Surfer Blood - "Hey Sandy" (Polaris cover)

Slowly but surely, the 90's are becoming the new 80's. More and more 'buzzbands' it seems are drawing influence from Loveless and Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain than the previous blueprint formed by Power, Corruption and Lies and Disintegration. Bands like Florida's Surfer Blood, however, look to the delightfully off-kilter television program The Adventures of Pete & Pete for material - and why not? This was the show that featured Iggy Pop as Nona's dad, Michael Stipe as the sludgecicle-slinging Captain Scrummy, and Artie - the strongest man in the world.

Just in time for a trip to the beach, Surfer Blood have treated us to a cover of the show's theme song, "Hey Sandy," by Polaris. Download it here and enjoy all two minutes, because before you know it, Little Pete and Artie will be beating up the ocean and Mr. Tastee's Blue Tornado bars will be a distant memory.

Live Review: White Denim @ Brighton Music Hall, 6/24/11

Despite the name of this blog coming from an Irish band's single, and despite the last two live reviews that I've written - this is indeed a forum for all types of music and reviews of said music and live reviews of said music. So in stark contrast to a show I reviewed the night before, I turn my attention to Austin's White Denim - a band I fell in love with last year after hearing their borderline divine and completely FREE kindof-album Last Day of Summer. (Please do yourself a favor and download this eargasm if you haven't done so by clicking here.) As per usual, pre-show questions clouded my brain: Are they just gonna jam? Is it going to be like Bonnaroo up in this? Glowsticks or no glowsticks?

This one, however, was best not to think about and allow the band to do all the work - and work they did. Right off the bat I was impressed with the band setting up and sound-checking all of their own equipment, something that I've grown accustomed to only when I'm seeing Ted Leo (with his Pharmacists or on his own). The group looked around at each other, signaled to the sound guy, and started right in on material from their latest album, D. May I also note that they started at 10:50 - 10 minutes before they were scheduled to go on. Definitely a first.

Singer/guitar-shredder James Petralli (yes reader, he is indeed the son of former Texas Rangers catcher Geno... Ya know, the guy who caught Nolan Ryan's 300th win!?) sings with his mouth and guitar, almost like he knows that Trey Anastasio's number is up. The rest of the group didn't need backup mics, as they just allowed their incredibly tight playing to speak for itself. In somewhat jam-band format, beginnings and endings of songs were transitioned into the next with such fluidity to even know what was being played. Only a few times did Petralli turn to us and thank us for being there, which seemed to be fine with everyone in attendance. Standouts included the new track'Anvil Everything,' 'I Start To Run' from Fits, and my personal favorite song of theirs, 'Tony Fatti.' Maybe next time we squeeze in a few more from Last Day of Summer, guys?

All in all, White Denim proved why they were worthy of playing much bigger venues than the former Harper's Ferry. They will continue to tour and put out music relentlessly until the masses catch on - and if they do, don't be surprised to see this little band that could playing at summer festivals for the next 10 years. And although there were zero glow sticks at this show, people were indeed rolling face. Hang tight, White Denim, your break is just around the bend.

Live Review: The Bouncing Souls @ The Middle East, 6/23/11

After talking to bassist Bryan 'Papillon' Kienlen for a few minutes several hours before he and his band went on stage, he admitted that Friday night's show would be better. "Ok, well tonight and tomorrow. It's those albums where we really hit our stride."

Those albums he's referring to - The Bouncing Souls, Hopeless Romantic, How I Spent My Summer Vacation, and Anchors Aweigh - are being played in their entirety as part of a series of shows the Souls are currently touring on: 8 albums, 4 nights in 8 cities around the world. Boston (Cambridge if you want to get picky) was one of those cities, as the band played The Middle East four nights in a row as part of their 20th anniversary victory lap. Thanks to Newbury Comics for hooking-a-brotha-up-propa, I was able to get into the sold-out second night of the stop, which included the band playing their self-titled 1997 album and (my personal favorite) 1999's Hopeless Romantic.

Blaring the Rocky theme as the lights go out is one of the biggest clichés in live performance, but tonight was an exception. A bell was dinged and a 'hot chick' came out holding a large foam-board printing of the first album the band was to play whilst an announcer told us the 'stats' of the album. Light-hearted, fun, and border-line corny, just like the band that took the stage. With the charging 'Cracked,' the band powered through The Bouncing Souls appearing slightly off. Singer Greg Attonito in his standard shirt and tie had a glazed look in his eyes, as though he really had to concentrate on remembering the lyrics to this 14 year old album, and the band kept the banter mostly to a minimum during the first set. At a 'punk show,' though, it's not about what the band is doing, really; It's about being sweaty and moshing around and yelling the lyrics and getting punched in the face. "Boston punks and skins," so goes the saying, "a rowdy bunch indeed."

