nice. That's good to he- oh, me? I'm doing alright. Who am I? Well, I'm neither Kyle or Ross, even though this is really their blog. I am too lazy for such things, and going to school in the middle of a cornfield with no transportation (DeSales University- a history of suck) has slowed my intake of delicious indie shows to a crawl. A crawl, I dare say! However, Kyle and Ross have been kind enough to throw me the occasional hit of show during my withdrawal, for which I am grateful. They have also entrusted me to be a guest writer for their review of the Man Man show we were able to intake greedily through our ears, peepers, and the other delightful assortment of senses. So, to be concise, Kyle and Ross say I can be the occasional ghostwriter, except without the ability to be a floating yellow orb (obscure children's television show referance, squee!). Unfortunately, all I had the chance/ knowledge to write about was the Man Man portion of the show. Hopefully Kyle or Ross will add some more info about the other acts later. Hope you enjoy the review, if you squint real hard at it you'll think you're reading something right off of Pitchfork Media. MMM, overwrought!

Seeing Man Man live is like watching a kick to your head. Chaos and coherence form an organized riot on the stage, as men in differing white outfits bang out music with all the spiritual enthusiasm of whirling dervishes, spinning themselves closer and closer to a higher musical power. Look closely at each band member as they play, and you can see the passion flit across their faces, a myriad of emotions that dance and change in seeming emotive rhythm with their music. Caught in the front of the crowd, I could see the drummer’s face form into the occasional scowl, or maybe it was a yowl, as though he was crying without tears; the man who pounded mantra-beatings on my heart was feeling the music wash over him, yet still played the role of emotional conductor to the audience. Near the middle of the performance the music was a physical presence squatting on my heart, which would have had me worried if I cared about a heart attack.
It’s hard to relate the thrill of seeing a Man Man show to one who wasn’t there; at best, all I can do is toss in a cut-up of sensory descriptions from my over-stimulated mind. Two girls beside me at the show nursed a bottle of whisky back to health at the beginning of the set, so for me Man Man is a force of nature with the bittersweet rank of whiskey and sweat. Man Man is a string of glowing eyes wrapped around an electric piano base, a yellow lit drum squatting in their sight. A pair of spatulas beat against themselves, and then anything within their reach. A glowing orb thing that seemed to serve no musical purpose except to add another layer of eccentricity to an already surreal scene.
A kick ass show by a kick ass band.
If Man Man’s goal is to overwhelm their audience with both music and spectacle, they pull it off without a hitch. Their music creates a sense of chaotic melody that wraps itself around a listener’s brain, numbing him to anything else besides the sound and the show. I love it when the music takes over all your senses, leaving you to revel in the sound from your own creative zone; it’s as close to perfect meditation as I can get, and I love every band that brings me there.
Oh, and spectacle? Goodness me, but they are fun to watch. Although I’ve yet to see them perform in their crazier costumes, the show was still an unreal experience. Through the chaos ran a strange current of coherence, which raised its head occasionally throughout the show (mmm…mixing metaphors). I nearly had a stroke when, during one song, the sitting members of the band repeatedly jumped out of their chairs without seeming to have choreographed the move beforehand, and at the same time managed to leave the song flawless.
All this musical goodness, and apparently with almost all new members in the band. As Man Man mainstay and lead singer/keyboardist Honus Honus informed our inquisitive young Kyle on our way out, the Man Man we saw perform at the Terrace Club with Ted Leo back in March was an entirely different version from the one we just saw play; in fact, that version of the band broke up just a week after we were lucky enough to see them, reflecting the group’s revolving door policy.
So in about eight months, this new band was able to both perform such a tight set and also record a new album (due out soon)?
Only one word can describe that, dear reader, and it applies to the entire band as well:
Sextastic. Simply Sextastic.

Whoa! Sorry guys.

2005-11-15T22:36:00.000-05:00

I'm must profusely appologize for the rift in posting; absolutely nothing has happened in indie news lately. However, Kyle and I have been to two shows since the last post, so expect a review of The Roaring 20s/The Harlem Shakes and the before and after parties and another review of Charles Bissell (of The Wrens), Man Man, and some Okkervil River. The reason for this post is a bit of information that was obtained from the last show we went to. After we decided to leave the show, we ran into Honus Honus, the lead singer of Man Man, and he bestowed upon us a bit of information regarding a song on their next album, Six Demon Bag. Apparently, a song of this album will be released sometime soon on Pitchfork Media, so keep your eyes open!

Man Man
Pitchfork Media

Wanna be famous?

2005-11-08T20:36:00.000-05:00

Good news everyone! Of Montreal is looking for a new website, and you could be the one to design it. They want something fancy, and easily updateable by the band with a lot of flash animations, I'm assuming something like their new video for "Wraith Pinned to the Mist (and other games)". If you think that you might be able to satisfy their needs, please, send an email with an example of your ideas to these guys. Leave a comment if you do send them something, I'm sure our readers would love to see it.

Of Montreal
"Wraith Pinned to the Mist (and other games)" video

I Like Bands That Live Up To Their Names

2005-11-06T23:28:00.000-05:00

Well, as Ross and I find ourselves in the greatest slump in our concert schedule since last month, there is nothing left but for me to find some fairly obscure bands and show them to you so that you can investigate each one. Like some sort of dog show, but for bands. You check their coat, look under their ears, see them walk their walk, etc. Anyway, I have a bonafide purebred for all you who read this blog (all almost twenty of you).