*Not my photo

After taking a break and allowing 'Round 2' to commence, the band re-emerged much more loose and laid-back. All smiles, they jumped right into the title track of Hopeless Romantic and things went much more smoothly. I was just as happy to hear 'Kid,' 'Bullying the Jukebox' and 'Fight To Live' as the rest of the crowd, and for a minute I felt as though it was 1999 and I could go tell everyone about this 'cool concert' I went to in my 6th grade Social Studies class.

The Bouncing Souls didn't need to try to impress anybody after all this time. They have a solid fan-base that just wants to recapture the glory of the days gone by. People may not hold punk rock in the same high regard as other underground genres, but the fans don't seem to mind - especially if a band that's been around for 23 years thanks you by playing all of their albums over four nights in your city.

Live Review: Against Me! @ Paradise Rock Club, 6/9/11

Most times when I attend a show by myself, I like to think of myself as a modern day Kerouac - wearing plaid, talking to myself in prose, drinking cheap beer out of a paper bag, and just sortof letting those bohemians on stage pour their emotions while I take it in all sweating and Beatific and whatnot. Let's just say that seeing Against Me! is not anything like that.

Not that it couldn't be, though - as singer/songwriter Tom Gabel has always written politically charged and/or socially conscious pop punk that could totally breed the type of fan that goes to these shows to just scream the lyrics and 'experience' the music. Deciding that it was best to put myself in the latter category this evening, I entered the all ages show shortly before the main attraction took the stage.

I didn't think much of the 'All Ages' addendum to the familiar sign outside of the club until I walked in - "'All ages'? Does that mean I'm going to be fighting off twelve year olds? Do twelve year old kids go to shows or just watch stuff on YouTube? Do the real punks come to hear 'Pints of Guinness Make You Strong' and then leave?" Mind racing, I grabbed two beers and shouldered through the crowd.



Without much delay (and a really excitable roadie who checked mics by yelling 'YEEEAAAHHH BUDDY'), the band walked out waving, smiling and murdered out in all black. Thankfully wasting no time, they charged into the favorite 'Cliché Guevara' much to the delight of your author and everyone around me. This is a pivotal moment at a punk show - everyone hears that first chord (that could be about 8 of that band's songs) and a rush, a push, and a mosh pit. Fortunately, that broke out on the other side of the pole from me and I just swayed with the crowd as they plowed through 'Pints of Guinness Make You Strong,' 'From Her Lips To God's Ears (The Energizer),' and 'New Wave.' Thanks to major label money(Sire), the guys had great equipment that made Jay Weinberg's (yes, he is Max Weinberg's son) pounding drumming balance perfectly with Andrew Seward's low-end. That duo, I must say, also really likes being in this band - as they sang along with Gabel on every single song and made really intense, 'dude-I'm-totally-killing' expressions. Punk rock, bro.

We didn't get much banter from Gabel, as they paused only once or twice to switch guitars/take swigs/say that Boston effing rocks. I really wanted to hear Gabel open up a bit, as being in 'all-business' mode isn't too fitting for a pop-punk band. The band did charge through a variety of their best material however, including 'Rapid Decompression,' 'T.S.R.' and 2005's Searching For A Former Clarity highlight 'Miami.'

The crowd screamed along and got rowdy, which is great unless you're a bro trying to protect his girl, yo. Usually I don't care about other people at these things, but this one bro started some stuff with other bros who were 'just tryin to have a good time, man' and yours truly wound up in the middle of it, prying bros off of each other. Two of them were kicked out when security came over, and a third bro thought it would be fun to cuss out the bouncer and try to tackle him. He was shown his way out as well.

Thankfully the band soldiered on and rounded out their raucous set with the sing-alongs 'Turn Those Clapping Hands Into Angry Balled Fists,' 'Sink, Florida, Sink' and 'Thrash Unreal.' With just a 'thank you,' Gabel and crew waved and walked off, waited for five minutes to make us all want it, and graciously came out thanking us all once more. "Here's the Clash," said Gabel so nonchalantly that no one really knew what was going on until the familiar snare and bass of 'Janie Jones.' Of course I incorrectly felt as if they played this just for me and I was the only one screaming every word - but isn't that the reason we all go to concerts? Following this was 'Baby, I'm An Anarchist' and one of the best endings to a punk album, the title track 'Searching For A Former Clarity.' I decided that this was the zenith of the evening and set off (even though they did do one more - 'We Laugh At Danger') down the hallway only to find the bros that got kicked out waiting outside the club, most likely to get their revenge or something. Goddamn it, punks, can't we all just grow up and not have to make every show a pissing contest?