The Spectacular Fantastic is one of those bands who, once you hear them, you're stunned that you haven't heard of them before. In fact, after listening to their album a few times, it seems as though you have been tuning in to them for months, nay, years. Their songs just have that quality about them that makes it feel like they've been your best friend for ages. The newest material from them, entitled "The Spectacular Fantastic Goes Underground", is actually streamed on their website. That's right, you can listen to all 14 tracks, free of charge. They also have their older I Love You EP free for download on their website. Got enough free stuff? Of course not. Well, you're in luck. Mike Detmer, the brains behind the Spectacular Fantastic, also has a solo album, Four Track Heart, One Track Mind, available on the website (shhh... it's a secret). He wrote and recorded it in an apparent two week time period in 2003 after he was, for one reason or another, seperated from his love. The work itself, if considered in context, is a masterpiece. A fair amount of the tracks are obviously rough, but that's to be expected when you finish all the aspects of an album in a mere two weeks.

Anyway, to get back to the point, the Spectacular Fantastic have brought a new brand of laid back folky pop to the world, and for that, we should all thank them... and throw money at them. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem as though they get to the Tristate area all that much. As for now they're working on converting the Ohio/Kentucky crowd. Rest assured, however, that once they decide to grace the Big Apple, I'll be there. Most likely, so will Ross.

The Spectacular Fantastic
I Love You EP
Four Track Heart, One Track Mind

By the way, there may be a bit of a slackening in the posting in the next few days, from me at least. School's a bitch, ain't it? Hopefully I'll be able to muscle on through it and get to all of you adoring people out there.

Oh... and who thinks we should make "Sounds of Thunder" stickers? Leave a comment on your opinion.

The Five Maseratis

2005-11-05T17:54:00.000-05:00

Well, by now, I think it's safe to assume that if you've been reading this blog, you know that I really like guitar pop. Well, here's another one of those obscure bands that I've known about for a while who deserve a spot on this blog.

I saw the Five Maseratis open for Ted Leo a few months ago at CBGB's alongside the Willowz (I know... the review is coming. Patience.) and others. I would say that, for the night, and besides Ted, the four-piece (that's right, four guys, five maseratis) were my favorite band that played. They are able to marry nice catchy guitar rhythms with a fair but not obnoxious amount of synthesizer. Their self-titled EP is truly amazing. I was lucky enough to get a free one at the CBGB's show. They're able to play songs like "Sandwich (I Asked For A)", and "Astronaut Ice Cream" while still keeping a serious attitude. The song titles, by the way, make sense, I promise. The cover art, seen partially above, is also excellent (the inside sports a three, yes, you heard correctly, three-necked guitar). The inside of the booklet is guitar tabs for all of the songs, which I found pretty funny.

Here are some samples, courtesy of their website:

Everything Is Falling Apart
Sandwich (I Asked For A)
Quasimoto

And yes, there is still incentive to purchase the EP for a mere 5 dollars. "Astronaut Ice Cream" is a brilliant song. Or just go see them live if you live in PA or near the great city of New York. Unfortunately, the NYC show is the same day as a Ted Leo concert. Oh, the irony.

Friday, November 11th - The Darkhorse Tavern, 128 E. College Ave., State College, PA

w/ TBA

Saturday, December 3rd - Knitting Factory, New York, NY

The Five Maseratis

By the way, the link for the WAS video below is up and working. Sorry for any inconvenience while it was being worked on. We're new at this, give us a break. Thanks again to Ross for having the steady hand while sheer awesome was unfolding in front of him.

It's Alive!!!!

2005-11-04T22:29:00.000-05:00

I finally did it. I have uploaded the most incredible video footage ever to the internet. It may come as no surprise, but it is of We Are Scientists and their amazing stage presence. This is the must see clip of the year. However, I issue you a warning: Turn your volume down, it is a very loud clip. Enjoy!

Watch Me!!!

Whatever Happened To The Band That Sang About Corey Haim?

2005-11-03T15:24:00.000-05:00

The Thrills, the band to be from the Emerald Isle, have sent an email out saying they are going to start updating a "new official myspace page" with posts of what they're up to, and perhaps even photos of what they're up to. I don't know about everyone else... but I think they need to install live feed camera's of the recording space. To excerpt from the email:

"Every record has a story. Ups and downs. It's never easy to make a good record. If it's coming too easy, you're probably in trouble. All that bullshit about 'conflict creating great art' is a myth. In terms of songwriting, anyway...If you can't communicate with your band members, you will hit a glass ceiling. And that's why the time we take away from the songs is almost as important as the back to back late night songwriting sessions we have down the country in Ireland."

So, if there's one thing the Thrills are determined to do, it's to give the people some quality music. Just what I like to hear.

The Thrills

Donate

2005-11-02T23:17:00.000-05:00

I truly hate to do this, but I come to you now in a time of need. As you may or may not know, I live in Denville, NJ and Kyle is in Piscattaway, NJ. To get Kyle is 41 miles. To get from Kyle's to New York is 38 miles, then 38 miles back to Kyle's, then 41 miles back home... 158 miles... at the least! The trip always costs me at least one tank of gas, which is not petty change. So, if you enjoy our reviews, please click the kitty on the side and help us in our quest to go to every show we can.

Thank you all so very much ;-)

Imaginary Baseball League No Longer Exists... Wait A Second...

2005-11-02T14:45:00.000-05:00

Well... a non-existant band has broken up. It sorta feels like not having The Unicorns anymore. The darlings from the South, Imaginary Baseball League, after months of inactivity, have thrown in the towel. A post on their website (from October 9th... I stopped checking it since then because they hadn't been updating) informed the world that after the bassist had quit the band, and after a plan to come back with two additional members, everything fell through. Creative tension is cited as one of the many reasons, and it seems the break up may have been ugly. Anyway... for some good new, they promised to release 10 or so recorded tracks and put them up on the site. I sort of hope they do the same for the old material, including the out of print EP. The post also brought hope for seeing new projects from some of the members. Singer and eulogy writer Aaron Robinson already has a MySpace with a few solo things. It has some really nice solo acoustic stuff... you should all check it out.

Another one bites the dust:

Fat Boys Are Not Athletes
The New A.M.
A Lot To Say

Imaginary Baseball League

Whaaa?

2005-11-01T23:02:00.000-05:00

You fellas will never guess what I found! An alternate "The Great Escape" video... too racy for TV... oooooh. It actually has the cursing, and more... Watch it, but be careful not to wet yourself in excitement!

The Great Escape Video
We Are Scientists

Seven

2005-11-01T11:05:00.000-05:00

Hey, we're one week old! Just like this adorable kitten. Awww... aren't we so cute?

Good Company

2005-11-01T00:10:00.000-05:00

So, while just putzing around on the blogmosphere, I chanced upon something curious. I was looking at the featured blogs, and for some reason, "The Boy Who Heard Music" stuck out. And to my surprise, it turns out to be Pete Townshend's own blog, although I should have realized that the name comes from what will be his next rock opera. It seems that good ol' Pete is writing a book, one which hopefully I will eventually have time to read. What's more interesting to me is that he posted a song, who's name shares that with Chapter Two, "In the Ether". I became giddy with excitement when I saw this, as the Who are just about my favorite band ever. I should have been prepared though, I should have learned my lesson after "Then and Now" had come out a year or so ago. But I didn't. The song starts with really nice light airy guitar and a piano, very Pete Townshend. The vocals on the other hand are very Louis Armstrong, and just embarrassing for the most part. Pete was never meant to sing that low, its just silly. The song does have a few short moments, however, they do nothing to redeem the song, they only serve to taunt you into thinking how adequate a song it would have been if he wasn't being so ridiculous in singing it. Deep down inside, though, I hope he keeps writing and perhaps gets a good one up there.

Anyway, have a listen yourself.

mp3:
In the Ether

The Boy Who Heard Music
Eel Pie

The Roaring 20's?

2005-10-31T21:21:00.000-05:00

Well, the post about The Roaring 20's seems to have evaporated into the blogmosphere, so i figured I'd remind everyone about the fabulous Roaring 20's show coming up.

Pianos
November 10th
8:00 PM
with The Harlem Shakes and Unisex Salon
21+

The Roaring 20's

For the first time, I find history interesting!

2005-10-31T11:54:00.000-05:00

I think that I'm in love. The XYZ Affair provide everything I need in a band, and they offer their first EP for free on their website!! Does it get any better? I don't think so. Though I did much snooping, I was unable to find where this band was originally based, though since their inception, they have played all over the place. I will be at their next show at the Terrace Club, you should be there too (more details at the end of the post). I mean, just listen to them! They've got catchy guitar riffs, great vocals, some of the best songwriting I've heard in a while. I find myself singing "Hello Hello Hello" all the time, it's embarrassing, but it's that good of a song. The next song on the EP, "Michael McClory" has saxophone!!! But not just saxophone; it has a saxophone solo... that's class. Both Kyle and I are big fans of the saxophone. The next two songs on the EP, "A Little Lye" and "The Duke Of Paris" are equally catchy, with excellent guitar that almost makes me weep with joy. However the last song, "Diane" has something that sets it apart from the other songs. It has the catchy vocals, the superb guitar work, the exceptional drumming, and the overall greatness of The XYZ Affair, but it also has a section of layered vocals. If there's anything that tickles my fancy, it's intricate vocal parts such as harmonies and syncopation. These vocals, however, incorporate all of my favorite things, and squish them together into 65 seconds of pure awesomeness.

Come see The XYZ Affair at The Terrace Club in Princeton, NJ Friday, November 18th at 11:00PM with The Harlem Shakes and Group Sounds (who are also deserving of glowing reviews).

The XYZ Affair

10:1 (Shows:Month)

2005-10-30T17:21:00.000-05:00

Raisch/Hirsch (of the Futuretips)

Walker Lundee

Foxymorons

Jetpack

Finally back from PA. It was a good time. Allow me to elaborate.

So, after having driven for a little more than an hour to pick up some of my friends who are at schools in the Lehigh Valley, we all headed south on 309. We didn't have too much trouble getting there, but we were a little early (it was supposed to start at 2, we got there at 3, nothing happened until 4:30), so we decided to walk around the beautiful city that is Philadelphia. We were probably in one of the skeeviest sections of the city (we did see the Disney Church though, and lots of shoes on telephone lines), although there are plenty in Philadelphia, so we didn't stay out too long.

The venue itself, if you can even call it that, was pretty amazing. It was literally in a room in a huge factory. We were told to take this old industrial elevator to the third floor; it was possibly the most exhilarating elevator ride I have ever experienced. The room itself was about halved by a half-pipe that was being used by some of the older folks and two youngins, perhaps 10 of age or so. Besides them, we were the youngest ones there.

After we arrived, we got the disappointing news that Bishop Allen had car trouble, and they had to cancel. However, we had already driven all the way out there, and I wanted to see Jetpack, so we stuck around. We got a seat on a couch, and the first band, two members from the Futuretips, came on. One played guitar, the other on a synthesizer. Their songs were good, but I wish they had the other three members with them, as the songs seemed empty at times. They even commented on the fact themselves after one of their songs.