SETLIST

Cliche Guevara/Pints Of Guinness Make You Strong/From Her Lips To Gods Ears (The Energizer)/New Wave/White Crosses/Russian Spies/Don't Lose Touch/Violence

Miami/Because Of The Shame/Walking Is Still Honest/White People For Peace
I Was A Teenage Anarchist/Tonight We'll Give It 35%/Americans Abroad/Rice & Bread
Reinventing Axl Rose/Rapid Decompression/You Look Like I Need A Drink/Turn Those Clapping Hands.../T.S.R./Slurring The Rhythms/Sink, Florida, Sink/Thrash Unreal

Encore:
Janie Jones (The Clash)/Baby, I'm An Anarchist

Searching For A Former Clarity/We Laugh At Danger...

(More crappy iPhone pics)

Live Review: Death Cab For Cutie @ Paradise Rock Club, 6/5/11

When I first heard about Death Cab For Cutie playing the Paradise a few months back, I actually thought that there was a mistake on the Live Nation listing. 'Death Cab For Cutie at the Paradise!?' was the reaction verbatim, in fact. A major label band with a huge fanbase playing at a 700 capacity 'you've kinda made it' venue? Unheard of. After doing a little more research, I found out it was no mistake and that the band was touring a number of smaller venues up the East Coast. I tried to equate this to another band in a past and similar situation as I stood in line on the mild Boston night.

Nobody seemed to be drunk enough (or sober anymore) after a line like that, as cutting through the beyond sold out audience was almost stressful. But when the lights cut and everyone starts screaming, suddenly there's more room and everyone is happy - it's a beautiful thing.

Ben Gibbard didn't even waste his breath on a superfluous introduction, but instead just powered through 'Your Bruise,' 'The New Year' and 'We Laugh Indoors' much to the delight of the fans. The band knew that it was going to be their dedicated fans that came to this show, as material from their early records was almost perfectly balanced with tunes from last month's Codes and Keys. Gibbard even paused at one point to tell the audience this, saying they wanted to play 'a place like this' because they knew their 'hardcore fans' would come out. (He also added that he "fucking loves Boston," maybe to appear more edgy after all the recent backlash.)

Thanks to all that major-label keesh it seemed like you could taste Chris Walla's production, as Nick Harmer's low-end strings and Jason McGerr's crisp drumming anchored it all. Even songs with synths and drum tracks ("You Are A Tourist" and "Photobooth") sounded as if they were actually instruments and not recorded tracks. Even Gibbard's vocals - which are often shaky - seemed to stand on their own against the wall of sound behind him. He truly put this to the test when the rest of the band ran off stage and he played the acoustic song that helped thousands of hipsters and college kids get laid, "I Will Follow You Into The Dark." The crowd swayed and sung. Very Dispatch or something.

They jammed "I Will Possess Your Heart," bopped out "Soul Meets Body" and pogoed "The Sound of Settling" before saying goodnight and making everyone scream for more. Successfully, the guys mixed in "Stay Young, Go Dancing," "Styrofoam," "A Movie Script Ending" and the epic "Transatlanticism." Whether you're into the younger, more literately-lyricked Gibbard or the newly married sober songwriter, there's no denying that this group is still a cohesive and sonic powerhouse.

Is this like Muse coming to town and playing here? My mind still churns away...

The Best Albums of 2010

Holy crapola, it's that time already again. This year was retardedly good for music, from newcomers on the indie and pop scene to the elder statesmen that influenced them. To form this list (like most list-makers do I would assume), I scrolled through iTunes and wrote down all the worthy albums on about five note cards, tacked them up on the wall, and invited two of my colleagues over for Chinese food and to debate said albums. Here's what we came up with.

10. Surfer Blood - Astro Coast

With a name like Surfer Blood and being from Florida, the unfamiliar listener might think these four dudes are another reverb-drenched outfit pining for the sunshine and skipping classes with the girl that got away. Thankfully, none of that is true, as this band sticks out of the scrap heap by cranking up their amps. Colossal sounding tunes like "Swim" and "Twin Peaks" are stadium-ready, and "Floating Vibes" has towering guitar riffs and possibly the best kiss-off line of the year: "When you wake up in the morning and hear the awful applause/Put it in your fucking napkin/And watch it dissolve."