After Raisch/Hirsch of the Futuretips came Walker Lundee, who seemed the resident band of 3233 Amber Street. They were on all of the old posters that were up, and the stencil which they used to paint "Walker Lundee" on their bass drum was even taped to the wall. They were alright, although for the night, I think they were my least favorite. The lead played a tinny sounding baby blue Rickenbacker, and was joined by a bassist and a drummer who seemed not to fit well with the other two. Their songs were alright, but after a short while, began to sound somewhat similar.

Next was the Foxymorons, the wild card of the night. I knew they were a similar line up to Jetpack, but I hadn't done enough research. It turns out, the only difference is that there is a different lead singer/guitarist, and Sean plays bass instead of guitar and David vice versa. They were good, very pop oriented. They alternated vocals between David and Jerry the non-Jetpack guy. Personally, I found the songs sung by David a bit better than those by Jerry. The slightly nasally quality of Jerry's voice is a bit hard to get used to, but still good. They were pimping out their most recent album "Hesitation Eyes", but unfortunately I wasn't able to part with my limited funds to get one.

There was a short interlude filled by one Scott of Bikini Car Wash Company, but he doesn't deserve much of a note here. He wrote slightly comical tunes about his Dell computer breaking and whatnot. Jetpack, who shouldn't have had any trouble getting up and going in two minutes flat, took their time and came on some time after Scott was on. Jetpack, although a similar lineup to the Foxymorons, are quite a different band. Sean is such an excellent frontman, with an stellar voice and just a presence about himself. Jetpack's set was very impressive, covering mostly newer material from what it seemed, with songs such as "Hot Rod", "Destroy Your Hideout" and closing with "Mathematics". I was a little depressed they didn't play "Bianca" or "Matters of Science" though. Overall, it was a spectacular performance, and I really can't wait until they come anywhere close to the tri-state area to see them again.

Unfortunately, we didn't stay for the last band, Dragon City, but the logistics of getting back to Bethlehem, then driving to New Brunswick, and then back to Morris County and leaving really late didn't seem to work out. It was a very adventurous night, one which won't leave my mind for a good deal of time. Sorry for slacking in my duties.

Pics
The Foxymorons
Jetpack
Google search for "christian owens" and "tomorrow's friend" "

And sorry for the Rogue Wave play on words. I've been listening to them since their first album, and I couldn't help but use the title to their new single to celebrate the 10th show I went to in one month. It's a milestone I'll ne'er forget.

We Are Scientists, cont.

2005-10-28T17:49:00.000-04:00

So, all ended well yesterday. We all arrived at the door a little after 6, and waited for a good time outside. We did however meet Chris Cain, with whom I had a little chat about a potential show at Rutgers (cross your fingers folks). It was still pretty cool to see the guys lugging in their own equiptment from their van parked outside, I must admit, it was humbling.

After getting the tickets, we mosied around the area, and I got a free copy of The Great Gatsby outside of a book store. Anyway... we got back to the venue, and as we were waiting in line to get upstairs, I noticed a woman with a We Are Scientists poster, and I couldn't help but ask where she had gotten it from. She turned around and said, "Oh, I'm with Virgin", and proceeded to give me a poster. I still can't seem to swallow how big they are now. It's really surreal. I mean, they're opening for Hot Hot Heat next month at Starland. What in the world has happened?

The show was pretty excellent. Tomorrow's Friend came on first, and they were pretty good. They are a little out there, where a good deal of there songs turn into noise that's played to a beat. Christian Owens played with them, after an apparent conflict on who would be appearing. The ended coming out with not only Christian Owens, but a flutist. You heard me... a flutist. They only played for 30 min, which amounted to 5 or so songs for the gang.

We Are Scientists came out next, ready and willing to rock. It's a wonder that some nice instruments and 4 or so feet elevation can turn such otherwise normal yet awesome people into rock dieties. It's still disappointing that they neglect to play any of the old stuff, including anything off of the absolutely brilliant Inaction EP, which is a favorite of mine. Don't get me wrong, the new stuff is great, but it leaves me longing for the good old days. We were then graced with C.O.'s presence with us up in the front, which was pretty awesome. She tapped me on the shoulder and stood right next to me. Her friends Julia and Darby also came over and danced with her. Chris was a smart alec enough to make a joking pass at Christian on stage, remarking on the figure of the bassist of the last band. Keith would have none of that of course. A few songs into the set, Keith broke a string on his Telecaster. He went to switch guitars, while Chris heckled about how he'd let fame get to his head and whatnot. Keith, after nearly finishing tuning the new guitar, put it away, and picked up the Telecaster, sans a "G" string (I hate to brag, but the string is now in my dorm room). The continued their set as if nothing were wrong, and it was indeed amazing. The finished with the inimitable "Great Escape". For the solo, Keith got down on his knees in front of his monitor and did some crazy guitar work. He then got up, threw his guitar, grabbed Chris's mic and stood on the bass drum. Chris likewise dropped his bass and began singing into the tom mic, all while Tapper kept on with the beat. It was one of the more ridiculous things I have ever seen at a show. So, all of you in We Are Scientists, kudos for an excellent show.

I sort of wish I was more prepared for Ambulance, Ltd. I must admit, I had not prior to last night heard many of their songs. They were pretty good slow rock which had times of brilliance. The crowd was obviously a vast majority Ambulance fans, and it put my scrawny sweater vest and tie clad self a little bit ill at ease. But so be it. The guitarist for Ambulance gained my undying respect. The, like Keith, had some string troubles, but he, unlike Keith, broke his low E string. For Christ's sake, his low E string! In all my years, I have never seen that happen at a show. He ended up cutting his finger, but did he hesitate? No. He was a trooper. He switched guitars, to one which unfortunately/fortunately had a white pick guard. By the end of the set, there was blood sprayed all over the pick guard. It was pretty intense. They also played a Neil Young song, and I'll be damned if I don't remember which one. They came back for their encore without any kind of wait, and played a few apparent fan favorites. It was, overall, a really excellent show.

For those of you wondering, WAS will be playing the following dates. So go and get tickets. Now. Go.

Sun October 30 2005
Los Angeles, CA / Troubadour
Wed November 2 2005
Seattle, WA / Crocodile Cafe
Thu November 3 2005
Portland, OR / Dante’s
Sun November 6 2005
Louisville, KY/ Jillian’s
Mon November 7 2005
Columbus, OH / Newport Music Hall
Wed November 9 2005
Syracuse, NY / Club Tundra
Thu November 10 2005
Buffalo, NY / The Buffalo Icon
Fri November 11 2005
Cambridge, MA / Walker Memorial Marss Hall
Sat November 12 2005
Hartford, CT / Webster Theatre
Mon November 14 2005
Burlington, VT / Higher Ground
Tue November 15 2005
Johnson City, NY / Magic City Music Hall
Wed November 16 2005
Providence, RI / Lupo’s at the Strand
Thu November 17 2005
Sayreville, NJ / Starland Ballroom
Sat November 19 2005
Baltimore, MD / Sonar Lounge

And the well worked over UK dates (they're all sold out, you guys must really be catching on):

Mon November 28 2005
London, GB / King’s College
Tue November 29 2005
Manchester, GB / Manchester Academy 2
Wed November 30 2005
Glasgow, SCT / King Tut’s
Thu December 1 2005
Birmingham, GB / Flapper & Firkin

I'll be at the Starland show, where they'll be opening for Hot Hot Heat. See you there, hopefully somewhere up at the front.

We Are Scientists
Tomorrow's Friend
Ambulance, Ltd.
Starland Ballroom

No post tomorrow. Going to PA with a fine lady to aforementioned Bishop Allen/Jetpack show.

Sorry, I had to take down the pictures, email me if you want them.

We Are Scientists

2005-10-27T14:28:00.000-04:00

So, I may take a temporary hiatus from this blog (don't worry kiddies, just a few days), so that I can go to some shows. Hopefully Ross will pick up a little bit of the slack this weekend when I drive to Allentown then to Philly for the Bishop Allen/Jetpack show.

Anyway, tonight, Ross, Melody and I are going to venture into the big city to try to see the darlings of New York, We Are Scientists. They are fortunately/unfortunately playing the now sold-out Ambulance Ltd. show at Bowery Ballroom. We're banking on the fact that they may release some extra tickets tonight, a few hours before doors. It should be a good show, whether we get in or not, so, if anyone out there is already going, have fun. If we aren't fortunate enough to be graced by the presence of such a band as We Are Scientists tonight, I do have a back up show. Wolf Parade will be playing at the Kimmel Center (of Roaring 20's victory fame). This show will most likely also sell out; the only reason it likely hasn't is because advance tickets can only be bought by NYU students. Damn... I should have told my NYU friends to scalp them. They'd have made a fortune. Anyway, hopefully if we all can't get into one sold out show, we'll get into the equally circumstanced NYU show. We'll see how it goes... and be sure Ross or I will write about it.

We Are Scientists
Bowery Ballroom

Jetpack

2005-10-26T19:16:00.000-04:00

So, I think I've finally decided to just follow Bishop Allen around, no matter where they're playing. If it's in California, so be it. The same goes for if it's Australia. I'll even grow a moustache in case they decide to play a 21+ gig. Mmm... I need to ponder on the thought of me with a moustache for a bit... Yeah...

Anyway, Bishop Allen... remember, I wrote about how cool they are last week?... well, they're playing in Fluffy this weekend. And I am so on top of that. They're one of a half dozen bands playing (the show is being billed as "an afternoon delight", running from 2 to 9 at night), including one Jetpack. So, I had nothing better to do on Tuesday, and I visited their website, and boy, they surely slap you in the face with one of the catchiest, raddest indie pop-rock songs I've heard in a long time, and not only that, the video for it. This Nashville/Texas based band (don't ask me how that works) knows how to get the job done. The aforementioned single of sorts, "Mathematics", is one hell of a song. It's got everything from group clapping, some nice guitar syncopations, gratuitous but not out of control synthesizer, and ample opportunity for audiences to join in the "hey hey hey"'s. And let me tell you... Jetpack Sean (as they have taken the names "Jetpack *insert first name here*") has got some style. I don't know what it is, I just can't seem to resist these nerd rock bands. It must say something about me. But this is besides the point. The point is that Jetpack shove more awesome into this three minute song, it boggles the mind. And this one wasn't a fluke by any means. Others like "Destroy Your Hideout" and "Matters of Science" are also gems. I really can't wait to see them on Saturday. It seems that Bishop Allen may be trying to fill the void which We Are Scientists left when they signed to Virgin.

The show itself has been booked by Plain Parade, and is going to take place at 3233 Amber Street in Philadelphia. It seems that this is the address for both "Thrifty Needle" and/or the Oliver Knitting Company. So while many people can say they've been to the Knitting Factory either in New York or California to see a show, I'll be so scene I will have been to a show at an actual knitting factory. The bands playing include the aforementioned Bishop Allen and Jetpack, along with a Jetpack side project/band with nearly the same members named the Foxymorons, Walker Lundee, Raisch-Hirsch, and Dragon City.