9. The National - High Violet

The National's ride to the top didn't really surprise anybody this year who listened to the band's previous efforts, but thankfully the album that broke them is just as engrossing as anything they've done. Matt Berninger's stories of the downtrodden sound haunting on tracks like "Anyone's Ghost" and "Conversation 16." The thundering drums and biting cymbals that have become the band's signature sound pound out the bottom end, and Berninger even takes his baritone up to an alto on a record that sounds best on a ride through the city at 2:00 am.

8. Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty

Wasn't this supposed to come out, like, three years ago? Yeah, something like that. Much like Clipse and their classic Hell Hath No Fury, Outkast's more-gangsta half had to fight his label and dropped Lucious Left Foot years later. Much like the Clipse record, it was worth the wait. "Shutterbug" is perfect for both dancehalls and subwoofers in a Cadillac, "General Patton" is all Southern bombast, and "Be Still" collaborates with Janelle Monae to make the best hand-clapping, sing-along song of the year that isn't "Fuck You."

7. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening

James Murphy better have been kidding when he said that this, LCD's third album, would be their last. Then again, they've already made one of the best albums of all time and have the respect of just about everyone in the industry. Maybe he's thinking in Seinfeldian terms, as to go out after This Is Happening couldn't be more grandiose. Once "Dance Yrself Clean" kicks in, the whole album is a momentous joyride, concluding with "Home," which plays off of the melody that started the album. Murphy may have been serious, as in the song's final moments he realizes he's reached his pinnacle: "Look around you/You're surrounded/It won't get any better." For the most part, it really doesn't.

6. Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz/All Delighted People EP

I'll be completely honest: Until the out-of-the-blue release of the All Delighted People EP in September, I thought I would never hear from the Michigan songsmith again. Stevens comes out of hiding and completely re-invents himself by doing the one thing necessary that would make his listeners come back - dismissing his '50 States' project. All Delighted People features his Vince Guaraldi-style ballads like "From The Mouth of Gabriel," 17-minute world chants on "Djohariah," and quotes Simon and Garfunkel on "All Delighted People (Classic Rock Version)". The epic Age of Adz showcases Stevens' intricate bedroom electronica, from the wild "Too Much" to the even crazier "I Want To Be Well." It's the latter that we understand exactly where he's coming from as he yelps "I'm not fucking around!"

5. Sleigh Bells - Treats

Ever since hearing "Crown on the Ground" after this band broke out at CMJ 2009, the indie world had been holding their breath to see what Sleigh Bells would do on their debut album. Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller had a simple answer: obliterate eardrums. A completely original and necessary fusion of distortion and dance tracks, Treats is all hooks and happiness. In a perfect world, every car I passed last summer would have also been blasting "Rill Rill" and snapping along as they "wondered what their boyfriends thought about their braces." An exhausting listen in the best sense of the word.

4. Titus Andronicus - The Monitor

The first song I had ever heard by Titus Andronicus is called "Upon Viewing Brueghel's 'Landscape'" and I immediately lost my shit because 1) that's one piece of art I actually really like and 2) it sounded like Conor Oberst singing on Zen Arcade. Frontman Patrick Stickles is one smart guy, from his incredibly personal lyrics to the more-punk bar band sound. The Monitor brilliantly compares realtionships to the Civil War, a concept that sounds like it would be corny if any other band had tried to do it. Thankfully Stickles' warbly scream is the epitome of sympathy and honesty, as it's hard not to feel bad for the wounded twenty-something finding his way back from Somerville to New Jersey on "A More Perfect Union." "Theme From 'Cheers'" is a night with friends as you try to drown your sorrows, and the 14-minute "The Battle of Hampton Roads" is all overcoming heatrache and starting over. If you haven't heard this record yet, Google the lyrics first and you'll be convinced.

3. Vampire Weekend - Contra

Ezra Koenig and friends were poised to become the next Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! after the overwhelming success of their first album, but instead fully embraced their own sound and reminded everyone that they're all talented musicians. Oh yeah, and they have the catchiest songs on the planet. Contra is the happiest record of the year, as it's impossible not to smile hearing "White Sky," "Holiday" and "Run." Their secret weapon is keyboardist/producer Rostam Batmanglij, who adds trip-hop codas to "Diplomat's Son" and African drums on "Giving Up The Gun." A band with a sense of awareness for other world music picks out the good bits and makes the sounds all their own. Keep it up, fellas.

2. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Mr. West is the biggest musician of our time. With every outburst and piece of publicity he gets, it seems he just feeds off the negative reactions and puts out the best song he's ever done. We all know how he lost his mother and split with his fiance, then did the whole Taylor Swift thing, then just kinda went into hiding. Little did everyone know he was reinventing himself again and collaborating with everyone from RZA to Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, creating an instant classic. There isn't an unnecessary track on MBDTF, and even his leftovers are delicious: songs that didn't make the album that were part of his GOOD FRIDAY download series and are available for free on his website. He really is as good as he says he is. All the time. Thank God for Kanye West keeping hard-work, craziness and creativity in the mainstream.

1. The Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

This time last year, I was thinking about not only my favorite albums from 2009 but of the entire decade. Boys and Girls In America, Kid A, Reconstruction Site...and the Arcade Fire's Funeral. The album still blows my mind six years later, and I remember how word spread like wildfire when that album was released in the fall of 2004. I was immediately under its spell, and the Arcade Fire became my new favorite band. When Neon Bible came out a few years later, I skipped my college class to go buy it and sat in the basement with it on repeat the entire day. As I thought about all of this I began to wonder, 'where is the Arcade Fire?'

The band was relatively quiet, and they only broke the news on their new album in May with snippets of the songs that would later become 'The Suburbs' and 'Month of May.' Word got out, anticipation built, and The Suburbs was released in August at the top of the Billboard charts. Win Butler crafted a concept album about the small towns in America and the feelings that come out of them: resentment, fear, and the need to get away. Every single song has a hook, if its right out front as in "City With No Children In It" or if its more subtle and strummed as in "Wasted Hours." Rene Chassagne takes vocal duties on several tracks as well, including the band's new signiture song "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)." An exhilarating listen that becomes more and more personal with each listen, the Arcade Fire have done it again and have made the most rewarding record of the year.

Live Review: The Morning Benders w/Twin Sister @ Paradise Rock Club, 11/9/10

A few major factors are going to affect this review. The first being that this show was on my birthday (yay!), so my expectations are always high whenever a band plays on my special little day. I always think, "These guys know that they're playing on my birthday, so they better kick ass." To be fair, the bar was set ridiculously high back in 2008 with the double-bonerific bill of Drive-By Truckers and The Hold Steady - a gig that ended with members of the 'Truckers coming on stage to cover The Band's "Lookout Cleveland," duet on "Chillout Tent," and rock the shit out of "Killer Parties." Obviously I knew the Morning Benders weren't going to bust into "Across The Sea" or anything, but I knew they did a whole album of covers (The Bedroom Covers) and Big Echo is one of the year's better albums.

When walking into the Paradise on Commonwealth Ave, I had remembered that they closed for the month of August to do some renovations, so it'd be nice to see if I would actually notice anything. Well, I did... and that shit ain't right! I'll spare you my displeasure about the renovations, because it's not going to go back to the way it was and we all just have to deal with it. The new setup did affect my overall experience, however, which is unfortunate. My cohorts and I made our way towards the balcony to get a better view only to find that it was chained off, something I never understood. The crowd wasn't sold out, but it was big for a Tuesday night, so I didn't get what the deal was. Ok, enough about that - I could go on for too long.

Twin Sister was the second band of the night. I missed Oberhofer. They're an indie band with a a song called ""o0O0o0O0o." Read about them on another blog. Twin Sister is yet another band from Brooklyn, and they play indie rock like every other band in Williamsburg. They were entertaining, but not knowing anything about them made them sound very generic. The band saved their blog hit "All Around and Away We Go" for last, which was fitting, as it is a good tune (listen to it here).

Headliners the Morning Benders took the stage with singer Chris Chu introducing them and promising the crowd that they would play Big Echo in its entirety. They chose to start things off with the mellow "Wet Cement," which immediately got the crowd singing along with its 'whoa-oh-oh-oh's. They faithfully played Big Echo highlights "Promises," "Cold War" and other tracks until they decided it was time for a cover. I yelled for "Lovefool," but they said they didn't remember it. Ok, so they played Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams," which was equally as excellent...although immediately following the song's conclusion I asked for "King Like Me" - shot in the dark, I know, but why wouldn't they do it? I mean they know it's my birthday! Along with Big Echo they played "Waiting For A War," a great cut from the band's first album Talking Through Tin Cans and saved the crowd-pleasing "Excuses" for last, which had every single person in the club singing along.