Samples (These are available on their website, and therefore I'm hoping I won't get sued. If anyone has a problem with these being here, please contact me and they will be taken down. This will be my policy from this point on.):

Mathematics
Gloomy Jules

Jetpack
Plain Parade
Oliver Knitting Factory?!?

It's here!

2005-10-25T23:00:00.000-04:00

Well, it has finally been released. "This Bird Has Flown: A 40th Anniversary Tribute To The Beatles' Rubber Soul" was officially released in stores today. As such, I feel it would be appropriate for me to publish my full review of the album.

The Beatles are quite possibly the most influential band of all time. They octuple-handedly engineered rock as we know it. Though they may have started as sellouts with their nauseating pop tunes, they eventually used their affluence to spread their genius later in life. One such album, "Rubber Soul", changed the face of music forever. Just four months after the release of their multi-platinum album "Help!", "Rubber Soul" sold 1.9 million copies within its first nine days of release. So it comes as no surprise that music artists everywhere would jump on the prospect of doing anything to pay tribute to the band that facilitated the rise of rock. This has its upsides and downfalls as every band, good and bad, want to do their part. On "This Bird Has Flown", you'll get the full spectrum: from the good bands, to the ones that make you want to cry, you'll get it all.

Drive My Car - The Donnas - The other night, I saw The Donnas on SNL, but I didn't think they were anything special. Though Drive My Car does nothing to disprove my assumption, it does prove that they are damn fine musicians with an almost exact replica of the Beatles version. It does have a little taste of The Donnas though with an accentuated drum line, a little more punch to the lyrics, and I do have to admit that the harmonies do sound quite interesting with female voices.

This Bird Has Flown (Norwegian Wood) - The Fiery Furnaces - Alright, I'll try to hold my tongue on this one. It was an attempt to pay a tribute to the Beatles. In my opinion, a horrible, disfiguring attempt, but an attempt, nonetheless. I admire them for their effort, though not for their rendition. I has the traditional sound of the Fiery Furnaces, which is a weird experimental sort of sound. I'm sure that many people like that kind of music, but it's not for me, and it's definitely not for Beatles music.

You Won't See Me - Dar Williams - Another faithful replication here, though it does add a very nice country feel. Say what you will about country, but it has its moments, and this is one of them. The subtle twangly guitars in the background is a very nice touch. All in all, a great rendition of a Beatles classic.

Nowhere Man - Low - When I saw that Low was performing Nowhere Man, I didn't know what to expect. Perhaps I am not as well versed in Low as I should be, but this is not what I was expecting from them at all. It's basically a very stripped down version of Nowhere Man. It's nice, but it leaves a big hole where the third harmony and backup vocals should be. If this were the first time I'd ever heard Nowhere Man, I'm sure I would like it, but since I know what its potential is, I don't feel I can truly appreciate it.

Think For Yourself - Yonder Mountain String Band - Wow. These guys set out to do a tribute, and boy did they do it. It sounds exactly the same as the Beatles version. It has the same guitar distortion, the same vocal parts, their voices even sound like The Beatles. The only difference may be the almost-imperceptible guitar embellishments. I do like it, but I think I'd rather listen to the real Beatles if they're going to play that close to the original version.

The Word - Mindy Smith - Now this is a tribute. It's got the original's music, but it's been totally Mindy Smithified. Overall an incredible piece, and an superb rendition.

Michelle - Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals - A reggae Michelle?? Who woulda thunk? The first time I heard this song, I was quite incredulous, but after hearing it all the way through, it definitely grew on me. It's not what one would expect, but Michelle does make a good reggae song. Ben Harper should learn to pronounce "Sont des mots qui vont très bien" though.

What Goes On - Sufjan Stevens - Uhh... I guess this is What Goes On. Sufjan totally scrapped what The Beatles worked so tirelessly for, keeping only the lyrics. This is definitely Sufjan though, he basically took the lyrics and wrote his own song around them. Not bad I say, but not really a tribute, more of an attempted improvement, and that's not really what I was looking for when I purchased this album.

Girl - Rhett Miller - A good cover by Rhett Miller. It's pleasant because he turned into a pleasant headbopping song even though the lyrics are fairly dark. Very enjoyable, even if it's lost the trademark backwards fffffff of the original.

I'm Looking Through You - Ted Leo - Yes. Very Ted Leo. To tell the truth, this is exactly what I expected. It's good in a way, because Ted Leo has a very enjoyable music style, but I always like suprises.

In My Life - Ben Lee - Sounds like he's performing a talent show. You can even hear the amp buzz in the background. Again, very stripped down (though it seems to have violins, jangly things, some weird howling noise, and somethinreminiscentnt of the piano solo), sounds like it's lacking something. Hopefully the crowd likes him.

Wait - Ben Kweller feat Albert Hammond Jr. - This song is crafted very well, one of Kyle's favorites. It's got the original vocal and guitar lines, but it has a wonderful updated rhythm update, and a little slice of Ben Kweller. I do say, his voice suits The Beatles quite well.

If I Needed Someone - Nellie McKay - This song was very poorly crafted, maybe the day before the deadline. It doesn't sound like much time was spent on it. It's a lounge tune. It's got the lyrics, mostly spoken, a bass riff of arpegiated chords, and some weird piano, nothing special at all.

Run For Your Life - Cowboy Junkies - I hate it when albums end on a bad note, and this is about as bad as it gets. This track is the only track on the album in which the artist had the gall to alter the lyrics. It's not even a meaningful change either. They changed the song from being about a jealous lover to a song about "how girls are better than boys". It's atrocious! They ruined the rhythm and rhyme of the lyrics, just for their own stupid agenda. Just for this one infraction, I don't believe I will ever bother with The Cowboy Junkies ever again.

Well, there you have it. I hate to end on such a sour note. However, the album is a wonderful gesture, and overall, it's a pretty good disc, I'd say a must for the indie fan who wants to get back to his roots.

This Bird Has Flown

I Hope I Die Before I Get Old, But Not Before I'm 21.

2005-10-25T14:35:00.000-04:00

So... I was surfing the net, and what do I see but another great show that I am again ineligible for. Man Man (who I saw open for Ted Leo many months ago) is playing a Halloween show at the Delancey in New York, and I again feel like I'm 5 and trying to get onto a roller coaster that you have to be as tall as the clown's arm in order to ride. And what's worse is that it's a free show. I don't even drink, even if I was 21 I wouldn't be, but I still can't get in.

This is a bit of an exercise in futility, because hopefully I will be going to the We Are Scientists show at Bowery Ballroom that same night. But this has happened before. We Are Scientists have had to sneak me into a bar in Brooklyn (The Galapagos Art Space) once, and I've snuck into Pianos on a few occasions. I should start a petition. If I can be sent to war and die for my country, I should at least be able to get into a good show before I die. The Khyber does the same thing to me. They have excellent shows with such bands as The Teeth, and Okkervil River, American Analog Set, and more. And every show is 21+. Damn it. Oh well... I guess at this juncture there's nothing I can do but wait until I'm mature enough to hold some liquor in me. And mope. A lot.

I'm Hooked

2005-10-24T19:02:00.000-04:00

I really hate to admit this, but I spent every waking hour in between classes and such for the last 24 hours reading every single Questionable Content cartoon. I am a pathetic excuse for a human being. I don't know what's more pathetic, that I just read them all, or the fact that I'm now blogging about it. And it's all Eugene Millerman's fault. If anyone is reading this, and knows him... I implore you, punch him in the arm when you next see him. He had to mention it to me, and suggest I read it. I mean, I knew it existed, but it was already to slide 300 something, and I didn't have the will power nor the time to start it. I must admit, I was able to relate to Marten to some extent, and it was a fairly good read, but the unabashed sexual tension confined within that comic is enough make a lesser man strangle some cute animal. So, if you have a lit paper due in two days or something, and are looking for something which you can give you the excuse to procrastinate, just click the link below.

Questionable Content, #1

I did get an awesome quote from it though, in slide 126.

PS - look forward to a review of "Talk In Circles" by the Willowz in the next few dayz.

Bishop Allen, Mates of State, Awesome

2005-10-23T12:44:00.000-04:00

I love it when you walk into a venue and the band is either at the bar, or one of them is manning the merch stand. It's so endearing, and makes you feel so much more at home. Going to huge shows has its kicks too, but for me, give me some bar in NYC over Keyspan Park or Continental anyday.

October 20th found Ross and I heading back into the city to see Bishop Allen and Mates of State at the Bowery Ballroom. I have listened to Mates of State before, and I know they're good, but personally, I had gone for the opener, Bishop Allen. Before we were even able to check our will-call tickets, I saw all of the members of Bishop Allen sitting at the bar, not ten feet from the door. So, I walked over and they greeted me. Christian Rudder is possibly one of the coolest people that I have ever met, and we had a little chat. His lady, Reshma, joined us soon, and she's just adorable.

So, after chatting for a while, and bending a few ears about the gang possibly coming to play at good old Rutgers University, Ross and I went upstairs. On the way we stopped at the merch stand, and I was disappointed/expecting it when I saw no Bishop Allen merch. However, we asked the man at the table if there would be any BA gear, and to my surprise, he replied that yes, Bishop Allen had indeed brought swag, and not just their excellent CD Charm School, but also shirts. He, however, had no authority to sell them, and I would have to wait to throw money at Bishop Allen.

Ross and I were able to get surpisingly good spots upstairs, seeing as we spent more time downstairs than most. Bishop Allen came on, and I was excited to say the least. They played all the oldies and goodies first, although they missed a few. They only hit "Little Black Ache", "Empire City", and "Bishop Allen Drive", and some reasonably new songs such as "Toast from Benefit Street" and the like. But they did perform "Eve of Destruction", which I have never heard them play live at any of the other five or so shows I have seen them play, so that was a treat. A good part of the set was new material, which was fun to hear, but left me longing for the days in which I knew every word that was going to come out of Justin Rice's mouth. They were all really quality songs, though, most of which were performed with Justin on his Gibson acoustic. They were typical Bishop Allen songs, nice catchy folky pop tunes with a really depressing story. For instance, one of the songs started "I've been to Memphis, that's where my family goes to die". They were very fun to watch though, with Justin doing his patented sideways high step foot tap (if you don't know what I'm talking about, I implore you, go see them. I guarantee he'll do it for you.), and Christian Rudder doing amazing things on guitar. Christian Owens (yes, there are two Christians, one is a man, the other a woman) was holding up the rhythm on bass. Seeing "Empire City" played live is still one of my favorite things to do. The "Wey-oh"s at the end of that song are just too good to want to be doing anything else than staring slack-jawed at the whole band, performing one of their best songs, and one of the best I've ever heard from anyone. C.O. also had a bass solo in one of the new songs, which was pretty awesome. It's always good to see that the band still has a sense of humor, too. The bass drum, which had said "Delamitraux on the drums" at previous shows now sported one less 'd' and 's', now exclaiming "Delamitraux on the rum". I had a good laugh when I first saw it.

They next band to come up on the stage, Dirty on Purpose, was pretty good. They were fairly keen on making lots of noises, and going into the whole spacey etherial feel, but often interupting their mood music with a little bit of the rock. Personally, I'm not one for the spacey stuff, but let me tell you, they could indeed rock. Their guitarist is forging the way for the reemergence of feedback into indie rock. He didn't just make noise with the feedback, he nursed all the right ones out of his guitar, while kneeling in front of his amplifier. I haven't seen such adeptness with feedback... ever. The mustachioed frontman, also on a guitar, sang either in falsetto, or had left puberty behind. It was a bit of an odd fit, but it seems they had lost their keyboardist and vocalist, who was a woman, and he had to take her place. I wish they would have just changed their sound a bit rather than force this poor man to stretch his vocals to unneeded ends. The drummer also picked up on some of the vocal duties, when he wasn't busy playing the same rhythm for practically every song. And he made it obvious too, by raising his arm completely before hitting the snare in at least three different songs. Oh well. The bassist was fairly quiet all set, until they reached their penultimate song on the set list. He used such an effect on his bass the likes of which I have never heard. It was incredible.

After DOP, Mates of State graced the stage. With just an electric organ, an electric keyboard, and a drum set, and a pair of newlyweds. Kori and Jason came up to their respective instruments, and began their mushy pop songs. The best part about their set was that they nearly completely ignored the audience; they either stared at their instruments, each other, or they closed their eyes. The audience was addressed all of three times, one of which to make everyone aware that Kori's father was on the balcony. Mates of State was one of the most adorable things that I have ever seen in my life. It even seemed that when Kori moved from the electric organ away to the keyboard that the increased distance between her and her bo made the songs have a sad feel.

After the show was over, I headed back downstairs to check out the BA merch, and there stood Christian Owens behind the table. I came up and was astonished that they had shirts. You know, things you put over your torso so people can't see your skin. She had apparently broke into Pratt and silk screened them herself. She also had one shirt she hand made, which I also purchased.

And thus our night of glorious, glorious music had come to an end. We almost died on the way back.

Bishop Allen
Mates of State
Dirty on Purpose

This Bird Has Flown

2005-10-23T01:36:00.000-04:00

I know it may not be of much importance, but if you happen to be in the Fords, NJ area, you can pick up this highly anticipated Beatles tribute album two days in advance at Vintage Vinyl. I got mine! It's pretty decent with some almost exact replicas of Beatles songs (Yonder Mountain String Band - Think For Yourself), some good interpretations (Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals - Michelle), and some interpretations so awful they make you angry (The Cowboy Junkies - Run For Your Life) if you happen to be as big of a Beatles fan as I am. Overall, I'd say it was a good purchase though, so go out and get your own!

This Bird Has Flown
Vintage Vinyl

Longing for the Decemberists

2005-10-22T22:03:00.000-04:00

Just as an aside, I missed the brief period when the Decemberists had three new songs posted on their "secret" purevolume site, i.e., they took an 'e' out of their name. If anyone checks this thing yet (I've been trying to spread the word), and has access to the songs, I would appreciate it greatly if you could send them my way. The titles were apparently "Shankhill Butchers", "Valencia", and "Julie Anne". I was only able to listen to them briefly on Ross's computer immediately before watching Quadrophenia. The first two at least were more on Colin's acoustic side, and seemed like they were very good and well worth having on my computer.

The Decemberists
The Decemberists' Purevolume

Tomorrow will most likely bring a review of the Mates of State/Bishop Allen show. Keep your hopes high and I will be sure to disappoint.

The Roaring 20's

2005-10-22T12:24:00.000-04:00

The last month more than deserves a blog, for all of the silly, ridiculous, and outlandish things that Ross and I have been a part of or done. Thus, Sounds of Thunder has been born. We will have a brief period of back reviews of shows and other such nonsense, and will continue to post throughout our future trials and tribulations through the gut of the indie scene.

Anyway... In recent news, fan favorites The Roaring 20's won a battle of the bands last night at NYU's Kimmel Center in Washington Square. The turn out of the show, sponsored by the NYU Ski and Snowboard Club and accordingly dubbed "Yellow Snow", was small to say the least. The audience amounted to 20 people, and thats being generous. Although we were late to the show, which began at 8, and missed one band and half of a set by David Byrne, we did not miss the main attraction. The Roaring 20's came out and commenced the rock, with lead man Karl Fey wearing a 'fro wig and Kevin making ridiculous body movements on the drums. TR20s wooed the crowd with fan favorites such as "Graveyard Hot Tub", and "Plane Crash into a Train Wreck". The new bassist, Ryan, did a good job of taking over where Cassie left off. Although he did use sheet music, no one could think lesser of him for it, for he has some nice, big, high heel shoes to fit into. Pictures of the show have been added to the 20's webpage. And before you ask, yes, that was Ross and I playing Super Smash Bros. Melee which was being projected on the screen behind them.

At the end of the night, the ballots were counted, and of course, our darling Roaring 20s came out on top. For the evening, they made some money, got some free Thai food, and got two kids to help bring their equiptment back to the Lower East Side. We were able to stick around the Fey's apartment, where, at the prodding of Kevin, Karl gave us a teaser of some new material, some of which they will be premiering at Pianos on November 10th. Be there or be under 21. It should be a spectacular show, with The Roaring 20's playing with the great Harlem Shakes. It should be most excellent.

To summarize:

Pianos
November 10th
8:00 PM
with The Harlem Shakes and Unisex Salon
21+

The Roaring 20's